2010 Giro in Corato

Olivia shot this great footage of the main group of riders swinging into Corato. Can't you just feel the excitement. You can hear Eileen talking about the bet she won! Will the riders come into town in a group or will there be a break away? I owe her a gelato!

The Giro in Corato

The Giro d'Italia arrived in Corato Tuesday! Corato is the town where the girls go to school. I had been halfheartedly following the Giro (the bike race around Italy) thinking that we wouldn't get to see it this year when Olivia noticed the distinctive pink road marker on our way home from school on Monday. Quickly checking the route, we discovered it was coming to town! This is a huge event.

Here is one of the swag trucks that dash around before the race selling shirts, hats, etc.

We got our swag kit!!! Solo 10 euro!!!

Olivia broke the kit open and grabbed the hat! We waited in the sun for almost three hours.

Eileen decided to sit on the benches and have lunch...no lush green pasture to picnic in like last year.

Here is the distinctive Giro route sign mentioned above.

Two seniors sat down to wait with us early on. They were very excited about the race coming through town.

This is the Italian traffic cop whose job it was to stop the traffic, clear the street and keep order. I love the very formal uniform they wear even in the hot sun!

Here is our traffic cop directing the street cleaners where to pick up the tail light shards left over from a recent fender bender.

These were the first riders to pass...

and a shot down the street as the last rider went by. You can see some of the old houses lining the road and one of the many Italian flags that were on display!

New Suitcase Needed!

This is part of the reason Rick needed to get another suitcase for his return flight. He brought back loot! Precious things we can't get here! Like: Cake mix, pre mixed frosting, pop tarts, big container of American peanut butter, refried beans, some movies, trident gum, magazines in English, etc. Thank you Father Christmas!

Palm Tree Trimming

I took a long walk on the longomare this morning and noticed some activity among the palms. They were getting a trimming! This is the shaggy appearance of an untrimmed palm...

Here is a shot of the workers using a hand saw device to shave off the lower branches...

A close-up of said palm trimmer...

Voila! A nicely trimmed tree!

Cherries in Southern Italy!

Yeah! It is cherry season! This is the second batch we have tried. They are yummy!

So, what do you do when you are tired of studying and your sister is just across the table working away? If you are Eileen you take aim...

Fire off a pit (you can actually see it coming out her mouth)..

...see it between the chair and the computer...

Foiled by Olivia's quick reflexes with the dictionary!

Dissolve into laughter!

Have more cherries :)

Two Interesting Things That Happened On Today's Date

Some notes of interest from Writer's Almananc for today, 15 May

1) It's the birthday of the man who wrote one of the best-known tales in America, The Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, New York, on this day in 1856. The tale, which he wrote as a children's novel, was first published in 1900. He dedicated it: "To my good friend & comrade, My Wife," Maud Gage Baum.

L. Frank Baum was a socialist. And he wrote: "There were no poor people in the land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money, and all property of every sort belonged to the Ruler. Each person was given freely by his neighbours whatever he required for his use, which is as much as anyone may reasonably desire. Every one worked half the time and played half the time, and the people enjoyed the work as much as they did the play, because it is good to be occupied and to have something to do."

2) It was on this day in 1891 that Pope Leo XIII issued an official Roman Catholic Church encyclical addressing 19th-century labor issues. It's called Rerum Novarum, Latin for "Of New Things," and it is considered the original foundation of Catholic social teaching.

He said in the open letter that while the Church defends certain aspects of capitalism, including rights to private property, the free market cannot go unrestricted — that there is a moral obligation to pay laborers a fair and living wage.

He had much more to say to employers; first, he told them "not to look upon their work people as their bondsmen." He told them it was never OK to cut workers' wages. And he told them to "be mindful of this — that to exercise pressure upon the indigent and the destitute for the sake of gain, and to gather one's profit out of the need of another, is condemned by all laws, human and divine. To defraud any one of wages that are his due is a great crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven."

With these words Leo began a new chapter in the Catholic Church, one where social justice issues became incorporated into official Church doctrine, an essential part of faith, where the Church would stake out official positions and be vocal on issues like labor, war and peace, and the duties of governments to protect human rights.

Night View of Trani Harbor

Our friend, Russ Owen, took a series of shots of Trani harbor one night. He pieced them together and sent us this great view. He is an excellent photographer and we love seeing his photographs. He and Olivia had a great time taking pictures while he and his wife, Heather, were here in February. We have known them for over 30 years! If you double click on the photo it should enlarge it to full screen and you can see the details of his work...flawless!

Trani Processional

I was sitting at the computer when I heard the sounds of a Trani religious parade. These processions down the streets of town with priests and widows and the figure of the Madonna happen quite often. It really emphasizes the roll the catholic church has on the daily lives of southern Italians. I have no idea what the procession is about but it is really a unique sight.

Port of Trani Painting

We were at the palace in Casserta and our friend, Jim, noticed something familiar about this painting on the wall...it is of the port of Trani! See the cathedral tower on the left and the church with the rounded dome next to it? The pincer arms of the port and the building that is now the hotel San Paulo, where we stayed our first two weeks in Trani, is on the right.

Here is Rachael on Brian and Lisa's terrace pointing to the same cathedral...The domed church is just above her right shoulder.

Here are the pincer arms of the mouth of the port...

Not a lot has changed in three hundred years or so!

Olivia and Eileen Having Fun on Mother's Day

OK, here is what you get when you discover a new function on your camera that takes rapid fire pictures...two very happy campers who suddenly burst out into kung fu moves in the middle of the English Gardens at Casserta! Scroll down quickly to get the full effect.

A little Old...A little New

As we were going to Rome with my sister and her family we looked out the train window and saw this ancient Roman aqueduct. It is beautiful and majestic after all these years.

Meanwhile, back in modern times...Here is my sister, Nancy, and her family.

Maggie decided Olivia's scarf was a cape so she zoomed up and down the train platform letting it billow out behind her...

Super Maggie!

Mother's Day 2010

The traditional breakfast in bed for Mother's Day. Eileen got up before six to make the cinnamon rolls. The night before Olivia made shrimp pasta with a great olive oil, lemon and peppercini sauce. The girls were most pleased that we do not have a garden here in Italy because I have a history of asking for 30 minutes of slave labor in the weeding of said garden as my Mother's Day gift. Instead we went up to the Palace at Casserta and wandered through their gardens. It was a perfect day...except Rick and Rachael were in different parts of the globe and not able to be with us. Olivia is making a video which she will post on her FB page. Check it out!

Missin' My Man Already!

See this cutie? Well we took him to the airport this morning. I am missing him already. Rick is flying to Texas to see his brother, Rob, who is leaving for a tour in Afghanistan in a few months. Rob is a chaplain in the army. Rick will join the rest of his family for a mini reunion. Hope they have a lot of fun but can't wait to have him back with us.

Rick and I at Castle San Angelo in Rome... I will tour anywhere with him. He can get us anywhere. He is great with map reading...I prefer to hail a cab.

Waiting for the wine!!! at a Rome restaurant... After trudging all over the city we rewarded ourselves with a great Roman meal. I think the walking tired him out and he is waiting for nourishment!

Here he is waiting at the train station after walking all over Rome. Love that smile! Too bad you can't see the long pony tail! I LOVE his long hair!

We love you Daddy Rick! Can't wait to see you next week!

Olivia's Trip To Berlin

Olivia's class took an architecture and art history trip to Berlin! She had a blast revisiting familiar sights. Here she is in front of the Brandenburg Gate...

Her old school...

The street we used to live on...

Leslie, this is for you! Ye Old Bio Gut containers!