Florence, Italy, or how i fell in love with Italian policemen

hello again, i mentioned in my last post that the mister and i stayed in an apartment in Florence for two weeks a few years ago. we used the company Untours (www.untours.com) and found an apartment with one bedroom, sitting room, kitchen, small balcony, on the second floor of an ancient stone building which had a Medici emblem as well as the high water mark from the horrible floods. Untours is a great way to travel and our Untours Rep, Mary Jane, was absolutely wonderful and helped make our trip an unqualified success.

in transitioning from windows to MacBook, Picasa to iPhoto, i've misplaced my Florence photos. when i find them i'll include some but they're just like yours or your cousin's, or whoever you know who went, it's a wonderful place but pretty much the same as it has since we've been invading...so my pix aren't going to make much difference to the travelling world...

anyway, the benefits of staying in a neighborhood instead of the tourist areas, apartment instead of hotel, are: local restaurants, which are MUCH CHEAPER and friendlier than in the tourist area; local groceries (i love to shop for groceries in foreign countries); chance encounters with locals, and in Italy, they love us; great opportunities to see less well known points of interest. there were two ancient churches in our neighborhood, each of which had interesting architecture and wonderful paintings. we were right around the corner from the architecture museum which had a wonderful garden and our bus stop was next to the garden wall, so we could enjoy the garden whilst waiting for our bus.

the other part about staying in a neighborhood is that you aren't tempted to cluster with other tourists. i think we take the path of least resistance sometimes and gravitate to people who speak our language. if we're staying in a neighborhood in another country, there probably aren't as many people from our 'real life' and i think we learn more and are able to make contact.

i mentioned in a previous post that my beloved Garmin GPS and my husband's wallet were (probably) pickpocketed while we were waiting for a bus near Duomo. I put my gps in my rear pocket (the term dead ass immediately comes to mind) and husb put his little wallet (complete with retired military ID card and credit cards) in his breast pocket. i was a cop for 20 years and i probably warned people about pick pockets 20 thousand times, altho this isn't a big problem in our area, thank goodness. so, when i discovered that warren's wallet was gone, i retraced our route and ensured that we hadn't left it at a charming little shop, etc. after i made the trek i discovered that my gps was missing, also, and realized that we hadn't left those items, they had been removed from our person(s). i was stunned. i couldn't believe that I (I!) could be the victim of a pickpocket......

i observed two types of law enforcement officer in Florence: police and carabiniere. i didn't know who would have jurisdiction over this type of tourist victimization, so called our Untours Rep, Mary Jane, who advised carabiniere and told us she would be right over to assist us. i told her that we wouldn't need any assistance (it was late evening by that time and I didn't want to inconvenience her any more than necessary), she replied that since we didn't speak Italian she could help with the report and i told her that i had a big gold badge and my retired id card and i was sure that as soon as i flipped that out we would be taken care of--i know, it sounds cheesy, but that's the way it goes...

anyway, we had already notified all the banks, fortunately, not all his cards were taken, and we tried to notify the nearest US military installation about the ID card; then we called a cab (the only time we didn't use public transport) and hied on over to the carabiniere HQ. at the entrance were two TALL, DARK, AND EXTREMELY HANDSOME young men in beautifully fitted uniforms. be still my heart. they did not speak English but gestured to a sign-in book. i signed in and got out my badge case. we were not pushed ahead of any other citizens but when it came time for our interview by the desk sergeant, the shift commander came in and made it a little easier to complete the report since he had traveled extensively with his family in the US and had actually been to our town. i must admit that the sergeant got a little chuckle when he listed my occupation...retired senior deputy sheriff... and actually guffawed when he asked me my assignment and i  admitted to a few years in the crime lab...

despite this experience, i still regard our trip to Florence as an unqualified success. our carelessness was our fault and our responsibility and the thefts could have happened anywhere.

we used the wonderful intercity rail system to make a trip to Assisi one day and Pisa another day. we hired a car and driver and took a trip through Tuscany one day, which was wonderful. the rest of the time we were on our own, except for a half day orientation tour with Mary Jane. we had our choice of location and toured the central market, which was magnificent. we had a wonderful lunch at a little market restaurant, outside.

