Happy Birthday To Me

I had a great birthday thanks to my lovely wife and great friends. I have Hal to thank for this great bottle of Whiskey. It is very smooth and tasty.

If the early bird gets the worm...

what are they getting?

Taking Flight

On my way to the car I saw this dragonfly sitting on top of the light post and thought it would be a nice shot. Unfortunately it didn't want to cooperate. It kept flying off and landing and flying off again but I think this turned out ok.

Routines

Settling back in to my routine after two weeks of new and different. It is Tuesday and that means beer. A Stop by St. George's for a growler file and now I'm at Sarah's for a pint and some stories with Hal.

Relaxation

Laura and I went to some friend's house for a dip in there pool and some drinks and conversation. They had just built a fire pit and are determined to use it... even if it is 90 degrees out.

Are you done yet?

Working from home has its benefit as well as its distractions.

Coffee the Italian Way

My brother got me this espresso maker while I was visiting him in Italy. It is nothing fancy but it gets the job done.

Technology Everywhere

The airports now have iPads at all the tables in the terminals. I thought those things were supposed to be expensive and a luxury. I didn't know us coach fliers would get to use them. While we were in Vinci the museum gave us a iPod touch for the audio/video tour. All I had to do was leave them my drivers license. I don't think they know how cheap drivers licenses are in the States.

Back to Verona

We didn't get to see much of Verona last night so we made the 30 minute drive back today. and it was well worth it.

Rain At The Opera

Laura I went to see Aida in Verona tonight and after a couple rain delays and the scheduled intermissions we got back to my brothers at about 4am.

A Room With A View

This was the view from our room in Florence.

Hanging on the Plazzo

Leave it to me to find a Guinness in Italy. We found a pub over looking the Palazzo Vecchio. For 8 euro's you could get a pint a hotdog bruschetta and an espressos but after Laura saw the state of the bathroom we decided to just drink.

A Beautiful View. A Beautiful Morning

Laura and I woke up in a Bed and Breakfast in Italy. We slowly woke up and went down to breakfast. We were all alone in the "dining room". It was a beautiful room with a nice little assortment of pastries, fruit and coffee.

A little more Honesty*

What is this for?

This is used for parking in the cities of Italy. You hang it on you windshield and set the time for when you parked then the meter read knows when you are supposed to move.

*This does not pertain to Milan.

County Livin'

Laura and I walked up to the local dairy farm for some milk...
...out of a vending machine. Yeah they have put their milk, cheeses, yogurt, and eggs in a vending machine. This is very convenient because the Italians close frequently for various reasons so this way you can always get some dairy.

Wine and Pictures

Sitting around my brothers house enjoying the weather and the local wine. Too bad all the photos I took got taken with Laura's laptop in Milan. I just have a few I took with my phone.

Telling Stories

We arrived in Venice today for our honeymoon. The trip didn't start off to good, long flight, late pick up, foriegn language...
The ride back to my brothers house was nice though. Laura sat up front with my brother and she picked his brain for everything Italian and I road in the back with my nephew and he read me a story.

One of the last

Thinking my beer consumption was coming to and end for two weeks while I was in Italy I was savoring my last beers in the states. This was a Starr Hill Northern Lights I had in Richmond airport.

Corners

While Laura and waited in JFK for our flight to Venice I had what I was sure to be my last beer, unless if course I drank it fast enough then I could have another one before we took off to wine country.
Since I am writing this with hide sight I now know that this was not my last beer. My brother has gotten into wine since he has lived in Italy but he still enjoys a beer sometimes. Conveniently enough he lives in northern Italy so he is close enough to Germany to get some fine beers from north of the boarder. I also had an Italian beer called Isaac in Venice but now I am getting ahead of myself.

Is the train a comin'?

I have been slacking lately on my posts. So I figured if I have a picture I should post it.

All Screened In

Let me out of here!
Having to work on a holiday sucks. I want to be out side enjoying the summer day. But I got to to work today to get the time in so I can take my trip... so back to work.

Texture - Silhouette

It is actually Hamlet lounging in front of the window. This is not how my day went; I cleaned, packed, and worked and I didn't want to bore anyone with that.

Circles and Swirls

This is the last of my growler of Hop Pocket. Now I will have to wait a while until I can get down to Hampton and get another growler filed.
I was introduced to Hop Pocket a couple years ago and have been enjoying it, in a bottle, ever since. I found out last week that it is made in Hampton VA... never knew it was so close.