Wordless Wednesday!

Perche No!, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

How appropriate for today’s blog entry. Been back for almost 2 weeks now and I am in need of another extended vacation…back to Italy preferably. While I was gone, my mom who is a diabetic and suffers from diabetic retinopathy, had a bleed in her right eye. Not much that can be done about it, accept surgery to try to clear the blood from her vitreous in her eye. To be done in August, so another complication from her healing from her stroke this past fall.  I think I need a gelato today! Perche No? hehehe

The above is a recent photo from Florence Italy where I enjoyed the best watermelon and cantelope gelato from Perche No!

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Some of my favorite things!

vedure di fritti, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Here I sit, having been back for almost two weeks from Italy 2010. As I look back I think, “did it really happen?” Once again time flew past me in an instant! The trip came and went and I am left with more fond memories. Even though eating for me is much different than it was two years ago, I still am a foodie by nature. The sight sounds and smells do not compare to the food! The food is an experience that must be consumed with abandonment. A careless barrage of tastes. This journey made another impact on me. Bistecca that can’t be duplicated, veggies that explode in your mouth, pasta and pizza of course. Cheese that lavishes one in the smell, the sweetness of prosciutto, the tanginess of the fruit…all leave an imprint on the soul. For now I can sit back and bask in the sweet memory one obtains from such an experience. I am thinking about sharing my joys of planning for European Travel with a series of workshops for those who want to travel. I will keep you posted with the details…..

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It came and went that quickly!

marizpan, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Well we have been back for almost a week, and I must say that I have been too overwhelmed to blog about it. We had a wonderful trip but as usual it came and went much too quickly. An entire year of planning and day dreamin’. Our adventures included Florence, Venice, the Chianti Region, Pisa, Lake Garda and Rimini. We brought back lots of memories and culinary treasures as well as new travel friends, the Luxon’s. The sights and sounds of Italy will remain close to my heart for the coming year! In the meantime I will write about our travel adventures in the days to follow! Ciao!

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The Day Dreaming Continues…

caprese, originally uploaded by The Rambling Rountrees.

Just a couple more days and we will be on our way! I know, I know…I sound like a broken record. The day or so will be filled with packing and organizing for Italy and finishing any all work related tasks for our adventure. I really need this vacation!

On another note my niece and and great niece came to visit this weekend, with news of them moving to Santa Fe NM. I am heart broken, I am so saddened by their leaving, I really don’t know how else to put it. We have had a lot of unfortunate events this past year, with my mom’s stroke and my aunt’s passing, that I am not excited about this. I’m sure things will work out fine, but it is a drastic change and if you know me, I don’t adapt well to these types of changes. To make things worse, they will be moving while I am away in Italy. So we said our goodbyes yesterday and I have cried ever since. So now I must stay focused on my trip and hopefully it will bring me back recharged and ready to take on this change. Ciao for now!

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