She said exactly what I was thinking: "It's going to rain." We had arrived in Gubbio, Italy, a medieval village not far from our friends' place, Le Vigne…
Read MoreGoing to the Theater in Gubbio

Back view, Roman theater ruin, Gubbio, Italy
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Back view, Roman theater ruin, Gubbio, Italy
A sunflower field not far from the highway in Umbria, Italy.
"Come back before it’s too late." It was the last line of an email from our friends, Roger and Joan, who own a centuries-old renovated villa in Umbria, Italy…
Read MoreGreetings from Italy, and Happy July 4th! We are just outside Perugia, Umbria, at our friends' place, Le Vigne…
Read MoreI don't know how old I was--maybe four or five--but I was excited. It was past my bedtime, but I was still up. We were going to …
Vegetables. I wasn't a fan. Under duress and my parents' watchful eyes, I would take a bite of green beans and shiver as it went down. And squash? I thought it just might be the death of me...
Read MoreThe Manor House at Gibbs Gardens, with one of its inhabitants lounging on the wall
The date had been on the calendar for weeks. It was a Saturday morning in early June that we both had labelled "Gibbs Gardens." After a busy May filled with our daughter's graduation festivities, my husband and I looked forward to the serenity and beauty...
Read MoreA field of clover I saw on a recent walk
Squirming, talking, looking out the window at the sunshine. We could not keep still. Finally, the last school bell would ring, and out of the building we would fly.
Summer stretched before us, endless and exciting, filled with sunshine and fun and magic. Adventure awaited, and finally, we were free…
Read More“Want to go to an antiques auction with us?” my dad asked on the phone one day. In love with all things vintage at the time, I jumped at the chance.
The next Saturday evening, we followed my uncle’s car out into the country and back up in the woods to a place called Trails’ End Antiques. I had no idea how we got there or how we’d ever get out again…
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