Recap of Summer 2010

FINALLY, I am getting around to another blog post.  It is the afternoon before we leave for our fall trip and I feel compelled to catch up.  So here is a quick recap of summer 2010.

We stopped in London for two nights on our way back to Seattle/Whidbey Island. It was a fun visit and quite relaxing after the hectic few weeks selling and moving out of our house.  We visited the Imperial War Museum (fascinating!), the Victoria and Albert (saw an exhibit of Princess Grace of Monaco's clothes) and rode the London Eye.

The London Eye is a giant ferris wheel. Each "car" holds 25 people although there was only about a dozen in ours. The views were spectacular and it is really something different.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We were only back on Whidbey Island for a week before we headed to Wenatchee for my niece's high school graduation.  She is the oldest of the grandkids so it was a big deal.  Here is Emily with my parents, Marion and Jack.

It felt like we were hardly home in June because less than two weeks after we were in Wenatchee we took a five day road trip to Sonoma, CA.  The purpose was to see the NASCAR road race there but we also managed to stop and see friends in Eugene, OR (formerly of Italy) and two of my dad's cousins and their families.  The race itself was loads of fun. This picture shows the aftermath of a crash that happened right in front of the randstand. Overall the racing was very good. The weather was sunny and cool but that was a lot better than the cool, rainy weather in Western Washington that lasted until July.
 
 

July 4th weekend we drove to Kent, WA to see the Vintage car races and look at all the cars on display.  They were featuring Alfa Romeos and lots of other interesting vehicles. 
 

In mid-July I went hiking near Snoqualmie Pass with some of our skiing friends.

On the hike we passed two lovely alpine lakes. Of course I have totally forgotten their names.  You can see that the weather was lovely and warm.

On the weekend we usually have our big summer party (that we skipped this year) we went to Enumclaw for the annual Northwest Scottish Highland Games.  This photo shows the massing of the bands that is held each day at 12:00.  All the bands competing parade out and play together.  It is quite spectacular.  Dom is a real pipe band fan.  We checked out all the exhibits and booths, met up with friends and listened to all of the band competitions.  Several of the top bands in the world were there including Simon Frasier University from Vancouver, Canada.
 

There was a break in activity until late August when I went on a three day kayak trip with my sister, Patty, and two friends, Deb and Cindy.  The first day was somewhat overcast but we never got rained on.  This picture of Patty is not bad considering I took it blind over the top of my head!

Here we are at lunch our first day.  Our guide, Wyatt, was very good and lots of fun.  We also had a Canadian couple with us, Brian and Kim.  They hailed from Smithers, BC which is pretty far north. 

Our second and third days were sunny and warm.  The kayaking itself was fun (although rather hard work) and it was fascinating being right down on the water.  We spent most of our time close to shore where we could see down into the shallows as well as the beach activity.  No orcas swam by but we saw porpoises, eagles, sea otters and many other creatures.  Our camp site on Cypress Island in the San Juans was visited by racoons and mice.
 
 

We enjoyed the beach camping.  Tents, sleeping pads and pillows were all provided by Anacortes Kayaking.  Wyatt proved to be an excellent cook.  We brought along plenty of wine and the company was excellent.  The scenery was beautiful including this view of the rising moon at sunset.

Our last day was the sunniest and warmest.  This was our view of Mt. Baker from the kayak as we made our way back to Anacortes.

Before we headed off our last morning the guide for the other group that camped near us took a picture of all of us and our kayaks.
 
Although we enjoyed the trip the paddling got to us by the last day.  I am glad we did not do the five day trip!  Next summer we have plans for another girls' trip that are active but not quite so intense.
 

The week after Labor Day Dom and I tore out our bathroom in preparation for a total remodel this winter.  This is the view of our bedroom looking into the bathroom area.  As you can see we did a pretty thorough job.

