creative structures

AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

2010-08-22T15:29:00.002+02:00

My dearest readers and followers,Today, it is with great pleasure and a little bit of regret that I announce the beginning of the end of Creative Structures. I say this because it has been a pleasure for me to grow here for the last two years, with you supporting and often guiding me. The blog has enabled me to express so much of what was going on inside of me to an outer audience, it has given

Gita Italiana!

2010-08-19T14:50:00.004+02:00

Today I have a guest post on the fabulous Bleeding Espresso blog. Michelle Fabio, my favorite expat lawyer, blogger, Calabria expert, and freelance writer has asked several of her friends to help her readers tour Italy by writing posts about our home regions in a series called (appropriately) Gita Italiana.Grazie Michelle!

August Break Photo 15.8

2010-08-15T18:10:00.001+02:00

an oldie but goodie.....I am working on some major changes... to the blog. Stay tuned for more details.....

August Break Photo 13.8

2010-08-13T08:42:00.003+02:00

the storm that rolled in last night

August Break Photo 12.8

2010-08-12T09:12:00.004+02:00

Last evening's walk outside of Acqui through the vineyards.

August Break Photo 10.8.10

2010-08-10T16:59:00.001+02:00

hand whipping zabaglione in a cooking class

August Break Photo 8.8.10

2010-08-08T18:30:00.003+02:00

max at 6 months with a pebble in his mouth.

August Break Photo 7.8.10

2010-08-07T19:47:00.003+02:00

Apricot Jam mmmmmm yum.

August Break Photo 6.8.10

2010-08-06T17:54:00.004+02:00

August Break, Day 4, My Day 1

2010-08-05T17:01:00.007+02:00

The Aperol Bar at Hotel Peroni in Cannobio on Lago MaggioreCheck out Susannah Conway's blog - she's doing a very cool thing. Sign up and post a photo a day on your blog during August and link back to her growing list of participants.

Mosaic Colorways

2010-08-05T16:40:00.004+02:00

Choosing the right combination of colors and materials for each of the nine mirrors I am making in this series is a painstaking job. The first five are planned out - three more to go of this size then a big one with all the leftovers!

Mosaic Ceramic and Glass

2010-08-02T18:18:00.003+02:00

It will be a busy week. I'm on deadline for a writing project for a travel publication, I am working on our new partnership with the wonderful Turid from Toscana Hus , a fabulous website promoting stunning rental properties in Tuscany and one off special Italian finds like our B&B, and I am anxiously waiting for my kiln, which is now firing. In the kiln are over 1,000 handmade ceramic tiles,

How Cool Is That?

2010-07-27T14:21:00.003+02:00

My niece Jessica and Rob's wedding has been featured in this month's Philadelphia Bride Magazine! Here is the link to their fabulous photographer Alison Conklin's blog with the layout......here's the original post on Alison's blog about the wedding...

The Collective Lives of Bees and Men

2010-07-22T07:33:00.005+02:00

We live next to beekeepers. Somewhere around the third week in February, there is a morning where I go outside to stretch, hoping that that last bit of melted snow is truly the last bit of melted snow, and in the silence, I hear a low decibel sound, constant and monotone. I know that somewhere nearby, something is blooming; maybe an almond tree is starting to unfurl its

Cooking Classes

2010-07-17T14:47:00.007+02:00

Wonderful cooking classes have as much, if not more, to do with the participants as the instruction. The last weeks, we've made stuffed eggplants, cabbage and gorgonzola torta, fresh pasta, sugo di nocci, zabaglione, pesto, ravioli con prosciutto e erbete, fiori fritti.... served with Pinot Nero Rose, Spumante, Dolcetto, Barbera, Moscato... with guests/friends from the USA, Switzerland, Germany

Interesting People Interview - Cherrye Moore

2010-07-15T12:51:00.002+02:00

When I think of people doing interesting things, I am always first drawn to those whose destiny has led them far away from home, and how they have made the most of the situation at hand. One of those people is Cherrye Moore, trip planner, freelance writer, innkeeper, wife and resident of beautiful Catanzaro, Calabria. Cherrye has built her life here in Italy and we had

Well, It Looks Like Italy, But It's Not.

2010-07-10T09:18:00.004+02:00

Right across the border, directly on Lago di Maggiore, you find yourself in the canton of Tecino, or Tessin (in German), Switzerland. On the laid back promenade in Ascona, German and Italian are spoken with a flourish and Italian relaxed style mixes seamlessly with Swiss efficiency. The best of both worlds, they say. All I can say is that on a broiling hot summer afternoon, there is simply no

The Painful Beauty of Inspiration

2010-07-05T13:27:00.015+02:00

Let me make a confession. I hate trimming pots. Trimming pots is what you do to them after throwing them on the wheel. You let them dry up only a bit, clean them up, re-center them in the wheel, and use instruments to cut into the clay and make a foot on each pot. You end up with a bunch of this:which is really annoying because all of this semi dry clay has to be rehydrated (turned into

Under Pressure

2010-07-03T12:53:00.004+02:00

It's been hot. Not just hot. It's desert scrub can't touch the pavement if you look at me sideways I'll take your head off hot. The nights cool down, a blessing. But the days have been relentless now, for a week.It feels like time to start having water problems. Now, I don't really know why water problems only happen when the temperature is so scorching that the idea of going without water

New Ceramic Art

2010-06-30T14:43:00.001+02:00

Finally mounted and hung in the new Terrace Room

Eye on Italy Podcast

2010-06-30T09:03:00.005+02:00

I recently recorded a podcast as a guest on Eye on Italy - the website focusing on all things Italian - with moderators Sara Rosso and Michelle Fabio. We talked about football (soccer), the Piemontese wine country and a few other things. It was great fun! Here's the link.Grazie mille, Michelle and Sara!

Morning Mood

2010-06-28T07:35:00.003+02:00

Sultry summer morning, still cool enough for the birds to be chirping wildly. Before I even turned the pool pump on, still in my robe, I grabbed a couple of photos to capture the mood - to look at in the dead of winter...

The Terrace at Baur B&B

2010-06-27T18:42:00.004+02:00

Come sit on the terrace...A place to wile away the afternoon, with a glass of lemonade, and a good book. Our Terrace Room at Baur B&B is decorated and awaits you.

Inappropriate Tears

2010-06-21T18:01:00.005+02:00

I really never thought that my life would take such an individual turn. I suppose I knew I was dreadfully unhappy doing what others did. From the time I graduated from college, I commuted on trains, I drove long distances, sat in offices, had meetings and did work, the content of which I no longer remember. I produced documents. I sold things. I wrote text and did marketing plans and proposals

the keys to perfect osso bucco...

2010-06-16T16:24:00.002+02:00

high quality white wine.a saute of carrots, onions and celery, caramelized in olive oil and butterperfectly cut and flour dredged veal shanksgremolata, that magical menage of parsley, garlic and lemon zest.plus...a tin of Marzano tomatoes (only the best will do)a dollop of tomato pasteand time.... lots of time.