April 22, 2008
Today I went with Zach’s class to a farm in Sacile. We went with another first grade class from one of the Italian elementary schools in Aviano. It was raining (of course) so luckily they have a bunch of covered areas and we went into one where the cavallo (horse) was. Each kid was given a picture of a farm animal and told (through translators, the guy at the farm didn’t speak any English) to make their animal sound and find all the other kids that were making the same sound. We only had one problem, for a pig the American kids were all saying “oink oink” and Italian kids were all making a snorting sound lol. A cultural difference probably no one has considered before! They all managed to find their group and each group was pretty evenly split between the two schools.
We went into another area set up with tables. There were tons of plants and that is when I wondered if this was more nursery than farm. I wanted to go shop for plants instead of help with the kids lol. The kids made a farm animal necklace/name tag and then drew a picture. They talked about mammals vs. birds and then got to pet a 4 day old lamb and a 2 week old gosling.
insert pics
Then we went back where the horse was and they talked about the horse and how it was different than some of the other animals.
Then back to the nursery area and he brought out a rabbit. I asked if they raised them to eat and they said no. I think my landlords would be disappointed!
We boarded the Aviano scuola bus (our base tour bus was too big to get into the farm) and headed back out to our bus. The Italian school bus was NOT comfortable at all, the seats were hard plastic and tiny (not meant for adult behinds I guess). At least Alyssa’s bus out here in Caneva has padded bench seats. Anyway, we headed off to Casa Bianca for lunch. The kids had pizza, except for Zach, Mr. Food Allergy. He had steak and fries. And people feel sorry for him!! I had the lasagna. I am not sure what kind of cheese they use, but it is the BEST lasagna EVER. Topped it off with a cappuccino. Zach did miss out on the gelato but I told him he could have one of his allergen-free brownies when he got home from school.
Can you believe the first graders were better behaved than the third graders I went with yesterday? And I also think the American class was better behaved than the Italian class. It’s good to know kids are kids no matter where you go!
April 21, 2008
Brandon’s 3rd grade class went on a field trip today to visit a blacksmith and a pasta factory in Sacile. I’m not sure if the two really go together, but it was an interesting trip! We boarded the school bus (which here means European tour bus) and were off to Sacile, about 30 mins from base via slow bus.
First stop was the blacksmith. I’d seen the shop several times as it is on SS 13, the main street through Sacile and Pordenone, but I didn’t know what it was exactly that they did there! The guy was really nice, though I don’t think he spoke a word of English. Brandon’s teacher, Mrs. Hernandez, did the translating so the kids could ask questions and understand what he was telling them. He first sketched out a design, explaining to the kids that they do this to get an idea of what the customer wants and to make sure it will all come together nicely.
picture to add
Then they do the actual iron work. The kids were amazed by how hot the oven was. He was telling them they used to use coal fires (like I used when I took Farrier Science, aka Horseshoeing 101, in college) but due to the health hazards of the soot they had to switch to gas ovens. He made it look so easy, twisting and flattening and curling the hot metal. Past experience making a horseshoe out of straight bar stock told me it was NOT that easy lol. The business is a family business and I think he’s been working iron 20+ years. He seemed to be about my age, maybe a little younger. The kids seemed fascinated.
add picture of iron work samples
After we finished up there, we boarded the bus and headed to the pasta factory. The guy at the pasta factory was a hoot. He was great with the kids and seemed like it’d be fun to hang out with him and have a cappuccino lol. He would try and say the ingredients in English (he didn’t speak a lot of English, but more than they blacksmith did) and the kids would say it back in Italian and it confused him for a second. Anyway, he made gnocchi (potato dumplings) from scratch and in the machine and then he made pasta by hand and in the machines. He made different types of pasta, tagliatelli (I think), spaghetti, raviolis (a few different shapes), and tortellinis (about 5 different styles). I wanted to sample some, but they only sell wholesale to restaraunts around town. We did get some dried pasta to take home and it was very good.
add pasta pics
Then it was time for lunch. We ate at Alla Forcate in Sacile. I had a four cheese pizza w/out reading what the four cheeses were. One of them was dark and moldy looking and VERY salty. I guess I’ll stick with my Pizza Diavalo (usually marinara, mozzarella, and hot salami~~asking for pepperoni here will get you peppers, not meat!). The kids all ate well and were quite noisy. They even got gelato for dessert! Then we boarded the bus and headed back to school. I ran off to grab a cappuccino while waiting for school to let out and then I drove the boys home, kind of a treat since they usually ride the bus.
