Italy Fiction – The Grape Harvest Part 7

August 29, 2012 by

An exploration of Italy Fiction - The Grape Harvest Part 7 is the story of a newly published author, his daughter, and their passion for Italian food, life, and danger.

Here is a link to Part 6

Italy Fiction - The Grape Harvest Part 7
The Grape Harvest

SCENE 1

Mike really enjoyed driving the Ape. As close to wine as he was he had never been a winemaker and the discomfort of the sulfured-overalls did not affect the joy he derived from the costume. Much like a play from his youth dressing the part somehow made him the character. This was a dress rehearsal for deception and Mike would have it no other way. [Read more...]

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Haiku Sunday (on Monday) – Clouds Over Sushi Garden

August 27, 2012 by

This week’s Haiku Sunday (Monday) features images taken from our visit to Sushi Den’s private garden and eco-friendly greenhouse in Brighton, CO. We visited for an amazing picnic hosted by the restaurant. I love clouds and sky they remind me of being someplace spiritual and untouchable. (All photos taken with the iPhone 4)

Haiku Monday - Clouds over Brighton, CO

wrinkles in the sheets

lying next to the only thing

that makes my heart beat [Read more...]

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The Grape Harvest – Italy Travel Fiction Part 6

August 24, 2012 by

The Grape Harvest Part 6 is the continuation of my Italy Travel Fiction segment that I began in April. This is a 7-10 part series following Mike, a newly successful author along his travels in Italy. Do not let the innocuous description steer you away from this story of introspection, compulsion, and deviance. Here are links to the first 5 chapters.

Parts - One - Two - Three - Four - Five

The Grape Harvest - Piedmont Travel Fiction Part 6

The Sacrament

Previously - Mike fired another round through the bridge of the German’s nose and he died. At that moment the iPhone text tone sounded and the message said “have you finished your business Dad? ready for that walk?”

He stared at the message all too aware that Viola was wandering through the vineyards with the winemaker and waiting on him to join. 4 gunshots although muffled a bit by the thick walls and the annoying bathroom exhaust fan were more than a little obvious. In the quiet space that exists only in the most fleeting moments Mike knew he had to go. Viola would have to forgive her father again for an unannounced departure which gave him a sad pause. [Read more...]

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IMO Thursday – My Most Difficult Job: Writing

August 23, 2012 by
The Blissful Adventurer - Michael Housewright

Writer’s Block To-do List

First of all let me apologize for my long summer absence. After my return from Italy and the TBEX bloggers conference I felt truly overloaded. Too much impetus, too fast, and the bug of introspection set itself firmly in my mind.

This is where the difficulty comes in writing dear followers of bliss. I began to allow my introspection into my prose and my poetry. I finally, after many years of holding back began to share with a strange new world the inner workings of my head. I loved the feedback and the give and take. WordPress in many ways was my writers forum, a place to practice a craft and to experiment with style and sharing.
I believed the WP.com community to be a place of safety. At the same time, we all have an audience and a voice our readers are accustomed to hearing. The morose side of TBA was a bit much for some of my readers and a very dear friend and fellow blogger let me know as much. [Read more...]

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The Grape Harvest Part 5 – Piedmont Travel Fiction

July 31, 2012 by

The Grape Harvest Part 5 is the continuation of my Italy Travel Fiction segment that I began in April. This is a 7-10 part series following Mike, a newly successful author along his travels in Italy. Do not let the banal description steer you away from this story of introspection, compulsion, and deviance. Here are links to the first 4 chapters.

Parts - One – Two – Three – Four

The Grape Harvest Part 5 - Piedmont Travel Fiction

A Good Read

Mike: (to Viola) you knew that Roberto had truffles today didn’t you?

Viola: I AM my father’s daughter

Mike: he still gets these via trade; his guy told him that he could get $1500 each for the small fist truffles but that because the winery had been so good to him in the lean years that there would never be any wavering in the agreement which dated back 22 years to the first November after Roberto’s father fell ill.

Viola: Roberto’s poem on the winery wall?

Mike: yeah, perhaps the most compelling argument that life and our direction is not nearly so neat as we would like to make it. Roberto was a successful man, but family….

Viola: I love you Dad

Mike: are you sure?

Viola: you silly, silly man, with the big dangerous imagination…you know I am not going to repeat myself [Read more...]

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IMO Thursday – Moving to America’s Most Beautiful City

July 26, 2012 by

I am using this week’s IMO Thursday to announce Juliet and I are moving to America’s most beautiful city: San Francisco!

