Pool Project Progress

 

The water feature wall was built, the coping done, and the cement smoothed over in the pool. Plus sub-flooring in the pool-house and prep work for the concrete that will sit below lots of travertine to come. 

Buena Vista Visit

 

Hattie and Paul went up to BV to celebrate to see Grandma Donable and celebrate Karen's 60th birthday out at Sarah & Drew's place in the country. 

Florence, Italy

 

Florence, Italy...where Kate studied abroad some 25 years ago. Her first trip back, and she brought her family with her. We stayed at a lovely AirBnB on the edge of town and had easy walking access to all the sights. 

One of the highlights was dinner at Antico Noe, a favorite of Kate's when she was there in college. And one of the owners was still there. 

I ❤️ Tuscany - a Bike Tour

 

The initial plan had been to ride regular bikes through the rolling hills of Tuscany, but the touring company said no way. Too hot! They gave us free upgrades to e-bikes. And even with that extra oomph of motor help, those climbs were rough.

But it was worth it. We got to the winery where we got a tour, had a five course meal, tested several wine varieties and bought a case to ship back home. 

Luckily the ride back to Florence was all down hill.

Taylor Swift in Milan

 

We wrapped up the trip in Milan, a delightful city that felt like a mini-Paris. The highlight was, of course, catching Taylor Swift on the European leg of her Eras Tour (the second show for Clara and the third one for Hattie). 

Taylor did not disappoint. She gave us three hours of non-stop performing, hitting songs from all her albums. And our girls were up for every piece of it. They knew every word to every song. 

We got back to our apartment around 2 am, exhausted but energized by the show.

Lake Como, Italy

We flew through the night from Newark to Milan and grabbed a van from the airport to Lake Como. Ah, beautiful Villa Lario. We start our trip to Italy with four days here, taking in the views and water of the beautiful lake. Even getting up to Bellagio, just a short drive north, to experience the hustle and bustle of that tourist attraction.