Hmm. Something odd has happened to the blog. I can't edit. Gah. Back in a few.

I inadvertantly created a huge space in the post below and erased the edit capability. That, and the images I linked refuse to come out. One of these days, I'll really hunker down and get to know this HTML crap.

*****

What's in a name? Well my surname, Alfar, which I thought to be quite rare, turns out to be of Italian origin.

Spelling variations include: Alfaro, Lo Faro, Il Faro, Le Faro, and others.
First found in in Calabria a territorial district of Italy. Ancient Calabria was in Lecce.

Many settlers were recorded from the end of the 19th century in the great migration from Italy to the New World. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard principally in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

I always thought it was Middle Eastern - like al Far or some such.

It turns out that there are a whole bunch of Alfars in Cebu. I bumped into someone with the same surname some time ago, and he claimed we were distant cousins.