The US Army Team

Here is the team from the US Army. They are stationed in the US here
on the way back from a tour. It's all women and one man.

World Champion Parachuting Competition

It's in Belluno this weekend 8-8-08.

One Cool Airplane

Women of Italy

Here are some of the lovely women I know.

Italian BBQ

A friend invited us to his weekend home for a BBQ on his birthday.
The pictures say it all, the perfect setting.

Am I happy living in Italy

Yes, not always, but http://picasaweb.google.com/HMItaly/MalgaCipela72708 Doesn't it look like a good time. For me this is one of the things that living here is all about, 3 families hiking up 1,000 meters on the back of the Marmolada with six kids the youngest 5 years old. Then a big lunch of grilled sausage and polenta, wine and cake. It was all followed by the hike back down in pouring rain. We were all tired at the end but felt good. One couple left as they had only planed a day trip we and the other stayed in our campers over night. I cooked a bunch of chicken in the pressure cooker, our friends cooked some pasta, more wine and then some Amoreto. The next day another though shorter hike.

Hiking near the Marmolada

One night camping and two days of hard hiking. The climb up to the
refugio was 1,000 meters with a bunch of kids. Giovanni, was the
strongest of us all.

Pressure Cooking

Most Italian cooks have at least one but they seem to be falling out of favor In the US we don't tend to use them much. The microwave is much more popular for fast cooking. Recently I found myself with nothing to read in the evening so I resorted to reading the introduction to my pressure cooker cook book. Today with energy on everyones mind. The pressure cooker deserves a good look. Not only does it reduce cooking time and increase retention of nutrients but the total energy consumed must be close to one tenth of that consumed by normal cooking. Try cooking a chicken in 15 minutes, resoto or polenta in 8 and no sturring for 45 minutes over a boiling spattering pot.