At Home

We really like our home near Formello (outskirts of Rome). We're lucky to have a lot of space and to enjoy incredible weather. Were loves to sit in the garden to reply to downloaded email, to plan, and to teach Clara to ride a two-wheeler!


The boys, as always, love soccer and also play a little tennis.













Clara has a rope swing that we all take turns pushing her on.



Cheryl has enough room for yoga with Rodney Yee and the kids. Namaste.

Elan turns 10

We were in Nice for Elan's actual birthday. We spent the afternoon on the pebbly beach and strolling through the old part of the town. As you can see above, Elan enjoyed some gelato, too (Clara was upset that only the birthday boy got whipped cream on top).

Elan celebrated with a sleepover party. He and 5 of his friends played tennis, soccer, and some games before watching a few movies. They all fell asleep by midnight and woke at 7am (it's great that running around can encourage fatigue). They seemed to have a good time with each other, and Elan had a blast. It was his first slumber party.

Pruning, Pups, Reading, and Roadtriping

The upkeep of our house has included pruning olive trees and taking care of Gaia and her eight puppies. Luckily someone else did the pruning and burning of branches, but the puppies are still ours. They're incredibly cute but no one seems to want them because they're mutts. I guess folks in Rome don't appreciate hybrid vigor. The kids and their friends love playing with the pups, making them perfect pets for a family. Any takers?














We returned from a great drive to Barcelona last week. It was a wonderful trip, and I'll supply photos and details soon.

I just read The Hummingbird's Daughter with my bookclub. It's a sort of historical fiction written by a wonderful storyteller, Luis Alberto Urrea. There are many Christian and liberation theology themes that have been considered heretical by the Catholic church but more than inspiring to Native Mexicans. I highly recommend the book.

Tivoli and Religion

We went to Tivoli last week. Tivoli has been home to the lavish summer estates of emperors of Rome for a long time, including the villa of the Emperor Hadrian. We didn't get a chance to see Villa Adrian but we did strolled in the gardens of Villa d'Este, built by Cardinal Ippolito in the 16th century. He's apparently honored in the town for redirecting the river, saving the old city from floods.


The gardens were magnificent! There are over 150 fountains and various kinds of statues and plants. Interestingly, there are grottos and sanctuaries for both Christian saints and traditional Roman deities. And all was built on a hill (As Clara learned, the hill was fun to descend but a pain to hike up).





I also went to the church of Santa Cecilia last week. It's one of the oldest churches in what used to be the working class area of Rome, called Trastevere. Among other pieces of art (including marble from both Egypt and Turkey), the church has a spectacular 9th century mosaic, depicting Jesus with the same kind of light that ancient Egyptians bestowed upon holy figures, an Orthodox sign of blessing, and God as a hand (an unknown). I learned that it was only in the 15th century that European Christians felt bold enough to put a face to God--they previously adhered to Jewish (and Muslim) practices of expressing God as an unknowable force.

I also learned that basilicas all have the same shape -- a rectangle with something circular at the front. The rectangle, where there are pews for people, is imperfect, like people, because it must be made from 4 different elements. Also, there was a belief that people were made from the four elements of fire, water, air, and earth. So, the people sit in the rectangle. The circular element at the top is where the mystery of God is represented. And circles, like God, are perfect. Cool, huh?