Fireflies, Fruit Jars and Childhood Summer Nights

During the hot summer days, I reminisce about my childhood years spent in Sutton, West Virginia, in the 1960s. Among the memories I hold close to my heart are those of moonlit summer nights I spent running barefoot through the dew-laden grass catching fireflies. Armed with fruit jars with lids carefully punched full of holes, my sister, (Carol) and brother, (Eugene), and I anxiously awaited the darkness, which always brought with it the first tiny lights of our friends, the lightning bugs.


Each of us tried to outrun the others in our efforts to be the first to fill our jar. We let the pretty winged creatures crawl on our arms and hands and tickle us, making us giggle as they attempted to avoid the jar.

Sometimes in the rush to be first out the door to catch our bounty, the jar would be dropped and broken. My grandmother did not appreciate providing more than one jar, but Aunt Judy always relented after some tearful pleading on the part of the one who had the accident.

Bedtime always seemed to come too soon, but even bedtime was welcome on those nights because we were allowed to keep the prized jar beside our beds. This would result our hoping in the room would become aglow with tiny twinkling lights. They seemed to have a calming peacefulness about them.  Sadly, we always awoke to their little bodies being lifeless, (not matter how much grass and water we had placed in the jar the night before).  But the next time, we would try again, hoping to light the bedroom with their little bodies.

Now I am a grandmother, and when I take my grandsons back with me to my grandparents homestead, so they can experience some of the wonder of the country life while it still exists in this hurry paced world - I find that I smile as they race to be the first out the door to catch the fireflies in fruit jars also.  Hoping to be able to light their bedroom at night with the twinkling lights from the tiny little bodies.  And when one of the little jars slips from their hands, Aunt Judy quietly sweeps up the broken pieces and gives the one who had the accident a new jar and as always says the familiar phase, "don't worry honey, there's plenty more jars in the cellar house".

4th of July

On Monday, (the 4th of July), Ian, Shelle, Josh, Shelle's parent's, (Cecile & Bob), and Shelle's youngest sister, (Aimee) came over to our house for a B-B-Q.  Shelle fixed tri-tips on our grill, Dave fixed jumbo grilled shrimp, I fixed potato salad, baked beans, green salad, vegetable tray, several different kinds of dips, several trays of crackers, pita chips, and chips, corn on the cob, choc chip cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, lemoncello cheesecake, and Cecile fixed a patriotic trifle, (raspberry, blueberry, strawberries, ladyfinger, vanilla creme filling - Yummy).  We had lemonade, sun tea, sodas, and a few beers for those that wanted to indulge. Shelle made the most fantastic Basil lemonade. We had so much food and drink it was unbelievable!!  We ate, drank and laughed all evening and then played cards until the sun went down. 

Then Dave and I brought out a large basket of sparklers.  Some of them were almost 2 1/2 feet long.  Ian's eyes were the size of quarters when he saw the basket of sparklers.  He was so excited lighting and waving them around.  It almost was like watching an Indian Fire Dance.  After he used up all the long sparklers and a couple boxes of the small sparklers, we settled down in chairs on the deck to watch a spectacular show of fireworks across the valley.  We had a free show that was a combination of many shows - it was great.  The best part about being on a slight elevation over the city is the view, and this proved to be a night of great views.

Our Cruise to the Mediterranean (Part 2)

SANTORINI, GREECE
On Thursday, June 2nd, we docked on the island of Santorini. Known for it's black sand beaches, crystal-clear waters and whitewashed villages that cling to the volcanic cliffs that make Santorini a wonder to behold. Santorini is known as the lost kingdom of Atlantis. First settled around 3,000 BC the civilization disappeared when the island was engulfed by a volcano eruption around 2,000 BC and was uninhabited until 1,000 BC. Today the island has very little vegetation, and because of the high humidity, the volcanic rocks draw the moisture from the air and the plants get their roots systems watered through the rocks. People do not water their plants and there is very little rain fall on the island. The island is know for growing it's vineyards very low to the grounds in basket shapes. The island is considered a "resort" style area, with many multi-million dollar homes to many rich and famous people, (i.e.: Pitt/Jolee, Onassis, Oprah, etc.). It is considered one of Greece's most beautiful islands. We arrived at the island by a pirate ship tender and rode by bus to the top, where we toured a winery, sampled local cuisine and shot some beautiful photos of the local area. We then rode down the winding narrow roads site seeing the country-side and the beautiful beaches. A stop in a small town for some more trinkets and souvenirs, and we were walked over to the cable cars for a ride down the side of the mountain to the docks for a trip back out to the ship There are 3 ways to get up and down the mountain: donkeys, (they don't smell very good), walk (over 600 steps and remember the donkeys leave behind presents), and cable car, (we chose the cable car). There are donkeys roaming all over the island. Many people love to return to Santorini for their destination vacation.

