La Festa

I LOVE the neighborhood where we live. There is always something going on. Bright and early in the morning I see people running by our house on their way to the trail. While I clean up dinner and wash dishes, I can glance out my window and watch people enjoy their after dinner stroll. The energy here is good and the neighborhood in which we live is amazing. Lincoln Avenue, which is just a few minute walk away, has special events all year long. The avenue is full of quaint little stores and some excellent restaurants. It has an old town feel with contemporary touches and I love it.

This weekend was the Italian Festival. I was excited to venture down there to enjoy the sounds and the sights- but mostly the tastes! Immediately- Michael gravitated toward the calamari stand and couldn't wait to sink his teeth into some delicious squid. Michael, although Irish looking on the outside, LOVES Italian cuisine. Not just pasta and good bread but the more authentic food. He loves a good fried squid and actually prefers the pieces with the tentacles (as opposed to the little calamari rings). I love watching him eat it, too. This kid has always given me a headache with his complaints over eating but he can put away a whole basket full of calamari. God love him! It was a gorgeous night as we strolled down the street listening to an old Italian man play the mandolin. We ate canolis, calamari, pasta, chicken parmesan, sausage sandwiches and gelato. The kids were fascinated by the music and the people and digesting that this festival was about them and their own Italian roots.

It is strange to share my Italian heritage with my children but not my husband. Same goes for him when speaking of his Irish roots. I am the only one in the house who isn't Irish. Although Damien and I don't share our dominant heritages, we have both adapted to them and in many ways consider them our own. The Italian Festa was better than I could have imagined it to be. I want to bring my kids there every year to see, taste, and breathe the amazing Italian culture so they understand where they are rooted. I look forward to loading them all up in a plane years from now to bring them to Italy so they can see for themselves the beauty that country holds. Until then, I will continue to give them access to anything that might help them understand where they come from. It was a beautiful night on Lincoln Avenue. Can't wait until next year . . .