A Ginger Explosion

Good ginger ale is not readily available here in our area. I have found one bar that has a tasty German ginger beer, and there is a commercial form of ginger ale that I don't really like (it is, rather oddly, red).

But we CAN get fresh ginger!

So, the obvious solution: make your own. Fresh ginger, boiled. Add sugar and dissolve. Add water, lemon juice, a smidgen of yeast, and bottle. Leave (according to the online experts) 48 hours for proper carbonation but not fermentation.

I made my prototype last night at 10 p.m.

This afternoon, after lunch, I was sitting on the sofa calmly knitting, and the boys were wrestling in their room. I heard a gunshot go off, then saw a strange shape/stain on the kitchen wall. WHAT HAD THOSE DRATTED BOYS DONE? Total heart attack.

Then the realization hit: it was the ginger beer exploding! The cap flew halfway across the kitchen, half a litre of ginger beer vanished somewhere, and we were laughing with relief. (I quickly put the other bottle in the fridge; it IS delicious!).

Cheers!

Alexandra

My new fans

Upon arrival home, we were terribly excited to find our Amazon order had arrived: four brand-new, guaranteed quiet, super-expensive fans! James bowled me over in his anxiety to get started putting them together.

In a city without air conditioning and temperatures that regularly go into the 90s, fans are indispensable. However, the local ones available are expensive with respect to their quality (about $25 for a floor fan made in the PRC that won't even last a season, makes a lot of noise, and then has the legs collapse), so I decided to upgrade a wee bit.

We are thrilled. Quiet, powerful, and a great way to get wrappers all over the family room floor.

Love,

Alexandra

Spring in the Great Plains

Today, the boys and I made the trek to Castelluccio di Norcia, which I've faithfully written about every spring. Spring comes late, since we're really only at the beginning of the famous flowering, but it was a wonderful day nonetheless.

Once there, while the boys made their way up the steep slope to the cross at the summit, I made my way up the steeper (possibly) slope to the town center which I had never before visited. The mitigating factor was that the town center was closer than the summit. While there, I purchased the famous local lentils, black beans (almost completely unavailable here!), something called roveja (not an Italian word), chickpeas, and spelt. Yum!

Look at the white spot at 9:00 halfway between edge and center: that is James and Jeremy

"Breakneck alley"...and, yes, narrow and steep...aptly named

View from my bench

There is a cross at the crest of the hill (unseen in the photo).
 James and Jeremy climbed up to it. 

I love the way the hills look wrinkled

Castelluccio is the town on the little crest.

Blue and green...just stunning

On the way home, we stopped for a quick cappuccino at a roadside bar. It was a rather peculiar (but not really that uncommon in a way) reception: we were stared at as though an alien species! I guess they don't have too many visitors that way. But for being a roadside pit, the view was lovely...no complaints!

View from the bar. The hay bale was IN the field, not on the pillar (!)

Headscratcher: This reads "Mailbox temporarily out of order. In removal phase."

Love,

Alexandra

Late Night Party

Saturday night was "Notte Bianca" (literally, "white night"). This can have a variety of incarnations, but the main premise is that you stay out all night (until dawn, hence the "white" part of the night). The high schools occasionally host these events, but this time, it was a city-sponsored celebration.

Erik and Ada: Can you believe it?

Apart from the band in the Piazza, the Piazza Garibaldi had a lot of food stalls and picnic tables set out. They even had poffertjes, advertised as "mini-crepes"... a DUTCH treat!

 Every summer, I have retaught the baristas at Pianegiani how to make a "flot"; lemon gelato combined with lemon soda. Here is James enjoying his!

 These were little kebabs that were absolutely scrumptious! Check out the knob on the left; it could be turned to rotate all of the sticks simultaneously!

Several of us went home early, and all were home before dawn. However, it was great to see everyone out and having fun!

Love,

Alexandra