Italian Summer: San Gimignano

We were having some car problems so we had to make a drive to the nearest Chevy dealer. Fortunately, the medieval town of San Gimignano was just about 10 minutes from the garage. It's called a Medieval Manhattan because the town's wealthiest citizens demonstrated their wealth and power by building huge towers. Although almost as crowded as Manhattan, the town was quite charming.

Entering the city gates.
The town center was quite charming -- with interesting old buildings all squished together. We enjoyed a delicious dinner here and topped it off with tasty gelato.

Rob, hanging out on the church steps, relaxing and people-watching.
Thanks to KaRynn, we did this trip without kids (just Rob's parents and us), which was quite a treat!

Don't you love those Tuscan views!

Aaah, life without kids!

Italian Summer: Siena

Here we are, back in Siena. This is the Siena Duomo. It's stunning from the outside and even more stunning on the inside.

Here's just a small sample of the inside view -- lots and lots of marble.
Hanging out on the steps. The men watched the girls while we women explored the Duomo museum.
Except for local traffic, cars are not allowed into Siena, so the girls did lots of walking. Swingie, swingie, swingie was Mariah's favorite activity!
Look how strong I am!

Entering the famous piazza.

Look at the cute couple!

Chillin' on the piazza, this time in the warm sunshine! We had a yummy Italian lunch at a restaurant right on the piazza and had great fun watching a clown play tricks on passersby.

Daddy, let me go. I wanna chase the birdies!

March, march, march, march.

Look who is worn out from all the running around.

Bye-bye Siena!

Italian Summer: Firenze

A trip to Tuscany would not be complete without seeing Florence. In order to avoid lines, we had bought tickets to the Uffizi Gallery and the Galleria della Accademia in advance. However, the traffic into Florence was so slow, that Rob finally had to drop us off so that we could RACE through the narrow streets to make our scheduled time. I had Mariah with me in the backpack and she got quite a jolt!
Fortunately, we made it to the Uffizi on time and had a wonderful time there. The place is overwhelming -- after about half an hour one feels completely saturated with all the incredible Renaissance art. My favorites -- Botticelli, Titian, etc., fortunately came early in the tour. Anna Claire found just as much pleasure looking at the ceiling.
Mariah just enjoyed kicking back with KaRynn in the massive hallways of the Gallery.

Dad, Anna, KaRynn and Mariah in front of the Duomo. Don't you love the colors?

The Baptistry ceiling. . .incredible and overwhelming biblical paintings.

A peak at the bell tower through some of Florence's narrow streets.

Mariah's in the backpack again!

For dinner, we escaped the busy streets of Florence for Fiesole, a small town that normal offers spectacular views of Florence. Unfortunately, it was too early for any restaurants to be open so we had to settle for a bar (birthday dinner for me). Also, the view was a bit muggy. . .

Mariah and Anna still found something fun to do!

Back at the farmhouse, Anna opted for a Travertine sink bath, rather than the shower.

Our Trip to Utah: Cousins etc.

The best part of our trip for the girls was renewing old friendships with cousins. I must say that we're missing photos from Colorado. We stopped through for a couple of days to see Rob's Grandpa Tyler, who may not live much longer. The girls also got to see their cousin Ethan there. Here are Anna Claire and her cousin Gracie chomping down lunch on Memorial Day.
Mariah and Eleanor became fast high-chair friends.

Dust, dust, dust, sweep, sweep, sweep...'cause in my house I help clean up. . .

Zoom, zoom! On the scooter with Grandpa!

Mommy is a pretty awesome Harley woman too!

Trampoline time! Anna has been begging us to get one of these!
We also got to meet up with cousins Sam and Jacob at the park. They just had a new little brother!

Our Trip to Utah: At the Cabin!

Gracie, Mariah and Anna zooming around with Grandpa on yet another machine!
Mariah loved the four-wheelers. She has no fear!

Anna was a little more cautious. She insisted on riding with Mommy, the supposedly "safer" driver. Check out my sun covering attire. I look silly but I avoid getting burned!

Whoosh! Those four-wheelers really did wonders for my hair!

Chatting with Grandma on the mountain. I love this view!

Anna Claire horse-back-riding with Grandpa. She loved it! Right after this, though, Grandpa, who is actually an expert horseman, was bucked off and hurt his collarbone.

Dancing with the other cousins!

Our Trip to Utah: Jane's Wedding!

It's finally here! Jane and Chris were married today! Jane looked like a regal princess in her wedding gown, and Chris the handsome prince. We've had a wonderful time seeing family and friends, especially because we are usually so far away. This wedding was particularly fun for me because Chris' older brother Brad is an old friend of mine. The reception ended up being a mini-reunion of old New York friends.
Here is our attempt at a family photo. "Don't move and smile at the camera," I'm barking through gritted teeth.

Hmmmm. What are these flowers Aunt Jane is sticking in my face?

Hanging out with cousin Eleanor. (She's 6 months older than Mariah, but Mariah has almost caught up to her in height.)

Again, an attempt at a family photo of the entire Woolley clan. My how we've grown!

All the girl cousins with Aunt Jane. Come on Mariah and Anna, please smile just this once!

Anna Claire and her cousin Peter contemplating a jump in the pool.

While Anna is getting an "owie" fixed, Mariah finally gives a grin to the camera.

Mom, please, I'm tired of all these photos.