The Scarpelli's

Torre del Mangia (or The Tower of the Eater)

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Siena is a beautiful city, and one of the sights to see is the Torre del Mangia, or the Tower of the Eater. Apparently the guy that used to ring the bells also liked to use a knife and fork, hence the name.

If you have been clinically diagnosed with 'Giddiness' then you should not climb the tower.

Here I am, starting the assent. Only 400 steps to go, not so bad.

Anyone remember the movie 'Vertigo'?

Mitch, my counterpart from Eli Lilly, is posing on the last of the steps. These are outside, made of wood, and extremely steep. Kind of like a ladder with a handrail.

The view from the top is spectacular!

Even more photos

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:11:00 +0000

Hope I'm not overwhelming anyone with the sheer volume of photos here. ;-)

Picked up some soup at the supermarket (the 'Coop') 'cuz I thought it looked good on the box....

However, in reality it looked like this.

Quite tasty, but not at all like the vegetable soup pictured on the outside.

By the way, this is olive oil country. It gets used it copious amounts on everything. I suppose people could say the same thing about ketchup in America. This is on every table in the cafeteria.

Nifty holder, eh?

More photos of my lunch in Florence Italy

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:15:00 +0000

It surprises me that they have such variety in the food offerings at the cafeteria. There are always two pastas to choose from, soup, two or three entrees, veggies, fruit, fresh bread....and there was only one time that there was a portion-controlled, breaded fish fillet (still tasted good to me).

Photos from Italy

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:47:00 +0000

I haven't used this blog in forever but I thought it might be a good way to display some photos, since I don't care to make everything such an announcement as on Facebook. Yes, I am here in Florence, Italy. Let's start with my room...

My room is really a furnished apartment with maid service twice a week. They don't do my dishes or laundry but I do have a washing machine and a rack to dry my clothes. This is good because I'm going to be here for weeks at a time.

Morning coffee from my Moka.

Yes, there is a bidet, it's behind the washing machine.

I have a balcony but there is really nothing to see but another building.

Someone suggested that this key was made by goblins. I tend to agree since the door looks like a bank safe. Kind of makes you wonder what the crime is like here when the door weighs 300 lbs. and has 5 deadbolts. Really, it is pretty safe.

I eat most lunches at the Lilly cafeteria. It is exceptionally good!

I decided to take a picture of every meal I have in the cafeteria so here they are. I can assure you that the plates were clean when I brought the tray up to the dishwashers. Here they are in no particular order.

As you can see, I am eating well.

It's not Rock & Rye, it's not Coca-cola, it's Cola & Cola. (?)

This is without a doubt the best part of any meal (or break time).

So where are the photos of the statue of David, the Palazzo Pitti, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, etc.? Truth is I have been working like a dog and haven't had enough time off to see many of these sites. Plus it rained last weekend. Besides, you can see better pictures than mine on-line anytime. I'm trying to show the things that make Europe a little different.

It's late here and I have to work in the morning even though it's a holiday in Italy (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception). More photos later.

Another Short Movie

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:31:00 +0000

It's been forever since anything new has been on this blog....well, actually it's been almost a year. Here's a short film that the kids and I worked on last weekend. Another learning experience for all. Enjoy!

King Arthur's Surprise

The Pirate's Life

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Just in case you haven't seen this yet....

Gilligan's Island Movie?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:12:00 +0000

I guess it's inevitable that our favorite TV series' turn into movies at some point. I only found out today that 'Gilligan's Island' is becoming a feature length film. I'm not sure if I can get excited about this, after my disappointment with the 'Lost In Space' movie (Lost In Space was one of my favorite TV shows) it just seems like a bad idea. I have many happy memories of sitting on the floor, watching Gilligan before dinner time. My favorite is the one where Gilligan gets hit on the head and his tooth fillings act as a radio. It makes me cringe to think of Adam Sandler dressed up as Gilligan!

No actors have signed yet but it's rumored that Michael Cera (from Superbad) will play 'Gilligan' and Beyonce Knowles will be playing 'Ginger' (good choice, IMO). Read more at ScreenHead.com.

New photos from Halloween '08

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:01:00 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnscarpelli/archives/date-posted/2008/11/01/

Renata has a few of her own as well at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30121914@N08/

It's already November....where did this year go?

1000+ views?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Thank you to all who stop by from time to time. It's amazing to me that we've had over 1000 views on our blog since we haven't been updating it lately. Speaking of blogs, Victor has decided to start his own blog. He's got nothing to say yet but I'm sure he'll think of something soon.

http://thekidwithcurlyhair.blogspot.com/

Kelly has been all star-struck lately because we saw Tim McGraw (no relation to Quickdraw McGraw) riding his motorcycle the other day. I was just looking at the bike.

It's been a while...

