Spring All Around

Well, I heard all about how spring has arrived in the northeast corridor of the US, and indeed she found her way to Bologna as well. It is to hit the high 60s this week and it is hard to believe we had a snowstorm two weeks ago. Finally Ray can spend some time playing outside after school, though daylight savings time won't arrive here until this weekend. (Here he is on the balloon slide at Giardini Margherita, in the white socks.)

Andrea left yesterday for his long stint in the US. He is in Philadelphia today, then to North Carolina tonight and then off to Indiana for the weekend. He has to come back to Charlotte to go back through Frankfurt to then return to Bologna next week. Agh. These trips are becoming more torturous, and he was pulled aside by customs in Philly to be questioned about applying for a green card in 2005 (hum, we just had a baby in Bologna so highly unlikely. And his name here is as common as John Smith in the US.).

I am more excited than Ray that we got a hamster on Saturday. Almablu (Ray's insisted on this made up name) is very cute and I held him tonight for the first time. Trying to teach Ray patience and all that jazz, when I am the one waking at 4 to go take a peek at him on the wheel and insisting we wake him in the day to see if he is hungry. I will post a couple of photos tomorrow.

Here are some more landscape photos of Tuscany for Paula, since my last one set her imagination on fire. The church is in Assisi - of my favorite Saint Francis. And the "For Rent" sign above is for a place in that little town you liked.