THE BEAT GOES ON

Travel planning takes up a vast part of your life as you sit at the computer.
The great thing is that you have the world at your fingertips and receive answers(usually) within 24 hours.

We have the trip planned up to Croatia. We will arrive in Split by car ferry,overnight accommodations, at 6:00 a.m. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, (yea,right), and ready to take on the country!

The plan hasn't been cemented, we might just go with the flow and see where the breezes take us. We know that we definately want to spend several days in Dubrovinic, as it is a living fairy tale, as Rick Steves puts it!

We have a friend who's Aunt and Uncle summer on an island off of Split, and I am waiting to hear if we hear from them. They happen to live in the same town as we do and it would be so fantastic to see the island with them, as their family originated from this island.

The problem is that the ferrys do not run as you might wish them to as it is going off season, and we don't know the typical run of the boats.
Trying to plan when we travel to another place here is quite "iffy", so maybe we will just wait and see when we arrive.

Up the coast to Pula and Rovinj for another beautiful town on the Adriatic and Pula for some Roman Ruins,(they have a Roman Amphitheater there), Rovinj for a taste of extreme romance, and we know that we all need this, a Venietian-style coastal town, then on to Trieste and Venice for a few more romantic days and nights before heading home.

I was thinking as I was putting printed material that I had found on various Italian accommodations etc., that I should make available these findings for people to cut the time of searching down for them, the cost of $3.00 per page printed and then they could investigate the places of interest and book on their own.

Last year I helped 3 people plan their Italian vacations.
Ciao!

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE?

Keeping busy watching grandchildren, planning surprise parties at church and planning a wonderful vacation take up most of the time these days.

I glance back to my blog sadly to see there is only one remark to my inspired writing and stroke of a miracle.

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE?

We now have two reservations in Italy. We are returning to Florence to the place we have stayed in the past. I am determined to go to the street fair where I found the greatest primitive oils from an artist who used masonite, cardboard and wood in which to paint these scenes of Tuscany for my remembrance. They are now formally framed with custom frames and gracing the walls in my hallway. I will take pictures of my paintings and retrace my steps to the Saturday outdoor market and see if I can locate the painter, possibly purchase another painting and find out about this person!
Venice is a bit harder to get into this time. It seems that the Venice Film Festival is going on when we are there. I haven't given up hope though.
I am waiting yet one more day to book a place there because we have yet to secure our plane tickets!!! Yikes!!! let's get this party started!!

We want to go to Croatia also, and this is like totally blind planning for me.
I want to just go and ,make plans as we mosey along, but then the planner part of me needs to know that we have a place on the ferry and a date and time.

Croatia is a beautiful place, yet I haven't seen or heard much about it.
Does anyone out there know anyone who has been there? Have any of you traveled there?

I will keep you posted on our further adventures as time progresses.

Ciao!

A TUSCAN DREAM PART 1

For the past year or so I have been searching for the best places where my imagination of a fantastic vacation in Italy would take us.
Steve has wanted to go to Croatia,so I have been trying to include this side trip in on the itinerary.

I may go about this completely the wrong way, but I search rentals and bookmark them checking their availability within our date frame. When I find a winner, I discuss my findings with the flight scheduler and there you have it!

I had bookmarked three great Tuscan dream places, and carefully watched as the calendar dates became filled. I tried to tell myself that it was going to be alright, there was still plenty of time, but as the days swiftly passed,and the calendar was beginning to fill, I told Steve that now was the time to act.

Getting the OK, I excitedly e-mailed my #1 choice,and with caution to the wind told them that one of my secret dreams has been to meet Francis and Ed Mayes and tour their garden and home,just in case they knew them personally. One never knows!!!(She is the writer who wrote Under the Tuscan Sun and many other great books about Italy , and I think that they now live there in Cortona at least part of the year if not year round.)

I promptly was informed that the dates were booked,so I moved on to see if the next week was booked, to make a long story short, there was no room in the inn for us. I checked out plan #2 and it was booked also.... Sadly I went to plan #3 , requesting dates and got no response. Usually I write and the next day or two I get a response, sometimes even the next morning, as it is evening there when we arise. This I find to be very timely for communication. When I get no response after a few days (1 week to be exact,) I have to guess that they are booked .

