Blog
Puntarelle alla Romana
For My Friends, Foodies and other Fanciful Eaters… Last week I made a great discovery! It’s a traditional sidedish here in Italy that originated in Rome but can be found today throughout Italy. It’s called Puntarelle alla Romana. And no, Puntarelle are not mushrooms…they are the hearts inside the chickory plant. Who knew, right? I thought…
Emmy Wu’s Montalla Trailer
Lisa’s Gryphon Aret & Travel Welcomes You to La Montalla in Contignano
Meet Bonny Mathew, our newest instructor
A Conversation with Bonny Mathew Bonny is the newest Artist/Instructor heading up our 2022 season, and I think sharing a bit about him and a recent conversation we had will be of interest to all my artist friends and followers. (Keep scrolling to see some samples of his work) Me: What’s your art background? Bonny:…
The New Normal
Friends, When God created me, He gave me a blood type of “B-positive,” which has served me well. I have taken that as my trademark and rallying cry over the years. I AM a positive person, even when faced with situations that seem insurmountable, such as the one we find…
Dormire tra le braccia della Madonna
Dormire tra le braccia della Madonna (Sleeping in the arms of the Madonna) “Deserve your dream.” -Octavio Paz Do you have a dream that is unfulfilled as yet? A wish to be somewhere other than where you are right now? I will tell you that I have been dreaming of this life for a long…
My New Little Big Life in Italia
My New Little Big Life…in Italia “If you care about something you have to protect it – If you’re lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.” –Owen Meany, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Friends…I have arrived in Contignano, in…
This Just Makes ME Want to Pack My Bags!
Friends, family and colleagues, While I make a conscious choice to not politicize my website or pages, I am compelled to respond to the recent Brussels attacks, first by saying how sad I am for all those involved in this tragedy. No one should ever have to experience such pain or violent loss of loved…
Driving in France
Some people think I’m crazy to come to a “foreign (as they put it) country”, rent a car, and drive around as if I know where I am going. Let me state, firmly and at the onset, it’s pretty difficult, if not impossible, to get lost in France, even in the deepest countryside. First of all,…
The Wisdom of Bob Dylan
“All Songs Are Written As Part Of A Symphony.” -Bob Dylan What insight Bob Dylan had when he said that! Although you might never have imagined “Lay, Lady, Lay” or “Like a Rolling Stone” as symphonic pieces, the meaning of Bob’s statement is profound. I propose that this refers more to the synchronistic connections between people. This month…
As Previously Mentioned, It Called to Me and I Couldn’t Say “No.”
Roxanne Steed’s “Cleanliness is Next to Godliness” As I stated in my earlier post, this sweet little painting rocked my world when I first laid eyes on it, during Roxanne’s art holiday show last year. There was such a pure quality to the light captured on the laundry stretched across the line. It was simple,…