We were sitting eating a sandwich for lunch on our last full day in Bologna near our hotel along a narrow alley where vegetable shops, seafood shops, and gelato places abound.  We were always getting hit up by healthy and robust looking beggars holding out their hat for money.  When one approached us as we were eating and he held out his hand and said Bon Giorno, I simply looked at him and said, “A churly goot, a marney snooker.”  I just looked passively at him after I said that.  He stepped back and gestured to Barb and said, “La Senora?”  “A churly goot, a marney snooker.”  He just nodded his head and walked off.  Since that was just made up, does anyone know what language that might sound like…perhaps a combo Swedish, German and my own roots, native American?  Anyway, we weren’t bothered again.

Barb wanted to visit a fabric store to pick up some Bologna fabric in order to make a quilt with Bologna memories.  She looked and found some great material while we cheered her on and encouraged her.  She wanted 2 yards and the lady told her it was 45.  Barb asked me if I thought that was 45 per yard?  Oh no, I told her, there is no way.  And it wasn’t either.  The bill came to 90 euros or $101 American dollars as Kristin would say.  See Barb, it’s not sold by the yard but by the meter.  Wow, that was a great buy and even Doug was excited about that $101 purchase.  We are all looking forward to this wonderful expensive quilt that Barb will be making.

News of the Egyptair flight going down was received by the four of us.  After checking the State Department travel warnings and no new information, we decided that keeping a low profile was a prudent course to follow.  And for THIS reason, I decided to ignore Barb and Lynda’s encouragement for me to buy a red plaid suit with mustard colored shoes.  They reminded me that Milan is the fashion setter for the world and that I would REALLY be making a statement when I walked into court wearing that.  They also encouraged me to get a mustard colored briefcase.  I don’t think I could purchase such an outfit and not want to wear it all of the time and THAT would not be keeping a low profile.  In other words, IX NAY ON THE OOT SAY.  Friday morning, May 20^th and it’s on to Tuscany for a week.