Hi, again!

So. . . I've been taking a bit of a break from blogging since we returned from our trip, but we have been busy since we got back.
The flight back was long, and they sent one of our bags on a different plane from Detroit to Philadelphia. Fortunately, we got it the next evening. Unfortunately, a bottle of olive oil broke in one of our bags. Do you know how to rescue a load of laundry SOAKED in olive oil from the dumpster? Dawn. It's great stuff. I washed the clothes about 10 or 12 times with 1/8 cup of Dawn, then rinsed until there were no bubbles, and there is not a spot on them. Yay!
Owen woke up early the first morning we were back, but traveling west always seems to be easier on the jet lag.
We have been to two dentists since we returned. Back in April, we saw a local, holistic family dentist who was great, agreed with me on almost all points, and said he couldn't treat Owen because of his age. He didn't charge me for the visit and referred me to a local pediatric dentist with the warning that she was not so natural-minded. We saw her right after we returned, and were alarmed with her manner and her treatment plan - two extractions, two caps, and four crowns under general anesthesia. Fortunately, Owen had a great time getting a loot bag and playing with the assistant.
We got an appointment with a family dentist near Philadelphia. He treats little kids and is on an email list I read. They got Owen in quickly and were knowledgeable about a variety of treatment options to help keep heal Owen's teeth and keep them as strong as possible. They seem to recognize fluoride for the drug that it is, and we have decided to use small amounts of topical fluoride. Dr. Hollander also did ozone treatments on Owen's problem teeth to help get the bad bacteria in check. Then he used temporary fillings on four teeth to help keep food from those areas while we try to remineralize them. He encouraged our use of xylitol for also helping with the bacterial balance. He sent us on our way with a better loot bag and directions to a mall and a local park. I finally feel like we have found someone competent and able to treat Owen with gentle healing methods rather than aggressive extractions and the like.
Friday, Owen and I enjoyed a trip to Long's Park the next day. We got to see the animals at the petting farm - llama, goats, a chicken, and burrows. Owen ate some mulberries off the ground; we thought they weren't mulberries at first! We took some sand toys to play in the volleyball area, and he ran around the wooden fort too.



Sunday, we all went to too Gifford Pinchot State Park. They have a really fun swimming area with lots of trees and grass and sunny spots as well as a sandy area for playing and bathrooms. We took a hike around nap time so that Owen could get some rest then played a bit more in the water before heading back toward home.
Owen had mentioned that he needed a haircut that morning, so we stopped by Target and picked up some clippers (as well as an inflatable fish). Owen now has a nice cool buzz cut for the summer; I think he's the most adorable little red neck I know! After a day in the sun and fresh air and a cold bath (he's been wanting these lately) with the fish, he was ready for a good sleep.

May 31

driving outside Florence



city wall park in Lucca
docks at GenoaOwen watching the big kids
finally coming down the "bouncy thing"


Hot gluten-free doughnuts for breakfast again! We will certainly do well to get back to a better diet at home. Owen was a bit sad to leave "my farm," but he is glad to be headed home as are Abram and I. We drove through a rainy Tuscany and stopped in Lucca for a wet (but otherwise pleasant) walk around the city walls which are now a raised park, lined with trees. We had a bit of lunch and headed on toward Genoa where we found our least favorite city in Italy. It is full of traffic, monstrously expensive (35 Euros each for tickets to the aquarium - we didn't visit - just for reference, none of our museum visits cost a total of 35 Euros, a sum roughly equal to $55). Owen found a place to play in a huge pipe and really liked the "bouncy thing" we payed 3 Euros for 20 minutes to use; it took him 10 minutes to decide to get all the way up the steps, and five more to go down the slide the first time; then he was all about it! We walked around the harbor area looking for something to eat, but of course, no one was open despite the crowds swarming around - no doubt very hungry crowds who would have payed for food. So, hungry, we headed on toward our hotel a bit north of the city. It was about 10 km off the autostrada down windy roads in a holler the likes of which I have often seen in east Tennessee. It was beautiful. After checking in and being turned away from one pizzeria because we didn't have reservations, we had a huge steak at the only other act in town and turned in.

May 30

geese at Podere Albanaia (the farm where we stayed)grapes lining driveway at Podere Albanaia

painting from the Tomb of the MonkeyLake of Chiusi

direct distributor right behind Rabarbaroprosciutto and melon, one of our favorite things to eat
view from distributor/restaurant where we had dinner
oil operation of the lady with the wet hair

