Well, it's been a long, been a long, been a long time ....

.... since I blogged.  No excuses here.  (I hate those bloggers who tell you all their reasons for not blogging - I just had other things on my mind.)

Anyway, Happy St. Patrick's Day!  DH absolutely loves corned beef, so there is no reason at all that I only make it once per year.  Well, maybe one reason - the kids hated it!  They would tease me unmercifully in hopes that I would forego the annual ritual.  No way.  I was raised by a mom who celebrated every holiday imaginable regardless of ethnicity.  (We were probably the only pseudo-Protestant family who ate fish every Friday, pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and latkes during Hannukah.  Mom's goal was to celebrate every day.)

Over the years, I've gone from the traditional stove-top corned beef, to the crockpot version, to the Dutch oven version, etc., etc., etc.  Here is my tried and true, never fail, would even serve it to company version.  It was a success again tonight with DH.  Enjoy!

OVEN BRAISED CORNED BEEF BRISKET

4 pounds center cut corned beef brisket
1 lemon -- ends trimmed
1 onion -- peeled
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
6 whole cloves
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar

Trim and discard most of the surface fat from brisket. Rinse meat well under cool running water, rubbing gently to release its corning salt. Lay meat, fattiest side up, in a 2-inch deep, 11 by 15 inch roasting pan. Thinly slice lemon and onion and lay slices over meat. Sprinkle with peppercorns, allspice, and cloves. Set pan on middle rack in a 325 degree oven. Pour about 8 cups boiling water around brisket, seal the pan with foil, and bake until meat is very tender when pierced, about 4 hours. Uncover and drain off all but about 1 cup of the liquid. If desired, reserve the lemon and onion slices and rearrange them on top of the meat. In a small bowl, mix the mustard and brown sugar; spread evenly over meat, on top of the onion-lemon mixture. Broil about 8 inches from heat until the mustard mixture begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the brisket to a platter. Serve hot, warm, or cold; slice meat across the grain.

The only problem with this recipe in our house is that there aren't enough leftovers.  DH had thirds ... oh, my.

How to tell the holidays are over ...

No one will eat the remaining Christmas cookies.

Merry Christmas!

I finally feel human again after fighting this bug for weeks.  Managed to get everything done for Christmas, even a little extra project for my SIL.  Tomorrow, we're off to Ventura County for the long holiday weekend.  Thankfully, our wild Southern California weather has returned to normal after six extremely wet days.  I can't remember ever having rain this intense for such a long period.

We'll have our traditional spaghetti dinner Christmas Eve at our daughter's house with most of the family.  I imagine the two oldest grandchildren will be beside themselves with anticipation and excitement!

Christmas morning, we'll again be at DD's house to exchange gifts and enjoy Flo's Serbian Eggs.  My favorite boss, Sylvia, shared this recipe with me years ago and it has become a family favorite.  We usually serve it with sausage, croissants, and fresh fruit.  For Christmas, there will also be mimosas!

FLO'S SERBIAN EGGS
6 eggs -- beaten
1 pound Jack cheese -- shredded
1 pound cottage cheese
1 cup Biscuit mix
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine -- melted
1 teaspoon dried onions
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together.  Pour into a buttered 9 x 13 pyrex dish.  Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
My sister is hosting Christmas dinner - roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans - yummy!  There will, of course, be cookies everywhere we go!

Does it sound as though Christmas in our family is all about the food?  Well, food plays a big role but it is really about being together and celebrating this most festive time of year.

My very best wishes to all of you for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

How to tell that you're really behind on Christmas tasks ....