MYKONOS, GREECE
On Friday, June 3rd our ship docked at Mykonos Greece - the last of the Greek islands that we would be touring. Dave and I did not book an excursion for Mykonos. Today we would be on our own to wander the town and sight see the sea side village. So after breakfast, we grabbed our sunglasses, a hat to shade our eyes, our camera, a couple bottles of water, our bags for carrying souvenirs, the Euros for purchasing said souvenirs and away we went, with no destination in mind or knowledge of the island. Mykonos is know for it's many old windmills, quaint narrow cobblestone streets, picturesque white painted villages, hundreds of churches, golden sandy beaches and the most friendly people. And I must say also, some of the most delicious food!! The Romans conquered Mykonos in 146 BC, and then Mykonos was under Turkish domain from 1207 until 1537, after which when it won it's independence. Thus, the island has many cultural influences, (Italian, Turkish, Grecian). Even today, the village is very old world and a lovely area to explore, take photos, and shop. The streets are very narrow, and people usually walk everywhere, but when an occasional vehicle does come down the street, people all step into the shops to make way for the car to pass down the street then step out of the shop and go on their way. While in Mykonos, Dave and I stopped at an Olive Tree shop, where they use the roots from old (1200 - 1500 year old dead olive trees), to make items for sale. Dave's brother, (a pharmacist), collects morter & pestles and we bought him a beautiful one for his birthday. The great thing about traveling to foreign countries - you can always find unique birthday and holiday gifts for friends and family. We did more souvenir shopping, photo taking, and sampling of the local cuisine. I found out the gyros are NOT made from lamb in Greece, but only chicken and beef. We Americans make them from lamb. Funny how we always thought lamb gyros were a Greek thing. The only bad thing was that somewhere in Mykonos, Dave lost one of his hearing aids !! We re-traced our steps but never found it.

NAPLES, ITALY
After a day at sea, we finally docked on Sunday, June 5th, at our final destination, Naples, Italy. Dave and I chose not to tour Naples, but to instead tour Sorrento and Pompeii. We were warned that Naples was very crime ridden and if you ventured into Naples do not wear any jewelry and no watches of value. As we rode through Naples, we discovered it was a lot like Rome, very crowed, noisy, and a lot of graffiti. Except for the very old buildings you would think you were in Los Angeles. Shortly we were out of the city and in the beautiful countryside. As soon as we entered Sorrento, I felt like I had arrived at a place my heart and soul were destined to be. I instantly fell in love with the town. When we walked into the center of town all five of our senses came alive. We could smell the floral from the flowers everywhere, the foods cooking as the restaurants were preparing for their lunchtime customers. We could taste the salt from the ocean. We could feel the cobblestones under our sandals from the streets that were hundreds of years old. The colors from the shopkeepers spices, foods, and wares that they set out for buyers were delights for the eyes. Yes this was a place that I knew I would want to return to again and stay for a week (or two). Of all the stops - THIS was my favorite. The people were so friendly. Our next stop was to a shop where they did in-laid woodworking in the same fashion as they have done for over 200 years. The work was so beautiful. I purchased a few small pieces and some handmade Pinocchio key chains for gifts. Then on to a farm, (Le Sorgente), where we saw a demonstration of how they hand make mozzarella cheese everyday, (365 days a year). We were treated to a light lunch of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, Salomi, olives, olive oil, fresh make bread. YUMMY. There was lemoncello and lemoncello cream. For dessert there was lemoncello ricotta cake that was to die for !!. I am determined that I will find the recipe for this cake, even if I have to write to the owners. It was not a cheesecake, but more like a pound cake. In the kitchen the ladies were making eggplant Parmesan. Dave told the tour guide that it was OK to leave him behind to help the kitchen ladies. When they were serving dessert, the tour guide told the ladies that Dave was allergic to dessert.  After our light lunch, we walked around the farm and explored a little.  The lemons were the size of softballs!! The farm garden was to die for!  The fruit grove where every imagineable fruit tree grew and the olive oil processing house. The chicken coup, the pigs, the cows.  This was truly a self-sufficent farm.  I was totally in my element here.

