Fabri's Birthday!!

Today is Fabri's 28th birthday so make sure to send him an email or card. We're getting to be so grown up! Tomorrow we're having a pool party for him so that should be awesome. There is a concern about rain though... All of our pool parties are rained out!

So this is silly, but I'm ready to talk a little about Thanksgiving. I know it's early, but living in Italy means I to need to plan far in advance. Fabri and I are coming to visit for the second half of October and that means no Thanksgiving at Lady's house a month later. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite meals ever, so I will be in charge of my first Thanksgiving dinner this year. I've decided to start freaking OWT about it early and I'm writing to get recipes and ideas. I want to arrive to the US in October with a shopping list of everything I'll need (that I can't find here) to make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Fabri's family & cousins are very excited about their first Thanksgiving, so I'll have their help. So start thinking about that and gathering your recipes and ideas a little earlier this year. You can post them or email them or save them for me in October! Thank you!

We celebrated our first anniversary last weekend. Our plan was to spend the whole weekend in the Alps at our apartment in Limone. When we arrived we were a bit disappointed to find it almost as hot and humid as in Saluzzo! The whole point of having a mountain retreat is to get a break from the summer heat! I suppose some people would say it's for the skiing... When we went down to the city center, it was full of people, a little too full. We walked around town a bit and decided on the restaurant for dinner, but when we got there, there was a mean, aggressive dog that barked and nipped at Olney. Olney didn't react at all, but we couldn't be there because the other people couldn't control their dog. So we went to another restaurant where we had very good wine, but the food wasn't as good. Then Friday night in the apartment Olney was not happy and kept waking up and barking. He's afraid of the elevator and just was not happy there. The plan was to wake up and go hiking Saturday morning, but Olney had been barking since the early morning (every 15 minutes or so) and we were too tired for that. Also it was another hot & humid day and we had packed for a cooler more comfortable climate. So we decided to head back to Saluzzo that evening.

When we were ready we hiked down to the center stopping to play with Olney in the river along the way. But even the trail was very crowded and it was hard to find a good spot for him to get in & out. When we got to town it was SUPER crowded not just of people, but of aggressive and annoying dogs. Olney got barked and growled at 4 or 5 times. He never really reacted and the owners pulled their dogs away, but it was unpleasant. We think it must have effected him because as we were eating lunch, he started barking & growling at a nice dog sitting next to us. Olney had never done that before. So we changed tables and he was good & fell asleep under the table while we had lunch. But that was the final straw, and we headed back to Saluzzo that afternoon. We went out to one of my favorite restaurants here, La Taverna del'Artista with the pup. We have been there several times and the waiter recognized us and tried to give us a table immediately, but some folks who had been waiting bitched about it and they got the table. It wasn't a big deal, but we're regulars and entitled to special perks! We had a delicious meal with my favorite wine and tried to ignore the heat.

Sunday we relaxed and Sunday night I made us a fancy dinner of porcini mushrooms and fresh pasta. We ate on our china for the first time and had candles and our special bottle of Dom Perignon 1990 which was a wedding gift.

So that was the anniversary weekend. Not what we planned, but very nice. Oh! I forgot the beautiful gift Fabri gave me. He got me a pretty silver cocktail ring. Hey, I found a picture! Isn't it pretty?

A Bit of Excitement

I just wanted to post a quick story before we began our anniversary weekend celebration.

Olney has a best friend who he plays with several times a week. She's a 3 year old mutt that lives at the other end of our apartment complex. Her owner invited Fabri, Olney and I to dinner last night. It was sooooo much food and soooooo much wine. Everything was really good, except the pasta didn't really do it for me. Olney got a LOT of treats as well. We were all stuffed by the end of a late night. We got home at about 12:30. When we walked in and turned the lights on I saw a shadow in the living room. When I walked forward to investigate I realized it was a bat circling around our living room!! I don't know how the poor thing got in, the windows were only open a crack. Fabri was a bit scared and stayed back saying "you're a biologist, you know what to do." Well all I knew was they're good fliers and he wanted to get out, so I opened the doors and windows all the way until he flew right out. It took less than a minute. So that was our excitement last night! Watch out for bats in your belfry!