There is not much left of the bathroom and dressing area that were there before.  Our plan is to convert this area to a walk-in closet (rather than a dressing room) and make the bath area larger.  It will all be very nice when it is finished sometime in March.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Those are the highlights of our summer.  Tomorrow we are off to Italy to look for a new place there.  At the moment we are leaning towards an apartment but we will see what happens.  We will also spend most of October in Rome.  This is something we have wanted to do but was not practical when we had a house three hours away.  Now that we are between houses it seems like the perfect opportunity to immerse ourselves in the Eternal City.  It will also provide lots of new material for the blog. :-)

Dreaming of Primavera in Italia

Lately I have received grief from several friends about my lack of recent posts. Over a month ago I lamented that it had been a month since the previous one. Now it has been five weeks! My only excuse is that it has been an incredibly busy spring.

Having said that, the garden is still a mess and the bathroom is still in progress but progress has been made on both fronts. In fact, HOURS and DAYS have been spent trying to get both finished before we take off for primavera in Italia. We are leaving later this spring than we have before but we are also staying later than usual. Our departure date is April 27 and we will return June 23. We are mentally ready to leave NOW. I keep looking at the weather in Lucca and seeing high temperatures in the low 60s. It just makes me ache to be there. Even worse is seeing the pictures posted on the other expats in Italy blogs I follow. However, one of the advantages of arriving around May 1 is that the weather should be quite nice by then. We are really looking forward to being there into June when many of the local sagre (festivals) take place as well as being in Partigliano for the local marcia podistica (organized walk).

Spring is coming slowing to the Puget Sound region. Again this weekend the temperatures have been cold. Yesterday it rained steadily but today is a classic March beauty. The skies are blue with only a ruffle of puffy white clouds hanging over the Olympic Mountains. This morning the snow level was quite low but now the sunshine has melted whatever was clinging to the lower slopes. There is a crisp breeze blowing from the north. Lots of birds, mostly robins and juncos, are chirping and fluttering about. Daffodils are nodding graciously and the grape hyacinths are poking their heads above ground. A few days ago I saw that a chipmunk making a mad dash across our parking area and later another one was up on the deck circling the Swiss chard pot. It looks like it should be warmer than it actually is but winter does not want to let go this year.

A few days ago we had a brilliant sunset and I caught this picture of a tug and barge heading north.


After enduring an exceptionally dry January and February (which meant little new snow in the mountains), March has been an excellent month fro skiing. We missed the best weekend of the year (3/7-8) because of other commitments but managed to ski three days at Alpental since then. Last weekend we took my brother’s Charlie’s children, Dano, Kate and Peter, up to my parents’ ski cabin with us. Dano and Kate skied on Saturday and Sunday with Dom and I. On Sunday, Charlie skied with us as well. It was a lot of fun and both the conditions and the weather cooperated pretty well. Peter, the youngest, has thus far refused to learn to ski but I decided that next time he will be forced to participate in the traditional family activity!


Dano and Kate on the hill.


Cool kids after playing out in the snow.

Just to prove progress is being made on the bathroom here are a couple of pictures taken yesterday. I was really thrilled to finally get to the tiling. It is something I actually enjoy doing. Taping and applying the joint compound to the wallboard turned out better than I expected. It is one of those tasks best left to the professionals but I managed to whine my way through it. The reference book we used (Drywall by Myron R. Ferguson) really helped. After sanding the joint compound I applied three coats of primer/sealer followed by two coats of paint. The yellow turned out to be a bit brighter than we anticipated but the addition of white tile in the tub surround, darker tile on the floor and dark cabinets should tone it down a bit. Also the bare bulbs tend to give any paint job a harsh aspect. We really like the way the white subway tile is turning out. The row of accent tile was hand carried from Italy five or six years ago. Nineteen pieces were left over from our bathroom redo and we could not foresee another use for it there. So, two houses later on this side of the Atlantic, we are finally attaching it to a wall. Dom jokes that the entire bathroom was planned around that tile and there is some truth to that.




Of course, the two end walls of the tub surround still need to be tiled plus the floor. Dom needs to install the tub faucet, drain, and shower head. Then the toilet, vanity, linen cabinet, lights and towel bars will be hung. After completing a whole laundry list of other items we hope to have it completely finished by the time we leave in four weeks.