Our next stop was Pompeii. Our friends, (Karen and Neil), went to Pompeii early in the morning then returned to the ship. They said they were rained on. Lucky for us, by afternoon the rain had stopped and the sky was cleared and the ground dry. At the bottom of Pompeii, we stopped at a shop where they still do delicate handmade cameo pieces the same painstaking delicate way that they have for hundreds of years. I was looking for just a cheap piece for a necklace and as a surprise for me, Dave purchased me a lovely ring with 3 cameo settings done by a master craftsman.

Next our trip up to the city of Pompeii. It was hard to imagine the city that had been buried under 17 meters of volcanic ash would be in such good condition. The pottery, the paintings on the walls, and even the skeletons and bodies were in good details. Our tour guide was a history major and so we were given a detailed look into the lives of the people of Pompeii and how they lived. Pompeii was truly a city of pleasure, (money, food, and sex). We saw how the traders brought there wares into the city and unloaded them off to be sold, we saw the "Red Light" district and the menu paintings on the wall, where the men would point out what they would like to purchase. We toured the political house where the politicians would bring words from the rulers to the people of what was happening and collection of taxes for rulers. We saw the slave trader arenas and the gladiator arena. It was amazing! In it's height of glory, Pompeii had a population of 122,000, which was the equivalent of 1.5 million people today. So, Pompeii was indeed a very large city for it's time. We returned to our ship just in time for departure. It was again a long, long, very long day. At dinner, we compared stories of our trip to Pompeii with our friends and they saw completely different sections of Pompeii than we did, and heard completely different stories about their sections. It all depends on who your tour guide was.

We were tired from our long day, and we had to get our luggage packed and ready for our stewart to put out for airport pick up by 11pm. Good thing we brought an extra suitcase with very little in it for all the things we purchased. Karen is looking to buy a suitcase in Rome, so she can take home her purchases. The one thing I do wish is that we had an extra day in Rome to visit St. Peter's and the Vatician. But, once we disembark tomorrow we have just enough time to get to the airport, get through customs, and get on the plane and head home for the good ole' U.S. of A. OH WELL, Maybe next time.

Now that we are home, we are still enjoying our memories of our trip to the Mediterranean. Looking up recipes and cooking with the spices that we brought back from Turkey, Greece, and Italy. And remembering how wonderful things tasted when we were actually there. We have a couple of places that we would like to go back an re-visit and we would like to go to Northern Italy next time.

It was truly a memorable trip.

Our Cruise to the Mediterranean (Part 1)

This year Dave and I took a 10 day cruise in the Mediterranean. We left Salt Lake on Wednesday May 25th, (traveling with friends of ours Neil & Karen), and flew to Rome, Italy, (the 'Eternal City') - were we spent Thursday and Friday. We took a Segway tour around Rome seeing all the sights. It was truly magnificent seeing all the arches, ruins, the fountains, the Pantheon, the Cathedrals, and of course the magnificent Colosseum. I was amazed at how crowed the city was. And at how crazy the people drive. Everyone drives scooters and little Smart Cars, and they drive very, very fast. We enjoyed the up close and personal tour around the city and afterwards stopped by a little restaurant to enjoy a delightful un-rushed meal and a walk back to the hotel shuttle bus pick up point where we watched people dodge traffic as they try to cross the street. The next day we boarded a bus to tour around Rome in comfort to once again see the sights. This time we also got to stop at Vatican City. But the line to St. Peter's front door was 2 hours, (just to get in), and our tour did not allow us enough time. Over at The Vatican the same thing another 2 hour wait just to get to the front door. So, we visited the square, and bought some souvenirs to bring home.

