It Laid an Egg!!!

I might have mentioned that dealing with the pigeons on our balcony is a constant battle. We have spike strips along the railings and on top of most surfaces. Nonetheless the pigeons keep coming back and trying to infiltrate the premises. WE are planning to add more spike strips to places like the tops of the lights but we cannot put them on EVERY surface.

Every time I see a pigeon out there I go shoo them off. Today I saw one sitting on the pavement in the far corner of the balcony under the chaise lounge. It's not a common spot for them. Usually they are on top of the light or on the railing (in spite of the spike strips). I popped open the door and banged around until it flew off. As I was closing the door I saw a flash of white down where the pigeon had been.



I looked closer and amazingly I saw that the stupid pigeon had laid an egg. There was no nest or anything, just an egg sitting there.

You can see it a little better in this photo.

I went back inside and moaned about it to Dom who thought it was hysterically funny. He asked me if I was going to sit on it. No! I planned to get rid of it. Then he accused me of killing baby pigeons. I threatened to give him a pigeon egg as part of his Sunday lunch.

I did feel a little bad when I picked up the egg (with gloves) and put it in the organic recycling but not badly enough to encourage the pigeons by leaving the egg. Not that I believe there is any chance of it surviving. Not with no nest on top of the hard tile. That pigeon really is stoopid!



Lest anyone think I am totally heartless I did keep Dom from destroying the sparrow nest up in the gutter at the far end of the patio. I can hear the little sparrows peeping away now. Hopefully they will leave the next soon and then we will see if we can knock down the next. If you look at the top picture in this post you can almost see some straw poking out where the gutte meets the wall. That's the sparrow nest.

Yes, I have not been posting regularly. However, we really have not done too much that is new or different. We are getting out most days for a jaunt here or there but mostly for chores. Tomorrow we are off to Venice for the day to see some America's Cup racing. I will definitely post about that over the weekend.

Friday Market in Capannori

Every Friday morning the traveling market appears in the piazza in front of our building. If we are awake early (not likely but maybe a trip to the bathroom) we see the first of the trucks setting up at about 6:00. The first to appear are the food trucks such as the purveyor of roast chicken and ribs.

The market lasts until about 12:30 or 1 pm and then the trucks have to be gone by 2 pm. This is what it looks like at about 1 pm. If you look closely you can see that no one is strolling between the trucks.

Some of the merchants get going faster than others. You can see the van in the middle who has everything put away and is ready to roll.

Many of the merchants hang items from the tent structure so when they start to pack up they tip the tents down so they can reach all those items.

All of the goods are packed into boxes or bags and the tables folded away. It all goes into the van which is about the size of a Dodge work van.

Here is another shot of someone packing up.

Below you can see that about half the merchants have left. When they are ready to go they manage to squeeze out and drive off.

Most of the vans are a similar type (the Dodge work van style with the automatic folding tent on top). Here is one that is a little different--the hard sides pop up to form a covered structure.

In this picture you can see an orange van and a white van that look a little like motor homes. They are the food vans. The orange one has a large, built-in rotisserie roaster.

Here is another shot with even more of the merchants gone. All of this "folding of the tents" takes about an hour.

Below is a video showing the tent structure automatically folding up and tucking itself into a neat package. It only takes a little help from the merchant.

By about 2 pm there are only a couple of vans left. The street sweeper is already at work tidying up the piazza. Eventually the barriers come down that block off the piazza and traffic begins to flow through it again. In spite of all the space there are really only two lanes going through and it is quite a zig zag. Some drivers get a little confused about which lane they should be in and where they should go. Even though Friday is the most active day in the piazza there is always something going on.

Thursday Update

This past week has been somewhat quiet. On Monday morning Dom had another dentist appointment. It was good thing after his bridge fell out on Saturday. The replacement process is well underway. He had another appointment on Wednesday and one tomorrow evening. I am hoping it will all be done sometime next week.

We are still working on getting things upgraded and repaired at the apartment and there are a number of paperwork items that also need to be done. Dom got the hinges on the door below the sink on the terrace. One was broken and every time I opened it sort of fell apart. Now the washer itself is having problems and Dom plans to tackle that tomorrow.

