WHO IS THIS FOR?

Chris sent me this ... it's a family joke.
While we lived in Tennessee and I was attending a Navy school to learn electronics -- if Chris had to call me while I was at the barracks on duty days (my duty was to hand out the mail on my duty days), he could call up and ask for Petty Officer Mommy. There were only a few of us who had kids - whoever answered the phone would be able to pin down which "Petty Officer Mommy" was being looked for by the caller's name.

The Christmas we were in Tennessee, we went down to Disneyworld over the holidays. We got back real late at night and rather than lose another day of leave, I parked the car outside the quarterdeck and went to check in off leave. I told Chris that if anyone came by - to tell them I was in with the OOD (officer of the deck) --- he said okay, he'd tell them I was with the O-D-D. (that had been one of his spelling words - so he knew "ODD" was a word). Close enough -- just had to laugh.

When I let Chris know the package had arrived in the mail and it was for a "Petty Officer Mommy" -- he made sure to point out that it was "Petty Officer - retired - Mommy"

ERIC DODGE SINGS "I PLEDGE"

One of my favorite artists....I wanted to have this played at my command Navy retirement ceremony...unfortuantely, my ceremony was cancelled due to mission requirements. Oh well ... so it goes.

TORNADOS AND EARTHQUAKES

We had a few small tremors this morning -- just enough to rattle the furniture and windows and sent the cat into a tizzy. Last Monday, when Don and I came home from work the poliza weren't allowing anyone to go through Motta (one of the small towns we normally drive through to get home) -- wondered about it, but figured it was just blocked for holiday celebrations. Imagine our surprise a few days later to learn that a tornado had gone through the town.

Regretfully, several were critically injured in Catania (the major town just east of us on the coast). The newscast link shows part of Motta (at about the 1 minute point)

100 HORSE CHESTNUT TREE - SAN ALFIO

Last weekend, we went to see the 100 Horse Chestnut tree near San Alfio. It is believed to be the largest chestnut in all of Europe. The name comes from the traditional story that when Princess Giovanna of Aragon that during a sudden rainstorm the young Joanna (Giovanna) of Aragon, Queen of Naples, travelling with a mounted suite of around a hundred retainers and knights, sought shelter under the huge tree.

Joanna of Aragon was the second wife of King Ferdinand I ("Ferrante") of Naples and Sicily (1423-1494), who she wed in 1476. The royal dynasty of Aragon had ruled Sicily since the War of the Vespers in 1282, and by now the "Italian" branch also ruled (from Naples) the southern third of the Italian peninsula. King Ferrante's reign was characterised by, among other things, high taxes.





...the path up to the chestnut tree....



....Two different views of the 100 horse chestnut tree. It's huge! A fence has been put around the trees since people have cut off branches and have burned portions of it.....






... Some really pretty flowers under the tree -- they look more like spring flowers to me, strange to think that it is the middle of November ....



After leaving here, we went home to roast and eat some chestnuts we picked the weekend before on Etna.

PRICKLY PEAR FESTIVAL IN MILITELLO

Looking out over the country-side while driving to the festival



..a cactus farm on the way to Mitello. Prickly pears have only been grown commercially in Sicily for the last 15-20 years. Lots of farms and homes have some plants growing near the edges of the property ... provides a traditional food for the table and also makes a good deterrent to discourage animals from escaping. The straight rows indicate that it is a farm....



..close up of a cactus farm ...


... prickly pears for sale ... the Sicilan name for them is "fico (or figli) de India" ... some are sweet, some are bland, lots of different types. They can be peeled and eaten fresh (seeds and all, and there are lots of small seeds in them), used to make a thick sweet (Mostardo) that is about the consistancy of the fig filling in a Fig Newton or made into candy....



--detail on apartment building balcony ....


A baker (his shop is through the door part way up the steps) offering freshly made sweets of locally grown figs, almonds, cactus pears ....



....side street ...


A square within the festival area ...


Carriage from the mid-1800's ....

Some wonderful bells in the city museum ...



Bell detail ....

LATE POST - SIG'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

This happened in early summer ...lots of changes over 50 years - and Don has seen many of them with being here as a kid in the 70's, again in the late 80s-90s when we met and now we are back again. It was fun - smaller than the ones we enjoyed with Chris, but enjoyable none the less. NMCRS sponsored the Dino Dig ...Don and I both worked the booth for a few hours ...we had plastic eggs with dinosaucer miniatures inside each one. The tickets earned was dependent on what color the miniature was. Don and I were kept pretty busy re-burying eggs during our volunteer time. We just ketp getting more and more kids who wanted to dig ... we had several who would dig up eggs, re-bury them, dig up others, bury those until they got tired of the process .... all of this without even openign up the eggs to see what color the miniature was.

FAST TRIP TO CALIFORNIA

Flew back to California for a very busy week the end of September --- spent 4 days with a group of friends up in Petaluma-- we ran all over the place, did a Napa Valley wine train, day trips to San Francisco, Folsem and more ... then did a quick dash down to San Diego to meet up with Chris and take care of some issues with our proprty manager ... took advantage of Disney's free admission for active and retired military, drop by the Maritime Museum, saw just a few friends ...but didn't have the time to lots of others I really REALLY wanted to see (rats!) ...will have to go back soon and try again...