Mr. and Mrs Burdine
The Bernasconi clan has just lost one of its own. Wife and I would like to congratulate Marna and Robert Burdine on their nuptials.
Miss B will now be known as Mrs. B. I know it will be hard for Mrs. B’s 4th graders to make the name change but I think they will be able to manage it by month six.
Watch some of the event below:
I know they will be winners in the game of life…
Back in 2010, Wife and I took an awesome trip to Switzerland and Italy. Below is one of the days from our adventure.
After sleeping in until around 8, when Manarola begins to stir with speaker announcements, Wife and I prepared for some hiking through the national park.However, we first needed breakfast and once the bags were packed, we walked down the hill and found a little café close to the water.
The woman behind the counter took our order in perfect English (it might help to point out she grew up in New York). As learned from our friend Ricky, Italians have some bread and coffee in the morning, that is it. So Wife enjoyed the toast while I enjoyed the coffee (with some ham and eggs).
With a few calories settling in our stomachs, we began the short hike across all five towns. The first part of the hike, between Manarola and Corniglia, was quite nice until we reached the steps that took us up to the cliff-side town. I don’t remember how many steps there were, but both of us were quite winded and sweaty by the time we reached the top. Before we go next time, we are definitely working on a stairmaster!
The trails became smaller as we left Manarola and made our way to Vernazza. Once in Vernazza, we decided we wanted lunch and found a cafe near the water (you can tell the town was getting bigger with all of the cruise ship visitors). Once the pizza and beer was gone, Wife and I discussed our next move. I said we should continue while she argued that the views would be the same. Lucky for me, I won in the end.
Well, not really lucky for me. Rick Steves suggested to make the hike between Monterosso and Vernazza first and we were doing it last. The trail (if you can call it that) was large enough for one. It was difficult and the hike down the side of the hills into Monterosso went on forever. But we made it!
We arrived in Monterosso in the late afternoon and decided to take a boat back to Manarola. The cool ocean breeze felt great along with the slight spray from the boat. Once back in Manarola, we enjoyed some gelato and walked the La Via dell’Amore to Riomaggiore just so we could say we walked the entire trail in one day.
After a shower and dinner, we relaxed on our balcony, once again enjoyed the view, and fell asleep dreaming of hiking trails and our next destination, Florence.
A few weekends ago, Wife and I drove up with the puppy to Burnt Rancheria Campgrounds on Mount Laguna to spend the weekend camping with her parents and their two puppies. We roughed it both nights in a trailer equipped with a double bed, kitchen, bathroom (with a shower [which we did use and it was awesome to feel clean]) and heater if need be.
We spent the days hiking along crystal-clear waters and beautiful meadows, napping, cooking, reading, playing Mille Bornes, and general relaxing. We did act adventurous and cooked outside. Rob tested out his Father’s Day gift of a new camping grill with Hawaiian kabobs made by Wife. That evening, the hardest part was getting the popcorn to actually pop (the supposed 7 minute process easily stretched itself out to about 20-30 minutes).
Killian did well and only had the problem of eating an obnoxious amount of grass. He paid for it later!
If you would like to see all the pictures from the weekend, click here.
As a perk at my new job, the San Diego County Fair (@SDfair) invited me to a special preview night. Wife and I raced up to Del Mar to enjoy the free deep-fried food (including deep-fried koolaid), drinks, and as we learned upon arrival, bungee jumping. Since the price was right (free), we both waited in line for 1.5 hours to experience 3 seconds of free fall. The jump was totally worth it.
Sadly I had already stored my phone in my shoe when Wife jumped but she was able to catch me fall about 20 minutes later.
Last night, Wife and I rode the 15 bus downtown to cheer on the Padres as they battled the Atlanta Braves.
Thanks to an online group coupon, we had great seats along with two free hats, hot dogs and sodas. Now we just need jerseys (which are much cheaper at Target than at the stadium).
Sadly the game was tied at 3-3 by the bottom of the 10th and we had to leave. Luckily the Padres score a 2-run home run in the 13th. I can finally say that I attended a Padres game with a winning outcome (within the last few years). They better win during Catholic Schools Night!
