Sorry this picture is on an angle. I guess I didn't hold the camera straight. This is Wilmington North Carolina, where my sister Allison lives. These old shops are so cute, bringing back memories when people shopped up and down Main St.. This market was closed when I took this picture, otherwise I would have gone in. Italian food is hard to find in this area, but you can find some good places. Lots of New Yorkers have moved to this city, so they are leaving their mark.

When I was growing up, I thought every one of my classmates were from an Italian family. I thought that we were the only outsiders. When I entered Middle School, I met some Irish and Jewish friends, but I was still convinced that the Italians held up Long Island. By High School I knew of other cultures, but still wanted to be Italian.

When I met my husband and he brought me home, I found that his mother was Irish and Polish, and she knew a little about Italian cooking from her mother in law who had long since gone.What was a girl to do? My sister learned to make sauce from a La Rosa family member, who were a major pasta company for many years. Alright, now I can make sauce!  It has taken many years to perfect, and then Mama Lombardi bottled her sauce and sent it to Costco!

My family likes it better, so I guess I will go back to being Ann Migliore,  the christian , the wife, mother, writer, dog keeper and anything else that fits. I'm fine, I have learned to adapt, and be the girl from America as my mother used to say.