July has a Date to Remember - SO DO WE!

Photo of the Hot Springs Baths.... at Glenwood Springs, CO.

31 July Saturday: Incredible views to Aspen where a four hundred foot square house without utilities costs 2.5 million dollars. Lodging at the Aspen Inn was very pleasant; they include free shuttle service into the city but the Saturday desk staff was not best... Mitch... we needed you! We especially enjoyed the historicity of the Hotel Jerome and wonderful food served outdoors on the patio. Great service. The drive to Glenwood Springs proved to be uncomfortably warm. And the greatly touted hotel Colorado's service not the best. We were delayed an hour checking in because the rooms were not cleaned... and then they tried to give us a room without a mountain view... so they finally provided a suite with a Victorian parlor. Ambiance on the hotel's patio is very nice... but again... poor wait staff service. The recommendation of the Blue Finn Restaurant was a good one. Delightful waitress named Lisa.

29 July Thurs: The views en route to Vail were marvelous; the cooler mountain air is awesome. Vail is experiencing a building boom like we have not seen. We loved the food at the Ore House for lunch and Montauk Seafood for dinner... great lodging at the Gausthaus right downtown Vail.

28 July Wed: Falls Creek Trail. We were ambitious and excited to take this ten mile hike (RT) to Long Lake. But upon reaching the halfway point at 2.5 miles (1200 feet ascent) arriving at the upper falls... with storm clouds brewing we turned back. The top photo is the upper falls. The second photo is the view from close to the ridge top while the bottom photo is of the lower falls. We were thankful to return to Steamboat Springs just beating the showers. We scooted into Safeway for some fruit, fat free sour dough bread, fat free feta cheese and a lettuce salad to munch on in the room. We met the nicest people hiking today... but that is nothing new!

27 July Tues: NO hiking today! Instead it was catch up ball game on our computers. What a treat to receive so many affirmative wedding RSVPs! After lunch at the Egg n I repeating our breakfast... we rode across Rabbit Ears Pass on Highway 40... and then onto Hwy 129 to Columbine until the paved road stopped. Thetiny town boasts a small log store and possibly ten log cabins but they made the map! There were many quite magnificent homes nestled in the hills en route. The cloud formations were fun to observe. Sightings: two deer were on the side of the road, the result of motorist kill; a blue heron and a hawk were wonderful sights. If you plan a trip to Steamboat Springs... our restaurant recommendation is the Ore House: awesome fresh fish and a fabulous salad bar. Tomorrow's adventure will take us hiking once again if we can only get early morning starts!

26 July Mon: Eight mile hike on Mad Creek Trail (RT) was breathtaking and very enjoyable without the cyclists determined to kill us on their downhill roll. We had legs like jello when we finished. We saw a black snake... hummingbird... and lots of little children on the first leg of the trip.

Photo below is from Grand Lake, CO

25 July Sun: Trail Ridge Road is under construction in several places, and the ranger at the entrance gate suggested we avoid the construction by taking the Falls River Road, the graded dirt road to the top. Obviously that ranger lady has never riden a motorcycle. We took Fall River and enjoyed the climb, despite a few rutted corners and dumb motorists. The old Beemer performed admirably without complaint, although we did have to gear down a time or two; no problem with Cynthia on the back and a surplus of slow traffic ahead of us. We are now in Steamboat Springs for the next two days because we found nice lodging near the ski basin with great rates. Today we hiked uphill on the Spring Creek Trail for seven miles (RT) avoiding accidents from dumb out of control bicyclists using the same trail. The day was not too hot. Lovely trail with tall stands of Aspen, wildflowers, Rufus hummingbirds and a ground squirrel or two. We made it back into Steamboat for lunch before the Egg and I closed at two-thirty. Dinner reservations are at the Ore House tonight. The red mountain trout last night is worth a repeat.

23 July Sat: Packed up and out of Grand Lake by ten AM we began the trip to Steamboat Springs on Hwy 125... connecting to 14 and onto 4o. The city is crammed jammed with bicycles in preparation for a big bike race tomorrow. But we did find nice lodging at Ptarmigian Inn at the ski resort. We did not see wildlife but did view some amazing lakes, streams and mountain scapes. on this gorgeous sunny day. By the time we had arrived here we shed our outer gear. Dinner tonight at the Ore House Restaurant was highly recommended. The bike is working well pulling a lot more weight with a passenger and the U-Bag. All is working well.

y Thurs: Happy "Birthday Carol and Little Carol Ann who is a delightful one year old keeping her auntie young and trim. On this day... to celebrate their births and to have fun... we rode from Grand Lake back up to Alpine Summit Visitors Center - hiked west for an hour (RT) before venturing onto the Estes Park road where we hiked a half mile up with a 26o foot ascent to 13, 300 feet. It was indeed a windy blustery adventure. Returning to Grand Lake we had dinner at the Bear Den. From there we drove to the trailhead for Falls View and hiked about a half mile UP UP UP ... RT. We saw a herd of doe Elk and a yellow bellied Marmot.

storm clouds approaching

22 July Thurs: Zooma Zooma! Dry weather was forecast... but rain came en route to the Rocky Mountain National Park... light showers creating an eventful day. After seeing dark clouds we drove towards Grand Lake in rain and some hail. Three herds of elk... a baby marmot. What a time getting down the mountain with two stops for construction... lots of switchbacks.

