Will I be bored?

Morning Sunlight

Waking up and wondering what the day will bring.

Here I am—back in Italy with Undiscovered Tuscany tours in full swing. I'm avoiding the scorching sun as much as possible, making art, and perhaps staring at my phone a bit too much.

I can’t help it. I’m addicted to taking photos and editing them… and to my new Sudoku app. I still check my work email regularly and worry about future me.

When everyone is getting their classrooms ready in August and preparing for the upcoming school year, will I know what to do with myself? Will I be bored?

i get bored easily

I get restless. I itch for stimulation and new experiences. And when I can’t find something new to do, I rearrange furniture.

For now though, I’ll put those thoughts aside and just enjoy the summer—reminding myself that boredom is a gift and that creativity is born from the need to keep my brain and hands busy.

Let’s talk travel

The girls and I are back in Tuscany, and this time we brought a friend! The daughter of one of my dearest childhood friends came to stay with us for two weeks.

Seeing Italy through the eyes (and taste buds) of someone experiencing it for the first time is so exciting for us Vannis. I guess that’s why we’re in the travel biz!

Some of the things everyone needs to see in Italy for the first time:

• An Italian man peeing on the side of the road, making zero effort to conceal what he’s doing

• Poorly drawn wieners graffitied on a variety of public surfaces

• Discovering new places on your body to sweat from

Sure, we can talk about:

• The food that melts in your mouth

• The vast vistas of rolling hills decorated with cypress trees

• The silvery-green leaves of the olive trees

• Row after row of grape vines soaking up the sun

That’s great too.

But have you ever seen an Italian parallel park a 9-passenger van into a space the size of a Smart car??
Now that is a thing of beauty.

capturing the summer

This summer, I feel called to capture my travels through black-and-white photography—viewing my surroundings in search of contrast:

• Light and shadow

• Pattern and texture

• Line and form

And if I happen upon a crudely drawn penis on some ancient wall, then I’ll also find the beauty in that.

Travel Photography in Tuscany: Graffiti Wieners Edition