April 19, 2008
We had our Pack meeting out at what is referred to as “Area D”. I am still not sure just how many “areas” there are to this base! Anyway, the boys worked on their softball belt loops and then we had a BBQ. It was really wet out (yeah, more rain!) but they did all right and since it didn’t actually rain on us, I tried not to complain. I got a chance to chat with my other cub scout mom friends while the men all did the sports stuff. Doug worked on catching and throwing. They also worked on batting and rules of the game, then had a “game” if you can call it that when you only have enough people to field one team and rotate out who gets to bat!
Zach had a big moment, he was awarded his Bobcat Badge. They pin it on upside down and he has to do a good deed before I can sew it on right side up. They also presented me with a Bobcat pin since I’m his adult partner. I had to put mine on upside down and had to do a good deed to turn it right side up. Lucky for us, it is TCT Sunday at church tomorrow (Tomorrow’s Church Today, the kids “run” the service, Zach will be workin Sound) and it’s my turn to teach Sunday school to the 4 year olds. We’ll have those Bobcats upright in no time!
Once again, I’ll add pics when I get them edited and uploaded.
April 15, 2008
We survived the boys’ Spring Break last week. The weather turned yucky, lots of rain and very little sun, so we had to find indoor things to do (well, we did squeeze in the Aviano market on Tuesday but both of them left their jackets in the car so we had to cut it short). So they did bowling camp 2 hours a day from Monday-Thursday, then we bowled again Friday AND Saturday. My bowling muscles are still sore. So are the ones I used in Pilates yesterday. Ouch.
We also worked on Cub Scout stuff, we’ve only got a couple months left to get all of their requirements done so they can recieve their patches. Zach I’m not worried about since he started his stuff back in September with the den in Texas, but Brandon just joined last month so we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us!
Yesterday we had a pretty good hail storm. I think we’ve had hail more times here in the last three months than we would get in a year in Texas. You could see the hail collected in the nets over the landlords’ garden in the back yard, but I was too tired to get up and take a picture to put in here.
Wish I had more exciting news to post, but there just isn’t much going on right now, especially with the weather keeping us housebound so much!
April 14, 2008
The squadron spouses group set up a trip to the Lignano Zoo. On a tour bus. So I didn’t have to drive! I did have to pay 10 Euro a seat, but the squadron paid for our admission to the zoo. The weather in Aviano was nasty, it was pourind down rain and miserable. But we figured we’d go, it was supposed to be nice in Lignano (which is on the Adriatic Sea) until about 5 pm, when the nasty Aviano weather would catch up. So off we went, hoping for the best but not expecting much. Boy were we surprised!
It was overcast when we arrived, and you could tell it had rained recently by the puddles on the ground, but it cleared up quickly and the sun came out and it got warm enough that the kids all shed their jackets and gave them to me to carry! We saw meerkats, koi, the reptile house, some of the big cats, zebras, giraffes, and the playground before lunch. We brown-bagged it in the picnic area as a group, then headed out to find the lions, tigers, and bears, Oh My! They also had camels, wallabies, emu, and lots of different birds. The sea lions were a hit too! It was a smallish zoo, especially compared the ones I’ve been to (San Diego zoo and wild animal park, L.A. zoo, etc) but it was very clean and well kept. Some of the enclosures seemed small to me, but the animals were all healthy looking. Not very stroller friendly as all the pathways are gravel, but all in all a nice place to spend a few hours. Went to the bar after we were done and kids got gelato or ice pops and the grown ups had various types of coffee. Then we loaded up and headed home, only to find out it had done nothing but rain all day in Aviano while we were off enjoying the sun and the animals!
Will add pictures one of these days.