21 July Wed: Colorado! Rocky Mountain High! The morning weather was magnificent - so was breakfast at Nicky's. The twists and turns into Rocky Mountain National Park were most enjoyable... and the temps... not too hot nor too cool. We turned around when we reached the construction area about ten miles up the mountain because it was loose gravel. A mountain trout lunch at the Trailhead restaurant on the balcony was another lovely treat. After buying post cards we drove to Bear Lake and back to the hotel barely beating the ominous clouds, lightning display and thunder behind us. The view of a hailstorm from within the dry room was delightful! After dinner at Nicky's we parked the bike and hiked back into town to mail our post cards... about four miles RT.

July Tues: Ahhh! Sleep. Breathe! Mountain air! Marvelous vistas outside our window. Continental breakfasts ... albeit free... are not in our diet. We were so inspired by last night's meal we biked back to Nicky's Resort Steakhouse to try the egg white omelets which were exceptionally good; we finished two tough Sudokus and appreciated the fine wait staff. If you travel to Estes Park remember our recommendation: Nicky's is a great place to dine. Here it is... the first day of this two month tour and the bike is in the shop! Hey, Dave!

Thanks to Walter for the book, BMW riders anonymous ... because we found a BMW dealer in Loveland. Several times yesterday the bike did not start without coasting downhill. Yet, today, (imagine that!) it started fine. The battery was replaced and the starter checked out OK.

The walk into town is three miles RT... ; walking in the rain meant three miles walking FAST! After a Walleye Pike dinner at Nicky's we rode up Thompson Canyon along side a magnifcent stream with lots of rapids.

19 July Mon: With only five hours of sleep last night...the bike is loaded for the drive to Boulder where we park the car in controlled storage for two months. It was a challege to get body armor, clothes and PILLS for two months in two bags on the bike. The new U Bag is filled with all of the camping gear including a new ultralight Therma Rest down sleeping bag and pillows. When we arrived in Boulder at the storage unit we were surprised to discover that the entire Lexus and trailer FIT into the garage after backing the trailer up and unhitching so the trailer could be moved into place manually. About one inch of space was left once the car backed up to the unhitched trailer. And the rains came down for about thirty minutes before the sun appeared and we were off to Estes Park. Our lodging has a magnificent view of the mountains. Dinner last night at Nicky's Steakhouse sitting beside a wide mountain streatm was a marvelous feast of fresh mountain trout.

18 July Sun: We enjoyed fine dining at the Salt Grass Steak House with friend Nancy and Brett on Friday night... with plans to depart on Saturday but the temps rose to 102 degrees....way way way too hot to ride on the flatlands with a wind blast of sixty miles an hour in that heat. So we spent Sat and Sun catching up on paper work and getting fed well at Pappadeaux too. YES! The save the date cards actually went into the mail Saturday morning.

July: Smooch Smooch celebrates a birthday MONTH!

13 July, Tues: Dinner at Pappadeaux in Westminster, CO with Cousin Carol and her delightful husband, Rich, to celebrate her 60th birthday month and Smooch Smooch's 53rd (she was 54 last year!). Carol had us on the edge of our seats... mesmerized by her horrific account of being held hostage in Sudan last winter.

12 July Mon: Dinner with Mr. Personality .. Brett... at Willie G's to celebrate his quarter century mark.

11 July Sun: Thanks to Janina for another photo of the Rambo family reunion below: Carol, Dean, Janina, Ron, Cynthia, Lawrence, Gene and Jerry...



10 July Saturday noon ... driving on to Denver... arrived about forty miles from Denver about eight PM.

9 July Fri: Arrived in Mankato, Kansas after driving through the night ... but did manage to get three hours of sleep before the food hunt began. Restaurants? What restaurants? Fortunately there was a food market to buy some supplies. On to Cawker, Kansas at the local genealogical society for two days.

8 July Thurs: Sandy prepared breakfast .... and the drive to Denver began. A stop in Atlantic, IA proved fruitful in the search for cousins who were early pioneers in Cass County, Iowa. Continuing on to Kansas City, KS arrival coincided with dinner time and just in time to take
Clarence and Cathy out for dinner before continuing the next phase onto Mankato, KS to try to locate the gravesites of Mecham ancestors.

