A little bit of everything from the last week.

Hi blog readers.  Yes, I have been getting a little lazy regarding this blog.  I have been quite busy, mostly with work, so have not been posting as I usually do.  I mostly do this blog to promote my guiding business, which thankfully has been so busy as of late that I don't have time to post most days.  Perhaps it has worked.  Regardless, I am back, at least for today, and will post as the spirit moves me in the future.  Many posts may be similar to this one in that it is a mish mash of different things that meant something to me.  Of course, much involves cycling, as I am cycling most days and cycling is what I call work when it involves sharing it with others at many different levels.  So, I caption the pictures below and they will tell the story of my last week or so.

Missing from the pictures is my day Thursday when along with Rebecca I took 10 people on a great tour to Panzano from Florence.  In Panzano there is a famous butcher who has a restaurant that we all had a huge lunch at.  Seriously, 5 courses of only meat then other courses afterward.  Somehow all but one person hung in there for the ride back to Firenze on the bikes.  We had arranged for a van to take bikes and people who did not want to cycle back.  Dario Cecchini is the butcher and the food was wonderful and it was a very fun outing.  Ciao.

After a number of days without a solo ride when I could go as fast or

slow as I wish, today I had an excellent ride on a favorite route through

Bacheretto.  This picture is on the way to Bacheretto.  So beautiful to ride

here.  As a definite introvert, I recharge in solo situations.  Also as an introvert,

one of the hardest things for me with tours is being social all the time.  I do like

it and almost always enjoy the people I meet, it just takes energy.

Monday night, we had the honor of attending a dinner to benefit the

"Friends of Florence" which raises funds for art restoration.  It is amazing

just to be eating a 5 course dinner at the feet of the David, perhaps the most

famous sculpture in the world, sitting next to a marchesa, whose family has

been in the Florence area for over 500 years.  

Yesterday, I enjoyed the company of these 6 beautiful ladies on a cycling

tour with Van support and a wonderful lunch at Podere la Capella.  These

women had fun and cycled around 15 kilometers on a beautiful day in Tuscany.

Fun to share the cycling with a group with ages from 24 to 74.

Last night after the tour with the 6 ladies, I arrived home to hear of 

an invitation to a dinner at a friend's restaurant.  Alessandro Gargani, 

the owner / chef is involved in a pilot of a possible TV show on cooking

and the culture in Tuscany.  My son in law, Nicco, on the right, was 

featured as they did a tour through the gold leaf factory that is his family

business.  We had a wonderful dinner, gratis, and were filmed on and off

as we ate and enjoyed.  The dessert was a chocolate dense cake with edible

gold leaf on it.  For dessert, the bright lights came out.  Here, Ale is preparing

to interview Nicco with an old family friend in the background.

On Wednesday, I enjoyed a day at the beach in Forte dei Marmi with

Kate and the kids.  The beach is such a great place for kids, as they can 

really do most anything without worrying about getting hurt or doing 

something they are not supposed to.  A super fun but tiring day.  It is 

a 1-1/2 hour drive each way in a small car with 3 children age 6 and under.