Repetitive

Did anyone notice that my last blog post was very repetitive? Not within itself, but with the previous blog. At least I had some great pictures to go with each!

Last weekend we did the hiking thing again. This time in Valle Stura. It's pretty important around here to not know the different valleys and the main cities in each of them. You can't be a real Piemontese without knowing the valleys and the mountain peaks. I'm proud to say I'm doing pretty well! Below is Pietraporzio from above. We began our day down by that lake and ended it with some gelato from a restaurant/bar down there.

From Pietraporza Hike Aug 09

There was a river at the very beginning of the trail and Olney went CRAZY over it. The water was really cold, but he liked wading in and eventually went swimming. The current was strong, but he did well swimming from side to side. I want to get him some floating pool/river toys to play with. Maybe we can train him to be a good retrieving dog. Not that we do a lot of duck hunting these days...

From Pietraporza Hike Aug 09

So Olney is going through a stage. Besides being adorable and sweet and a great swimmer, he also has been chewing on our couch and barking a lot. I guess he's going through his rebellious adolescent stage. I just sewed up the couch as best I could and we're going to try to keep it protected from the pup.

From Pietraporza Hike Aug 09

Oh, I got distracted, I was going to say that while Olney was going crazy over the river, I was going crazy over all the moths and butterflies. There were a bunch puddling (getting salt from drying puddles) by the river. As we hiked up, we found 2 fields full of wild flowers and butterflies including the endangered Apollo butterfly. I collected what I could, but I don't hike with my net because it's so cumbersome. I did get a couple cool beetles and a bunch of butterflies and a couple moths. Fabri said he knows a field we can drive all the way up to so that I can bring all my collecting gear. Next time I'll take some photos of the pretty bugs before I catch them so I can post them on here too! Also I collected some wild lavender from the mountain and that's currently hanging up and drying on the balcony. The above photo is Olney in the lavender.

Amphibias International Travel Pup!

I was going to write all about Olney and how he swims in the pool now and we got him a pet passport so we can bring him to Nice, but he just ran around like a crazy pup jumping on the furniture (and me) and I'm annoyed with him. So instead I'm going to get a little ice cream and relax on the couch a little before writing this blog. It's sooo hot here, and ice cream is perfect for breakfast, lunch & dinner.

So like I said before, Olney's a great swimmer! He can go in and out of the pool by himself and does a couple laps around us while we're all in the water. He's really fast too and beats Fabri at swim races! This is me about to grab him so he can rest in the water with us for a sec.

From Olney at the Pool

Here's me holding him so he can take a break from paddling. I think he gets tired because there's no where for him to rest except for on the steps. Maybe we can get a special dog friendly raft for him!

From Olney at the Pool

Look at how cute the little swim pup is!!

From Olney at the Pool

We took Olney to the vet last week for a general check up and a rabies vaccine. We needed the vaccine to get him a puppy passport and you have to have a passport to take him abroad (for example, to Nice where we're going for a weekend in August). We also had them do a heart worm test, which was negative and we gave him the preventative pills. In Saluzzo the climate isn't right for heart worm, but Ruffia (where the pool is) and Monasterolo di Savigliano (where Olney was born) are hot spots. So we decided to have the test and get the pills. While we were waiting to go into the exam room, a horrible pit bull came out and was vicious and bit another dog waiting on the face and would have bit Olney if he had been closer. The other dog that got bit (which was very sweet and had played with Olney before the bit pull) was bleeding on her face, and the vet took care of it of course. Fabri was so mad, and I was upset by the whole thing. And of course the dog's owners were as well. So it goes.

A few days later I went and got the International Travel Pup his passport! It was very easy because the office is in our apartment complex! It was very easy, the hardest part being Olney got bored waiting for the woman to fill all the necessary information in for the passport. Puppies!

Now I can't wait to head over to France! We wanted to go this weekend, but Fabri's parents are there, and we don't want to have that kind of family vacation there right now. Instead we're going to go on another mountain top hike tomorrow and hopefully put together our shelves for the cellar on Sunday.

We're hikers!

So Fabri and I are officially Alpine hikers. Last Saturday we went for FOUR AND A HALF HOURS with a colleague of Fabri's and his wife (Davide & Elena). We were between 2,200 and 2,500 meters. It is hard to breathe up there. I don't think I've ever been that high on the outside of an airplane. Yikes.