Bummed, I don't know where to turn , we were even entertaining the thought of a cruise to Alaska at the last minute, BUT I don't want to hurry that trip. I want to plan the best trip cruise and take the train into Denali National Park and make it wonderful, just in case we don't venture that way again.and I would love to see the Northern Lights.

Once again I go to choice#1 , to sigh and dream, thinking that maybe we should postpone the Italy trip until next spring. There before my eyes are two weeks in September open. Embarassed to be the pushy American, as we are sometimes thought of, I wince and write once again to my host to see if these dates are truly open, or is it a figment of my imagination!

EUREKA!!! Someone has just canceled due to illness.( I am so sorry that they have cancelled, but this is my dream! )WE ARE IN!!!!
One week in Cortona, in a stone cottage among the cypress and olive groves with a sweet little veranda to drink our morning coffee and eat breakfast or a wonderful home made Tuscan dinner! The hosts are English and will suggest wonderful places to wander about in the Tuscan hills and towns. We can play Italian House and pretend that we live there and relax among the olive groves in splendor! Bellisimo!

The trip is taking form and I am blessed beyond belief that I get to go stay in my Tuscan Dream.

What an Awesome Gift God has Given Grandparents

This week I have resumed watching my darling grandchildren while their mother has returned to work.
I think that the transition went well. Tuesday, Tegan spent the day with us and we enjoyed her company.I got to play and feed her and spend quality time getting to know her and her schedule
and interact with her trying to get her to react to what I was saying to her,watching her try to roll over, which she actually did for her mommie the next day!

Yesterday Ethan came for a visit and enjoyed the activities around the yard, interacted with the neighbor kids and even took a nap on the futon instead of the pack and play which he has now outgrown, but the great thing is that he STAYED on the futon and did not get up!
I used the baby monitor to listen in while he was settling in and had to laugh as he played "Here comes the creepy mouse "and tickled one of his stuffed friends. He even recited " Motor Boat, motor boat, go so slow...." How fun to listen in on a his conversation with his best friends, Panda,
Dragon Franz and Piggy.
He was a happy boy to be back for a visit for the day, and we loved having him!

"Everyone needs a Grandma"

That was the comment made by Ethan my grandson today to his mother.
He is 2 1/2!! Where does he come up with these phrases?
It's nice to know that he needs us, and will be needing us even more at the end of the month when his mommy goes back to work.

Nana and I have decided to gently step into the second phase of "sitting" by splitting the two up for the first month to see how "Miss Tegan's schedule is". Actually, I know for myself that I will need to break myself back into the 8-5 day routine.

So, out of the rafters come the baby seat and the infant part of the pack and play, replacement of batteries so said items will vibrate,swing and lights will synchronize to the music, and I sure as heck don't remember how to put the pack and play back to an infant bed after these 2 1/2 years!!

Who will sleep where? This must be carefully planned out so there is a plan.
The bottles arrived today and Ethan has a new booster seat at the table for the "Big Boy" that he is now that he has a little sister.

Ethan has now started to call me and ask where I am when the answering machine answers.Today he caught me on my cell and said," Grammie, I just woke up from my nap,can I come over now?" How can a Grandma say no to that request?
Yes, I'd say, "Everyone needs a Grandma",and I am sure blessed to have two grandchildren in my quiver.

~ MISS POTTER ~

Today, I stole away to another romantic travel spot~ England.

Ever since I saw the preview of the upcoming movie about the life and writings of Miss Beatrix Potter, I have waited with eager anticipation the release of this charmer.
It stars Renee Zellwiger and Ewan McGregor.
It did not receive great reviews, and the critics referred it to the Bridgette Jones Diary movies of Miss Zellwiger, which I feel is quite unfair!

My heart beat with excitement as I viewed the interaction of the characters including her creation of the sweet animals,that took life in her dear little books, and the beautiful countryside of the Lake District.

I am ready to be taken away to the open aired rooms of beauty, with the cool air blowing my hair, snuggled with a shawl wrapped tightly around me, the lake glistening as it captures the sun's rays beating down upon this Eden.

Wanderlust has captured me, and with each beat of my heart the longing becomes stronger~

Those dear little books I still desire to hold in my now grown up hand, the stories are so endearing, they call to be read over and over.

