Items of interest, so far.

It's so amazing here, I don't even know what to write. This is probably going to be random stuff about what's happened and what I've seen so far.

We arrived in Rome at about 8:30 AM and took a bus to Regello (say it like this: ra-jello) around 11, and arrived at Casa Cares, where we're staying around 4 PM. I tried to take pictures from the bus to stay awake, but my drooping eye lids got the best of me and I eventually dozed off. I did manage to stay awake long enough to watch the landscape turn from city to country, from flatish to mountains. The transition was beautiful and amazing. The tour bus up the winding road on the mountain? Not so amazing. :)

Some... towns? Neighborhoods? I'm not sure what to call them, but they're built into the side of hills and mountains. Closer to larger cities and towns, the houses and apartments are squeezed together and farther out, the houses and apartments, as you can imagine, have more space. The architecture is, obviously, so so beautiful. I wish there were a word that were more emphatic... beautiful doesn't seem to do it justice. The thing I really like about Tuscany is that even though some of the buildings and homes were built recently, the architecture is in the style of the older buildings, which I really appreciate. If American Ranch-style homes were ugly to me before, I might not be able to look at them when I return home.

Casa Cares is the best ever. It is, I think, about 500 meters up (Is that a lot? I'm not really sure. My ears popped while driving up the mountain, so it's at least a significant number.). There is a vegetable garden, chickens, solar panels, a litter of kittens and what I assume to be a dad kitten (cat). He is beautiful and looks like Soy Sauce (appears to be black, but in the light is actually brown). He has a lazy eye and I am in love with him. There are olive, plum, apple and fig trees. Right now, figs are in season and we had fig preserves on our bread this morning.

Poppies grow wild here! I can't even tell you how thrilled I am about this! They are the most vivid, saturated red color and really pop in the sunlight. I want to cut them and take them home with me, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get through customs. Oh well. :)

For dinner last night, we has salad (grown here) with homemade cucumber and dill dressing, vegetarian (hooooooray!!!) pesto lasagna, and delicious homemade bread. I don't even have the words, you guys. Oh yeah, the coffee here is SO GOOD. SO SO GOOD.

I've found at least two "official" walking trails. I'm almost tempted to skip some of our days in the city and spend time by myself in the woods...

More later, I think I'm going to take more pictures.