To Have an Older Brother

from “Olivia”, new book in final edit  If not for Olivia’s brother, named Anthony John on his baptismal records, she didn’t know how she would manage at all. She relied on Tony as her confidant, friend, and intermediary between her and her aging parents. Maria and John Raggio had lost two other babies before Tony …

Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones.

I know. Totally, I am. Not Cool. But, we finally took the time to go to the Archeology Museum, and it was quite amazing, especially if you like skull measurements, and comparisons, along with 5000-year-old bodies/skeletons and big slabs of rock. That is essentially what the stone era had to deal with, and you go …

26 Hours in Malta

Someplace in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea there sits a small island, actually an archipelago of islands that qualify as one of the smallest countries in the world. (10th) Historically it has played an outsized role in history. This means that everybody and his brother has fought here for either control or ownership of …

Last Tango in Chiavari

The process of moving after a five-week stay is more than my usual slapdash ‘get it in the bag, and sort it out when we get home’ strategy. We are repacking for a different airline-the budget one with limited baggage—and a different locational climate— between the coasts of Africa and Sicily. Warmer, right? I didn’t …

Are we Lazy, or Doing our work

Your choice-we call it work Some random thoughts on Italy. Everyone has these very deliberate haircuts. Whether they are short only on the sides, or crisply trim, or top long, whatever, the effect is that there are a lot of barbershops cutting hair, and it is my impression that people are aware of each other …