Wine Promotion Picture

 

Would you use this picture to inspire 1.4 Billion Chinese people to drink your wine?

I am trying to figure out what the male on the bike is all about. Straw hat? Is he Chinese? Are Chinese men supposed to carry an arm load of wine bottles while riding a bike and wearing a straw hat? Is that chic?

Crocodiles vs Alligators

Now why would I want to wrestle this little guy? If you haven't noticed, I am resurrecting or reinventorying unique/ oddball stuff I have done in order to take stock and assess where I have been and more importantly where I am going.

Christmas Turkey 2008 Italia

Either I have a huge computer screen or our Italian Christmas Turkey is the size of a Costco chicken (But costs 4 times as much). But it is free range and there are no hormones! Oh Oh Oh it says 100% Italiano too!

Freedombus Revisited

Vic Lee from local station KRON was nice enough to come by and interview me and my dad for Freedom Bus back in 2002 for July 4. The show aired several times that week and someone was nice enough to tape it for me. Remember tape?

Shipping Container House Recycled - Where is the INNOVATION since?

I just reconnected the .5TB hard drive with all the family photos. I was looking at Jax and how he was even smaller than Suby is now and thought about the detail, colors and textures of the Container House.

I got an email back in September from Scott Benson, namesake of our son Subasio Scott Yuen, saying that there was an article in the SJ Mercury news about the new "Container House" concept that would be exhibited. Honestly, don't architectural school graduates have anything NEW to offer? Should they expect a bit more out of their teachers? I built mine in 2002! Six years ago and these "experts" are just coming around now?

WHERE IS THE INNOVATION? I do not fault them for using shipping containers. I fault them for not bringing anything NEW to the table. I learned so much from building mine. They could make it greener. NOT money green but ecologically green. What I see is the architectural equivalent of moving the coffee holder on a 2007 Ford Expedition and calling it a 2008 model. How disappointing.

UPDATE.  So I get an email forwarded from my old friend Fred Romley,  a realtor at Houlihan Lawrence in New York.  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/realestate/01njzo.html?emc=eta1

The architects are at it again.  Hummm.  Better!  But what about the the livability?  Style? The Container offers up a lot of opportunity for style and detail that looks like it is totally missed.

See Live The Box http://studio.njit.edu/LiveTheBox/Resources.html

Note: This is a slideshow from Picasa Web Albums Embeded into the blog. Not a movie!

Suby Loves Mamma's Spaghetti

Election Night

A Spa in Assisi at Hotel La Terrazza

Piadina with Grandpa at Santa Maria

Convitto Classe 1A 2008 Photos

Convitto Classe 1B 2008 Photos

Queste foto sono ad alta risoluzione. Se si desidera una copia da salvare sul computer, fare clic sul tasto sinestra del mouse sulla foto, quindi click destro del mouse sulla grande foto e salva.

Jax's class picture 2008

 

Yang Hao: China Womens Volleyball 2008

So this year we were able to meet two Olympians and we didn't even go to Beijing!

It started out as a simple dinner and at the last minute we got a call from our guests to see if they could bring some extra guests. The extra guests turned out to be Yang Hao #3 and her mom.

Hao played on the China Women's Olympic Volleyball Team and is now playing Professionally for Perugia. She and her mom arrived in Italy only last Wednesday.

Jax got his fencing mask autographed.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil From Assisi Italy

So today we went with Bruno to the Mulino to press his olives.

Jax, Matteo and Suby Birthday 2008

Rinascita 2008

Birthday 2008 at McDonalds for 40 kids!!

Click to see slideshow

Grandpa is here!

Grandpa George is here.

Jax's Latest Creation

Spettacolo Spettacolo Spettacolo per Giacomo

At the end of the year... there is the long awaited spettacolo held at the Lyrick Theater. Kids from ages 3 to 17 from all the local schools get together under the tutelage of the the woman in the furry hat to perform.

There is Jax in the front row fifth from the left. Two weeks before the scheduled performance, we are asked to find a red turtleneck.. in the end of Spring!!! Fortunately one of Jax's classmate's mothers has one as the local stores do not stock winter clothing in May.

The strange thing about these Spettacolo is that they start it at 9pm and it did noy end until midnight. Suby and I had to duck out at about 10. Matteo was fast asleep with Helen in the audience.

An Evening At The Met in Manhattan

Here we are on Fifth Avenue in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art where they have an exhibit for the Costumes of Superheroes. No photos were allowed to help preserve their secret true identities.

