Palm Sunday morning, the sun bathed my shoulders as I walked to the high spots of downtown Cremona. The town was smaller than I expected from the night before; before long, I was several blocks past the Violin Museum run by the Stradivari Foundation, and doubling back. The air felt fresh and traffic was almost non-existent. Continue reading
Friday dawned sunny and cool, but warmed as I rode the Piana Padana to Modena and then to the little town of Rolo near the Po River. I wore my short-sleeved pilgrim’s bicycle jersey, but long pants. My hosts would not be home until 1830, so I had time to stop in Modena at the Enzo Ferrari Museum, a modern complex built around the famous car designer’s birthplace. Continue reading
Today, I want to come back to the subject of living and working on the road. Most of you know that I am a translator, which is a very portable career. But I am also an interpreter. Here is what happened to that side of the business: Continue reading
From a brilliant, blue sky, the sun warmed the damp stone of the buildings in the historic center of Formia. The forecast called for a high temperature of only 16ºC, but the thermometer on my bike computer read 23ºC as I pedalled north from town on the Via Appia. Continue reading
Today, I give you a peek into my journal.
Bologna, Saturday, 25 February 2017
It has been a glorious spring-like day, with uncharacteristically low humidity and high visibility. After the rain last week, the air smells fresh. Continue reading
Trip update: This week has featured visitors. I hosted Couchsurfers Agus and Santi from Argentina, then Warmshowers guests Harrie and Dianne from the Netherlands. Very interesting and wonderful people in very different ways.
I am very glad that I decided to open my little flat in Formia to the Couchsurfing and Warmshowers communities. There has been a healthy demand (at least someone every week), and the travellers coming through have enriched my life. Continue reading
Trip update: Since returning to Formia two weeks ago, I have been busy planning and packing. There will be a trip to Bologna at the end of February, from which I will ride down the Via Adriatica to see my friends on that coast on the way back to Formia. 
I will go back to Bologna in early April for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. River Run 2017 takes off from there. Before I leave, everything in the apartment must be disposed of or shipped. My favourite ride has been the day-dreamer to Mondragone for biscotti all’amarena, a 63 km round trip to my favourite childhood pastry. Continue reading
My workstation
Trip update: This week brought high winds and rain on three of the seven days. With westerly gusts of 27 knots and occasional frog-choking downpours, I worked indoors, and walked to the Tempo Prezioso Literary Café for my WiFi connection. This cozy café opened up less than a month ago. 
It features comfortable sofas and chairs, abundant outlets and a powerful WiFi signal. Of course, all the usual offerings of an Italian bar are there, from espresso to the harder stuff. I can eat a tramezzino and put off supper until they close and I walk back to the flat. After the storm front passed, the hills above 300 metres had a dusting of snow. Continue reading
Trip update: At 2230, the phone interrupted Gideon Oliver just as he was about to solve the crime. I stood up from the eBook I was reading and went to the phone. Timoteo Lamkin was inviting me to celebrate the New Year from the family balcony overlooking the fireworks on the Gulf of Gaeta. I had planned to spend a quiet evening hiding from the war zone and its fog of cordite, but I was touched that they would think of me. And so I greeted the New Year in the company of friends and waved a dozen sparklers myself. Continue reading
Halloween, 2016. The sun was well up when I awoke. I luxuriated for a while in my sleeping bag, then leapt up, aware than I had less than 20 hours to finish everything needed before leaving for the ATA Conference on the other side of the world.
My friends the Lamkins had been checking my mail, which was stacked on the kitchen table. After turning on the water, purging the gas lines in the stovetop, and opening the house, I cut open the boxes and envelopes. Continue reading
The Freewheeling Freelancer 