Then it was on to the pier and time to board our ship for 10 days at sea around the Mediterranean with stops at Messina, Athens, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, and finally Naples. We had our passports in hand, plenty of Euros, and our excursions planned out and were looking forwarded to 10 days of trying out new and exciting foods, customs, and seeing all the sights that we had heard about in school and from our friends. Arrivederci Rome, see you in 10 days when we dock.


MESSINA, SICILY

First stop - Saturday, (May 28th), Messina, Sicily the southern part of Italy. We had arrived at 10:00 am and were in port until 6:30 pm. Our first stop was at the Cathedral in the center of town to see the "Treasures of Messina". Inside was a wedding, but we were allowed to view the lovely Cathedral and the gold artifacts. We also got to see the hand carved clock tower which moved when it struck noon. The whole process took about 15 minutes as each section of the clock moved and turn in process. Our tour guide explained each section and it moved and turned, twirled and played music and chimes.

Next we drove down to the beach and saw the fishing boats. Most of the town makes their living fishing and farming.

The residential area of town is very crowded, much like Rome. But, the buildings are very old and the streets are very narrow. A few souvenirs to bring home, then back to the ship. Tomorrow we have a full day at sea as we head out to Athens, Greece. It will be a good day to just relax and take it easy.



ATHENS, GREECE
On Monday, May 30th, We pulled into port at Piraeus, (Athens), Greece. The largest city in Greece, and one of the most important in the Mediterranean. The capital of Greece and considered to be a gift of the Gods to the mortals. Our tour of ancient Athens, Plaka, and ancient Acropolis was wonderful. We saw the ruins of ancient and modern Olympic sites and the marina which is actually right in downtown Athens. Unfortunately, downtown Athens is very crowded with lots of high rise apartments, and very dirty with litter and graffiti. People just park their cars anywhere and any which way on the street. Parking is so scarce in Athens, that our guide told that after living in her apartment for 2 years - when she finally got a parking space in front of her apartment building, when she had to go to the pharmacy that afternoon she took a taxi so she wouldn't lose her parking space. When you get out into the countryside it is so lovely, and very lush and green. Every where you go, if the house has any land, the people plant small gardens and flowers. They try their best to beautify their home. The apartment decks all have pots of flowers sitting on them. We went to a wonderful little jewelry shop and picked up some more souvenirs to take home.

EPHESUS, (KUSADASI), TURKEY
On Tuesday, May 31st, we docked at Ephesus, (Kusadasi), Turkey, where a group of local entertainers greeted up as we departed the ship. Our day long tour with Yoseph, (Joseph in English), took us to the rural Aegean region, which was settle in the 10th century BC. Where everything is VERY, very green and lush. Turkey grows every thing you can image - all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Orchards as far as you can see. We stopped at the ancient city of Ephesus to visit the ruin and walked the narrow streets where the disciple Paul walked and preached to the people, over 2000 years ago. Then on to the center of town for some bartering on some souvenirs, purchasing some spices, and sampling of the local specialties of the merchants. Our tour then took us past the hill where the disciple Paul was buried and on to a Muslim mosque, where we were allowed to enter and learn about the religious customs. Their temples are very plain, no paintings or photos. But a large beautiful chandelier does hang in the middle of the room and that's all. Women are still separated from men during religious services. Then on to the government school where Turkish carpets are still hand woven the same as they have been for centuries, and a private showing of dozens of samples of many sizes of rugs available for purchase at a fraction of what we pay in the US. Our next stop was "Cherry Village" and into the home of a local villager, where we were served local Turkish household dishes - YUMMY. We dined like royalty. We arrived back at the ship late in the day, (just 15 minutes before departure), exhausted but totally in love with the region. We really enjoyed our time in Turkey and came home with many pleasant memories.

RHODES, GREECE
On Wednesday, June 1st, we landed on the island of Rhodes, Greece. This is the largest of the Greek islands, first settled in 4000 BC. The beaches are spectacular, with their white sands and colorful umbrellas. The city is a medieval walled city, built by the Knights of Ioannites in the 1300s. Our tour took us through the area where the knights lived, worked, and served the not only the king but also the people of the island. We were able to also visit the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the 7 wonders of the world. Imagine walking among the ruins that have been here before the time of Christ! Rhodes was a wonderful island to visit.