Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!! What a glorious day this past Sunday up on the slopes of Northstar in Lake Tahoe. This location is just a three and one half hour drive from San Francisco heading east on I-80. The drive is pleasant crossing farmland. We stayed at a B&B close to the slopes and then headed up skiing early on Sunday morning. The weather was great, the sun was shining and the slopes well groomed and not crowded until lunch time. Following are a few pictures taken at the B&B and at Northstar.
Wow! Is an understatement! San Francisco’s farmers’ market offers a variety of succulent and stunning vegetables. I love swiss chard and have never seen such a healthy looking swiss chard in my life. I couldn’t help myself and ended up buying two bags full of vegetables, which I then proceeded to carry with me for a four hour trek around the city. Following are some pictures of the market and the billboards which are the backdrop to the market.
San Francisco offers the best exercise as one tours the city, especially if one decides to take advantage of the hills. Below are some pictures taken yesterday walking around the city.
Ever since I watched the movie, Escape from Alcatraz, have I been curious and wanted to visit the famous penitentiary and today I did. This was a beautiful sunny day and the sea was glistening, the seagulls flying around and the bridge clear with no fog wrapped around it. I boarded a solar powered boat and off we went for the fifteen minute ride across the bay. Alcatraz has been given the nickname The Rock and indeed the penitentiary sits on a massive rock in the middle of the San Francisco Bay.
As one arrives on the island, which is now part of the SF Bay Bridge National Park, the park rangers are busy trying to welcome the guests and give some information on the facility. The island originally housed a fortress, in the mid 1800’s, a fortress to protect the gold being found in the area during the gold rush. It was at a later time that the penitentiary was created. To reach the penitentiary itself, one must walk up the hill for an elevation equal to a building 13 stories high.
Back side of the island.
On the softer side in the history of the penitentiary was to read a sign about the opportunity for inmates, who followed the rules, to spend time outside and have a garden. Today, a group of volunteers maintains the gardens on the island.
The view from the top of the island is majestic and offers a full view of the entire San Francisco Bay and its bridges and in the backdrop is the San Francisco skyline.
Naturally, the tour of the penitentiary took the visitor from the regular cells, five feet wide, nine feet long and seven feet high to the isolation cells, then the dinner hall , the shower room , but in all of this it was at the library that the sign below caused me to stop and think…….
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The ride back on the solar paneled boat brought me back to our times as I wanted to put the images of the past behind me.
Per chi ha la passione di produrre la propria birra per consumo personale e non commerciale condivido questo post. David e Debbie, a me molto cari, vivono a Charlotte, North Carolina, e recentemente li ho visitati a casa loro. L’incontro e’ stato molto piacevole, il vino e cibo gustosissimi, la compagnia e conversazione intriganti, ma al momento di accettare la birra fatta in casa sono scesa in tavernetta a vedere dove viene tenuta. Non ho resitito a scattare una foto al frigo adattato a distributore di birra come si vede nelle foto in basso. Good Job David!!! 
Charleston e’ sita sulla costa della South Carolina, ed e’ una citta’ che tutt’ora emana testimonianze della sua ricca storia, specialmente risalente al periodo coloniale. La citta’ ha ricevuto l’appellativo di Citta’ Sacra, dovuto alle tante chiese che contiene ed i campanili di queste adornano la citta’. Chi visita questa citta’ trovera’ temperature miti, passeggiate in citta’ sotto l’ombra degli enormi alberi e tanto colore in natura e nelle strutture. Charleston, una delle tredici colonie originali degli Stati Uniti d’America, e’ una citta’ silenziosa senza il rumore assordante di una grande citta’. La citta’ e’ anche famosa per un Festival delle Arti, Il Festival di Spoleto, che prende ispirazione dall’omonima citta’ italiana con la quale Charleston condivide un gemellaggio. Il Festival, che si tiene d’estate, dura diciassette giorni e propone artisti americani ed internazionali.
Chi ama lunghe passggiate in riva al mare puo’ godersi il lungomare di Charleston citta’ dove vi sono anche due fiumi che confluiscono e sfociano nell’atlantico.
Seguono delle foto scattate recentemente in giro per la citta’.
Per le strade della citta’ si trovano artigiani che realizzano i cestini tipici di Charleston che si vedono nella seguente foto.
Infine, una degustazione di gelato presso un rivenditore artigianale ha portato ad una scoperta. Il gelato al pistacchio aveva un gusto troppo simile a quello che si trova in Sicilia, quindi non ho resistito a chiedere all’artigiano la provenienza dei pistacchi impiegiti nella relaizzazione del gelato; con mia grande sorpresa mi ha detto che i pistacchi vengono dalla Sicilia! Ecco il gelato al pistacchio che ho consumato insieme ad un ottimo gelato alla zucca.