Suby's First Dinosaur

H

Here is Suby at the Museum of Natural History

NYC 2008

STRAWBERRY FIELDS ON RINGO'S BIRTHDAY

Uncle Jason's (Casa di Gesu) in Mystic

Who would have known that Gesu lived only 277 feet from Mystic Pizza restaurant?

Polaris Modification To 12V with Gaucho Gears

Okay. So I was given a brand new Gearbox for the Gaucho. Why waste it? I am now up to my ears in gears as my friend let me clean out parts from her 11 year old sons non functioning Gaucho.

So the Polaris battery was wasted and the charger in shambles as some stepped on it. Buy a new 6v? plus charger? Hummmm...


I got a brand new 12v Charger and 12v Battery. All Peg!!!! Unfortunately I did not have the foresight to cut off the connector so I need to improvise.

Peg Perego Gaucho Problem

Ok. Found the culprit. Now how to find the part?

Mille Miglia 2008 - Cherry Season - Suby Fa Scherma

So I finally made it to the Mille Miglia this year. It passed by the corner near our Popsicle cafe where Jax was more interested in collecting his Popsicle than in the multi million dollar cars going by.

The driver's somehow made their best efforts to convince us that gunning their engines and spinning out going downhill was a good thing.

Perhaps Hollywood could make a Too Fast, Too Furious 3 with old guys.


Suby watches Jax and does scherma "passa avanti" too.
















It is Cherry "ciliege" season and the boys are raiding Bruno's Cherry Tree.

Festa di Aquiloni 2008 at Castiglione Della Lago Trasimeno

So the Festival of Kites was last Saturday at Castiglione Della Lago. Kites from all over the world.

Jax was prepared by having his 1 buck kite from Bamboo he got on the beach in Pataya Thailand two years ago. It held up amazingly well.

Lake Tresimeno has its own long history. Besides being at the foot of Cortona where Francis Mayes lives under the Tuscan sun, the lake is where Hannibal riding Elephants crossed the Alps and defeated the Roman army.

Spring Is Finally Here

It is finally a warm day. Unfortunately last year a cat got into the Intex Pool while I was refilling it. When I came to check, the cat got startled and clawed its way out. Fortunately, I patched about 15 holes which took up the patch kit that came with the pool and two of my bike tire patch kits. Unfortunately, there were 16 holes and I could not find the 16th. Fortunately, summer is coming and the stores will be stocked again with new pools. Maybe this year we should get a smaller one as the last one got a bit lopsided.

In the meantime, the boys seem to be improvising with the garden hose.

For Suzanne Nossel and David Greenberg

Dopo Lavoro Ferroviario - After Work Train Worker's Recreaction Center

Gerek Meinhardt was behind on points, but scored the 45th touch of the match to give the US Men's Foil team the gold medal over Italy in a 45-42 bout at the 2008 Junior World Championships.


So after our little trip to Frascati to meet up with the Meinhardts is there any interest by Jax to follow up with fencing? We found clubs in Foligno, Perugia and Marciano.

My theory is that the Foligno Club is less prone to "posers" posa than in Marciano or Perugia.

Carmen helps us call the club. Classes for 6 year olds are held on Monday and Wednesdays at 4:30. So off we go on Wednesday two weeks after the trip to Frascati. Turns out the address off of Googlemaps is the instructor's apartment. So off we go to the Palasport... nope that's swimming... palazzeti... nope that's basketball...

Okay. It's at 2 Via Piave. Of course!!!! Huh? It is at Dopo Lavoro Ferriavario (After work for the train workers place).
So we meet up with Maestro Stefano. It turns out that their champion teenager finished sesto (sixth) at the Jr World Championship down in Catania earlier this month.

Going Back East

So we are going off to JFK on June 29 through July 28. Carmen and family will be joining us on July 5 in NYC.

Carmen will arrive at 6:05 PM. To get from JFK to Leo House-

• After clearing immigration and picking up luggage, they need to catch the AIRTRAIN ($5) to Jamaica Station 10 minutes.
  
• At Jamaica Station, they need to get Metrocard 7 day unlimited passes ($25 each) and get on the E train.
  
• The Metro stop is 23rd Street (just past Penn Station)
• The whole trip should be about an hour
  

Leo House
332 W 23RD St
New York, NY 10011-2289
Phone: (212) 929-1010

Metro Stop 23rd Street (C E lines). Family rooms go for 160 bucks a night and accommodate 4 to 6 people. Given it's Chelsea location, it is supposed to be a real bargain. We will stay from Saturday July 5 through Thursday July 10. It is located one Metro stop from Penn Amtrak station (NYP).

