the olive notes...

happy 2012

2012-01-04T21:25:00.002-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We're already a couple days in to this new year and things are happening! There are things to look forward to, places to go, people to meet, and lots of time to be still...

Next week I start French lessons which I'm really looking forward to. I took French back in college for a little but then it fell by the way side especially when we were learning Italian. Now I feel like my Italian is at a good place where it will only help in my learning of French (with the patterns, conjugations, etc) and instead won't have to be forgotten to clear my brain for a new language. Plus, French will come in handy on my many trips to Morocco and the future retreats to France!

On the travel itinerary this year is a myriad of places...as for the EAT.PRAY.MOVE Yoga Retreats, I've started to break up the trips to seasonal times. This year there are six retreats planned so far...leading to my main goal of eight by next year. For this spring I have two in Marrakesh planned for February and March, then it's to Italy (Venice and Tuscany) in May, and back to Marrakesh in September as well as another week in Ischia.

In between all of this I hope to do some research trips for future retreats in new locations and climates! And then the big question I get is "Does Chris get to go with you on these?" Usually the answer is no, as he has a more regular vacation schedule, so we hope to go to a new place this year for both of us as our main holiday - either Iceland or Japan. Both of which we've always wanted to visit! We'll have to see how the year pans out.

I hope to be sharing some more exciting news soon in the way of yoga...lots of opportunities lie on the 2012 horizon. One of my goals and intentions that I wrote down for this year is just to be more organized with all of my daily tasks - actually have a systemized approach at getting things done. For some reason this quote has kept coming up in my mind. Funny that it's from Woody Allen, but to me it is partially how I'm going about this next year - showing up, being present, and doing it day after day.

"Eighty percent of success is showing up." —Woody Allen

fall travels :: a look back

2011-12-29T10:41:00.009-05:00

camel rides in Essaouira, Morocco
As promised in the last post, here is a bit more on my fall travels. Just about a month after moving to New York, I headed to Morocco for one of the EAT.PRAY.MOVE Yoga Retreats. Morocco has been on my 'must-visit' list for a while now and I was so excited to finally get to visit. The retreat was held at the boutique hotel Peacock Pavilions in Marrakesh, just outside the medina.

guests visiting sites in the medina
It was an amazing week with a great group of guests. Everyone got along so well and each day was filled with new sites, sounds, smells, and tastes. It's really a sensory overload in a culture like that. The food is more flavorful, the streets more full, the fabrics more colorful.

Peacock Pavilions
It was a week to remember....(and repeat! We have 2 more planned in Marrakesh for 2012)
VIDEO (email readers must click through to watch online)

At the end of that week I flew to Milan to meet up with my parents and another couple for my kick-off SOJOURNISTA Travel Stylist week. We'd all met back in the spring to go over any specific places, sites, or activities that they wanted to include in this 2-week trip, then I went to work organizing the personalized vacation. We ended up exploring the "waters of Italy"...

Varenna from the lake
from the LAKES where we stayed in Bellagio, and took the ferries around Lake Como to visit Varenna, Menaggio, and Lecco...

view of Venice from the ferry
Burano
and on to the CANALS of Venice, where we took in the city as well as the lagoon islands of Burano, Murano, and Torcello...

overlooking Florence
biking past vineyards
then inland to the famous Arno RIVER in Florence. Here I was able to guide them around one of my favorite cities, which feels like a second home to me. We even took a bike tour through the Tuscan hillsides to visit a winery...

beach in Monterosso
boats in Riomaggiore
and finally to the SEA where we spent several leisurely days in the lovely Cinque Terre before one final night in Milan as I said 'arrivederci' to them on their flight back to the States.

on top of the Duomo in Milan

sunset from the villa
view of Ischia from the Castello Arogonese
beach in Sant' Angelo
That same day, I traveled down to Ischia to prepare for the last yoga retreat of the season. As you know if you've read the blog for the past couple of years that Ischia is one of my favorite places. Positioned in the bay of Naples, this volcanic island was the perfect place to 'retreat'. As the guests arrived, we got to know each other and settled in for a week of good food, relaxing day-trips, thermal spas, and plenty of yoga overlooking the sea.
VIDEO (email readers must click through to view online)

I finished my 5-week long excursion with a few final days in Florence visiting friends, decompressing, and preparing for the return to home in NYC. It was a wonderful five weeks, full of adventure and thankfulness...but it was really nice to come home as well. Just in time for the fall weather, changing leaves, and settling into our new home...

life summary :: fall, winter 2011

2011-12-22T09:53:00.005-05:00

Life is crazy. Life is good. I'm not exactly sure all the reasons why I haven't been keeping up on this blog...some part may be that I've been working on other online projects that I've just neglected this one, some part may be that I've been a bit more present in real life than an online life, and some part may be that SO much has happened in the past 6 months that it's hard to try and sum it up in a post (or many posts) or even convey properly my feelings about experiences.

Whatever the reason - I'm going to do my best to do some year-end summary posts as I've had some special requests by multiple people for some blog updates on NYC life, my recent yoga retreats and travels, and other projects in general.

...so here goes...

I ♥ NY. Seriously, finally living in NYC feels like a great fit for this time in our lives, and what comes to mind most is "it was about time". There's an energy here unlike any other place, and at least for now is a very welcome energy that encourages and nudges for forward growth in me rather than a stressful hectic energy that's moving too fast. From the late summer until now the seasons have been so evident (especially right outside our window in Central Park) and something we haven't experienced in a long time. The park is my refuge and I feel so happy and lucky to live next to it. I've ended up being very involved in things that are on the west side, so I walk across the winding park paths almost everyday...and I'm not exaggerating that everyday it makes me smile.

Even though we've only been here for about four months, five of those weeks I was in Italy and Morocco for my fall EAT.PRAY.MOVE Yoga Retreats. These were the second season of the retreats and the weeks went so well - amazing guests, wonderful hosts and locations. It's really my dream job come true. I also spent two of the weeks abroad leading my first Sojournista Travel Style project...fully planning and being an on-site concierge and guide for four people (granted, two were my parents, but it was a great way to test out the services). We did a "Waters of Italy" personalized tour - from the lake region (Como, Lecco, Varenna, Bellagio) to the canals of Venice, then to Florence with the Arno River, and finally to the sea alongside the Cinque Terre. *MORE ON ALL THIS LATER*

Although it was an amazing five weeks, it was so very nice coming back home and really starting to get settled in here. Watching the holidays slowly descend on the city has been fun...I've already lost count of the times we've walked up and down 5th Ave to see all the store windows and lights. The annual NYC Marathon was fun to witness as it brought so much energy that pulsed through all 5 boroughs. And for Thanksgiving we went to the Carolinas to see our families and although it was nice getting out of the city - it was very nice coming back as well.

My parents came a couple weekends ago for their first time ever to NYC. We had four days packed with main (and not so main) sites. And we're getting ready for Chris' family around New Year's. It's still a bit unseasonably warm here, which I guess is helping us transition from the Florida winters - although I've enjoyed the colder days especially now that it's almost Christmas. And speaking of weather, we have experienced some weird natural occurrences since our arrival — an earthquake, a hurricane, and a sudden showstorm on Halloween weekend.

I'm looking back on my photos from the past few months to remember what I should mention, and really there is too much - so I'll just stop here for now and say that life is good. I'm grateful everyday. And I'm looking forward to 2012.

making home of an apple

2011-08-14T21:03:00.003-05:00

So....lots has happened since the last time I wrote! Life has been a bit crazy lately. Mostly all for good reasons, which helps to put things in perspective when stress levels tend to rise. I was gone to Italy for 5 weeks earlier in the summer to lead two of the EAT.PRAY.MOVE Yoga Retreats in Tuscany and do some research for the upcoming retreat to Ischia in October. During my time overseas we found out that we were officially moving to NYC! Long story short - it was for an amazing job opportunity for Chris and since it's a place we love and have talked about "one day" maybe, just maybe, living there - we figured this was a great chance that we couldn't pass up.

So on my way home from Italy, I had a layover already scheduled in New York and just ended up staying for a few days while I tried to find us an apartment. And yes, all the rumors are true - finding an apartment in Manhattan can steal your sanity. Luckily, a place (that we love) was finalized within a few days, and back to Florida I went to pack, pack, say goodbye, wrap up work, pack some more, and get ready for a 17+hr drive north...all within 3 short weeks.

By the first week of this month, we'd made it all the way up here with a moving van, 2 cats, no cars, not a lot of furniture, and a great deal of anticipation. Overall the trip was fairly smooth and we were able to stop for a couple of nights half-way up to visit with Chris' family as well. It's definitely a bit of a transition, but one that feels right and appropriate. Like it's the natural move for where we both were in our lives.

Moving from the ocean to a concrete city would have been a lot more intimidating if we weren't able to be so close to Central Park (which I adore). It's quite amazing to see it from our window and be able to step into the oasis of nature within a minute. We've already enjoyed lots of walks around our neighborhood - getting to know the area, find all the best and closest shops from groceries to coffee shops, check out a few good restaurants, pop in the MoMA, explore the trails in the park, and visit with friends.

Having quite a few friends already in the city helped us feel more at home and even a friend from St. Augustine has stopped by! The new place is all unpacked now and routines are forming. The new excitement may take a while to wear off (and maybe, hopefully, a bit will always be with me) - but for now I'm just truly trying to enjoy our time here, take it in, soak in what the city has to offer, not get overwhelmed...and if I start to - to just take a walk to Strawberry Fields.

Here's a little video of our first couple weeks...
(email readers must click through to watch online)

torniamo ad ischia

2011-05-16T09:18:00.005-05:00

Castello Aragonese off Ischia Ponte
Well, I think I've narrowed down one of my most favorite places ever - to a small(ish) island in the Bay of Naples. Ischia, where we visited last summer, had always enticed me, and now entices me even more since experiencing it firsthand. I found a partially abandoned building overlooking the ocean when we were there and tucked it away in the "maybe-one-day-I-can-make-that-a-yoga-studio-and-live-here-part-time" file in my mind.

view back over island from the Castello
There's something magical about this place for me - not only for the pre-Roman history, lush landscapes, natural thermal spas, small castles in the sea, or the dormant volcano which the whole of Ischia rests - but it largely has to do with the pure kindness of so many people there with whom we've come in contact. Plus, since it's a bit more off the grid than at least the main stops like Rome, Florence, and Venice, it feels a bit more authentic Italian and less touristy. Don't get me wrong, it definitely fills with travelers in the busy season, but a lot of the visitors are Italian or at least European. Second to Italian, German is next on the list instead of English. I'm sure you can get around just fine only speaking English (maybe if only as the people seem nice and patient enough to try and communicate with you even with a language barrier). But this is very appealing to me as it's a wonderful place to immerse myself in the language without the immediate "you're a tourist so you speak English" stereotype. This combined with the amazing hospitality we encountered and the breath-taking beauty of the island, it's easy to see why it's a place I've wanted to return.

As I'll be in Italy for a month coming up between June and July - for some further yoga training myself, and to lead two EAT.PRAY.MOVE Yoga retreats, Chris decided to join me for 2 of the weeks. I had one week completely free to travel, so during that time we're headed back to Ischia to explore even more of the island - plus scout out some locations and details for yet another EAT.PRAY.MOVE retreat I just announced today, taking place in Ischia in October.

The retreat will be at Villa Lina which overlooks the Mediterranean from the western coast of the island, I'm so excited to share all the things I love about this place with the guests. We'll be taking day trips to thermal spas, hiking up to Mount Epomeo for views over the entire bay, visiting famous gardens, and lounging at the beach. Plus enjoying daily yoga classes at the yoga space overlooking the sea. Can't wait!

A side note to all my blog readers...thanks so much for the support of the yoga retreats and helping me spread the word! I can't say how much I appreciate it. I'm thankful everyday to be able to do something I love: yoga + travel!

yoga retreat in morocco

2011-04-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

So as I posted *just yesterday* (I know can you believe it, 2 posts in 2 days?!) about some exciting things in store for 2011, here is one that some of you may not know, especially if you just follow me here on this blog. But the EAT.PRAY.MOVE Yoga Retreats are going so well and besides the extra week in Italy that I already wrote about, we also added a week in Marrakesh, Morocco in September! There's a few other things on the burner that I'll have to post about later...

For now, here is the post from the EPM blog which talks about the retreat.

The most recent big announcement is the addition of an exotic retreat in MARRAKESH, MOROCCO! Taking place SEPT 11-17, 2011, I'm so excited to add this to the growing EAT.PRAY.MOVE yoga retreats in the Mediterranean area.

This fantastic yoga retreat will take place at the fabulous Peacock Pavilions boutique hotel. Located in Marrakesh on 8.5 acres of land, including 5 acres of olive grove, this stylish and eco-friendly abode has been featured in worldwide publications, including National Geographic Traveler.

Breathtakingly beautiful and luxuriously designed, the living quarters where guests will stay during the retreat features gorgeous fireplaces and a glamorous bathrooms in each room. Each bedroom also has its own private terrace...just the right place to enjoy a minty tea or a zingy cocktail!

Guests will not only enjoy the grounds of Peacock Pavilions, the outdoor areas including a lovely pool, patio, private terraces, and covered yoga platform, but the retreat includes some amazing day-trips to the surrounding sites. A guided day in Marrakesh will lead guests through an introduction to Souqs and visits to sites such as Jardin Majorelle, Djema Al-Fnaa, Bahia Palace, and Saadian Tombs.

A full day will be spent in Essaouira, a historic fortified town on the Atlantic coast. Here we'll experience camel rides along the shore, yoga on the beach, meals on the docks, and plenty of exploring. The final full day entails a trip to the famous Bains de Marrakesh, a luxurious spa facility, where guests can be pampered to their heart's content (one treatment is included in retreat cost). What better way to wrap up a week of yoga than a day of pure relaxation.

Learn more about the Morocco Retreat HERE
Sign Up HERE

savoring life

2011-04-11T20:04:00.006-05:00

Life runs away from you sometimes....and we try to run with it at least. That's how the past month or so has been feeling for me - things coming at me in all directions - mostly good. Really good things. When this year started I felt like it was going to be a great year - not exactly sure why I was sure of it, but I felt that there were changes in the air, optimism on the horizon, and lots of fun to be had.

If you only follow me through this blog, then you may not know of some other developments in the yoga retreats and travel planning...I'll write about that soon (gasp! there may even be 2 whole posts on this blog this week! unheard of!) :)

For now...just a small story of stopping to smell the flowers of life...

About a week and a half ago, we went up to Asheville, NC for a long weekend in the mountains with a group of friends. Mountains, hiking, good food, cool nights, some yoga, picnics, and lots of live music from the guitars, banjo, harmonica, and bass which made the trip as well.

Mornings never started with an alarm clock, and hours passed without anyone rushing to go somewhere or do something. Time was slow, conversations plenty, and a birthday was celebrated with the richest chocolate cake I've eaten.

We hiked some Smoky Mountain trails and drove with the windows down over miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway...through tunnels, past valleys and peaks. We stopped for a little picnic at a lookout, and enjoyed the afternoon sun. Made our way to the stream at a waterfall, and watched the mountain ranges turn purple at sunset.

It was a beautiful several days with a wonderful group of people. It's a reminder to breathe in deep, unplug, and enjoy the spring flowers that are blooming!

Here are 28 seconds of the boys on the porch...enjoying very manly mountain time.
email readers must click through online to view video

yoga announcement :: new retreat dates

2011-03-21T10:01:00.003-05:00

This is a repeat post from the Eat.Pray.Move blog, but I wanted to share it here as well because I'm so excited about it....

Wow! We're happy to announce that the EAT.PRAY.MOVE July Italy retreat is now completely FULL! We had such an amazing response from so many people interested it was so nice to have booked it this early.

But we didn't want the site to just say "SOLD OUT" for too long...so we've added another retreat week!
JUNE 19-25, 2011

So if you missed out on signing up for the July retreat, go ahead and join us in June. Same program. Same amazing villa. And same affordable price of just $1400 for 7 days inclusive (lodging, meals, day-trips, transportation in Italy, daily yoga classes, and more!).

Check out our new re-designed main site: www.eatpraymove.com
Find out all the JUNE retreat details HERE
Sign up HERE

nyc + a birthday

2011-02-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

...continuing with the previous post...
When we arrived at LaGuardia, we grabbed a cab to the city, had brunch, checked into the room, then I crashed for the rest of the day while Chris went to a work meeting. Finally, for dinner we met up again and ate at one of NYC most famous vegan restaurants Candle Cafe (the more casual counterpart to the upscale Candle 79, both located in the Upper East Side). I'm still having dreams about the particular dish I had there...it was a m a z i n g. Plus, we topped it off with the famous "Frrrozen Hot Chocolate" from Serendipity 3 (or at least 5 sips of it, because we were so full from dinner).

The next day, while Chris was at a work conference all day, I met up with some friends at Eataly. Seriously, the perfect place for Italophiles and foodies. One of the owners of this branch is the amazing chef, Mario Batali, and it seems that New York City was the perfect place to bring the Italian gourmet chain to the States, as it was bustling the entire time I was there. Each section of the store also has an open-dining restaurant area. We ate in the Le Vedure section (all vegetarian), which was outstanding. There is also dining in the fish, meat, pizza, pasta, coffee, chocolate sections as well as a few more.

A few hours after I let my lunch settle, I attended an Anti-Gravity yoga class at a studio in Midtown. I'd heard of suspension yoga classes before, and really looked forward to trying it out. It seriously was like getting a 75-min massage! It felt perfect for my body after a week of standing all day at tradeshows and sitting on cramped plane seats. Such a good way to realign and alleviate pressure - especially on the spine. It was so fun hanging upside down, flipping around, and enjoying the window view (17 floors up over the city) from my spot in class.

The rest of the weekend was spent visiting friends, celebrating another friends' birthday, checking out the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History, eating at so many good restaurants (one included a surprise birthday dessert + candle for me), and staying bundled up. (We were really lucky for the first two days, as it was an unusual high of 60º, but the last two days were back to winter).

Finally, after exploring a bit in Brooklyn and going to brunch on Sunday morning, we walked to the promenade under the Brooklyn Bridge in Dumbo and then made our way back to the airport. So long NYC. We'll be back.

a few days here. a few days there.

2011-02-23T15:10:00.007-05:00

I recently returned from about 10 days scattered over the country. A bit for work, a bit for fun, a bit for friends, and a bit for a birthday.

First stop was the ever-lovely city of San Diego. The warm, sunny weather was a wonderful welcome to the foggy cloud I left back in Florida the previous week. I seem to like this city more and more every time I visit because I get to see a little more of it each time. The Little Italy section of town is amazing and one of my favorites compared to other US cities.

I spent the weekend with my friend Katie and we ate at some good restaurants, walked around Encinitas (so I could stop in some of the many yoga studios there to drop off flyers for the Eat.Pray.Move Yoga Retreat), and then ended up in Balboa Park soaking in the sun, reading a book, and people-watching. Early morning on Sunday it was off to the office, then a carpool...

...through the desert...

...to LAS VEGAS for the bi-annual fashion tradeshows.

The next few days were spent manning booths, showing the new collections, checking out new designs, hanging with friends, and of course, in proper Vegas style: attending some parties, and kareoke!

A few minutes past midnight on my birthday I caught the red-eye out of Vegas, and landed in the Big Apple in early morning, with about 26-hrs of being awake. Chris took the early flight from Florida to meet me up there, and we walked out of our gates (which happened to be next to each other) at the same time. Perfect timing.

There were several more days to go...but I'll save it for the next post.

world nutella day '11

2011-02-05T13:01:00.006-05:00

Happy World Nutella Day!

Today is the 5th anniversary of this tasty tradition started by my friends Sara and Michelle over at Ms Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso, respectively.