• It's ten days before Christmas and you're still finishing up the fall placemats you hoped to use in November!  (See great tutorial on easy placemats over at I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts.  Yes, they are easy; but you still have to plan enough hours in the day to finish them!)
• You have the full-blown flu including a low-grade temperature, aches and pains.  Therefore, your mental and physical speed is about 15 mph instead of 95 mph.
• The gifts are wrapped - whoo hoo!  None of them, however, have bows or gift labels (unless you consider green post-it notes labels).
• The most important thing on today's "to-do" list is to convince DH that we can skip the holiday letter this year.
• Thoughts of making any last-minute homemade gifts flew out the window about 2 a.m. this morning when the latest coughing spell took over.
• DD called to ask what cookies I would be making so we don't have duplicates.  Cookies?  I'm supposed to make cookies?
• Today's weather is cloudy, damp, and gloomy - a perfect reflection of my holiday spirit.

I'll feel better tomorrow - promise.  Please, Santa!

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Someone brought the flu bug to Thanksgiving dinner!  DH and I have been sick on and off since Turkey Day.  Our son, Matt, also caught the bug as did all five members of our daughter's family.  Now, several in the family have either had relapses or succumbed to another bug.  Fortunately, everyone is muddling through and getting on with Christmas preparations.


Little Helper - Jackson



I had a blast the week before Thanksgiving looking for appropriate designs to put on aprons for the kidlets.  The pictures aren't the greatest, but you can get an idea how they turned out.  Unfortunately, only Talia was interested in donning her apron and actually helping in the kitchen!



Tasha still naps in the afternoon, so a full day of family and festivities without a nap just about did her in.  So much fun, however, watching her explore the house and play with the toys that we keep here - all new to her!  Jackson rushes into the house and immediately heads to the toy box and demands that we empty the entire box so he can dig right in.  Tasha's apron says "More sprinkles, please!"  Couldn't resist this design since our daughter loves to bake, and she often sends me phone pics of the kidlets mixing the dough at the kitchen counter.

More sprinkles, please!



Sugar & Spice - Talia



Thanksgiving is all about traditions, of course, and one of ours is that the kidlets go on a walk with Grandpa collecting colorful fall leaves to adorn the table.  We started this tradition at Talia's first Thanksgiving.  She was all of 9 months old!  Miss T., the elder, is now closing in on 5 and has graduated to working with Grandma to decorate Oma's Thanksgiving table.  Note how seriously she takes her decorating!

Miss T.., the elder, aka Martha Jr.

I'm just about ready to take the turkey carcass out of the freezer and make soup.  Although it's unseasonably warm in Southern California today (supposed to hit 80 degrees), the weather will turn cool and rainy towards the end of the week.  Soup weather .... here's a very good recipe for Turkey Rice Soup.  Enjoy!

TURKEY SOUP WITH RICE

1 turkey carcass
2 stalks celery with leaves -- coarsely chopped
2 carrots -- coarsely chopped
1 onion -- peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
8 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups chopped leftover turkey
1 cup frozen or leftover corn
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, combine carcass, celery, carrots, onion, bay leaf and water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours over medium low heat.  Strain and discard vegetables and bones.  Reserve turkey stock.  In a large pot, melt butter and cook onions until tender. Stir in celery and thyme. Stir in carrots and rice and toss to coat. Stir in turkey stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables and rice are tender, approximately 30 minutes.  Stir in turkey, corn, and parsley. Return to simmer and season to taste.

Back to the kitchen (where I belong?)

Another Thanksgiving, another marathon cooking session.  Thanksgiving is "my" family holiday by default.  Most of our family members live in Ventura County, California, a little over two hours' driving time from our residence.  However, my FIL, who is 90, lives just an hour from us.  Thanksgiving is the only time during the year that he gets to see our children and grandchildren (his grandchildren and great-grandchildren) so I persist in being the go-to cook on Thanksgiving.

I do love to cook, but this is beyond a normal cooking session.  Being a firstborn, and seriously anal, I have several plans committed to the computer.  I have a recipe plan, then I have a weekly plan, then I have a daily plan, followed by an hourly plan for "THE DAY."  YIKES!  Why do I do this to myself?  Answer:  because I know no other way of doing things.