First thing is to get some 7 day Unlimited Metrocard! 25 bucks for a week. Sounds good.

Originally we were going to rent a 15 passenger van, but given that Amtrak 15 day North Eastern Rail Passes are available to all of us (we have our Italian residency) for 299 for adults and 149 for kids, $1800 bucks vs perhaps $3500 for a van , fuel, tolls and parking, we decided to use public transport. Helen and I are probably going to spring the extra 150 each for the 30 day Eastern Pass which goes to Florida to the South, and S Dakota to the West. Hummm Orlando? We need to buy our passes when we get to an Amtrak Station. You can buy online, but you need to actually need to pick it up in the States anyway. Customer service says to pick it up at Penn Station as the salesperson will be better informed about the rail passes.

TO DO

• Dim Sum in Chinatown
  

Jing Fong is located at 20 Elizabeth Street in Chinatown (Chinatown Map).
Closest subway to Jing Fong: F to East Broadway; 6 to Canal Street
Canal & Bayard Streets Phone: 212-964-5256

• Statue of Liberty via Staten Island Ferry
  
• Bronx Zoo
  

Washington DC July 10 - July 14


From NYP, we will move onward to Union Station at Washington DC.

New York, NY
- Penn Station
(NYP)
10:35 am
30-APR-08

Washington, DC
- Union Station
(WAS)
2:00 pm
30-APR-08


We will take the red line to the Metro Station and transfer to the orange line to Arlington where were are booked at the

Westin Arlington Gateway
801 North Glebe Road · Arlington, Virginia 22203 · United States ·
Phone: (703) 717-6200

·

Thanks to www.hotwire.com we were able to book this 4 star hotel July 10 through 14 at only $113 plus tax per night per family. It is located 2 blocks from the Ballston Metro on the Orange line. Ballston shopping center is also at the Metro stop as is PF Changs which Helen and I have meaning to try for years.

Hopefully we will meet up with and old friend Karen Huang, her husband and three year old Michael who live in Chevy Chase.

From this location we can get to the Udvar Space Museum at Dulles to see the Lockheed Spy plane (I once built the Revell Model) and the Space Shuttle Enterprise by going to the Rosslyn Metro about 4 stops on the Orange line and catching the 5A to Dulles. It is a 45 minute ride and we need 3.10 a head in exact change. The bus is supposed to be crowded but maybe on the weekend or later in the morning we might catch a break. From Dulles there is a bus to the Udvar for 50 cents. Can we catch the Imax?

TO DO

1. Arlington Cemetery
2. Udvar Space
3. Smithsonians
4. Union Station
5. White House Tour
   
6. Holocaust Museum
7. National Archives
8. Six Flags
   

   BY METRO

   Take Metro's Blue Line towards Largo Town Center and exit at Addison Road. Transfer to the C21 Bus and exit in front of Six Flags America.

Philadelphia, PA from July 14 -17

He who hesitates loses and I hesitated when I had the chance to book the Westin Philadelphia at 131 a room and therefore... I lost. So I settled for the 3 star Doubletree Philadelphia City Center West for $65 a night from Priceline.

Doubletree Philadelphia City Center West
237 S. Broad Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-5686

Tel: 1-215-893-1600 Fax: 1-215-893-1664

Amtrak takes us from Washington DC's Union Station to the 30th street station in PHL. 3 Metro stops to Walnut Locust and we are there. 1.8Miles.

I did a little research and found that our Amtrak passes also take us to Lancaster, PA. "Lancaster" you say. There was a kid in my elementary school name Lancaster. He was a bit... challenged and people would mock his name. But that is not my interest. At least no longer. Lancaster... think AMISH. Also there is the Tanger factory outlet. From 30th street station, the train for Lancaster leaves on the hour (1h 8m). The outlets are 4 miles from the station and you can get there on Red Rose Transit route 14.













TO DO

1. Lancaster
2. Jim's for Cheese steak and Hoagies
3. Liberty Bell

Boston from July 17 - 20

From PHL 30th street Amtrak we go to Boston Back Bay - Copley Place where the Westin Copley Place awaits right across the street from Amtrak BBY. Booked another 4 star again through Hotwire for $129 a room plus tax for three nights.

Westin Copley Place
10 Huntington Avenue ·
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 · United States ·
Phone: (617) 262-9600 ·

Six Flags AGAWAN