To Juliet on our 2nd Anniversary

April 30, 2011 by

My Kind of Bride

“O my love, my wife!
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 5.3

As the Royal wedding was yesterday I find it appropriate to quote some Shakes publicly for the first time in our 4 and 1/2 year journey as we generally try to avoid references to R&J. Today is about much more than a milestone, a single moment in time, or the business of celebration. Today is about discovery, just as everyday has been since December 11, 2006. This week has been about reflection for me and the realization that Juliet has given so much to our relationship and I am not sure I have ever expressed my gratitude completely. [Read more...]

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Snoring in Europe (Part 2)

April 28, 2011 by

Near Montecucco

This is part 2 of my existential piece on snoring in Europe and how it enlightened me on Friendship, duty, and following my passion. Keep in mind I was living in Tuscany at the time this was written. Some fine work by my colleagues Alfonso Cevola and Jeremy Parzen have brought the subject of DOCG wines from the Montecucco appellation in Tuscany to light this week, and as I was embarking on a job in this area at the time I penned this, I thought it an appropriate piece for the week. [Read more...]

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Snoring in Europe (Part 1)

April 27, 2011 by
God be with those who explore
In the cause of understanding:
Whose search takes them far
From what is familiar and comfortable
And leads them to danger or terrifying loneliness.
Let us try to understand their confronting or
Unusual language; the uncommon life of their emotions,
For they have been affected and shaped and changed
By their struggle at the frontiers of a wild darkness,
Just as we may be affected, shaped, and changed
By the insights they bring back to us
Bless them with strength and peace.
Amen

This week for me begins with a tale from 2006 and my first days leading for BACKROADS. The prayer from above has stayed with me and in my pocket since 2006 and it never fails to remind me of who I am and what I do. As many of you know, I actually led cycling trips one summer before I decided to start my own biz with Antonello.

I was training in the south of France when this story took place and it led to a subsequent snoring story with my good friend while cycling in Tuscany a month later. [Read more...]

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Puglia in May

April 21, 2011 by

View to the Road

Ca’ del Fico is available in May!

Since I have been involved in Puglia my dear friend Antonello’s stunning villa (Ca’ del Fico)in the hills outside of FASANO in Puglia has never been available in May. As my readers know I fell in love with this amazing property in 2006 when I set eyes upon its’ acres of olive trees, orchards of figs, and view of the Adriatic. Now, my first year removed as owner of Southern Visions Travel, I am more enamored than ever by the region and by this stunning piece of property. [Read more...]

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My Dinner with Malcolm Gladwell (Epilogue)

April 20, 2011 by

Making a Living

Bounty hunter #1: You’re wanted, Wales.
Josey Wales: Reckon I’m right popular. You a bounty hunter?
Bounty hunter #1: A man’s got to do something for a living these days.
Josey Wales: Dyin’ ain’t much of a living, boy.

- The Outlaw Josey Wales

TUESDAY: I had to come up with a plan. It had to be fate that Malcolm “Blink”ing Gladwell rolled up next to me at the Catalina having what appeared to be a cappuccino while looking nervously at his computer screen. I could leave him alone, or I could see what he was all about. This is Texas, and we are nosy, chatty, and very want to tell people about ourselves; therefore, if I just start a chat it will either become a legitimate chat, or possibly one of the suicide scenes from Airplane. I took a shot of Rwanda to instill some bravery and —–I quickly decided that if  it was fate I would indeed see him here again and we might even have a meaningful chat. [Read more...]

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Bristol, TX

April 17, 2011 by

Bus Image courtesy of EISD

I moved to Bristol, TX in 1976 just before the bicentennial celebration of the USA. I remember walking across the street from our house with my Mom and Grandmother to attend the 4th of July celebration at the “ball-field” as the local baseball/softball diamond was called in that time. As I watched Jodie Taylor singing Margaritaville from the back of a flat-bed tractor-trailer that stretched between 3rd and 1st bases across the pitcher’s mound I truly believed I was witnessing something great, and in relative terms I was correct. Jodie was the coolest guy in glasses singing one of the coolest songs of the Dazed and Confused era. [Read more...]

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My Dinner with Malcolm Gladwell (Part 2)

April 16, 2011 by

…he smiled to himself, adjusted his laptop screen downward hiding his work, turned his chair in my direction and told me…

Just Threw this Together

MG – I find it curious how often I am asked that question..uhm…uh..

