Sogni di Sicilia

  Joe, Karen, Rachi and doubles partner Marco Champions! Rachi playing, despite the drizzle. Final day of the tennis tournament. We had a nice start to the morning, at Artigiana. I had both a cornetto and a pistachio granita with my cappuccino, because, hey — it's my last breakfast here. The Last Breakfast  Just because I still want one of these I wanted to pick up a few things to bring home from Lidl, mainly pistachio flour and sesame biscotti. Joe joined me, and we got a few other sundries; deodorant brands we like, some taralli, etc. He turned homeward after Lidl, and I continued on to Vesti Bene. I bought a bag to replace mine, which is too vertical, and a strap is broken. I found an inexpensive one, but, spoiler alert, I didn't end up using it. That's ok. Many times we make quick overnight trips with Vincenzo and Mariella; it's perfect leaving it here for that purpose. As I walked home, I felt a sudden sharp pain on my ankle. It felt like a bee sting. This would be...

I washed some clothes, edited some photos, showered, and walked to the Wednesday market. I never intend to buy anything there (except produce), but it's Biancavilla's form of community church. The bustle of people and the eavesdropping opportunities are great for language learners. In fact, for the first time in 5 years, I wasn't the sole non-native. A German couple were at the fruit stand. A few familiar words from my time in Deutschland caught my ears, but mostly, I thought — what brings them to Biancavilla? Horsemeat has gone up in price The new caffè bar, Makea At the market  Preparing for a wedding.  I got a glimpse of a bridesmaid in a beautiful silk chartreuse gown. Spotting the little bread house  on my walk home I checked out the advertised new spot, closed for the ferie;  a caffè bar on viale di Europa. It doesn't appear to be anything special. Joe was at the apartment; we met and drove to the vigne. Today's lunch, pasta with pesto, and grilled flank steak...

We were the only ones celebrating Labor Day in Sicily. We took the day off and relaxed.  We stopped at Decó to get wine, and at the last minute, I grabbed some beer — Messina Cristalle di Sale. Today is swampy, and I thought cold beer might be appreciated. This is a particularly good one. We tucked the beer into the garage kitchen's fridge, and I brought wine to the house kitchen. Everyone was lounging, except for Elena, Luisa, and the granddaughters. They were at Centro Sicilia, where Luisa bought a pair of sexy-fit Levi's (pronounced Levvies here). Elena apologized for not telling us they were going; it was spontaneous. I had absolutely no problem with hanging out and not spending money  The kids were playing a game, Who Killed the Wolf or Who Did the Wolf Kill, something or another that seemed akin to Who Took a Cookie from the Cookie Jar. Ragazzi at lunch Happy baby Giulio Mozzarella di bufalo, pepe, origano, olio d'oliva Playing wolf game Teà, reflecting Marta with the...