Owen in the vinyardlate picnic at the farm



This morning we had hot gluten-free doughnuts and Owen enjoyed puttering around the farm a bit before we explored Chiusi some more. We toured another section of the Etruscan waterworks tunnels that came out at the church bell tower and then toured the Tomb of the Monkey, a very famous Etruscan tomb because of its paintings which are still quite vivid. It was near the other two (a few yards away from one), but as things go around here, they don't do tours of them all at the same time. We walked around Lago di Chiusi (the Lake of Chiusi), and Owen pretended to catch fish, looked at the geese, and ran down the pier. After a nap back at the farm, we drove toward Montepulciano (famous for its wines) and tried wines and olive oils at several direct distributors. One stop was at the farm of a older couple; we rang the bell as directed by the sign, "sonare campanello" and waited. After a minute of waiting, we were walking away when were heard a lady's voice hollering downstairs, and a man came out on the porch above us and told us to wait "cinque minuti." So, wondering what was going on, we waited and Owen picked up sticks and checked out the swings. Finally the lady came out - hair wet, but she was beaming at Owen and going on about him in Italian and how he should play on the swing. She She lead us into a small room where they had tanks of olive oil (maybe 30 gallons or so) and bottled oil on a shelf. They also had a small press. Their house was surrounded by olive trees, and these along with the equipment in the small room appeared to be their entire oil set-up. Selling olive oil here is like selling eggs at home; people just hang out a shingle and set to selling. Abram preferred this oil over the others, and I must say, it was lovely. Olive oil and wine are rather affordable here (8Euros/L for olive oil and 1.50/L if you have your own containter for wine) but are prohibitively heavy for bringing back home in any quantity. We had dinner at a roadhouse associated with one of the direct sellers. It was served at long communal tables, but was excellent. We had a 1/2 of a roast chicken and steak cooked in a large wood-fired oven. Outside, the view of the countryside (like all the views in this region) was stunning, and you could see the sheep they milked to make cheese (which Abram says is quite good. He reports that their peccorino is soft like Swiss cheese rather than hard like you get at home.)
We enjoyed a bottle of wine we had picked up while Owen played and shared some local salami made with pork and wild boar - yum!

May 29

farmer Owen

zucchini
Etruscan ossuary with battle scene on front and an image of the deceased on top in a reclining pose (like they used for eating) - These are typical motifs for ossuaries. This one has painting still visible.

ritual dishes and brassier - Owen really like the "play kitchen"Tomba della Pellegrina as it was found after grave robbers had visited it
griglia mista - mixed grilled meats - here, sausage, pork rib, and lamb chop

view from Chiusi parkRabarbaro Ristorante

gluten-free gnocchi with raguoutiside dining at Rabarbaro


After we enjoyed a gluten free breakfast prepared by the farm owner's mother, we explored the farm a bit. They have lots of olive trees, two large fields with grapes, and bee hives. They also have a personal garden with leeks, onions, tomatoes, herbs of all sorts, potatoes, cabbages, greens, cucumbers, watermelons, musk melons, egg plants, and peppers. Owen got to see the chickens, ducks, and rabbits while the farm owner's mother did chores. He sang "Old MacDonald" to the chickens.
Later, we went into Chiusi and visited the Etruscan Museum where they have a very nice collection of Etruscan artifacts including lots of funerary urns and ossuaries as well as everyday items. It is a small museum, but it is by far the nicest one we've visited; everything was well labeled with it's purpose, date, and location. The labels were all translated into English also which made it easier for us to read. We followed a docent a couple of kilometers out of town to see some Etruscan tombs which are caves dug in the sides of hills where they places the urns and ossuaries.
After lunch at a one man restaurant (smoked octopus, salmon, and tuna, salad, pasta, and mixed grilled meats), we walked Owen to sleep in a park overlooking the countryside then we toured part of and Etruscan underground water system which had been used in the nineteenth century as a wine cellar and is now a storage place for a large collection of Etruscan artifacts - what Abram guessed to be largest collection of Etruscan writing anywhere.
Owen enjoyed exploring the farm some more in the afternoon. We enjoyed a second dinner at the restaurant from last night, and turned in tired people.

ETA (6/1)
We had reserved tickets at the Uffizi for this day but decided we were big citied-out and museumed-out. We were very glad to have a much more relaxing day than I think going into Florence would have proved.

May 28

boats with fresh fish and shellfish being sold right on the beach
"animals" on a rock
little mud fish
the beach looking toward Mt. Vesuvius - We collected some pumice here.
view of Naples, a really lovely town if you look in the right places

Abram really wanted to visit the National Archeological Museum of Naples, where many of the Pompeiian treasures are held, and Owen really needed a break. So while Daddy went a looking, Owen and I set off for the beach. He was a bit sad that "Daddy's goin' to the museum; Owen can't go to the museum," when Abram got of the train before us, but he was very pleased to get to the sea. We discovered that Naples in not only filled with very friendly people but also has some very lovely spots. I, for one, think it's gotten a bad rap. In a lot of ways Naples was exactly what I expected from a trip to Italy. Owen enjoyed wading and splashing and being petted by all the people. Children, teenagers - even boys - grandmas and grandpas all petted him and gave us advice : he needs to have the sand rinsed off (he's going to get right back in it), he needs to go out and float on the big log that washed up, where is his papa?, he needs to be out of the sun (due to his blond hair), he needs to be off the rock (2 grandmas and a man my age0, he needs to go higher on the rocks - we'll take him (a group pf teenage boys). They were all very friendly and I didn't feel at all like i would have getting parenting advice from Americans.
We all met back at the hotel and boarded a train to Chiusi (in Tuscany). We had rather an adventure finding the agriturismo where we are staying, and we will be paying the 500 Euro deductible for damage to the car since we declined the no deductible coverage. But, we all arrived safely and were well fed at the Ristorante Rabarbaro that they found for us for dinner where they served a variety of gluten free dishes, were very kid friendly, and were very affordable. We'll be eating there again before we leave!