I took the large blankets to the laundromat Monday afternoon to wash them. It was nice to sit there waiting and reading my book. We have both spent quite a bit of time reading and I am really happy with my NOOK tablet. I have discovered I can download books from Barnes & Noble plus I can also download library books. It's nice to have an unlimited supply.  Since we left Whidbey Island I have read eight books.

On Tuesday we continued working on our to do lists. In the evening we went to a showing of the film The Artist. Since it was a mostly silent film we had not trouble understanding it. It was very good and we enjoyed seeing it.

Yesterday I did not feel good so I pretty much did nothing but lay around and nap. We had a dinner engagement in the evening so I saved all my energy for that. Sometime during the day I decided that what I needed was to go lay in the sun and bake the cold out of my system. So today we packed a picnic and went to the beach. Unfortunately I did not think to take any pictures.

We found a free beach in the Marina di Pisa area and settled ourselves on a blanket on the sand. Most people there were just sunbathing but a few were going in the water. I went down and waded in up to my knees and found it chilly but I've swam in colder. Today we wore shorts but next time I plan to wear my swimsuit so I can take a real dip in the sea.

It was really quite warm today--87 degrees on our way home about 5 pm. However, it was probably a little cooler at the beach. Still, I was happy we had our beach umbrella so we could mostly sit in the shade. We stayed for about three hours before heading home.

Here are some pictures that I don't believe I have posted before. They show the new view to the south of our apartment. When we bought it there was a large tree that partially blocked the view. With the tree gone it is much more open. We can also see the extensive vegetable garden that has been put in below us. In addition to vegetables, the owner has also added a rooster. Dom would like to take target practice on it!



Here is a better photo of the big vegetable garden.

To the right along the fence you can see the owner running his rototiller around the garden.

We don't have any definite plans for the next few days but will probably take some excursions next week.





Coreglia Antelminelli

On Saturday we drove up to the town of Coreglia Antelminelli. For years we have driven by the signs to this old hill town but this is the first time we turned off the highway that goes up the Serchio Valley to see what it is like. There is a gesso (plaster) figurine and emigration museum there that I thought would be interesting.

The town was much further up in the hills that we thought. In fact, the town we thought it was turned out to be Ghivizzano Castello. By the time we reached Coreglia A. (as opposed to Coreglia Piano which is down in the valley by the highway) we realized we were higher up than the town of Barga, a nearby hill town that dominates the central Serchio Valley.

We parked the car at the lot on the edge of town. Most old towns in the area don't allow non-residents to drive into the center. The first thing we saw was this severely pruned tree. This is what Dom and I call a "municipal clip job" because the trees along the sides of the roads and in parks are often cut back like this. They seem to regenerate okay and the purple "fuzz" on this one shows that it will be big and bushy within a year.

Just around the corner from the above garden was one of the old town gates.

There were many charming vistas like this one in the town. In spite of being out in the boonies, the homes are mostly well kept and prosperous looking.

This is a view of the main church in town with a bar in the foreground. Because of the winding, close-packed streets it was impossible to get a photo of the entire church.

Coming into town we had seen many signs like this. In fact, they were stapled to all the trees leading into town. This is very common in Italy. We just missed the ceremony in the church and did see a number of wedding guests heading back to their cars.

Inside the church you can still see the flowers on the alter and the pew decorations left from the wedding.

After peeking in the church we continued to climb up to the top of the hill where there was the ruins of an old fort. Along one street was this pretty public water tap. The date inscribed on it is 1826.

This is as close as we could get to the old fort. The sign on the gate said Privato.

This is a view down into the valley. If you click on the picture to enlarge it you might be able to discern the highway down at the bottom. It was WAY far down there.

I liked this view of the church tower and the house and garden in front of it. It was all neatly maintained.

We found the museum but it was only open until 1pm so we will have to go back another day. This statue in a courtyard behind the church probably symbolizes the museum contents. The area produced many plaster artisans who emigrated all over Europe to ply their craft. You can see the young man carrying plaster figurines such as those that would have been produced by the artisans. They also created plaster architectural detailing and that was no doubt their bread and butter trade.

This picture shows a public tap near the church. There are actually three taps--the main one in the lion's mouth, the one to the right of it in the striped marble and back behind that in the little alcove is another tap. Back before people had running water in their homes this is where the residents would have collected their water.