Following the day-to-day plan, yesterday I made the turkey spice rub, shredded the Swiss cheese for the corn bake that my son-in-law loves, and checked the silverware, china, and crystal for spots and other indelicacies.  Today, I made the sweet potato casserole (no one will know that it is 2 days old by the time they are eating it), chopped up all those veggies that will eventually go into the dressing, corn casserole, and brined turkey.  Then DH and I cleaned the rented tables, set them up in the dining room, ironed the rented tablecloths, and placed the carefully inspected china, crystal, and silverware on the table.  Thanks be to the heavens above, my placecards that were made last week (according to plan) look fabulous with the candles that were bought several weeks ago on a whim.

Bright and early tomorrow morning, I will make the dressing (thank you, friend Merle), simmer the turkey stock, cook and mash the potatoes -- and hope that all this is done before FIL shows up!  Once he is here, I will feel obliged to converse, discuss financial deals that don't really interest me at all, and play hostess all the while stressing internally about what is and is not ready for the big day.  Please, oh pretty please, let him be late in arrival ....

Oops -- also on the agenda for tomorrow:  get the serving dishes down from the incredibly high shelves in the kitchen, remind DH to sharpen the knives and watch videos on YouTube about carving turkeys, remove turkey from the plastic wrapper and find all that stuff that they hide inside the various cavities so I can use it to make stock, wash the turkey roaster -- oops - find the turkey roaster, then wash it, review cooking instructions from Butterball, set timer for Thursday so turkey goes in the oven in time for a 3 p.m. dinner so that DD and family can eat and be on the road to get back to Ventura County in time to put the kidlets to bed before their nervous systems are completely destroyed.

Best part of today?  Telephone conversation with 3-year-old grandson who requested crackers and chips for Thanksgiving dinner!!

Reminder to self:  Relax and have fun!

Hmmmmm ....

Here's what I've been up to

It took me a few weeks to "settle in" after our trip.  After a brief hot spell, the weather in Southern California has turned a bit wintry which encouraged me to get back to my sewing room.  Here are some recently finished projects.

A friend from our quilt club gave me the pattern for these cute Halloween placemats.  The pattern is Pumpkin Party by Susie C. Shore Designs.  I know they'll be covered in sticky food residue once I give them to the kidlets, but I still couldn't resist them.  Can't wait to give them to my favorite Halloween goblins!

The September/October issue of Creative Machine Embroidery has a fun project that tempted me.  I haven't used the embroidery module on my Bernina in quite awhile.  I've enjoyed stitching these doorknob hangers - one for my daughter, one for my sister, and one for me!  It's not exactly a quick project since there are multiple steps.  Still fun, though.

I found a tutorial for a small bag that intriqued me.  I thought maybe I'd reduce the weight of the bag if I used a smaller one!  I do like the finished bag, but I totally messed up the directions.  I had one of those flashes of understanding in the middle of the night and realized what I had done wrong with the pattern.  The bag is actually supposed to be a few inches shorter and not so narrow looking.  This is something that I need to be aware of when using tutorials from blogs -- it's lovely that bloggers give these patterns away for free, but they aren't professional pattern writers.  I need to scrutinize the patterns a bit more before diving head first into a project!

I love the fabric, though, which I purchased last week during our group's shop hop.  We stopped at Quilt in a Day in San Marcos, and Eleanor Burns was actually in the shop!  She graciously offered to pose with us for pictures (didn't have my camera - shame on me), and signed patterns and even a fat quarter!  Then she gave us a personal tour of the room they've remodeled to give them more cabinetry, cutting areas, and sewing tables for creating the quilts.  Quite a lot of fun for all of us.

I'm generally not a fan of yo-yo's, but I thought the bag needed an extra something once I finished it.  I do like the yo-yo trim, especially with the addition of the button from my button jar.  I used the button sew-on program on the 640 along with the #18 foot.  Worked perfectly!

Home, home, home ...

We've been home for several weeks, but I wanted to finish my posts about our trip.  Now I enter real time!  That means, I need to post about what I've actually been up to since returning home -- paying the bills, finishing the wash, etc., etc., etc.

