IL MOLINO PART 2

So this is our third day at IL MOLINO and guess what I am doing.  Yep, the lawns need mowing.  Pino keeps the place manicured so here I am doing my best to keep it up.  The building in the background is called Fontenairo.  It has two separate bedrooms with a large kitchen and living room at one end. Everyone seems to gather there at night for food and fun.  It has a great outdoor patio with a long table that will fit at least 16 people.

Mowing all the lawns took about 6 hours over a 3 day period.  All in one day is too much for me.  If you look closely at the red object up near the bushes, that's me on the tractor.  As you can see the lawn is starting to burn.  We haven't had rain since we got here and it has been in the 80's each day (about 23C)   Maybe it won't grow much for the next few weeks.  Actually, I don't mind mowing.  It's therapeutic, not to mention the exercise to burn off all that pasta and olive oil.

This is Mark.  He is from Anchorage, Alaska and has rented the entire resort for three weeks.  Each week a new batch of friends and relatives arrive for a week.  He is celebrating his 60th birthday and always wanted to do something like this.  Here he is cooking kabobs on the outside cement grill.  So far we have been invited to some of their food functions, especially when they bring in Luca a local chief who cooks while you watch.  It is really great.  This Saturday a new group of his friends and relatives come in.  According to Mark this is a big group, so next week will be real busy.  Brenda and I are looking forward to meeting all the new people.  They are bringing Luca in again for that group.  FUN, FUN, FUN,  FAT, FAT, FAT.  OH WELL, THERE IS ALWAYS A STARVATION DIET WHEN WE GET HOME.

A view of IL MOLINO from the back side.  I took this from the lawn tractor.

This is the finished product.  This field includes a Volley Ball area and a Croquet area.  It's quite large, and even larger from the seat of a Snapper Lawn Tractor.  I really enjoyed mowing this area.  There is another field on the other side of the building that is a little smaller than this field and includes a soccer field,  Yep, I mowed that one too, but not on the same day.

This is our swimming pool.  It is still open as it stays a lot warmer here than at home for this time of year.  I think it is the Mediterranean Climate that keeps it warmer here.  In fact, they seldom get snow here in winter and very little frost, if any.  I have an automatic pool vacuum that I turn on when needed , usually at the end of the day after everyone is finished swimming.  We cover it at night to keep in the heat.  You can see that the water is crystal clear.  It took a couple of days for me to get it that way, but I think the guests like to see it that way.

So here they are.  My new girl friends.  Molly is on the left and that is Bianca on the right.  I tie them up at night under the porch where it is dark and quiet so they don't bark.  I get them to come at night when I whistle for them Of course they know I have a snack for them.  I started that the first day I was here so I don't have to go looking for them in the dark.  They are fed when I untie them in the morning and at around five in the evening. Don't worry the dogs let you know when it is five.  When I walk in the morning Molly will follow me wherever I go.  If you stop for coffee (about 1 km away) she will wait until you finish, then walk back with you.  By the way, this is not your Dunkin Donuts type of coffee.  It is a small cup of cappuccino and a sweet pastry.  No one walks around with a paper coffee cup filled with coffee.  In fact the paper coffee cup does not exist, at least, in this part of Italy.  Everything is eaten or drunk with china and regular spoons and forks, even at the McDonnell's on the Auto-strata.

What better way to end the perfect day than with a glass of Vin Santo and nice home baked biscotti with almonds.  Tomorrow Caroline and Pino get back from their tour for 2 days before they head out to Sicily for three weeks to run more tours.  This is something else they do in addition to operating IL MOLINO.  Wow, they are busy people.  We are heading off to a hotel in Castrocielo, just south of Rome.  The hotel is near the small town of Arce, where my grandfather may have been born.  Were going to look and see.  Maybe we will find something, maybe not.  I'll let you know and, obviously, take some pictures.  Next time I will introduce you to Anna.  She is Pino's mother.  If you are an Italian you will know her.  She is the typical Italian grandmother.  Although her name is Anna, her real name Nonno.   Stay tuned.