6 - 7 July: Tues, Wed: We drove to West Des Moines following old Hwy 34 - noticing the Des Moines River was WAY out of its banks with a lot of debris floating in it. Dinner with cousin Sandy H. was most delightful.

5 July Mon - The only good restaurant in Fairfield is closed for a month. Oh well. George's Steakhouse was able to make us egg white veggie omelets that were fine.

2-4 July: Happy Independence Day from the Rambo Family Reunion in Keosauqua, Iowa.

Left Photo: Carol, Dean, Janina, Carolyn, Ron, Lawrence, Gene and Jerry






Brigette, Diane, Kay, Jerry and Tom



Paul J., widower of dad's sister; Janina, Dean and Scott R.


Aunt Elinor, Dad's sister -

Carol, Janina and Dean at "dinner?" in the Riverbend Restaurant, Keosauqua, Iowa.

Wednesday, Thursday - Maeystown, Illinois. Ya gotta go there! 35 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri is Corner George's Inn - a charming (awesome even) B&B operated by Dave (a German language prof) and his delightful wife Marsha (a music prof, choir director and stage director) in an old German village that once was home to 17 men named George Hoffman. Four of the Georges lived on one block. To simplify identification, one was named Fat George; another was known as plain George, while yet another was called short George. But the George who lived on the corner was called "Corner George, " who owned the old hotel, tavern and the rock house. Dave and Marsha bought the delapitated buildings 21 years ago and remodeled them to mint condition and furnished them with authentic antiques from area residents and their own families. Sixteen years ago, they purchased the rock buildings across the street, turning them into additional suites. The Piece de' resistance' is a portrait of Dave's very beautiful mother painted by Bertha Featherstone seventy years earlier when she had graduated from Wellesley and she had moved a hotel for single young ladies in New York City. The red and black dress, red and black hat shown in the painting are resplendent in the living room.

Dave gave us a tour of the city ... along with a group of young women from Camp Wartburg.
He is a long-time friend (sixth and seventh grade).

Following our departure we drove to Dick Erdmann's law office at Fairview Heights (another junior high friend who has stayed the course of friendship).













1 July-Thurs:

SAVE THE DATE : May 12th, 2011 to join us at our wedding celebrating our love at Gloria Dei "Old Swedes" Church on the Philadelphia waterfront. Enjoy the history of Philadelphia, PA (reflected in our 17th century attire) at the height of springtime.

RSVP to insure your seat indoors.

Love from Ron and Cynthia

June - Journeys

29 June - Tues: The SAVE the DATE cards are finalized. Didja hear that Donna? We biked into town with the computer and jump drive tucked into the shirt... ate breakfast with Connie McK at Fiona's... and boogied right down to the Office Depot to have the cards printed and cut into postcard size. Boy oh Boy! We sure do look pretty... well one of us does.... the one who got prettified with a pedicure and manicure. Some of the cards were hand delivered this afternoon - and others will be at the Rambo family reunion. The rest are scheduled for stamping and mailing. Toured the town visiting with the lovely ladies from the bank - and now off to watch niece Erica take a gymnastic lesson with her auntie Carol.

28 June- Mon: Settling in for a few days means the Save the Date cards are getting closer to mailing. The lab results came back with excellent scores: total cholesterol is 112... HDL is 65 - LDL is 45... wowie zowie! A great report!

27 June - Sunday: Edwardsville, Illinois: The trek across Tennessee with a dip down to Dade County, GA was delightful - including a jaunt up to Wylasi-Yi center on the Appalachian Trail. The store was closed but some hikers were lounging around. We are enjoyed a dinner with nephew Eric and family; Paul G. is here from Hawaii, visited with Connie McK, attended the graduation party of Joe and Nancy H.'s daughter Katy's graduation from college but we by-passed the cake and fried chicken.

23 June - Wed:- We are outta here (Columbia, SC ) headed to IL and then on to Iowa for a HOT Fourth of July - with little time for updates the next two weeks. Here are some more pictures from the Florida and New England travel.

Daytona Shores, FL Sunset view from the balcony where we were bitten by sand fleas!

Wall and Ron

Laurie, Hamilton, Jr. and his fiancee'

22 June Tues - Fish and grits at Lizard's Thicket (sans oil or butter) - Susan's sweet smile -walking with Dick, Jim, Steve...enjoyable dinners and lunches with Liz and Clark, Donna and Greg, Dick at Ruby Tuesday's - looking at photos of the new Gowdy grandkid has all been joy. Our time in Columbia passed like a blur; now with nifty new trailer and specially built storage we prepare for departure to Illinois and onto Iowa for the Rambo family reunion the Fourth of July.

