Last night we were watching Top Gear. The guys were filling up at a 'petrol' station and it sparked a memory for Katrina.
Last weekend when we drove to Venice I spotted the most unusual and funny sight. I spotted two men walking down the shoulder of the autostrada. One of the men was carrying a very large ziplock bag, probably a gallon size, full of gasoline. Just a few hundred meters down the road sat a car with the gas cap open and a woman waiting and watching for them.
I know this would never happen in the US. Imagine walking up to a gas station and giving the attendant a zip lock bag to fill!
I don't know for sure, but I think its a good thing it was only temporary. I don't think a plastic ziplock bag would hold up very long to the chemical content of gasoline. I just don't now?
Anyway, its just a funny story from our daily lives in Italy.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Bimbimbici
It's a cloudy Sunday in Vedano al Lambro.
We spent a lazy morning at home. Brandon played with his Legos. Katrina worked on a collage. I watched a movie.
Ants, they are driving me crazy. If anyone has tips on how to get rid of them, please email me and let me know. Right now we have some ant traps and a line of chili powder along the wall. I also sealed one of the holes.
This afternoon Brandon and I rode our bikes into Vedano to take part in Bimbimbici, a family bike ride. There, we waited for two other groups, one from Monza and one from Villa Santa, to meet up in Vedano. Those two groups had quite a few bicyclists. Brandon and I were the only ones to show up for the Vedano group. Oh well. Once everyone was ready, we had a police escort to a park in Lissone. We had fun doing a 'group' ride, but Brandon thought the pace was a bit slow.
Preride Brandon
Brandon puts on his 'race' face. He has his yellow jersey on underneath the sweatshirt
Everyone heads out
In Lissone we all met at a rec center for snacks and a magic show. The snacks were good, but the magic show was pretty hokey. Brandon and I left early and headed home.
We spent a lazy morning at home. Brandon played with his Legos. Katrina worked on a collage. I watched a movie.
Ants, they are driving me crazy. If anyone has tips on how to get rid of them, please email me and let me know. Right now we have some ant traps and a line of chili powder along the wall. I also sealed one of the holes.
This afternoon Brandon and I rode our bikes into Vedano to take part in Bimbimbici, a family bike ride. There, we waited for two other groups, one from Monza and one from Villa Santa, to meet up in Vedano. Those two groups had quite a few bicyclists. Brandon and I were the only ones to show up for the Vedano group. Oh well. Once everyone was ready, we had a police escort to a park in Lissone. We had fun doing a 'group' ride, but Brandon thought the pace was a bit slow.
Preride Brandon
Brandon puts on his 'race' face. He has his yellow jersey on underneath the sweatshirt
Everyone heads out
In Lissone we all met at a rec center for snacks and a magic show. The snacks were good, but the magic show was pretty hokey. Brandon and I left early and headed home.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
April, Where Did You Go?
Is it really May (Maggio in Italian)? Where did April go? It seems like we were just enjoying spring break in early April and now its May 1.
Today is "Labor Day" in Italy. Most children had no school yesterday. I remember one year ago we took the Metro into Milan for the first time. There was a big labor rally at Piazza di Duomo. It was peaceful, but there were quite a few police around the piazza, some in riot gear.
This year we spent the day mostly at home. This morning we visited the market in Vedano. Katrina was looking for some new sandals and a new camera bag. After the market we had lunch at Il Giardino di Giada, our neighborhood Cinese restaurant.
After dropping Katrina and Brandon off at home, I went to Auchan to find some ant bait or traps. We discovered an ant problem in the corner of the kitchen, near the cat food. I forgot that Saturday is a horrible day to visit the mall and Auchan. When they have personel directing traffic and parking, its bad. I also stopped at Decathlon, hoping that they had replenished their stock of cycling jerseys. No luck, but I did find a summer shirt. On the way home I stopped at BiciMania for no reason but to ogle all the beautiful Italian bikes and gear.
When I returned home I found Katrina at the computer and Brandon nowhere in sight. Katrina said he went outside to play. I looked for him from the balcony and found him wandering around the lawn looking like a sad lost puppy. I offered him a bike ride and he ran inside to get ready. He was funny! "Dad, I need to get all 'decked' out for the ride." He was putting on his jersey and shorts.
We ended up mountain biking around Parco di Monza for a couple of hours. He's becoming quite the trail rider, although he's still a little nervous on technical sections. We'll work up to it. I really need to do some maintainence on my mountain bike. I don't think its had anything maintainence for a few years!
When we returned home I had a short time to get showered before the opening show at Brandon's puppet theater. Katrina read the narration while Brandon worked the puppets and sets. It was great, although the ending left you wondering what will happen next. I will record the next show for the blog.
Today is "Labor Day" in Italy. Most children had no school yesterday. I remember one year ago we took the Metro into Milan for the first time. There was a big labor rally at Piazza di Duomo. It was peaceful, but there were quite a few police around the piazza, some in riot gear.
This year we spent the day mostly at home. This morning we visited the market in Vedano. Katrina was looking for some new sandals and a new camera bag. After the market we had lunch at Il Giardino di Giada, our neighborhood Cinese restaurant.
After dropping Katrina and Brandon off at home, I went to Auchan to find some ant bait or traps. We discovered an ant problem in the corner of the kitchen, near the cat food. I forgot that Saturday is a horrible day to visit the mall and Auchan. When they have personel directing traffic and parking, its bad. I also stopped at Decathlon, hoping that they had replenished their stock of cycling jerseys. No luck, but I did find a summer shirt. On the way home I stopped at BiciMania for no reason but to ogle all the beautiful Italian bikes and gear.
When I returned home I found Katrina at the computer and Brandon nowhere in sight. Katrina said he went outside to play. I looked for him from the balcony and found him wandering around the lawn looking like a sad lost puppy. I offered him a bike ride and he ran inside to get ready. He was funny! "Dad, I need to get all 'decked' out for the ride." He was putting on his jersey and shorts.
We ended up mountain biking around Parco di Monza for a couple of hours. He's becoming quite the trail rider, although he's still a little nervous on technical sections. We'll work up to it. I really need to do some maintainence on my mountain bike. I don't think its had anything maintainence for a few years!
When we returned home I had a short time to get showered before the opening show at Brandon's puppet theater. Katrina read the narration while Brandon worked the puppets and sets. It was great, although the ending left you wondering what will happen next. I will record the next show for the blog.
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