Negli Stati Uniti il 24 novembre si e’ celebrato il Thanksgiving, Festa del Ringraziamento. La festa tradizionale risale alla prima volta i pellegrini, venuti dall’Europa nella terra che oggi si conosce come Stati Uniti, ottennero un raccolto abbondante e festeggiarono per ringraziare la raccolta.
Il pranzo tradizionale include tacchino, che viene cotto farcito, varie verdure, pietanze con la bacca “cranberry” ed il tradizionale Pumpkin Pie. La mattina del 24 novembre 2011, mentre mi trovavo in South Carolina per festeggiare, ho fatto la mia passeggiata mattutina intorno ad un laghetto a White Rock ed ho scattato le foto che seguono. Questi due “amici” hanno catturato la mia attenzione e li ho rivisti i giorni che seguirono avendo modo di apprezzare il loro legame e come trascorrono le loro giornate insieme.
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Enjoyed Ted’s footbll match on Sunday morning. His team won 1-0. Great job!
An incredibly sunny British morning while I heard it was raining cats and dogs back in Sicily.
The time has come to leave Sicily for a while and head to the U.K. and the USA to visit my loved ones over the holiday season. I took the pictures below on my morning walk before departure. The sea is always beautiful to me no matter what the weather is like; these pictures don’t do justice to the colors of the sea on that Fall day.
The fig tree had fruit on it in November.
A local association, Etna ‘nginiousa, promoting the arts in Catania, conducted a tour of the city recently, an urban trekking. I participated and on that rainy morning explored some hidden treasures of the architecture in Catania. After the earthquake of 1693 many cities and towns in Sicily were rebuilt in the baroque style.
The tour started at Convitto Cutelli, a prestigious school, housed in one of the baroque buildings in Catania. The Aula Magna, shown below, was the setting for important historical events in the history of Sicily. One of such events, was the prosecution of some Siclian heroes who were fighting for Sicily’s freedom from the Borbons during the 1848 revolution.
Aula Magna Palazzo Cutelli
Palazzo Cutelli Staircase leading to Courtyard
Palazzo Cutelli Circular Courtyard
Courtyard Pavement made of Lava Rock Pebbles and White Marble from Siracusa – The pattern resembles lace and is absolutely enchanting!
While walking through the back roads, one square we crossed I had never seen. It was bombed during WWII and in the clearing created by the bombing a square was made. However, the locals added the street lamps in the shape of helmets as to remember the events which lead to the creation of the square. While our group stopped to observe the square, a group of children were happily playing soccer right there amidst the parked cars.
While our group stopped to observe the square, a group of children were happily playing soccer right there amidst the parked cars.
Along the way, a fig tree growing out of a balcony!!!
Palazzo Biscari
Baroque – Cattedrale di Catania – Facade dy Vaccarini
Julien, a young architect friend and his girlfriend, Dori, an artisan who creates beautiful jewelry and more using recycled materials, were my guides on an exploration off the beaten path of Mt. Etna on Tuesday. The purpose of the trip was to explore and visit construction sights where sustainable practices are being adopted.
Along the way, we visited some of their friends who are refurbishing an old country home and thanks to their outstanding hospitality we enjoyed a meal and hours of interesting conversation together. Our hosts were Marco, Michelangelo and Nikolai, who had picked some wild mushrooms and shared them with us.
Grazie a voi tutti!!
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Great Food! Great Sicilian Hospitality!
An old country home on Mt. Etna
Thick lava rock wall…………………….
Holly:I dedicate this entry to you!!!!
Modica, known for its breathtaking Baroque (barocco), is a beautiful town in the southern region of Sicily. One of the traditions of this town is the production of chocolate and each year, Modica holds a Chocolate Expo, Chocobarocco, in which chocolatiers from all over Italy bring and sell their products. Chocobarocco 2011 was held over the last weekend in October. Modica consists of two parts, Modica Alta (High Modica) and Modica Bassa (Low Modica). The pictures below were taken in Modica Bassa.
During Chocobarocco, a stroll down the main street, Corso Umberto, offered an array of chocolates of many colors and kind, dark chocolate, cinnamon chocolate, carrub chocolate, pistacchios, and too many to mention. There was a exhibit on the history of chocolate making in one of the buildings and on display, in glass cases on the street, the ingredients which are used during the process. Below are pictures taken at Chocobarocco 2011 in Modica Bassa.
A stop for expresso brings a piece of Panatichia, a typical Modican dessert containing meat.
Cattedrale S. Pietro with life size statues of the Apostles.
Balcony………..
Last but not least, the area designated to the children’s activities.
Sicily & MORE Explored by Rosanna 