Love Sam lace ruffle top as worn by
Reese Witherspoon

This is the perfect piece to take you from Summer to Fall. We have it here!

I just love all things cozy. I walk around the house with a blanket and UGG slippers all year long and my husband just cannot get over it (Houston = very hot summers). He doesn’t always get the art of coziness.

We are in Rincon, Puerto Rico and believe me, I’m in my comfort zone. It’s very, very cozy. Everything about this place is easy. The flight. The roads are great (the smooth rides just feel better). The water is gorgeous, not to mention more buoyant (I swear it is). The weather is being very kind to us. I have not been bitten once by a mosquito (remember, I live in Houston). My boys are behaving! Note: the 7-year-old always behaves. It’s the 3-year-old that is unpredictable. My boys love it here.  It’s not too hot (remember, Houston)! My hair does well (as does the skin). Come on, you know that’s important. The people are so very, very nice. And, there’s this place. Roger Wagner runs Surf787. The house is perfect, comfortable, and Roger is wonderfully hospitable (his wife is on vacation, I’m sure she is, as well). It has all the makings for a fabulous vacation.

View from our terrace

Roger took us to a gorgeous beach today, Jobos beach in Isabela, to give my son a surf lesson.

Find more videos like this on MySurf 787

Sammy, my little surfer

He parked us under a covered balcony, the temp was perfect, and the little one was as happy as a lark while we watched the lessons. Only one melt down ensued and that had to do with cookies.

Jobos beach

My little cookie monster

He’s so great with kids. He runs a surf camp in the summers. Seriously, kids fly over to attend his camp and he picks them up from the airport. They set up camp on the bottom floor and if the parents come, they can stay off-site or the top floor (where we are). Or, not come at all.  He has promised my seven year old that he can be his assistant someday. He can help out with all sorts of tasks: surf lessons, dishes, cooking, just no work with the machete (the vines need taming).

Roger, as taken by my 3-year-old

The little one noticed that his brother kept giving a ‘hang ten’ sign. So, he started doing his own thing. I guess this is his ‘surf’s up’ sign.

You should come! If you bring six kids for the surf camp, you can stay upstairs for free! You can do your own thing during the day and your kids will be having the time of their lives hanging ten with Roger and his crew. Just meet up with them for dinner and you can hear all about their adventures. You will be comfortable, trust me…

Postcard via here

Random-ness. I love it. It’s a highly concentrated form of entertainment for me.

Traffic jam in a big city? Doesn’t bother me (unless it’s in Houston). I just look around and see what I can see (because I’m lucky enough not to be the unfortunate driver). I was a Science teacher; I LOVE making observations and formulating my inferences. I am constantly observing. Constantly inputting. Too much inputting and not enough picture taking, as it turns out (always).

Missed photo opp #1: Traffic jam. It’s fine… we’re not in a hurry. I don’t know why there is a guy in the middle of the access road leaning on a barrel blocking both lanes, that are backing up because it’s rush hour traffic; he just is. It’s ok. Relax, we’re on vacation (the kids are starving). That’s kind of weird. Two big trucks pass us by and they get waved on by the guy with the barrel. Trucks with heavy equipment and a LOT of people hanging out in the back. Why so many people on the back? Oh, ya, our rental car guy mentioned Fast Five is filming here. That must be it. Cool. What is Fast Five? After some Internet research, I see. It’s the sequel of the sequel of the sequel (of the sequel?) to the Fast and the Furious movie.  As I’m scrambling for my iPhone, I’m too late. Claro!!

Missed opp #2: It’s late and we’re driving through town to pick up a few things from the store before we retire for the night at the B&B. Before we turn left onto the highway, several guys riding horses pass us by. Bareback? This is a thoroughfare. Then, their two skater-dude friends follow along, keeping up on their boards. Mildly entertaining to watch (bareback?). He’s wearing flip flops; he has nowhere to put his feet. How does he do that? Entertaining, that is, until we are the car right behind them and one of the horses start kicking up it’s back legs (remember, bareback). Yikes. I certainly did not want to be involved in an accident where our vehicle collides with someone that has just been bucked off his horse (isn’t the guy on the board right behind that horse afraid he’s going to get kicked?). So… I’m pensively watching and waiting to pass them, not reaching for my camera. Another missed photo opp. Actually, that would have been a video opp, I’m sure.

Now, we’re back at the B&B (more on that later; it’s wonderful). Perfect and dreamy. A huge benefit in coming off-season (It is hurricane season, I’m sort of a gambler and it paid off) is that we have the whole B&B to ourselves. We’re it. The terrace is ours. The temps are not crazy hot. Love the sounds of the critters. Miraculously, we’re not getting eaten alive by mosquitoes (one of the perils of living in Houston). The boys are blissfully asleep and the husband and I have a lightening storm show over the hills (without getting a drop of rain) while sitting on the terrace, drinking a nice glass of Rioja. Then, the random, intermittent outburst of yelling begins from from what sounds like several blocks away (It’s not annoying, it’s very faint. It’s still very peaceful on this terrace). It’s yelling and then cheering. Then, repeat. There’s a bar down there on the main road, I think. Is there a sports game on this late?  It’s making the dogs howl. I know I heard a Rooster. I think I even heard a trumpet. Now, there’s the singing; in unison. I’m sure there are some photo opps. down there (most likely, some video opps). I think I’ll stay right where I am…

We’ve got them here…

Photos via here

From the terrace of Borgo Argenina, you can see the house where Bertolucci filmed the movie Stealing Beauty. Taking the advice of Elena Nappa, the owner of the B&B, three of us ventured off to find the “Double Tree” and the house. We did find the double tree and it was magnificent. However, we pegged the wrong house, so I had to borrow pictures from Elena’s facebook profile (go ahead and friend her! You can see what is going on in her part of the world before your trip to Tuscany).

