Michelle Ann Abate - Other Nerdy Pursuits

Other Nerdy Pursuits

When I'm not reading or writing, here's some activities that I enjoy.

Bird Houses

I love DIY projects, especially carpentry.

During the pandemic, I made a series of novelty bird houses. Here's a few of my favs.

Photograph of a wooden birdhouse that looks like an artist's palette.

Photograph of three birdhouses that resemble Pac-Man and two ghosts, one pink and the other teal..

A birdhouse that is shaped like a Goldfish snack cracker.

Photograph of the Pac-Man birdhouse being cut from the wood.

Photograph of two birdhouses that are shaped like cassette tapes. A large wooden dowel that has been carved and painted to look like a Big #2 pencil is lying in front of them.

Photograph of the cassette tape face for the birdhouse being cut from wood.

Photograph of a birdhouse that looks like an old-fashioned television set.

Photograph of the ghost for the Pac-Man birdhouse being cut from wood.

Photograph of a birdhouse that resembles a block of Swiss cheese.

Cats

I have a very spoiled rescue cat named Spumoni.

(She would love if you told her how cute she is. She would love it even more if you did so while giving her treats.)

Photograph of a torti-tabby cat enjoying a head scratch.

Close-up photograph of a torti-tabby cat looking directlty into the camera.

Photograph of a torti-tabby cat lying in the sun on a window perch and showing off its belly.

Travel

I love to travel and have visited countries all over the world.

One of my favorite recent trips was to Serradifalco, Sicily, where my paternal great-grandparents were born. I was even able to locate my great-grandfather's baptismal record in the parish archives.

Below are some highlights from my visit to Serradifalco. My time there was very moving.

Self-style photograph of Michelle Ann Abate standing in front of the Welcome sign to Serradifalco, Sicily.

Photograph overlooking the rooftops that comprise the small town of Serradifalco, Sicily. The San Leonardo Abate Church occupies the center of the photo--and the center of town.

Sunset over Serradifalco Sicily. The sky is purplish red in the background. Meanwhile, a solitary tree is in silhouette on a hill on the right side of the image.

Photograph of San Leonardo Abate Church in Serradifalco, Sicily. The Church is made of white stone with grey stone steps leading up to it,

Photograph of the sign for the San Leonardo Abate Church. The sign is metal with white lettering on a brown background.

Photograph overlooking the rooftops that comprise the small town of Serradifalco, Sicily. The San Leonardo Abate Church occupies the center of the photo--and the center of town.

Photograph of the beautiful countryside around Serradifalco, Sicily. Grassy fields, sun drenched patches of grape vineyards, and stone structures with terracotta tile roofs.

Photograph of a page of the handwritten baptismal records for San Leonardo Abate Church from 1896. All the handwriting is in a stylized cursive.

Photograph of a street scene from Serradifalco, Sicily. The streets are cobblestone, many of the two-story buildings that line the street have balconies, and the San Leonardo Abate Church can be seen in the distance.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse