This year, my birthday came wrapped in the best gift I could ever ask for!!! Watching my son walk across the stage and graduate from college. Seeing him reach this milestone filled me with pride that’s hard to put into words. It wasn’t just his achievement; it was a reminder of every late night, every challenge he pushed through, and every dream he refused to let go of. Sharing my birthday with his graduation felt like life’s way of saying this is what it’s all about—family and moments that mark us forever. I couldn’t be more grateful, more proud, or more excited for what the future has in store for him.
May 2023 - Slide Show
A week after Zack's graduation we headed to Italy and let Zack pick this destination as a graduation present. We flew into Rome where on the first day we saw the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi), a famous 18th-century Baroque fountain. The next day Amber, Zack and I went to explore the Capitoline Museum. The pieces of the Colossus of Constantine statue left were huge and the bicep alone was bigger than Zack. There was tons of beautiful art, sculptures and other ancient pieces but my favorite was the Capitoline Wolf (Lupa Capitolina) sculpture, it is a bronze sculpture depicting a she-wolf suckling the mythical twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Next, off to the Pantheon and to see the famous Spanish Steps that connect the Piazza di Spagna where the Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Ugly Boat) at the base with the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. Day three - Of all my travels so far, we went on what is probably my favorite excursion ever… the Vatican City including St. Marks Basilica!! Here I got to see the most beautiful art and sculptures ever. I am not super educated on art but after this experience I know that my favorite artist and sculptor is Michelangelo!!! In my humble opinion, I don't think there will ever be anyone on earth, ever, better. When I finally got to go in the Sistine Chapel, it literally blew me away. You are supposed to be quiet while in there and no pictures allowed. Looking up at the ceiling and seeing the painting "The Creation of Adam" painted by Michelangelo himself was a dream come true!!! It is something I will always remember. After leaving the chapel, we toured St. Marks Basilica where I got to see Michelangelo's Pietà sculpture. The sculpture depicts the body of Jesus on his mother Mary's lap after the Crucifixion. This is the only sculpture he ever signed. According to accounts from the time, Michelangelo signed the work after overhearing people mistakenly give credit to another sculptor, Cristoforo Solari. He later regretted his act of pride and never signed any of his other works. We also got to go to see where the bones of St. Mark himself rests, truly a holy experience! That night we were off to Firenze "Florence" where we toured the Uffizi Gallery to see more beautiful art like Sandro Botticelli's Primavera, The Birth of Venus as well as Michelangelo and and "The Baptism of Christ", the collaborative painting created by Andrea del Verrocchio and his apprentice, the young Leonardo da Vinci, between approximately 1472 and 1475. After seeing all that beautiful art, we were all hungry and of course Amber signed us up for a pasta making class so we made our own pasta with a group of new friends and had the best dinner of that week. The next day, we rented Vespas and explored the Tuscany hills, vineyards, and olive groves of the Chianti region in Firenze. I don't know but I think that might have been one of Ambers favorite thing we did. We ended up at the Castello di Poppiano, a medieval castle and winery where Amber, Katie, Zack and I enjoyed some Chianti wine, (pronounced Kee - ant - ee) if you ask the Italians… That one is for you Amber ;-) The day after all that fun, we met up with Katie's best friend Wells and were off to see more sculptures by Francesco Pozzi, Lorenzo Bartolini, and for sure Michelangelo's iconic marble sculpture, David. At the Galleria dell' Accademia The statue depicts the biblical hero David poised before his battle with the giant Goliath, a symbol of vigilance and triumph for the Florentine Republic. It is 17 feet tall and was carved from a single block of marble between 1501 and 1504. Our last couple of days we spent in Venezia "Venice" where we checked out the restaurants and shops and got to see the Doge's Palace, Rialto Bridge and St. Marks Basilica often described as the Church of Gold. It is has 8,000 Square Meters of Mosaics, almost every inch of the upper walls and domes is covered in gold-leaf glass mosaics. Amber and I also went on a Gondola ride and our "Captain" even sang in Italian while he paddled us along. Our last night we all Me, Amber, Zack, Katie and Wells all had dinner together. A big thanks to my beautiful wife Amber for planning another amazing trip!!!
Capitoline Museum
Giotto's Bell Tower
Gondola Ride
Singing In The Square In Firenze
August 2023 -
Slide Show
In August we took a trip to South Dakota and made a stop in Wyoming while there. We flew into Rapid City SC and rented a car for the week. Our first stop was about a one hour drive to Deadwood where we stayed at the Historic Bullock Hotel. While in Deadwood we hung out at Saloon No. 10 where Wild Bill Hickock was assassinated and they still have the chair he was sitting in on display. We also went to see the Mount Moriah Cemetery where he and others such as Calamity Jane (Mrs. M.E. Burke) are burried. Then at 2:00 p.m. we got to see a recreation of a wild west shootout in the street. The next day, we drove to Wyoming where we hiked the Devils Tower trail, the Amphitheater loop and Reg Beds Trail and while on the trail, we got to see Prarie Dogs. After that we headed to Spearfish Canyon to see the Bridal Veil Falls. We scrambled some boulders and crossed a couple of creeks on our way to Devils Bathtub where Amber took a dip. On day three we went to Hollingsworth Horses, a ranch where we rode hoarses for a couple of hours on a beautiful ranch. When we got back from our ride, after I got off of my hoarse, another horse they call the "dog horse" came up from behind me unexpected, reached around and licked me on the face :-)!! Now off to Custer State Park where we drove the Wildlife Loop Road where we got to see some Bison. These things are massive! Later that day we the the drive on Irom Mountain Road to go see Mt. Rushmore and walk the Presidential Trail. Day four - back to Custer State Park to Hike the Cathedral Spires Trail. This was a truly georgeous hike. The towering rocks literally looked like they were reaching for the heavens! In our other travels out west, Amber and I have been hoping to see mountain goats with no luck. While here we saw a guide who was taking someone rappelling and tiped us off to where we might find them so we went of the beaten path and while I was taking pictures of the canyon and spires I turned to Amber and saw "the look" and immediately knew that she was seeing a mountain goat! Not just a mountain goat but a mama with her baby, it was amazing!! They were beautiful and it is incredible the way they can climb. After that we went to Sylvan Lake or luch. After a good nights sleep we got up the next day to take a trip to Jewel Cave located in the Black Hills. It is the fifth-longest cave system in the world with over 220 miles of passages mapped and thousands more estimated to exist. After being amazed by Jewel Cave we had to stop by the famous Wall Drugs where at one point we saw the T-Rex exhibit. On our last day, we got to check out the Minuteman Missle Visitor Center and the Delta 9 Silo. The Minuteman missiles in South Dakota were a critical part of America's nuclear deterrent during the Cold War. From 1963 until 1991, 150 Minuteman II missiles were hidden in plain sight across 13,500 square miles of the South Dakota prairie. Last but not least, we hiked the Badlands National Park where we got to see the Pinnacles Overlook, Yellow Mounds Overlook, Big Badlands Overlook, Panorama Point.
Spearfish Falls
Cathedral Spires
Mountain Goats
T-Rex at the famous Wall Drug Store
Amber Feeding the Prarie Dogs :-)
In October we got went to visit Zack in Philly. It was fun because this he got to show us around. He took us to see Independence Hall, the Magic Gardens in the "Gayborhood" then to the Villanova campus where he is studying. Overall another great trip!!