Such a day of dealing with incompetents, too: after fasting for labs this AM it was pretty disconcerting to discover the fax machine at LabCorps was broken down yesterday and today - but the receptionsist didn't bother mentioning that fact when asked for the fax number. She could not find the fax this morning; the GRRRROOOWWLLLIIING stomach did not scare her either. A phone call to Mary got a second fax sent to another office. Seems the bewildered receptionist is also the phlebotomist who managed to handle that task just fine.

Three hours of sleep last night, chaos getting labs done - and now working late to get the Save the Date cards printed... hope for some sleep before loading the car in the morning. zzzzzzzz!


17 June Thurs - ALL FIVE VOLUMES OF THE RAMBO BOOKS ARE NOW IN PRINT! Purchases are available through AuthorHOUSE.com. Search by the author or by Rambo Family Tree.

16 June Wed - WHAAAATTTT?????? Whaddya mean it is the middle of June? We are missing fifteen days here! Soon a report on the FUN FUN FUN MIT fortieth class reunion (June 3-6) will be forthcoming; maybe even this year! In the meantime and in-between time - 7-12 June we returned to the Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia working 12 to 14 hour days - racing against the departure date to organize 80 boxes of records until we can return to continue the project next spring.

13 June - 16 June- After a delightful lunch with former Governor Herb and his wife, Zofia, current Governor of the Swedish Colonial Society, Sally and her husband, Nigel , we drove I-95 south towards Florida to visit the widowed husband of Cynthia's cousin Claire and accept Claire's large collection of records she wished to give to her. We drove into an oven that cooled briefly during a rain storm arriving late last night. HOT is the only word that comes to mind. The mission accomplished - we will leave tomorrow morning for Hilton Head to see Cousin Sharon and Hugh before driving onto Columbia, SC for breakfast at Lizards 7 Thicket with the gang on Sunday morning.

7 June - 12 June - Archiving at the Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia
3 June-6 June - MIT Fortieth Class Reunion

1 June - Tues. Traffic into Boston was remarkably light on the drive through Boston to Somerville to meet Jan, Dorothy and their son Christian for lunch at Magoon's Pub - and to view Christian's new home. Delightful conversations filled the afternoon. What a treat it was to see them once again. We journeyed onto REI; indeed the new cargo pants had just arrived and fit remarkably well being a size smaller. The MIT reunion begins on Friday.

May - Under the Tuscan Umbrella

31 May - Memorial Day was delightful. Breakfast at Niko's Bistro in Hingham,Mass is a must. The afternoon with wonderful people: Maggie (PBS - the Body beautiful - exercise guru who still is a body beautiful despite a genetic issue of calcium deposits on her spine) and her husband Jerry - psychiatrist and neurologist of some reknown prior to faculty positions at MIT and Rutgers - now ninety - but still the most marvelous and inspiring individual. Their dinner recommendation for the Rustic Kitchen in Derby Mall was quite delicious. Following dinner we drove to Hull, Mass to watch the sunset and enjoy the water views.


30 May - Sun - the Race is on. Sarah ran the marathon in four hours and twenty-three minutes cheered on by a loving family; even granddad was sitting at the finish line; she heard Ron's LOUD EXCLAMATION as she crossed the finish line.
By one-thirty we were on the road to Burlington, MA for dinner with Linda K., son Hamilton and his lovely fiancee Rebecca.

29 May, Sat - We were on the road to Vermont by one PM - exercised and foodified -- and unprepared for the zillions of people in Burlington for the Marathon tomorrow morning. The crowds packed the streets, kids were everywhere, painted cows on parade. We enjoyed dinner at the Three Tomatoes Trattoria (ouch! Italian!) and managed to find something we could eat. The treat was Drew and BD's fraternal twin daughters and their delightful cousin Rayna, daughter of Rick and Sherry - each one cuter, brighter, and more charming than the next. Sarah is a med student; Elizabeth is an MSW student and Rayna is completing her MA in Anthropology.





28 May, Fri - Now that the body weight is so low the doctor has approved sourdough bread into the diet and sent a RX for new labs. Energy is improved, color is better - all systems seem to be "go." The last two Rambo books are now approved for publication. The CD is left to complete along with the transcription of the trail journals tape. We decided that the trip to Maine is too far in too short a time tomorrow because we have to be back in the Boston area by Sunday evening. New Shoes??????? Someone was coerced into buying NEW shoes. ... ?????? Dinner tonight at Buckley's Steak House, Nashua, NH was a delightful treat ... lovely celebration for Drew's and Irja's birthdays. It was a lovely treat.

