When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Limoncello: An Adventure

by Jo Anne

Watching the sunset over Capri from Praiano.
You can see the "Sirens" to the left of the island. This was taken by our friend Rio.

Steve caught me the other morning giving my "adventure" talk to the girls. Whenever we head out on a trip that's going to involve a long drive on windy roads or a tiring walk, I try to pump them up a little with the idea that it's a big adventure. Steve had smiled, and not quite out of earshot said, "And when Mommy says "big adventure" what she means is a long trip you are not going to want to go on." He had me there. The whole reason for the "big adventure" talk was because I thought there might be some complaints. The important part though was that although I knew they might not be thrilled with the journey, that once we got there they would be glad they came.

Lately, we've put a hold on the "big adventures" and taken some time to settle in here. I'd say we definitely know the restaurants well at this point. Everyone has their favorite dish. It amazes me that Ella's is mussels. She can turn a plate of them into empty shells in mere minutes. Her little sister has recently decided she likes them too. My new discovery is fried zucchini blossoms. They take the blossom of the zucchini plant, stuff it with ricotta cheese among other things, coat it in a light tempura batter and fry it. Our promise to each other is that we will start eating at the apartment more or we may soon be destitute. So far, my home cooked meals have included only bruschetta, but I do have that down. Ella and Samantha are trying their hardest to make some new friends here. Lately they have been playing a bit with some of the kids down at the center of town along the water. There is stretch of flat pavement and there are bikes and scooters to share. They have let Ella and Samantha in on their fun. I signed them up for a ceramics class recently. Our neighbor below, Fernando, had told me his wife had a ceramics shop in town and sometimes gives classes to kids. They are counting the days. For me, I've found a running loop that winds up into the cliff and then back down through the town's main road. It ends with a long set of stairs. It is by far the prettiest running path I've ever taken. I just need to be careful not to get so caught up in the scenery that I'm taken out by a SITA bus. Samantha has started speaking Italian complete with hand gestures. It is not real Italian, but to someone who does not speak the language it might sound like it. She can really make us laugh…and occasionally make us pull our hair out. The girls have befriended the town dog, Willy. He is like the Benji of Positano and looking at him I'd say he is the best fed stray dog I've even seen. It's fitting that in Positano even the stray dogs eat well.

I recently realized that Steve had given me the "big adventure" talk in order to get me to agree to this trip. While in theory, I had been all for a family sabbatical at some point, I always expected it would be in the summer months with a new job lined up neatly on the other side of it. It was a huge hurdle for me to consider taking the girls out of school and trying to "home school" them over here. Asking to take such a large leave from my part-time job was a big hurdle as well. Like the girls, I was brought along on this journey, and now I'm so glad I came.