Ponderings

In Barga everybody is part of the town. Pants or not.

David Callaway, the editor in chief of Marketwatch, recalled his early days at the Boston Herald when in 1987, everyone thought that newspapers were endangered–because people would get their news over the fax machine. But as a survivor and a business reporter, he discusses the transition and what it has […]

For a day at the beach, we needed sustenance and for this we turned to this man in a truck who offered rotisserie chickens and fried potatoes in Marciana Marina, on the island of Elba. We drove to the far south and enjoyed a classic beach day, sharing our delicious […]

Kerry Bell, Pietro Messina and Johnny, the family who make Grifoglia a homey, cozy place where people come to relax and unwind in the hills of Tuscany.

We have reached the far end of the island of Elba, and we finally have a solid internet connection. For those of you (God bless ya) who come here daily, thank you for your patience, and from now on I shall be able to give you a window into what […]

After a twisting, turning, eyes-shut-in-the-back-seat ride up mountain roads, around curves you never, ever saw the end of, we finally made it to Grafoglia. We spied our hosts, Pietro and Kerry, outside by the garden and knew we had made it. What a gorgeous place it is! Located in the […]

The cafe is slowing down after a very busy Wednesday. Today I wore a blazer that I bought in Medellin. It’s funny how such a garment elicits so many comments. “All dressed up, eh?….Where Are You Going?….Is that New?It’s my ‘get out of jail free’ blazer that seems to make […]

This village outside Medellin had long long streets all heading into the square, where we had this cuppa from a cafe that is devoted to the national soccer team.

The end of a busy day at the office. My mom and dad came into the cafe, for the first time since we enlarged the space, and had coffee with Nathan Kate and I. Nice to show them the place.

The people in the Santa Domingo barrio, at the very top of a mountain overlooking the city, live in a teeming and crowded world, with every street going nearly up and down or squiggling sideways. This area has been reborn with steadfast determination of city officials who realized that part […]

Last night we had a farewell dinner with our Latin American friends, who were meeting in the lobby for a 3:30 am departure. Ugh! Our host was the General Manager of the InterContinental in Medellin, Tony Ruiz. As he began his little speech to us in Spanish, he looked over […]

We passed this kissing couple on our way up the cable car, sneaking a moment away from little brother, who was climbing a tree around the corner and no doubt was just about to disturb them.