I liked this house with the mottled plaster on the facade.

Here is a shot of where we parked. This is actually the lower section of the parking area. The upper one is what you see held up by the pillars. This is not an uncommon structure on the edge of a hill town in a steep area. They just build out enough space for parking.

We headed off for a nice lunch before going off to see Mary and Orlando. The weather wasn't the bet but we enjoyed the excursion.

Unfortunately, Dom's dental issues worsened over the weekend. His bridge actually fell out on Saturday at lunch. Later that evening it became quite painful. As a result we did not do much yesterday (Sunday). The weather was horrible anyway so it was a good day to stay inside and relax. I did go do a walk with Mary but for the rest of the day it alternately rained and poured.

Today Dom had another dentist appointment and his reconstruction work is back on track. We did a number of errands but are still taking it easy. The weather has improved greatly and the forecast is for a nice stretch of sunny, warm days.

Il Dentista

Yesterday we had two appointments at the dentist's office, another adventure in dealing with life's little problems in a foreign country.

Dom has a three tooth bridge for his upper front teeth. He had been having trouble with it before we left--the same small piece kept breaking off and he planned to have the bridge redone when we returned to the U.S. in July. However, a second, larger piece broke off late last week. So, upon the recommendation of Mary and Orlando he called Dr. Staal (from Amsterdam originally and he speaks excellent English) and went in to see him at 10:30 yesterday. It was a good visit and they decided that he really needed the bridge redone now. The process will involve multiple visits over a two week period and will cost about the same as it would in Seattle.

Dom's first visit for actual work was yesterday at 4 pm and it took about an hour. Two visits in one day is quite something to our way of thinking. In the U.S. it usually takes a couple of days to get an appointment for all but the most critical emergencies. Even more interesting was the fact that Dom could have seen Dr. Staal on Wednesday when he originally called except we were going to Mugello. Some things in Italy work very well.

The next visit is Monday at 9:30 am. In the meantime, Dom is now dealing with a little discomfort but nothing ibuprofen cannot knock back.

Formula 1 Testing at Mugello

Yesterday we drove to Autodromo Mugello, a track about an hour away and one of Italy premier race venues. They were holding Formula 1 testing there May 1, 2 and 3.

We had been to the track before for a mostra scambio (historic auto and moto swap meet). Formula 1 testing attracted quite a few people but not as many as had no doubt been there on May 1. We saw signs indicating some of the grandstand areas had been sold out on the holiday. As you can see from these pictures it was a beautiful day. 

The picture below shows one of the curves and the main garage and grandstand areas.

I think the picture below is one of the Ferrari cars being driven by Felipe Massa. The teams only had one car and driver out on the track while we were there. We suspect they only have one "test team" and probably alternate cars on the track.

This is a closer view of the main grandstand area. When we were here last year for the mostra scambio they were renovating the main grandstand. The biggest event the track hosts is a Moto GP race.

We sat in the grandstand for quite a while watching the cars go in and out of the pits. This is a shot of the Ferrari garage. When the cars were in the garage, all the teams pulled screens across the garage opening so it was impossible to see what they were doing to the cars. There is a lot of secrecy in Formula 1.

The Ferrari team had garages 1 and 2 of course.

Here is Massa's car being pushed back into the garage. They went in and out, in and out.

There are twenty garages total. As you can see the grandstand was hardly full. There are other seating areas scattered around the track but this is the only one you could sit in for the testing. Some people just came and sat on the grass. That cost about Euros 10 while the tickets we purchased were Euros 20 each.

After sitting in the grandstand for an hour or so, we walked over to the first turn. It's a slight uphill from the exit from pit lane. Dom figured the cars get up to about 200 m.p.h. before they hit the breaks about halfway between the 100 sign in the lower right corner and the curve itself. Then they shift, shift, shift down before accelerating out of the turn.

They closed the track at 1 pm for lunch. A little sweeper truck came out and started doing circles on the track in front of the grandstand. Dom and I found it amusing because it is so small compared to the giant sweepers and blowers they use at NASCAR tracks.

Below is a short video that shows a car going past the grandstand. It's loud but nowhere near as ear-splitting as being there in person. We enjoyed our day at the track and are looking forward to going to Austin, TX in November for the U.S. Grand Prix race.