At one point in the movie Beatrix reaches into her paint brush collection to select the right brush. The sound of the wooden handles clicking together and the opening of the paint box showing the smear of the paint dried on the edge of the color tray; the swish of the paint swirled in the clear water revealing a blue tinge to the water as she cleans the brush, I find utterly romantic ~I ask my artist friend if this too moves her and it does.

I am now going to venture back into these dear tales and enjoy the splendid drawings and delightful personalities these characters reveal, now knowing the background life of this wonderful woman.
I"ve always wanted to meet a hedgehog~

One of my Italian dreams

More Dreams

I have been sitting reading more than usual lately, as the books that I ordered through Amazon have steadily arrived.
The anticipation of planning a dream trip for the fall slowly coming together in my mind~

To get totally lost in another country and feel the dirt between your toes lost~
I can taste it as i sit and read someone else's experiences and look through their eyes at the wonders that they discover.

I don't think many people know the romance that I hold inside of me for travel to another country.It is a childlike anticipation~
They have no idea what is out there or how to go about touching it. Once touched,you either open up and take it all in as listening to a wonderful Concerto, or walk away.

We prefer to explore alone rather than in group, where someone dictates the time and place to be.
One may be privy to the great restaurants and four star hotels and air conditioned busses ,but they loose what is taken in when you meet a little Signorina in the piazza asking if you wish to spend some time in her home. This is her way of making a living, and she is not shy about the approach. Her friend says ,"There is a good view." We hesitantly say yes and she leads us through the crooked back streets, up a series of steep steps and through the portola, which opens to the center of the town square with the most magnificent view from our window above. Exactly where I had dreamed we would stay!

Today, I showed Steve a panoramic picture of a Tuscan hill town that we visited on our first trip to Italy. I remember standing along a wall in the town and gazing at the vast fields and valley below,a church that took my fancy built on the side of the hill, beckoning us to come and explore it's beauty. I asked him if he remembered us standing standing along that wall and surveying the land. He could not remember it. Funny, I could pick out the exact spot that we stood!

I come to the computer and type in my vacation guide and up comes one of my dream places.
The prices are rising as the Pound and Euro fluctuate. We still do not comit to a date. There are only a few weeks not booked in this quaint cottage among the olive groves,along the dusty road that leads into my dream. I picture us there, relaxed taking the in the view.

Dreams of Bella Tuscany

Aahhh.... Dreams of Bella Tuscany~
I am currently reading Francis Mayes, Bella Tuscany.
I stumbled upon this author while in Italy in March,2003.

With the trusted Rick Steve's travel guide in hand, we mapped out a little scenic drive through the Tuscan hill towns in central Italy along the less traveled road ,sometimes loosing our bearings and ending up in someone's yard picnicking and sharing cheese and bread with the owner of the Villa's dog near Pienza. He'll never tell he entertained foreigners on the front lawn~

There were places that took our breath away as we approached the steep slopes leading up to the top of the hill and to the gate of the town ,welcoming us in to their medieval cobblestone streets. The towns had names that were a challenge to pronounce and we most likely mispronounced them. Some faint remembrances of these gems,recalling the wind that whipped through the vacant streets at siesta in Montalcino, the tall towers that have stood so stately over hundreds of years, Steve disappearing in one town only to reappear with the discovery of a most beautiful mosaic in a most unusual place.
This drive took us on to Cortona~
Oh yes ,the book Under The Tuscan Sun was written and in print, but I had no idea that I would be so enchanted by Ms. Mayes romantic descripions of the countryside called Tuscany. I feel as if I am in the back seat of her car riding along in the adventure as it unfolds, page by page, chapter by chapter. It makes me want to buy an abandoned property and refurbish and make it my home too~

This Fall I read Bringing Tuscany Home,and found it as charming.With pictures it increased my desire to return and walk the dusty lanes and view the horizon form a distant hilltop, my imagination stirred . I remembered driving just a "little further " up the road that wound past the town and into the upper hills, possibly just up the way was Bramasole~