Sadly, I have failed to participate for the past 2 years although I did come up with Nutella Sand Dollars in '07 and Italian Nutella Toasts & Pear Compote in '08 when we were living in Italy.

This year, it was a family affair as we're visiting my parents this weekend, and we all helped in baking this "FARMERS MARKET NUTELLA LAYER CAKE".

Inspired by fruits & veggies from the market, this cakes mixes zucchini, pears, coconut, almonds, cherries, and orange juice...along with white chocolate chips and the star of the show: NUTELLA!

"FARMERS MARKET NUTELLA LAYER CAKE"

CAKE
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 T cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 c shredded zucchini
1/2 c unsalted butter
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 t vanilla

FILLING
1/2 c pitted, quartered fresh cherries
Nutella
1/3 c white chocolate chips

FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 T orange juice
1/2 diced pear
1/2 cup coconut flakes
powered sugar (enough for good consistency)

TOPPING
sliced almonds

Mix all cake ingredients together until well blended. Pour into 2 greased 8x8 cake pans. Bake 30 min, 350º or until knife comes out clean and browned on top. COOL.

Whip frosting ingredients together. When cake is cooled, spread Nutella generously on one cake square, sprinkle white chocolate chips and cherries over the nutella. Stack other cake square on top. Spread frosting over entire cake, sprinkle with almonds ENJOY.

Buon Appetito!

a walk around the villa

2011-02-01T16:33:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all of you spreading the word about the EAT.PRAY.MOVE yoga retreat in Italy this summer! I've already had a sign up in the first week and am talking to several more people who are seriously interested! All the support is really appreciated - and don't stop telling people about it!

I've started a blog specifically for the retreat as well, which you can find and follow here: blog.eatpraymove.com. I'll still post periodically on Olive Notes about the yoga retreat, but wanted to keep this more of my personal blog as normal, so I'll definitely post most EPM-related subjects on the other blog. For a transition, though - here's a bit of one of the first posts over at Eat.Pray.Move...

I know I've written multiple times over the past few years about our friends' villa in Umbria and the lovely art retreats they host.

Well, since I just announced the upcoming yoga retreat I'll be leading there this summer, I thought I'd give you a few more reasons to why I can't wait to get back there. (Plus, I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, you'll read this and picture yourself there with me this summer as well. *hint*)

There are so many reasons really, but let's start with the little ones. The small pleasures...Let's take a walk around the estate where the EAT.PRAY.MOVE yoga retreat will be held, shall we?

Heading out the villa, past the olive tree in front, and down the pebbly road we're greeted by Tartufo & Tiddly Feet, the resident pets ready to take an afternoon stroll as well. Tartufo is aptly named as, you see, he's of the specific breed of dogs trained to sniff out those Italian treasures in the Umbrian earth, tartufi (truffles). Funny enough, those types of dogs even look like truffles with their brown, uneven surfaces.

As we continue up the road the pebbles change to packed clay and on either side of us are sweeping hills of winter wheat and depending on the season, there are endless rows of sunflowers or red poppies, or even a freshly plowed field revealing orange earth. The layers of colors and textures are always changing, always beautiful.

Stroll past the lines of cypress towering over us, guiding us long the paths of the estate. Cypresses, which so iconically invoke images of Italian landscapes, are often seen lining the edges of drives and seem to welcome a traveler forward. As we head back over the last hill, the villa comes into view once more and the afternoon is topped off with a glass of wine on the terrace.

Won't you JOIN ME?!

big news :: yoga retreat in italy!

2011-01-25T13:14:00.004-05:00

Wow. So, I've been working on a project behind the scenes for months now. Well, I say months, but really the idea has been stewing for much, much longer than that. It's just been months that I've actually been laying out the logistics, finalizing the details, and planning the launch.

There's still a larger, backend overall venture in the works, but for now, the main first project is a GO!

A YOGA RETREAT IN ITALY! (yes, I did yell that at you - I can't help it!)

I'm very excited about the whole thing and look forward to what it will lead to. Many of you who have read my blog for years, are also "blogosphere" friends with Amanda and Julian who run the art retreats "Artist in Italy" out of their lovely Italian villa which they spent the past several years restoring with much love and detail.

So I'm so happy to be offering this first retreat with them as the lovely hosts. There are only 7 spots available for this intimate retreat, and everything is included from lodging in the villa (such beautiful rooms which I've stayed in several times and absolutely love), homemade Italian cuisine prepared by Amanda (keeping it vegetarian for this retreat, and still using some organic and locally produced ingredients), wine, transportation, daily yoga classes plus meditation, tour guiding, and day trips. Julian is even offering some of his art expertise during the week, specifically offering an "art as meditation" class as well as extensive art history knowledge on the day trip excursions.

There will be plenty of time to relax, but also opportunities to really push physical limits (if that's what you feel like doing) in the yoga classes. I'll be leading a morning and evening class (level based on final participants). Also, during a full day trip to Florence, Julian and I will combine street and art tours of the gems of the Renaissance city, and an afternoon yoga workshop will be held at the It's Yoga Firenze studio with the lead instructor, Melissa.

Other highlights of the week will include trips to nearby villages, olive oil and wine tastings, a visit to a thermal spa, and even two dinners out to restaurants who will prepare a feast of traditional courses for the guests.

I'm sure I'll be talking much more about this as the time approaches, but will you do me a favor and spread the word, per favore?

• Check out the website: www.EATPRAYMOVE.com for all the info

• EMAIL ME with any questions/suggestions

• LET ME KNOW if you have interest in placing an affiliate link on your own site

GRAZIE MILLE!

cabin christmas

2010-12-28T08:56:00.012-05:00

Hope everyone had a HAPPY CHRISTMAS! I can't believe this week is the last one of the year.

details of the cabin
We just got back from Asheville, North Carolina, after spending some cabin-Christmas time with my family. We arrived earlier in the week and had a few days of very chilly, yet clear days. Went hiking at Chimney Rock, found some streams, tried not to get too sick on the winding mountain roads, checked out some restaurants in the city, (I even fit in a yoga class at a studio there), and trotted around the big estate property where we were staying.

hiking Chimney Rock

All throughout the week we watched the weather reports, and it looked as though our wishes may come true - that there would be a white Christmas. Supposedly it was supposed to start snowing on midnight Christmas Eve. We stayed up to watch for flakes, but saw none before falling asleep...

...then within just five minutes of waking up on Christmas morning, some small flakes started falling...

and the snow never stopped before we headed out the next day. Christmas became whiter and whiter, and we ended up having to be plowed out to the main highway by a friend, so that the little Prius could make it through the snow. Luckily the interstates were clear the whole way back home.

mini snowman • full size • snowbird

It definitely was a fun week. Lots of Scrabble, reading, hiking, Monopoly (appropriately 'Christmas Story' themed board), snowman (and snowbird) making, cooking, eating, and of course SLEDDING!

Here's a little video of me, Chris, and my dad riding the hills:
*email readers must click through online to view

florida, holidays, islands, & photos

2010-12-13T14:29:00.007-05:00

This week there's supposed to be some of the lowest temperatures so far all season. And this past Sunday brought in the cold front. It was rainy and really windy all day.

Then, one by one, the clouds moved on, just in time for the beautiful evening light - and our scheduled photoshoot with the amazing photographer, Ben Sasso.

It's been a few years since we had some proper photos made, so we decided on a Floridian-holiday theme, and then some fun any-time-of-the-year shots. Here's some of my favorites.

Look closely at the blurry rectangle on the right of the little islands in the background. That's Fort Matanzas, built in 1740 by the Spaniards. This entire area at the south end of Anastasia Island is in my opinion one of the most beautiful in the region.

Ninja Christmas + Florida holiday attire.

Yes, in case you were wondering, the wind chill was around the 30s.....and it was WINDY! There was a blanket and jacket between the photos. Also, we didn't see one other person either on the Intracoastal or Atlantic side of the island....but we did see one puffer fish washed up, and a few jellies.

Happy december from the sunshine state!

giving gifts & giving back :: 2010 edition

2010-11-30T22:26:00.001-05:00

In the past years, I've posted lists of holiday gift ideas that are a bit different than the average choices - gifts that give back in some way. Luckily, I happen to be surrounded by organizations and friends that are very involved in making a difference in the world. So, if you'd like some ideas for some unique gifts this year, here are my picks for this 2010 holiday season:

JEDIDIAH HOLIDAY COLLECTION

This season at Jedidiah, we've partnered together with the humanitarian organization, Invisible Children, in a commitment to promote the well-being of children in Uganda through the 'Schools for Schools' program, helping to rebuild the standards of education in northern Uganda.

Proceeds from the sales of the Holiday 2010 collection will go to support Invisible Children and their mission of long-term change in Africa.

Check out this video about the Schools for Schools program from Invisible Children *email readers must click online to watch*

JedidiahUSA.com • InvisibleChildren.com

REEF UGANDAL SANDAL

Yes, a sandal in winter! Several reasons for this: 1) it's still 90º here in Florida. 2) if it's snowing where you are, you can save them for spring. 3) they're awesome in any season.

A good friend of ours is a designer for the surf brand Reef and worked on this humanitarian collaboration project where Reef partnered with 31bits, an organization that aids the entrepreneurial spirit of displaced women in Uganda refugee camps. Working together, they created the Ugandal sandal. "Through the practice of fair trade, Reef has pre-purchased the women’s’ handcrafted beads made of recycled magazine paper to adorn the sandal. '31bits is centered around using the creative art and entrepreneurship already present in the women to help get them out of poverty. Partnering with Reef is another opportunity to give the women an international voice and to share their story.' In addition, one percent of the proceeds from this sandal will benefit the Reef Redemption fund – Reef’s own humanitarian and environmental organization."

Here's a video about the project *email readers must click online to watch*

Reef Ugandal Sandal • 31bits.com

EMPOWER DAUGHTERS YOGA BAGS

For any fellow yogis out there, check out these amazing EmpowerDaugters Yoga Bags that my friend sells. The sale of every yoga bag helps young cambodian girls leave the brothels of Phnom Penh in conjunction with the NGO DaughersCambodia.org. This organization "operates a day-centre in an area of brothels, where activities and programmes are designed to empower victims of sexual exploitation through employment opportunities and a wide range of social and psychological services." Each bag is made of 'up-cycled' rice bag material and helps keep it from the land fill!

EmpowerDaughters Etsy Shop • DaughersCambodia.org

PASSPORTS WITH PURPOSE

Our friend, Sara writes about travel on her blog from Milan, Italy and is always active in various blogger-based humanitarian efforts each year. This year she wrote about her involvement in the "Passports with Purpose" travel blogger program. Through PWP, you can donate or buy raffle tickets for a huge list of prizes offered from bloggers around the world.

This year, PWP is "supporting LAFTI, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of the Dalit (untouchable) population in India. Raising $50,000, PWP will build a village in India, providing homes for those that had never hoped to have a roof over their heads!"

PassportsWithPurpose.com • LAFTI.net

Hopefully you'll check some of these out...and definitely share with me any other ideas you have! Happy Christmas + Merry Holidays.

day in rome 2

2010-11-08T10:57:00.007-05:00

a look over the ruins of the Forum
My last day in Italy was spent in Rome awaiting my morning flight out the next day from Fiumicino Aeroporto. This is the usual schedule for me, as I like to take my time in the morning of departure and not have to add another long train ride to the already long travel day ahead of me.

When I arrived, I dropped my bags off at the hotel, and decided to grab a coffee and then head to a yoga class at the astanga studio where I'd visited a few weeks before for a workshop. It was nice just being able to pop in and practice a bit, as even after just one day away from the studio in Florence, my body was ready to work again.

Caesar and his flowers
As the Rome studio is near the Colosseum, I took my time walking the long way around the ancient structure as I headed towards the other side of the Forum. As I strolled on the sidewalk along Via dei Fori Imperiali, looking down to the ruins which sit well below modern street level, I passed the old victorious statues of Caesar. One of these looming images held a wilting bouquet of roses in his hands. I sat for a few minutes on a bench close-by and just stared at it. Wondering how someone got all the way up there to place them, but decided to stop wondering and act like it was just Caesar's way of welcoming me to the city.

Constantine in pieces
I continued on my way, and just past the massive monument building to Victor Emmanuel II in Piazza Venezia, I arrived at the Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums). I've tried twice before to visit, but always ended up going on the day they're closed. This time I checked ahead of time and was in luck. Aperti.

This collection of three museum buildings sit over some of the most ancient ruins of the city on Capitoline Hill. They house an amazing variety of masterpieces, monumental works, and historic articles. The front courtyard welcomes you in with the pieces of a colossal broken statue of Constantine. Head, feet, hands, elbows, a calf...all spread out on display along the stone walls.

my French map • amazing chandeliers that I couldn't stop admiring
Inside Marcus Aurelius sits on a huge bronze horse in a victorious ride among thousands of other pieces to view. I really enjoyed the collection and visit....although I was given a French guide by the guy at the ticket counter (with no words exchanged at all). I think I get French as the guess to my nationality more than any other country...oh well, at least I could still follow the grid and color key to know where I was going. I thought it was funny, so I just kept it instead of exchanging it.

view from the terrace at the museum
Before I left, I went to the panoramic terrace to get a view out over the city. I took a bit of time to say goodbye (or more like, 'see you soon') before I decided to have a nice long restful evening in the hotel preparing for the return trip the next day. So although it was a pretty early evening, I turned in for the night and reflected on my wonderful time in Italy.

day in rome 1

2010-11-05T07:37:00.008-05:00

sunlight coming through the dome in St. Peter's, Vatican
During the entire time I was in Italy this past trip, I didn't really leave Florence as many times as I thought I would. I really was just so captured by the energy of the Renaissance city this time, the people I met, and stayed busy with what I was studying, that the time flew by without my previously-planned mini trips.

"Rome impressions"
Besides a couple trips up the hill outside Florence to visit a friend in the village of Fiesole, I just made it to Rome a couple times. The first was for a spontaneous day trip with my yoga teacher to participate in a workshop being offered by a well-known Ashtanga teacher in Rome. So after catching the super early morning train, and arriving in Rome just in time to rush to the class, the afternoon was free to roam and see a few sites before the return train to Florence.

sunlight beam over choir during Sunday mass
We met up with my friend Arlene for lunch and (of course) gelato, then headed to the Vatican. It was actually a lovely time to go as the Sunday mass was in session. Because St. Peter's is so enormous, people were still walking everywhere, and just a small area at the front was filled with those actually attending mass. I stood for a while just taking in the etherial choir voices and watching the sunlight stream in through the dome and window openings. One milky beam was actually illuminating the choir area, as if it was a spotlight. For a few minutes I closed my eyes, just took it in, and forgot where I was.

Piazza della Rotunda (in front of Pantheon)
Next was a walk through my favorite areas of the center...past Piazza Navona and through the Pantheon square (even taking a quick stop to look inside). This structure, everytime, is my favorite in Rome. Then after squeezing through the always-packed Fountain of Trevi and a few more cobblestone alleyways, we were back among the ancient ruins of the Forum and Colosseum...and finally the Termini once again for the return train.

flag over Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II
I know I've said this before, but Rome never ceases to fill me with a sense of awe each and every time I visit. This time was no exception. And I still had one more day in the Eternal City before heading back to the States...

flood of florence :: 44 years later

2010-11-04T08:32:00.005-05:00

view of river from above Florence ('66 photo via)
Besides today being my mom's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!), it's also the 44th anniversary of the tragic 1966 "Alluvione di Firenze " (Flood of Florence).

I've read about the details of this day throughout the past few years, and also watched a documentary on that day's events. It's always interesting to see the photos from that day...so I've included some from 1966 and paired them from some of our photos through the years.

Ponte Vecchio ('66 photo via)
This flood from the waters of the Arno River came quickly and unexpectedly throughout the day of November 4, 1966, and by nightfall had killed a few dozen people, destroyed countless art pieces, and damaged thousands of historic buildings in the city center. Still today, around the city you can find plaques on street corners marking how high the water line reached.

Piazza Santa Croce ('66 photo via)
In fact, in the magnificent church of Santa Croce (which holds many famous art masterpieces, and where Michelangelo and Galileo are buried among others) the stone plastered walls still bear the marks of a muddy water line. The area around this church received the highest water amounts reaching over 22 feet.

Piazza Signoria ('66 photo via)
One of the most interesting parts of this story to me is how many people (mostly younger people) from around the city, region, and world, came together to help clean up the city and recover the lost and restore the damaged pieces of priceless art that laid in ruins in the historic buildings and museums. This group of people became known as the "Angeli del Fango" (Mud Angels).

So many times in situations of crisis around the world, is when one can see a banding together of people. Helping. Loving. And working together. Mario Primicerio, a past mayor of Florence, was a professor during the '66 flood who became a part of the Mud Angels. In an interview, he gave three reasons for why volunteers felt the sense to help: a concern for future generations, a feeling of international unity and a pervasive sense of solidarity.
"What we were doing was dictated by the desire to give back the traces of the history of the past to future generations, so that it could be used for the spiritual growth of people who perhaps had yet to be born...it was the international community that worked to try to save Florence, this unique patrimony which belonged to the whole world."

Here's a clip of a more modern documentary-style film which talks about the Mud Angels and also incorporates real footage from the '66 devastation and clean-up.*email readers must click through to watch online

sono ritornata

2010-11-02T07:52:00.004-05:00

perfect dusk lighting in Piazza Signoria, Firenze
I've been back from Italy for almost two weeks now. Bittersweet. Everytime I leave, I always know I'll be back, but always hope it's a bit sooner than later. And all my stories about this trip has made the urgency even greater...for both of us.

The experience overall was a much different one from my past times in Italy. Part of it was because of the reason I was there (to study yoga), part of it was my daily routine (mainly practicing at the studio and breaking to go out to eat), part was the unique group of people I met (mostly through the studio which is full of Italians, expats, and visitors), and part of it was the neighborhood in which I lived (the Oltrarno).

Piazza Signoria panoramic
I met more people, gained more new friends, felt more "at home" and part of a community in these short 5 weeks than I did the entire year we lived here before. Anytime we've talked about moving back to Italy, it hasn't really been with Florence in mind for the long-term...but this trip has made us reconsider. After having lived in the Oltrarno area, I know this is where we'd have to be in a return. So very close in proximity to the main tourist sites- just a few minutes walk over a bridge - but so far away in terms of the feeling of community that I felt.

sitting on the Ponte Vecchio
It got to the point where almost every single outing I'd see someone I knew, or visit a restaurant or cafe where I could count on seeing a few familiar faces. Even bumping into people on the street became common...but only when I was on the Oltrarno side of the city. One morning I crossed over the bridge to the main section of town to meet someone for coffee. I was walking back and was excited to get back to the neighborhood...and just as (literally) my foot stepped onto the bridge I heard my name as someone I knew was walking towards me asking me why I was still in town (as originally I'd planned to leave the day before but stayed in Florence for a few more days until I had to fly back home).

Arno river at sunset
One of the things I loved was the schedule shift...everything is a bit later there. Getting up. Going to bed. Meals. Most days I'd have dinner out after the final class at the studio and not even make it to the restaurant until about 10:30. There's just something about that pace that suits me so well.

I haven't even begun to talk about the yoga part of the experience - which was huge. So that will be coming. As will the recap of a couple trips to Rome!

-a presto!

yoga, italian food. repeat.

2010-10-08T03:55:00.007-05:00

It's been too long I know. I'm here in Italy. And I'm not really posting too much.

Sorry about that.

It's just that I've been really really busy and very very focused. My days consist of lots and lots of yoga training, with a few breaks that are always filled with lots and lots of amazing Italian food. It's seriously one of the best places to go through training, since you can (and need to) eat a lot. And what better place to do that?

