Several years ago, we were fortunate to cross paths with an amazing British couple while traveling in Italy. To say that we struck up a fabulous friendship in an instant would probably be an understatement. Thorough judicious use of frequent flyer points, advanced planning, e-mail, smart phones and a lot of good fortune, we’ve managed to stay connected and get together regularly, on this continent or in Europe, ever since. Besides their quick wit and charm, they both communicate in the most wonderful way.

Witness this post from a recent adventure that involved hauling a monster Airstream trailer from England to a Tuscan property they’re starting to renovate (the trailer will be home during the project, which will probably take years, given the byzantine construction permit process and work rules that are so Italian). Arrival on site to find water and electric missing in action provoked a great e-mail I had to share:

“Ok picture this. It’s now 5 am. You are bursting for a wee. There’s a thunderstorm going on. The rain is like a fleet of demented woodpeckers trying to drill through the Airstream roof. The batteries are flat because no mains connection made. But I can see it. No water, and its been hot. So what to do? Bin bag on ground. Shampoo ready applied. You stand outside the door stark naked hoping the neighbour has Swedish glazing and is blinded rather that illuminated by the lightning. You immediately discover you have over shampooed and it’s under raining for the task in hand. After 15 minutes of soaping it dawns that the water is rather soft but now a whole cortege of woodpeckers have arrived to save the day. Fully refreshed you towel down and return to bed. Ahh living in the American dream.”

Stay strong, dear friends. We’ll see you soon!