Ty's here!

We picked up Stu's son Tyler and his two friends Lindsey and Jill at the airport in Rome yesterday.  After a short nights sleep, we went to Vietri this morning, shopping, shopping, shopping...

Logan's Official Announcement!

What a cutie!!

 

He's 2 1/2 months old and almost 13 pounds...he'll be up and around before we know it!!

Ooooops!

I just checked my setting for this blog and noticed that the only people who could leave comments, were people that are registered with blogspot...I have fixed the problem!  Comment away!

Have Orders...Will Travel.

Welcome to day 73...  We just found out yesterday that our orders are in for our transfer out of Naples and for Stu's retirement!!  We are so excited, but now the real work begins...  Even before we start to build our house, we have to get out of here...  Selling, shipping, buying cars, getting rid of things we have been meaning to get rid of for years, buying all those (Italian) things that we have been meaning to buy for years, etc... 2010 will be a crazy, hectic and stressful year for us...and we can't wait! 

Vietri

We went to Vietri on Saturday.  Probably one of our favorite day trips, the view, the shopping...it's all good!

I think we left a few ceramic pieces for other people, but we did bring the "Mother Load" home!

For the first time ever, we have complaints about lunch...  We didn't go to our normal favorite restaurant because we were just looking to get a quick pizza, but we were too early and couldn't find an open pizza joint.  So the restaurant we ended up going to "saw us coming"...  It was soooo expensive and the food wasn't that good.  Oh well, they can't all be winners!

We passed this on our way back to the car, a beautiful and detailed nativity scene.

On our way out of town.

This is a shot of Salerno, the next town to the South of Vietri.

Beautiful!!!

My girlfriend Angela made this "labor of love" for us...  This picture just doesn't do it justice, it's beautiful!  She did such a great job!  Ang, thank you so much, we LOVE it!

Barcelona Bound!

I know, I know... I'm pretty sure that I've said somewhere in here that we are totally sick of air travel!  And after 9 flights in 6 weeks on a US carrier, we should be, however...  1) Stu's son Tyler and two of his friends are coming over at the end of Jan and 2) we want to take advantage of the dirt cheap European airfares while we still can.  So, we are off to Barcelona (again)!  We went back in the Summer of 07 and had a great time, it's always an adventure! I'm sure this will be no exception!

Yahooooo!

We just got the OK for the property we want to buy in Tennessee!  It's in Cosby, TN, about an hour East of Knoxville in the Smoky Mountains.  We are so excited!!  79 days until Stu officially retires and we can start building!!

Where am I??

Hee Hee!  My Dad got me a zebra Snuggie for Christmas, I blend in nicely with our zebra couch! 

Brrrrrrrrrrr!

It's cold!  Not Caribou, Maine cold, but still...  I just checked the weather there, it's 3 degrees!  We aren't that cold, it's 40 right now.

We had a beautiful day yesterday, sunny with snow on the top of Mt Vesuvius.  Our first day without rain since New Year's day...

Epiphany

Today is an Italian Holiday!

The Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated January 6 with a national holiday in Italy, and the tradition of La Befana are a big part of Italian Christmas celebrations. Epiphany commemorates the 12th day of Christmas when the three Wise Men arrived at the manger bearing gifts for Baby Jesus. The traditional Christmas holiday season in Italy

La Befana

Italy's traditional celebration includes the tale of a witch known as La Befana who arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5 and fills the stockings with toys and sweets for the good children and lumps of coal for the bad ones.

According to the legend, the night before the Wise Men arrived at the manger they stopped at the shack of an old woman to ask directions. They invited her to come along but she replied that she was too busy. Then a shepherd asked her to join him but again she refused. Later that night, she saw a great light in the sky and decided to join the Wise Men and the shepherd bearing gifts that had belonged to her child who had died. She got lost and never found the manger.

Now La Befana flies around on her broomstick each year on the 11th night, bringing gifts to children in hopes that she might find the Baby Jesus. Children hang their stockings on the evening of January 5 awaiting the visit of La Befana.

The Countdown is ON!

Whe officially have 3 months left here...  Leaving is bitter sweet.  There are a lot of things we will miss for sure...  friends, food, this view,

Kitty,

and of course the vino!  But we are so excited and anxious to get back and start building our home!

Logan Update

Logan's first Christmas!  He is almost 2 months old and doing great!

Uncle Ty holding his nephew for the first time!

Logan's first stroller ride, he looks warm and comfy!

Happy New Year!!

We spent New Year's Eve at Gianni and Consiglia's house with their son Gennaro and his son Giovanni Piccolo (Jr.), Francesco and his girlfriend Susy and our neighbor Monica and her two little one's Alex and Olivia.  Lots of fun and even more food!

Naples before midnight...

Stu and Olivia

Wow, two babies in a month...

Olivia, Gianni Jr. and Alex

Our chef for the evening... Francesco

Trying to get everyone to sit still for a picture.

Gennaro, Gianni Jr., Alex, Monica and Olivia

Olivia on the move!

Susy with her hands full!

The clouds are moving in...

Wait for it...

Let the games begin!

Gianni Jr. all bundled up like Nanook of the North!

I really wish I could get this video thing figured out!  New Year's Eve in Naples is a sight to see, one like no other in the world!  This may have been our last one in Naples, but we'll have many more to come!!

We wish everyone a very Happy New Year!!