Heat, Home & Hearth!

Ciao a tutti!
This is going to be a short posting because it is too hot to type...
I hope everybody is doing well and that the weather where you are is cooler than Rome. Here we have had about 2 weeks of over 90 degree temperatures - today is topping out at 98 degrees. We have not yet hit 3 digits but it's only June - WOW it is HOT in Rome...
Not looking forward to August!
So much for the 'Heat' section of the title.

On to Home & Hearth...
The one thing this weather is good for - is growing vegetables...
So far we are on our fourth harvest of tomatoes and we just started harvesting the peppers (Oh and we have a garlic clove too).
The tomatoes are turning red faster than we can eat them. Just this past Thursday Tom picked about 100 tomatoes. We had my Italian class over for the night and they all left with a bag of tomatoes. I know it sounds a little "Steel Magnolias' but it made everybody very happy! I wish I would have taken a picture of that - Tom had all the bags lined up on the kitchen counter...very cute!
Along with giving some of the crop away, I have also been cooking with much of it...
Take a look:

More fresh tomatoes turn into...

Pasta, Pesto, Peas & Tomatoes!

Fresh peppers, garlic & a tomato...

turns into Sausage & Peppers!

The great part is that this is not the end - next to ripen are the San Marzano Plum Tomatoes. Great for making fresh sauce! They are looking great...

San Marzano Tomato!

More on the way...

I am hoping for a major crop of these so I can make sauce and jar it for the winter!!!
Here are just a few final photos of the garden...

My Peproncino Diavolo...

The garden that ate my Terrace!

Ok - enough about the garden...
Other items on the homefront are just a few updates...
My ceramic class is still going very well. I just received back the final fired version of the Pompeii plate I made - I think it looks great!

The finished product...

My instructor decided that he wanted me to move forward from just painting to sculpting - so I am now working on a new project - Modellato (Base Relief Sculpting).

Inspiration....

Progress so far...

It is really a lot of fun working with clay - the above picture started out as a brick of soft grey clay. This was about 4 hours worth of work and still has a long way to go. It now goes for baking - then I get to paint!
I must say - this whole process has been very therapeutic!

Everything else on the homefront is going well. Tom is working alot on his presentation but the end will justify the means!
For now I will sign-off - hoping that everybody is well and happy!
As always - we send our love to our family and friends -
Abbracci a tutti!
Ron & Tom

LSD - Love Special Delivery...

Love Special Delivery (LSD) is a phrase that one of our guests used when she was younger. It is how she would sign-off letters to her favorite cousin. Well, we had LDS (the Lovely Diane Sinnott) and Bill here with us at the BRS Europe.  It was an amazing week! It is always amazing spending time with Bill & Diane!
As we all know from reading this blog I am not always the best with words so I have decided to steal the words for this posting from our Guest Book - Diane said everything I would want to say and so much better...

May 28, 2012 - Gidget & Moondoggie Return to Rome
Day 1 -
       Only a few hours & we feel at home with you both.
Day 2 -
       Never thought it could possibly get better - The vineyard in Umbria was Superb! Great company, food & tour guides. Orvieto & Castello Della Sala.
Day 3 -
       Wow! South to Alba, Castel Gondolfo. Fabulous day Ron - Fontana Di Trevi & Views from Vittorio Emanuelle Amazing.
Day 4 -
       Vatican City Never Gets Old?? Gidget & Moondoggie were on their own.
Day 5 -
        Zoo, Villa Borghese & Spanish Steps. Not to be missed - Lots of walking :)
The Last Weekend at the Fabulous Royal in Sorrento & visits to Positano & Capri -
All this Beauty but nothing more Amazing & beautiful as spending time with you Both

Love, Diane & Bill

We could not agree more - eating, drinking, eating and just spending time with them was relaxing and wonderful!
I guess I should get on to the pictures (in no particular order)...

at Castella Della Sala

Tom in the wine cellar

Up to the tower...

...for a look around!

The main courtyard...

...and the vineyards...

...and of course, some tasting!

Diane behind the bar!

Lunch at La Cambusa w/ Marco!

Relaxing in Positano!

Diane cheating on
Dixie...

Diane, Tom & Bill
on the Capri Boat

Chairlift to the top...

...of Anacapri!

Diane & Bill in the Amalfi Coast...

Tom & our view from lunch...

Salvatore making...

Diane's new Sandals!

Just bumming around...

...Pompeii!

Relaxing with a cocktail after
a few long days...

...and a photo in front of the Trevi
during our Rome at Night Tour!

A great lunch at La Grotta Orvieto!

Fragoline at Fiora di Zucca!

