Sunday, June 13, 2010

Last stop Lake Como...

The last stop on our trip was Lake Como in Northern Italy..we stayed at the tip of the peninsula in a little town called Bellagio...

It was a cute little town over looking the lake and looking out over the Swiss Alps...

Beautiful...

Ferry's took you from town to town around the lake...

The little towns were so cute...

Lake Como was so fun & relaxing, a great way to end our trip of a lifetime!!!

Italy we loved you!!

Venice...

We made it to Venice! The land of canals, gondolas and bridges!

A gondola ride!

In San Marco Square...there weren't very many pigeons!

Gelato- an almost nightly Italian treat :)

Overlooking the Grand Canal from the Ponte Realto...

Venice was magical and like no place we have ever been!

Cinque Terra...

Cinque Terra (Five Lands)...starting our hike on the trail!

Don & Brian...

Part of the trail is "the romantic walk" where people lock their love...

Leaving one of the little towns...

A stop for lunch in Vernazza...

One day we had a beach day in our town of Montarossa. Brian drinking Peroni, Italian beer...

On our amazing veranda over looking the ocean!

At the end of the "romantic walk"

Vicki & I...
Cinque Terra we loved you! What a great little beach getaway!

Ciao Florence!

Florence here we come!

On top of the city!

Overlooking the city of Florence...

Tuscany! The view from a little town we visited...

Brian and I in Tuscany...

Walking home from dinner one night - we peeked into this little church!

Drinks in front of the Duomo...

Brian "locking" our love on the Ponte Vechio

The throwing away the key!

Brian & I with Guido our tour guide in Tuscany!

Florence was amazing! We loved our time there, especially in Tuscany.

Rome, Italy...

Our first stop on our Italian adventure was ROME!

It is a must see stop- so much history! Very, very old history!

Here Brian & I are in front of the Trevi Fountain! Where we made a wish to return to Italy again one day!

The ceiling of the Vatican was so pretty! It is an amazing place...

Our first glass of Italian wine! And the four of us together in Rome! Vicki, Don, myself and Brian!
The inside of the Colosseum!

Some columns left at the Roman Ruins...

Enjoying a sunny lunch in Piazza Navona...
We really enjoyed Rome and all the cultural sights to see. It is a must do if you go to Italy. We walked A LOT in Rome from seeing the ruins, to the Vatican city, from Piazza to Piazza! We saw it all!
Next stop..Florence!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Grow Garden Grow..round 2

This weekend we were busy working in our yard. And planted our garden!

Brian and I were excited to plant it again after our garden successes & failures last summer. But being our first time we learned a lot..like plan placement for sun, lots of water and a boost of help (not starting from seeds). Like look above- we are already ahead of the game with a little pepper growing! This was the size of our peppers at the end of last summer!

We bought to many plants so our garden is overflowing onto our deck! This year we planted: mint (for mojitos), rosemary (for cooking), cilantro (for salsa), thyme (for cooking), jalapenos, green peppers, yellow peppers, grape tomatoes, beef steak tomatoes, and brussel sprouts!

Another pot of peppers that wouldn't fit in the garden- wish us luck! Hopefully we will have green thumbs this season and a bountiful harvest!

Ciao! We are back...

Ciao everyone! We are back from Italy!
We made it back safe and sound! And had an amazing time!
I will post pictures from our trip soon!

Red Hawk to Hawks View- Our next endeavor!

Right before we left for Italy Brian & I made a big decision!
We bought a piece of property! Lot #22. We thought it was really funny that the street name is Hawks View considering that we met at Miami of Ohio - who's mascot is the Red Hawk :)
This is the view from our new lot of land! Our lot is in a culd-a-sac and has water views!

Here is a good pictures of the land and the trees...

And the second best part of the lots---the beach :)!
So for now- this lot is purely an investment while we collect building/home ideas, but we are excited to put the wheels in motion to build a home one day!!