Summer is here and you know what that means...
I have to get ready to go back to the States for a visit. Since I'm leaving in three weeks or so, I have a lot to do in the meantime - and other stuff to do once I'm there!

This week, I'm giving y'all (and myself!) a sneak preview of what lies ahead of me this Summer Holiday:

1) Book the flights. Actually, I've got this done - with no help from Delta Airlines, btw. Grrrr...

(How are you supposed to buy a ticket when the credit card verification system they use throws up a "Untrusted Encryption" message at ya? Huh? Huh? I called Delta's "helpline" and they told me to call Mastercard. Uh, no, ma'am, the problem is your website geniuses are using a system every browser I have says is unsafe to use. Grrrr... again! May I advise you to use a different system? 'cause who knows how many direct customers you're losing in the meantime... Grrr... If I had other options, believe me, I'd take one of them. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with this bunch of sad sacks because hardly anyone affordable flies to where I'm going.)

Look at him! Can you blame me???

And there you have them. Thirteen things I have ahead of me this Summer.








You know the drill...


















A little eye-candy awaits...

























Remember, it's Summer!

Don't forget to sun yer buns!


Ciao!

Another week consumed by work and edits. Again, I've been pressed for time and didn't get to make a proper Thursday Thirteen - even though I'd planned it out in advance!

Yeah, I've got to work on my time-management skills. No doubt about that.

Anyway, this week, I'm doing another pictures-heavy installment:

1) Taken on Mother's Day of 2009 - my sister-in-law Roberta and her baby, Mia.

2) Also on Mother's Day 2009 - my hubby. Squee! :)

3) Sophie "Doodlebug" Menozzi, a.k.a., "the Doodle" enjoys a freshly-unpacked suitcase after Alle and I return from the US.

4) Bologna Centrale Train Station, Bologna, Italy. One of the settings in my story, Ask Me if I'm Happy. These are the electronic schedules which replaced the old-style boards. I miss the clack-clack-clack of the changing schedule boards, now...

5) Italian singer Samuele Bersani - his music provided much of the inspiration for Ask Me..., and he himself provided some inspiration for the character of Davide.

6) My hubby in London, when we attended the launch of Diiarts publishing. This pic was taken just outside our hotel, along the Thames. It was raining and it was freezing cold and I loved every second of it!

7) The London Eye at night, November 2009.  I loved the blue lighting in the square, too.

8) Snowfall in Tennessee, December 2009.

9) Snuggly socks and flannel pyjamas - my favorites! December, 2009.

10) Snow in Reggio Emilia, Italy, February 2010.

11) My hubby and my brother-in-law, Andrew, chat after my father-in-law Paolo's birthday dinner, February 2010.

12) Andrew, Mia and Paolo, post birthday dinner, February 2010.

13) Samuele Bersani (again) in concert in Parma, Italy, April 2010.


Wuv.

And yes, there's one more...












There's always one more...
















And I hope you enjoy...

Simon Baker, actor.

I have soooo got to watch a few episodes of The Mentalist, soon!

Ciao for now...

I probably seem like a well-traveled person to many of my friends, but the fact is I haven't done a lot of traveling at all. I've been a few beautiful places, yes - I live in Italy (for the two of you who didn't know that, already) and I've visited a few places here and there as a result. There's much of the country I haven't yet seen, however, and then, heck - there's a great big world out there, too!

And so, this week I present:

1) Lisbon, Portugal. I want to go here for two reasons:

a) I started my novel
27 Stages here, and I'd like to see if I did the place justice, and

b) I have a photo of my father here from his days in the Navy when he was just a young fella. I'd like to stand in front of the statue he posed in front of, too.

2) Barcelona, Spain.

Just because. While it does play a small role in my WiP, Barcelona is one of the places I want to go because my hubby was crazy about it when he went. Unfortunately, he went before we met so now he has to take me, someday...

3) Paris, France.

I soooo want to do a museum crawl through this city. It's another place Alle is crazy about - one of his favorite places in the world, I think - and hey, he'd be the perfect guide: He's a hottie, he speaks French, and I can tip him any way I want.  Heh. And if we could be there for the end of Le Tour de France? Ohhhh...yeah...!

4) Scotland. 

Anywhere in Scotland will do, I'm up for it. Why? Because I've never been, and I think the natural part of the country is fascinating.

5) Ireland.

Like Scotland, I'd like to go anywhere in Ireland. I'll let Alle (pictured on his trip to Ireland some years ago) decide where. Maybe I'd even manage to ride a bike? Yeah... right. I'd better start training, soon!

6) London, England.

Yeah, I'm cheating with this one. I've been there twice already - but I can go again and again and again... I hope to be there this year for the launch of Ask Me if I'm Happy, too!

7) Firenze, Italia.

Again, another cheat - but it's a place I can go time and again without ever feeling like I've seen it all.

8) Bologna, Italia.

My final cheat. I live close to Bologna, but don't get to go there as often as I'd like. Life has a way of interfering, sometimes. I have got to try before I go back to the States for the summer, though.

9) Window Rock, Arizona, USA.

I'd like to take the hubby here for a holiday sometime - I haven't been there since I was about four years old and my grandparents lived out there.

10) Perugia, Italy.

Anywhere in Umbria would be lovely, I'm sure, but I do fancy a trip to the city of chocolate. Mmmm! Perugia!

11) Australia (pictured: Sydney).

I'm not sure which part I'd prefer, but if I could stand the travel time, I'd love to see Australia for myself.

12) New Zealand.

While I'm in Australia, I could pop over to New Zealand as well, and partake in some of that breathtaking beauty...

13) Switzerland.

I've nearly been there a time or two - it borders Italy in one of my favorite areas of the country, in the Alps - but I've never made it. I'm more determined than ever, of course, now that you-know-who has come to my attention.

Heh. I'm trying so hard to be good and not mention him... Heh.

You know the drill, y'all...









I'm aware of what brings you here each week (most of you)...









And of course, I'd hate to ever disappoint anyone...









And so, I say:

Enjoy!


Ciao for now...!