27 May Thurs - Bedford, NH - Congratulations to Greg and Donna on the arrival of grandson number two: Brandon Andrew! Tues night we had dinner with Drew and BD, breakfast yesterday with Drew, lunch with Irja, Ed, Wall and Drew; flew with Drew to Marshfield for a magnificent fresh seafood dinner at the Fairmont Inn on the water. The flight was spectacular despite noisy command to pilot noise and static. Smooch Smooch took over the controls for the return trip until we were close to landing - insisting, "it's your turn" to Drew. She did a wonderful job of flying straight and level and managed the turns nicely, too, even though it was difficult to not get too captivated by the magnificent sunset. Weekend plans call for more visiting, birthday party for Irja and Drew Fri nite, perhaps a drive to Maine to see Steve's daughter graduate on Sat - return Sun to the Boston area - visit Maggie and Jerry Monday. The MIT reunion is the following weekend - with good news that some alum friends are attending, too. The temperatures have been sizzling but are cooler today. It is seventy degrees in New England breaking the unbearable heat wave of the past few days and beckoning us to take a long walk. We are outta here!

23 May, Sun-Peterborough, New Hampshire - visiting Marjorie and Richard is pure joy. Marjorie teaches HS and Richard is a composer. Yesterday - endless and delightful conversations continued while watching the children's Live Puppet parade - the culmination of children's arts and crafts programs in this very artsy community that gave birth to Wilder's "Our Town", Thoreau, Bette Davis, summer stock - Shakespeare festivals, etc. The "hometown" parade was replete with marching bands, animals and children everywhere. Later we drove to Wapack Mountain for a hike straight up for a mile and one-half to catch an exhilarating vista and helped Marjorie buy flowers for the flower boxes on the house. We had dinner in Jaffrey last night. Today's adventure took us to the Cathedral in the Pines - a touching memorial to a WWII soldier created by his devastated parents - and from there to the Jaffrey Town Meeting Hall that was raised the day of the battle of Bunker Hill. Nearby is an old New England cemetery with the headstone of a minute man from the Rev. War, a black man named Amos Fortune who was "born free in Africa, sold into slavery in America, bought his freedom, lived a life of good repute, became a Christian, died 17 Nov. 1801 - hopefully.." He left a legacy with scholarships for lyceums and became the town hero. A children's book has been written about this man. See photo of Marjorie taken inside the Cathedral in the Pines,

21 May, Fri- It is good to be stateside, rested and back to a normal (??) schedule of arising early to work on various computer projects. We had a nice lunch at a Marriott Courtyard Japanese restaurant - stocked up on fat free protein items - picked up new pants at REI using dividend dollars and gift card money before heading to Richard and Cynthia's for dinner and to meet their new puppy Jasper. From there we will continue on to New Hampshire this evening to visit Marjorie and Richard for the weekend.

A Portofino rose.....

and a Pompeii Version of the Outdoor Kitchen although photos taken with a Blackberry are not the best quality

View of Mt Vesuvius from Pompeii Forum

19 May - Wed - ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ and Rush! Despite oversleeping we did make the shuttle to the airport terminal at seven AM and with breakfast. Security and passport control were not problematic although Smooch Smooch had to endure a body pat down for some reason. Does she look dangerous?? Our flight departed timely and the flight with champagne accompanying our dinner was very pleasant. Not so in Newark: the flight to Boston flight was delayed a couple of hours due to storms in Boston. The car was right where we left it - intact - at the Hampton Inn Logan where it has been parked during the three week duration for the small sum of fifty dollars; this is called park and fly; by booking one night before departure and one upon arrival we saved oodles on airport parking fees plus having a room waiting so we could be in bed by eight PM for a welcome long ZZZZZZ. com

18 May - Tues - Arising all too early, early, early we had to take a taxi back to the main rail station for the trip to the Amalfi Coast. We managed to get to Napoli and onto the Circumvenetia line after the big surprise that our Eurail pass did not work on this little local train leaving us with four euros and another surprise because we were not on the right train. When the train schedule says the train will leave at 11:04... you need to believe it. It is NOT the train that leaves at 10: 55 silly goose. Again good fortune was ours because a woman going to Sorrento (at the end of the line) had to change trains. She told us to follow her and we boarded the right train arriving right on time to meet Gino our guide who informed us we needed twenty-two euros for tickets. We had four. Fortunately he was able tonge our US one hundred for seventy four euros. He made money because the rate of exchange dropped once again. Pompeii is being reconstucted and excavated. Pictures will be posted. it was the Las Vegas of the era with a red light district that fascinates the tourists wanting to get a glimpse of the mosaics in the brothels. The Roman baths were very ingenius - steam baths, massage tables, exercise areas in beautiful settings. Standing on a Pompeii street Mt. Vesuvius is clearly visible. The architectural artifacts included plaster casts of some of the people who lost their lives in the volcanic eruption by asphyxiation. The bodies were covered with ash that created concrete. As the corpse decayed it left a negative space that the archaeologists filled with plaster - creating plaster casts that showed the manner of death and exactly what the people were doing at that moment. Ghastly sight. The train trip back to Napoli and change to Roma went nicely with a delightful happenstance: we were in process of exiting the Rome rail terminal - crossing the street to meet the arranged taxi driver - he arrived at that same moement allowing us to hop in and get whisked back to the airport hotel. We had a great dinner - and the cab that took credit cards took us back to the hotel with twenty euros left to be spent tomorrow.