The entire experience was exhausting and I still have a sun burn on the back of my legs. I managed to collect some excellent insects and I took a lot of beautiful pictures especially of the beautiful alpine flowers.

Davide and Elena are REAL hikers and brought us to this somewhat difficult trail. When we arrived at the parking lot and they pointed out where we were headed, I thought they were joking.

From Sampeyre Hike July 09

We were headed for the top of that valley in the middle, but I couldn't make it. We ended at the valley to the right and had lunch there. This is Elena and I relaxing on a rock waiting for the guys to join us for lunch.

From Sampeyre Hike July 09

So that was Saturday. Oh wait, then after the most exhaustive hike ever, we went to Ruffia to have dinner with Fabri's cousin Pina & her fiance Achille. They were at the wedding in Brookeville. They're getting married next June in Caserta. Then Sunday we slept in and relaxed until the early evening when we went to the pool and relaxed and had dinner with Gaetano & Detta. Not a bad weekend.

On Monday Olney went to the vet for the first time. He played with a sweet dog in the waiting room and was generally very good. He was a little nervous about the exam table but got a vaccine with out a peep. He didn't like having his blood taken at first for the heart worm test, but I gave him treats and he was fine. There was a little incident with a very ferocious pit bull which bit the nose of the dog Olney was playing with. She was fine and the vet fixed her up, but everyone was upset by that. There was also a cat in a cage and Olney was play barking at him. I imagine he wanted to know why he was in a cage and asking him to come out and play. Olney is only interested in playing with everyone, getting pets, and mostly getting food. Anyway, he's heartworm negative and now has an animal passport so we can take him to Nice soon.

Last night Fabri and I had two neighboring families over for dinner. Both families have 4 year old boys and one also has a 1.5 year old girl. We had a lot of fun and now we're friends not just neighbors. They loved our house, their's houses all have the original floor plan with a closed off kitchen. Olney was pretty good, but it was stressful for him having little boys running around his house. He barked a bunch both begging for food & at the boys, but it was a good socializing experience for him. And Fabri & I didn't yell anymore at Olney than the moms did at their kids!

The Day I Walked from Italy to France

First, a bit of housekeeping. I fixed my blog settings so that you can comment without having an account/password. Under your comment, select the Name/URL button. Then you can just put your name in (URL optional) and press publish. So now I can get your comments!! Hooray! That will certainly help me write more often because it's hard to write when I don't get feedback. Leave those comments!

So this weekend we took the little pup to the mountains. We decided to go to Limone instead of to Nice. Fabri and I aren't big beach people, and Limone seemed like a good way to beat the heat. And it was. It got chilly at night and I loved it!

Limone is a ski resort town in the alps located at about 1300 meters. Altitude is important here, so pay attention. It is a really sweet little town with very narrow cobblestone streets so there is almost no car traffic. Fabri's parents have had an apartment there for over 20 years. So we grabbed the keys and on Friday I met Fabri at work in Cuneo with the puppy and our bags. We transferred everything to Fabri's car and after a pleasant drive of only 30 minutes, we were in Limone. That's another nice thing, Nice is 2.5 hours, Limone is 30 minutes (from Cuneo, +30 minutes from Saluzzo).

When we arrived we unpacked a little and aired out the house. Unfortunately it started raining, but it was a quick storm. We had planned on walking down to Limone from the house (the house is up the road at an altitude of 1400 meters), but drove instead so as not to arrive in Limone completely muddy. We walked around the town with the pup and had dinner outside. Then we went to an Irish pub (the only Irish beer on tap was Guiness, the rest were Belgium). We met an Italian guy who spent 4 years in England and was looking to possibly travel and teach English. I told him about my experience teaching English around Cuneo.

The next day we woke up early; partly because we wanted to and partly because Olney wanted us to; and headed to the mountain peaks. We decided we wanted to walk part of the old salt road from France to Italy and see some old forts the Italians built on the French border. We drove up to about 1800 meters and parked by a refuge. There are refuges all over the alps for skiers, bikers and hikers. This one was easily accessible by car so it was a pretty nice restaurant and very crowded at lunch time. Anyway, with the pup we hiked from there for about 2 hours up to 1915 meters and around 2 forts. We walked back and forth from France & Italy a few times. It was very windy on the French side. Fabri had thought the forts were built between WWI and WWII in preparation of Italy's invasion of France, but they were actually built in the 1880s.

