We have come "home" to La Maddalena from Sicily. Coming back to a place to which you have just moved always makes it feel a little more like your home. We also had our first guests - Rob Najarian and a friend of his, which required navigating the road to the Olbia airport and back in our newly arrived Jetta. We continue to learn more about how to get around here - have befriended several of the local market vendors a
nd tasted many more of the zillions of varieties of Pecorino, salsiccia (including some made from cinghiale - the local wild pig), and tasty olives. Chad has started an Italian course, so we are practicing our new skills around town and rapidly inventing a new Engl-Italian language. For the most part, we have been able to get by and people have been very patient.With the arrival of the car, we have been able to explore the many beaches around La Madd, including some on Caprera, which is attached to La Madd by a verrrrrry skinny
causeway just barely wide enough for a single car. We hiked down a harrowingly steep cliff wall to get to Cala Coticcio, where the water was perfectly clear and full of animali mari which we viewed through our snorkel masks. Manny has proved to be a wonderful exploring companion while Chad is at work. We have been scouting out good places to return to on the weekends for beach picnics, sunbathing, and more marine life viewing.Things here have started to change as we have gotten into September. The tourists have mostly cleared out, though there is an influx of cruise ships bearing many English and Scottish visitors - the first English we've heard outside the Navy crew. Also, we had our first rain here and, much like in San Diego, people don't go out when it rains. Yesterday, undeterred, I went to the market anyway and found it to be pleasantly uncrowded. The Navy ship has also returned from its exercises at sea, which means the arrival of about 1,000 more Americans on the streets of La Madd.
Finally, the base just announced the timeline for closure and it looks like we will be here less than two years. We're scheduled to move into a house in Palau next week, so we will soon be open for guests.