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:25:00 +0000

Yeah, we're still here. Life has gotten in the way of updating our blog. So has Facebook. I know that some of you are not part of the 'social network' (but you could be) so why don't you check it out sometime. Just go to http://www.facebook.com/, give them an e-mail address to sign up, then look for Kelly, Talia, or me. I haven't had a problem with it flooding my mailbox with spam. I just get a notification if someone leaves a note or comments on a photo. Pretty cool, really, it's put us in touch with some family and friends that we would not normally keep up with. And it's not just for youngsters. (my God, I just said 'youngsters'....that makes me sound so old!)

And if Facebook is not your thing, that's OK too.

The things that have been keeping us busy lately are pretty boring, except we went to MI last weekend for a very nice wedding and got to see Mom in her new apartment. We also went to see Alton Brown again. (Thanks to Tammy Cook) Sad that the Olympics are over...working long hours lately, trying to get a machine ready to ship to France...enjoying the veggies from the garden...kids are busy with school and Kelly has started subbing again. Thanks to Renata for the photos!

Like those free tickets!

Iron Chef America - Celebrity Edition

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:08:00 +0000

Another fine parody by Talia and Renata! If only Alton Brown could see this....

New Candidate for President?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:16:00 +0000

I Suck At Guitar Hero

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:57:00 +0000

I'm not afraid to admit it.

New Movie Short from Renata & Talia

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sat, 31 May 2008 23:21:00 +0000

The girls have made a 5 minute film called 'Larry Potter and the Rolling Stone'. Check it out by going to Talia's blog or clicking here or here.

Renata's Soda Pop Bottle Rocket

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:25:00 +0000

On 5/21/08 Renata's class launched their soda pop bottle rockets. Renata's team "TCB" had a little help from their teacher for the launch....

Click to play

Some things happen during your school days that you will never forget!

Wooten Woods

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Talia, Victor, and I volunteered to help out at Victor Wooten's property, dubbed 'Wooten Woods', future site of the Bass/Nature Camp and other projects. We built trails and helped construct some of the buildings. Friendly, interesting people abound. I think it's obvious from the photo that Talia and Victor had a good time. For more photos click here. If you don't know who Victor Wooten is then check out the Bela Fleck & the Flecktones or Victor Wooten websites.

Pinewood Derby Pack Leader

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:21:00 +0000

Victor was 'victorious', taking home the Pinewood Derby 1st place trophy for his pack. He now goes on to the Natchez Trace District Pinewood Derby on April 26th. Way to go, Victor!

Back to 2006....

My Favorite Comedy Sketch

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:53:00 +0000

Here it is, my favorite comedy sketch. If this doesn't make you laugh a little then I guess we just don't share the same sense of humor!

Four Yorkshire Men

Are you bothered by a hairy back?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:15:00 +0000

It's never been a problem for me until this trip to Florida. I felt kind of neanderthal while at the beach. I mean, I thought it was a sign of virility to have a hairy chest....what happened?! Why are all of the guys getting waxed? (Yes, I've seen "The 40 Year Old Virgin")

I still like listening to Led Zeppelin and classic rock, maybe I'm just stuck in the '70s. Should I just build on this and open my shirt another button or two, add a big gold chain....?

Spring Break Moment

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:34:00 +0000

Victor collecting seashells at Panama City Beach.

Happy Pi Day

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:08:00 +0000

Thanks to http://www.seriouseats.com

What happens in Hawaii, stays in Hawaii

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:34:00 +0000

Hawaii, 1976.

Mom, why aren't you wearing your wedding ring?

Sk8er Boi?

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:37:00 +0000

Victor poses outside of the skatepark with his new board.

Twisters in Tennessee

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:31:00 +0000

We were lucky....the tornadoes that came through here on Tuesday night / Wednesday morning just missed us. Thank you for the concerned phone calls. A co-worker sent me a few photos and I thought I'd pass them along. His daughter attends Union University and was in the dormitory when a tornado hit. I've included an excerpt from his e-mail:

"Thought you might be interested to see a picture of my daughter's dormitory at Union University in Jackson. I took this yesterday. We went there to pick her up and see if we could salvage anything from the dorm. She was in the building on the right when the tornado hit. About 80% of the dorms were destroyed were 40% of the buildings on campus. Of 1,200 students in the dorms, only 51 went to the hospital and only three were seriously injured. There were no fatalities on campus. Merideth and four other girls were trapped in their bathroom until fire fighters were able move some debris from the door. They climbed out of this mess without a scratch. It appears she lost nearly everything she owns, but that really doesn't matter much at the moment. Please keep the kids and people at the University in your prayers as well as families who have lost even more..."

A Trio of Birthdays

noreply@blogger.com (John) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:25:00 +0000

We just celebrated three birthdays here; Victor's, Renata's and mine. I missed two of these birthdays, working on a project for a large pharmaceutical company in Indianapolis. I can't tell you the name 'cuz I'm sworn to secrecy but you can probably figure it out since they've made the news recently, due to a $1 billion settlement. Just chump-change to them.

So sorry, no birthday photos today. I took a good one of Victor with his new skateboard but somehow it disappeared from the camera, just some pictures of Meeko were left...