From Limone Summer Hiking 09

There was a second fort that had a dry moat, but we couldn't explore inside because the bridge had been half removed. That was too bad. We wanted to hike to another fort further in France, but the French side of the peak was very windy and cold. We did see a marmotta there which is basically a big groundhog and the mountains are full of them.

Then we walked back down to the refuge and had a wonderful lunch. The bread was especially good. Fabri explained that the bread from the mountains is so good because they have such clean and fresh water up there. On Sunday we bought a kilo of bread from Limone for our freezer.

From Limone Summer Hiking 09

That evening we did some shopping and hanging out around Limone and then had dinner at this pizzeria we were familiar with. Olney was a bit of a pain though and kept barking during out dinner. He is always hungry and barks when he wants us to give him food. It's harder to ignore it when you're in a restaurant...

Sunday was a beautiful sunny day. We woke up a bit later than usual and I made french toast for breakfast. When we were ready we walked down the old Roman road along the river to Limone. We let Olney go down into the water in a couple places and he loved it. The water was really cold, but it's fresh and we allowed him to drink it (he's not allowed to drink pool water which isn't easy for him to understand).

From Limone Summer Hiking 09

Later that afternoon we headed home to Saluzzo. Now we're all about hiking the alps and on Saturday we have plans to go with a nurse friend of Fabri's, his wife & their dog (Na-na). The two dogs know each other and get along. Well, Na-na just ignores Olney, and Olney follows her around like she's the coolest thing on 4 legs. Eventually we plan to go hiking some of the tunnels dug during WWII. They're supposed to be honeycombed all over the alps connecting several forts. I think this sounds like the perfect excuse to buy a new head lamp! (Yes I'm a dork and I own a crappy $5 head lamp).

There are more photos in my picasa web albums (link to the right). Don't forget to comment!

Busy Bee

I have been so busy. Trying to keep the house clean is a full time job! Emphasis on trying. Also I've taken on 4 new classes this week which keeps me busy. And of course the puppy is generally crazy and wants to play all the time.

This weekend we had a 4th of July party at Ruffia. As soon as it was time to start cooking and set things up, it started raining. People were huddled under umbrellas and hiding in the house. I made a couple of pasta salads and everyone devoured those while we waited for the rain to stop so we could cook outside. Eventually we were able to make sausages and a couple dozen hamburgers and eat outside. Fabri's friend Robi made FOUR desserts to share with everyone which was awesome. After eating we sat around outside and Fabri, Miki, and Danielle played the guitar and sang. That was a lot of fun. We saw some friends who we haven't seen practically since our wedding party last September. Fabri's family was there having fun too!

We spent the night in Ruffia and Sunday morning poor Fabri had to wake up early and go to work. Thankfully he showed up in time for lunch. The extended family came back to Ruffia in the afternoon for lunch and to play by the pool. We ate a bunch of left overs plus some salamis that Francesca's boyfriend Ellio brought. His family has a farm with 100 cows, so they make their own salami and meat.

Fabri had a dicey patient he was worried about, but he didn't have to go back to the hospice which was very lucky! He was able to take a nap and then play badminton and swim all afternoon. Olney was really happy getting to play outside all day, but we're worry he got a little sunburned on his face.

That night we made hamburgers & hotdogs again and had a little pasta. A huge thunderstorm rolled in and dropped a lot of water. It was very windy and the guys had to run around the house closing the shutters. Everyone was very worried about having left their windows open and such, but I wasn't. And when we got home, the house was fine. I'm always right!

Anyway, that was our weekend in the country. Now this week we're both working a lot (Fabri's in the hospice all week instead of visiting his patients at their homes'). Then our plan for this weekend is to go to Nice! We need to do more traveling/hanging out together just us. The plan is to bring Olney too cause we're crazy dog people. We're those people who always have our dog with us and assume everyone loves our dog as much as we do... Just a warning.

Ok, back to work for me! Busy, busy bee!