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Long light on the almost-longest day of the year fell on a field below Case di Noe this evening. That + a little bit of humidity +a little bit of smoke = pure magic…
Too Beautiful Not To Share…
22 Tuesday Jun 2010
Posted in Photographs, Rapallo
Category Archives: Photographs
Hiking Dogs
02 Tuesday Feb 2010
Posted in Animals in the U.S., Dogs, Hiking in Arizona, Photographs, Uncategorized
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Lucy
It’s great fun to see dogs out hiking the Arizona trails with their people friends. Whether large or small, one thing they all have in common is a great big doggy smile; they all seem to love being out in the desert.
Most of the dogs we meet are family pets and have the usual background story. Every now and then, though, we meet a special dog, like Josie.
Josie
Evidently there are packs of dogs roaming wild in the parks. They have either gotten lost or have been taken to the desert and abandoned by people who no longer want them. It is natural for dogs to form packs, and that’s what these solitary dogs do. Josie had been a pack dog, but had been injured, become infected, and was near death when a ranger came upon her and carried her out. Her owner, a friend of the ranger, quickly volunteered to adopt Josie. Friendly and affectionate, it seems that Josie knows what a lucky dog she is. “She’s the best dog I’ve ever known,” says her owner, who feels pretty lucky too.
Sometimes we see pack dogs of a different type, and these I don’t photograph. These dogs ride in a pack on their owners’ backs or chests. Somehow, cute as they are, they just don’t belong in a group called “Hiking Dogs.”
I began photographing dogs on the trail a year or so ago, and at the beginning I didn’t keep track of where we were or what the dogs’ names were. I’ve tried to be more careful about that recently, but sadly, some of the dogs I’ve captured are unidentified. Here’s a web album where you will find some more portraits of hiking dogs – select ‘slide show’, F11 for full screen (I’ll continue adding photos as I take them on future hikes, so check back again sometime).
Most of the people we encounter with their pets are delighted to be photographed, and almost to a one they tell their dogs, “You’re going to be famous!” when I explain the project is for a blog. Well, the dogs will never know that’s not true, will they!
Sage
Merry Christmas from Arizona
24 Thursday Dec 2009
I love driving around and looking at people’s Christmas decorations. Being far too lazy to do much myself, I am in awe of the amount of work and the imagination that some people confer on their houses at this season. After having seen djmick’s photos of 112 over-the-top houses, Apache Junction seems pretty tame, but here is my tribute to local lights (which are difficult to photograph). My very favorite decoration is the last one in the series below, executed by our neighbors from New Hampshire, but it is not effective at night.
If you live in the Phoenix area and you love lights, too, you might enjoy a trip to the Zoo for the annual Zoo Lights show… or take a virtual tour by clicking the link.
Expatriate wishes you all a Jolly Holiday Season and a Happy New Year..
Trees on the median strip in a development
Angels at the gate
Christmas tree with presents and deer
Creche scene in an entryway
Porpoises swim at the far left!
Star/cross with angels or shepards or kings
Ocotillo and Santa
This really is someone's enormous house!
I bet they did this veeerrrrry carefully...
Bersalgieri Visit Rapallo
23 Friday Oct 2009
Posted in Italian men, Italy, Law and order, Photographs, Rapallo, Uncategorized
For a couple of weeks the main streets of Rapallo have been criss-crossed with hundreds of little Italian flags. Why? we wondered. This weekend we found out: the Bersaglieri visted Rapallo and some neighboring towns for a gathering of the Corps from central and northern Italy. There were many events around their visit, including a concert on Saturday evening and a parade on Sunday morning. We were able to go to the parade for a few hours, which made us swell with pride, if not for being Italian, at least for living here.
There’s something about a uniform – or at least there always has been for me – and the signature feathers of the Bersaglieri hat are so over the top (oh excuse the pun) that they are divine. Where did that idea ever come from? Was it a type of ill-thought-out camouflage? Perhaps it was to suggest the speed of flight (though wood grouse, the source of the feathers, have never been noted for speed)? Me? I think it was simply a Style Statement, and a very fine one, too.