...I had a huge piece of cheesecake last night at 12:30. yep. and I don't feel the least bit guilty :)

dusk view over Arno from the Ponte alle Grazie.

Besides food, I've been overwhelmed with the amazing things that I've encountered on this trip - the people (old friends, and new ones), amazing weather (the perfect seasonal change from warmer summer days to the cooling down of fall nights), the sights, and the culture.

view towards Florence from Fiesole
I've been able to take in the city in a new way this time as I'm out for every meal and have found some places that I've made my "regular" spots, as well as trying many new places as well. Even in the times between classes when I'm free, I'll just enjoy the walk around the city, across the river, past the beauty. I absolutely love taking passeggiate here. I tend to "stroll" everywhere instead of just walk. Stroll to get a caffe, stroll to pick up my laundry, stroll to find a place for lunch.

passing a villa on a walk in Fiesole
Through the past couple of weekends, I've been able to get outside the city a bit. I've gone up to the neighboring hillside town of Fiesole a couple times already to visit a friend (and enjoy the views over the city), and last weekend I was able to go to Rome for a yoga workshop with a teacher I've been wanting to meet for a while. And, of course, squeezed in a little time around the Eternal City.

I can't believe how the time is flying by, and everyday I try to really be intentional about my time here, thankful for the experience and focus I've been allowed to pay to the training, the trip, and the experiences. Many times just walking alone through the streets here makes me smile to be blessed like this.

reflection in the Arno on a gorgeous weekend morning
To appease the appetites of several people who've been asking for updates, here are some photos of the past couple of weeks (although I haven't been taking many photos overall). I'll do a specific post on the days outside Florence....soon I promise :)

sono arrivata!

2010-09-20T16:44:00.004-05:00

Well, I made it!

It's been a few days now since I arrived in Italy...but it's all been quite non stop and I at least wanted to get a quick post up. I went straight from Rome to Florence when the plane touched down, and the city welcomed me right back! The weekend was a bit cloudy, but after a big storm through the night on Saturday, yesterday I awoke to gloriously blue skies, and slightly dropped temperatures. Pretty much weather perfection.

After a couple days of getting settled in, having some logistic complications, making other arrangements, and sorting out my new time zone - I'm really ready and looking forward to my time here this season.

I was seriously messed up with jet-lag (and still am a bit)...but nothing seems to whip a body and mind back into shape, than 3 intense yoga classes in the first day and a half. Today my official course started, and it's just made me even more excited about embarking on the journey.

The people here are lovely. I don't have a kitchen, so I'm going out to eat all the time and meeting more people that way. I've already picked a few "regular" places where I hope to get to know some of the workers! So far...I've had truffles, mozzarella, foccacia, gelato, pasta, pesto, wine, and coffee...tried out two new(er) vegetarian restaurants, gone to see the film "The American", met up with a few friends, and walked back and forth over the Arno.

...more to come! a presto :)

my new neighborhood

2010-09-01T07:12:00.014-05:00

just across the river...
I'm running around like crazy these next couple weeks but really wanted to post an update about my upcoming return to Florence! I had some very good news get finalized this week...I have a place to live! Yay. It was getting quite close to my departure date and I still had no address of destination, so I'm so glad to be able to mark this off my list of to-dos.

It's almost the perfect situation and type of place that I was looking for. Number one, because it's in the Oltrarno area of Florence. Oltrarno is short for "oltre l'Arno" which means "beyond the Arno (river)". Still considered the centro of Firenze, this neighborhood does have more of a permanent, homelike feel to me and doesn't seem to be as crazy with tourists. It was my first choice of neighborhoods to try and live this time around.

When we lived in Florence before we were in the HEART of the center, which was great for the time, but I looked forward to being in a bit more tranquil part this go 'round. Plus, the yoga studio where I'll be studying is "beyond the Arno" as well (though not very beyond as it's just a block off the river) and now will be just a short walk from my new room.

view towards the city • palace • Fiat parked on a neighborhood corner
The building is so close to the city's most famous garden...and palace. So not too shabby if I do say so. These are some photos we took when we visited that same palace and garden before...what an amazing view back over the city from the grounds there. In the building, I have my own private entrance, room, and garden! (yes, a lovely piece of un giardino), and the house is shared with an Italian family who seems just lovely and with whom I hope to have some great conversations (in Italian of course).

...and who can beat neighbors like these?

(although I may have to watch out for that last guy!)

a clearer picture

2010-08-05T08:13:00.001-05:00

Remember that last somewhat ambiguous photo from the previous post? Well a couple years ago right after I took that one a took another one - this time more clearly.

So now you may be able to more discernibly what lies ahead for me. Do you recognize the buildings? The architecture style? Maybe if I turned around to the right and you could see Ognissanti? Or perhaps a bit to the left when San Frediano would come into view? Or if I walked a bit along the Arno River until I came across the Uffizi and Florence in all her beauty?

Yes, I'm headed back to Italy! Tickets were bought yesterday so it now feels more official. In several weeks this river will be my neighbor again for a little over a month as I'm lucky enough to be able to participate in a yoga teacher training certification course in Florence. For the past 10 years or so I've had the idea to pursue a certification (someday), but not until the past couple years when I've studied the ashtanga discipline, have I really felt more seriously about it.

So when I found out that there was, not only a wonderful ashtanga studio in Florence, but one that also offered the Yoga Alliance certified training courses, I was immediately interested. And as soon as the fall course was announced, I decided to jump right in. What better place to be while I have to be away from home, than a place I consider my other home?

In the meantime, it's a few more work trips and lots of getting-things-done before heading out. This is just one piece of the things I want to share - but the others will wait for a little later...

inspira. espira.

2010-07-29T08:55:00.003-05:00

There has been a lot going on over here and so many things that I'm really excited about which are coming up.

The photo is one I took a few years ago...and one that's quite fitting for now. A bit blurry. Clearing though. A visible horizon. (And its location is a scene I should be seeing soon....any guesses as to where?!).

I will say that things will be very hectic for the next few months. It's right in the middle of the busy season for work which started over a week ago with the Miami Fashion Week and swim show...then it's off to a couple more tradeshows and road trips. And in the midst of all this, I'm working behind the scenes on a project that has been in my head for years now. It's just taken a long time to define; but with several recent opportunities, lots of brainstorming, and a very supportive husband, things are taking shape...

I know I'm being vague, but I promise to tell more as it unfolds. Just know that one part of the equation definitely deals with one of my favorite places.

These words are continually in my head: "inspira. espira." (inhale. exhale.) for more reasons than one (*hint).

...more later

south beach & swimwear

2010-07-21T10:19:00.004-05:00

I just got home from several work days in Miami. This city is crazy. Each time I visit I see something new, and although it's not a city I visit voluntarily, there are definitely some nice things about it.

views in South Beach
Luckily, although this trip was full of plenty of work it was also full of new friends, lots of fashion, and fun! The swimwear brand I rep, TAVIK was showing at the Miami Swim Show - the largest international swim tradeshow each year. Plus, since it's such a big event, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for swim also takes place the same time around the city.

swim show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
We stayed in South Beach where all the events were being held, and were able to attend several great shows...many well into the morning hours. One of the best things about fashion shows is all the excitement around them - the networking, mingling, lights, cameras, and locations! The very first night I arrived there was a show in an outdoor pool courtyard. The models walked out to samba music and fire dancers while (even at midnight) the Miami winds were still hot and blowing strong through the narrow space.

various shows
Tradeshows are always a whirlwind of activities, and this one is a day longer than most - so needless to say, it was nice waking up at home today. It was a fun time though, and wonderful to meet so many great people. Plus, the new 2011 Tavik collections that we were showing got such an amazing response! I think it's going to be an excellent year for the company...

Now I'm just gearing up for a few more shows this season and some work road trips....but the rest of this week, I'm sleeping in!

blog feature :: warm pears

2010-07-14T16:30:00.000-05:00

I traveled back to Rome this week...

in my mind.

thanks to some some magical photos via Warm Pears.

I recently found this blog and was captured for a (long) while as I looked over the lovely photographs by its author, Gina. She is an American [photographer. dreamer. blogger. cheese-lover] living in Rome.

There are many categories of photos on the blog, but my favorites are from the series on Rome. Not only are they beautiful images, but I can completely see that they are taken through the eyes of someone who has a real connection with the city. With its rhythm, nuances, and overall spirit. I really feel the heart of the people and the streets through her photos.

So if you can't physically get to Rome, then take a journey through Gina's atmospheric lens.

WARMPEARS.COM • TWITTER • GG PHOTOGRAPHIE.COM

ordering caffe :: the states vs. italy

2010-07-12T09:07:00.001-05:00

I've always been amused by the huge difference of experiences in coffee shops in the States and the bars in Italy. Sometimes I like the extra choices, but many times I'm in the mood for simplicity. Here are some recent scenes from the past couple of months, both which are quite standard...

US COFFEE SHOP
BARISTA: Hi! Welcome to _____. What can we get for you today?

ME: (looking over the menus...posted on the wall over the counter, the "specials" board on the floor, and the "monthly flavor" flyer by the cash register) Um, the special flavor "Cherry Mocha" sounds good. How can I get that?

BARISTA: You can get it however you want! We can make a coffee, iced coffee, espresso, double shot espresso, cappuccino, latte, iced latte, macchiato, iced macchiato, frappe, or blended frappuccino.

ME: Oh, wow....um ok. I think I'll try the cappuccino.

BARISTA: Ok! What size would you like? We have tall, grande, or venti.

ME: I'd just like the small one.

BARISTA: Now, what kind of milk would you like? Whole milk, half-and-half, cream, skim milk, 1%, 2%, non-fat, soy...

ME: 2% is fine.

BARISTA: regular or decaf?

ME: regular. ...and you can leave off any extra cream or sprinkles.

BARISTA: Alright! Can I get your name?

ME: sure, it's Erin.

BARISTA: Ok, Erin! (writing my name on a plastic coated paper cup) We'll have that right out to you shortly!

ME: Thanks!

BARISTA: (30 seconds later, calling from behind the bar) ORDER FOR ERIN! WE HAVE A TALL CHEERY MOCHA HOT REGULAR CAPPUCCINO WITH 2% AND NO WHIP!

ITALIAN BAR
BARISTA: Buongiorno. (good morning/day, etc)

ME: Salve. (hi)

BARISTA: Dimmi. (literally "tell me")

ME: un marrocchino per favore.

BARISTA: un marrocchino...
...(a minute later while putting the drink on the bar in front of me) Prego.

ME: Grazie!

So different. They both make me smile.

eight and a half

2010-07-11T13:00:00.001-05:00

This weekend I finally saw Federico Fellini's masterpiece, "8 1/2" - a viewing that was long overdue. Another one of his pieces, La Dolce Vita, is a movie I can watch almost anytime or just have in the background for atmosphere. I really liked it the first time I watched it, and appreciate it a little more after each additional viewing. I think this is how 8 1/2 will for me as well. The first time I was just taking it all in, but I can't wait to watch it many more times.

the handsome Marcello Mastroianni & beautiful Anouk Aimée
Previously, I'd seen pieces of the film and knew the main premise of the storyline so I knew enough to understand what was going on. Also, just last month we watched the 2009 movie Nine which was a remake of the broadway play of the same name, which were both based on 8 1/2. Even though I see why it was an award-winner, I definitely don't think it comes anywhere near 8 1/2 and the merits it gained came almost entirely from piggybacking on the brilliance of Fellini. (Plus, *sidenote* I don't really like musicals, so the painful forced songs in Nine took away from the storyline in my opinion.)

Basically 8 1/2 is a film about a film. Guido, a director, is trying to make his next big film, but can't come up with an idea as the deadline for shooting draws near so he ends up making a film about his life making films. Which is exactly what was happening in real life with the real director, Fellini...and in genius form, film-maker Fellini ended up making a film about a film-maker making a film about making a film.

...I'll give you a few minutes to grab some aspirin...

It's pretty amazing actually. And every scene is so well thought out in the sense of the viewer's perspective flowing in and out of the real director's view through the camera to the view of the actor's view who was just playing the part of the director. And the aesthetic sense of visuals in almost every single frame is fascinating. I really think it's a test of a black & white film, if color would actually take away from the film...and I completely believe it would in this movie.

From the bizarre opening dream sequence to many of Guido's flashbacks and fantasies, Fellini shows his mastery of the weird, modern, and sometimes strangely grotesque. Sometimes it's hard for me to grasp today the gravity of a piece of past work of art that had so much weight in its own time. This is true for music, paintings, movies, etc - because so many of the "masterpieces" are just that because they crossed new limits, or changed the current thought. And, naturally, experiencing a piece after it's own time puts me, the viewer, in a place where many other pieces followed this "masterpiece's" example, so I can't fully grasp the entire magnitude of the impression it held when it was first presented.

...This, however, wasn't the case for me and 8 1/2. I can still see and appreciate today the boundaries this film broke, and the modern ideas it presented in how we view art vs. life. And I can't wait to watch it again...

Here is the original 1963 trailer:
*email readers must click to the online post to view*

the sun is out :: a mix

2010-07-09T09:30:00.001-05:00

Summertime. Sunshine. Sweet tea. SPF.

I was looking through some old family photos recently and many of the photos I found were of summer times in NC, at the beach, or swimming in the pool. One photo I found was this shot of my granddad, papa. Some summer a long time ago (and the sun was definitely out). He looks pretty serious here in his oxfords and straw hat (perhaps because this fountain had no water?)...but he rarely was serious. Even when he looked it, he was probably just cooking up some ornery prank to pull or joke to tell.

Summer means more ice in your drinks, salt on your skin, and sand on your toes....Pretty much the main thing I don't like about summer is the thought of getting in a car that's been baking in the sun. But at least putting this mix on may make that car ride a bit more pleasant...

right click HERE to download

A New Chance (Tanlines Remix) :: The Tough Alliance
Material Things :: Jake Troth
1st Floor :: Gilvere Forté Featuring Freelance Whales (87 Dreams)
Better Times :: Beach House (Teen Dream)
Forever And Ever Amen (Saint Etienne Remix) :: The Drums
Love Like A Sunset (Animal Collective Remix - Deakin's Jam) :: Phoenix
Clap Your Hands (Diplo Remix) :: Sia (We Are Born)
come with me :: ceo (white magic)
Matter Of Time (Tanlines Remix) :: Solid Gold (Green Label Sound)
Whirring (Voodoo Friends) :: The Joy Formidable (Remixes)
Crank Resolutions :: Meursault (All Creatures WIll Make Merry)
It Will All End In Tears :: The Drums (The Drums)
Tonight, Tonight :: Passion Pit (Levi's Pioneer Sessions 2010 Revival Recording)
Passer Á L'ouest :: Dumas (Traces)
You and I :: Washed Out (Adult Swim Singles)

summer infusions :: red, white, & berry

2010-07-04T08:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't expect to have two of these posts in a row...but the colors are so fitting for Independence Day! Too bad these infusions usually take a while to mature, as we won't be enjoying this during today's festivities...but it at least looks pretty in the meantime.

I knew I'd wanted to do some sort of vinegar on my list of concoctions this season, and in a recent edition of the Publix Greenwise magazine, there was a recipe for Raspberry Vinegar. The process looked easy enough, and since all the vibrant berries are in season, I figured I'd try it out...but with a little twist.

Here's my take on it (with some color for patriotic flair):

BERRY & ROSEMARY VINEGAR
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 cups white vinegar

Prepare a jar large enough to fit about 2.5-3 cups worth of ingredients. Thoroughly wash berries and rosemary. Lightly bruise berries with back of a spoon. Heat vinegar to point just before boiling (190ºF). Drop berries and rosemary (without stem) into the jar.

Pour hot vinegar over the berries and place a lid on the jar. Label with date. Leave in cool, dry place for 2-3 weeks undisturbed. After that first amount of time, strain all solids through a double-layer cheesecloth and replace the liquid vinegar back in the jar. Move to refrigerator and use within 6-8 months (on greens, bean salads, etc).

HAPPY 4th!

summer infusions :: curry + garlic oil

2010-06-29T17:16:00.006-05:00

So there's this plant growing in our herb garden which I've been really excited about, albeit a bit at a loss at how to use it.

It's the curry plant.

Not the curry leaves, which are larger and flatter like a bay leaf, but an herb which looks very similar to rosemary.
...and it smells just like you walked into a Thai restaurant.

Since I use the curries which are mixtures of various spices for cooking curry dishes, I've been trying to figure out a way to use the actual plant.

And what better way to try it out than in an infusion. Plus, we had some spices given to us by Chris' mom after a trip to Turkey that I thought would be a good compliment to the plant.

CURRY + GARLIC OIL
12 oz oil (grapeseed, canola, olive)
1 garlic clove (split)
1/4 tsp Turkish saffron
1 tsp Turkish curry powder
1 sprig curry plant

Thoroughly clean bottle and herbs. Drop the split garlic clove, saffron, and curry powder into the bottle. Bruise the curry plant leaves with the back of a spoon and drop in the bottle.

For the oil I used a mixture of about 65% canola and 35% olive oil. I read that olive oil's natural peppery flavor hinders some infusions, so I "diluted" it with the more neutral canola. Heat the oil on the stove until it is warm (but not very hot). I could barely see some movement of the oil in the pan. Carefully pour into the bottle over the ingredients. Cap, label, and store in a dark place for 2-3 weeks.

AFIYET OLSUN!

back in the boot :: part 11 (rome + the end)

2010-06-27T15:47:00.007-05:00

The beginning of our last full day in Italy was filled with various modes of transportation. Bus from our hotel in Ischia Ponte to the docks at Ischia Porto. Aliscafo (high-speed ferry) from Ischia Porto to the port at Naples. Bus from the port to the train station, Napoli Centrale. Train to Rome.

just look at those skies
But by lunchtime, we'd arrived, and the city welcomed us with weather that was glorious. Blue skies and puffy clouds. We walked from the Roma Termini to the nearby bed & breakfast where we'd made a reservation. The very nice owner, Claudia, showed us around the place and told us to act as if it was our house. We thanked her, put our bags down, and headed out for the half day we had in the city.

at the forno • Gelateria del Teatro • 2nd annual ginger mojito with Arlene
First stop: Forno Campo de' Fiori. I'd heard wonderful things about this bakery before but never had stopped. So after immensely missing amazing Italian focaccia during our time in Ischia, I was in heaven with a hot spinach and mozzarella sandwich and a bubbly lemon soda. We also made sure to fit in a stop at a highly-praised gelateria which we hadn't been before. The Gelateria del Teatro is a small establishment down one of the most adorable alleyways. We sampled a few of the unusual flavors, and finally decided. I had a vanilla/caramel flavor on top of caffe, which wasn't too unique, but was wonderful. Chris had yogurt with lampone e salvia (raspberry & sage), which was a flavor we'd never seen before, and he said was one of the best he's ever had.

Later for an aperitivo, we met up with Arlene for our 2nd annual ginger mojito at Trastevere's Freni e Frizoni. It was great catching up, as well as eating the (almost all) vegetarian aperitivo spread (including crema di tartufo which I'd been craving the entire trip).

reflection • "ciao" says the statue with 3 fingers • trying to make it in the self-timed photo
The other parts of the day were just spent wandering around on foot through the city. Finding alleys we hadn't walked before, visiting a couple sites we hadn't seen before, and mainly just enjoying the energy of one of my favorite cities in Italy.

fountains of Rome: Piazza della Bocca della Verità • performer by Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in Piazza Navona• Fontana del Trione in Piazza Barberini
For dinner we met up with an Italian couple who we'd become good friends with in Florence. They've since moved to Rome, and it was great getting to see them and spend at least a couple hours together. After pizza and gelato, we said goodbye and walked back to our room for a good night's sleep before the long flight home the next morning.

