A Rare Tuesday

Things are slowly returning to normal...I'm getting up around 0500, go figure! There is a festival going on somewhere so Edda has the Bar open today. Makes me happy! So far I haven't been allowed to pay for anything, nice, But things have to even out. Three coffees, one OJ and a cornetto, a good start! Sun finally chasing the rain away, we can start the day now.

The first few days are going to be a bit on the quiet side. The 10 hour ride seems to have given my back a couple of extra kinks. A couple of early AM walks should help. Started using the new camera this morning, will see how they came out and add to posts later. Really glad I got a new notebook yesterday, because I need to write down my dance card. Seems I will be spending next Tuesday with Piero, that will be fun. I brought him some coins for his collection so he and his family are hosting me for the day...something to look forward to. All my guardian angels seem to be looking out for me.

The day has gone and now I'll get ready for my first play in Roma. Desiree is in it. Giulia and friends picking me up in an hour or so. Since I don't speak Italian tonight is going to be different, but fun. Still haven't paid for anything...perhaps I can afford it...

Not!

Another installment to follow, domani.

Average Guy

My first day is dwindling. I am sitting next door to my favorite spot because they adjusted their schedule for the coming festa and took today off. Today was spent getting my fono working and seeing those I missed yesterday, and, I took a nap. Age? Jetlag? Dead tired? Si!

I consider myself an average guy, married twice to bright intelligent women that I loved. Old age is no longer around the corner, it's a mirror. Two kids plus Grace's two girls, a slew of grandchilden and a fat white cat I sometimes call "Spot"...average. Yet here I am, waiting for a friend to join me for drinks in the  Campo dei Fiori, HOW is that average?We knew so many people here that loved us, so that calling anywhere else home is an insult to them.

Mi dispiace is today's phrase. That is what is said after someone is given the news about Grace. Not everyone speaks English so I asked Sonia to write the situation down in Italian. It helped in explaining, as I had the water works going then. Now too. Next sunday Grace will get her wish and be able to remain even after I leave, though my friends  will know how to help my daughters when my time comes.
Mi dispiace is I'm sorry. It is always accompanied with shock, a hug and kisses. This helps explain our love for Campo...a warm, caring, thoughtful group...our adopted Roman family. 
I can only wonder if we had come here on our first trip instead of California whether we might have been able to pull it off? We knew where we belonged from the first and as time went by our love simply intensified. She'll love being able to look out from the shadow of Giordano and see our friends.

Perhaps my luck was more than average, that will be today's answer. 

Here's a slice of the Campo, the kids are out of school and drifting through. The electric trash trucks are doing their nightly choreographed task. Golden agers with helmets and bikes are on the way out.The peddle taxi just dropped off someone for dinner. The trash attendants in their Armani designed uniforms saunter about looking gorgeous. THIS is LIFE the way it should be, not cooped up in an air-conditioned cement house ignoring everything but the idiot box! 

I see Esther so that's it for today...a domani!

La Passagiata

It is 8:00, my first night here and I am watching a daily event take place...the passagiata. It is something much easier to view than to explain, but here goes. Basically every night,more-so on the weekends people leave their homes and go for a walk. Now that sounds simple, but it isn't. You see all of these folks dress up. They put on something that shows off their best side and go out to aimlessly to be part of life. 

This is the first "walk for life" and it is a constant reminder that each of us is an active player. No one is really attempting to out-do anyone else. They are showing their self-pride and that we belong to a big wonderful community. 
You can correctly assume that I will be here to watch and perhaps sometimes join in. 

Short and sweet tonight...I really need some sleep.

Once upon a shooting

Once upon a time while I was voicing my opinion, someone asked what I did like. After much thought...people. Historically I give them every chance to be good. To be the kind of person I look up to and would like to be. The very person that my children and theirs would admire. I truly believe that each one of us tries to lead that kind of life, helping, guiding, comforting others...leading a good life.

Almost all of us go through an altruistic phase before reality strikes. Children are not toys...they require nurturing, coddling, training, guidance, loving, new shoes, etc.The minutiae of life takes over and we are entrapped.

And then, once again, something terrible occurs and we are faced with the indisputable fact, we love each other. We desire to help, to comfort. We rush forward to assist, not run away. And none of comprehend what causes a fellow human being to cause such anguish. This isn't a "silver lining", "a once in a lifetime" event. Each and every time someone presents us with evil we react the same way, with love, care and compassion. That defines us, humanity.

While our innate curiosity makes us ask why? How can one of us do these terrible things to another? Our question isn't to  punish, but to understand and prevent  recurrence. That is why we are what we are...
human!

So be it!

Where, oh where...

Everyone reading this, most likely knows me or at least something about me. It is readily apparent that I enjoy travel. So here goes! If you (each of you) had to choose a place to go...where would it be? Why? Pick more than one if you want, but please explain yourself.Would the pick be different if you were to travel alone? Again, why? Which mode of travel fits you best? Why? 

Many of you have traveled. In that case, which places that you visited would you return too...why? Or which ones did you detest and why? 

I'll start it off. Roma! Nothing that I haven't said before or most likely after my next visit is changing my number one spot. 

Barcelona. Used to be my number one. It has Gaudi, Picasso, kitch, the Ramblas and food. The Costa Brava ain't shabby either.

In the US the list starts with San Francisco. There is nothing like it for beauty, location and shear loveliness. 

New York...I have never had a bad time in "the City"!

Washington..tooo much...and free!

Asheville and Charlottesville are small city spots that come to mind. But the surprise was Columbia, SC.and that was most likely because  of Mac's On Main.

Montreal and Quebec City round it out for me. The nearest things to europe in this hemisphere and should not be missed. Food, food...oh yeah!!! food!

Been, not excited; Athens, Madrid, Marseilles, L.A.,Chicago, Naples, Chattanooga...here!

Need extreme enticement; Atlanta, Philadelphia, Paris plus most of eastern europe.

Definite maybes; Prague, Holland, Alaska...

That was my quick list, what's yours?

Building Blocks

Once again we awake to a world altered by the delusions of ignorance. Death and destruction are not building blocks. I have been watching the world unfold in front of me for nearly 70 years and there is not one single, positive action or reaction that results from violence. Violence is counter productive...it has exactly the opposite affect that the agent had in mind. Every story today will speak to our convictions and ideals. We will get to the bottom of this...we will find and bring to justice...in short we will be just as violent, or more so.  It didn't work for the Romans, the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Germans, Napoleon, Mussolini, Idi Amin. It has never worked. Speaks well of the human condition that collectively over our entire existence we have failed to learn something so obvious.

Simplistic answers, such as  "just say no" or "turn the other cheek"  will not return those taken from us. Or ease the suffering of those left maimed and emotionally scarred. Neither will blowing up more people in retaliation. Hasn't worked in my lifetime, hasn't worked ever!

Someone did this. A "Cause" will come forward. I've seen a lifetime of causes, but no solutions. I like people, is that simple enough?  A founding principle of our nation is that each and every one of us has the Right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.   That was permanently removed yesterday for at least three of us.

Education is the only solution to ignorance. Education is something that should begin at home. Ignorance does! Education perhaps. It just never gets any further. If you are brought up to hate, well, that is what you will learn. What I feel right now is despair. Ignorance is a void. You require an open, inquisitive mind in order to see that there can be a better solution. Parents need to perform the function of educator long before and long after the teachers get their task. Yesterday showed the world that we are all still struggling with that task. 

Maintain that struggle..it is our best answer to ignorance, prejudice and despair.