The Bersaglieri were founded in 1836 to serve as high-speed infantry in the Piemontese Army (this was before Italy was unified). Piemonte could not afford a large, expensive horse-mounted cavalry, so instead developed a superb corps of sharp-shooters that featured quick movement, either on foot or bicycles, and later on motorcycles. The Bersaglieri never walk – they run everywhere, whether in training, in the field, or in a parade. Their demanding physical training made them useful as mountain troops, too; the Alpini, the elite mountain troops, were founded in 1872, and there is still a friendly rivalry between the two groups (there were several groups of Alpini in the parade and some proud veterans watching). While there have been as many as 12 regiments of Bersaglieri in the past, today there are six, and they are all now mechanized.
In addition to unique headgear and running everywhere, the Bersaglieri are famous for their fanfara, the brass bands that accompany every regiment. The musicians must be adept not only at playing, but at playing as they run, because they, too, are obliged to run everywhere they go. The Fanfara from northern and central Italy formed the major part of Sunday’s parade, and they certainly impressed with their musical skill and physical stamina!
During World War II there were both bicycle and motorized troops:
There was a huge ovation for the oldest gent on a bicycle – 92 years old and still going strong:
And how about the fellow who has to ride a bike AND play the trumpet??
I find it very moving to see old Vets watching a parade, and Sunday was no exception. There were scores of former Bersaglieri watching the parade; it wasn’t always easy to read their expressions.
And of course there was a viewing stand full of dignitaries:
A parade is always fun, and a military parade particularly stirring. But only in Italy, I think, will you find a military parade that showcases such stamina, showmanship and style in one package: The Bersaglieri.
If you’re interested in some more photos of the parade, you may see them at a web album here. I recommend a slide show, F11 for full screen.
Expatriate on the Isle of Skye, Part 2
05 Monday Oct 2009
Posted in Photographs, Travel, Uncategorized
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Across the fields of bounding heather ~ (click link for wonderful old Beers Family recording of Dumbarton’s Drums…)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Isle of Skye is a big lobster-shaped island to the west of Scotland, near Inverness. It is part of the inner Hebrides and is considered part of the Highlands. The above photo is of Five Sisters Peaks; on the advice of a delightful woman who filled our car with gas we made a diversion to climb a hill (by car!) to get a good view of the mountains. It was well worth the short amount of time it took, and was one of our first tastes of the excitement the Skye scenery offers.
The woman who gave us our gas was no exception; everyone we met on Skye was friendly and helpful to a fault. Consider this: the host at The Salento B&B actually offered us the use of his washing machine to do our laundry. It didn’t work out with our timing, but the fact that he offered amazed us. He was typical of the people we met – eager to help, happy to chat, informative and fun.
We were on Skye for only three full days, not nearly long enough to explore the whole island. My favorite day included a brief stop at the Isle’s capital Portree:
followed by a walk through the woods called “Two Churches Walk.” Much of Skye is windswept and feels barren, but this walk through a tall piny forest gave us a good feeling for the large Norway Spruce forests that have been planted on the mainland and to a lesser extent on the island in the years since WWII.
This walk began and ended at St. Mary’s Church, a small ruined chapel where many of the chiefs of the MacLeod clan are buried.
No, it wasn’t especially warm that day…
From there we went to Dunvegan Castle, home for 800 years (with a brief 20th century lapse) of Clan MacLeod. In addition to the castle itself
there are extensive and beautifully maintained gardens, including a water garden and a circle garden.
But for us the most exciting and fun part of the experience was the ride in a small boat to see the seal population of Loch Dunvegan. We had wanted to take a boat tour this day, but our plans had been scotched (oh ha ha) by winds and tides. To our delight the Dunvegan boats were operating, and we were the only two aboard with Captain Allan, who gave us a good history of the clan, the seals and the area in general. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the seals – they are very cooperative.
Note the guy having a big yawn up there in the grass… or judging from the others’ expressions, maybe he just told a really stupid joke.
Is there anything more picturesque than sheep calmly grazing?
There may well be more four-footed inhabitants of the Isle than two – it certainly seemed that way to us as we drove around – and frequently the cows and sheep are not fenced in.
The real story of Skye, though, is the scenery and the light. Clouds and showers come and go with frequency, shifting the light and changing the landscape before your very eyes. None of it is easy to catch with a camera, but we both loyally tried. Here are some photos from our drives around the island, and from a short hike we took up a hillside to view the water on both sides of the peninsula we were on:
Those are the Cuillin Hills in the background, some of which are over 3,000 feet in elevation. Here is another view of them:
They are a dark and brooding presence on the south part of the Isle.
