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4669. arkymalarky - 1/28/2012 3:27:52 AM Thanks. I may look for it when I have company sometime. That way it'll still disappear if I don't like it! 4670. thoughtful - 2/27/2012 4:20:32 PM Concerned,
I wanted to thank you for your recommendation of Econar Geothermal. We did put one in and we are very happy with it. We have gone through 2 winters with it and never had to go to emergency heat. It maintains the temperature in winter very well. And it does a fabulous job of cooling the home....though we only put the AC on if it gets to be about 90. (The casement windows act like fins on the house and the breezes we get through the place keep it quite comfortable most of the summer.)
Last year, our total energy bill in the new house was 43% lower than it was at the old house, despite the fact that last winter was very cold and the solar panels were covered with 36" of snow for a month, we didn't burn a lot of wood as we couldn't get at it, and the new house nearly twice the size of the old one for conditioned space.
This year, with the very mild winter, I believe our total energy costs will be below our telecomm costs (cable, internet, phone...). Just amazing.
I trust your system is working well also. 4671. Jenerator - 3/1/2012 11:45:51 PM I leave for Italy in 10 days. I'm pretty excited as I have been able to plan and budget for some cool extravagances. I will be partaking in a private tour of the Sistine Chapel. I will be touring the Vasari Corridor. I'm taking a cooking class in Tuscany. I splurged and bought a wine suitcase.
I may never come back! 4672. judithathome - 3/1/2012 11:50:11 PM Trust me, you won't want to, that's for SURE.
Have a wonderful time...which even without those super cool extras, you definitely will!
(Best place to buy leathergoods is in Florence.) 4673. vonKreedon - 3/2/2012 12:27:01 AM Oh, I am envious Jen. What's the Vasari Corridor? Where are you staying in Tuscany? Post pictures!
Oh, and have a bunch of fun. 4674. arkymalarky - 3/2/2012 1:23:45 AM I would live in Sorrento in a heartbeat. 4675. judithathome - 3/2/2012 8:42:20 AM Vasari Corridor 4676. Jenerator - 3/2/2012 10:57:09 PM Hi Judith, VonK and Arky,
I am staying at boutique hotel near the Duomo while I am in Tuscany.
The Vasari Corridor is only open a couple of weeks out of the year, and is open the week I am there. I booked tickets and now they are sold out.
I've been saving for the past year. Lots of gelato, pasta and wine. And walking. Can't wait 4677. Jenerator - 3/2/2012 10:57:43 PM I even bought a new camera for the trip! :-) 4678. vonKreedon - 3/2/2012 11:00:33 PM I love Florence and yet I had never heard of the Vasari Corridor. I'm mildly embarrased. We went to Florence and Venice when we were in Europe in 2000. So much to do and see and eat. 4679. judithathome - 3/3/2012 3:15:20 AM We stayed in Florence right on the Arno river, about one block down from the Ponte Vecchio...directly across the river from Vasari.
Seriously, Jen...get a leather jacket while you're there. 4680. iiibbb - 3/3/2012 4:02:49 AM 
My honeymoon view from our bed and breakfast. Wife found this for a song (no elevator).
We did 8 days of hiking in the Dolomites, then 4 days in Florence, 2 days in Venice.
Loved the food in Florence.
Go to trattoria Za Za
Only thing I can remember off the top of my head... the food in Florence was so great.
4681. thoughtful - 3/3/2012 4:20:56 AM Be sure to go see the David in the evening...almost no one there and walking the streets at night is lovely. 4682. iiibbb - 3/3/2012 4:22:32 AM The best part about seeing David, is that you never have to look at another piece of sculpture ever again (read the plaque)...
... not that you can't if you want to... you're just off the hook for the rest of your life.
Is it me or are David's hands a little big? 4683. thoughtful - 3/3/2012 4:41:13 AM When we were there we met with a prof who spent an hour with us discussing David...Very enlightening
When we were there, we got an absolute art overload...another Botticelli, another titian...yeah yeah, move on. But even among all of that, Michelangelo and da Vinci were really standouts. I think we could've passed on the pitti palace as it pushed us ott with literally every inch of the place highly decorated. 4684. wabbit - 3/3/2012 5:44:39 PM Have a great time Jen, can't wait to see pics! 4685. judithathome - 3/3/2012 9:24:25 PM Interesting tidbit tied to Thoughtful's post:
"In 1817 Stendhal reportedly was overcome by the cultural richness of Florence he encountered when he first visited the Tuscan city. As he described in his book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio:
'As I emerged from the porch of Santa Croce, I was seized with a fierce palpitation of the heart (that same symptom which, in Berlin, is referred to as an attack of the nerves); the well-spring of life was dried up within me, and I walked in constant fear of falling to the ground.'
The condition was diagnosed and named in 1979 by Italian psychiatrist Dr. Graziella Magherini, who had noticed similar psychosomatic conditions (racing heart beat, nausea and dizziness) amongst first-time visitors to the city."
It's known as Stendhal's Syndrome. 4686. iiibbb - 3/4/2012 12:36:43 AM I like Mark Twain's accounts... 4687. Jenerator - 3/5/2012 5:45:30 PM I will take lots of pictures, and I love all of the recommendations you all have!
I picked up Vasari's Lives of the Artists so that I will really be able to appreciate the collection in the corridor and the Uffizi.
I have mapped out places to go and see and eat it. It's a good thing I am walking so much.
I am very excited about Rome, too. The biggest splurge is the private tour of the Sistine Chapel. I simply cannot wait.
Another place I am excited to see is the pub called Ma che Siete Venuti a Fà. It features some of the best (and hardest to find) beers - Pannepot Riserva being my favorite holy grail type ale.
Just a few more days. 4688. thoughtful - 3/5/2012 5:52:43 PM My memories of Rome...be sure to find a dive of a deli around the corn somewhere and get yourself caprese...it is so delish...a little bit of heaven on each...crusty Italian bread drizzled with olive oil and then slices of fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil with a touch of sal e pepe...yummo!
My other memory of Rome was, by that time in our tour, my country dogs needed to leave pavement and get some grass under them, so we went to Borghese Park which was lovely. There was a wonderful overlook of Rome and just as we were looking out, Italy scored a goal during the soccer tournament, and literally we heard the entire city erupt in cheers, horn blowing, etc. Quite a moment!
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