Buddy & Orie's Vacation

We had a few friends over while we were at the cabin. Everyone brought a dish and the food was amazing.   Gladys Thompson’s recipe for Chicken Casserole…   Macaroni & Cheese with Ham Biscuits   Potato Salad, Braised Cabbage,…

This is our Virginia rental car.  We Americans love to poo-poo hatchbacks but to my eye this is essentially a hatchback on stilts (with a face that only a mother could love) and yet manufacturers can’t make enough of them.  Just…

Our deer friend Ann joined us for a stroll on the High Bridge Trail. The state of Virginia converted 31 miles of the old Norfolk Southern rail line (previously the Southside Railroad, including the famous High Bridge, that was built in 1854…

The first day in Farmville was stormy. It poured all day long, and the lake next to our cabin spilled over. Even though road on top of the dam was submerged.   And a light layer of fog eerily hovered over the…

We had a great visit with Mom, Dad, Brook & Hannah… We’re so glad Brook suggested making s’mores on the fire pit. Mom had an interesting technique of lighting the marshmallow on fire and charring it. Surprisingly, the inside turned out…

A few pics of the pets we saw in Italy. This is Milo.  He lives inside the castle walls in the Republic of San Marino. He’s sophisticated and quite regal. He reminds me very much of Mr. Peabody… Next up is…

Orie’s smile says it all…

My perception of the mad Italian driver was initially that they’re insane behind the wheel.  In truth, they’re excellent drivers and we only saw one fender bender the whole trip.  Pedestrians, cars, bicycles and motor scooters all share the road…

I’m an admirer of efficient housing design.  The first place of my own that I ever got (without having a roommate) was an efficiency in an old pre-civil war house in Virginia that had been cut up into apartments for…

This isn’t an update on the latest Spring Fashions from Milan.  While the trends of the day do vary from season to season (illustrated by the medieval suits of armor we saw in San Marino), I was warned ahead of…

Not of the Irish Pub variety – these are little food joints that serve up incredible coffee, sandwiches and pastries for the consumer on the go.  If you have time to sit at a table, you can but the prices…

Buddy came up with the amazing idea to get together with my family somewhere outside of everyone’s normal stomping ground. When visiting Israel everyone there is still working and at their own rut. The same goes for us when folks…

You’ve seen them in Bond movies and other films like The Italian Job – those zany little cars zipping feverishly through narrow streets and around those crazy roundabout traffic circles. Europeans love their hatchbacks. If they’re not racing through the streets they…