4CarpenterHouse

    Kestrel and I went on a field trip last week.  I have been on the field trip circuit as of lately, going with Laurel's class a few days before this outing.  We went to an agriturismo farm about a hour from school to study animals and life cycles.  It also included a lunch which most of the meal was grown on the farm. Mr. Mark with his five girls.  They were great and super fun to have along. Kestrel and friend reading on the bus ride.  The 3rd graders were so much quieter than the 1st graders, which might have given me hearing loss on their bus ride. We rode in a big school bus to the little road that lead to the farm.  Our bus driver then phoned the argiturismo bus to come down and shuttle us up in two groups up a twisty narrow road.  The bus driver blew the horn on every corner which made all the kids **big and little** laugh. The front of the restaurant and main building. Beautiful setting for a restaurant in the ...

    We took a trip up to the Gambino winery which is located on the upper foothills of mount Etna.  We had Monday off and were looking for a quick and easy outing to help Deanna recover from jet lag.  Since we have arrived here in Sicily we have heard this winery mentioned many times and gave it a try on a beautiful fall day. The winery has around 25 acres that are terraced starting 3000 feet above sea level. Looking out towards Taormina, we had some fog that blocked the full view.  I can only image the view from here on a clear day. The new tasting room and restaurant. Mom and dad letting the girls take pictures. Happy girls. We got there just as a group of German business men were getting ready to have a tour of the winery and cellar.  We tagged along and learned about Gambino's process of making wines. Oak storage barrels in the cellar. Mark measuring the bigger barrels to see it will fit in the Honda. ...