March 30, 2008
After church this morning, we took off with no particular destination in mind. After going through several tunnels that were very long (I think one was almost 5K), we ended up at Lake Barcis and got out of the car and let the kids climb around on the rocks and pick some wild flowers. (The camera was home on the desk, so you’ll have to click the link to see other peoples’ pictures). After amassing a small amount of clay on their persons, we trecked back to the car and headed out, sort of towards home but not in a hurry. Well, Doug and I were not in a hurry. The back seat sounded like “Are we home yet?” “Can we watch Ratatouille again?” “Hey! Quit kicking me!” “I’m hungry.” etc. I bet if an auto manufacturer would put a sound-proof dividing wall between the front seats and the back, they would corner the market on family cars.
After much fussing, squabbling, crying, and threats to pull the car over, we managed to pull ourselves together and find a place to eat. We ended up at Ristorante Pulcinella which I think was in the town of Fortogna di Longarone. I have no idea where that was. All I know was the waiter was friendly, though he spoke very limited English (German and French were his other languages, my French is too rusty to be of much help), and the pizza was awesome! The house wine (vino della casa) was great, and dessert (some sort of ice cream ball w/chocolate powder on it drowned in espresso) was to die for.
We got on the Autostrada on the way home, a first for us since we got here. Actually got to break 100 kph lol. And it was only €2 toll when we got off. Since the kids were fed (and we caved and turned on Ratatouille), the back seat was quiet and we had a pleasant trip back home. Thank goodness for the Navigon GPS . Without it, I doubt we would be this adventurous! Can’t wait till our next driving adventure.
March 29, 2008
The boys had their Boy Scout Pinewood Derby today. They started preparing their cars a couple of weeks ago. Dad helped with final details. The cars needed to weigh as close to 5 ounces as possible, without going over. So Dad added “engines” made out of old batteries and foil.
Zach’s car is the one closest to the starter. This was the first run for his car. Each car would run 8 times, twice on each track.
By his face, you can guess that he won. He had several first place finishes over the 8 heats, and ended up coming in First Place in his den and Third Place for the whole pack. He got a trophy and a medal.
Brandon did well too, he came in First Place in his den, but did not place in the pack. He got a medal, but my camera died before I could get his picture.
Can’t wait till next year, I’m already planning my design……………..
March 24, 2008
Or Happy Easter!
We didn’t do much to celebrate. Of course, the Easter bunny made the long trip from the States (the Italians don’t do the Easter Bunny) and left the kids some candy. Our landlords gave each of the kids a big chocolate egg with a prize inside (Italian tradition), in addition to the two that the kids won at the squadron Easter egg hunt on Saturday. Speaking of the squadron Easter hunt, they did more than just hunt eggs.
We were crafty together. Each kid got to make an Easter rabbit picture frame. They also got to color eggs. I think this was to distract them while hundreds of candy-filled, plastic, diabetes-inducing eggs were hidden outside.
It POURED while the kids were out hunting eggs. The camera had a hard time focusing because of the rain and/or the poor lighting condidtions, so I didn’t bother (on my painfully slow dial up connection) to upload any pictures of the actual hunt. As soon as the kids were done with the hunt, it started to hail. And then it really started to hail, you could see the hailstones bouncing all over as they hit the ground. They still had fun!
Anyway. Back to Easter Sunday. We went to church after the kids had their sugar fix and then went to the commissary. I’m not sure that is the most holy way to spend the holiest of Sundays, but the commissary was closed Monday for the Italian holiday Pasquetta, and we were running out of staples. I was told the Italians like to picnic for Pasquetta. Too bad for them it rained! At least it didn’t hail.
After we got home from the commissary, I managed to stall the kids for a couple hours but finally gave in and hid eggs in our yard. Once again, it started to rain. Not much luck with the weather! Maybe next year we’ll have sun.
Hope your Easter was blessed as well!
March 24, 2008
As we were readying ourselves for church, I heard a bell ringing. It was not the church bells, but sounded more like something a child would play with. At first I wondered if it was some sort of Italian Easter tradition I didn’t know about, but it turns out it was sheep.
A lot of sheep.
And a few shepherds and some sheep dogs. There was poo on the road for many klicks (Km). Many.
