Update from the Italian Geologists

Kellen has been in Italy now for over a month and is starting to feel like it is home.  I arrived last Friday after spending three days in Paris with my mother-in-law.  Paris is awesome!!  Life in Italy is great.  Last Saturday we met up with one of Kellen's new friends in Bologna for a BBQ and the Giro d' Italia.  The BBQ was at this old farm house in the hills outside of Bologna and all we ate was meat.  Ribs, pork chops, veal, sausage, they just kept bringing it out.  A couple of the people spoke English so we mostly just ate and listened their animated conversations.  The Giro was amazing!!  We were by the finish and saw all the great riders: Armstrong, Leipheimer, Menchov, Di Luca, Basso, Sastre.  The best was when Lance came by the finish line he was followed by his own personal caravangn of  three cars and a scooter.  

We found a branch to attend on Sunday in Piacenza.  It was a small branch and they met in an office building.  The meeting was in Italian naturally so we just sat and tried to feel the spirit.  Afterwards we were greeted warmly and Kellen was invited to play basketball with the branch  during the week.  The church must be true if they have church ball in Italy.

Monday marked the start of my being a field geologist.  We have worked each day this week.  We have been working in the Enza and Stirone rivers.  Kellen's research is looking at how climate change affects the growth of mountains.  In order to study this we have been taking samples of dirt from the rivers to run tests on to see if there is a correlation.  It is a lot more complicated than I make it sound.  Kellen has a Powerpoint that he can use to describe it better.  When we are not working we are exploring the country side, looking at castles and eating gelato.  Life in Italy is wonderful!!

This is a courtyard of a castle that we explored the other day.

These are fossilized seashells in the Stirone River.  This part of Italy used to be at the bottom of the ocean about 500,000 years ago.

Kellen taking samples from the bedrock.

Where Kellen has been working in the Stirone River is right by

 this church.  It was build in 800 A.D.

Just walking through the Stirone River taking samples.