Tuna Pizza and Gelato

Ding Dang Dong goes the bells. Not only is that a line for the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” but also a reality here in Italy. It seems every town has a church that still rings their bells throughout the day. The first time I heard them was in early evening signifying the end of the day. When I get busy with the details that need to be done these bells remind me that I am experiencing a wonderful opportunity in a foreign land. It allows me to cherish the moment before I continue on with my current project.

A similar topic was brought up today at the barn. Do horses know that they are in a different country or do they just think they went on a long road trip? Not only are the sights and smells new and different but so are the common sounds. There is a difference the speech patterns and the tempo of the American speech versus the Italian speech. Do horses realize this? They must notice the difference but do they understand the difference?

This was a topic that Lauren Jolly, one of our team grooms, and I got on today while taking care of he team horses. If they do realize it then they adjust better then humans do. They appear not to be affected by jet lag, whereas, I am still trying to get on the right schedule. I will probably have it figured out by the time I get on the plane to fly home. Who needs sleep anyway? At least that is what I am telling myself.

Italy has presented a fair share of new experiences. Tonight was no different. We went to dinner at a restaurant that we had enjoyed earlier, but this time we didn’t have a translator helping us with the menu. We were on our own. I was armed with my pocket dictionary and a few key phrases but it was still mass confusion. To an outside spectator we probably resembled a Three Stooges comedy. We did get some outside help from other patrons who felt sorry enough for us to translate a few words. After the order was set, which took probably 10 minutes for two pizzas, a steak, salad and spaghetti; we felt quite accomplished. We had ordered food. That feeling left after I took my first bite. Apparently I mistranslated a word and instead of getting tomatoes on my pizza I got a very pungent tuna. I am not a fish person, especially if it tastes fishy which this did. But I couldn’t help myself, this was too funny. I started laughing at the mistake. It was too funny. I did end up ending the pizza but tried to avoid the fish. Ryan also got a different pizza then he thought he ordered, but John and Lauren got food that resembled what they thought they would get. So we for two and two; it can only go uphill.

After our dinner we thought dessert would be good, but since there was no Tiramisu available we moved on. In the town of Leno Lauren had seen a Gelatoira, which we promptly headed to. There were too many flavors and colors that it was hard to decide on one flavor. So it was a nice surprise when we found out that you get three flavors with an order. Now which three to pick? I was temped by the baby blue colored gelato called Pucco, but decided I had been adventurous enough for the day. So I got chocolate, Rocher, and a vanilla flavored gelato. Boy were they delicious! Everything that everybody has said about Gelato is true. Maybe on my next trip to the Gelatoira I will get the baby blue gelato or maybe not.

Tomorrow we start setting up our stalls in Manerbio, the horses move in on Monday morning and the riders start arriving Monday. The pace is going to pick up and I can’t wait until the whole team is here in Italy!

Till tomorrow.

*an after-note: the fish on my pizza turned out to be anchovies, not tuna :)

New Friends & the Quest for Ice

It seems that good food might be a theme here in Italy. If there is a bad restaurant we haven’t found it. But it is not the food that is making the experience; it is the people we have dined with.

Yesterday for lunch the trainers from Renzo Canciani’s took us to a local Pizzeria. The food was great, most of us had what we would call a Calzone. The conversation was even better. Though I sometimes did not have a clue what was being said, you can’t help but get pulled into the easy friendship and camaraderie of this group.

Laughter is a prerequisite.

The team has been welcomed with open arms. When the horses arrived there were people waiting to see them unload. Most of the afternoon before the horses came I would was answering the question, “When will they be here?”. “Due l’ora…una l’ora…trenta minuto”, the countdown had begun.

When the horses were unloaded it was like celebrities walking the red carpet. In the air was excitement and a sense of awe. I too was caught up in it. If this is the reception for the horses, I can’t wait to see the reaction when Tom, Pete, Craig and Jordan arrive.

After a good nights sleep the horses were happy to stretch their legs. Everyone seems to be in fine form and taking it in stride. Today, John, Lauren, Ryan and I are going to check out the show venue now that that the footing is in the arena. I was able to see it on my first day here and I was duly impressed. It is a wonderful venue and I can’t wait until the competition starts.

Also, have you ever noticed that when you need something you can never find it? Well, we needed ice and I couldn’t find any bags of ice. Normally the procurement of ice is easy...in the U.S.A. Run to the closet gas station and buy a bag or two. In Italy they don’t sell bags of ice. So my new daily activity is going to the bar with a plastic bag and asking the bartender to fill up the bag for me. After breakfast I ask the waiter for ice and I hand over the plastic bag. This seems to be working well. But it does teach you not to take things for granted.

Arrivederci! Til tomorrow!!