As you can see we had a GREAT time with Bill and Diane! Though we re-saw many places we have seen before - they were all new being with Diane and Bill!
It was Definitely a Love Special Delivery Visit!

On the homefront -
My brother Mike was doing a few training/qualification flights and had two 24hr lay-overs in Rome. Though the periods of time were short - we had a great time! It wonderful to catch up and visit! Mike and his wife Judy will be visiting in September for a week and we can not wait to have them come and stay!

The garden is doing amazing! The Tomato harvest has begun...

Harvest 1 - Used in Pasta with
Pesto, Peas & Fresh Tomatoes!

Harvest 2 - Used to make a
Delicious Tomato Salad!

We are definitely looking forward to the rest of the harvest. I see fresh sauces and jarring in my future! So tasty and colorful!

I will end this posting with an update on my ceramic painting. I have just finished my third piece. This time I decided to try and work off of one of my photos - I chose Pompeii as my subject.
I hope you like...

The photo I used...



My attempt to reproduce it!
Pre-firing - more to come...

I will let you see the final product soon!
Next my instructor wants me to try my hand at clay modeling (sculpture). That should be interesting... More to come...

Ok, enough about us! We hope that everybody is happy and healthy!
We send our love and best to all our friends and family!
Lastly, I want to wish my Dad (and all the dads reading this) a Very Happy Fathers Day! I love you!

Ci vediamo presto!
Abbracci a tutti!
Ron & Tom

A Little Company at the BRS Europe...

I know that I promised to do the last installment of our Pulgia trip but I we have had so many guests I thought that I would leave Pulgia for another posting. It's all good and I know there will be a week where we have nothing speacial going on - then I go back and finish that wonderful trip...

On the homefront I have received a few requests for updates on the garden. So, I will begin there...
The garden is doing wonderfully! I am amazed and quite happy with everything that is growing.
We have a great deal of tomatoes that will soon be ripening and ready for whatever we decide to do with them. Some are almost ready to go today - but we are leaving them for a few extras days to insure the ripest and sweetest tomatoes. The peppers have started coming from nowhere and I know that a good Sausage & Peppers with a homemade tomato sauce is on the menu within the next few weeks...
Here is the garden today:

Our Tomato Garden...

Pachino Tomatoes almost ready...

Peppers on their way...

...and San Marzano's for sauce!

One of our recents guests, Eileen, took a few Datterino tomatoes home with her and planted the seeds. I just received an email from my cousin Pat stating that Eileen has many seedlings  growing and it looks like she will have a fine crop of Italian Datterino Tomatoes. Brava Eileen!

Now on to our guests...
Angi was next to arrive. A good friend from Richmond and always a joy to be around. Because she was in Rome with us last year - we did a little something different. We went to the beach town Sperlonga, to the Ville D'Este in Tivoli and also spent a wonderful afternoon at Fregene - for lunch and a little sun. Also, as fate would have it, James and Greg were vacationing in Berlin at the same time that Angi was here. So, I planned a few days for Angi and I to go and visit with them. We had a great few days, a lot of drinks, and some fun people watching. Greg set-up a Segway tour for all of us which was a wonderful way to see the highlights of the city in a short period of time.
Here are photos of our exploits...

The 3 of us at the Ville D'Este...

At the beach w/a little Lemoncello!

Lunch at Antonino's w/ Angi!

The 3 of us in Sperlonga

Now for the side-trip to Berlin (No, unfortunately Tom did not join us - he had meetings in Switzerland to attend)...

Our little bar...

...and us inside!

Waiting for the train...

Our Segway group!

Angi & I at the Jewish War Memorial

Greg & James - Brandenburg Gate

Check Point Charlie....

...between East & West Berlin

Angi & a piece of the wall

and another piece! Woof!

& the Berliner Bear!

Then we went up the 360 Berlin...

...& had a drink!

Next off to dinner...

Happy Anniversary James & Greg!

Our waiter and us!

Then we went out...

Angi and her boys...

The next day a bowl of coffee!

Ok - Basta (Enough)!
I am getting a hangover headache just thinking about that trip.
Please do not get me wrong - WE HAD A GREAT TIME! It was AMAZING seeing James and Greg and getting to see a little of Berlin. I think Tom & I need to take a weekend and visit ourselves.

Well, it's at the end of Angi's visit with us - Tom drove her to the airport - and at the same time - picked up Diane and Bill! I will do another post in a few days to go over their visit!

I typed all I can for today!
Everything else is wonderful. The weather is fantastic!
As always we wish everybody health and happiness! We love and miss you all!
Abbracci a tutti!
Ron & Tom