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| The haze in the hills continues day after day with the high humidity. |
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| With the lack of rain, few flowers remain. |
We all know how long those commercials can be. This task is annoying and cumbersome for three-plus hours, definitely taking away from the enjoyment of watching the game. Tom’s expectation in purchasing a prepaid package from the NFL, was that it would be similar to watching an on-demand program minus any intrusion by commercials.
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| When originally booking the house in Boveglio online comments seemed to indicate that this old hotel’s bar was still open. Unfortunately, the bar and the hotel both closed a while back. |
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| This room at the end of the hotel was once used as a ballroom. |
One would assume that in this day and age with advanced technology, that this type of issue would have been resolved prior to offering such a package for sale to the public. Will he cancel? No.
He’ll continue to watch the game the morning after they’ve occurred with the ongoing frustration associated with this poor system. Isn’t it frustrating enough that the Vikings have yet proven to be the team that loyal fans have fantasized about for many years?
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| The local residents frequently place flower pot at this neighborhood shrine. |
Although not a football fan, I certainly empathize with him over this issue when encountering poor technology by major corporations.
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| It’s no wonder that we can hear lively Italian conversations and toilets flushing in the tight little neighbor. All the plumbing pipes are on the outside of the buildings. |
Most recently, one of our credit card companies was sold out to a larger credit card company, resulting in the necessity of the customer set up an online account at the new company. Should be easy, right? Oh, no.
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| Each day there appears to be a new stack of prayer candles at this shrine across the street from our house. |
After trying to create an online account for this card over a period of the past 5 days, only to have the screen require me to enter the same information over and over, I’m left with no alternative but to call. Yes, I can use a toll-free number on Skype without having to pay for the call. But the issue is the time difference and the loss of my time in making this call.
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| Regardless of the drought-like conditions, homeowners continue to regularly water their outdoor plants. With no lawns to tend to, plants fulfill their desire to connect to nature. Community gardens are within walking distance in which some neighbors participate. |
After trying various numbers, I’ve been informed I must call during regular business hours, 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, Pacific time. With this time difference, I must call after 6:00 pm here, a time when we’re busy getting dinner ready with the expectation of enjoying a stress-free evening. Being on hold for 10 to 15 minutes only adds to the frustration.
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| The vantage point from the road heading southwest. |
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| This is across the street from our main entrance, looking up from the road. In most neighborhoods, homes across the road aren’t located so high up! |
Wherever we may be, we aren’t free of the time-consuming tasks of managing our daily lives. There’s literally no way that one can choose to be “off the grid” if they require any type of insurance, banking, handling of their assets, managing their credit cards, and paying taxes.
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| The road as I returned home from my walk. We’re located a few doors down on the right.
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Years ago, I heard a motivational speaker say, “Everywhere you go, there you are.” So true. So true.
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| Walking gingerly is a must on these step stone steps to the basement. The Homeaway listing for this house clearly stated that this property is not intended for the older population due to the many steps required to get from one end to another down the long hallway and the tricky access to the patio on the right of this stairwell. |
I loved your pictures for today. While cruising to different areas in Europe, I always wondered what it would look like to live in one of the houses on the very top. Your pictures and explanations showed me a little of what it must be like. The people there are most likely in excellent physical condition. I can't imagine walking those roads and hills every day. You sure have impressed me with your willingness to go off on your own to walk those hilly roads. I would have gotten lost and frustrated for sure. What a great experience you are having.
So sorry for Tom's problems with his football game. But we have been frustrated with our cable company right here in the states and have spent long hours on the phone and at the office trying to get it solved. We also have been trying to get a sump pump installed in our basement since June and have already paid a deposit. The office keeps telling me they will call back tomorrow and tell us a date and then we never hear until days later when we call them back. This is just to remind you that life is sometimes difficult no matter where you live.
We love your blog and reading about your new life on the road.
Thanks for sharing. Say hi to Tom.
Pat M.
Actually, when he watched the game this morning the black screen was gone and there we no gaps in the viewing where the commercials had been. I can only guess that the NFL had so many complaints by their subscribers that they fixed the issue. He enjoyed watching the game although the Vikings lost once again.
I bet if you walked these hilly maze-like roads here, you'd be just fine. We get a little out of breath but recover quickly, always grateful for the experience.
Sorry you're having trouble with your cable company. Its so frustrating dealing with incompetency and unwillingness to satisfy a customer's needs. I hope both your cable and sump pump situations get resolved soon.
We're thrilled you continue to enjoy our blog. In two weeks, we'll have a rash of new stories to tell and photos to share as we head to Kenya.
Thanks for reading our blog and stay tuned!
Warmest regards,
Jess & Tom
You be careful in africa. They have closed all the embassies over there because of terrorist threats. Its not good to be american over there, like Tom said. Your Canadian. Keep your passports in a very safe place. You to take care. God bless.
Thanks for your concern. Actually, they haven't closed the embassy in Kenya. Mostly, it was in northern Africa. That's not to say that anywhere in the world is safe these days. Of course, we will be diligent and careful about ourselves and our passports.
We so appreciate that your wrote to us and for your thoughtful suggestions. God bless you too!
Warmest regards,
Jess & Tom