Just a hint -- I've been sewing, casting my ballot, reading, and enjoying a bit of Southern California rain!

There is nothing better than reading in bed while the rain is pounding on the windows.  Love it, love it, love it ....

Does the sun always shine on Lucerne?

September 20 - Lucerne was much less crowded today than yesterday.  Obviously, a day trip to Lucerne on a sunny Sunday is the thing to do in this part of Switzerland!

Me enjoying breakfast at the hotel

The Dying Lion of Lucerne

After a lovely breakfast on the balcony overlooking the river at our hotel, DH and I walked to the Lion Wall monument (the Dying Lion of Lucerne) which is in memory of the heroic death of Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792.  We met a family from Sri Lanka who asked us to take pictures of them with the lion in the background.  We told them we had eaten Sri Lankan food just the other night.  They’ve travelled much in the US and have been to San Diego, the Grand Canyon, and Disneyland.

Along the Swiss "riviera"

We opted for a two-hour cruise from Lucerne to various towns on the lake.  We pulled away from the dock at noon with the church bells ringing.  There are large hotels in each of the towns along this part of Lake Lucerne which is sometimes called the Swiss Riviera.  I loved the town of Weggis.  Once again, we enjoyed gorgeous views of the Alps.

On our return, we strolled through town stopping wherever we saw interesting stores or structures.  They have a great idea here called Rent-a-Box.  Individuals rent small boxes in a store window to sell pieces of jewelry.

I know we look like typical tourists with our cameras, etc., but today DH outdid himself.  He hates to be uncomfortable and has a very narrow range of temperatures that he tolerates.  So, afraid that his little tootsies might get the least bit cold, he actually tied a pair of socks to the outside of his backpack and walked around town like that until I spotted it.  STOP!  I insisted that the socks go inside the backpack until needed.  What a dufus ....

Look closely - that's me on top of the wall!

Towards the middle of the afternoon, we walked alongside the Musegg wall which was started in 1386.  I actually climbed one of the towers and walked along the top of the wall for a bit before making my way down.  DH is afraid of heights, so I get to do these scary things all by myself and he gets to take a picture of my exploits for posterity.



$100 parking ticket - not for us!!

We enjoyed some wine on our balcony then took a lovely walk to the Schlüssel restaurant.  Finally, Swiss fondue! (Check out the menu on the restaurant site - we had the pumpkin soup and the farmer's style fondue - yummy!)  After dinner, we slowly made our way back to the hotel across one of the footbridges admiring the lights adorning the wonderful city of Lucerne.
I've loved almost every part of this trip, but I think I will remember Lucerne most of all because of its beauty.  Tomorrow, we're off to Zurich for our last night before heading home.

Can I really be in this beautiful place?

September 19 - We packed our bags and made our way to the Bern bahnhof to catch a train to Lucerne.  As usual, we saw many busses during our short walk - one of them had seven sections!   I love watching the sectioned busses turn corners.  The transportation systems in The Netherlands and in Switzerland are superb.  In the cities, the busses and trolleys run on electricity so they are very quiet and clean.

I finally had my first clear view of the Alps - gorgeous!  Once again, I noticed the garden sheds next to each of the many roadside gardens.  The Swiss must love their gardens.  Lots of donkeys today, too.  I wonder what they are used for on the farms.

Hotel des Alpes overlooking the river

Our room was not yet ready at the Hotel des Alpes so we left our bags in the locked storage room and headed out in search of a place for lunch.  The weather was the nicest we have had, so an outdoor lunch at the Meisterkonditorei (Old Town store) was in order.  Calzone and beer - don’t they go together just like ham and cheese?  And, there is a Starbucks two doors down from our hotel!

DH contemplating lunch!

I’m hearing more American accents here than anywhere else.  More English in general.  Today is Sunday, so Lucerne is full of tourists from out of town as well as out of country.  So many couples holding hands! Lucerne is absolutely gorgeous and very romantic with its swans, flowers, and medieval bridges.