17 May Mon - The taxi delivered us to Rapello to catch the fast train to Rome where we were met by a guide to be hand delivered to the door of the Hilton Garden Inn Aeroport. Almost out of euros - we ordered a cab that takes credit cards to go out to dinner in Fiumiciano. But we got into the wrong cab who offered to do the trip for only fifteen euros. And then one of us realized that the other one should have thought about how we were going to get back to the hotel! Fortunately the restaurant had an English speaking waiter who phoned a cab that took credit cards.

16 May Sun- The internet works sporadically - just long enough to answer some email and work on the Craig Collection. The day is sunny and warm; the walk to downtown took new twists and turns with an astounding view from the highest point of Portofino. From there it was easy to spot a shortcut into town to buy soestme good breatd and lit cokes without paying a small fortune. The trip to Italy provided ample time for mending undershirts, a favorite blue shirt, a very, very old wrist band, but the socks are beyond repair. Plans are to mail them to Walt. This also means that there are no more socks. Would someone please send old socks without holes because there is no more dark blue thread either. Oh. Send dark blue thread, too. Unfortunately the khaki cargo pants ripped out in the rear because they are also very, very old and brittle. That mending project will have to wait until we are back in civilization. But we are getting closer: in the morning a taxi will deliver us to the Orient Express in Rapello for the super train to Rome to be met by Giovanni's guide and delivered to the Hilton Garden Inn at the airport. The 18th (woe is usn's we are back on trains to Naples and onto Pompeii where we will hopefully be met by our guide. The 19th we have an early morning flight back across the pond to Boston. That is only 72 hours away from a little airplane trip.

15 May Sat - We were hungry! Too late for breakfast and too early for lunch- the maitre d' arranged for a small breakfast served in the lounge. Tom in SC tells us not to be jealous: 85 degree sunny days and 65 nighttime temp. Too late, Tom! The sun is hiding once again. Note the Castello on the top of the hill in the photo which was taken from the outdoor dining room of the Splendido hotel. We hiked from the hotel ... down through the city and up to the top of the hill and back last night. Lots of villas are hidden among the trees.


14 May Fri - Portofino, Italy - The sun is finally shining while cool temperatures prevail. The hotel Splendido is indeed so. Breakfast was a two hour feast over the USA today (small version delivered to the room) - a five star Sudoku - accomplished! The International Herald has one also with different restrictions. The half hour hike to Castello Brown and the Lighthouse was simply marvelous on flagstone and old cobblestone paths flanked on both sides with jasmine, honeysuckle and lush plantings. Downtown Portofino boasts a town clock by Rolex and trendy shops with familiar names like Dior, Zegna, and Cartier. Sailboats fill the port awaiting races this weekend. Wonderful seafood dinner and wine on the terrace of the Splendido.

13 May, Thurs- View of our apartment from across the Manorola hillside yesterday. Rising early we packed up we enjoyed a last breakfast at Aristide's and watched the view of the water from the train station. Good news and bad news: Amazingly we made the right train in this tiny two track station. Unfortunately when we arrived in Sestri we should have stayed ON the train to S. Margaretta's - only the train NUMBER changed. And good news followed the disappointment for there was another train thirty minutes later. We arrived in S. M. in a downpour and tried to find out how to get to the bus station from the ticket agent who could not speak English or comprehend Google Translator's script. She pointed to a taxi driver who smiled and scratched his head when asked the fare to the bus station for transportation to Portofino. In fair English he said he could taxi us for thirtyfive euros - about ten dollars a mile - but who is going to argue with a ride in a rain? We would have had to take a taxi to the hotel from the bus station anyway. Hated to lose nephew Eric's cap on the train. At least good news should be ours for the next few days in Portofino. We have a terrific hotel room with a view... fantastic food... internet in our room... and EGG WHITE VEGETABLE OMELETTAS in the AM. Ahh. Champagne in the room - champagne for dinner which was simply marvelous. What love is this that a man take his love to Europe where they don't speak any kind of English????

Cynthia celebrating Ron...