One of the things I am really missing about Italy right now is the food. In particular I miss the handful of favorite restaurants we patronize there. Eating out on Whidbey Island is a bit of a dicey proposition. While there are a number of good, inexpensive spots we find we do not eat out as often here as we do while in Italy. Even what I cook at home does not seem quite the same. As I have said before, American ingredients do not taste the same as Italian ingredients. Insalata caprese (sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella) is nearly impossible to duplicate here. Pork chops taste better over there and veal chops are available without going to a specialty store. Let’s not even talk about pizza. I dream of sitting at Ristorante La Fonte waiting for the pizza maker to pull the crisp, bubbly confection from the depths of the wood fired oven…


Brasato

This recipe is a classic winter dish. It seems like I should be doling out springtime recipes but this has been promised to a number of people. It is a fabulous option for feeding a crowd or it makes a wonderful meal to eat now and freeze some leftovers. It is actually better if it is made ahead and the reheated.

1 750ml. bottle hearty red wine (such as Cabernet, Zinfandel or Syrah)
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 3 lb. beef chuck pot roasts
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large stalk celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed
1 heaping Tbs. tomato paste
1 14 oz. can beef broth
2 large sprigs fresh sage
2 large sprigs fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorns

Preheat oven to 300ºF and adjust rack to lower third.

Simmer wine in large saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes.

In a heavy, wide, ovenproof pot heat oil over medium heat. Sprinkle roasts with salt and pepper. Add 1 roast to pot and cook until brown on all sides, about 13 minutes. Transfer to large plate; repeat with remaining roast. Spoon fat from pot.

Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic to pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil. Add sage, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns. Return roasts and any accumulated juices to pot, tucking roasts to fit in single layer. Pour reduced red wine over; cover.

Transfer roasts to oven and braise 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn roast over. Cover and braise until roasts are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes longer.

The original recipe I used stopped here. I usually do the following:

Refrigerate overnight. Next day, remove roasts and all solid fats. Put juices and vegetable bits in a blender and mix until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and make gravy using several tablespoons flour and water combined into a smooth paste. Return roasts to original pot, cover with gravy and heat in oven until hot.

I usually serve with roast vegetables (potatoes, onions, parsnips, carrots, Brussel sprouts, etc.—any combination tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper—roasted at 450ºF for 30 minutes or until potatoes are crispy at edges).

This also works well in a crock pot adjusting the liquids as necessary.

Thanksgiving at Alpental

New garage!/Thanksgiving feast


Cousin John with Dom/Daniel, Cindy, Peter and Kate

Thomas and Emily with Rocky/Patty and Scott

Patty and Charlie

Yesterday was a beautiful day at Alpental. We had partly sunny skies and there was about an inch of snow on the ground in places. However, the roads were bare and dry. Dom and I loved seeing the wonderful new garage and the gorgeous surrounding rockery that my brother-in-law Scott built for my parents. It will make using the cabin 1,000% easier! They even got the heated driveway working and, after everyone was there, a group photo was taken. I think my mother plans to use it for her Christmas card.

We arrived just after 10 am. Most of the day was taken up with dinner preparations but my sister and I managed a long walk around the valley. There were a number of other people out taking advantage of the crisp afternoon as well.

Our dinner was delicious even if we did try to serve rare turkey. What temperature is it supposed to be?!? After cutting off the well done bits, the bird went back in the oven to finish cooking. The pies (pumpkin, apple, pecan and mince tarts) were fabulous as always.

It was fun spending the day with the family and seeing my nieces and nephews. Ranging in age from 9 to almost 17, they are all growing up fast. They are interesting, intelligent and fun to be around. It would have been fun to stay the night with everyone else but since we had only been home two nights we decided to head back to Whidbey. We were back at the house by 9 pm.

Unfortunately, the rain began overnight and today has been gray and dismal. Our chore lists are long and varied so have been busy. Most importantly, I have finally caught up with these blog posts.

It has been fun keeping everyone informed of our Autunno 2008 Italian doings in this fashion. Many people have commented that they enjoy the pictures. As we are now back in the U.S., posts on this blog will be intermittent for the next few months. Interesting events, excursions, parties and holidays will rate a post but not day-to-day activities. However, when we get back to Italy in the spring they will once more appear regularly. Thanks for keeping up with us. Comments are always welcome.