IMO Thursday - Moving to America's Most Beautiful City

Juliet and I on our last trip to SF

Juliet works as a contract medical professional and I am a full-time nascent writer. We have spent the last year+ here in Denver and it has been an amazing time for us. Now, Juliet has accepted a new contract in the bay area and we are off on our next Blissful Adventure in a few short weeks.

I lived in San Francisco for a while before I met Juliet so I am excited  to share one of the most beautiful places on earth and the most beautiful city in America with my dear wife.

We will be making a full 7 day drive west through the national parks of Utah, the bright lights of Vegas, and to see some very dear friends in Los Angeles. We are once again on the road, just the way we like it.

Of course this trip will be rife with photos, stories, and likely some unexpected craziness, so you will want to stay tuned here for updates and eventually posts from the road.

Here are some fun photos from our trip to SF in 2007 – The very first trip Juliet and I made together and what set our blissful adventures in motion. [Read more...]

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Haiku Sunday – Italy iPhone Photography by Juliet Housewright

July 22, 2012 by

This week’s edition of Haiku Sunday – Italy iPhone Photography by Juliet Housewright celebrates the eye of my talented wife on our most recent Italy journey. Juliet’s work will have its own gallery on The Blissful Adventurer soon and these images will certainly be part of it. Enjoy today’s Haiku and stay tuned for a big announcement tomorrow!

Haiku Sunday - Italy iPhone Phothography - The Blissful Adventurer

Feet seem happiest

when dappled lights and warmth find

a place to alight [Read more...]

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Top 25 Italy Moments #10 – Man of Le Marche (or, Cold Fish is not an Option)

July 20, 2012 by
Top 25 Italy Moments #10 - Man of Le Marche

Amico di Albania

The Top 25 Italy Moments #10 – Man of Le Marche, continues our series of The Blissful Adventurer’s most compelling events in 20 years of Italy travel and reveals the true story behind yesterday’s post: The Legend of Boomie Bol

The Scene: Juliet and I had just arrived by train from Venice to the port town of San Benedetto del Tronto in Italy’s Le Marche region. San Benedetto is Italy’s second busiest seaport just behind the mighty Genoa. Le Marche was once a papal state and is replete with palaces, fortifications, theaters, and very few people. I was consistently mesmerized by the beauty of the place and at the same time how empty the streets were in every stunning hilltop town. I imagined this was what Tuscany might have been like in the late 1940s.

David Parish, a wonderful man of British and Italian descent met us at the train station and suggested we see the port. David is one of my favorite people in Italy and his wicked dry sense of humor played right into the hands of 2 very jet-lagged travelers.  Little did any of us know, including David, that his sense of humor would be on full display in the first 30 minutes of our journey. [Read more...]

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Top 25 Italy Moments #11 – Siena Church Driving (New Material)

July 18, 2012 by

The Blissful Adventurer Top 25 Italy Moments continues with #11 – Siena Church Driving. After our most recent trip to Italia I had to augment my Top 11 posts with some amazing new experiences which blew us away. We have gotten the list together and now we continue with the rest of the story. 

The Blissful Adventurer Top 25 Italy Moments #11 - Siena Church Drive

Juliet ready to assume her navigator position

#11 Siena Church Driving

I started driving in Italy on a regular basis in 2006. Since then I have driven vans, cars, and bicycles. I have pulled trailers, ridden in dump trucks, and driven cars on and off of very tightly packed ferries. I have used a Euro GPS and a modified American Garmin Nuvi 275. I can say with all certainty none of those experiences prepared me for #11 on my list of Top 25 Italy moments. [Read more...]

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Top 25 Italy Moments – #12-17

July 17, 2012 by

As I am gearing up to release My Italy Top 25 Moments 1-11 I am offering a quick view into 12-17 for those that are new to the site and as a refresher. My Top 10 has shifted a bit since this last trip to Italy as 2 new moments made their way up the ladder. In the next 2 weeks I will at long last reveal mt full Top 25 Italy Moments.

Top 25 Italy Moments - 17-12

# 17 The Sunglass Hustle - Find out how I turned a nasty habit into a cool pair of shades

#16 Singing in Rome - The day the University of Dallas met the real Garth Brooks

#15 The Legend of Soy Jack - I have never met anyone quite like him

#14 Siena Language Barrier - Why knowing a little of a language can be a serious liability

#13 Why I Was a Lousy Tour Guide - There was a very good reason even though I still wish I had been better

#12 The Wrong Train - My first and not my last train misfortune in Italy

#11 – The Siena Church Drive - new material coming tomorrow :-)

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