On our last evening on Skye we went a short distance onto the mainland to the picturesque town of Plockton where, we were told, many movies and TV shows have been filmed. There we ate haggis at the cozy old Plockton Inn – an experience no one should miss when visiting Scotland.
We were sad to leave the Isle of Skye – it has many more secrets than we had time to discover. As we drove away we looked back at the castle of Eilean Donan, not far from the Isle – it summed up for us all the magic of the preceding days, and issued a mute but compelling invitation to return.
If you’ve any patience left at all, you will find about 60 photos of the whole Scotland trip here. (I recommend the slide show, full screen (F11) – the quality of the photos is much better than in this post…)
Rapallo’s Feste Patronali
05 Sunday Jul 2009
Posted in Italian holidays, Italy, Photographs, Rapallo, Uncategorized
We might have celebrations and fireworks in the U.S.on the 4th of July, but good old Rapallo celebrates for three full days, and at almost the same time. July 1, 2 and 3 are the days of the Feste in Rapallo which commemorate the appearance of the Virgin Mary at Montallegro, 452 years ago. (You can read about that event here). Because the holidays are mid-week this year, they have run over a bit into the following weekend as well. The schedule of events is daunting – it would be impossible to do everything that is taking place.
It all starts the Sunday before the 1st of July, which is the first night the Pilgrims walk (yes, walk) from Rapallo up the mountain to Montallegro. Singing. At about 2 a.m. In torchlight. It’s a spooky thing to hear because the sound is not singing exactly, nor is it exactly chanting. It’s something in between, which has monotonal parts accented by occasional semi-octave exclamations. The sound carries, and the nearby hills send it back in echo, and the whole effect is mystical and a little scary, an effect that is, I imagine, accentuated by the flickering lights of the torches.
Throughout the feste days there are many masses celebrated, both at Montallegro and at the main cathedral of Rapallo, the Basilica of the Saints Gervasio and Protasio (an entertainingly translated link).
Things really get underway on the 1st, with the “Saluto alle Madonna” and the “Spettacoli pirotecnici ‘a giorno’ ” The Saluto, which is repeated daily, is simply big cannon Booms which shake the ground under your feet. The fireworks instead is a one and a half hour extravaganza that starts at 8 a.m. (8 a.m.??) and is sponsored by the Sestieri Borzoli and Costaguta. It seems like an odd hour for fireworks to me, but that’s how it’s done. There’s no worry if you don’t make it to this early show, though, there are plenty more fireworks to come, each one sponsored by pairs of the Sestieri of Rapallo.
Wikipedia tells us: “a sestiere is a subdivision of certain Italian towns and cities. The word is from sesto, or sixth; and is thus used only for towns divided into six districts. The best-known example are the sestieri of Venice, but Ascoli Piceno, Genoa and Rapallo, for example, are also divided into sestieri. Sestierei are no longer administrative divisions of these towns, but historical and traditional communities, most often seen in their sharpest relief in the town’s annual palio.” ( A ‘palio’ is usually an atheletic competition of some sort; Siena’s famous Palio is a horse race; Rapallo’s competition is in fireworks displays.) Borzoli and Costaguta also sponsor fireworks on the night of July 1st. On the night of the 2nd the Sestieri San Michele and Cappelletta take over, and on the night of the 3rd it is the turn of Seglio and Crisola, this one with music. The highlight of this display, which features a battle between sea and Fort, is the famous Lighting of the Castello, in which the whole edifice seems to be ablaze.
On the night of the 3rd, before the fireworks, there is a Solemn Procession of the Silver Arc of the Madonna, a parade through the center of the town in which all the parade crucifixes from the Rapallo churches are brought out and displayed. The Silver Arc usually resides at Montallegro, but is brought down annually to much fanfare. Bishops put on their best lace and the politicians are all in Armani.
The crucifixes are large and look quite heavy, though all the tinsely decorations at the top give to each an airy, celestial feel. Some of the Crucifieds are black and some are white. Each is carried by one man who has a leather pouch at his waist that cradles the base of the cross. The tricky part is that he must carry his burden without using his hands, which are firmly clasped behind his back.
There is a support team for each cross, and when one bearer gets tired there is frenzied activity while the cross is passed to the next. The whole effect is heightened by the costumes they wear, something between Middle Ages and Bakery.