We almost ‘took a peek’ in the wrong house. If we had spend just a couple minutes less at the “Double Tree”, we would have made it in right before the owners pulled in. They turned down the road leading to the house right before we did. Of course, we thought they were also going to see the abandoned house from Stealing Beauty. However, when a dog came out to greet them and they made there way inside (like they had done this before), we took a better look at the house and decided it was the wrong one. Uh-oh, had we been two minutes earlier, we would have had some ‘splainin to do!!

David Schwimmer and Zoe Buckman outside The Accademia Gallery.
Photo via here.

A few days ago, I admired Michelangelo’s David just a few feet away from these two. My mom was the one from our group to notice them sitting on a bench. I almost didn’t know. We must have made it inside The Accademia before the photographers were snapping shots of them on the street (there were lots of celebrity sightings, I’m sure. The wedding of Emily Blunt and John Krasinski took place just a few days prior in Como, Italy). There was no hubbub inside, to speak of. As adorable a couple as they were (she is super chic, by the way), the fascination was in the sculpture, as it should have been.

So, the David: he made no less of an impression on me as first time I saw him. I could have stared at him hours on end, from every angle. This sculpture was very different than earlier, sculpted interpretations of David. The others depicted him the moment after battle, foot on the head of Goliath and sword in hand. There are two schools of thought: was this moments before the ensuing battle, or was he contemplating his victory? Florence saw itself as a young David that had to contend with giants in the form of the Pope, the King of Naples, The Duke of Milan, and the Doge of Venice. Commissioned in 1501 as a testament to the pride of the Florentine Republic, Michelangelo worked from a left-over piece of marble that was abandoned by two other artists and it took him 3 years to complete the masterpiece. After debate, it was decided by a committee of the highest ranking citizens and artists, including da Vinci and Bottecelli, to place David in the main piazza, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall. A symbol of Strength and Wrath, his eyes were cast towards Rome.

I enjoyed my time at The Accademia more this time than last. We had a tour guide and she was fabulous. It’s much better to hear the stories and interpretations rather than to read abbreviated descriptions. After soaking in as much as we could in our given time, it was off to the Uffizi Gallery. Sadly, no George Clooney sighting…

While in Siena, the day was so hot that we ducked for shade any chance we got. Due to potential heat exhaustion, we almost scrapped the Volterra plans, but decided to stick with the day’s agenda due to the proximity of the two towns.

Good decision. The drive was spectacular. Breathtaking views, sunflower fields in the valleys, hilltop views from above, and sunny skies. The music selection seemed composed especially for our drive through the winding roads to the top of the hill. Upon our arrival, the clouds pulled over us and the downpour began. With the downpour, came angry thunder, lightening, pea-sized hail and the eerie sound of a howling wolf (there is a slim chance it was a dog, but it was eerie, nonetheless). We ducked for cover in a little grocery store outside the walls and eventually made our way under one of the gate archways until the storm blew over.

When the elements became friendly once more, we made our way through the gates and into town. The streets were virtually empty (there was only a handful of tourists), but the residents began to open the windows and make their appearance above us. The skies cleared and the beauty of the town was completely exposed. Finally, we felt a breeze that we were coveting all day. We made our way up the cobblestone streets and through the main piazza, where a few people started to congregate. We strolled our way to a smaller, quaint piazza, which housed the Duomo and the Bapistry. This area was occupied by a few playing children and a priest in his black robe. There was a beautiful quiet interrupted from time to time by the flapping wings of birds flying from perch to perch and the indistinct chatter of children. I can’t remember if I heard church bells, but I will imagine I did. This was one of those magical moments that will forever be etched in my mind.

Here is good. Really good. Borgo Argenina is a medieval Hamlet and B&B set in the Chianti region of Tuscany. It dates back as early as 998 and was painstakingly restored by the Elena Nappa, the owner and it’s the most magnificent place to stay; I recommend it very much. I chose this location based on Trip Advisor reviews, as I always do, and they have yet to let me down. This place is, however, better than I imagined. Every time I pass by a window or an open door, I still get surprised. It seems as if the view must be a super-imposed image over a green screen. People really get to live here. In real life. How to make that happen? I’m brainstorming…

Later, in Tuscany, we found some more cute packaging (kind of)…

{This sort of thing is not at all uncommon. This same morning, Jen spilled coffee in her lap on the way to market while performing driving maneuvers to get ‘unlost’. Unfortunately for us, she was wearing white jeans and a trip back to the hotel was necessary.}

After many attempts to find our way back on track, I suggest that we just swing into the first cool place we see. “That looks nice” Jen exclaims as we squeal into the valet line of the Meddlesome Moth.

While waiting for the valet, we marveled on the coolness of this spot and the couple got out of the car in front of us.

Hipsters. So adorable.

We followed the clientele going into the happening bar we found.