Friday, January 13, 2012

Part 10: A Party, A Volcano, and a Feast

October 30, 2010
I'm sure D and B could have used some help getting ready for G's party, but they were kind enough to let us sleep in, instead.  We took advantage of this opportunity, and leisurely got ready for the day's activities.  When we finally made it downstairs, B had freshly made pancakes (from scratch) ready, with chocolate chips and banana.  There was sausage too.  A very tasty breakfast, indeed.

Shortly after we ate, D, who had been at the community center, returned and requested help in getting everything transported.  We loaded up the car with food and drinks.  Sam and D drove over, while B and I walked.  I pushed the baby in his stroller, B took the grill for a stroll.  Upon arrival, D asked me to deal with the decorations.  I hung up the banner and farm animals and set up some stuff on the tables.  People started showing up early, and everyone who was not already doing something was recruited to blow up balloons.  I rediscovered that I hate this task.  D's friend showed up with the cake.  It was a truly magnificent barn, with all sorts of little farm creatures.

The party began, and from what I could tell, went off without a hitch.  All the kids seemed to ave fun, the adults socialized, meat was grilled and consumed.  While I did not get to try the cake (I just wasn't feeling the need for much sugar at that point), Sam and I did share a Rice Krispies tire from the tractor.  There was also a pinata.  The kids obliterated the poor little cow with a Nerf mace (a Sam and B special).  The kids who were old enough for a blindfold wore a Jason mask with the eyes taped over (a B exclusive).  G started opening presents.  The first bag contained a soft rubber Tonka truck and some clothes...and that was the extent of the present-opening.  G was so into the truck, no amount of persuasion from B could get him interested in the rest of the gifts.  They were taken home with wrapping in tact, for later opening.

The party drew to a close and everyone stuck around to help clean up.  On the way home, we reshuffled our roles.  Sam walked back with B, G and the grill, and I rode with d and all the stuff.  As soon as we got back to the house, the baby went down for a nap, and the rest of us worked together to get everything cleaned up and put away.  The R's had made an appointment with a photographer that afternoon, to commemorate G's big day, so Sam and I had some quiet alone time while they were gone.

Dinner that night was a spread of leftovers from the party (ribs, coleslaw, beans) and sausages from the grill, which D had picked up from the market the day before.  Once again, cleaning up was a team effort while G got his bath and went to bed.

Since it was Halloween weekend, there was a haunted house and stuff set up in the neighborhood.  B had to go sell hot dogs at the event, which he was unbelievably thrilled about (by which I mean, completely bitter).  Sam and I walked over with him and, being total children, decided to go on the haunted hayride.  This was little more than a hayride, covered with a tarp, with some screaming children in the front.  When they didn't get attacked by water balloons at one point (which they were expecting) they started chanting, "Water balloons!" which soon evolved into, "Candy!  Water balloons!"  It kept us entertained.  When we got off the ride, we saw that B was still not fully engaged in hot dog selling, so we got some tickets for the haunted house.  It consisted of several military tents linked together.  There were strobe lights, fog and actors portraying all sorts of spooky characters.  I interacted with a zombie (I think) and woofed at a werewolf.  It was quite well done (the haunted house, not my woofing).

When we got out, B was still just supervising hot dog activities (and in all honesty, we didn't need to be eating at that point anyway), so we walked back to the house.  D was spending some quiet time folding laundry.  We popped in a movie ("Miss Pettigew Lives for a Day"), ate ice cream, and just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

October 31, 2010
We had requested a 7am wake-up call, because we needed to get an early start for our visit to Mount Etna. Morning rolled around, and we heard the usual household sounds - baby crying, dishes in the kitchen and other things of that nature.  After sometime, I finally peeled myself from bed to go look at the clock.  7:38, it told me.  Crap!!  B must have forgotten to knock on our door.  Or maybe we slept through it.  Crappity crap crap crap!  I flew around, trying to get ready.  I took the fastest shower on earth then rushed Sam along to do the same.  It was about 8:15 when we were both ready and made our way downstairs.  (We were supposed to leave by 8am.)  B was in the living room.  He looked up from playing blocks with G and said, "You guys know it's 7:15, right?"  Oops.  We had totally forgotten that the time change had happened that night (one week earlier than the States).  Since we had time to spare, we sat down to a light and simple breakfast of bread (from the excursion to the market on Friday) and butter.

Inspired by B's confidence ("If I go the right way, it should take about an hour to get there."), we embarked on our journey.  We had to make a couple of detours first.  Not all gas stations in Sicily are open on Sundays, so we set out in the opposite direction to get a tank of gas.  We started heading toward our destination then, with another quick detour so that I could take a picture of an amusing road sign.  At that point, we were all keeping an eye on the signs, as sometimes there can be easy to miss.  The drive to Mt. Etna turned out quite well, actually.  B made all the necessary turns and we made it there without much ado. Along the way, I took in the scenery one last time.  At one point, when we had almost gotten to the touristy area, B pulled over.  He wanted to show us a house that had been a casualty of the volcano.  It was half-buried in lava rock and ash, but still accessible and surprisingly in tact.  We climbed over the barricade and explored a tad.  Sam stood on the roof briefly, and we all went inside to look around.  After snapping a few photos, we got back on the road.

