All Under One Roof

There's a film that you can rent entitled, "The Spanish Apartment". Aria used to say apartment life in Florence was sort of like that film. Their apartment was an international exchange of cultures living under one roof. There were three italians, two americans and one german student but at various times they had roommates from several other countries. Connie the german student had placed this sign, which is shown above, in the apartment kitchen. She said it helped her in learning the languages of her roommates. I thought it was a cute idea.

I Would Love a Gelato

This happened a few years back in Florence. I was with Aria who was living there at the time. We were going for our daily "gelato" fix. On this day I was feeling pretty ambitious and stated proudly, "I think I can order by myself today." The two flavors I intended to order were "Bacio" meaning "kiss" and "Pesca" meaning "peach". When it was time to give my order I smiled at the guy behind the counter and said confidently, "Vorrei "un braccio" e un "pesce" per favore!" The guy gave me a very odd look and my daughter nudged me and said, "Mom you just ordered an ARM and a FISH!"

Thank You For Your Thoughtfulness

"To love and be loved is to

feel the sun from both sides"

-David Viscott

When I woke up this morning there was a basket of scones and chocolate, almond and blueberry assorted croissants and muffins wrapped so pretty with a big pink bow on the breakfast table. Thank you Aria for being so thoughtful and arranging for this to be ready this morning at the bakery and asking dad to pick it up. Along side the pastries was my favorite pecan pie that dad bought for me and the beautiful bouquet of flowers that Jocelyn gave me. There were assorted cards to open which had been delivered yesterday and then all the e-cards from friends when I went to the computer plus so many of my slowtravel friends had posted well wishes on the travel site. It was really so touching to be showered with such thoughtfulness. I felt the love so, "Thank You" to all the dear friends and loved ones who were so very sweet to me today. I appreciated everything more than words can say.

"And did you get

what you wanted from this life even so?

I did.

And what did you want?

To call myself beloved, to feel myself

beloved on the earth."

--Raymond Carven

A Birthday Wish

Do not dwell in the past,

do not dream of the future,

conscentrate on the

present moment.

Peace comes from within,

do not seek it without.

You deserve your own love
and affection

Love yourself today

and Everyday

You are one of a kind.

A Miracle.

I just received these thoughts in a beautiful birthday card from my friend Lynda. I wanted to share it with you .

" Birthdays are a time of reflection. I have chosen a selection of Buddhist proverbs to inspire you throughout the coming year."

*Note: The above photos are not mine and I want to apologize to whomever took these beautiful pictures that I don't know your name to give you credit for such loveliness. In searching the internet over time I have saved things that touched me, scenes that were so beautiful or funny. I have lost track of where and when I saved them to my computer but I would like to use them here. Feel free to contact me if they belong to you and you would like them removed. If not, bless you and thank you for letting me share your vision with others.

It's a FREAKING good life!

Last year Aria was a teaching assistant in several high schools in Cagliari, the capitol city of Sardinia. Besides assisting the teachers she was able to work with the students directly giving them the opportunity to converse with a native English speaking person. She also developed written and oral exercises and games for the students to practice the language and to learn about American culture and history. During the time I was visiting her she shared with me some of her students work. There was one particular assignment: to write about your favorite English word, which resulted in some poignant results. I will share two of my favorites.

Dolores wrote: "My favorite english word is "wake-up" because the sound of this word is more beautiful than "svegliati."* If my mother speaks English, she could wake all my awakenings happy only with two words "wake-up". When I heard this word I think about a sunny beautiful day. Nothing can be wrong."
*svegliati (wake-up)

Gianluca wrote: " My favorite english word is an American one, it comes from the American slang language and it could mean a few things. The word is "Freak". The English dictionary says about it that in italian it means "capriccio", but this is not the way I use it. I like to say Freak a lot because it reminds me the first time I said something in English, in fact this is the first word I've learnt in that language. It was matched with another funny word that combined sounded so crazy like the meaning of it, it was "freakin' nuts", that mean "so crazy." In fact, Freak, means as I said before lots of things like, crazy, damn, ouch, lot of and so on....I love the sound of it I've always used to subsitute it instead of some bad words...it sounds like something stronger, something you must to say! When you want to say something very, very, very far away. Instead of saying three times very, you just say...its freaking, far away and it sounds good! There's something special between me and that word, it's weird to say I know, but it reminds me about a good friend, the one who taught me this freaking word. I think I'll it in my dirty English vocabulary for the rest of my life."

This is something I'd tell Gianluca if he were with me today. "Gianluca, guess what? Tomorrow is my Happy Freaking Birthday and I hope its the start of a freaking good year!

VENICE City of Dreams and Obsessions

The very first time I ever set foot in Venice was the summer of 1971. I kept a journal on that trip... "August 13th, Friday Venice, Italy. We started on the road at 8:30 and made good time to Venice. We are camped on an island called Lido. Shopped in Piazza San Marco-this is one of the happiest days I've ever known...pigeons in the piazza-bells ringing-music everywhere-artists painting in the square..."

Years before my mother had taken me to see Katherine Hepburn and Rosanno Brazzi in the movie "Summertime". It had left a clear imprint on my heart of how life changing this trip was for the woman in the movie. I remember the camera panning toward Venice as the train that she was riding got closer and closer to this city on the water. She had this look of longing and discovery and complete and overwhelming joy on her face. When I first saw Venice I finally understood what that look meant. I felt it in my heart. I fell in love with Venice completely from the moment I arrived there.

Christmas 2006 Aria was living in Italy. She sent me a beautiful book of photographs of Venice. The title "VENEZIA Citta` di sogni e ossessioni" (VENICE City of dreams and obsessions). She wrote this: "Dear Momma, The author's dedication in this book reads "A mia madre...spirito mite in un mondo instabile"--"To my mother...warm spirit in an uncertain world."

Thank you for always being such a warm spirit in my life, for encouraging me not to be afraid of each new adventure..."

I suppose everyone has some special place that touches them in unforgettable ways... for me Venice is one of those places...magical, mysterious and beautiful.

It's a brand new year! "DREAM ON"

"...the dreamer and the dream are the same...the powers personified in a dream are those that move the world."
-Joseph Campbell

"I have dreamed in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind. "

-Emily Bronte

The beginning of a new year is like a second chance. It's an opportunity to try again for something that we want and a chance to dream new dreams. I once cut out a small, little blurb that someone had placed in the classified section of the Daily Bruin (the campus newspaper at UCLA). This was a long time ago. I stuck that clipping on the wall by the typewriter in my office in the 1970's. I'd look at the words on that little piece of paper often. This is what it said:

"I always dreamed of the brightest and the best. How could I ever settle for less."

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009! Dream On...