A Happy New Year in Tasso!

Bright and early on New Year's Eve Day Jim and Gloria headed back to Tasso in a rented car in hopes of finding Velma and Franco Ferrera and getting more information about Grandpa Andrew's family. With the help of a phone book and our Tom Tom GPS we lovingly call, "Susan" they were able to drive up into the hills between Chiavari and Genova and were able to drive right to the home of the Ferreras.

As they progressed along a country road that got narrower and narrower and more winding they were concerned that Susan had lost her way but their faith was restored when they saw this...

The road got smaller and smaller until they hair-pinned around a turn and saw a little tiny town with a few buildings and a cathedral.

We have discovered through our research that Tasso was never really a town. When Italy became the United Kingdom of Italy in 1860 and was organized into the country we know it as today, many of the little villages and hamlets and in some cases, clumps of houses were organized into Communes. Tasso is a little Frazioni or fraction of the commune of Lumarzo. One can see how sometimes it is imperative to actually go to a place where an ancestor is from in order to "get it."

Velma Ferrera and Gloria

Following the increasingly narrowing road they eventually came to the very house where the Ferraras lived. They had only a few common names that helped them communicate with Wilma who spoke no English at all and thought they were selling something. Their limited Ciao and Grazie didn't get them any farther. But through gesturing she recognized they were familia and then she relaxed and tried to understand what they were looking for which was Gloria's father house.

Jim's question to her was could he drive to it? She then gestured for them to get in her car and they all went up to the actual site of Grampa's home a short distance away. The house is crumbling in despair and within a few years will be completely gone...but for now this is what they found.

We are not sure if the dormant vines are being held up by the remains of the house or vice versa! Part of it had completely crumbled away. Part of it still remains but for how long is uncertain. The important thing is they got there in time. Both Jim and Gloria were able to make that connection to this native soil of their past and it was an emotional moment for them. I knew it would be and I really wanted this moment to be just for the two of them. Velma sensing the same, remained in the car while they visited what was to them, this sacred place. They were able to bring a brick back from the house as a keep sake.

Gloria approaching the home where her father was born
114 and a half years ago on October 4, 1895.
I know she never dreamed this day
would or could happen
~what a blessing!

"Grampa Green Doors"

It has been interesting for me to see these photos and to realize that this house with its green doors was the inspiration for the Grampa Green paint.

We purchased their home when they no longer could care for it in their advancing years and every possible thing that was in his part of the domain (the yard and the garage) was painted this "Grampa Green color! I mean it was everywhere, the fence, the picnic table and benches, the shed, the trellises...you name it...Grampa Green was on every conceivable, paintable surface outside. Oddly he would mix this color himself until it was perfecto!

At the time I wasn't overly thrilled about that but now...30 something years later...I can appreciate it with new eyes and a greater love for a wonderful man whom I called Grampa, that came a very long way from home in his life time. And now I understand that he made this green paint to remind him of that first home with the green doors and his family and childhood memories of his early life in the old country.

This life is full of wonderful surprises and lessons to be learned. Wasn't this a totally touching, serendipity experience? It is not hard at all for us to see God's hand in it.

Buon Anno In Tuscany

What does one do to celebrate the New Year in Tuscany?
Ahhh, apparently not too much.

Pisa Night Life

Laura and I found ourselves at the laundermat on the base as the sun went down on the 31st, doing four gigantic loads of laundry. The funny part was it was so crowded in the large room we had to stand in line for the washers and the dryers. We made the comment that it seemed we all needed to 'get a life' and everyone had a good laugh over it.

Once we finally finished with the clothes we went home to our hotel rooms and made nachos for dinner. The rooms that we had had kitchenettes and that was perfect as we needed to cook most of the meals to avoid the soy and/or possible peanut contamination for Spencer. The problem we ran into was that the hot plates they use to have had been removed from the rooms, for some unknown reason and only microwaves were available.

So nachos it was and we all loved that, especially the kids. We ate dinner in their room and set up treats and games and movies in our room right next door, so we made a progressive New Year's Eve party out of it.

Not!

We had a fun time playing the new Uno Attack game that randomly spits cards at you and it was pretty funny and lots of fun too. We moved the clock up about three hours, toasted in the New Year with ginger ale, hugs and kisses and the boys were off to sleep at "midnight" as happy as clams.

Ginger Ale!
Cheers to the New as they say in Scotland!
Buon Anno Tutti, as they say here!

The adults stayed in our room for a few more hours and watched some movies set in Italy for the remainder of the evening. I don't think a single one of us was awake at midnight, in fact, I think the whole base was asleep. We did not hear a single group whooping it up, not a single fire cracker, no pot banging....nothing. It was perfect. We loved spending a quiet, simple evening on our four-generation, family vacation, get away!

Packing up~Saying good-bye to Camp Darby

We had a second good laugh the next morning thinking we truly did need to 'get a life!' We packed up and headed north in search of one! Next stop~Verona! Oh my goodness....the good life awaited us there! La Dolce Vita! Happy New Year, indeed! 2010 is looking good so far!

Happy New Year!

Hope yours will be great!