Main | October 2006 Slow Travel Desert GTG »

About Me

I am a Licensed Marriage, Family Therapist with a private practice in Palm Desert, California. My passions include travel, especially annual trips to Italy, food, and all things Italian. I drink LOTS of coffee, love to cook, entertain, shop and decorate. My other hobbies include making beaded jewelry, scrapbooking, reading, and planning themes and tablesettings for parties and dinners. I live with my husband, Brad, and our dog, Ego, in our very Italian home in the desert. I have too many purses and too many dishes. I collect Italian ceramics and Christmas ornaments. I spend a HUGE amount of time on my favorite website, Slow Travel or on the message board Slow Talk!

Comments (6)

Ida:

I love this "blog" great photo of you and Brad.

Hysterical you bundled up by the fireplace.I was LOL!!!

Barbara Lewis:

Hi Palmabella: I'm trying desperately to get in touch with you about the bead shop in Bologna. Could you please contact me at blewis@md.metrocast.net. Thanks.

G'day there,

If you cast your mind back a month or so you would find yourself at Hotel Il Giglio, in Montalcino.

You'll remember me as the other Mac owner competing for the WiFi access point.

Also you may recall I did bookmark your site and have kept reading.

Great food indeed, lots of wine - very good - and some interesting places. Well done.

What you have put together is a great example of how a blog is used. I just wonder how Brad had the patience each time you posted - lol - just kidding - he probably enjoyed the time out.

So, from our end, I still am not home, rather Copenhagen.

I had a Historic Street Grand Prix last weekend and have hung around for a few days with friends who live a little north.

But since we saw you @ Montalcino, Clare and I went to an island of exactly the same name as the hotel (!) and it was wonderful. Off the coast of Argentario and Porto S. Stefano lies Il Giglio. It has a costello on the top and a isolted beachside resort on the other side. The pizza had a crisp base and fresh tomatoes were a plenty. Naturally, a light rose for lunch, followed by an expresso.

Went on to a mates place who live on the coast at Agay, near San Raphael. The beach alongside is where the american/allied forces came ashore in 1944 in the final thrust to retake europe. It was a touch hard to imagine but sitting there having lunch, looking out to sea, watching the mega cruisers run from Antibes to San R, whilst enjoying more rosé and the very best local Rosti Poulet, I started to imagine what it may have been like.

From there, the Route Napoleon, from Nice to Grenoble and then back to the house at Veyrier du Lac, at Annecy for a weeks rest.

Clare went home to Adelaide and I went to Cologne on the TGV for a few days of business, before shooting back to another aussie mates place at Putney, directly on the Thames.

Perhaps you heard about the floods in England? The very strange weather patterns? Well, I can confirm it all...

London was a perfect blue sky, windless and warm, every single day. No one was was cranky and I saw no lines of people waiting for what ever they wait for, in England.

Now you definitely know that the world weather is screwy!

What's you next adventure then?

Cheers

Jon


Ann Avery:

Aloha! from Don and Ann...Raining, glorious rain! Bt loving it and it's to be here for our full week. I just want to walk in it. Sending you some interesing recipies:
PINEAPPLE SALSA
Ross Turnbull, Executive Chef. Princeville Resort

2 Cups diced fresh Maui gold pineapple
1/2 Cup fine diced red bell pepper
1/2 Cup fine diced red onion
1/2 Cup fine sliced scallions
Pinch fine chopped habanero pepper
2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tsp fresh chopped mint leaves
Hawaiian sea salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a plastic bowl and allow to marinate 1 hour before serving.


SWEET CHILI VINAIGRETTE
Manfred Steuerwald, Executive Chef. Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa

24 oz sweet chili sauce
6 oz rice vinegar
1/2 oz garlic, chopped
1/2 oz shallots, chopped
1/2 Bunch cilantro, chopped
1 oz minced ginger
1/2 oz canola oil
3 oz soy sauce, low sodium
1 Tsp sambal

Combine all ingredients, except for canola oil and chopped cilantro. Using blender or wand mixer, slowly add canola oil. Add cilantro last.

Hugs!

maria clark:

carissima palmabella' passions il suo blog e molto bello lei e una persona meravigliosa che trasmette una grande gioia di vivere la sua casa e molto bella circondata di tante cose belle.io sono una donna di 57 anni di napoli sposata con un americano.da quattro mesi vivo in colorado spring un grande cambiamento.
ho una figlia di 20 e una cagnolina sptiz di 6 anni.tutte le mattine quardo il suo blog e la mia giornata diventa piu bella perche lei trasmette una grande gioia di vivere spero che lei capisce l'italiano spero che lei sia contenta che ho risposto al suo blog tanti saluti a lei e suo marito

Karen Farley:

My husband, son and I will be traveling to Italy for the frist time. Our daughter lives in Gaeta. My husband and I will celebrate our 20th anniversary (second marriage) in Tuscany (Monteriggioni) and I am a freelance writer. I also love beads and was wondering if you could give me the name of any shops/stores in the Tuscany area or any other smaller town.
Thank you!

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