Il Tavolo della Cucina - The Kitchen Table

The kitchen table is the happening place, the heart and soul of the home. The place to eat, prepare meals, do homework, work on projects, sip wine. We are in the thick of our stay in Lucca. Today we did our weekly grocery shopping which is a multi-shop affaire. First, we biked outside the walls to the grand supermarket, Esselunga for many essentials (including the on-sale Columba easter ‘cake’), then the fruttivendolo for produce, the enoteca for local wine. The PHOTO = Our tavola cucina: Mike is examining a plant with a hand lens aka loop. His current project is to collect and identify plants that are growing in the walls. The arugula salad is prepared and ready for dinner. While M prepares chicken, eggplant and black rice for dinner, we sip some local white wine from Montecarlo - Elsa Vermentino. My work space, as I prepare to write today’s journal entry and the daily blip. Henri Cartier Bresson’s book, ‘The Mind’s Eye’ which I found (or it found me) at the Piazetta di Libri. I didn’t realize that Bresson was a Buddhist! My iPad is functioning fine, but I think I’m ready to graduate to a traveling laptop computer for a multitude of reasons. I love my journal, but I miss my fountain pen - No way was I going to bring a bottle of ink! Ah, today was our first day of class with Gabrielle,
“Practical Italian” which we are taking with friends from Santa Cruz. It’s basically an Italian conversation class on the move. While walking through town, we each took turns going into a shop and speaking Italian. Mike for bike chain lube, Nancy for origami paper, Gary for a game - Take 6, and I for stamps. Tomorrow we reconvene on bicycles! Ottima practica!