San Paolo and the Arrival of the Horses

I have arrived in San Paolo, Italy.I had an interesting drive from Milan but for the most part uneventful. I only got lost once and luckily I knew what turn I took that got me lost. The one good thing about getting lost is that you get to some countryside that you may not have seen before.
I finally found the hotel, thanks to the wonderful signs that they have posted on the road. I was greeted by a superb staff and shown to my room. The hotel, OneMhotel, has a key card that not only opens your door, but turns on the lights and lowers the curtain on my car. My car, whom I am affectionately calling LuLu, has her own parking spot right outside of the door and when I insert my key card into a slot inside the room a curtain falls down behind her. It is like she has her own room.
Since arriving I have been trying to get my bearings and I find my way to the different necessary locations. Through this adventure, LuLu and I have seen some beautiful countryside and lots of small towns. We are staying in the a very agricultural area, so it is very commonplace to see a tractor going through the roundabouts as it is to see a Mercedes.
(Continued …the next day)
The horses have arrived safe and sound. After four days of traveling the U.S. Reining Team horses are now settled in their pre-competition stabling at Renzo Canciani’s in Gottolengo, Italy. Their travels started as a trailer ride to the Houston Airport, then an 8 hour flight to Amsterdam, which was followed by two days of driving through Holland, Austria, Germany and Italy to finally arrive. They were very happy to be on firm ground again.
After getting the horses settled the grooms, Ryan Kyle and Lauren Jolly, and our vet, John Newcomb decided to grab a bite with our host Renzo Canciani at a wonderful Italian restaurant in the town of Leno. All of us were enjoy Italian food but were a little stumped by the menu. It was in Italian, imagine that! We proceeded to pick our favorites and then try a new dish along with some new phrases, which we are sure to misuse. I finally got to have some Gelato, which is first thing everyone told me I needed to get when they heard I was headed to Italy. I must say I was not disappointed and will be sure to have it again, probably sooner rather than later.
Tomorrow looks to be a nice day, and hopefully no rain in the forecast. Till tomorrow…

It's Friday and I just got Paid!!!!

It's Friday and payday!!! Could this day get any better, but of course it could! It is the middle of August and the temperature is in the low 80's, I can be outside without dripping sweat.

Well, Kody and Willow didn't end up at the horse show last night. As I was getting ready to leave we got what looked like a monsoon and since I didn't have an umbrella handy I opted to stay and work a little longer. I did go to the show and watch the ponies fly around the indoor arena. It makes me want to get on my show horse and jump. Only problem he is retired and in IL. But in mind he and I would have kicked butt if we had competed in Pony Jumpers as a youth. That is Pi to the right taking it slow with a young friend a couple of years ago.

After the show I was able to watch the Olympics - had to get my Michael Phelps fill. But actually I have decided I like Aaron Peirsol a bit more. There is something about his relaxed California attitude that I just love! And he was so gracious to his teammate that beat him out of the gold medal last night. So Mr. Peirsol you have just gained another fan.

I also got to see the Women's Individual Gymnastics meet. I am always amazed at how they can fling and fly on all of the apparatus' and still smile. I would definitely have a grimance on my face. Nastia Lukin made it look effortless. And Shawn Johnson made it look fun. Together they both out on a fabulous contest for the top spot. The U.S. women were so gracious and I love how all of the athletes, no matter what nation you were from, congratulated each other. I saw some great sportsmanship. That is the great thing about the Olympics, it brings people together.

Since the Olympics are on with very few commercial interruptions and there is no distinctive break betweens hours I have been watching and not realizing that it is after midnight. Take last night for instance, I was putting a load of laundry in and I heard Bob Costas say something to the point that it was almost 1 in the afternoon in Beijing. I stopped and looked at my watch, so much for going to bed early. Lexington is exactly 12 hours behind Beijing. It is a good thing I am a night person. And since I didn't feel too tired I kept going. I ended up doing laundry, dishes, putting clothes away and giving Willow a bath. Yes, at 3am I decided to give my dog a bath. She was constantly scratching but there were no signs of fleas (she had been treated recently), so I could only think that not all the soap came off the last time I bathed her and made her skin dry or she got into something. Either way, she couldn't stay like that all night. Mind you Willow is not a small dog, she weighs 90 lbs. So I had to take her outside and hang on to her as she tried to slip away. At one point she succeeded and it took all the coaxing I could muster to get her to come near me. After that I made a handle to hold on to her. I took the leash and made a loop around her hips, it helped me control her whole body and she couldn't slip away. I thought i was pretty clever. After the bath she had to dry off, so Willow, kody and I went on a walk.

I am getting better at these late nights and early mornings, but I really need to get to bed earlier. It is a good thing the Olympics only happen once every four years, but that just means i don't want to miss any of it.

Tonight is Pony Finals again. This time the dogs are coming. Then this weekend I am running errands to get prepared for my trip to Italy for the U.S. Reining Team.

Have a great weekend!!!

Let's Get Started

This is my first entry on this site. I have written a few entries elsewhere for other reasons, but the format never seemed to work. So I thought I would give this site a try. It seems to be working well for a bunch of other people, so I don't see why it wouldn't work for me.

I am sitting at my desk in Lexington looking outside at the impending rain and thinking whether I really want to go through with my plans for tonight. I promised my dogs I would bring them to the horse park for a walk and to watch the Pony Jumper class at Pony Finals, but wet dog smell is not my favorite. I probably will end up bringing them, otherwise I would be sitting at home watching the Olympics.

I love watching the Olympics but they never show the Equestrian events during primetime. And I am enjoying swimming and gymnastics like I never have, I am even a huge fan of Michael Phelps now, but I can only take so much! It is pretty bad when you start to recognize athletes on sight but you had never heard of them before four days ago. I would love to see Shawn Johnson win All Round Gold though. Tough decision.

Even though NBC is not showing the Equestrian part of the Olympics on TV (besides cable channels I don't get) they do have a live feed on the internet, www.nbcolympics.com. Through this I have been able to see all of the three discplines in mostly real time. Tomorrow starts the Jumping!!!!

Eventing and Dressage have been pretty exciting. USA didn't get a Team medal but Gina Miles got the silver in the individual. In Dressage we were fourth, and there are two more days of competition to see if we recieve an individual medal. I sure hope so!

Well I am off to go play in the rain!!!