A December We'll Remember

2020 will be remembered for a lot of reasons. Among them, this is the first Christmas we have not spent together as a family. Even while living abroad, we managed to get everyone in the same place for Christmas, no matter how complicated the logistics were. But in spite of our relative proximity of one another this year, the pandemic proved to be a complication we could not safely overcome.

It's been a less than ideal December, but we're trying to make the most of the holiday season none the less. That has included cross country skiing for the kids, who are together in Portland; some long walks and snowy hiking for us in Philadelphia, including a visit to Washington's Crossing, along the Bucks County Ale Trail and one of Philly's mural miles; Christmas crafting in the form of the beautiful felt stockings Emily and Jake made, pictured above; a bi-coastal Christmas-eve charcuterie show-down; and our annual Christmas morning family gift exchange via FaceTime. Photo links follow:

• Philadelphia Mural Mile (South) 
• Snow Day
• Christmas Weekend

Best wishes for a safe, healthy, way less chaotic, and happy New Year. 

Thanksgiving Weekend

Click here for photos from ourThanksgiving weekends on both coasts. Pat and I were in Philadelphia moving into our new house after 2+ months in an Airbnb - an apartment in East Falls in a building that used to be a women's medical college. It was a nice temporary spot, but now we can finally start settling into our 1920 twin in Chestnut Hill. 

Before we closed on the house, we enjoyed a Thanksgiving Day walk from East Falls into downtown along Philadelphia's boathouse row, pictured above. After closing, we made a quick trip to New York to get some belongings Uncle Jeff was kindly storing for us. 

The kids were able to be together in Portland and got to enjoy some kayaking, kick-ball, snowshoeing, and collaboration on a great Thanksgiving meal. Thank goodness for Zoom.  

After the long weekend, the twins returned to Corvallis and Bellingham to finish off their Fall terms. Jake is keeping us updated with a daily countdown to Christmas. Emily and her roommates got a tree. And sadly, we unbooked the flights the kids were supposed to be taking to Philadelphia this Friday. Last Christmas, we are all together in Malta. This year is another story. 

Happy Holidays. 

Art and Leisure on Both Coasts

We made our first visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art last week. Click here for a few photos of some of our favorite pieces, including Gilding Diana, pictured above. The museum has restricted access right now, so it was quiet, uncrowded, and a nice escape on a rainy evening. 

This weekend, we made our first trip to the Poconos, to visit the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Click here for photos. We were too late for leaf-peeping, but the hiking was still nice on a sunny day. 

Meanwhile on the other coast, click here for photos submitted by the Pacific Northwest portion of our family - hard at work, school, and play as they make the best of a difficult time. 

Valley Forge National Historical Park

Click here for photos from our trip to Valley Forge National Historical Park on Saturday, where we took advantage of nice weather and the park's many miles of hiking trails. 

Meanwhile out west, Emily and her friend Anna were on a Bellingham walkabout on Saturday. 

Assateague Island

This weekend we visited Assateague Island National Seashore, on Maryland's Delmarva Peninsula, where wild horses roam. Click here for photos. 

We also visited nearby Ocean City, Maryland, for a beach walk. The town of Ocean City was too kitschy for our taste, but the beach was nice. We 

got to see a dozen or so dolphins at play, but didn't have the camera with us to take photos. Our final stop in route back to Philadelphia was the tiny town of Milton, Delaware, home to the Dogfish Head Brewery.

Philadelphia - Week One

Our first week in Philadelphia was highlighted by starting two new jobs, lots of house hunting and way-finding, discovering all the items we wish we had not packed away in boxes we won't have access to for several weeks, and getting to know our new city.  Pictured above is a creek that runs along NW Philadelphia's Wissahickon Trail, which we walked on Saturday.  Click here for photos from our hike along Forbidden Drive, as well as Sunday's more urban hike downtown where we took a quick peek at the Liberty Bell, then walked along the Delaware River. 

Meanwhile over on the other coast, Drew and friends were enjoying a camping weekend along the Deschutes River in Central Oregon.  Click here for photos.  He's always enjoyed fly fishing, as demonstrated by the photos below. The one on the left is from this weekend. The one on the right was taking in 2008 in Wyoming near Grand Teton National Park.

Jake and Emily are each two weeks into their Fall terms and trying to make the best of online classes. Quick shout-out to their twin cousins, Jadyn & Ashley, who are celebrating their birthdays today!  

Farewell Malta - Hello Portland - Coming soon Philadelphia

Click here for photos from our final days in Malta, along with some highlights from the weeks Jake and Emily were with us and working as summer hires at the Embassy. 

As part of our transition back to the U.S., we got to spend two weeks in Portland with Drew, Jake, and Emily. Click here for photos from our walks around Mt. Tabor, mushroom hunting in the Tillamook Forest, hanging out in Drew's ceramics studio, dinner with friends, and more. We arrived in Portland when the city was experiencing hazardous air quality due to wildfires, but thankfully rain cleared the air part way through our time together. 

