Manhattan Chowder, Back in the Big Apple: Father's Day, 2006

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Father's Day, 2006

Before I return to the rest of my travelogue emails, I thought I'd include a Father's Day greeting I sent home to my Dad while I was on the ship. My father emigrated to the US with his family from war torn Italy in 1949 when he was just 10 years old. My father has always shared stories of his childhood in Italy during World War II and since then has made many trips back to the "old country" for both business and pleasure. All of us kids have been fortunate enough at some point or other to visit Dad's ancestral villages with him where old family friends and distant relatives still recognize him. In fact, he is there right now visiting with my sister Diane and his one year old granddaughter, Charlotte.

Dad,

I searched online to find a funny Father's Day cyber card for you but couldn't find anything quite right. So I thought you might enjoy some more pictures of Venice instead. There is something about Venice and many of the other famous sights in Italy that will always seem familiar to me. Having heard the stories from you and seen dozens of pictures and slides of Italy over the years, I felt as if I knew all these places before I ever even set foot in Italy. Just this last trip I explained to one of my cast mates the legend of the Bridge of Sighs, a story I've known since my childhood. Thank you for always sharing your pride and love of your Italian heritage and passing it along to me.
Happy Father's Day!

Tanti Baci,
Michelino