Forno Campo de' Fiori
Campo de' Fiori, 22 - Vicolo del Gallo, 14
06 68806662

Gelateria del Teatro
Via di San Simone, 70
06 45474880

Freni e Frizioni
Via del Politeama, 4
06 58334210
LA FINE!

back in the boot :: part 10 (arrivederci ischia)

2010-06-26T20:00:00.001-05:00

So now it comes to the final post about our time in Ischia (although there's one more day to go in Rome), but as I begin writing it's a bit daunting to think about putting the experience into words. I really did end up connecting with Ischia a lot and finding so many things about it that I liked and was drawn to. Initially we'd thought about taking a few side day trips from the island during the week to Pompeii, Vesuvius, Amalfi, and maybe Capri. But other than the 15 min boat ride to Procida we ended up dropping all the other trips....I just didn't' want to leave Ischia.

scenes of the sea: "Il Fungo" rock • shell design on a beach house • ship in front of the Castello
When we were arriving by ferry on the very first day I remember wondering (and even discussing a bit with Chris) some questions like: "Do people get the feeling of being water-locked / cabin-feverish here on the island?" "Will I feel claustrophobic?" "Does having to take a boat to leave/arrive make you feel a bit trapped?", etc etc. Because I have been on and island where I wondered if I could actually handle living there because the feeling of isolation would start to be too much to handle.

...But almost within the first hour of being in Ischia I understood why people live here, why people travel here, and think I announced out loud that I wanted to stay put during the week without getting on the ferry again to go somewhere else. I felt that Ischia had enough things to show me.

during the evening "passeggiata"
And it did.

Some of the most beautiful scenery. Amazingly nice and courteous people who we saw over and over go out of their way to help, offer patience, converse. A feeling of a tight community. Overall quite clean and safe. Not too much English. Far enough from Naples not to feel like it at all, but close enough to get to if needed via a convenient ferry.

Festa della Madonna
And festivals. Oh the festivals. In the week we were in Ischia, there were 3-4 festivals. We tried going to the grocery store a couple days to find it closed or closed extremely early - the reason: another festival. "But...wasn't there just a festival yesterday?" "Sí. Pero c'e' un altra oggi." (Yes, but there's another one today). Church bells would ring simultaneously to the tune of "Ave Maria" and we happened on a few random processions of people walking down the streets with songs, candles, and flowers, plus the churches we noticed were a lot more full than normal. One night while eating dinner in the outside terrace of a restaurant, we heard yet another procession and asked our server what was going on. He said it was the Festa della Madonnina, and that May was the month of the entire Festa della Madonna, and since it was the last day of the month there was extra celebration. Other nights we saw various churches shooting fireworks into the sky from the island and the mainland of Naples. These, we were told, are festivals of various saints depending on whom the church is dedicated to or which saint is the patron of the village. We were also in Italy for one of the biggest national holidays, the Festa della Repubblica on June 2.

Castello behind the grapes • motorino on the bridge • covered boats on the beach
On our last day there, we got up early, packed our bags and said goodbye to the Castello Aragonese before catching the first bus up the road to Ischia Porto where we departed by ferry. There were a lot of open seats on the aliscafo that day as it was the first boat leaving harbor in the morning, and still quite early. We grabbed an aisle towards the back and had it all to ourselves, and I watched the island disappear from the foggy windows dripping with condensation as the sun came up...

...and knew I'd be back.

to be continued...

back in the boot :: part 9 (beaches + procida)

2010-06-24T07:24:00.001-05:00

I couldn't have a series about our stay in Ischia without writing about the beaches. With 34 km worth of coastlines, and the majority of the island's villages sitting alongside the shoreline, it's hard not to be in view of the Mediterranean at all times. The beaches are varied from sandy and powdery to pebbly and rocky. Some parts of the coastline are sheer cliffs dropping straight down into the water, while others offer spacious sand. There are plenty of private areas to explore, and caves are often found by boaters against the rocky walls.

Bay of Saint Montano • Baia di Sorgeto • Il Fungo, Lacco Ameno
A few of the days we were there, we checked out a handful of different coastlines. Our first full day we walked around the shoreline in Ischia Ponte where we were staying and admired all the striped buildings of the private beach "clubs". This is a very common idea in Italy (and is very different from any beach experience I've had in the States), where the majority of the known beaches are private instead of the open public spaces. Normally, the beach guests pay a daily fee for entrance to the protected beach area of a specific club. With the fee comes a private area with beach chairs and umbrella, and most "clubs" have bathrooms, showers, and changing areas as well as an open-air snack bar.

walking past the private beach houses in Ischia Ponte • couple ready to hit the water
Besides the fact that most all of the clubs were decorated in bold stripe patterns which I loved, it was so interesting seeing all the textures from the small fishing boats pulled on to the shore. It was still early in the day (and a bit overcast) when we initially checked out the beach near our hotel, so it was a good juxtaposition to see it quite still and empty contrasted with later in the day when it warmed up and bodies filled the beach chairs.

view from the chair • looking through the glasses • enjoying Bango Mario
Of the other times we've spent on Italian beaches, we've just visited public spaces, but it was really nice this time to try out a private beach. I do think that it's completely worth the 7€ fee to have the sand raked and cleaned through the day, chairs set up for you, and facilities close at hand. When we arrived the attendant escorted us to our chairs and opened the umbrella. Although we live on the ocean, it's still nice to be in completely different scenery - and every time I opened my eyes and saw the Castello Aragonese just off-shore I smiled.

arriving at Procida's harbor • restaurant from "Il Postino" • walkway by fishing docks
One afternoon during the week we decided to take a small trip to the neighboring island of Procida. After just about 15 minutes on the ferry we'd arrived at Marina Grande and took off on foot to explore the small fishing village of Corricella. I've already posted about some of our short visit in context of finding locations from "The Talented Mr. Ripley" but besides that aspect, the village is a lovely place, full of quiet streets and colorful buildings. We hardly passed many people walking around, much less any vehicles. It was the sleepy part of the afternoon, and sometimes as we walked through narrow alleyways I felt like we were the only people there.

When we made it to the other shore line, we wandered on the dock area where so many small fishing boats were almost piled on top of each other. Sailing ropes and fishing nets spilled out on the stone walkway, and the expansive convent Abbazia di San Michele sat on the hill looking down on us. We found a quiet seat outside of the restaurant "La Locanda del Postino" (which is aptly named as it was one of the filming locations for the movie "Il Postino"), and enjoyed a mid-afternoon snack. By the time we left, Ischia was already pulling me back...so we waved goodbye to the shorelines of Procida and set out again by ferry.

to be continued...

summer infusions :: an inspiration from ischia

2010-06-23T06:36:00.001-05:00

This is the second installation in the "summer infusions" series I'm writing about this season. Although I'm a bit behind in getting this next one out, it's one I'm really excited about.

During our trip to Ischia a few weeks ago we kept seeing signs for a liqueur called Rucolino. It was about the second day there and it finally caught my eye enough to think about it..."rucola" or "ruchetta" is the Italian word for arugula (rocket), and we'd seen wild arugula growing on the walkways around the Castello Aragonese the day before, as well as noticed this spicy green on the menu at a few places already. So, finally we stopped at a shop that sold it and confirmed my hopes as to what rucolino actually was...an arugula flavored liqueur. And this being my most favorite green (and top favorite foods), I was anxious to try it.

We ended up tasting a bit of it at La Cantina del Mare, a lovely wine shop in the town of Lacco Ameno. And it was pretty much all I'd hoped it would be :) It's like the traditional amaro but with a bit of peppery taste from the greens. It's a deep greenish amber color and was sweeter than I expected. Normally enjoyed as a small after (or before) dinner digestive liqueur - known to help in the digestion process of the meal you just ate (or are about to eat).

So when we got back home I knew that I wanted to try my hand at a small batch. Luckily, since we had blossoming wild arugula growing in our ever expanding garden, it was nice to be able to use the last of the plant since it's towards the end of the season. It wasn't too easy finding a recipe for this...so I've mixed a couple of the ingredients and measurements that I found in a few places. The French "Liqueur à La Sauge" (Sage Liqueur) seems quite comparative, but with obviously a different leaf. So here is my version (and I'll have to report back at the end of the year to let you know how it came out!):

RUCOLINO

2 cups organic vodka
1 cup water
3/4 cup raw cane sugar
10 cloves
zest of 1 organic lemon
5 sage leaves
3/4 cup wild arugula leaves + blossoms

Begin with a clean 750ml bottle. Heat water and sugar just to the point where the sugar dissolves, and chill back to room temperature. Meanwhile, drop the cloves and lemon zest into the bottle. Thoroughly wash the sage and arugula leaves. Drop all the leaves in the bottle. Pour the vodka into the bottle and follow with the cooled-down sugar water.

Cork and leave in a dark place for 2 months, shaking gently every so often. After 2 months, thoroughly strain the liquid through a cheese cloth to remove all solid pieces. Replace the liquid back into the bottle, and let sit undisturbed for 6 months. *I may cheat and try it out earlier just to see how it's doing, because the time varied in a few recipes that I saw.

SALUTE!

back in the boot :: part 8 (island style)

2010-06-22T09:53:00.001-05:00

After writing about Italian summer style and what I was packing before we headed to Ischia, I thought I'd better do a bit of a follow up on that subject matter since we've returned.

It definitely was fun staying put in the same hotel for 5 days...where we could unpack, get a little settled, and getting to change outfits through the day rather than sloughing around all day with traveling backpacks. The days normally went something like this: long pants and light long-sleeves for the morning activities, change into bathing suits / shorts + tanks for afternoon, switch into an 'island casual' dinner outfit, add a couple layers for the cooler evening outings.

me and the retirees :)
One thing I'd packed in several forms was stripes...and I fit right in! There were stripes everywhere (not too surprising since it was a harbor town in Europe...and that's exactly where I envision the whole nautical theme coming from). On window overhangs, every private beach (either on the umbrellas, bath houses, or bar), plenty of signs, boat covers, and of course people. Too bad I wasn't thinking like the Sartorialist or I could have gotten some better shots. Although I did sneak a couple from these older people meandering on the beach walk.

Also, very island-style-esque, the one souvenir I came back with was a pair of beautiful handmade sandals. I'd known about the famous Amedeo Canfora sandals that everyone gets on the nearby island of Capri, and Antonio Viva's sandals in Anacapri, but since we weren't heading there on this trip I thought I'd see if Ischia had a similar tradition of these sandali artigianale .

outside Maria Rosaria Ferrara's shop (I'm inside looking around. wearing stripes. under a striped awning. see?! everywhere :)) • cobbler's work table • finished sandal
Luckily during one of our evening walks through Ischia Porto, I spotted a small sign down a side street that simply said "sandali". I quickly took a detour to get a closer look...There wasn't much of a sign on the front, but plenty of simple styles of these island sandals were hanging on display boards outside the entrance and in the window. I peeked inside, and the very small interior was filled with sandals of all kinds. Each style was just shown with one shoe and then on the walls hung various cloth and leather straps of all colors. The female cobbler seemed about my age, and she was hard at work making a few pairs of sandals on her work bench.

I asked her about the process, and she quickly explained that I just pick a sole base (there were some completely flat, some with a small raised heel bed, and some with a bit of a wedge heel), a formation style of the strappings, and the color. The prices were all based on the base model, number of straps, and material. I told her I'd be back the next day...

The next afternoon we returned to the laboratorio artigianale and I tried on a few samples and decided on a flat style mixed between leather straps and weaved cloth ties which can be interchanged with different colors (I chose a tan leather strap base with interchangeable cream and black ties). It wasn't one of the more traditional styles, but they were really comfortable and fun. She measured my foot and fitted me to a sole, then made some initial markings on the sole for where the strap widths should be placed. I picked out the strap colors and made an appointment to return the next day for the finished sandals.

When I came back, she put the shoes on my feet and made a final adjustment to the middle strap loop, banged in a couple small nails, then imprinted the soles with a signature stamp. I gladly paid her, and left happy with my souvenir of our time in Ischia. And they invoke lovely memories every time I wear them.

I.Dea Di Maria Rosaria Ferrara
Via Venanzio Marone, 5
Ischia Porto
081 985418

back in the boot :: part 7 (ischian food)

2010-06-17T17:04:00.004-05:00

aperitivo in Ischia Porto • sign at Bar Diana • i "heart" bread
Continuing on with the Ischia talk, I figured I'd highlight one of my favorite parts of a vacation - the food.

If I had to sum up the Ischian cuisine in one dish it'd be: frutta di mare (seafood). Of course, this is understandable since they are surrounded by the sea...but it makes it a bit challenging for me since I don't eat seafood. One of the most talked about restaurants in Ishicia Ponte is Ristorante da Ciccio, known for amazing family service and traditional Ischian fare. The first night on the island we ate here and had a great table outside, wonderful servers, and amazing dessert...and I ordered the only *one* thing on the menu without seafood. It was very flavorful...but I knew that I wasn't eating the specialty. Other evenings through the week we tried some pizzas, pastas, and great salads. They definitely use a lot of rucola (arugula, rocket) which is my favorite green of all time. So I think at least one meal included this each day.

afternoon libations • snack time with a view • "mozzarella in carrozza"
One afternoon as we were just walking alongside the beach road back from Ischia Porto, we decided to grab an afternoon snack at one of the private beach's open-air cafe. We enjoyed "mozzarella in carrrozza" (fancy Italian version of a grilled cheese...mainly with a smokey mozzarella between two slices of bread which have been coated in a milk/egg wash) along with a cold mix of Campari e Prosecco...and a gorgeous view of the Castello Aragonese. Brilliant.

Another evening, we found a place on the main pedestrian strip of Ischia Porto called Bar Diana. We spotted it because of the HUGE lemons on the outdoor tables, which our server told us were a rare type from Calabria. We stayed for an aperitivo and had blood orange and lemon (handsqueezed) sodas - which was a very seasonal choice from the famous citrus of the region.

view from the Castello Aragonese overlooking the restaurant and dock
Overall, the most amazing dining experience on the entire trip (and definitely up on the list for most amazing dining experience ever) was the evening we went to Il Giardino Eden.

sailing past the castle • beside the old Roman wall • our server waiting for us on the dock
We were told about this place by fellow blogger, Tracie who lived in Ischia for a while...and a big grazie mille for the recommendation! One of the greatest parts about it, was that after making our reservation, they sent for a boat to pick us up on the harbor by our hotel and bring us to the restaurant dock entrance.

The sun was setting when we took off in a small boat with just us two and the driver. We passed by the Castello, and under the small walking bridge leading between the castle and the mainland, then to a rocky side of the town where an old crumbling Roman wall lines the sea. We finally arrived at the dock extending from the open-air dining area and our server in a white linen suit met us at the boat and led us to our table.

views from the table
The food was immaculately prepared, amazingly tasteful and I can't say enough about the super friendly service.

...and I don't know of another place that can beat the view.

dusk at Giardino Eden • colorful plates • looking down at the dock
After our several courses, they asked if they should call the boat again. Well, yes please. So we were escorted by sea back to the harbor near our hotel and smiled at the experience and our full bellies.

Ristorante da Ciccio
Via Luigi Mazzella, 32
Ischia Ponte
081 991686

Il Giardino Eden
Via Nuova Cartaromana, 62
Ischia
081 985015

back in the boot :: part 6 (talented mr. ripley)

2010-06-15T08:54:00.002-05:00

front of Castello Aragonese where Tom gets off the bus in "Mongibello" • Dickie's house (Palazzo Malcovati) • Chris standing outside of the house
So if you were keeping up at all with my ramblings leading to our trip to Ischia, you'll know that a huge inspiration came from my favorite film, "The Talented Mr. Ripley". As soon as we arrived I immediately recognized several places and I can't count the number of quotes that I kept reciting every time I turned a corner. *Go to the past post here to reference some film screen shots for comparison.*

Although I know it may sound a bit silly - it really was quite exciting to finally see a lot of these places firsthand. But it in no way eclipsed the immediate and strong connection I felt to Ischia from the beginning; a feeling which only grew stronger the longer we were there. There was just something lovely about the place - from the people, the hospitality, the natural beauty, the pace...

....ah, but this is for another post. On with the film talk...

Bagno Antonio - beach scene where Tom first meets Dickie and Marge
Just down the road from our hotel was the star of Ischia Ponte: the Castello Aragonese. This castle on a rock was the backdrop for many of the scenes during the main part of the film when they're in "Mongibello" (the fictional town name).

When Tom first arrives in "Mongibello" we see him meet up with Dickie and Marge on a crowded beach. After some research I found out that this was the private beach "Bango Antonio" which was farther up the shore than I'd imagined. Still, just a leisurely stroll later, and we had arrived. It was our first full day in Ischia, and the morning was a bit overcast, so we used it to wander around. Since it wasn't time for bathing suits quite yet, we sat at the little bar/restaurant for a caffe while we watched just a couple people meandering through the beach chairs.

other side of Dickie's house overlooking area of "Festival of the Madonna" • another view • looking from near balcony
Later we headed back towards the Castello and found the building which stood in as Dickie's house. The villa "Palazzo Malcovati" is a private residence, and juts out into the sea interrupting the walkway along the water's edge. On the side facing the Castello is the balcony where many of the patio scenes took place.

On the more northern side is the balcony where Tom, Dickie, and Marge stood while watching the "Festival of the Madonna" celebrations. This small cove seemed much smaller in real life, but I recognized it immediately.

Procida: town scene in Piazza dei Martiri with bocce ball, etc • road with Silvana's market stand on left • walking down Via San Rocco where Tom watches Dickie meet up with Silvana
Finally, we headed over to the neighboring island of Procida (just about 15 min by boat) where the in-town scenes were filmed. This is also the main location of the popular Italian film "Il Postino". It's quite a small island, and we walked from the main boat harbor to the southern end of the village, Corricella, where we passed the Piazza dei Martiri where most of the scenes were shot. It was surprising how many of the locations (Silvana's market stand, bocce ball court, steep road where Tom and Dickie walk and ride scooters) were all within feet of each other. I really just stood in one spot and took photos while I turned in different directions. I haven't seen Il Postino in a couple years so I'd love to watch it again to see what the town looked like in that context too.

I know I've included clips or trailers from the film before, but this one was provided by Ischia.org and mainly shows clips from the Ischia/Procida scenes, so most of the photos from above are in here...plus, it's dubbed in Italian which is always amusing!
*Email readers click through to online post to view video

back in the boot :: part 5 (terme)

2010-06-14T07:45:00.006-05:00

views of Negombo : beach, cliff, bay
One of the things I was looking forward to the most during our stay in Ischia was a couple visits to some of the famous terme (thermal spas). This island is one of Italy's main collections of terme in the country; and the volcanic history of the island has left many healthful riches in its path. Spread throughout Ischia's surface area of 46 km2, natural thermal spas exist from drinkable mineral-rich waters and natural hot springs to volcanic thermal caves and sulphuric medicinal pools. Because of the many land fractures from past eruptions of Mount Epomeo, extremely hot volcanic gases are able to escape upwards towards the water table...heating some natural springs well over 100º C (200+º F).

Although Italy has many places around the country with various types of terme, I'd only visited one in Tuscany during the time we lived in Florence. I'd read about a few of the different ones on Ischia before we went, and after a few recommendations from friends, we looked at our itinerary on our trip and decided on two very different ones to visit.

