Birthday!

What started as a dinner for 2, became a dinner for 10. We went to Aqaba, one of my favorite restaurants. We had a fabulous time!




Simone and his girlfriend Cheryl.

Sam & Elza




The waitress saved herself the trouble, and just left the alcohol on the table.

Sam is very happy sitting between the girls.

The group

The girls: Rachel & Ann

Sam and I

My GORGEOUS present from Georges

Just the girls


Happy b-day to me!!

Drink, Drink, everybody drink!

Easter in the country

Franco, nephew of an Italian ex-president, dances on a chair. Yes, our dinner parties get a little loud. What was supposed to be a lunch in the country turned into all afternoon, and evening event ending at nine at night.
Roasting coffee beans on the open fire...
Incense burning while making coffee (an Ethiopian tradition)

Dance party

Steaks on the fire...

Dancing of course! Apparently I am a natural at dancing in the Ethiopian style. I am a source of entertainment at every event.

Here in Italy, we eat our steak bloody.


Angelo tends to the fire







Look closely and you can see the bread toasting for crostini. mmmmmmmm yummy
Steak!!! Lots and Lots of Steak!
The rustic country house.....
We packed up the cars and headed to the country for an Easter Celebration. Here we are in Reggio, just 30 minutes outside Florence.

The house is unaccessible by car. The road ends here, and we take a 5 minute walk down winding stone stairs to the house.

Once inside, we start a fire in the fireplace and everyone helps to prepare the feast! Georges and Sam had to work, while the rest of us had fun. Poor guys!

Georges Cooks!

Georges is busy cooking for 20 hungry people at Sam's house.

Like the apron??

Another night at Sam's. I'm eating "ingera" which is a typical Ethiopian dish. No silverware allowed!

Day trip

The only pictures I got before the camera died. We went on a little day trip, and found a little place on the water that served GREAT seafood. Just a fun afternoon.

The shop

The best shop in the San Lorenzo Market

My bag!




Hard at work or playing Pac-man??

Dinner with friends

One of the MANY dinners with friends. And when I say dinner, I mean apertivo, drinks, first, second, and third dish, wine, dessert, coffee, after dinner drinks, and of course, music and dancing. We've been known to have dinner parties of 20 or more, lasting until 3 am!
I help to serve coffee in the Ethiopian tradition. Specialty beans are roasted on the stove top, then ground fresh and filtered for coffee. Then incense incense is burned, and we pour servings from a spouted jug .
Sam, his fiance Fanna and I.

Georges, Fanna and her sisters, and I.

The girls.