we used the internet to make museum reservations; the apartment had wifi. my mistake in the Uffizi was to use a downloaded audio tour from a well known American travel writer/tour guide/pbs television host: it was outdated and did not include reorganizations of the collection. i would rent the audio tour at the museum or take a guided tour in the future.

i did extensive reading/research before we left and usually travel with three different guidebooks as well as maps of all sizes and configurations. i don't carry all that stuff while we're sightseeing but i like to be able to refer when planning a days' touring. i found the church of San Miniato which is described in Wiki as one of the finest Romanesque churches and one of the most beautiful in Italy. it stands on a tall hill, with a beautiful view of the city. the interior is gorgeous and no description or photo is really able to accurately reproduce what you feel and see when you sit in the pews. there is an organ concert, free, open to the public, every week (check on days/times), and a mass in one of the chapels with Gregorian Chanting by monks from the monastery adjacent. i'm neither Catholic nor religious but this church is worth the hike up the serpentine roadway and i'd do it again just to enjoy the incredible beauty of the church, exterior, interior, landscaping, music, a truly wonderful and worthwhile experience.

i found all the usual tourist locations in Florence to be OUTSTANDING but you have heard about or seen for yourself, so i won't try to do better than the guidebooks. i loved sitting at an outdoor cafe near the Duomo, people watching.

i also loved the one of the churches around the corner: San Marco, which has the wonderful paintings of Fra Angelico where they were painted, in the cells of the monks, including Savonarola.

i especially love pottery, so the facade of the Ospedale degli Innocenti, Piazza della Santissima Annunziata with beautiful della Robbia plaques, was something i photographed over and over, wish i could find them right now. the Ospedale was also around the corner from our apartment. but every neighborhood in Florence has noteworthy and beautiful buildings containing breathtaking art.

my husband's physical condition no longer allows the kind of hiking we've done in Europe, so i'm taking trips with gal pals and my younger son (while he's between relationships); husband and i take cruises if the ship is making a round trip and i can drive to the point of departure/return. but independent travel is still my favorite way of seeing the world and Untours really makes it easy.

go, readers, go, especially when our kids are in school and Europe isn't so hot and crowded...have a glass of red wine in an outdoor cafe for me...

Good Morning from foggy Ventura, California--i suspect that the fog will burn off and we will have a sunny late afternoon/afternoon, so i really must finish my pre-rainy season pruning and shredding here at Cockapoo HQ and get down to the rent house and work on it.

My topic for today, and that phrase reminds me of a preacher from my childhood, but never fear, Bible verses are not involved, is USE OF THE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM that is almost surely in your automobile and/or your phone.

My oldest son is a tech guy, a software engineer, and he works for a big big big big company in Cupertino, California. as you would imagine, he is an early adopter. When he came home for a visit with his first gps i thought he was NUTS and that's not the first nor last time i held that opinion but so far his tech innovations have proven to enhance my life, so much for my thoughts on tech. Mike was geotagging before geotagging was cool and i just couldn't understand the attraction or need.

of course, i've been in this town for 66-3/4 yrs, so i know where i'm going...except when i don't.

a few years ago my husb and i decided to rent an apartment in Florence for a couple of weeks (Untours) and we wanted to hunker down and enjoy the city. no rental car was necessary nor was one practical because THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK, anyway. i realized that, altho we are map junkies, life would be easier if i had a gps and knew how to use it. (let me say here that husb is older and has rheum arth, so dexterity is an issue, hard to press those little buttons, so i do the manipulation of remotes, etc.) i bought a great little gps from Garmin and we proceeded to tour our home town using gps. we decided that the only way to get familiar with it and to trust it was to use it to go places we already knew how to find, and that is what we did. we discovered that we could deviate and the garmin would try to get us back on track, etc. we then branched out and started heading for the wilds of the Los Angeles Freeway system, etc. We discovered the pure joy of leaving the designated route when traffic backed up and proceeding on surface streets as smoothly as possible. WOW

on to Florence where the massive stone buildings and narrow streets didn't always make satellite connections easy, but gps was magnificent and we marched all over the city using it for about 10 days and then, stupid me, (i should say, stupid-retired-cop me) i put the garmin in my rear pocket while waiting for a bus and when we got home...no gps. sadly, husb had put his little wallet in his breast pocket and it had disappeared as well. i'll put the rest of the story in another post. it involves some extremely attractive carabiniere...