May Day

May Day is a holiday in Italy and in much of the rest of Europe. The weather was overcast but not cold so Dom and I decided to go to Florence for the day. It takes us less than an hour to hop in the car, drive there and park from Capannori--about half an hour less than from Partigliano.

There were a LOT of tourists wandering around Florence but because many of the businesses were closed (NOT those catering to tourists of course!) the streets were not too busy. We parked at the train station and wandered towards the San Lorenzo market. There were a few less stalls than usual and for the first time I noticed this building just cross the street from the entrance to the Medici Chapel at San Lorenzo church. I love the frescoes. They must have been brilliantly colorful when brand new.

The market was the market--full of people. I noticed that the purses are very colorful this year with lots of bright blue, pink, yellow and green leather.

We wandered over to a favorite shoe shop of mine--Cinque Lampade on Via dei Servi. It was closed but for the first time I noticed this shrine across the street from the shop. This must be were the store gets its name--Five Lamps!

We found a spot for lunch in Florence but did not stay long after we finished eating. The rainy weather caught up with us so we headed back to Capannori. This is what the piazza in front of our apartment looked like in the late afternoon.

In the picture below you can see the stage set up for a May Day concert. It looked like the concert would be a total bust because of the pouring rain and wind.

However, by early evening the skies were clearing and the streets were drying out. The concert started at 8 pm (REALLY LOUD!) and an hour after this picture was taken the streets were filled with people. We enjoyed the fun from our balcony but mostly read our books and tried to get our TV working. The concert ended by 10 pm so it really wasn't any bother.

Italy went to digital television sometime last fall. We knew this was coming and last spring bought a converter box that is also a DVD player. It took quite a lot of messing around over several days but finally we got the converter box doing its job and we now have Italian television. We have missed it and now are able to watch our favorite game shows and the news. However, we have also been watching the Game of Thrones dvds we brought with us AND our DISH slingbox works here. The latter isn't terribly useful for most programs as they are on in the middle of the night here but we do have some things set up to record and we will be able to watch the NASCAR race on Sunday evening.

Marcia Podistica at Barga

On Sunday we drove early to Barga for the first marcia podistica of this trip. We had been up to Partigliano the day before to visit with Erina and Bruno which was a good thing because I was so tired I was having trouble speaking Italian. We had read late and so had only about five hours of sleep.

The walk began and ended at this lovely church outside of the town of Barga. The area is quite vertical so the walk was pretty much uphill for three kilometers and then downhill for three kilometers and then a little bit of an uphill bit at the end. It was challenging for Dom and I as we had not done much walking over the winter. Lots of skiing and other sports but not a lot of walking. Add in the fact that my legs were tired from all the cleaning I have been doing and you can understand why I approached the walk with trepidation.

 It was an overcast morning but quite comfortable in terms of temperature. The walk wound its way through the newer part of town, across the ravine and into the old town. Barga's main church is at the very top of the hill on which the town is built. Here is a view of the church tower at the beginning of the walk.

 Here is a view of the church tower from the middle of town. In the foreground is a theater called Teatro dei Differenti (Theater of the Different or Alternative). It is quite well known in Italy. Barga has close ties to Scotland and they have annual Highland Games in the summer. It is also one of the few places in Italy you can find cheddar cheese.

 The walk wound up beyond the town, through the woods and then started back downhill again. The mountains in the distanced are hazy but they are the Alpi Apuane.

Here is the church tower in Barga again on the way back down the hill. The six kilometers went by quickly and we soon found ourselves back where we started. We had a quick snack, picked up our prize packages (tissues, water, beer and juice!) and started back to Capannori, about 45 minutes away. We stopped for coffee but were still tired when we got back to the apartment. So, we crawled back into bed for a few more hours sleep!

Yesterday we dropped off our Permessi di Soggiorno packets and all went well. We have appointments at the Questura on June 13--just before we leave! We had a quick walk around Lucca, then ran some errands before returning back home. It was more cleaning for me in the afternoon. I finally have the entire place dusted, vacuumed and both bathrooms cleaned. Now for the floors and windows.

However, today is a holiday in Italy and we are off to Florence for a little R&R. More later...