Chris in the "life source" pool • hanging glass sculpture • thermal cave shower
If you look up thermal springs in Ischia, you'll probably find mention of the two main "thermal parks": Negombo and Poseidon. Each of these parks are a collection of various thermal waters, arranged as a water park of sorts in pools, fountains, steam caves, health spas, etc. Both are set on the coastline and include private beaches as well. After reading about each and getting recommendations, we opted for Negombo. I was drawn to the fact that this one seemed more naturally laid out along the cliffside and looked a bit more organic in nature. So after a bus ride up the island from Ischia Ponte where we were staying, to the town of Lacco Ameno, we paid our admission fee which is good for an all-day visit, changed into our bathing suits, grabbed a towel and prepared to relax.

grotto hot pool • pillar massaging springs • walking through the Japanese hot/cold pool
Located in the beautiful San Montano Bay, Negombo has over 20 points of interest for the visitor. There are many different pools with varying degrees of temperature, natural rock pools, concrete formed pools, cave pools, and "shock" pools where two drastically different temperatures are alternated between. There's also a large private beach, extensive wellness center, restaurant, nature walks, exotic landscaping, and modern art sculptures found throughout the park. Everything is nicely spread out and many of the pathways and pools offer a bit of quiet privacy. It was fun just finding pool after pool and trying out new water therapies. Each pool had a posted temperature and suggested time limit for maximum effectiveness of the minerals.

A few of my favorite springs were:

• Onphalos grotta per l'antroterapia 32ºC (90ºF) - This was a cave with a group of water therapies, including (1) a narrow ascending passageway through the rock which leads up to a natural (extremely hot) steam room, (2) an open warm pool inside the cave, (3) a small hole you can climb into which is an open bottom well (you have to hold onto handbars along the perimeter as there is no bottom). After soaking in any of the water here, there's a small cool, fresh-water well in which to rinse off.

• Maya, piscina "Kneipp" - This Mayan style shock pool was split into two parts, one at 18ºC (65ºF) and the other at 38ºC (100ºF). You're supposed to start in the hot side, get fully immersed for a few minutes, then crawl over the rock divider into the cold side - and repeat. It took me a good while to get warmed up to this idea, but finally participated...and it was perfectly shocking. The most noises heard in this area are "aaaaahhhh" "oh dio oh dio!".

• Irrgang-Labirinto Piscina Giapponsese - Again, this is a similar idea of a shock pool, but in the Japanese spa tradition of walking in waist-deep water in a row of people from hot to cold for about 30 minutes.

•Chiaia di Luna - Probably the most relaxing pool in my opinion, this small hot pool sits in seculsion along a cliffside overlooking the bay. A small cave feeds the 35ºC (95ºF) water into a shallow smooth sloping area...and here is where you would find me staying most the day if I ever get to go back.

lying in the Chiaia dei Luna • Hamam Turkish bath & Chris coming out of it
We relaxed on the beach for a while before finishing up around the wellness center where we tried out the "Hamam", a Turkish bath house which is a cave-like steam room kept at 55ºC (131ºF). Even after two attempts in making my way in the inner room, I could only survive in the entryway where I sat and waited for Chris. I just don't know how people do this...way too extreme for me.

The other thermal spring we went to was all-natural, public, and free. Located just outside of the lovely town of Sant' Angelo, the Baia di Sorgeto (Sorgeto Bay) is a bit of a hike away from the main road, but completely worth the walk.

looking down the cliff to Baia di Sorgeto • area where the hot meets cool • "attenzione: acqua bollente" (attention: boiling water)
Down a steep cliff, is a low cave opening where people gather before venturing out into the small area where the cool sea water mixes with the boiling water being heated by the volcanic rocks under feet. There's a hand-painted sign on the rock warning of the boiling water...and that is to be taken literally. In a couple small areas where the water was still enough, you could see the bubbling. A couple next to us put some potatoes in a bag which they placed in the water to cook them for a mid-day picnic. Several times I stood too long in one spot and suddenly noticed that my toes were burning from the pebbles beneath them.

Sant'Angelo • view from the cave • cooking potatoes
The area where the temperature is comfortable isn't too large, so people are always moving in and out to let others have a chance at enjoying the rocky cove. It was pretty fun getting to explore this area, and it's quite a community feeling there, as we got to talk to several people since we were all sitting in extremely close quarters at some points.

These thermal experiences were some of my favorites on the island, and definitely something I'd love to do again.

marocchino a casa

2010-06-12T07:45:00.002-05:00

So taking a break from the Italy trip recap, I wanted to write about our homemade attempt at the fabulous Napoletana marocchino that I posted about earlier in the week.

Chris has been perfecting his barista skills this past year. Tools: stovetop Italian moka. organic whole bean coffee. grinder. manual stovetop milk frother. organic whole milk. raw sugar. lots of love. I definitely feel spoiled most mornings when I get my pick of an espresso, cappuccino, or macchiato served promptly when I awake. Since we got back from Italy last weekend, the marocchino has been added to the menu. And each day it's gotten a bit more refined. Here's a log of one of the first attempts (a cappuccino was also being made alongside the marrocchino).

(unofficial way of) Making a Marrocchino Napoletana

1. Wet the inside of a small glass. We use these great vintage ones passed down from my grandmother. I'm not quite sure what their proper use is for....juice maybe? Anyway, it's a little larger than an espresso cup.
2. Sprinkle enough sugar in the glass to coat the insides and rim (depending on your sweet-tooth you may want to shake out the excess or leave some in).
3. Drop a small piece of high quality dark chocolate into the bottom of the glass.

4. Prepare a fine dark roast of espresso. We use our stovetop Italian moka for this.
5. Pour an espresso shot worth of the brew into the bottom of the glass over the chocolate.

6. Steam and froth your milk. We use whole organic milk which seems to work the best, and a great manual stovetop frother...you heat the milk on the stove, then pump the screen attached to the lid through the milk until it's good and thick.
7. Pour a small amount of the steamed milk over the espresso. Then spoon more schiuma (froth) on to the top.

8. Dust the top with dark chocolate cocoa powder.
9. Stir lightly and enjoy!

Definitely worth trying out! And it will for sure keep my coffee cravings at bay until we fly across the sea again.

back in the boot :: part 4 (ischia)

2010-06-11T09:30:00.002-05:00

Il Castello Aragonese • reds in town • view from our room (see the castle to the right)
Just a couple days after arriving in il bel paese we were sailing up to the port of the island of Ischia - our main destination. Well, ok, it wasn't technically sailing as we were on an "aliscafo" (a type of hi-speed ferry), but as Naples was to our back and I saw the small jutting rock of the Castello Arogonese in my view, I might have well been leaning off the front of the boat with my arms outstretched.

Well, I can say that Ischia met and exceeded any expectation. We pretty much fell in love. There's so much to say about the experience there, and I'm still trying to figure out how I want to tell it all...but for now I'll just start at the beginning...

The boat arrived at Ischia Porto, the island's largest town, where we took a small bus to Ischia Ponte (the smaller, more "antique" area where the Castello is). Our hotel was easy to find and we were greeted by the lovely Rosa whom we chatted with a bit before she led us to our room...with a terrace and view of the sea and the Castello Aragonese. I'd looked at a few different hotels, but really wanted to be within view of the Castello. So there we were. I reenacted the scene in the Talented Mr. Ripley when they arrived in Ischia, singing "Moooooongibellllllooooo!", and then we headed out for an evening in the town.

view from the castello back over the bridge
We walked towards the Castello and stopped to have a coffee. Unfortunately, even though the island is within view of Napoli, the coffee was back to the normal Italian standard (which is still amazing...but I was missing Naples' marocchino). It was getting to be later in the afternoon, and the weather was perfect so we decided to go ahead and explore Il Castello Aragonese. After walking across the narrow bridge to the entrance, we rode an elevator up through the rock to the upper level. Here the views opened up before us and for the next couple of hours we just soaked in a wonderful welcome from this lovely place.

old castle sign • view with wildflowers • looking down into the clear water
This rock's first fortress of any kind was built way back in 474 b.c. by the Greek ruler of Syracuse. From that time many changes in ownership, occupation, and architecture have occurred. Inhabitants have included the Romans, Visigoths, Vandals, Arabs, Norman, Germans, French, Angevins, and probably most famously the Aragonians, whose ruler rebuilt the castle, fortified the walls, and built the stone bridge in place today. This small island was in itself a small town with over 2000 families living there at a point in time. There was an abbey, multiple churches, gardens, homes, and civic buildings. Today some have been destroyed by battling groups, but much still remains. There's a few churches to visit, a crypt, parts of the abbey, and now including a hotel, a couple restaurants, museum, art gallery, and even classrooms used by various European arts & culture groups.

modern art exhibit • wavy architecture • Chris picking wild arugula
An interesting thing we happened upon was a modern art exhibit being held at the Chiesa dell'Immacolata, one of the larger domed churches on the island built in 1737. The entire space was painted a stark white...walls, ceiling, dome, fixtures - all to present a clean gallery "canvas" for two contemporary artists showing at the exhibit. It was quite fascinating to see a church space converted in this way - especially with one of my favorite styles of art being shown by the Slovenian painter, Cveto Marsic. We then continued through many of the other sites...ruins of the main cathedral, few other smaller churches, plenty of gardens, a couple of exhibits...and lots of gorgeous overlooks.

ruins of the cathedral • walking through the tunnels (look closely for scale) • small church
The sun was just starting to think about making a descent when we finally decided to leave. Chris picked a handful of wild arugula that we saw growing abundantly on the walkways (which we saved for some sandwiches the next day), and we made our way back to street level by taking the enormous winding tunnels leading down through the earth.

We sat on the bridge watching the sun go down before heading back to the hotel to get ready for our first dinner in Ischia...and the rest of the week.

to be continued...

back in the boot :: part 3 (la cucina napoletana)

2010-06-10T07:00:00.002-05:00

famous sfogliatelle • pizza napoletana • George & his coffee
Yesterday I posted about our quick time in Naples, and mentioned that one of our first stops was to a bar to see if the rumors that Naples has some of Italy's best coffee were true...

and I can say emphatically, that YES. they. do. It was immediately apparent. It's all just a little more of everything. A little more rich, a little more thick, a little more dark. ...and a little more 'little'. Seriously an espresso was only about 1.5 tablespoons worth.

I ordered a marocchino (sometimes known as a mocacchino, espressino, or an americanino as we heard for the first time in Ischia) - which is my preferred Italian coffee drink. Basically it comes a small glass version of the espresso cup layered as such: sprinkle of cocoa, espresso shot, sprinkle of cocoa, steamed milk + foam, sprinkle of cocoa. I then go on to add my sugar as normal, stir, and enjoy. Only a couple other times in the past have I been extra delighted with my marocchino when I found a small piece of chocolate at the bottom instead of cocoa. But I must say that Naples made me extremely happy in this department, when I was served a slightly taller, narrow glass with all the regular makings with the addition of an entirely sugar-lined interior and chocolate piece at the bottom. I couldn't even think straight long enough to remember to take a picture. It was so good. And I think I said "quest'è buonissimo" about 5 times while I drank it.

But I figured that we must have just picked out an amazing bar, and that this couldn't be normal. I was wrong. A couple hours later I ordered one at a super normal looking down-to-earth bar, and it came out the same way. I almost kissed the barista.
*Note: although regrettably I don't have a photo of the marocchino, I did get a photo of a random sign with George Clooney talking about the hazelnut coffee which is becoming quite popular!

Chris in line • "Naples Underground"?! sounds sketchy :) • walking the alleys
During the time walking around the streets we found a lot of these storefronts (some attached to a pizzeria in the back) which were open to the road where people would line up at the case to order small bites. We decided to try a couple things so Chris stood in "line" and ordered a couple fried melanzane (eggplant) pieces, as well as panzarotti (deep fried mashed potato filled with mozzerella and herbs). Panzarotti are traditionally more like small fried calzones, but can be also termed for more of the potato fritters as well. Both of them were heavenly and we stood outside with a lot of locals enjoying our morsels. The next day, I ordered a croquette ("crocché" written in dialect) which was very similar to the panzarotti without the herbs and a bit larger.

And....PIZZA! Who could go to Naples without trying their most famous dish? Off of one of the main thoroughfares in the historic district known as "Spaccanapoli", on Via dei Tribunali we found a handful of pizzerias that by dinnertime were overflowing with lines of locals and visitors...all mostly Italian. And all waiting for a seat in the small dining area to enjoy the obviously amazing pizzas. We were given a recommendation for Pizzeria I. Decumani ahead of time, and luckily got there as the last 2 tables were being filled and just before the line started filling the street.

It was quite simple inside and we were pretty much the only foreigners that I saw. The people were friendly and the service was fast...as pizza is really all they do. There were a lot of choices for toppings and you could make your own up if you wanted. I ordered i funghi e mozzerella bufala (mushrooms and buffalo mozz) and Chris got a quattro formaggi (four cheese) with zucchini - and each came with a little basil leaf and mozzarella ball in the center. Beer seemed to be the drink of choice with a couple on tap, and all the tables but one only had beer and/or water. Wine I guess isn't too popular to have with pizza here. Cheap. Tasty. Authentic. A lovely dinner.

strong espresso • pizzeria • unfortunately we were too full to try
Last thing on the food talk in Naples: Pastries. Sfogliatelle to be exact. You can't walk one block in the city without seeing some sort of sign for the famous flaky pastry. Sfogliatelle are these cone-shaped pastries made with layers and layers of the thinest dough ever and filled with (usually) a mixture of not-too-sweet ricotta and candied orange rind. I love my Italian pastries, and have my favorites, so I couldn't wait to try a sfogliatella. As we wandered off the main road to cut through some smaller back streets, in the middle of a bit of residential and quiet areas we happened upon a lovely pasticceria called Angelo Carbone. We headed straight towards the back where there was a large 3-sided glass pastry case. I ordered a sfogliatella (a pan of which were being carried out of the back oven as I said the name), and Chris had a smaller cream-filled "coda d'aragosta" (lobster tail) which was filled with a yellow custard and sprinkled with powered sugar.

And now I can say...that *gasp!* sfogliatelle just aren't my favorite. They're a bit too heavy for me, and I prefer a bit sweeter cream if I'm going to eat a pastry. boh! oh well. Now I know. But, still...it's a must-try if you're in Naples. And Chris really liked it!

• Pizza •
Pizzeria I Decumani
Via dei Tribunali, 58
081 5571309

• Pastries •
Angelo Carbone Bar & Pasticceria
Largo Regina Coeli, 4
081 457821

• Caffe •
Anna Bellavita Bar & Pasticceria
Founded 1937 by Saint Honoré
Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, 85?
(there's also another one across town on V. Giacomo Leopardi)
Although I can't really say that I have a strong desire to return, I'm glad we at least went...and really glad we tried the cuisine! Now on to Ischia!

to be continued...

back in the boot :: part 2 (napoli)

2010-06-09T07:30:00.005-05:00

streets in Naples
It took about 4 hours to arrive to Naples by train from our quick time in Umbria, and by the time we got there it was well into the afternoon. Our only prior visit through the city was just to continue on to the Amalfi coast, but even finding our way around Stazione Napoli Centrale was bad enough. Although I'm quick to say that you can't judge a city by the train station, as most cities' worst parts happen to be around that area.

I was a bit hesitant to check out this city without much planning or previous research - plus, not knowing anyone there didn't help much either. Most people would either say that they avoid it at all costs - or that it was a 'must-see' city. There tended not to be a moderate viewpoint.

Gritty. Dirty. Chaotic. Disorganized. Dangerous. Sketchy. Traffic.

These were the words of warning.

Pizza. Real. Tasty. Pastries. Espresso. Unorthodox beauty. Colorful.

These were the words of encouragement.

People have said that if you like Italy as far south as Rome, then go further south because everything just gets amplified. But if you're feeling like you're reached your limit in Rome, then stop.

I definitely love Rome, and have visited Sicily (Italy's most southern part) - and can say that up to this trip Palermo had been the most dramatic of all the Italian cities I'd visited.

But Naples topped that for me. Not so much in a good way - because I enjoyed Palermo a lot more - but just in the fact that it seemed to be to me a culmination of all the Italian drama, chaos, traffic, and food - all in one place. In somes ways this was good, but in others not so much.

We got checked in at a nice and simple hotel not far from the station so it would be convenient for us arriving and then catching a bus to the port the next day. Immediately walking out to the streets we were hit with the massive motion of everything - people, cars, motorini, buses. But then we found a bar to take a quick refuge - and to see if the rumors were true: that Naples had Italy's best coffee.

...but that's for an entire post of its own.

piazza with Cathedral dome in back • pieced together photo of facade • inside the Duomo
We wandered through the Spaccanapoli district of Naples which covers most of the historic Greek and Roman areas of the old town. It was kind of fun just walking down Via dei Tribunali and turning off on any side streets that looked promising, happening upon bustling piazzas, or admiring the layers of graffiti and posters that lined the walls. We stopped in the Duomo for a quick interior walk-thru of the city's Cathedral dedicated to San Gennaro. I found one observation here, which seems to sum up a lot of the mood of Naples: The city streets are very narrow here, and the buildings quite tall, that it never really opens up to where you feel like you've "arrived" somewhere. I always felt that I was just trying to get somewhere and off these crazy streets. But even the piazzas are little and not much of a refuge. It's noisy, and crowded, and a bit harrowing. So, naturally, I thought that a stop inside a church would afford a few minutes of peace.

Wrong.

The cathedral was packed with a ton of kids (seemed like a few jr. high aged school groups)...but with z-e-r-o guidance or enforcement of proper behavior inside the city's main Cathedral. Seriously, in all of the churches in Europe I've been too, there is an automatic common knowledge that it's a quiet space (or quieter at least). But I think that the noise reverberating off the stone interior was louder than the chaotic street. And this was not just from the kids, but also the adults with them. I definitely hurried my way through so we could just get out and instead sit on the steps outside to gather our thoughts.

Naples National Archaeological Museum • modern art piece • white eyes
The next morning, we decided to pay a visit to a place that many say is the 'must-see' of the city - the National Archaeological Museum. Here, you can find a huge collection of pieces leading one through the rich history of this area, including the neighboring sites around Mt. Vesuvius...including many found pieces from the infamous eruption of 79 AD which destroyed Herculanium (Ercolano) and Pompeii.

As we planned to visit one of these sites on our trip, a visit to this museum was supposed to really enhance a visit as you could see up close many of the treasures found at the digging sites. It was quite amazing to see the advanced ways of life of this ancient culture. In many of the exhibits I commented that in some ways this culture seems to be the most fascinating and advanced to me that I've ever really learned about. Even things as simple as the jewelry on display...really, it looked like jewelry that we're still wearing almost 2000 years later. Plus the sophistication of their architecture, art, city-planning, and money systems were so far ahead of their time. I'm so glad we got to see these pieces that have been so well preserved.

Pompeii model city • jewelry and art found in Pompeii
There was a lovely modern art exhibit on display as well as many Greek ruins. After we left, we walked back across town to gather our bags and we were off (and not a minute too soon) to the port to catch a ferry for our main destination...Ischia!

to be continued...

back in the boot :: part 1 (friends & poppies)

2010-06-08T12:01:00.005-05:00

wildflowers on the Tuscany / Umbria border*sigh*

...where to start....

So we just got back from Italy and I can't seem to focus long enough to start writing about it. First off, it was an absolutely amazing trip. We almost thought about just staying ...Well, not really.

...but kind of.

countryside and our friends' casa
I guess I'll start at the beginning. We arrived in Rome early on the morning exactly 2 years to the day after we moved back to the States. This was Chris' first trip back since then, although I've returned a couple of times in the interim. Despite the lack of almost any respectable sleep on the red-eye over, a quick stop for an espresso had us ready to enjoy the first day. A couple train rides and we made it to Chiusi where our friends Julian & Amanda picked us up and we packed in a day of catching up, laughing, eating, drinking, and walking through fields of wild poppies.

around the house
I know that sounds like hard work and all...but seriously it's about all we did! And it was amazingly lovely. It's always great getting to see them and hang out with the family there. It makes Italy feel that much more like a second home to us when we know we can visit wonderful friends no matter the time that has passed.