It’s a terrific event. I can’t begin to imagine the planning and all the hours and hours of work it takes to carry it all off. If you ever have a chance to be in Rapallo on the 1, 2 or 3 of July, jump on it – it’s an experience you’ll never forget. There are some more photos here. They’re not as good as I’d like, but they’ll give you the flavor of the event. If nothing else, you’ll enjoy the portrait of the Very Strong Man.
The Animal Fair
02 Saturday May 2009
Posted in Animals in Italy, Customs, Photographs, Rapallo, Uncategorized
In the US we are accustomed to big annual State Fairs. Held on sites that are specifically designed for the event, complete with permanent buildings for various types of entries, they boast everything from First Aid demonstrations to tractor-pulling contests, from pot-bellied pigs to pots of strawberry jam. Frequently they are more carnival than agricultural, featuring as many rides, races and vendors as there are prize bulls, perfect pies and large pumpkins.
The American county fairs are much more numerous and much smaller in scale. For instance, in Connecticut this year there are thirty-two small fairs scheduled, mostly in the autumn. These fairs emphasize animals and produce, with fewer rides and midways. One thing that is common to both the large and small fairs in the US is that there is always competition involved: who has the tastiest cream pie? The largest unblemished tomatoes? Whose horse can drag the heaviest sledge?
The agricultural fairs here in Italy tend to be more like the county fairs in the US. They focus on a particular theme and stick pretty close to it. For instance, we recently attended the Fiere del Bestiame e Agricultura in the Santa Maria section of Rapallo (Animal and Agriculture Fair). 
It is a small fair, held along the banks of the Torrente San Maria, and it is always a delight. The big tree and shrub fair comes to Rapallo in January. This April fair is for buying chicks, ducks, turkeys, geese, goats and sheep; for buying flower plants; and for dreaming about a new piece of equipment for your farm. It also gives the local woodsmen a chance to compete in various wood-cutting skills, felling temporary trees and limbing downed trees (this is the only competition I’ve seen at an Italian fair yet).
Like every fair in Italy there are also ‘bancarelle’ (stalls) selling food, fabric, hardware and jewelry.
One of our favorites is the man who sells a sweet wafer from Tuscany. The machine that makes the wafer is so complex, the product so simple. It reminds us a bit of an elaborate tortilla-press. Best of all, the vendor gives samples of his product, a delicate, slightly anise-flavored treat, Tuscany’s sweet answer to the potato chip.
I’m crazy about the animals. The goats and sheep always look like they’ve just heard a very good joke, but they’re not going to share it with you.
Some of the chickens look annoyed, especially those wearing feather skirts, and some simply look foolish. The bunnies are adorable, and are always mobbed by small children who want to pat them. Baby fowl of all ilk are sweet when they’re fuzzy, yellow and young. If you’d like to see photos of a few more of the animals, click here and select slide show. The one picture I wanted and didn’t get was of the bee-hive between two sheets of glass, so you can see the hive being built and all the bees buzzing around. Come to think of it, I saw a similar display the last time I visited the Addison County Fair in Vermont. Bloomin’ Onion, anyone?
Desert Reptiles and Other Critters
11 Saturday Apr 2009
Posted in Animals in the U.S., Arizona, Desert, Hiking in Arizona, Photographs, Uncategorized
They say there are rattlesnakes in Arizona. HB can tell you I’ve gone out of my way to find one, but have been unsuccessful so far. It’s one thing to see a snake in a nature center or zoo, but I think it would be quite thrilling to see one in its natural habitat; my friends here think I’m nuts. HB and I did see a gorgeous gila monster on one of our hikes. He was about 15 inches long and, HB tells me, very healthy, his chubby tail being the measure of his well-being. Gila monsters are venomous, and while they are sluggish, if you were to step on one by myself he would probably bite you. And he wouldn’t let go. You would have to get yourself to the hospital quickly, with the animal still attached. That story would not have a very good end for either of you, especially the gila monster.
There are several varieties of small lizard resident in this desert. This one was sent over by central casting – he posed fearlessly as I stalked him with my camera.
One of the best things I’ve come upon in the desert was this egg. It’s about 2 inches long, and I have no idea whose it is. I was stalking another, larger lizard when I found it. Maybe it’s full of hundreds of wee snakes; or maybe a lizard will pop out one day soon.
