August 2010 Vacation Time!

Now that most of the work has been done, we can enjoy our vacation home: this time for 4 (say that again: F O U R) weeks. Three of those weeks Mom & Dad joined us. They saw our place for the first time. August is the fiesta time for Italy and most towns have some sort of festivities. Fara San Martino had 3 days: a carnival, music, lights, and of course food! Fireworks every night, but the highlight was on the last night where they shot the fireworks off in the gorge. What a spectacular sight with the fireworks reflecting on the mountain. We had front row seats on our balcony enjoying a glass of limoncello.





Welcome! But enter at your own risk..... you might get wiggled to death!








On guard at Via San Pietro Vico IX 3

Typical planters....

We put up a new porch cover..... with rain chain

Still life of Abruzzo fresh fruits

Rudi restored the front door & polished the brass

Part of our enamel collection hanging in the kitchen

more enamel.....

Nashoba's last portrait hanging in a place of honour (we still miss you)

Pretty bottles!

Our new clock

additional living room furnishings a 'la Ikea

Koda's Kave...

Relaxing in the garden

Coffee time!

Mom taking a picture of a Lounge Lizard

Aperativo time!

New picnic table a' la Rudi (made of old scaffolding planks found in the shed)

Coffee with Daddy

Fetch!

Keeping an eye on us from above

Our shed & house from the road below

Fara San Martino

Gorge San Martino

Fresh Figs!

Various pictures in Fara San Martino

the market

the church below our house built in 829

above the church door

a road less travelled

Did you bring the Lupo down from the mountain? (I was really asked that question)

Good night Fara San Martino

Trabochi on the coast

Roccascalegna Castle

Buon viaggio Mom & Dad! We miss you!

Last day at the beach with Koda

beach still life

The end of our vacation...... (sigh) Farewell!

July 2010

We took a long weekend in July and flew with Ryanair from Thursday to Tuesday. Great connection for us! The mission set for ourselves: buy a Bar-B-Q for the summer.

Mission accomplished!

Our Oleander in full bloom!

Own feature: Oleander

Borrowed feature: Mountain

Me 'n my Olea

Ready for the Summer!

Guestroom floor

Guestroom floor: note the stencilwork

view from master bedroom to guestroom

view from the balcony

hmmmm, guess we need to do some gardening this summer.....

Mimosa trees down the cliff

dressing table: 2nd hand bargain, sanded & oiled

master bedroom

master bedroom view to the balcony

Gift from God: fig tree? Yummie!

Next project: window to the cantina. Renato will make it as big as possible

cantina window from the inside

cantina

This is the life! Le Dolce Vita

April 2010

Unfortunately our camera broke during our last visit in September 2009, so no blogs were posted since March.

We did manage to get the lions share of work done to make the house habitable, so our next visit in April 2010 was finally a real vacation! In spite of the volcanic ash from Iceland that crippled the air industry, we did manage to fly out on the 22nd instead of the 20th, so only lost 2 days of vacation.

Rudi's mother Sien: in a guilded cage?

The kitchen

View from kitchen to the living room

kitchen view towards staircase (notice lovely new handrail!)

view from living room to kitchen

relaxing in living room

living room

living room

guest bedroom (bless this guest!)

guest bedroom (new wardrobe & Rudi's handmade dressing table)

stairway looking down (look at the new handrail!)

upstairs landing (painted concrete & stenciled)

lovely new handrail for staircase

Renato fixed the balcony in February 2010 while Rudi was there working

Now that they cleared the hill you can see our shed from the road below

The waterfall below our house

NOW IT'S VACATION TIME!

War Memorial on Memorial Day in Fara San Martino

ME!

Memorial Day in Fara San Martino