'la stufa' • Tartufo the dog • morning coffee
After a morning of caffe and pastries and a lunch of pizza, we said our good-byes and hopped on a train for Napoli. In the past we haven't really chosen Naples as a destination. Not to say we were avoiding it (but that's kind of true I think), but besides passing through quite quickly to get further south to the Amalfi Coast, it just seemed a bit to gritty to undertake before. During the trip-planning, we'd left this day open to figure out what mood we were in when we arrived, and it seemed like a good idea to go ahead and get our feet wet in this crazy city - especially since it would only be one day + night.

So four hours later we arrived by train and stepped out of Stazione Napoli Centrale to see Italy's most chaotic city awaiting us...

to be continued...

packing packing. island dreaming.

2010-05-26T09:30:00.002-05:00

Well we're about to head out to Italy and I can already smell the Amalfi lemons.

I've been wrapping up some things at work this week and of course, packing and packing some more. I usually enjoy getting ready for a trip. Making the to-do lists, checking things off, trying out outfit combinations, getting the travel bag ready with books, mp3s and eye masks.

Since I posted last month about Italian Summer Style after we had decided on Ischia as a destination, I've had a few people ask me what I've ended up packing. I can say that different trips call for different packing methods. We've done the backpacking thing before and prided ourselves on only taking 2 changes of clothes, one pair of shoes, and basic toiletries. Pros: not packing very much, lighter load to carry, easier to get ready each day. Cons: not packing very much, having the exact same thing on in every photo from the trip, limited excursions (i.e. nice dinner out).

This time, though, since we won't be moving to a new place each night, it will be nice to take a few more options. It's pretty much our cardinal rule not to check bags, so we will still only have our carry-ons, but they'll be packed with some fun summer island style choices. One great thing about warm weather destinations is that you can fit a lot more outfits in the bag unlike heavy winter digs.

After I laid out most of my choices, I saw a few themes: neutral palates with small color pops, a few bows, and stripes. Nautical stripes are one of the most talked about trends for spring/summer 2010 and not only are they adorable, but also quite classic and reminiscent of islands, harbours, and European vintage. All of which equal the perfect match for our destination. I had already dog-eared a few striped shirts, but then finally looked at the entire lot of pieces and found stripes hiding in some other pieces that I'd forgotten about. Even on one of the bathing suits I'm taking.

So in the spirit of the previous post when I shared the mood board by WhoWhatWear called "Currently Channeling: The Talented Mr. Ripley", I decided to just make a similar board of some of the pieces I chose for this trip:
Chanel-inspired half-tint sunglasses (so glad to have found these [w/o the $1k]...looked for them forever!), Sperry washed canvas boat shoes, Tavik "Red White & Crue" bikini, Anthropologie strapless romper, Voluspa Malayan Coco Perfume (coconut bark, sandalwood, lemon hinoki), mixed vintage bangles, Franco Sarto cork t-straps, thrifted oversized striped top, black AA tank, vintage black woven skinny belt, Donna Karan high-waisted cream linen pants, tan Marc Jacobs turnlock bowler.
Reading material: Vogue and "The Gulf of Pleasure" by Alan Ross, 1951 (observations and poems of Ischia and Gulf of Naples). Camera.

buon viaggio!

painting series :: part 4 (getting started)

2010-05-24T12:08:00.006-05:00

Cutting. Sketching. Measuring. Graphing. Counting.

That's where I am currently in the music/color painting series I've been working on. After writing about the layout of the piece in my last post, I made a few more decision, changes, and advances. The first change was splitting the entire piece into 4 separate pieces. Since there were 4 "rows" of painting, taken from the time signature and total length of the musical piece I chose to paint (Ára Bátur by Sigur Rós), it became much more logistically manageable to work on one "row" at a time.

different layers of the song written • hours at the various keyboards • paints in waiting
Then came the next questions to work out:
• What material to use to paint on?
I initially thought I'd want to work on a type of prepared hard wood, but then looking at how to get a piece that wasn't too heavy, at the right width, became challenging. So I finally ended up with canvas. Unstretched, but primed, initially - easier to work as it's laid out flat on a hard surface (since I'm bearing down on it with a ruler and pencil to do the graphing) rather than pressing down onto an elevated stretched canvas.

...then on to one of the bigger, overall questions:
• Why paint?
I mean this as why paint (as in action), and why paint (as in the material). The former, I always enjoyed the art theory discussions in school about the reasons behind painting and how that's changed through the centuries. At first it was done as a record-keeping of sorts, as photography wasn't invented yet, and painting most realistically was prized and valued as an informational relic for the future. Then after photography came about, the art world changed drastically...(foregoing all the various style eras of art), realism in my opinion became (and still is) somewhat obsolete. Why paint something realistically when you can just take a photo? That was the question I remember one of my painting professors asking...not as a rhetorical question, but just as something to make you think...why, really were we painting. And if we chose to paint realism, why did we do it. And I think that any artist can give the reason "just because I want to, and enjoy it"...and that is valid enough.

But to me, since I'm quite analytical, I like to delve into these types of questions and find the balance between what I like to do/see, and what I want to portray. So my answer to this question for this project (as it is with most of my projects in the past), is 1) because I enjoy paint 2) because I feel it's a more involved, tactical experience for me as the creator than snapping a photo, and 3) because, my pieces aren't realism...so they have to be something other than a photo. Painting was my medium of choice in school, and I still enjoy it more than others. And I'm sticking with my favored medium of oils. Although it's not as conducive to small, non-studio type spaces, is messy and takes longer to deal with...I still tend to lean towards it because of it's mixing capabilities and how it's easy to see the 'hand' in the strokes, or build up as in impasto techniques.

views of the pencil graphed canvas
So anyway...getting on with it. I finished writing out all the notes for the piece, and then completed graphing the first "row" of the entire painting. The canvas right now is quite messy, filled with pencil marks of measures, notes, instrument vs. voice notations. The color key is made, but the paints aren't mixed yet.

After I saw the final sketch, I almost wanted to start over as there is going to be a lot more white in the piece than I thought...but finally (after about a week and a half of stalling) decided that I'll continue on this first idea. It's a trial run anyway, and the next pieces I study will be fun to mix it up and explore other ways of substituting color and space for musical notes.

Now it's on hold until we get back from Italy in a couple of weeks. But I'm excited to finally get to the color!

summer infusions :: a story of vanilla

2010-05-14T20:40:00.002-05:00

I'm thinking that this summer I will post a little continuing series about different infusions. Over the past year or so I've started to compile quite a list of concoctions (extracts, honeys, liquors, waters, etc) I want to try and make. These will involve lots of herbs, roots, flowers, and the like.

Lots of wonderful and tantalizing things for the senses.

The first is a story of vanilla. I guess it's not so much a story as just a description of a 'how-to'...but story sounds like "once upon a time, in a far off land" which hints at exotic and vanilla is nothing if not that. So for my first infusion, I sorted through the various vanilla bean varieties with which to start. And, finally I narrowed it down to....all of them!

Luckily for me there's a great site Beanilla.com which offers organic sampler packs of 3 beans each from all of the popular (and rare) vanilla origins. So last month I was happy to find a package in the mailbox full of these fragrant pods. Vanilla beans that came a long way to meet me. Indonesia. Mexico. Tahiti. Tonga. Madagascar. India. Papua New Guinea.

After I introduced myself, I collected the other essential pieces and began on the journey to creating homemade vanilla extract.

It's all quite easy.
STEP 1 : Find a glass bottle or jar with a lid or tight-fitting cork.
STEP 2 : Get a bottle of (preferably organic) pure vodka.
STEP 3 : Portion out number of beans per ounce of vodka (3 beans for every 8 oz). I'm using smaller 4 oz bottles to do this initial run, so I'm using only 1.5 beans per jar.

STEP 4 : Cut a slit the bean pods lengthwise to expose the seeds.
STEP 5 : Put vanilla and vodka in the jar.
STEP 6 : Label jar with vanilla variety + date.

STEP 7 : Store in dark cabinet for at least a month.
STEP 8 : Shake gently on occasion during infusion period.
STEP 9 : ENJOY

The last photo there is the very first try I made a few months back with the standard vanilla beans I found in our natural food store. It just keeps getting darker, and I've used about half of it in various recipes. I'm most excited to sample the various nuances of the different varieties of beans used for this new batch.

but now we wait...

jónsi... (that's "youn-see")

2010-05-13T09:04:00.001-05:00

on our way • anticipating • glows of phones below
The main reason we went to NYC last weekend, was to go to a concert by Jónsi of Sigur Rós. This is his first solo tour promoting the new album Go. I've wanted to see Sigur Rós for years, but since they're not touring now, as soon as Jónsi announced his N. American tour (and no dates were in the southeast), Chris suggested going to New York. To say I was excited was an understatement, but the actual show surpassed all expectations.

colorful stage • final bow
The show was held at the venue Terminal 5 in the Hell's Kitchen/Clinton area of Midtown West and is one of the larger venues of it's kind in the city. We didn't arrive super early, but still got there before most of the people arrived so we picked a good spot on the 3rd floor mezzanine close to the stage. As the time passed during the opening artist, the place got fuller and fuller...and finally filled to its 3000 capacity with all 3 floors swarming with people. There were people sitting at our feet to look through our legs over the railing. I read some reviews that many people had such a hard time seeing anything, were really uncomfortable from the crowd heat, etc, so it made me even more thankful for our spot, because it was seriously a great and comfortable place to be.

The anticipation was so high when Jónsi finally took the stage, and when he sang the first note, everyone stopped breathing. The first song "Stars in Still Water" was played acoustically with just Jónsi, his voice, his guitar, and one small light. Then the 4 members of the live band (Alex, Doddi, Óbó and Úlfur) joined him on stage and suddenly the entire area was filled with images of butterflies, owls, deer, hummingbirds, flowers, wolves, and winter woods. The next couple of songs were a bit low key and beautiful (Hengilás and Icicle Sleeves), so by the time the climax in the middle of Kolniður came around, the strobe light flashed and a huge screen dropped. Everyone finally took a breath and realized that we were standing around in a warehouse. He's so great at building anticipation in his music...even with the long drawn out pieces of Sigur Rós.

jonsi at the piano • dancing with a headdress • alex & jonsi
Throughout the 85-min or so show, the band members all traded places among the collection of instruments (several guitars, a mandolin, upright piano, keyboards, xylophone, electronic sound boards, and steel trash can tops). The drummer was one of the most interesting things to watch on stage, hitting things non stop. The xylophonist even used stringed bows on one song to "strum" the metal keys. Jónsi wore this overcoat full of hanging feathers and colorful tassels, and a few of the other band members had long feathers hanging from their sleeves as well.

The stage production was a collaboration with the UK-based company, 59 Productions and although I read about it and watched some "visual diary" posts leading up to the tour, the final show was better than I imagined. The videos will never do the live experience justice - as being there was so incapsulating. This Wall St. Journal article gives an interesting look into the making of the stage experience: Behind the Set.

When the show finished, the applause never stopped until the band's reappearance for the encore. This was by far one of the best parts of the entire show. They played two songs beginning with "Animal Arithmetic". Jónsi had put on this huge feather headdress for this last part and all the stops were pulled out for the amazing stage animations. The final piece of "Grow Till Tall" was one of the best live pieces I've ever heard. It's not even worth trying to describe the climax as my descriptions would fall short. But I think there was a long moment of silence as no one knew quite how to react when it was over...then we all took our hands, closed our jaws, blinked, wiped a few tears, and tried hard to express appreciation with applause. Oh, and like I mentioned before leaving, as a somewhat tribute, I made sure to wear feathers in my hair! :)

Here's a video of the final song. I hesitated posting it as it is NOTHING compared to the live experience. But at least I enjoy watching it again to remember. The last 4" still give me goosebumps.
*email readers must click through to watch online

a big (spring) apple

2010-05-10T21:21:00.005-05:00

planes + trains
Back from the Big Apple after heading up for a long weekend. We'd been anticipating this short trip after getting tickets to a concert of one of my favorite artists - Jónsi of Sigur Ros. They've been on my 'must-see' list for a long time and were one the top of the 'will-travel-if-I-have-to' group. I'd love to see the entire band in their home country of Iceland, but since this year Jonsi is doing a solo tour and NYC is a pretty easy trip (and always a fun time), it was a logical choice.

I'll save talking about the show for the next post...it was just so amazing that it deserves its own space.

in Central Park
Since our flight arrived bright and early at around 8:30 on Friday morning (meaning we were up by 3), the first question was: "should we first go catch up on a bit of sleep before trekking around the rest of the day?". But the answer was no. It's New York. Too much to see to waste it napping. So off we went into the lovely spring weather. Did some shopping (of course)...but funny enough, Chris was the only one who came back with anything.

One of the best things about the city is the endless choices in where to eat. Because there's so many, we normally like to spread out our stops into small meals and snacks throughout the day in order to fit in more new places to try. I'd dog-earred several high-rated vegetarian places beforehand, but when we found ourselves in an area where one of those places weren't, the routine would go something like this: Pull out our phones. Locate on GPS. Search for whatever type of food we were feeling like. Link to the foodie review sites. Sort through a handful. Pick one. Navigate. Arrive + eat. All while walking. Oh, the miracles of technology.

pastel macarons • view up towards the street from inside Levain Bakery • the Dakota
We stopped at a lovely French bakery in the fashion district called Macaron. And yes, they specialize in the colorful puffy sweet bites. We had them recommend a few of the most popular flavors and sat in the immensely small space while we savored the vanilla, dark chocolate, rose, and pistachio macarons. On Saturday we took a long walk (purposefully) through the park to the Upper West Side to see the Dakota building (where John Lennon was shot, but which is in itself a beautiful building to see) and ended up at the famous Levain Bakery. A friend had recommended it and it was amazing. It's just this little (seriously little) basement space that barely has a window above street level. There was a constant line from the street down the tiny stairway into the shop by the cash register the entire time we were there. Everyone was there to buy one of the four (yes, just 4) cookie varieties for sale...chocolate chip + walnut, dark chocolate + chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, dark chocolate + peanut butter chip. I chose the all chocolate and Chris got oatmeal raisin. They were as big as a (large) fist, still warm, and the perfect stage in between dough and fully baked.

...and we were still trying to finish them by late Sunday night.

the Guggenheim
Each trip we try to see another one of the big museums, and this time it was the architectural gem of the Guggenheim. When we made the final turn from the subway stop in the Upper East Side, and I saw the white spiraling levels of the building peaking through a row of trees...I couldn't believe I hadn't visited earlier. It's a striking building by Frank Lloyd Wright and is an awesome piece of art without ever having to step inside. But, luckily we did step inside, and the exhibits were great!

scenes from Coney Island
On Sunday morning we took our time getting going and after stopping for a morning espresso and miniature pastries from a neighborhood pasticceria, we hopped on the subway for the long ride down to Coney Island. I've always wanted to walk the boardwalk there, but never had made it before. Although the weather our first two days in the city were quite spring-like, Sunday was very chilly and windy, so we had to bundle in our coats before heading to the shore, but it was still worth it for a stroll on the iconic beachside promenade. As soon as we got off the train and walked to the street, it felt like we stepped back in time to some weird deserted carnie time-warp. There were even strange creaking noises coming from the wind moving something metal around, and all the colorful signs seemed an out-of-place-bright to advertise to just the 9 or so people meandering around.

more from Coney Island
...But the vintage style painted signs, old carnival rides, fair food displays, and wooden boardwalk seemed oddly comforting in an Americana sort of way. I'm at least glad we got to see this strange place before all the summer crowds and before (if) it ceases to exist any longer.

tasty yellow blooms

2010-05-02T18:30:00.010-05:00

zucchini blossoms & herbs from the garden
This weekend at the farmers market while visiting our most favorite vendor of greens, I was pleasantly surprised to spot small bags of yellow blooms for sale. I immediately knew what they were and was so excited to get some, as I've never seen them for sale anywhere around here. Zucchini (squash) blossoms are very popular in Italy, and I gave up even looking for them in the States (although I do know there are some markets like the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco which has them in season). This year though, since we're growing zucchini in the garden, I've had my eye on a few flowers I've seen forming, but still - it was only yielding about 7 flowers at a time per plant.

So back to the farmer's market...I grabbed a bag and heard several people talking amongst themselves trying to figure out what they were. One lady asked me what I had, and when I told her, she asked how to prepare them. I told her that we stuff them with cheese and spices then pan fry...she got out of line and grabbed a bag for herself.

split blooms • stamens removed • stuffed with ricotta & herbs
We'd had these blooms prepared a couple different ways in Italy, but I found a great recipe on Food and Style and decided to give it a try...(plus the video was a wonderful help). *emails readers must click through to view

I used several herbs from the garden in the recipe, and they turned out quite well! Good things, as we'd invited some friends over for an aperitivo-style dinner...but we all enjoyed them. Now, I'm looking forward to a few more blossoms throughout the season.

...bring may flowers :: a mix

2010-05-01T10:40:00.011-05:00

It's May. It's getting warmer. Definitely more humid. Almost time for the A/C. But also time for zucchini blossoms (which I was SO excited to have found at the farmer's market this morning), summer vacations, beach days, and long lit evenings...

...plus fun music. With a bit of laid-back breezes, shaking beats, and a dose of guilty (cheesy) pleasure (ahem, last song). Load it up, put on the SPF, and dance along.

right click HERE to download

Go Outside :: Cults (Cults 7")
USA Boys :: HEALTH (::DISCO2)
We Share Our Mothers' Health (Ratatat Remix) :: The Knife (We Share Our Mothers' Health)
Real Life :: Tanlines (Real Life)
Alligator (Toro Y Moi Remix) :: Tegan & Sara (Alligator LP)
Under the Sheets (ft. Ellie Goulding) :: Chiddy Bang (Air Swell)
Crosswalk Stereo :: The Pass (Colors)
A/B Machines :: Sleigh Bells (Magic Metal CD)
I Dont Know What I Can Save You From (Röyksopp Remix) :: Kings Of Convenience (Untitled)
Cry When You Get Older :: Robyn (Body Talk Pt. 1)
Pursuit of Happiness (Slinks Hangover Remix):: KiD CuDi (Man On The Moon: The End Of Day)
Sorry For I Mashed You :: Norwegian Recycling (Untitled)

music + feathers

2010-04-30T14:08:00.006-05:00

A few random (musical) notes...

Getting really excited about one week from today, when we head up to NYC for a lovely weekend in the city. Yes, there will probably be a visit to the Guggenheim, lounging in Central Park (hopefully there's still some pink blossoms left to admire), a few fun veggie restaurants to try...but mostly it's to see him:

do this:

Can't wait to see Jónsi and the entire stage performance. I've already heard from a few friends who've seen earlier shows on the tour that it's AMAZING!

Another pretty exciting bit of news relating to music....I just found out earlier this week that a shirt I designed was chosen for the tour t-shirt for Imogen Heap's 2010 Ellipse Tour! I'd kind of forgotten about it when I was contacted by her manager with the news! Pretty excited about it actually...I really love her style and music.

I saw her years ago, and it was one of the favorite concerts I've been too. It was a small, intimate space - and how she handles a 1-woman show mixing all the sounds is incredible. (Plus, the flowers, fun outfits, and feather hair pieces don't hurt either!)

I was going to post the official video from the first single, First Train Home off the new album...but I like this live performance instead:

Actually, I'll get to meet her if I can make it to a show...I'd planned to go to the Orlando one in June, but now we'll be in Italy during all the dates in the southeast. Who knows though...maybe another quick weekend trip somewhere else is possible.

Plus, definitely something feather-y seems to be in order for what-to-wear to both concerts. Big nests woven of musical notes, peacocks, flower blossoms, rainbow colors, and plumes.

day of the earth

2010-04-22T08:25:00.006-05:00

leafy greens, purples & reds in our deck box garden • large yard garden • view from above
HAPPY EARTH DAY!