12 May-Wednesday - A happy birthday celebration Italia style. The sun was warm and beautiful on the Cote d' Azur hiking to and from Manorola to Riomaggio. AFTER... the waiter mistook our request for a glass of champagne with a whole bottle of the bubbly we walked it off with another long, lovely hike in the winding hills above the city. The day was great - lots of lively conversations with folks from Iowa, Australia and Minnesota - including one lovely couple who were married four weeks ago and whispered, "Isn't it incredible to find love at this age?" Another young couple received a round of applause at their beaming faces and the glitter of a new diamond on her finger. The sunset was lovely.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON BEATTY

Smooch Sunbathing on the Cote d' Azur

11 May - Tuesday - a Fun Day with great food and nominal hiking.

10 May -Monday - Congratulating ourselves today for traversing the Trenitalia from Florence to Cinque Terre (Manorola). It took a train change but we made it for some hiking on the Cote d' Azur weather permitting. The apartment is nice - with a little view of the water. Eating at Trattoria Dal Billy's (because he was called Billy the Kid as a youngster toting toy six shooters) is a great treat - and conveniently located a few feet from our door high above the city. We walked about an hour today.

9 May Sun- Happy Mother's Day from Firenze (Florence). Our hotel is located conveniently within five minutes of the Uffizi and the Academia Gallery - easy walking for this mornings early tours. See the view OUT side of the Uffizi Gallery which was the offices for the Medici family. It has always used the top floor for a gallery which holds priceless Michelangelo, Botticelli, and DaVincis. We had a whole lot written about the tours but cannot find a way to copy and paste into the blog on this new Acer computer. The important part of the morning was seeing the fifteen foot tall statue of David at the Academia Gallery. Overwhelming to think that a young Michelangelo created this masterpiece at age 26 years old - three years after he sculpted the Pieta which sent his fame soaring. David was carved from one piece of flawed marble. Walking back to the hotel we happened upon good food in a charming sidewalk cafe complete with accordian nearby. Dinner tonight was once again at the Oystera Trattoria - terrific champagne and a seabass served in rock salt. MMMMM

8 May, Sat - Dear Virginia, Yes there really is a Tuscan Sun. After raining the entire week, the sun appeared in all its glory for our final day in Cortona. We hiked the Via St. Marghereta and onto the Via Crusces (The Way of the Cross lined with 14 mosaics depicting the stations of the cross. This is a steep ascent and took but one most enjoyable hour. The sound of bells tolling and the scent of lilac and jasmine is indescribable. Thanks to the German couple who took our photo (left below) and to another kind couple who took the photo on the left. We bid good-bye to Max and Daniela, packed the gear in the car managing to maneuver the narrow cobblestone streets with the rental car that has been parked in the SAME SPOT since we arrived. One of us did a magnificent job of driving while the other one shrieked going around turns. Finally we reached the A-1 Autostradde for the return trip to the aeroporta and Dollar Rental Car all accomplished marvelously and with great finesse. The shrieker is finally silent. A taxicab transported us to the Best Western Hotel near the Uffizi Museum for our tours tomorrow morning.


















Smooch Smooch's Movie Star Coiffure

View from the top floor of Medici Fortress. We met a delightful family from Wisconsin while touring and enjoyed the visit back down to the city immensely.

7 May, Fri - Ron's Movie Star Coiffure! Breakfast at Tuscher's and good conversations. Not only is the breakfast good but the evening last stops for a liquer or apertif are memorable. The rain stopped long enough for us to make the hour and a half hike to Medici Fortress (built in the 16th century by a relative of one of the popes to safeguard Cortona). The fortress is undergoing renovation ... we thought the doors under the scaffolding were locked but a huge push and we were in the fortress which houses contemporary art (not very good). Tonight is the Celebration of the Candles of St. Margherita with a reenactment of the medieval presentation of wax by every rural household. The wax had to weigh a certain amount and the collector was fined if it did not measure up. Band, drums, violins and speeches filled the air.

6 May, Thurs –Another rainy day under the Tuscan sun that isn't. We explored the palace/hotel and enjoyed breakfast in the dining room of coffee, yogurt and fruit before checking out and going to Tuscher's for omelettas. Meeting two Americans, Peter and Charles, was a delightful treat for the extroverted half of us who is moribund and withdrawn, lacking understanding and conversation. This brought laughter from Smooch Smooch – and gaggles of giggles upon reading, “Ron had a great time after he committed suicide.” From them we learned that it has rained daily for seven months and Michele is pronounced "Migalla" We loaded up on fruit and vegetables for today’s lunch. Twice we walked the winding cobblestone streets discovering new alleyways. It is pretty amazing that cars drive on the narrow streets barely wide enough for one car – and manage to park within an inch of the stone wall along the route. They maneuver around outdoor tables at the cafes and streets filled with pedestrians. Lots of fenders have scratches and dents. We put our wet umbrella outside in the stand – only to discover that it was missing an hour later but the woman across the hall was walking down the steps with an exact match. After twice leaving a note on the umbrella stand and twice discovering the envelope discarded at our door Ron attached the envelope TO her door… asking that the umbrella be returned. Fortunately we saw the umbrella in the hands of the neighbor and reported it to the owner of the apartment. No telling what she will do in retaliation to the envelope hanging on the hook of her door! Dinner tonight is at Dardano’s known for its outstanding soups and wild game. Perhaps our blog should be devoted to food????? We are forever on the prowl for great food – and eat heartily. Ron is most likely below high school graduation weight which is a good thing from the cardio perspective..

