Amedeo and Larry In the fifteen years we’ve been friends, Amedeo and I have benefitted from advancements in new technologies. The idea that I could use the World Wide Web from my Seattle living room, drinking my second cup of coffee watching Ame and Rosy prepare dinner in their kitchen nine time zones away would have seemed like a fantasy when we first met. These multi-media tools build a bridge …
Our white nine-passenger Fiat van left Montanare with each seat occupied. Five adults and four kids, off to make good on a promise born last September at our dining room table in Redmond, WA, USA. At 3:35AM on August 24th, 2016 a major earthquake shook the village of Amatrice. Even though we’d never been to this 800-year-old hill town three hours south of Montanare, Jill and I are very familiar …
The June calendar is making me realize not only how lucky I am but just how many really special people I call friends, both near and far.
Mid-May is my season of Tuscan Fever. It’s not a common abnormality but I get it every year. It’s an illness I’ve learned to celebrate. On the other side of the earth, a couple dozen Tuscans have come down with the same ailment. Our social media message boxes seem to acknowledge our collective seasonal anticipation. brand cialis The course in started with the basics of teaching skills so that a …
Yesterday, while wandering the Sunday morning streets of Port Townsend, a Victorian seaside village two hours west of Seattle, Jill, Daniela and I entered the screen door of a café for weekend breakfast. This quaint, well maintained, turn-of-the-century brownstone was the perfect spot to plan our day as tourists. As I carefully balanced my three shot Americano back to the weathered antique table, I made note of a rectangular sign …
Photo by Young Reflections Photography Some 30 years ago, as I weighed a new set of options in life, my mom, Jean, made a statement that has stayed with me always. Although dementia is stealing her mind as we speak, much of what I’ve accomplished, especially in the past six months, I owe to her. She’s the first to admit our family is made of unique fabric. Coming from a …
Sunday, our house was louder than normal with an eclectic roundup of friends from about every corner of our social circle. What brought us together was a call to do something meaningful for a set of villagers we’ll most likely never meet. Although it’s fallen from the news cycle, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake nearly destroyed the entire historical center of Amatrice, the origin of Bucatini Amatriciana, the spicy pasta dish, …
Photo: Le Celle, Italy. Photographed by Larry Snyder. Some of you may not know it, but I get up really early. When my phone alarm rings at 3:30AM three days a weeks, it means I’m going to join three fellow Starbucks Partners at Civica Office Commons at 5AM sharp. My hours preparing espressos and connecting with community keep Italy alive in my mind, the skill sets I have learned to apply at …
Recounting the emotions and tangible spirit I felt standing in Saint Peter’s Square on Christmas Eve 2004 while the late Pope John Paul said mass was one of my most favorite stories to include in Miracles in Montanare: Ten Years in Tuscany. To be present at that holy spot on that holiest of eves had been a faith-driven fantasy 10 years in the making. As Parkinson’s Disease continued it’s progression, the world …
What an honor to speak to this Expedia audience about getting the most out of traveling in Italy. I’ve been talking about 6/7 for weeks. Every other customer at my coffee post got to hear about it, some more than once. Fortunately for me, a seasoned tech veteran with a good position on the Totem Pole made the best suggestion I’ve ever heard. Trying not to become hysterical, I agreed that …
