a VIDEO of our trip to Italy, featuring ME, Frank !!!

My niece Linn has a son, Marc ... who is very talented with his camera (still) and his video camera. For instance, Marc captured lots of footage of us on our Family Reunion trip to Italy in July, and he put it all together in this YouTube clip to share with the world !!!! {this photo, however, was taken by my daughter DAVIELLE on our first morning in Venice ... Venezia ... this was the view from our breakfast table at Hotel Monaco; Tuesday 14 July 2009}

Here is the link to the Antelline Family Reunion YouTube video clip ... ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmz20NC0mo4

I'm Frank, and this is the first posting of MANY TO COME (by my daughter, Davielle) from our Reunion trip. We apologize for the delay in posting the stories, the photos, and all such stuff ...

my son in law, Darryl Clubb, and I - Frank - breakfasting at HOTEL MONACO in Venice ... ah, what a lifestyle.

It was an amazing trip and I am only sorry that I waited 88 1/2 years to visit my mother and father's homeland ... Italia.

in this photo, taken just outside the Ducal Palace in Venice (where my great-great niece cousin - we're not quite sure how we're all related! EVA works ... she gave us a fabulous insider's tour of the Doge's Palace ... wow!) my daughter FRANCIA, me, my 'nephew' Gianluca's wife, ROSSANA, my great-grandson TREVOR, and my beautiful niece, Kathleen (KATHY)

Ciao for now,

Frank ... or as I now like to be called, FRANCISCO :-)

Mi Chiamo Francisco

Frank with his niece, Linn, and her husband Bill

Frank with his niece Kathy (right) and her daughter, Laurie

These were taken at Class # Two of ITALIAN FOR TRAVELERS.

Frank is so pleased that he can say "Mi chiamo Francisco" ... which means, "I am called Francisco" !!!

-- Davielle

First Steps - Crossed Off the List

Well, we did it. We applied for Frank's PASSPORT. Last time he was in Europe, they sure weren't asking for them. (World War II)

To get his passport, I had to contact the state of Illinois and request an "archived" birth certificate. That was an easy process, and they arrived within one week. One hurdle down.

We did have a bit of a 'setback' the first day we went to apply for his Passport, but after making an APPOINTMENT and showing up on time for that, all went smoothly.

So the next step to get Frank to Italy was ... buying our airline tickets. Once I got that crossed off the list, my cousin Kathy became much relieved :-), AND we all decided to sign up for a class thru the local adult education program:

ITALIAN FOR TRAVELERS


this is me (far right), with Bill (who is married to my cousin Linn, in the white shirt), then our cousin Kathy, and then, at the far left, Kathy's daughter Laurie - our first night of class (Frank was in the men's room when we took these!). Class One was held on the day we had record-breaking heat - it was 100 in most of the county that day and STILL stifling when we went to class at 5 pm.

our instructor for ITALIAN FOR TRAVELERS, Ms. Brenda Landini

I've taken several French for Travelers classes thru the years, and I have to say - much as I am dying to learn French ... Ms. Landini is by far the best LANGUAGE teacher I've met yet. :-) She makes it fun, approachable, and we're just working from handouts. No text.

To take the "learning a foreign language" pressure off, I've told everyone that I am taking this class so that when we get to Italy, everything doesn't sound so, well, "foreign". I just want it to sound a bit familiar and comfortable.

So this is Frank ... taking a look at a "cheat sheet" I picked up at Barnes & Noble -- Italian words one might need when traveling to Italy.

Did I mention that FRANK is also taking this class with us? He is !!! And he's loving it. All told, there are 7 of us in the class that are going on the trip this summer ...

Frank, me, my husband Mark; Kathy and Laurie, Linn and Bill.

Ciao for now, all.

-- Davielle

Frankie Goes to Italy, Part One

My father, an 88 year old World War II veteran of the US Army, is returning to Europe this summer. It will be his very first time back on European soil since he fought for the USA in England, France, Belgium and Germany from 1944 to the end of World War II in 1945.

Today, we tried to turn in his US Passport Application at his local post office; it was a quiet morning, nobody was in line, but the Postmaster for his PO was in a "testy" mood, shall we say, and told us we would HAVE to make an appointment. We're going back tomorrow morning at 10:15 am, with bells on. {to accomodate Mr. Grouchy Postmaster, I had to re-schedule a long-awaited appointment with my migraine specialist, but WHAT-E-VER}

In my next post, I will give you Frank's FAMILY BACKGROUND, which will explain why "Frankie Goes to Italy" is such an enormous event in his life ... in all his relative's lives.

More later!

-- Frank's daughter