After lunch, we walked along the waterfront admiring Lake Lucerne and the many sailboats and tour boats on the lake. DH noticed a group of men playing a game similar to petanque or bocce ball. They were speaking German, so perhaps it is the German equivalent of bocce.

View from  our balcony!

We got back to the hotel and checked into our room. The Hotel des Alpes is on the River Reuss with views of the Chapel Bridge and the Water Tower -- an incredibly beautiful sight.  We have a balcony on the first floor, which we Americans would call the second floor.  I can see the entire downtown area, four bridges, swans galore, and the Alps!  Doug splurged on this one, but it is worth it.  This is classified in the tour books as a “middle class” hotel.  Whew!  It’s costing us more than any B&B we’ve ever been to in the US!

Our room is small, but the balcony certainly makes up for it.  I decided to live out of the suitcase since I’ve lost track of clean vs. dirty clothes.  While DH unpacked in his usual leisurely fashion, I sat on our balcony listening to a violin player, watching people enjoying their lunch in the outdoor cafes along the River Reuss, and taking in the views of Lake Lucerne and the snowcapped Alps in the distance.  I am a very lucky gal! Am I really here in this beautiful place?

Chapel Bridge at sunset

We are closest to the flower-adorned Chapel Bridge, one of five pedestrian bridges crossing the river, so I can watch people strolling across and stopping to take pictures.  The river is very clean; swans, mallards, seagulls, and coots enjoy the water as well as the bread tossed into the river by visitors.

I kept thinking that this is my reward for all that "budgeting by envelope" that I've done over the years.  My second thought was that I want my children and grandchildren to enjoy this beautiful, beautiful city.

We spent the afternoon walking and walking and walking.  If the scale is not my friend when I get home, I’ll be pretty miffed.  We stumbled on a restaurant that has a reasonable menu for fondue and decided that it would be the place for our special dinner at the end of the trip: The Hotel zum Schlussel, Schlukelftube.

DH wanted to check out the river cruises so we explored the lakefront.  Our Eurorail pass allows us to take a lake cruise for free.  We’ll do a 2-hour roundtrip tour on the lake tomorrow.  We had another one of those unexpected surprises while on the lakefront.  A group of 20 costumed revelers on bicycles were riding round and round a large fountain in front of the art museum adjacent to the lake.  They did not have signs, so we don’t know what the occasion was -- but they were certainly having a wonderful time.  They looked a lot like circus clowns, blowing horns, etc.  Fun, fun, fun …

We had a great dinner of fish and chips at Gracie Kelly’s Irish Pub while watching the Bears vs. Dallas on tv!  A small taste of home ....

More pictures of this beautiful city:


One of the towers at the medieval wall




Flowers everywhere




Looking across Lake Lucerne



Fondue restaurant perhaps?



Taking the Road Less Traveled

We tried to check out early at our hotel today, but the server was down.  They could not process our bill on Mastercard.  Fortunately, an ATM a few doors down spit out 6 crisp new $100 franc notes and off we were to the train station.  I don't know how the Swiss can afford to live in Switzerland!

Once our train was in the Bahnhof (station), we looke for our reserved seats in Coach 4.  We were separated for about five minutes with me standing on the platform securing the luggage and Doug on the train looking for our seats.  I was getting nervous as it got closer and closer to departure time; these trains wait for no one.  We are so reliant on cellphones to communicate!  We even call one another in department stores to find out where the other one is.  I did not like feeling alone and abandoned at all ....

Fortunately, Doug found our seats, we boarded the train, and sped our way from St. Gallen to Bern along the beautiful, green countryside of Switzerland.  This train was a double-decker, so our views were spectacular.  We should not have spent the extra fee for reservations since the train was only about 25% full.  How do you know?