Next stop, Philadelphia. 

Final Days in Malta - from the Blue Grotto to Gozo's Inland Sea

It's our last week in Malta - a week that coincides with two holidays, Labor Day and Maltese Victory Day. We spent the long weekend revisiting some favorite places - Malta's Blue Grotto, Comino's Crystal Bay, and Gozo's Citadel and Inland Sea. Click here for photos. 

We had a lovely, albeit it choppy, sail to Comino on Sunday, then took the ferry over to Gozo on Monday. Jake free-dove to 60 feet in Gozo's Blue Hole, located by the Inland Sea and Azure Window - a sea arch that unfortunately collapsed a few years ago in a storm, just after Game of Thrones filmed an episode there. The clear, deep water makes the Blue Hole a great place to snorkel, and the cliffs just above it were a great spot to take photos.

Emily and Pat also got a couple of dives in this past week. Click here for photos.

Meanwhile back in the Pacific Northwest, Drew and Grace spent Labor Day Weekend enjoying Washington's lovely Lake Chelan. Click here for photos. This time next week, we are excited to have everyone together for the first time since Christmas!

Sicily

We traveled by ferry from Malta to Sicily for a long weekend visit to Mt. Etna and the Ionian Coast. Our stops included Noto, Syracuse, Ortegia, Taormina (pictured below), and Etna while basing ourselves from a lovely agriturismo in Giarre with a view of the volcano (pictured above). Several photo albums are linked below, with highlights from our trip. 

Mt. Etna was by far the best part of our trip, not to mention a refreshing break from the summer heat. We visited twice in order to really explore. On our second trip, we took a cable car to 2500 meters, then hiked up to 2900 meters for views of the crater. We could hear the volcano rumbling and see rocks being tossed in the air amid the steam. Thankfully we got an early start the day we went to the top, because clouds rolled in by Noon, obscuring the view.  By the times we got off the mountain a thunder storm had rolled in. 

Taormina was stunning, but driving there was terrifying - despite the fact that we've gotten used to narrow, winding roadways in Malta. Built into a steep hillside, the roads in Taormina were like switchbacks on a hiking trail. We enjoyed the town much more once the car was parked, and we were on foot. 

Photo Album Links: 

• Syracusa and Ortegia
• Taormina
• Mt. Etna
• Noto, Giarre, Misc.

We wish Drew was with us, but alas he is back in Oregon. Click here for a few photos from a backpacking trip he and Grace took to Eastern Oregon earlier this month. 

One last thing from our time in Sicily - Granita! Silician Almond Granita is a delicious treat served for breakfast and as a snack throughout the day.  We're experimenting with making it at home, using the following basic recipe:

1.5 cups ground almonds

0.5 cups powdered sugar

2 T sugar

3 cups almond milk (regular milk is fine too)

a few drops of almond oil

Freeze mixture for an hour or two, until the top layer has solidified a bit. Scrap using a fork; repeat every hour for 3 hours, adding more almond milk as needed to achieve an icy, but smooth texture. Scrap again before serving.

Blue Grotto

 

The twins arrived in Malta in mid-July, and after our two weeks of quarantine, we were finally able to get out and about with them. Among our first stops was the Blue Grotto. Click here for photos. 

Two Weekends by Sea

We kayaked around, under, and through the Blue Grotto last weekend. Click here for photos.

This weekend, we sailed with Sail Malta from Sliema to Three Cities, then south to Marsaxlokk's scenic cliffs - cliffs we have enjoyed hiking on many times, but today was our first chance to enjoy them from the water's point of view.  Click here for photos.

Meanwhile back in Portland, we sad and alarmed to see the way the city is being portrayed by some media outlets; and to see so many peaceful protestors under attack by forces with questionable intentions. 

• https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/07/feds-right-wing-media-paint-portland-as-city-under-siege-a-tour-of-town-shows-otherwise.html
• https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/07/trumps-weaponization-of-dhs-sets-off-alarm-bells?mbid=social_twitter&utm_brand=vf&utm_social-type=owned

The Great Wall of Malta

Malta reopened its airport on July 1, after 3 months. To celebrate, fireworks companies from all over the island coordinated fireworks displays to welcome the return of tourism. We viewed one of the displays on Sliema's Manoel Island from our kayak.  Click here for photos. 

We also hiked an especially scenic section of the Victoria Lines recently. Click here for photos. The photo above is often referred to as the Great Wall of Malta. Our hiking opportunities will become more limited in the weeks ahead, since the weather is getting really hot and dry. Thank goodness for sea breezes. 

Father's Day on Comino

We spent Father's Day on the island of Comino. Comino is accessible by a short ferry ride from Cirkewwa on Malta's northern tip. It's home to just 3 full-time residents and popular because of its famous Blue Lagoon.  Click here for photos. 

Though it was a lovely day, it would have been better if the 3 people pictured below (Father's Day circa 2011 in Key Largo, Florida) could have joined us!

