the last few days...

I was thinking about taking Hendrik to a playgroup this afternoon but because of the amazing weather, decided against it... and good thing; look what was going on just down the street from us:

bus (and then two) + truck + digger/tractor + digger-in-action + rocks + another truck = boy heaven

seriously interested

And in the garden, we enjoyed spring flowers and looked for planes and I think, helicopters.

Hendrik is saying so many words these days - we were reading one of his top-rated good night books (Canada in Colours) just before bed, and he pointed out a chimney and said chimney - !! It was more of a "chimmey", but I'd say that's a pretty solid effort for an almost 16-month old muffin. He's also picking words out of our conversations and repeating them; gobble (Steve: "whoah gobble gobble down your lunch!") and hey! (Steve: "hey! you're tearing down the fort!") are two of today's such words. So mmm-hm, we have to really start watching what we say. He also is very well aware of what the word cone (as in ice-cream) means; today we were at a park that has the cutest little swing suspended from two triangular pillar things, and until he said "Mama, cone!" and made this "gnnnumm!" sound as he lurched forward and pretended to take a bite out of one of them, it didn't occur to me that they look just like upside down ice cream cones. Are we overdoing it on the gelato? No. He just likes it and so do we.

And speaking of gelato, I have to blog about the rest of my amazing visit with Nao... booooo, I dropped her off at the airport yesterday morning. We had such an amazing time together and time sure flies when you're having fun. And when you're eating good food and living in Trento. I think I just have to take it day by day here or else I won't be able to fit it all in (or remember it all).

food booths galore!

Saturday morning we had pancakes (again) which were ah-mazing, and then we took the bus downtown to check out the agricultural fair that was happening at the fairgrounds. We didn't really know what to expect other than an animal zone for kidlets; it was, in fact, a show/fair for any and all products relating to agriculture, gardening (and eating) - fun for all. Hendrik LOVED the animals (I think the cow was his favourite - we were blown away by the giant bunnies) and the tractors and the balloons, and we loved how much he loved all of those things. There were also food booths galore: foccacia, cheese, salami and speck, bread, risotto and apples (to name a few) and a lunch spot offering traditional Trentino fare. Yes of course we stopped there for lunch:

sauerkraut, polenta (cooked and stirred by a bearded man over an open fire), lucanica (sausuage) and cheese sauce, delicious!

It was fun, it was busy and we walked off our lunch - through Piedicastello and around Doss Trento we went, back to our home in Vela. The rest of the day is a bit of a blur but I think we went back into the centre and wandered a bit, but came away with food only (surprise) - goods for dinner. We watched Trentino Volley suffer through a semi-final at the hands of Zenit Kazan (they lost 3-1) but enjoyed the feast on the table: ham, prosciutto, focaccia, salad, cantaloupe, grapes and cheese.

on our way home through Piedicastello

Sunday, 10:00 snack stop | far R: Hendrik in concentration mode (on a sugar packet)

Sunday was yet another fair day (Fiera di San Giuseppe) which saw the centre packed even more to the gills with people, plants, and all things agricultural and non-agricultural alike. We definitely weren't expecting so many people or so many market stalls; we went into town to see the main square decked out in flowers, but saw everything else too: candy, clothes, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and on and on. Hendrik was very patient in his stroller BUT after a decent sized 10:00 snack (juice + panini) decided to, ahem, unload in the most awkward of places: beautiful fancy bag store Borbonese. Awooooops. The ladies were almost as nice as the bags and anyways, who cares! it doesn't matter because Nao found the cutest bag to buy; I think buying a handbag was somewhere on her list of things-to-do in Italy, behind eating eating eating and eating. We walked around until we were overcome by the crowds, and then came home for lunch and relaxation. And cinnamon buns. And a bronze medal match (won by Trentino Volley, hur-ray). And then this: at 7:00, after dinner, after cinnamon buns Nao says to me, "ummm, so, Heather... can you do gelato? do you think you can do it?" And me, after giving it some thought (and I was so full that I had to think about it), "errr, hm. Yes. Yes I can do it." Take one for the team here is what I was really thinking; I was full-to-bursting but it was Nao's last night and she wanted gelato... I wasn't about to let her down. So we balloon-rolled ourselves down the stairs and into the car and drove to Serafini. Once inside with trays of gelato before my gluttonous eyeballs, all thoughts and feelings of fullness disappeared as if they had never existed. This place is that magical! Nao had raspberry and ricotta and walnut (Hendrik dove at her cone as soon as it was in her mitt), I had choco-hazelnut-peanut butter (best flavour ever) and rum-raisin, and Hendrik had vanilla. Need I say any more?

It was a great visit with a great friend and I can't wait for the next time... yay. And I can't wait for our next visitors! Good thing because they're arriving tomorrow - Erin and Fred should be cruising just before dinner some time and we are so pumped! I love having visitors. Stay tuned!

is he not the cutest? sporting an outfit from Freddie and Shanti... love it!