I arrived back home yesterday. I had a lovely week with my sister. She is doing well after her treatment. Getting stronger every day.

The drive from Dulles to Wintergreen wasn’t too bad. Both there and back were on Sundays so that helped. Also government shutdowns always make traffic in the DC area light. I have lived through a few. There were a lot of reports of delayed flights because the air traffic controllers were not coming in. I don’t blame them. They aren’t getting paid. But that didn’t affect either of my flights. 

I left the Hyatt and drove to Total Wine, a big wine shop, to buy some wine to share. When I got close to Wintergreen I stopped at the last, good grocery to buy stuff for the dinner I was making and the many things I wanted to take home. I had packed only one outfit. Jeans and a sweatshirt. I had ordered a bunch of clothes from Amazon to be delivered to my sister.

She lives at 3,400 feet up on a mountain. I was stunned at the colors along the road up the mountain. The pictures don’t do the color justice unfortunately.

I had a number of things to accomplish during my week. One was to get a flu shot and a Covid vaccine shot. Why not, right? I also had a list for the grocery store. And I had 3 things to mail for a friend. Since the tariffs were instated you can’t mail any packages from Italy to the U.S. Last, Luther wanted a bottle of bourbon. Over the course of the week I got all this done.

The autumn color in the mountains of Virginia is something I’ve missed. I hit it right at peak on this trip. It was glorious. Like driving in golden tunnels. The forests are very different in Virginia compared to Italy. Wintergreen is a four season resort which sprawls up the mountains and along the tops. There is skiing and the Appalachian Trail goes through it. The first images is of the mountain called Three Ridges.

I also watched Monday night football and three of the World Series games. I’m not a huge sports fan but it was something we three could watch and still talk during the games. We cooked together each night. The weather was very brisk. In the 30s F most days with blustery winds. We took some walks. We visited Waynesboro which is over the mountain from her. It is a typical country town. We shopped in a shop run by Mennonites called The Cheese Shop. Much more than cheese. Lots of good stuff. I had forgotten how they go nuts for Halloween in the U.S. I only took one picture but there were some other amazing displays. This guy did not want any vampires around! The wreath is entirely of garlic.

On Friday we visited Early Mountain Vineyards where they have a restaurant. It is about 1.5 hours from their house. We had a lovely lunch and drove back. The GPS directed us to use the Blue Ridge Parkway to get back home. We were fine with that and we got to take some amazing photos on the way. This particular pine is very famous. Bill took this photo.

Sunday I left their house and drove back to Dulles which was uneventful. Then I checked in and went through security which had no lines. Nice. I hit the Polaris lounge and had lunch and a wine and then sat and enjoyed myself for the two hours I had to wait. 

Now I am home. The car I hired picked me up. Nice young man from Brazil. He is married to an Italian. While on the drive home, I was struck by how drab the colors are here. Just nothing like the brilliance of the leaves on the U.S. east coast. Italy has its other charms and a beauty of its own, but Virginia is where I was born and lived so I have a special spot for it in my heart. ❤️ I’m tired and happy to be home. I was pretty proud of myself that I negotiated all the things one must negotiate when traveling internationally. I had been worried. I guess I’m not as decrepit as I thought! 😁

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Back to everyday life for a while. Lots of laundry to do. It is also time to begin closing up the terrace for the winter. I need to put all the cushions and the outdoor rug inside. Then all the plants must be cut back and disposed of. It is a little sad. Cycle of life. Happily, the holidays are ahead to look forward to. Umbertide already has all its lights up but not yet illuminated.

Fino alla prossima volta, ciao.