when we returned to California, w/o garmin, i started researching smart phones and eventually replaced my un-smart phone with a Blackberry and used the gps it had installed. eventually it died and i bought an iPhone, we replaced our old cars with a new one and started using our Honda gps.

in the meantime, i've been hearing stories from friends about getting lost, trying to find a gas station, trying to return to their hotel (Santa Fe trip), etc. each of these people is in possession of at least one gps. WHY AREN'T THEY USING the tech that they are paying for?

i just don't understand it. if i, a poorly educated elderly woman can learn to use a gps, believe me, anyone can do it. this tool is liberating! this tool is gratifying! this tool is everything my son predicted and more...do us all a favor and save yourself time and energy: start using your gps.

WARNING: 1) bring your chargers when you are using your smart phone. i have an extra cable and leave it plugged in the car. 2) bring backup maps: we have lost cell service here in SoCal during natural disasters and big events (like the opening of the Reagan Library).

relax and enjoy

the cockapoo finds herself in an enviable position: lots of fun projects to do; sadly, cockapoo cannot complete a single one of them. i read an entry on 'apartment therapy' this morning that talked about completing home improvement projects and the suggestions are some that i can follow. SO, this is the deal: i have a dress and jacket partially assembled; fabric and patterns strewn over three rooms; light box and potential eBay merch ready for photo and upload; recipes and equip ready for use...and here i am, semi-reclined, vitamins, ipod, iphone, coffee and ice water arrayed around me...AND THE SUN IS SHINING AND IT'S NEITHER HOT NOR COLD.

prioritize, focus, focus, focus

i can always depend on my main man, Archie, to set me straight, so he got me up and out this morning for a sniff and perimeter check. we have to do several things every morning or Archie isn't happy. he has to check out the scents of the varmints who have invaded his territory since yesterday and i have to check on my Big Blue Banner.

we also have to check on the local wildlife and our neighbors have had a faithful watch-bird for several days now.

it's HOT

The cockapoo has been busy busy busy for the past few days...husband had to give a deposition for the appeal of a death penalty case which involved prep of family room for attorneys and court reporter...i like to think that i cater a fine deposition and, in fact, have been told so by attorneys for both sides...

our house is easy to find and is visible on Google satellite view, i'm sure, after i put up my political banner. i had this sign made after the election cycle four years ago when my yard signs were stolen. i had bells attached to the bottom grommets after someone tried to steal this one in 2008, also...still looking for bells in the garage, but after a week, no attempt thefts. i have dup banner to hang from the back deck, visible to LAX bound jets coming from the north and Far East, as well as all the hikers who like to take the trails from the park in the canyon below us.

the big room was also in transition for our first bunco night...women from my previous life in the cop shop as well as great new friends...all of whom are avid supporters of our President. so great to be among like minded, correct thinking, intelligent people...

first bunco night was a great success, can't wait to do it again...

i'm enjoying my on line sewing classes at www.craftsy.com. i've also been ordering fabric from www.pinkchalkfabrics.com and have a project in the design phase using kaffe fassett fabric which is fabulous (and there's no other word to describe his designs).

i had to move my entire sewing operation into the spare room because it normally takes up the game table and the pool table in the family room; both were needed for my depo catering/bunco operations. as luck would have it, weather has turned decidedly HOT and it was 84 deg F when i went out with my main dog Archie for a morning sniff at 0645 hrs this AM. our house in Ventura, CA, is normally breezy and cool because we can see the Pacific Ocean from here and at this latitude that equals not-so-warm in the summer. when school starts, Ventura kids can predict that temps will soar and this year is no different than 1950 when i started kindergarten at Montalvo Elementary...we're supposed to have a week of this and, of course, NO AIR CONDITIONING. fans going in every room, frantic opening and closing of windows, shades, etc., ultimately: submerged to nostrils in pool/spa which is warm but cooler than air temp. 

