Mike

Mike loves cars, trucks, boats, bikes, and coaching.

Tutti Famiglia

Kyle, Maria & Denise w/friends

Famiglia

My sister, Denise, Mike, Kyle & Maria: Easter, Grand Canyon, and Mike's toys.

Alaska

Ever heard of a snow plow train? Guess it clears the rails for moose, too.

Jennie & Mario

Left, Mario Ranelli and Pat Monno digging an outhouse in Cumberland. Jennie Ranelli at wine tasting reception for the Italian Consulate.

Hazy Identity, Gina, Homage to Byron Dennis Jones

Hazy Identity, Gina Gregory self portrait; Byron Dennis Jones, Homage to Modigliani;
Why, Byron? You were one of my only students to go to MCAD. The world needs artists like you.

Wine Balls, Christmas only

Why are wineballs only a Christmas specialty? And Easter birds & dolls painted with egg yolk? The pizza fritte is great, too. At least we get them all year long.

Mangia, Mangia

Food, Italian style. Making pizzelles, wine balls, scotzal, and now Anna's pavlova, meringue, w/ cream & fruit! Ana's secret ingredients of lime juice & vinegar...the treasure of Phaidon's Silver Spoon, the Bible of Italian cooking for 50 years and just published in English, my Christmas gift to myself. I usually just ask for a cord
of wood. I hate to burn our white birch. Jennie's secret ingredient in pizzelle is honey. Arlecchino Ferruccio Soleri adored her pizzelle and searches for heather "miele," available only in Europe. We adored Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters, commedia dell arte by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Stefano di Luca at Pantages Theater, November, 2005. The slapstick comedy was another love story.

My guy, Mark La Clair Gregory

My guy, Mark, flying on his bike, emulating Greg Le Mond & Lance Armstrong. Jim Pederson took these on a Twin Cities Bicycle Club ride as he was riding. Another 4,000 + mile year for Mark in 2005. Mark finished the Bike Tour of Colorado, suffered a mild stroke the following week, continued working the whole day at the Roseville Post Office, was hospitalized for 4 days & rode the 6PM ride the day he got out, in 94 degree heat with unbelievable humidity. Those Gregorys are definitely competitive. I met him July, 1966, at the Taystee bakery. I was a junior at St. Paul Johnson & he a junior at St. Thomas College. It was love at first sight.

Monno Family, Then & Now

Pasquale Monno didn't want to be a farmer in Wisconsin when he left Sicily but he wanted Jennie Zappa and in order to marry her that was what he must do. Jennie Zappa was from a family of 10 children and they had 15, most of them pictured at Lake Phalen, St. Paul, MN, in an annual family reunion. Their daughter, Jennie Monno, married Mario Ranelli, son of Concettina Di Nino & Sam, after WWII. Sam fought for the American Army in WWI in the Meuse Argonne front and Mario was in the Army Air Corps in WWII in Nome, Alaska, and Keflavik, Iceland. I am the product of that baby boomer wedding, as were Mario II, Geno & Denise. homepage.mac.com/ranelligregory For family tree Go to Sharing Files Documents Download

Lord, "He's not heavy, he's my brother."

Pasquale, my maternal grandfather, has a toothpick in his mouth. My brother, Geno Ranelli, is in the plaid shorts. My father, Mario, took this 2 1/4" square negative.
Geno's twin, Mario, was also there. Geno has been missing since May 20, 1977 & Mario died of carbon monoxide poisoning December 12, 1971. Lord, "He's not heavy, he's my brother."


Barcellona, Sicily, is the site of the the Catherina Manna (only sibling of Pasquale Monno) & Domenico Salvadore tomb; their parents were Mary Romana & Antonio Manna of Santa Lucia del Mel, between Barcellona & Messina, Sicily. 4 generations of Monno include Elisabetta Ricci Zappa, daughter Jennie Zappa Monno, her daughter Mary Monno Zappa & daughter Joyce Zappa Baribeau (Wisconsin) & James Monna and his son Eugene Monna

Semester At Sea, Summer 2002

After the storm in Dubrovnik, Croatia

65 Days, 9 Ports, 12 Credits, Ruined for Life

Semester At Sea Piraeus, Greece; Cadiz, Spain; Dublin, Ireland; Bergen, Norway; St. Petersburg, Russia; Gdansk, Poland; Antwerp, Belgium; Naples, Italy, Dubrovnik, Croatia;

Http://homepage.mac.com/ranelligregory

Cumberland's St. Anthony the Abbott Catholic Cemetery with Giacomo & Elisabetta Zappa tomb; Zappa Family http://www.homepage.mac.com/ranelligregory Daughter Jennie Angeline Zappa ( born in Ateleta) married Pasquale Monno, son of
Antonio Manna & Mary Romana Santa Lucia Del Mela, Sicily, near Messina

Jennie Zappa & Pasquale Monno, Cumberland, WI m.11/11/1911

Nonna Jennie Zappa Monno, Cumberland, WI; Farm house and aerial view of their farm

Concettina Di Nino & Salvatore Ranelli

Nonna Concettina "little conch shell" Chiesa San Pellino, Corfinio, Fratelli Salvatore & Riccardo Ranelli, Paterno/Celano, L'Aquila Nonna, you left Corfinio at 18 to marry Salvatore & go to America. He had fought in WWI for the Americans & his brother Riccardo fought for Italians, at least Allies on the same side. You were married in Corfinio's Chiesa San Pellino at 18, even though Grandpa was told to marry the other sister, that there was something the matter with you. I wonder what? You never changed, with your dialect and broken English. You stepped out of that place in time & never left it. When your younger sister Anna visited in 1970 she was modern. She cut your hair, and the length of your clothes. You never even wore slacks. You "read" the Sunday St. Paul Pioneer Press, though, and told me the news on television, something I never had time to watch. You would take us on the Vista Dome train to Duluth for the day. You earned every line on your face as I earned every grey hair on my head. Someday it will be as white as yours. Riccardo, with your handlebar mustache, was always a mystery to me. Giovanni, your father, and Maria, had 18 children, and you and grandpa were the only 2 to come to America. So close, yet so different. You brothers both lived on Railroad Island. My father, Mario, was born in 1922 in Swede Hollow, on 24 Phalen Creek. Salvatore (Sam) started out in the mines in Northern Minnesota, thankfully left, but ironically was buried in sand twice while working at the City Water Deparment, where Mario also worked for 35 years.