That young cub can hunt

Vivi here appears to have just
successfully run down her first
gazelle -- whereas in fact, she had
just eaten a grape fruit bar -- but
Jenny and I were in stitches because
she approached us with this diabolical
face as she held her brother Marcus's
toy chainsaw. "Vivi, WHAT have you
done!"

Lago Garda

The view from the tip of Sirmione, an ancient
town sticking out into the lovely Lake Garda.
This view is right below the well preserved site
of the ancient Roman Villa, known as the Grotto
de Catullo.

Grappa Still Life

After a fine dinner where I sampled
the local fare -- i.e., horse meat, we
spent a couple hours drinking grappa
in the cellar at Bottega del Vini with
the proprietor. Bottega del Vini is an
establishment dating back to the 1890s
in Verona.

Amarone Tour

Here we settle into a wine tasting at Ca' La Biondi
(House of the Blonds). The winemaker, Alessandro
(seated at the head of table), took us through his
steep terraced vineyards, his grape drying room
(Amarone has the distinction of not pressing its
grapes for 3 months after the harvest...which comes
with many risks and many rewards), his fermentation
room, and his barrel room--before finally letting us
sample his art. Alessandro joined us for lunch at
a hidden gem of a restaurant that served us quite
possibly the best pasta that I've ever tasted.

Late night Vino

It wasn't easy finding a table in Verona, Italy,
on Valentine's Day for four...especially with T
wearing that scarf. This Enoteca let us in at
midnight, happily pouring us a Brunello, an Amarone
and though the kitchen was closed, the owner
brought us chunks of Parma, many slices of
prosciutto and a fine dessert (and dessert wine).

The annual "U2 pose"

That's me on the right, next to my friends T. Michael,
Kevin, and Patrick. We are in the Italian Dolomite
mountains, in the northeast of Italy...the site of this
year's guys trip. We took a perfect sunny three hour
hike in this stunning alpen region (and near to Reinhold
Messner's home). The "Italian" locals greeted us in German,
this region only being part of Italy for less than 100 years. The
rock band album cover pose is an annual tradition...if you can't
be in a rock band, at least you can pose for a picture as if you
were a rock star.

Open Atlantic

Looking west at the Atlantic from Two Lights
State Park--the light was perfect from sunrise
to sunset today.

Max and Liam

Here, Max joins Liam at our sunday dinner table.
Max is Liam's best buddy and classmate. They
wrestle, run around, watch movies, and even tell
each other secrets. Takes me back to my youth.

Sunny East Light

A great morning of playing with the kids on the
windy beach, led to a solo noontime walk with a
beautiful sky over East Light. It was almost "warm"
out--i.e., above freezing.