The Super Barking Dog at Judith's House

When we went to Judith's house, I was outside and a weird dog came jumping out of a door and was barking at me. I was s0000000 scared. Then I screamed: aghhhhhhhhhhh. He came three more times and I was afraid he would bite my leg every time. I screamed for my papa.

Judith is a friend of my grandma. She lives in a borghettino in Umbria. She made a very good lunch for us. There was no green stuff. She had this one thing sort of like apple pie but without crust. She called in Not Pie--I don't know why.

When I went on a hike by myself, I went over a bridge and saw a beautiful grass field. There was a foot bridge because there was a river. Judith had several cats. One of them is very unusual. His name is Other Guy. Other Guy was missing one leg. A farm tractor ran over his leg and cut it off. Poor Other Guy. He was cute. He was pretty fast moving for only three legs.

Judith is nice. She gave me a hint about drawing. She said to use a big paper and look at the object, not the paper. I tried it yesterday and it did not work. But I'm going to do it a lot of other times.

This is Judith and Me.

Second Time at La Cantinetta di Rignana

Yesterday for lunch I went to LA CANTINETETA DI RIGNANA again! We went with some people from Slow Travel--Roz and Mike. They brought me a cool book about karate with Max and Maia and Antonio and some other girl. They each have animal powers. I really like the book.

When I got to Rignana everybody who worked there turned around and starting hugging me and saying hi. The women in the kitchen were so happy to see me.


One time when I went in to talk with them they put me in a highchair and carried me out to the table. It was really fun. Here's a picture. Everybody was laughing, especially me. I almost cried I was laughing so hard.


The reservation was in my name and so the card on the table said Casey.

Roz and Mike were very nice. I wonder if they are looking at my blog. I wish I could know.

This is me with Roz and Mike

After I was finished eating, I went outside and played with some boys at soccer. I had to keep getting the ball because it kept rolling down the hill.


This is one of my favorite places. You should go there. Bye.

Next I'll tell you about my cool package today from Tina and Jimmy.

Oh--all these pictures are ones that Roz took. She did a good job!

CARNEVALE!!!!

Carnevale is really part of Easter Celebration. Carnevale is usually supposed to be on Fat Tuesday the day before Ash Wednesday which is 40 days before Easter. Those 40 days are called Lent. During lent people give up things (sort of like New Year resolutions.)

But here in Greve it's much different. It seems to be a big party for kids with costumes and confetti and cans of liquid string which blast this sort of weird stuff--most people don't wear masks like in Venice.

The celebration was last Sunday in the piazza in Greve. They had some people on stilts, a candy stand, and a band with a little boy playing a drum and one little show. During the middle one of the people on the stilts fell down and got hurt so the ambulance picked him up and went away.

This is me getting some candy.

See the little boy?

The one that fell isn't in this picture.

At one point someone let go of a balloon and Camilla, Carlotta, Alessandro and I were watching it going up. Fifteen minutes later another one was let go. I wonder where they are now.

I saw some of my friends from my class. We all had fun together doing stuff like dueling with swords, squirting each other, throwing confetti, blowing paper streamers and just running around and catching each other. Camilla and I were putting confetti in Tommaso's shirt.

Me blowing a streamer at Camilla--who was a mermaid.

Tommaso is squirting liquid streamers at us. I am protecting Carlotta.

This is Tommaso.

This is Yonathan and me dueling.

There was tons of confetti all over the piazza.

When I was in my costume, I was Bibleman.

Here's a picture-again!

Happy Birthday, Mamma

Hi, Mamma

Happy Birthday! Too bad I can't send you a card. I hope you see this. I miss you.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I love Italy
and
I love you!

From Little Casey

Yellow Belt--Yellow Belt

Back in San Diego I did Martial Arts and here I do karate which is much, much different. Here in Italy, I just earned my yellow belt about two weeks ago. Hurray, I'm a yellow belt!!

Here I'm a Yellow Belt

Do you like my new move?