I couldn't help but notice the contrast in the landscape.  The whole mountain was covered in black rock.  But amongst the ash, there were lush tress with the most beautiful fall colors - bright yellows and oranges everywhere!  We arrived at our destination, a smallish flat area with shops and things.  This was relatively close to the summit, and we'd had no plans to go all the way to the top anyway.  We didn't have time for that, and it was quickly getting foggy, so we wouldn't have been able to see anything up there anyway.  (By the way, who heard that Mt. Etna erupted recently?  So weird that we were there not that long ago.)  This was our last chance for shopping, so we went from store to store, checking people off our list.  It's amazing how many sculptures and things can be made out of lava rock.  When everyone had been bought for, it was time to head back.  Did I mention that one of the shops offered us samples of grapa and some sort of brittle?  I partook in both.  When we emerged from the shops, we couldn't even see down the mountain, the fog was so thick.  It was quite chilly too.  Great timing to head home.

We managed to make it home without getting lost and only encountering some minor traffic.  We had a bit of down time before our next (and final) activity.  B and G took advantage of this and took naps.  Sam and I relaxed, and D worked on some chores.  Around 12:45, D declared we should get ready to go.  She went to wake up B, and apparently, startled him a bit.  We heard an exclamation from the other room, and D came in saying B had jumped in her face.  Anyway, I digress.  It was agriturismo time!

So an agriturismo is when a family owns a large farm and turns part of it into a restaurant that serves their own goods.  Except you don't get a menu and pick a dish.  You go in and they bring you course after course of amazing fresh food.  The meal lasts for hours, and is absolutely incredible!  We drove over and parked amidst some olive trees.  (We also saw the biggest, fattest worm I've ever encountered in my life.  Gross!)  We were seated right away and quickly realized the rest of the place was filled with a huge party of loud, happy Italians who were apparently celebrating a special occasion.  Almost immediately, food started appearing on our table.

First came bread, wine, water and olive oil that had been pressed just five days earlier.  And then began the appetizer course.  This on its own could have been a full meal.  It was similar to the lunch we'd had at our cooking class, but on a grander scale.  There were countless fresh cheeses, salami, olives (which I did not partake in...turns out, even the freshest, most amazing specimens just don't appeal to me), sun-dried tomatoes, vegetables...so many things I can't even remember them all.  After sampling a dozen delicious things, there was a short pause before the next course.

Pasta came next.  Big, thick noodles with a tasty tomato-based sauce.  This was followed by another pasta dish, which could have also passed for a very thick soup.  The noodles were short and skinny.  I couldn't begin to tell you what the sauce was.  I just know that we were instructed to pour olive oil on it, it was vaguely sweet, and I enjoyed it.  Throughout this course, B and D were in and out, taking turns entertaining the kid outside.  Earlier they had occupied him with unopened birthday presents, left over from the previous day's party.  B decided when the "non-course" of salad came out, that it was his turn for outdoor duty.  The salad was very simple (and thankfully, small).  Just some fresh greens with a light dressing.  I believe it was at this point that Sam and I decided to take a little break (or was it after the meat course...?).  We went outside, walked around a bit and enjoyed the beautiful view.  After a few minutes, D joined us.  She grabbed my camera and snapped a few photos of us.

The meat course came next, and just like the cooking class, this is about the point at which Sam and I slowed down.  Not that things weren't delicious, there had just been a whole lot of eating already done.  The dessert at the end of the meal was delicious!  A nice slab of hazelnut cream.  Have I mentioned that I am a true European and HEART all things hazelnut?  Full or not, I devoured my serving.  It was tempting to accept D's, who declared that she does not enjoy nuts in her dessert, but I resisted.  I had a bite or two, and let B have the rest.  Coffee was being served to finish off this feast, but by then, B and D decided that it was time to get G home, so we paid our bill and departed.  This was probably for the best, as I had been dealing with a headache throughout most of the meal, and it was getting progressively worse, despite taking meds.

When we got home, it was just about time for trick-or-treating to start.  I curled up on the couch upstairs and hid my face in a cushion while Sam and D passed out candy (B had left on an errand as soon as we got back from the agriturismo).  However, when I heard that the first kids were Belle and a Redskins player, I decided to tough it out and see what other cuteness came to the door.  I think my favorite was Mario, complete with a belly.  I sat on the porch with my companions, helped pass out treat bags, and walked G around the driveway.  We even discussed making one last gelato run.

As the day wound down, so did my headache, and the candy supply, so we went inside.  By this time, B had made it back home, but was preparing to leave again for a second night of hot dog sales at the Halloween festivities.  With him being gone, G sleeping, and everyone still so full they could burst, the final gelato stop never happened.  Oh well, it was probably for the best.  Sam settled in for some football and I prepared my luggage, wondering how in the world we were going to get our many fragile ("...must be Italian...") and liquid-filled items home.  I definitely stalled on the packing for a while, but eventually had to start.

D, who is apparently prepared for anything, supplied us with some bubble wrap, which proved super helpful.  I got everything packed up and secured, as did Sam.  Fitting everything in our luggage wasn't a problem.  I was mainly concerned with the massive weight overages we would surely have to pay.  Also the fact that we had several bottles of red wine that would ruin our wardrobes if my packing was not good enough.

Knowing that our flight the next morning was pretty early, I took my last shower in Sicily.  (By the way, the R's have the best shower door.  Even though it's only a small stall, the door has three sliding panels, with tight seals in between.  Totally fabulous!  And fantastic water pressure too!)  And that pretty much sums up our last day on vacation.

P.S. - How I was able to fit into my pants after this trip, I will never know!

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