We have seen javelinas (Arizona’s answer to cinghiale, though of a different family) and deer, but only on golf courses, which somehow doesn’t seem to count. We’ve also seen countless rabbits on the fairways; golfing bunnies are very bold, much more so than their cousins who are still living in the desert, like this fellow:
It’s hard even to find him, isn’t it?
I’ve mentioned the birds and bees in an earlier post, but now that there are so many flowers in bloom there are also a great many butterflies. Have you ever tried to take a picture of one? They are fast! No sooner do you get your camera turned on than they zip off to a distant flower.
A beautiful swallow-tail visited our citrus tree at home the other day, alit briefly on a glossy green leaf and then raced off. It’s hard to know how something that looks so frail and delicate (and in fact is frail and delicate) can move so fast (between 5 and 30mph, according to The Children’s Butterfly Site.
The desert sometimes seems dry and lifeless, but there’s a lot happening out there, and it’s really fun to go hiking and look for the action. Just be careful not to step on a snake or a big lizard!
Desert in Bloom
06 Monday Apr 2009
Posted in Arizona, Flowers, Hiking in Arizona, Photographs, Uncategorized
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Watching the desert bloom is like reading a long book. There’s a plot, but the action unfolds really slowly. Desert plants are tenacious; they have to be to survive the extremes this climate throws at them. And the flowers they produce seem to be pretty tough too. They may look delicate, but they hang on, day after day, in temperatures that seem high to this sissy.
The story begins with the lupines, which are strong enough to break through the road pavement and flower on the highway’s verge.
This was one of the last, but they bloomed in an understated carpet along Route 60 for most of February. The cheerful yellow California poppies bloom in broad swaths at about the same time.
Chapter two is the ubiquitous brittle bush which has tons of small yellow flowers. The creosote plant, which smells like its name when the air is humid, also puts out a small yellow flower. It makes a very amusing seed that looks like something an elf might use for a powder puff.
Chapters three through ten are all the small little plants that bloom on the desert floor. They are so small that it would be easy to miss them unless, like me, you are sure you’re going to trip and fall, so you always are looking down.
The climax has to be the flowering of the various cacti. The desert here boasts several varieties of cholla (pronounced choy-yah), hedgehog, pincushions, barrels, prickly pear, teddy bears, ocatillo, the enormous suguaro and others I don’t know or have forgotten. A month ago the cacti had big fat buds, and waiting for them to open has been an exercise in patience.
Finally they have started and it has been worth the wait. The hedgehogs are the early show-offs.
There is a world of action in that flower. Just before I took the photo a bee buried itself completely in the stamen, wiggled around for a few seconds, and then took off. I think it was drunk. Meanwhile the little black and red beetle seems to be napping. The white spider didn’t like the camera and scuttled away right after this shot.
It’s almost impossible to take a bad picture of these flowers; they make the most considerate subjects. If you would like to see some more pictures of the desert in bloom, click here, or over on the right under Photographs (choose the slide show option).
The desert in bloom is not as wildly showy as, say, an English cottage garden at its peak. And it’s different in another really important way. Almost every plant in the desert will happily impale you with something sharp and unpleasant. The dastardly cholla, whose segments stick like glue and work their way through hiking boots and jeans, the fishhook barrels with their barbed spikes, and all the others too, seem to be carrying some kind of huge grudge. Even the century plant (agave), familiar to us in Italy, is a stinker.
I foolishly wandered over to stroke its smooth asparagus-like stalk, and one of the spines which reside at the end of each leaf went right into my leg.
No matter where you go in the desert, and no matter how lovely the flowers are, you are always going to find yourself between a rock and a sharp place.
Expatriate in California
28 Saturday Mar 2009
Years ago a friend offered me a plane ticket to California, but I had other Big Plans and turned him down. What a mistake. Recently we spent a week in and around San Francisco, and I fell in love – not in San Francisco, but with San Francisco.
Here’s what’s right about San Francisco: almost everything. It’s a big city without a huge population (+/- 808,000 in 2008, according to Wikipedia), conveniently contained in only 47 square miles (for comparison, Manhattan has a population of +/- 1,621,000 on 23 square miles; Chicagoland, 9.5 million, 81 square miles).
Ocean. Bays. There’s lots of water in and around San Francisco.