This is the karate routine I need to master to get to yellow#2. I hope I am an orange belt when I go home. I'll beat you instructor Eric.

My favorite instructor here is Michele. He was a 4 time world champion. This is when I was a poor, poor white belt. I have four other instructors. They have all won national or world karate competitions. I know that Greve isn't very big but there are a lot of karate fans here. I'm lucky.

Bye

La Cantinetta di Rignana e me

Last Saturday night with the Nyenhuis’ that came to visit us from San Diego, we went to the, well you can see it on the name of the title, restaurant. It was really fun. I got to go in the kitchen where everyone was working but I didn’t get to help them because I am too young. They called me a principe which means prince.

This is the chef.

The waiter was really funny. He knew how to whistle his stomach out and also he knew how to do jokes. He pretended to spill coffee on my gramma. It was fun there. At first I didn’t want to go. If I didn’t go, I would have missed all the fun. It wouldn’t have been as fun if it weren’t for me.

When Jan and Keith were here, Keith was so hilarious. He tried taking quite a bit of my toys and little figures. And his singing is more hilarious than his acting. He taught me this song: I love coffee, I love tea, I love the java and the java loves me.

And also Jan made this very good recipe while they were here—potatoes and very good chicken. I hope my gramma makes it. That would be good. I wish they didn’t leave. They left this morning. I miss them. I prayed that they would have a safe trip home.

I hope that I can go back to the restaurant with my Uncle Jeff.

This is Jan and Keith.

(Note from gramma: La Cantinetta di Rignana is a very special restaurant--wonderful food, great service, delightful atmosphere, just good in every way. If you can plan it into your itinerary, you will be happy that you did.)

.

The Bad Old Internet

Hi Folks
We do not have an internet connection right now. It went out a few days ago and gramma says "who knows when it will come back." I have a couple things to write about when I can. I got my yellow belt in karate and have a picture. And we went to a fun restaurant I want to tell you about. And friends from San Diego just left today.
I will write about it when I can.
Casey

Senor Giorgio the Snowman

A few days ago I went back up to San Michele. But it wasn't snowing but it still had some snow. And I made a snowman. You can see in the title that his name is Giorgio. He is so cute.

We made him a little different than others--his arms are made out of snow. And he also had a broom which was a stick and a fake pipe that I made with a stick and a little ball of snow. We also made feet for him. He is sitting down.

Oh, I forgot something. My papa helped me make Giorgio. We made some hair for him of snow. It looked like Elvis. But, I put my Scooby hat on him for a little while.

Here's a question for you.
Who's the Snowman?

Tha-tha-that's all, folks.

.

Snow in San Michele

This morning I was doing my stuff when Camilla's mom came in to tell me there was snow on the mountain. We could see it from my window. So today after school I went up to the mountain where it was snowing. I've seen snow but I've never seen it snowing before.

I was there only 5 minutes but it was fun. I went with Camilla, the girl you can see.



Right here I was doing a snow angel.



Right here I'm throwing snowballs at Camilla's parents and my grandparents.

It was really fun but Camilla and I were sad because it was only 5 minutes. It was only 5 minutes because I had my Italian tutor today and Camilla had her English tutor.

It's supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow. It might even be snowing right now. I'd better go look right now so see you next time. Tha-tha--that's all folks.

My Weekend with Sofia

Last weekend I went to Sant' Antonio to visit my friend Sofia. We have been friends for 3 years now. She is always one year less than me.

I had a good time. Sofia was so amazed that I could speak Italian so good. Nico, her father, said I speak like an actual Florentine. (Io parlo come un vero Italiano.)

We always have fun. Sofia's little brother has a lot of gormiti cards. His name is Filippo. He was really sick so please pray for him if you remember. He has to use one of those air tube things to breath because he doesn't breath very well and he coughs.

Sofia is a very nice girl. I can't wait to go over there again some time.

Ecco una fotografia di me e lei. Fine.