The World Cracks Open For Those Willing

Living In A Small Italian Hilltown, And Having Lived In A Small Town In South Georgia, I Understand That You Can Recognize A Family Gene Pool By The Lift Of An Eyebrow, Or The Length Of A Neck, Or A Way Of Walking.

Sometimes The Valley Below Is Like A Bowl Filled Up With Fog. I Can See Hard Green Figs On Two Trees And Pears On A Tree Just Below Me. A Fine Crop Coming In. May Summer Last A Hundred Years.

I'm Just Fascinated By Houses. In Another Life, I'd Have Probably Trained As An Architect. If I Had Enough Money, I'd Collect Them Like Other People Collect Teapots. I Don't Know Why I Love Them So Much. I'm Just Very Interested In The Idea Of A House As A Metaphor For The Way One Lives.

What Has Impressed Me The Most About The Italians Whose Tables We've Sat At Is That They Are Traditional Cooks But Also Outrageously Innovative. These People Are Wild Improvisers.

The Longer You Are In A Place, The More You Get Under Its Layers.