I've been wanting to write about our garden for a while now, but never got around to it. So, now in honor of Earth Day I figured now would be a perfect day to post. Over the past year we've really been expanding in the green-thumb area. There's always been a random variety of eatable things in the yard, but now there's more than ever...and slowly but surely, we're learning how to better maintain, grow, sprout, and garden.

In the winter of '08, we (or I should say, Chris) built a box garden on the deck. It's only about 2.5'x3.5', but by last spring we had romaine, spinach, leeks, carrots, and fennel filling it up. Now there is a variety of left over leafy greens from this past season, and a lot of baby basil seedlings are beginning (getting ready for some homemade pesto and plenty of Insalata Caprese over the summer!). Also, in the ever-expanding herb selection, we decided to keep the varieties mainly contained in pots, and mixed per container. So there are a few pots of complementary herbs, while several are still potted alone. Among the group there are curry, lavender, thyme, sage, rosemary, mint (2 varieties), oregano, chives and parsley....all doing quite well.

potted gardens of fennel, lavendar, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and curry • first purple blooms on the lavender • mixed pot of sage, parsley, chives & thyme
Just last month, we put a big raised garden in the yard (I think about 11'x14') and filled it with plenty of organic compost along with some seeds, water, and sunshine...and now just weeks later it's out of control (in a good way)! There are several varieties of tomatoes (what did I tell you about the Insalata Caprese?), 3 types of peas, carrots, leeks, mixed greens, spinach, peppers, cucumbers...and marigolds (to hopefully help deter unwanted pests).

Also around the yard we have a couple orange trees which gave us a great harvest this past season, banana trees, loquats, ginger, aloe, and last week some friends gave us a lovely fig tree to add to the bounty!

rooting pineapples & avocados on the fridge • potted mint, peppers, & a few avocados • sprouting alfalfa
Inside, we've been doing a bit of growing as well...countless avocado pits have germinated in water jars above the refrigerator, and I just added a pineapple top to the collection. The avocados take a while, but finally almost always end up sending roots out the bottom, and a green stalk out the top. This is our cue to pot them (which we have about 5 growing in pots outside now) or give them away. It's hard now to throw any type of seed or pits out knowing we could just grow it. So I just sprouted 4 seeds from the last orange we got off the tree this year, as well as dried out a peach pit waiting for the next planting season for that to come around. Chris has been sprouting alfalfa regularly, and we enjoy handfuls every week!

It's definitely nice living in a semi-tropical climate, where a lot of this type of gardening is possible, and where we have a yard large enough to accommodate. Plus, its quite fascinating watching the cycles of living things...and just the simplicity of seeing our foods' beginnings. Many of our friends have taken up gardening to some degree recently as well...and we've talked about doing trades to expand the variety of fruits and veggies we can all get. Community. Sharing. Growing.

“The earth is what we all have in common.”
- Wendell Barry

sunny summer swimwear

2010-04-20T19:55:00.004-05:00

Besides the humanitarian-based clothing line, JEDIDIAH, which I've been repping across the southeast, I can now add bathing suits to the mix...this time with TAVIK Swimwear. I'm pretty excited about taking on this line, and am anxious to help bring it to the Sunshine State. The brand is based in southern California and is really gaining momentum as a fashion force in swimwear.

some of my favorite picks from Summer '10 Collection
Red, White, & Crue Monokini • Pretty Zipped Up • Faded Bandeau

From the current Spring '10 line and the soon-to-be-released Summer '10 collection, the fun and edgy designs are making a lot of people take notice. Just since late last year, the collections have been featured in Elle, Marie Claire, Daily Candy, on Fuel TV and more...and the press doesn't seem to be letting up.

TAVIK Spring '10 "Blotch Floral" suit featured in Elle Magazine

Here's a video shoot from the Summer '10 line
(*email readers must click through to view online):

So if you need to get ahold of me this summer...I'll probably just be lying around in one of these suits on a Florida beach (or the shores of an Italian island :) :) )

TAVIK WEBSITE • FACEBOOK • TWITTER

painting series :: part 3 (making decisions)

2010-04-17T22:05:00.003-05:00

Finally I'm making some more headway on the music-color art study that I've been working on. Throughout the brainstorming process, I've been writing notes down and trying to answer some basic questions before I get started. So far, here are a few of the main questions I had to sort out, and the beginnings of the basic layout.

1) What musical piece will I chose to base the painting on?

Musical Piece: Ára bátur by Sigur Rós
Key: C Major
Time Signature: 4/4

Listen to the piece here (*email users must click through to hear):

I chose this piece because I wanted to find something different from many more classical pieces that normally would be chosen for a study like this, plus this one was quite simple with the key and signature (very standard) and surprisingly only used whole notes (no half tones with #'s or ♭'s). This should make it a bit easier for me to hone in on color-note matchings. And, last but not least, I love Sigur Rós. Might as well pick a piece that I won't mind listening to over and over. Plus, I was able to find a basic written version of sheet music to base the final composition on, then wrote the entire piece out without repeats. Next step will be to also write the sung notes over the main accompaniment.

2) What size and proportions to use as layout?

I decided to break this down by number of musical measures. The height will be the time signature and the width is the number of measures divided by the time signature to get an evenly proportional piece (otherwise it would be just a really really long and skinny line). For the height of each "line" which is where the notes will be painted, I used a scale of the entire note span from the piece. The note range is 27 notes from 2nd E below middle C (²E) to the 2nd high C above middle C (C²).The scaling was considered based on basic logistics and space constrictions.

musical measures in Ára bátur = 124
time signature 4/4 = 4 lines in height
124 measures / 4 = 31 measures per line
note range = 27 notes >> converted to scale of 1cm per note
converted scale to centimeters >> width = 124cm, height of each line = 27cm x 4 lines = 108cm high
final piece = 124cm x 108cm

Here are some layout sketches so far:

top: main canvas layout • with measures gridded • showing overlay
bottom: 27 note span per line • with overlays • sample of sheet music

3) What color pattern to use and why?

After looking at several color keys from studies all the way back to the time of Plato (some of which I showed in the last post about this study) I made this graph of the ones I'd read most about and narrowed it down to...and since the musical piece I've chosen only used whole notes, I've narrowed the color sections to show only the notes I'd be using.

I initially thought about using the Firth graph (which is based on a combination of previous studies), because I liked that there wasn't a linear representation of mainly primary colors for each note across the board, but rather it depended on how far away from middle C each note was as to what color it received. Here is his representation based on thirds and fifths:

from www.musicandcolour.net

One of the main differences of this color scale is that middle C is represented as white. Since the piece I chose is in the key of C Major, I decided against this scale as I wanted to leave the periods of silence as white also, this would end up in being a majorly white and drab painting.

The oldest, and in my opinion, most classic of the scales is the one from Isaac Newton in 1704. He based this on the basic color wheel and serious of optic color rays in order. He then matched up the main 7 colors of the color spectrum to fit between the 8 notes in a musical octave. Many people have represented his notes as the more primary and main colors of the specturm (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)...but based on what I see on the drawing of his wheel...I like that the notes are placed in between the main colors:

Newton's Color / Music Wheel
That's how I represented his scale in the graphic I made earlier in the post. The colors came out more bold and are represented as: indigo/violet, violet/red, red/orange, orange/yellow, yellow/green, green/blue, blue/indigo. Aesthetically I am most drawn to these color pattens as well - so this is what I've chosen to work with.

...now on to some last ponderings before gathering the materials...

italian summer style

2010-04-09T08:54:00.005-05:00

Continuing on the subject of the upcoming trip to Ischia and the film inspiration of "The Talented Mr. Ripley"...Like I said in my last post, there's just something about the style of Italy in the summer that is so captivating. Maybe it's the effortless steadfastness of classic style even with the temperatures are uninviting. Where, instead of ragged cut-offs and rubber flip flops being thrown on when it gets hot outside, the tailored linen and handmade sandals make an appearance.

stylish scenes from "The Talented Mr. Ripley"
Besides this film taking place in beautiful settings, it also has some of the most beautiful style. With wardrobe direction by Ann Roth, it was nominated for and Academy Award for Best Costume Design. In the special features and commentary of the film, the progression of wardrobes throughout the plot is described; and it's so interesting watching the style change from the mood in NYC (where the film opens) to the coastal casual of Ischia to more formal classic in the later scenes of Rome and Venice. Because Ischia is the focus, that's the wardrobe I'm highlighting too.

more scenes
The fact that the story takes place in the late 1950s, the style already invokes classic beauty, but the flowing skirts, high-waisted trousers, linen button-ups and silk scarves somehow remain timeless.

I found this film mood board on WhoWhatWear.com from last summer. It's a great breakdown of "channeling" this film's style.

I'm pulling out my strappy sandals and skirts, but I told Chris that I wouldn't go to Ischia unless he wore something like this:
:)
neon speedo in Ischia beach scene
...well, maybe I would.

our next trip & film inspiration

2010-04-08T15:48:00.012-05:00

film scenes on Ischia with Ischia Ponte in the background
I'm not sure what it is about certain films, but a handful of specific ones hold a connection for me - whether in mood, location, period, or overall style. In several trips we've taken in the past, we've enjoyed being inspired to go to certain places, or discover new cities because of their appearance and development in a movie or even a book. Montmarte in Paris from "Amelie", Positano and Cortona from "Under the Tuscan Sun", Venice from Berendt's book "City of Falling Angels", NYC from countless classics, Rome in "La Dolce Vita"...and many others. Finding specifc cafes, corners, and views are always fun to hunt out.

screen grabs of Castello Aragonese on Ischia Ponte and street in nearby Procida
Without hesitation, if you asked me the place I'd most like to explore from a film or book - it would be the island of Ischia from my favorite movie ever, Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" based on the book by Patricia Highsmith. We've been to most of the other filming locations (Rome, Venice, Anzio, Palermo), but never its main one...the one where all the beautiful sunny, summer scenes were captured. In the movie it's known as the fictional town of "Mongebello", but really is a combination of coastal shots in Ischia Porte and street shots in the small village neighboring isle of Procida.

I know I've written about this before, but there's just something about the style of Italy in the Summer ... it's always been intriguing and magical to me. I think part of the obsession came from years and years of watching this film over and over. I seriously think I'd be in the running for person who's watched this the most. Probably in the hundreds. A lot of times though its just in the background, and I find myself subconsciously mumbling the lines under my breath.

Even with all the time we've spent in Italy, summer has never really been part of it. So it still holds a mystery to me, and one I can't wait to experience.

more scenes from the film
So when we started talking about where we wanted to go to this year, several options were initially brought up. Biking in Provence, exploring Portugal, camping out west, etc etc...but try as we may, Italy just keeps pulling us in. (Plus, Chris hasn't been back since we moved and I've been twice - so he had a pretty big say in this trip). So needless to say, we just got tickets to Rome and will be headed for a lovely sunny stay on the Mediterranean!

Here's a great trailer which shows some beautiful atmospheric Italian scenes:
*email readers must click through to watch online

So there it is...summer in Ischia. Finally :) Exploring an island in the Bay of Naples, full of volcanic thermal spas, and within a short boat trip to nearby isles of Procida, Capri, and even the Amalfi Coast. I have no idea of the actual itinerary, and we may head up north to see some friends for a couple days. But most of the time will be concentrated around the southern coast.

NON VEDO L'ORA!

easter weekend + camping

2010-04-06T09:10:00.006-05:00

Happy late Easter weekend! It was a beautiful weekend here in sunny coastal Florida. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for being outdoors. Good thing, as we ended up going camping with a group of friends. It was actually my first time camping (properly...in tents, in the woods, fire pit, no water). I know, I know...way too long in my life for me never to have been. But it's not like I haven't been up for it...it's just never come up. But I figured there was no time better than this weekend to start as some good friends of ours invited us to come along and let us borrow some supplies.

So on Friday evening we headed a little south to the lovely Princess Place Preserve which sits on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway. Full of wildlife, and unspoiled Florida scenery, the campsite sat right along the shore and offered refreshing breezes the entire time.

We saw lots of deer, some armadillos, and beautiful birds. As soon as we arrived, one of our friends had a egg hunt ready for us...so for about 15 minutes we all regressed about 25 years and ran around the site with Easter baskets searching between palm fronds, in hollow trees, and under picnic tables for colorful plastic eggs. Then we all spent the next 15 minutes digging into the chocolate candy we found inside our loot.

After a campfire dinner and hours of talking and laughing, we bundled up in our tents for the night. In the morning the guys went on a long bikeride in the super foggy morning air. We enjoyed coffee from a French press and eggs and soy-sage over the fire for breakfast. The rest of the time was a mixture of canoeing, playing games, climbing trees, and hours of lounging by the sunny shore reading books. Times of simplicity like this - no phones, no computers - in nature with friends make me feel so blessed and thankful.

ps: yes, I plan to go again.

painting series :: part 2 (color study reading)

2010-04-02T10:52:00.011-05:00

In trying to journal this progress of working towards a painting series I thought I'd write about what I've been reading about. I've narrowed the basic premise to be a study of correlating music and colors. I'm still working through a lot of questions that I need to answer before I finally begin, like what music I'll base it on, what technique to use, and what process of correspondence between the tones and colors do I want to use...(more on this later). In the meantime, I've been surprised to find so many studies on the subject already recorded throughout history.

chart outlining many theories of tone + color pairing throughout history

It's been quite fascinating to learn more about the theories. Scientists, thinkers, and artists have tried to map the relationship between sound and visuals for centuries using such techniques as electromagnetic spectrums, mathematics and the Pythagorean Theorem, astrology, astronomy, Eastern thoughts of chakras with color representations, optics, and brainwaves. Here are some of the studies I've come across with the best way to correlate colors with tones.

SYNESTHESIA

A neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway, as a blending of sensory experiences. People who report such experiences are known as synesthetes.
Many people with this condition "hear" colors, or "taste" sounds. One of the most common combinations is that of sound and visual color.
Artists throughout history have reportly worked through and with this condition, including the painters David Hockney and Wassily Kandinsky, musician Duke Ellington, and composer Franz Liszt.

chart showing how one with synesthesia may see letters and numbers

TONAL ANIMATION

1. Music Animation Machine:

Several people have worked out various ways to animate sound and one in particular has made a lengthy study on many different ways to portray note duration, connectivity, etc. The Music Animation Machine is a program developed by Stephen Malinowski which uses the basis of the color wheel corresponding to the circle of fifths in tones as the foundation for the color assignments per tones. They've experimented though with the portrayal of the durations from the colors only appearing when the pitch is played, or always shown but only highlighted during play, or connected with a type of line plotting chart.

this is a chart of the visual patterns of various composers

and here is a video of one of my favorite animations from the series:
Chopin's Nocturne, Opus 27 #2 for piano

2. Vivid Group, Ian C. Firth:

Another technique used in the visual animation process was developed by the studies of Ian Firth, where horizontal lines are represented (corresponding to specific notes) at various heights all corresponding to tonal relationships (higher and lower on the scale). He may be using the color chart from Longuet-Higgins of fifths and thirds with white being the C Perfect. Nevertheless, it's a great representaion of a simple one-line melody from J. S. Bach's The Well Tempered Clavier. It quite reminds me of my linear paintings I've done before as I seem to be partial to line breakdowns.

screenshots from the animation video.
click HERE and scroll down the page for the full video

3. Visual Audio:

This is a visual language developed for the deaf community by Ciaran O'Kelly which translates music to visuals. Besides just converting tones to colors, she also uses various shapes and movement to represent different musical instruments. The method she has used to correspond the tones to color is by matching the audible and visual wavelength patterns from the Tzolkin sonis translations of the electromagnetic spectrum.

screenshot from sample of piano piece translated into "VA" (Visual Audio).
click HERE to view full sample

It's a lot to narrow down and work through...mainly deciding which route to use (which color charts to work from), as so many different ones are represented in different studies.
...so on we go...

painting series :: part 1 (finally a beginning)

2010-03-26T08:49:00.001-05:00

So I have a new project I've decided to FINALLY work on. It's been way too long since I did my last painting series, and I've been thinking about doing another study now for a few years - and what better time than now?

*I'll probably use this blog as a somewhat journalling, exploration, and recording process throughout, so if you mainly like the travel talk, feel free to skip the art section :) Plus, I think sharing the process will help me stay focused and keep me accountable to actually DO it!

It look me a couple of years to really narrow down what I wanted this series to be about, although I figured it would be somewhat related to (one of my favorite artistic subjects) color theory. My senior series as a fine arts student in college was color and spacial relationship studies and the small pieces I've done since then have still been related to the breakdown of color and perspective.

One of my past projects that I wish I'd explored more was an initial look into the correlation of "chance" in art. I started with the writings and ideas of John Cage, one of the most influential modern composers of the 20th century, as I'd studied him a bit during my years studying piano. Throughout his life he experimented with combining charts, ideas, thoughts in an overlapping way with music. He broke "music" down to just "sound"...and sometimes "silence" as his most famous piece is 4'33" where the pianist sits at the piano for exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds without playing a single note. The inconsequential sounds of room become the piece.

book I worked from • key explination • detail (and some of my scribbles) of the key instructions
He also experimented with various sounds, like in his pieces for "prepared piano" which I ended up performing. Here he gives a full detailed "key" to follow to prepare the insides of a grand piano. Rubber stoppers, pieces of plastic, nuts, and bolts are all placed in specified distances between strings before the piece is performed...thus transforming the piano into something else. *Since the recording I have of my performance was before digital cameras :) I'll just include this other video that shows some great shots of the preparation and an example of the sounds. *email readers must click to online page to watch*

Another idea Cage experimented with was that of chance. In some cases he would use chance in techniques like tossing coins on charts to determine pitch, duration, and tone of musical compositions. That's what I wanted to try and show in visual sense rather than an auditory. For a simple showing of this, I sat in 3 locations for 30 minutes each and recorded what passed on the road (at the beach, on my street, downtown near the college). Each "passer-by" (car, suv, bike, truck, dog, walker, etc) were color-coded and the canvas was divided into the number of occurrences in the half-hour and colors placed in order of occurrence. There wasn't anything too complicated about this - but was just a quick study for a presentation I had to do... But ever since then, I've really wanted to dive in and do a proper series of well-documented pieces.

detail of an Interlude • couple of the "chance" painting studies
...that led me to various studies from Aristotle and Newton to modern scientists and thinkers like Longuet-Higgins. Theory of music and color. Visual and audio wave correlation. LOTS of reading. ...and hopefully soon, some actual paint.

(to be continued)

poste italiane & soaps

2010-03-25T16:11:00.003-05:00

good smelling envelope • contents of said envelope • photo from saponissimo.com
Look what I got in the mail today!

I opened up the mailbox to find a very fragrant envelope from Italia! From the beautiful Amalfi Coast nontheless...

Soaps from my friend at Saponissimo in Positano. Seeing how you never know about the service from Poste Italiane, this shipment didn't take long at all...and arrived completely intact. BRAVA!

She crafts the soaps from olive oil from Sorrento and beeswax from Positano...and lots of other wonderful things like flowers, herbs, and spices.

My choices:
• COCCOBELLO: "This soap is made with coconut milk and contains 15% cocoa butter, coloured with cocoa powder and smells of real coconuts, not like sunscreen!"
• SCIROCCO: "An ever popular exfoliating soap made with honey and beeswax from Cousin Alfonsos bees in Positano and fresh goats milk. It is unperfumed to let the natural aromas of the honey and toasted oats come through."