5 May, Wed- It is not possible to find a guide to drive us from here to Siena tomorrow and to Pisa Friday – albeit guides are available in each city upon arrival. But the rain is a deterrent because we are not interested in driving on slick roads on such steep hillsides. It is such a treat to eat omelettas at LaTuscher's once again – a feast! Dinner at Preludio’s provided yet another fine meal. We asked to see a room with a view at Hotel San Michele’s (Migalli or St. Michael); the suites have a private veranda overlooking tile rooftops and farming fields to the distant lake and mountains - we opted to spend one night there. The breeze is wonderful too. The hotel is a lovely 17^th century palace. Smooch Smooch discovered a hairdresser who gave her a movie star coiffure and came home to find that the hotel management delivered a bottle of white Cortona wine to us gratis. Minimal internet is available.

4 May, Tues – The Tuscan Sun teased us with an all too brief appearance while walking for an hour and a half up to St. Margarette’s chapel and convent. Preludio’s restaurant is truly a fine dining experience: wonderful risotta, Norwegian salmon, grilled eggplant and zucchini.

3 May, Mon- It is still raining this morning and Truchera’s, our new favorite restaurant, is closed for the day. It was very sad walking into so many little pizzerias or pastry shops to find food but no luck. The Tourista office indicated the Mercado might be necessary. Good advice: We bought a loaf of Italian bread, turkey slices and then stopped at the fruit and vegetable market for luscious fresh looking strawberries, grapes, cherry tomatoes, apricots. The incredible Italian bread with no fat, sugar or salt is so fine, with turkey slices (that taste like ham but are clearly turkey) and strawberries, grapes, with a little wine took care of the morning’s hunger. We thought about going to the museum but slept for two hours instead and dined at the charming Antiqua Trattoria sidewalk café.

2 May, Sun- AND WE SLEPT! Finally … a wonderful Trattoria is discovered that makes frittatas: Truchera’s. YUM. Cortona is called, “City of Art.” At its peak Cortona rivaled Arezzo, Perugia and almost Florence in power and prestige. Memories of its heyday linger in its art collections and medieval architecture, making it one of Tuscany’s most romantic hilltowns. It is here that they filmed “Under the Tuscan Sun.” We are standing under umbrellas waiting for the Tuscan Sun. Oh well. The rain makes it easy to stay inside and sleep.

1 May, Sat – A DAY TO REMEMBER OR FORGET??? OUCH! We were prepared with first class tickets on the fast train from Rome to Firenze (Florence), arriving at the train station well in time. But the display monitor at the train station said the train to Firenze would not depart until an hour later than the ticket read. Well. This is May first…the Italian workers holiday! No tourista information booth to be found. Huge long lines are at the ticket counters. We wait patiently for the train that departs for Firenze only to discover that we should have taken the train to Venice (which stops at Firenze). This later train is the slow train – and we definitely do not have first class seats. Feeling fortunate to have a seat at all – and then being seated next to someone with the Olympics who speaks limited English and could explain to the man taking tickets WHY we did not have a stamped ticket we sat back and rested for a four hour instead of two hour trip. Firenze did have a tourista office with an English speaking staff person who assisted in finding a taxi we could trust to take us to the airport car rental. Oh no. They did not want to give us the car because we were late. AUUUUUGGGHH. Finally we reached agreement and located the car - ONLY to learn that we had to learn how to drive again with a clutch and shift. Isn’t that like riding a bicycle? How could we forget that??? After lots of jumps and jolts and bumps we were out of there and onto the A1 Autostradde (Italy’s version of the Indy 500 – a high speed highway). Once on the road we maneuvered successfully to Cortona with one of us reading the map and praying that we could see the turn sign in time to exit while the other one drove fearlessly on at last. we arrived in Cortona starved but also feeling disgruntled and confused because of the language barrier. Finally after an arduous, circular drive around tight curves with heavy traffic in narrow streets up the steep hill side into the commune of Cortona we just PARKED the car and sent an email to the owner to meet us because we were lost. Francesca walked to our location and guided us the five minute walk to our apartment for this week: La Grotta. She also walked us to a couple of restaurants and explained our dietary restrictions; we ATE and we SLEPT AND WE SLEPT!