COMINGS AND GOINGS

Yesterday turned out to be so much fun! The newest expats, Anna and Ramon, have arrived at last! We first met them last June when they were here for a few weeks and quickly became friends. They were planning for their move to Italy, and things progressed more rapidly than they had anticipated…their home sold while they were in Italy, so once they returned to California it was time to get packing!

They made some great contacts while they were here in June, and arranged for a long term rental near Montefalco. This will enable them to take their time while they search for the perfect house in the perfect town…or at least something that’s within their budget!

Anna and Ramon called us late Friday night to let us know they had arrived safe and sound, and they asked if we wanted to have lunch with them at Ternana’s……what a question! They said they’d drive up to San Venanzo so they could see the work on the park, then we could drive down to Ternana’s together.

As soon as we heard from Anna and Ramon we called Bob and Rosemary. In addition to creating a nice welcoming committee for Anna and Ramon, we would also have a chance to say goodbye to Bob and Rosemary. They leave at the end of November for their stay in Sicily, and by the time we return from the states they’ll probably be climbing up Mt Etna so Bob can take some amazing photos and Rosemary can capture it all in her beautiful watercolors.

The lunch was a lot of fun, even though tinged with sadness. I guess our common love of Italy binds us together; strangers in a strange land, but the friendships that we’ve made since we’ve moved to Italy have been so wonderful! We feel such a strong bond with these people, and despite our sometimes limited contact, we feel as if we’ll have these friends for life.

After lunch we said our goodbyes to Bob and Rosemary, after reassurances that they would stop by in the spring as they make their way to the next destination, probably in the Veneto region. We also warned them that we just might take advantage of that second bedroom they have and head down to Sicily during the cold and gloom of February.

We then set out with Anna and Ramon to show them a house we had seen. It’s in the charming town of Melezzole, south of Todi, and we knew the drive there would be beautiful. Once we arrived we took a short stroll around the town, then the agents showed up to unlock the house and give us a good look around.

Although Anna and Ramon were as charmed by the village as we were, in the end they decided that this wasn’t the house for them. Ramon wanted a garage for the car, and I think the lack of a garden, or at least a balcony, was a disappointment.  We headed towards Montecchio, taking the white road over the mountain. Although the road was a little bumpy, it wasn’t too bad, and some of the views we got were well worth the bumps!

We had a quick drink in Montecchio then headed back towards Todi, and then to San Venanzo. It was dark by the time we got home, but Anna wanted to check her email, so while she did that, the rest of us tried to figure out their new cell phone which had been quickly purchased in Marsciano before lunch.

'Quickly' turned out to be painfully obvious when we realized that the saleswoman had neglected to include the €100 phone credit card! Well, we charged up the phone anyway, knowing that it came with €5 credit. I managed to change the language setting to English, but left the more complicated settings for Ramon to try to figure out later. I suggested that if necessary he could look for the instruction booklet in English on the internet, which is what I had to do to figure out some of the complexities of our phone.

Anna and Ramon must drive back to Rome to pick up their dog Bobby who’s arriving on Monday morning. Once he’s settled in, we plan to meet Ramon at the phone store and (hopefully) get his phone card. I’m betting that it won’t be a problem.

As for our own “going”, well, we’re just about ready. 99% packed except for that last minute stuff, but that’s always the worry! For the past few weeks I’ve been looking at the Target ad online, watching to see if some things I’m interested in went on sale. I was going to have my daughter pick them up for me, but so far it hasn’t been necessary. And then it dawned on me…later this week, I’ll be able to go to Target myself! WooHoo!!!! (And I’m not really much of a shopper!) So I guess that must mean that I am looking forward to a bit of American commercialism and decadence. It’s easier to take in small doses, especially when you know you’ll soon be returning to a simpler way of life.