Can't wait to smell like coconut, cocoa, honey, vanilla, and caffe! Check out the soap shop here: Saponissimo :: Etsy, and read all about "Charlie's" adventures in Positano on her blog: Figs & Lemons".

spring sprung :: a mix

2010-03-09T08:51:00.001-05:00

Time for another mix. Spring is officially here, although we're still waiting on the warm weather to arrive (and stick around). Nevertheless, I'm really excited for the seasonal change and have been enjoying some tunes which seem to herald in the sunshine.

Plus, since it's March, it means that bathing suits, sandals, sand, and blooms are not far away! So take off your coat, trade the hot chocolate for a mint iced tea, put a flower in your hair...and enjoy:

right click HERE to download

Excuses :: The Morning Benders (Big Echo)
Let's Call it Off (Girl Talk Remix) :: Peter Bjorn & John (Writer's Block)
Kisses :: Kisses (The Heart of the Nightlife)
In the Sun :: She & Him (Volume Two)
Lifted :: Lemonade (Pure Moods EP)
Generator^Second Floor :: Freelance Whales (Weathervanes)
Our Inventions :: Lali Puna (Our Inventions)
Undercover Martyn Flexin' It (Passion Pit Remix) :: Two Door Cinema Club (Untitled)
Humdrum Town :: Theophilus London (Green Label Sound)
Chérie Lé (Sabbo Remix) :: Vieux Farka Touré (Other Roads: Fondo Remixed)
I Think Ur A Contra :: Vampire Weekend (Contra)
Animal (Peter Bjorn & John Remix) :: Miike Snow (Miike Snow)
Giving Up the Sunshowers (M.I.A vs Vampire Weekend) :: ABX (Untitled)
Boy Lilikoi :: Jónsi (Go)
The End :: Lo-Fi-Fnk (Boylife)

back to it

2010-03-08T11:46:00.005-05:00

mimosas given to me for La Festa Della Donna in Firenze
First thing: BUONA FESTA DELLA DONNE. Happy Women's Day! I'm not sure why we really don't celebrate this here in the States, but I always remember what a lovely day it was in Italy with yellow mimosa flowers everywhere.

Allora...

I think I've been in a bit of an identity crisis on here lately as my blog has gone through many transitions over the years...it started out as a place to journal our preparations to move to Italy both for personal reflections and to update family and friends on the progress and plans. Then after we moved, it shifted more to a streaming postcard about our time in the bel paese. While away it seemed so easy to write almost daily of the new experiences and adventures, but when we returned, the subject of the blog naturally shifted a bit, and even the drive to write as much faded.

I went through periods of silence, and not knowing if I should keep it Italy-focused, or more of a mélange of interests. Over the last year and a half it seems to be a bit travel related with a smattering of random thoughts and events. I miss writing more though, and just decided that I really don't care to label it as much anymore and it is what it is...my blog. I'm not interested in writing everyday just to write something everyday, and I'm not doing this for any commercial interest. Just personal reflection and things I'd like to share.

That to say...Italy is an underlying theme, as it is in my head at most times. And, recently a few things came up worth mentioning.

Just last week I began private Italian tutoring lessons - for a refresher course to keep up with my practice. My tutor is a lovely ragazza from Rome and she teaches Italian and International Film at my alma mater as well. Not only did we hit it off immediately, but she also invited me to a "L'ora del caffe" at a cafe last week where I met a handful of others (including 2 other professors, some students and a couple of non-school related people) and enjoyed an hour of Italian conversation over espresso. Later she mentioned wanting to start an Italian club of sorts in town and asked for my help in setting it up - which I'm excited to do.

This week I'm attending two Italian film meet-ups as well and have another private lesson. It's been great to actually speak again, as almost daily I read, listen to, and/or watch Italian books/music/news...but I'm getting rusty when it comes to getting words out of my mouth.

It's almost been a year now since I visited Italy, and I'm getting quite antsy again. We're really hoping to start seasonal living soon and the thought of getting back to a second-home really saturates my thoughts at times. So, maybe through this year, this blog may take on a similar theme as it did in its beginning - a journey back.

30

2010-02-17T07:56:00.000-05:00

Hello new decade of life. Nice to meet you.

Today is the day. I turn 30. (Well, not officially until one minute until tomorrow, but still today). People have a lot to ask and say to me on a day like today. "How does it feel?" "Do you feel older/different?" "Don't worry, 30s aren't so bad!" "Is that a grey hair I see?!"

I'm actually looking quite forward to what this next decade brings. Growing up I always thought that women just started to hit their best years in their 30s...more beautiful, more confident, more ready, more themselves. Plus, my 20s brought the best parts of my life thus far, so why shouldn't my 30s top even that?

In my 20s I finished college, got married, went back to college, studied art, bought a house, traveled, lived abroad, studied a new language, made new friends, made better friends, laughed a ton, danced a lot.

...and also found out that the years keep going by faster and faster.

So, here's to my 30s. May I learn to savor the days, learn from life's lessons, remain healthful, appreciate my friends and family, love others, laugh & dance even more.

hearts to haiti

2010-01-29T13:52:00.009-05:00

It's been over two weeks now since the earthquake in Haiti, and although the news is still going strong about the tragedy, it's easy for the urgency to slip slowly from our minds as time goes by. I know that at least that's unfortunately true for me...so to keep up the awareness that is much needed, and remind us that they still need help - here are some awesome ways to do just that:

• JEDIDIAH CLOTHING :: Haiti Relief Tee •

BUY ONLINE $15

100% of Proceeds to Compassion International

I'm proud to be part of a company who is constantly working to give back to worthy humanitarian causes around the world. Each season we work with a different group and 5% of that season's sales goes back to help that cause. We had already planned to work with Compassion International's Haiti project for our Fall '10 line, and now it's coming at an even more relevant time. Take a look at this video with images from a Jedidiah trip to Haiti in October '09

• FRETTO PRINTS :: "Help Haiti Rise" Tee •
BUY ONLINE $15100% Prodeeds to Partners in Health
Our good friend Mike Fretto recently started a screen-printing business and has been non-stop cranking out these amazing tees for Partners in Health and their Haiti relief efforts. They've sold over 1,000 tees so far and have set a goal to sent at least $20,000 to Haiti! Help them do it.

Also, if you're looking for a super easy way to donate money, there are several organizations taking payments by text. Here's a list:

Text DISASTER to 90999 to donate $10 to Compassion International
Text OXFAM to 25383 to donate $10 to Oxfam International
Text HABITAT to 25383 to donate $10 to Habitat for Humanity
Text GIVE to 25383 to donate $10 to Partners in Health
Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross
Text HAITI to 864833 to donate $5 to The United Way
Text SAVE to 20222 to donate $10 to Save the Children
Whatever you do, don't forget, and I already know of some people heading down to physically help in the efforts - so there are groups you can get involved in this way as well. <3

last week :: florida. films. friends.

2010-01-18T10:31:00.003-05:00

This past week was a work whirlwind...super fun but I've been enjoying the rest since getting back home yesterday. Last Sunday started out with a small screening tour around Florida for the surf documentary Jedidiah made when we were in Bangladesh (Oct 08). It's been a while since I mentioned that trip or anything about the film on here, but the talented filmmaker and our good friend, Russell Brownley put it together and it's been doing really well at recent film festivals. The response in general to the film and the story has been overwhelming and Fuel TV picked it up and will be airing it soon.

Mainly it's about the humanitarian group, Surfing the Nations (who I went over to work with) and the work they've done helping to set up a surf club that serves almost as a boys & girls club...but the impact on the kids lives over there is so great in so many ways that it's hard to even explain, yet the film really ends up putting words and images to it in an amazing way.

We stopped at a few places in Florida for screenings before heading to Orlando for the Surf Expo tradeshow for the last few days of the week. Mainly summed up as non-stop, junk-food filled, set-up/tear-down, fist pumps, appointments, music, art, work, clothes, long days, good people. More about this later...

For now, here's the trailer for the film "GUM FOR MY BOAT :: Surfing in Bangladesh". Click HERE to view online

this year. a prayer.

2009-12-31T08:46:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve. Here's my favorite song for the day.(email readers must view online to hear)
Auld Lang Syne :: Mairi Campbell & Dave Francis

I started to write a post about the year, but decided to simply write a prayer.

From this year which passed quickly I am thankful

...for my constant community of family and friends

...for the beautiful earth, sunsets, beaches, and waters

...for the ability to witness that beauty

and the opportunity to live so closely to it

...for time

to explore, learn, grow

...for continuing traveling mercies

...for life lessons

in grace, love, openness

...for daily bread

In this next year may I be ever thankful

ever aware of our bounty

ever willing to share

ever hopeful

ever broken to constantly be rebuilt

ever stronger

ever a dreamer

in Peace.

Amen.

...a hint of what next year this time may bring...

2009 :: my year in photos

2009-12-18T11:41:00.014-05:00

This year was quite a blur, but I was able to experience a lot of new things. Faces, Places, Events. I thought the best way to sum up some of these things was through photos. Here are my picks, in chronological order, of different cities I visited throughout the year...either one of my favorites, an interesting texture, or a telling image from each place...

Atlanta, GA • Miami, FL • Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

Guantanamo, Cuba • Baracoa, Cuba • Havana, Cuba

Zapata Peninsula, Cuba • Las Vegas, NV • Elkton, FL

Tampa Bay, FL • Umbria, Italy • Perugia, Italy

Assisi, Italy • Florence, Italy • Vernazza, Italy

Rome, Italy • Vatican City • Tulum, Mexico

Cobá, Mexico • Chicken Itza, Mexico • Merida, Mexico

Teotihuacan, Mexico • Mexico City, Mexico • San Diego, CA

Las Vegas, NV • Flagler Beach, FL • New York City, NY

Brooklyn, NY • St. Augustine Beach, FL • Hamer, SC

There are still a few places we'll hit before the year end as we're heading out for Christmas. This year brought traveling mercies and more plans for this coming year. And I am thankful.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine

my most hearted tunes of '09 :: a mix

2009-12-17T12:07:00.008-05:00

Last couple weeks of the year...it has me summing up some of my favorite things from 2009. I like to make lists so maybe I'll get to stick a few more of them up here before the year end (although don't hold your breath, looking at my sad blog-upkeep this year).

For my first list, its my "Hearted Tunes of 09". There were no rules for this list, and some of these didn't necessarily come out in 09, but I listened to them a lot this year so it counts. They all got lots of air time, ♥s on my last.fm, unashamed car singing, plenty of dancing, and distinctive memories from the year.

A pretty varied mix. It should make you smile for 58+minutes. Here we go:

right click HERE to download

Hold the Line (LehtMoJoe Remix) :: Major Lazer (Untitled)
City Dreamer :: The Go Find (Miami)
Roche :: Sebastien Tellier (Sexuality)
No Excuses :: Air France (No Way Down)
Animal Animal (The Sound of Arrows Remix) :: Penguin Prison (Untitled)
Something Special :: the Tough Alliance (New Chance)
Daily Routine (Phaseone Remix) :: Animal Collective (Untitled)
Paper Planes (DFA Remix) :: A R Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack)
Daylight :: Matt & Kim (Grand)
El Pico :: Ratatat (Ratatat)
Inní mér syngur vitleysingur :: Sigur Rós (Me› su› í eyrum vi› spilum endalaust)
Space Bass (Jamie xx's Remix of The xx) :: The xx (Untitled)
Little Bit (AutoErotique Bootleg Remix) :: Lykke Li (Untitled)
Swing Tree :: Discovery (LP)
Any Fun :: Coconut Records (Davy)

giving thanks in the carolinas

2009-11-30T10:00:00.003-05:00

textures from the country
The holidays are officially here. I spent yesterday putting up the tree, realizing we've misplaced all our ornaments, making origami paper cranes from old Anthropologie catalogs to fill the branches with instead, baking french and zucchini breads, shelling pecans that we brought back home from the Carolinas, listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas Story, drinking hot chocolate, and jogging in the humidity-free crisp air.

We just got back home from spending Thanksgiving with my family in North and South Carolina...each year there is a big family reunion during this week, and it's been three years since we've been back. The last time was the year before we moved to Italy, and even though it doesn't feel like so long ago, it was great to see dozens of my extended family members again.

scenes from Carolina
It's always like stepping through a time (and culture) warp when we head up there, and in many ways, a great way to get away from the day-to-day. Plus, as I've gotten older I've grown more interested in my heritage and learning about my family's past. Last time we were up there we went to one of my family's gravesite plots dating from the Revolutionary War with some of the the first family members who came from France. This time, my dad took us to another small gravesite in a section of forest which has some of the first settlers from another branch of my family. There was even a plaque stone with the inscription that this block of land was granted and conveyed to that English side of the family by King George III in 1767. One of my great aunts is full of stories and knowledge of my genealogy and I hope to learn more from her when I'm up there again.

Micheal Jackson the cat • old truck • Chris stirring the Brunswick stew
With the Thanksgiving festivities always comes lots of traditions, lots of food, and lots of people...and this year was no different, as we had about 80 people there for lunch and several more people showed up for the BBQ the next day. Some of the fun included: barn exploring, saw-mill walking, kitten finding, piano and guitar and fiddle playing, bluegrass singing, pecan gathering, fire pit warming, rocking chair napping, stew stirring, pork roasting, turkey frying, horse riding, frisbee throwing, collards and turnips and field peas and macaroni and sweet potato and coconut cake and brownie and pumpkin pie eating.

Now it's on to a few more interim weeks of normal days mixed with a seasoning of Sufjan and Nat singing songs in my ear, holiday cookies baking in the oven, and Charlie Brown dancing around a stick, before heading north once again for more family and Christmas!

fall in the city

2009-11-06T18:07:00.007-05:00

I've been quite a slacker on here, as I just noticed it's been over a month since my last post, and I haven't even written yet about our trip to NYC to enjoy some fall weather. I really can't believe how fast this year has gone...and I know people say this every year, but seriously, this one is different. Life is rushing by.

fall in NYC
Because it's been so hot here in Florida lately, and only this week started to cool down a bit, we were really wanting to feel some chill in the air and see some colorful leaves. No place better to do that than Central Park, I say...so a couple weekends ago we headed up to the city for a few days. Nothing really on the schedule, but it's never hard to find something to do.

where we stayed • 350.org event • Reverend Billy
On Saturday I'd found out that it was International Day of Climate Action, and that the organization 350.org were holding environmental action demonstrations around the world (there ended up being 5200 events in 181 countries that day). From the miracle of twitter, I found out that there was something going on in Times Square and so off we went. Chris spotted Reverend Billy from the "Church of Stop Shopping" and I got to talk with Colin Beaven, the "No Impact Man", who I've followed on his blog for a couple years now and have mentioned before.

evening at the Met
There was supposed to be an awesome rooftop sculpture showing on the top of the Metropolitan Museum that night, complete with martini bar and an awesome view of the park at sunset...all of which I was super excited about. They host these "Evenings at the Met" during the warmer (or not bitterly cold) months, but unfortunately we ended up going on one of the "not-too-cold-but-pouring-rain" kind of nights. So no rooftop. But there was still the ginormous museum which we got to check out and one of my "want to do" things, on that random mental list I keep, got checked off...seeing a Chuck Close painting in real life. He's one of my favorite current artists and the modern art sections offers one of his older pieces of huge, hyper-realism across from one of the newer style pieces which are broken into small abstract pieces all put together.

Luckily the next couple of days were rain-free and absolutely gorgeous. We stayed in the Lower East Side, so there were plenty of fun vegetarian restaurants to check out - and they were all SO good. Even a vegan gelateria! Found a couple sample sales, an awesome Italian food store at the Chelsea Market, lots of red yellow and orange trees in the park, and even met up with some friends after dinner. They said they were in the meatpacking district watching the Yankees game and to join them. We said ok, and had to remind ourselves on the way over what, exactly the Yankees played. As soon as we walked in, we were introduced to about 8 new people and I joined in the cheering when A. Rod made a good play...they asked if we were Yankee fans, and I had to admit that I wasn't 100% sure that it was even baseball we were coming to see. But now I remember after seeing all the "NY" caps everywhere. I won't forget again :)

atmospheric view from the Brooklyn Bridge
It's always nice to meet up with the locals in the city, because they can take to you places you would have no idea existed otherwise. Like when we later went into the basement of an Italian restaurant on the edge of Chinatown, or then when we walked a few more blocks, down a weird little alley where everything looked closed, no windows, under an all Chinese red sign with a bad translation like "Kung Pow Chinese Laundry"...and into a door which led to a super chic club that even smelled nice and had small tables of pretty people all lounging and chatting over votives. Yep. They don't want you to know they exist.

on the Brooklyn Bridge
Before heading out we went across the harbor and then walked back over the Brooklyn Bridge. I can't believe I'd never done this before. It was a beautiful day for it, and I kept wanting to reenact the scene with Miranda and Steve...and then cry happy tears. Instead though, I didn't :) and enjoyed the walk towards the wonderful skyline!

an ode to fall

2009-09-30T12:37:00.003-05:00

Fall is here.
I think it's the season I'm most anxious for by the time it finally arrives.
(Spring is a close second).

Autumn makes me quiet down.
And brings a lot of lovely images to mind.
Plus very specific melodies.

Here are some of those combinations*

family reunions at Thanksgiving in the Carolinas

The Funeral - Band of Horses

picking olives in the Tuscan countryside

Postcards from Italy - Beirut

colorful falling leaves and cool temperatures in big cities

Fourth Time Around - Bob Dylan

...and pumpkins, boots, cinnamon, down comforters, open windows, and that unexplainable outside smell of cool...

*email readers click through to view music player

viva mexico :: part 5

2009-09-24T22:00:00.001-05:00

Ok. Finally going to wrap up the posts on our Mexico trip.
Catch up here: part 1 • part 2 • part 3 • part 4

Chris playing soccer with the kids • ring around the rosie? • bunny ears
The day after our excursion to the Teotihuacan pyramids, we woke up and headed to the Armonía community center right after breakfast. We helped with the all-day childrens' program they host during the summer months. The day started just playing around with the kids: learning the Spanish words for 'duck duck goose' (and always being the 'goose' because I think they liked seeing the new white girl run around in circles all morning) :), getting pulled around by little hands showing me all sorts of fun new games and telling me stories with such animation which I'm sure were great stories if only I could understand Spanish.

Next everyone split up into age groups and went to separate classrooms for the day's lessons. We were shuffled into the preschool class mainly just to help keep a bit of order, pass out cookies, teach the words for colors in English, and smile a lot as they all stared at us. Then it was lunch time. For many of the children, this is the only meal they get each day. We were on vitamin duty - passing out Flintstone chewables as each person left the dining area. By the end of the afternoon, I'd come to know a handful of kids by name and was just beginning to get attached...but we had to hug and say goodbye as it was time to go. I'm so glad we were able to spend time with this great community and see the valuable work they're doing...giving hope to many of these souls who would be almost hopeless without this loving center.

Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera House • masks at the market • Aztec ritual
The last full day of the trip included a whirlwind tour of the city, starting at the south end in Coyoacan to visit the home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. This was one of my top must-sees in Mexico as I've always been interested in both of them as artists. Actually walking through the gardens and home where they lived from 1929 to 1954 (the year of her death) was amazing...then add rooms of original artwork, even better. One of my most favorite things there was a case of hand-written personal letters to Diego Rivera from some of his famous friends, including Albert Einstein and musician John Cage (to whom I have a special affinity for as I studied his crazy progressive style of "chance music" on the piano).

Palacio de Bellas Artes • street murals
After leaving that area, we headed for one of the city's best artesian markets to pick up a few souvenirs including a couple Luchadores (Mexican wrestling) masks, and some paper-mâché Day of the Dead figurines...I mean, you can't return from Mexico without either of those in hand. A few more must-see stops were made, and then before the day was over we enjoyed a last dinner and evening at at the Armonia guesthouse and said goodbye to some of the other volunteers...

...and early the next morning, waved adios to Meh-hee-koe.