Weekend on the Water

We spent much of the long weekend on and near the water, thanks to a sailing day trip from Sliema to Comino Island; the arrival of our new inflatable kayak; a hike along Dingli Cliffs; and a visit to the Blue Grotto. Click here for photos.

Click here to read the latest news from Malta related to Covid-19 and the government's slow and steady steps to relax social restrictions. We continue to feel safe here and are hopeful the weeks ahead show continued progress. 

Celebrating Twinty-One Years of Twinergy

Jake and Emily turned 21! We celebrated with a virtual birthday party with Portland friends and neighbors, pictured below on Zoom. It was fun reunion and walk down memory lane, but severely lacking in hugs. In honor of the occasion, we created a couple of photo albums:

• Jake through the years
• Emily through the years

Here are the twins are their birthday. Emily is sporting some new troll socks and mermaid earrings, gifts from friends. Jake is sporting cuts and scrapes, obtained on a bike ride that started out great, but didn't end so well. 

In other news, Drew built a chicken coop, now home to Dottie, Greta, Otis, and Sarafina.

And Pat also celebrated a Spring Birthday. Thanks Samantha for the great throw-back photo below:

 

Marsasakala & Medina

Long walks around Malta have been keeping us sane in the midst of stay-at-home orders, teleworking, video meetings, and all things Covid.  Malta's lock-down has been strict, but has not gone so far as to prohibit people from enjoying the outdoors, in groups of 3 or less. Pictured above is Spinola Bay near our apartment; and below are the cliffs extending between two lovely fishing villages, Marsaskala and Marsaxlokk. More photos are linked here. 

We also visited Mdina recently, Malta's most ancient city, and practically had the place to ourselves. Click here for photos.

Celebrating Drew's Birthday and a Virtual Spring Break

It has definitely been a Spring Break to remember, but hardly in ways anyone was expecting. Drew celebrated his birthday in the midst of his first global pandemic. Click here some photos of Drew through the years. Happy Birthday buddy! 

The kids were able to connect over Spring Break, both virtually and briefly in person. They have been finding appropriate ways to entertain themselves in this time of social distancing. Thank goodness being outside is still okay. Click here for photos.

Speaking of the outdoors, spring is a lovely time for countryside walks in Malta. Click here for photos from a hike we did along Dingli Cliffs last weekend. The day of our walk, it felt like summer was near; the next day, the winds and rain blew in. 

Yesterday, we walked from Sliema to Valletta and back along the harbor. The streets of Valletta were eerily empty. Picture below is a view of Sliema's harborside waterfront, as seen from Manoel Island, where we discovered an elaborate, all-inclusive duck village. The Maltese are very passionate about stray animal care. Click here for photos.

Here is a link to what's going on in Malta related to COVID19. The island took early and aggressive measures as Italy was becoming a virus hot spot.  So far, those steps are serving them well. Sending good wishes to our friends and family around the world to stay healthy and safe. 

More Gozo

We spent another lovely day in Gozo this weekend - one that included a coastal hike near Hondoq Bay; more amazing takeaway pizza from Maxokk Bakery; and stops at Ramla Beach, the Marsalforn Salt Pans (pictured above), and the Citadel with our colleagues Isy and Richard. Click here for photos.  

In response to COVID19, Malta has closed schools for a few weeks, is requiring a 14-day quarantine for visitors arriving from any country. Church services and large events have been cancelled, many tourist sites are closed, and there is a strong push for social distancing, but we decided a day outside in the sun was a safe, responsible way to enjoy a beautiful weekend. We were thermal scanned before getting on the ferry and given wrist bands to wear indicating we had been screened. Gozo was a bit quieter than usual, but not deserted. 

Click here for a few photos from a quick visit Pat made to DC and Portland earlier this month, just ahead of all the travel bans. What a difference a week can make. We remain hopeful that everyone's collective efforts to flatten the curve works.  

Malta, North and South

This weekend we explored points north (Gozo's Dwejra Bay and inland sea) and south (Marsaxlokk, Marsascala, and the Delimara Peninsula). Click here for photos.

Dwejra Bay (top photo) on the west side of Gozo, Malta's northernmost island, is famous for the Azure Window, a natural sea arch that was featured in Game of Thrones a few year back. The window succumbed to a storm in 2017, but the area is still lovely. 

While in Gozo, we also stopped to see the Ggantija Temples and Ta'Kola Windmill and had pizza at everyone's favorite spot, Maxokk Bakery. The rave reviews we've heard about Maxokk were completely accurate. It was delicious. Finally, as the sun was setting, we squeezed in a quick but very scenic visit to Gozo's recently refurbished Citadel.  

Marsaxlokk and Marsascala are neighboring fishing villages along Malta's southern coast. Sundays are markets days in Marsaxlokk, which draws crowds of locals and tourists alike. In between the two is Delimara Peninsula where it was a busy day for donkeys, goats, and container ships. We also visited the Ghar Dalam Cave Temples and learned that hippopotami once lived on Malta. It was during the Ice Age, when there was apparently a land bridge between Malta and Sicily.