Where there is water there will be bridges, and San Francisco has two that are magnificent: the famous Golden Gate Bridge:
and the graceful Bay Bridge (which is in the process of being rebuilt):
Crossing the Bay Bridge from Berkeley to San Francisco gives one a lovely view of the latter:
Most of San Francisco was destroyed by a post-earthquake fire in April, 1906. Here’s what the downtown looked like in the aftermath of that catastrophe (photo taken by H.D. Chadwick and housed in the National Archives):
Much of the city was rebuilt, obviously, but there are still some lovely juxtapositions of old and new:
San Francisco has a terrific public transportation system. The BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains run all over the place, and buses will take you wherever the Bart won’t. The most famous form of public transportation is the cable cars but we fell in love with the trolley buses – in addition to hundreds of modern trolleys, there are retired trolley cars from around the world. Our hearts leapt when we saw the familiar yellow of a Milano car. It made us wonder for a moment where we were.
(photo by Paul Fisk)
Food is famously important to Californians, and especially to San Franciscans. We ate out three nights in a row, and each meal was prepared perfectly. The Slanted Door in the restored Ferry Building on the old pier serves fusion Vietnamese food. Our only complaint was that the noise level was so high we left with our ears ringing. If you enjoy shopping, the Ferry Building is worth a daytime visit as well. Dosa, on famous Filmore in San Francisco, serves South Indian cuisine that is out of this world. The Wood Tavern, in Berkeley, serves chops, steaks and so forth in a small building with an intimate feel. All three of these restaurants were packed; reservations are a good idea. It was hard to leave the area knowing we had sampled only three of the hundreds of wonderful restaurants available… guess we’ll have to go back some day.
Cultural activities abound in the Bay area – we were not there long enough to scratch the surface of what’s available, but both the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park and the Asian Art Museum were so engaging that a half-day visit to each lasted all day, and we did not see half of either (you do the math!). For a guide to such things, click here. The Academy of Sciences, for instance, is one of at least three science museums in the area. Music, theater, film, art – it’s all widely available. Because of the diversity of the population there are countless cultural experiences to be discovered.
Visiting California itself is a bit like going to another country. We had to make a stop at an Agricultural Inspection station so our car could be examined for unwanted pests. We understood why when we drove through the vast San Joaquin Valley, 27,280 square miles of mostly agricultural land with a few cities here and there. That’s equal to about 20% of the whole of Italy (116,345 square miles). The area is sometimes justifiably referred to as “the salad bowl of America.”
In the photo above, what looks like a carpet of wildflowers is actually a quilt of blooming fruit and nut trees. What looks like a river is the California Canal, part of a vast irrigation system that brings the water of California’s rivers and mountains to the valley. In addition to fruit and nut trees there is vast acreage in cotton and vegetables (the J.G. Boswell cotton farm is the largest in the world at 150,000 acres).
In addition to agriculture, there is a thriving oil business in the San Joachin valley; there are six fields with reserves in excess of 100,000,000 barrels.
We saw enormous herds of cattle and fewer, but equally large, flocks of sheep. The drive through the Valley was long and bucolic, if, perhaps, a bit dull.
And lest you think Californians are not serious about the environment:
How this might be enforced I’m not quite sure…
California is also really serious about alternative energy. Near Palm Springs we drove through a huge wind farm. I couldn’t stop taking pictures, so please bear with me if I show you three of them instead of just one:
In 1995 California’s three main wind farms produced 30% of the world’s wind-generated energy.
Here’s what’s bad about California: the roads and the drivers.
A lot of the roads looked like the one above, with broken or uneven pavement. It made for a noisy and bumpy ride. The drivers, though, are worse than the roads. It seems to be a matter of pride never to drive less than 20 miles over the speed limit. The fellow driving the truck below passed us on the right, cut in front of us about 2 car lengths ahead, and jammed on his brakes. We hit him, but fortunately damage to our car was minimal (nil to his truck) and no one was hurt.
The advice on the rear window (‘Inhale’) might perfect for a party, but maybe not for the highway. Curious about that bumper sticker? It says, ‘Caution, driver no longer gives a shit.’ Evidently.
Not everyone on California roads is irritating though. This Gladiator cyclist gave us a cheerful wave when he saw my camera:
We had two unusual wildlife sightings as we drove along, one reptilian and one ursine:
This has been a long post, and I apologize for the large number of photos. It was hard to choose which of the 300+ I took to share with you. As you can tell, we had a terrific trip to California; I now understand why it is always one of three destinations on the itinerary of visiting Italians. It will be on mine again.
An Ex-Expatriate 