Me – Michael…(beat) don’t worry man I am sure you forget quite a few names

MG – (cutting me off) No I don’t. I forget very few names and even fewer faces

Me – Would you say you had spent 10,000 hours getting to that level of mastery with names? (smiling to myself as I knew I had him on that one)

MG – Yes, for sure. Imagine that I have been writing for the New Yorker since 1996 and imagine the number of interviews I have conducted; with and without the assistance of recording equipment

Me – What are you drinking?

MG – Excuse me?

Me – What kind of coffee drink are you drinking?

MG – Oh, this is a cappuccino with a little less textured milk, so really it is more like a latte’ without so much milk…

Me – Or a cappuccino without schiuma

MG -What was that?

Me – Schiuma, the Italian name for the foam. Italians don’t go down the path of naming things cutely just to make a menu sound better. I mean, an Italian will use many words to describe something, but taking license with the structure of the language seems pretty Anglo [Read more...]

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My Favorite Italy Blogs

April 15, 2011 by

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” Galileo Galilei

As this is my 2nd post today, I will be brief. This post is about giving some love to those who have come before me and blazed a trail on the cyber-highway.

The symbol of Puglia Snacking

Southern Visions Travel Blog – written by Leigh Vincola and representing all the ins and outs of what is happening in Puglia. Leigh discusses seasonal meals, seasonal fruits and veggies, seasonal affairs, and all things Puglia which is to say, completely seasonal.

Parla Food- Katie Parla is one of the most enterprising people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She can tell a remarkable food story in concise terms and a few carefully chosen photos. I envy very few people, but I sometimes find myself envious of Katie’s life living in Rome making jaunts down to Napoli and Palermo all the while soaking up La Dolce Vita through the curious eyes of an intellectual at play. If you go to Rome and don’t read Katie, you will miss something

Photo by Katie Parla

Do Bianchi - Is anyone more prolific than Jeremy Parzen? Does everyone know Jeremy? I think Jeremy knows everyone and his connections and passions for natural wines, natural music, and unnaturally good company make him an icon of the blog and Italian Wine Community. Jeremy’s education in Italian language makes him the go-to guy for questions of word origins, regional ownership of dishes, and the history associated with an inquiry. A very bright man.

Photo by Jeremy Parzen


2nd Crop in Piemonte

2nd Crop in Piemonte

On the Wine Trail in Italy - Alfonso Cevola pens this exceptional blog and his posts tug at my heart as much as my mind as he draws comparisons between his beloved Italy and his home in the USA. Alfonso is part educator, part of the original Italophiles that delivered Texas their passion for all things Italy. I bought wine from Alfonso many moons ago and I still want to be like him in many ways. A champion of a great cause.

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My Dinner with Malcolm Gladwell (Part 1)

April 14, 2011 by

The Top Coffee Shop in Houston

On Tuesday afternoon I went into my beloved Catalina coffee for an afternoon pour-over of their fabulous Rwanda coffee that had recently arrived. I had just eaten a below-average lunch at the TQLA on Wash-Av and needed a dose of quality in my diet to assuage the misery in my still hungry stomach. At TQLA I had ordered a Ceviche and a Mushroom tamale for my lunch. My server came to my table moments later with tamale in-hand and informed me that the kitchen had dropped my Ceviche and would be re-making it. I informed him very politely that I really wanted the cold ceviche before my warm tamale and he obligingly took the tamale back and very likely stuck in under a lamp. [Read more...]

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Puglia: The Finest Raw Ingredients in Italy (Part 2)

April 13, 2011 by

Me in 2006 with BR

In 2006 I left Backroads and moved to Houston to work for SPECs. The surreal 12 hours I worked at SPECs will most certainly be a later blog post. Shortly after those revealing hours I went to work for Jerry Lasco at The Tasting Room and many of you know the details of my life in wine during that time. I met Juliet, opened some wine joints, and lived high on the fat in one of the best places to be fat in America. In 2007 I rekindled my friendship with Antonello  and we began to discuss his exciting ideas for a travel company based in Puglia called Southern Visions. Antonello was also eager to get his beautifully restored villa Ca’ del Fico up and running as a vacation rental and I suggested I could assist him with writing some content on his website. At this point in time I had put my work for TTR on cruise control as I was interminably bored  and I was committed to finding the next page to turn in my life book. I was profoundly in love with Juliet and was poised to propose to her in December after an unreal 17 days in Italy that solidified my passion and hopes for this brilliant young woman. [Read more...]

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