Roses of our Yard

It's been a while since I've blogged - mainly because we've been quite busy here with travel and such. So, first I wanted to share some of the pictures that I took after a rain storm here the first week of May. Our landlord is a master gardener and he lovingly cares for these roses and they surround our yard. This is just a small taste of some of the varieties he has and he is here at the house almost daily to assure their care.

One thing important in Naples is to have a good landlord. Whether he is "connected" or not is a topic of discussion among some neighbors but we don't care since his connections keep us from being robbed. It's a sad state of affairs but the unemployment here is nearly 40% so while they intend to do no harm, robbing Americans of some of their possessions is a way of life. We have bars on the windows and must remember to lock them when we leave or at night. I guess it's not that different as we had so many bikes stolen back at home that I lost track and the car was broken into more than once, so at least here they do it to feed their families!

I'm still working on getting the driving thing down and yesterday Alex and I took a ride to an old family friend's day care center - my first trip through the heart of a little town and not on the highway. What a grand adventure it was. What I have quickly realized is that you just look straight ahead, not side to side. If you look left or right, you will more than likely rear-end the guy ahead of you. So, it turns out I impressed my 12 year old (who quite honestly thinks I am the dumbest person on the planet lately) with my skills! Didn't hit anyone, didn't let anyone cut me off, smiled politely at those who felt the need to be ahead of me and gave them courteous gestures of respect. (O.K. I can't really give any gestures at all because managing the steering wheel on old Chip (the car) and the stick shift is just about my pay grade. So, I just smile and shrug.

There will be a lot to catch up on today as it's time for me to fill you all in on our adventures in travel. Next up...Cooper!