August. What a Great Month to Take a Vacation. All Month!

Will and I spent the weekend at his folks' house in Umbria where there are sunflowers in bloom everywhere. And the grape vines are starting to sprout actual grapes-- they still feel hard as rocks, but they're on their way.

As we were walking down to check out the vineyard, I took a little spill in my flip-flops (not exactly the best footgear for dirt road walking-- someday I will figure that out). As I was dusting myself off and limping up to the house, all turned right again with the world when I noticed a fig tree in full bloom. Even a skinned knee can't bring you down when you're eating figs fresh from the tree!

Now, back in Rome, it's hot as h-e-double hockey sticks, so we're packing it up and going on vacation. I know we're already on vacation, I guess, but this is like a travelling vacation!

We're not going just because it's hot. It seems that all of Italy and gigantic chucks of Europe all take off for some large part of late-July through August. I'd say they're on to something...

August will take us on a road trip through Tuscany and Umbria, hopefully finding some out-of-the-way vineyards and such to visit. Then a couple of friends of ours are going to be in the South of France at the end of August, so we're going to take a trip there. But I don't think they have fig trees, so how good can it really be?

So this little blog will be out of commission for a short while. But it will return with all kinds of photos of grapes and sunshine and stuff.

See you in September!