Are we there yet?
Destin
Two nights in Destin en route to Pensacola and our first dinner out! Trip advisor pointed us in the right direction yet again … Graffiti & The Funky Blues Shack, where we had wonderful meals (grouper for me and bacon-wrapped buffalo meatloaf for Dennis). Loved it there.
Documenting the Feb 2013 blizzard
The warnings started in earnest on Thursday that two weather systems (one from the south the other from the west) would be colliding somewhere around Boston and would create blizzard conditions for the northeastern U.S.
Friday – the calm before the storm and an opportunity to take Lucy for a walk down Robbins Road on a light coat of fresh snow.
The real snow was to start on Friday night into Saturday morning .. and it did!
Lucy was totally confused when none of the doors on the main level could be opened! but luckily there was only about 8″ of snow under the deck (from the basement door) and then someone kindly made a little tunnel for her.
A little sustenance was needed after all the snowing and blowing. Aah! a pot of black bean soup with odds and ends from the refrigerator!
And it continued coming down and blowing around until about 5 p.m.
Sunday morning brought a gloriously blue sky, a light breeze, and sunshine that created a myriad of crystals on the snow. Out with the shovels ..
And a little grooming ..
We’re all shoveled out, so off down town to see how it looks there.
Hastings-on-Hudson and NYC
We had a lovely couple of days with Agnita, Henk, Lucca, and Julia at their new home in Hastings-on-Hudson, a lovely little town within sight of Manhattan.
We spent all day Friday in Manhattan, visiting their new office space on 5th Avenue, no less! Going to the Rockerfeller Center, the impressive 911 Memorial, and the High Line.
Firenze … Ps: third day
I forgot this cute pic of chairs ..
And lunch ..
And then the rain came ..
Over and out; back to Heathrow for overnight and Boston on Wednesday.
Firenze … Third day
Shopping!
So glad I drew Ian’s name for Christmas!
Firenze .. Second day
We planned on taking a free walking tour of the city, but with inclement weather forecast, we took bus #12 from the station up to Piazzale Michaelangelo to see these terrific views of the city that I remember from 40 odd years ago!
I love this 2fer!!
Firenze … First day
Easy arrival at Hotel Grand Cavour in central Florence. Dennis and I set off on immediate exploration of surroundings to the river and Ponte Vecchio, where the lighting was excellent.
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A super dinner at a small trattoria that I thought looked appealing, and coincidentally Sandy had read about in her guide. Had we arrived 30 minutes later, a table would have been impossible to have.
After dinner a stroll by the Duomo…
Chianti region
Aaah! Chianti! A little over an hour’s drive through luscious hills covered with grape vines and olive groves. Our attempts to find some out of the way restaurants were fruitless, but once we got into Greve in Chianti and into its delightful main square – we forgot our quest. After inquiring at the small tourist information office about the best place for a late lunch, she spread her arms expansively and said we could go anywhere! So true. I had the best buffalo mozzarella I’ve ever had in my life – the mild flavour just exploded in my mouth, and delicious creamy milk seeped from the center, and to top it off, it was served with fresh figs, balsamico and oil!!!!! Aaah! To wash it down, a Chianti Classico! Life is good…..
San Gimignano
A tourist destination, but nonetheless very attractive and worth the day spent here. Dennis and I climbed up to the fortress for magnificent views over the valley and of portions of the town which once had more than 70 towers, but now has only 14 remaining.
Massa Marittima and the coast
A drive over to the coast via the small, attractive town of Massa Marittima.
Siena on Monday
A beautiful drive through the Tuscan countryside to Siena and then the entire day spent wandering the streets, admiring the lovely old buildings, and of course, lunch!
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Grilled lamb dinner at the villa
We had an amazing dinner of grilled lamb, fresh canellini beans in our salad and pasta!
John hacking his way through the bones to make cutlets.