no sewing will be done until air temp returns to normal.

i'm also not doing much roasting or braising. friends in Tucson showed off keen electric grills which double as panini whatevers; i finally ordered a Breville but am yet to use it. this one has removable plates which was mandatory on my list...husb had a 'George Foreman' when we united 8 yrs ago but that one could not be disassembled for washing. the cockapoo does not like equipment that cannot be submerged in hot, soapy water. the GF disappeared. no further comment. i haven't tried the Breville but will provide complete review after i use it, probably tomorrow night. i intend to use it in my temp kitchen on the patio, which is where i operate my deep fryer when i prepare CATFISH AND SWEET POTATO FRIES. (that is done no more than once monthly and is followed by a period of fasting...)

cockapoo has also restarted downsizing operation begun about 14 yrs ago...www.eBay.com is my method of choice. i had a little antiques/collectibles business after i retired from my real job and when i shut that down there were things that i couldn't bear to 'liquidate'...most of those things are going on the block. i have a keen photo setup using a portable lightbox from www.cowboystudio.com with color corrected lights, etc. makes photo posting ever so much easier. lightbox is constructed of nylon with steel loops which are twisted into 'S' config and then fold down into very small circle which can then be inserted into nifty little carrying case. i'm very happy with it, ordered the one which is about a yard cube, also ordered the one which is about a 4' cube and find that my 66-yr old muscles and grip strength are insufficient to corral that one. i do have items that require a large area, so will have help when i use it.

time is marching on this morning and i must venture out to Trader Joe's for salad fixings: i was ordered to provide one for bbq we're attending this afternoon. i'll have to gather my portable fans...

onward and upward

FIRE!

top photo was the view from my house at 4:55 PM 27 Aug 2012. as i was pruning/shredding in the backyard, i looked up and saw SMOKE at 4:37 PM. dialed 911 and was told fire had already been reported...this photo taken right after Ventura County Sheriff's chopper dropped a hand crew, exactly 18 min after I dialed 911: how's that for a response (don't know when the first call was made, actually, but i'm giving them all the credit). this area is Lloyd Corp land and i believe it is part of a cattle operation run by the Atwaters, inaccessible to firetrucks, so handcrews, choppers and eventually a Ventura County Fire Department bulldozer fought the fire and brought it under control. i could still hear chain saws and bulldozer at 10:30 PM but by 6 AM the next morning (second photo), all was quiet and smoke free.

there is no way to express the relief i felt when i heard that huey whomp whomp whomp up over my house from the southeast. my late husband was commander in charge of Sheriff's Air Unit back in the day and i've ridden in that chopper many times on the job (back in my day) BUT the very best part of the whole experience is when you see that pilot balancing on the top of an inaccessible ridge in order to allow handcrews and their chainsaws out to protect me and my loved ones (current husband and dogs, not necessarily in that order). chopper then returned to Camarillo A/P, added water drop equipment and started dousing. Air Unit Support staged with County Fire Department at Arroyo Verde Park and chopper was able to drop retardant, return to staging area, refill, and drop again in a matter of minutes.

we watched the dozer operator maneuvering up those fire trails trying to avoid going over the side into the ravines and i was reminded that my Dad, a heavy equipment operator, was 'pressed' into service to fight fire about 1950 in Matilija Canyon (upper Ojai?, can't remember exactly at this point). i think he was gone for several days and spent the whole time operating a dozer. no air support in those days. i can remember him coming home, covered in soot. we were rooting for that dozer operator the whole time it took him to make his way up those ridgelines for 'our' fire.

we've seen California Department of Forestry equipment on Atwater's lease before, i suspect that it's a great place to train and whatever the reason, we appreciate it very much!