Torino Train selfie 2022
Who knew 16 years ago when I registered this Art Predator blog and signed up for WordPress that I’d be traveling the world as a wine influencer and blogger? Certainly not me! But here I am, on a train in Torino Italy last year, leaving Terra Madre, the international Slow Food Conference where I was on a press pass, and attending two amazing meals. My first meal in Italy on this trip was actually at a Chinese Restaurant: Ristorante Zheng Yang (absolutely the most incredible Chinese food I’ve ever had!) and then at a Slow Food dinner at Eataly that was superlative.
Terra Madre Slow Food Slow Wine dinner at Eataly in Torino (the night before the train photo!)
From Torino, I headed for press trips and to speak about Slow Wine and Slow Food at the Wine Media Conference at Lake Garda in Lombardy!
This is the message WordPress sent me:
Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.
WordPress Sweet 16!
16 years ago on the night of the time change in 2007 — just like tonight –M went downstairs to put our almost 4 year old to bed, and then we were going to watch a movie. (Our kid is now almost 20, in college, and living in another state!)
While I waited for M to watch the movie, on the urging of
Danika Dinsmore and
Sophia Kidd, I looked into blogging. Next thing I knew I had a
WordPress blog! Great way to spend that extra hour!
A year later I attended the first
Wine Media Conference in 2008, and a year later in 2009 I went on my first international wine press trip to PORTUGAL!
And this Thursday I head to Portugal again on a press trip! I wanted to attend
WineFuture which takes place close to Lisbon and in the days before I arrive, but I decided there was just too much I needed to do for my Ventura College students, and even though I have 200 hours of personal necessity (which I will never get paid for), I decided to just miss one week of classes not two (even though I will still be available to respond to emails, teach online, and do Canvas etc.)
After the press trip ends in the Alentejo’s Evora, an ancient Roman settlement, I have two days after when I will visit a cork forest and go horseback riding on the beach, then head to Lisbon for one night before flying home on Saturday as Sunday just seemed too risky, and I really need to be back teaching that Monday..
So yes it’s my SWEET SIXTEEN!
So yay for blogging! Yay for travel and adventures!
Happy Sweet 16 to me and my Art Predator blog!
Thank you for reading and subscribing all these years!
Discover more from art predator
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
art predator 