We sat in town and had a gelato at the exact same place that Dianne Ladd wrote the colorful postcard for a traveling friend about this beautiful spot, not knowing that a movie about Cortona would be filmed there. We wandered the streets and peeked in shops and sat in a little cafe bar for a cappuccino and took in the view and ambiance of the Piazza della Repubblica, sans the fountain.
We were invited to attend an art exhibit of an English woman next door to the cafe bar,which we attended and then went to the American art student's exhibit in one of the many vastly large buildings close by. Was this English artist a friend of Ms, Mayes? Perhaps she attended this event without us ever realising we were in the same room~ Again we saw the artist and friend as I looked out the train window upon arrival to one of our other destinations, perhaps Rome.
Strange that our paths crossed at another time and place.
I am ready for another adventure into yet another book and have several waiting to be traveled soon~
I know that this next holiday will be seen through more than just my eyes.
Perhaps my wish to see and walk the gardens of Bramisole will come true~

SPRING AT THE COTTAGE

I am drawn to the patio with the gentle breeze caressing my arms and face.
I look out over the little English Garden we have created with delight as the flowers are in Spring bloom.
The grass is neatly trimmed from the previous week's Easter gathering . The roses on the arbor are gently sprinkling their petals across the walk and inviting one to tread upon them to release their fragrance one last time. The view is most pleasing to me.
New baby birds chime in unison as their parents light next to the nest that is nestled in the corner of the peragolia on the deck,waiting to be fed.
This morning I opened the deck doors to listen to the melody of one of the many birds that visit our side yard that Steve has named the"Secret Garden".
Blue Birds are nesting in the box at the far end of the yard in the Eucalyptus tree. They have chosen to stay. We first spotted them the summer of 2000, and now we spot them occasionally at the birdbath taking a drink or splashing having a bath.
Today I am most excited as we have spotted the presence of Grossbeak, a comical ,colorful bird of orange, black and white with an unusual triangular shaped beak.
Stay for a while and tell your friends to come and rear their families here. I am delighted to see newcomers in the garden, I long for them to call this home too.
I spotted the Hummingbird at the new feeder location . We enjoy their darting about and the chatter they make and watching them challenge each other to protect their territory . They don't seem to mind our presence amongst them , and I love to see their ruby red throats against their irradisent green bodies highlighted by the sun hitting them just right . I planted a new bush that attracts the hummingbird to the garden.
The Mocking bird perches aloft the rose arbor pausing briefly before disappearing into her thorny nest to check on her young ones.
The garden is alive!
I know that when the song of birds fill the garden I am in a most happy place !

~SPRING HAS ARRIVED AT BEVERLY COTTAGE~


I am drawn to the patio with the gentle cool breeze caressing my arms and face,I look out over the little area we have created,our garden.

The grass is neatly mowed from the previous week's Easter gathering. The roses are in glorious bloom on the arbor,they scatter their fragrant petals waiting for someone to tread upon them and enjoy their delightful scent.

The view is most pleasing!

The baby birds chime in unison as their parents perch next to their temporary home nestled in the corner of the pergola on the deck.

This morning I intentionally opened the deck door to hear the song of one of the many birds perched in the tree in the side yard,Steve has named the Secret garden~

Blue Birds are nesting in the nest box on the old Eucaliptus tree at the far end of the yard. They have come to stay, as we first spotted them in the summer of 2000. Now we delight in watching them sit on the fence and venture to the bird bath for a drink or to bathe.

Today we are blessed by the presence of Grossbeak, a most colorful and comical bird, orange and black , with an unusual triangle shaped beak.
Come and stay and make our garden your home! I am delighted to spot new birds in the garden and long for them to want to return. Tell your friends to come and rear their families here also!

The Hummingbird has not yet spied the new location of their feeder, but soon enough they will darting back and forth to drink their sweet nectar. I have receintly planted a bush to attract them and provide natural nourishment. They don't seem to mind our company on the patio, and we love to watch them guard their territory.

The Mocking Bird perches aloft the rose arbor before entering her thorny nest that guards her babes.

The garden is alive!

I know that when I hear the song of the birds that this is a happy place to be!

There's a new PRINCESS in the castle

March 9 we were graced by the entrance of a precious little girl.
She made her entrance at home and not as planned!

The Paramedics had to be called and they delivered her much to everyone's surprise, even the Paramedics! They were ready to transport mommie to the hospital, but she was ready to push!!!
6pounds 9 ounces and a precious little lump of sugar!
Her name is Tegan McKenna