Paradise

Tuscany... and olive grove... a stone house up a windy mountain road that overlooks the countryside... a brick oven... a hostess eager to utilize said oven... a host eager to share homemade blueberry grapa... I can't say much more than that.

The third Saturday in October was honestly the closest thing to heaven I think I've ever come. 11 good friends made this trek to Morgan's parent's newly purchased weekend home, which used to be a Buddhist retreat. We went to help harvest olives from a grove that had been neglected by its previous owners.

Hard at work!

Each of us was truly blown away by the hospitality shown to us by the caretakers. They drove to the bus station to pick us up, fed us homemade delicacies- bread, pizza, cheeses, infused olive oils, apple streudel... it goes on. Wine flowed freely and the weather turned from dreary to cheery as removed our Bologna/SAIS shackles and embraced the kindness afforded to us.

The evening affords the opportunity to see so many stars in the clear sky. Its so humbling to see different constellations and patterns than you are used to seeing on the East coast... and comforting at the same time to find the familliar ones from back home, even if they aren't where you are used to seeing them

The home isn't yet furnished so we laid on yoga mats to "sleep." We were also blessed with an extra hour!

We were there for only 20 hours yet I don't think any of us were the same when we left... Sunday, in the library, when we saw one another, we just would share a wistful smile. It was truly nirvana and when I need to escape, I just close my eyes and remember that world far from graphs, essays, and reading lists... ommmmmmmm....