Bern architecture

We arrived in Bern and made our way to the Hotel La Pergola.  Unfortunately, the street we chose did not have a sidewalk -- we ended up dragging our bags down steps and over dirt pathways through a park.  I don't think rolling luggage was designed for this type of "travel."  I need to be more forceful with DH when he comes up with these schemes.  I ended up with several big, bad, ugly blue bruises from the luggage banging into my leg.  Of course, if we had been more patient (or, heaven forbid, asked directions!), we could have avoided this route to the hotel.  This is a read-between-the-lines message to friends and family who will know exactly what happened!

A small section of Bern's shopping arcade

The hotel is back off the street a few blocks from the Old City so it is nice and quiet.  We checked in and wandered through the streets of Bern.  As the capital of Switzerland, it is the largest city we have visited since Amsterdam.  Lots of traffic, both foot, bike, scooter, bus, tram, and car.  Even the intermittent rain did not stop us from walking through the seemingly endless arcades of shopping.

The most delightful aspect of travel is the unexpected.  We heard live music coming from a square adjacent to the shopping area.  A military band was playing!  We stayed and listened for a few minutes enjoying the music.  Fun, fun, fun!


Toddler enjoying fountain spray!

The fountains of Bern are quite interesting.  We ran across several today; we will try to see all 11 of them in the Old City before we leave.

We slowly made our way back towards the hotel and came across what looked like the American Embassy.  Three soldiers stood outside, with one female soldier holding an automatic weapon.  DH tried to take a picture of the building, and a soldier shouted at us not to take pictures!  We tend to follow instructions when there are weapons involved .....

There's a first time for everything department:  we can't get ice at this hotel!  So, my favorite bartender served our bottle of red wine unchilled.  We ate dinner at a cozy Italian restaurant across the street owned by a Spaniard -- delicious spaghetti a la carbonara for DH and cannelloni for me.  Weather permitting, tomorrow we walk 'til we drop!

Our Day in Alsace

We were already docked when the alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, September 10.  Dozens of swans swam near the ship including a youngster who has not yet turned white.  We hurried through breakfast and took off for a canal cruise and walking tour of Strasbourg, France.

The beauty of Strasbourg

I did not realize that the old city of Strasbourg is an island surrounded by a lovely canal.  The architecture is quite different from what we have seen in the last few days.  I’m not a student of architecture, so I can’t really describe it.  Our guide described them as “half-timbered houses” with roofs made of terra cotta tiles shaped a little like beaver tails.

There are flowers everywhere, mostly geraniums -- adorning bridges, filling window boxes, encircling lampposts.  We went through two small locks on the River Ill (pronounced “eel”) during the canal cruise.  I am certain that the sounds I hear in the middle of the night are the sounds of making our way through a lock.

Looking skyward at the Cathedral

The Strasbourg Cathedral is, of course, the centerpiece of the old city.  It’s spiral rises hundreds of feet in the air.  The next time you are frustrated when a home remodeling project takes longer than expected, remember this:  it took 250 years to build this cathedral!  As in other cities we have visited, the cathedral is under constant repair and renovation.

During our free time, we shopped a bit and took pictures as we walked from street to street.  Strasbourg is charming and definitely a place to return to. These visits are all too short!

In the afternoon, we took an optional bus tour along the Alsace wine road which is 190 km long and passes through over 100 villages and countless wineries.  Before getting on the wine road, we saw fields adorning both sides of the motorway, primarily corn grown for oil and white cabbages to be turned into sauerkraut or "choucroute." You can actually smell the cabbage!

Each time we wove our way through the narrow streets of a village, I wanted to stop the bus and see the sights.  This is one of the problems with being on a tour; you trade off your freedom to explore in exchange for the security of a bus and guide.

At some of the villages, we had to pass through stone portals dating from the 13th and 14th centuries.  Our 21st century bus was only inches away from the sides of the portals.  DH and I could see scrapings on the portal walls from drivers who were not quite as adept as Willi, our driver for the day.  We encountered a detour and Willi had to back up the bus!

Wine Tasting - Yum!

In the town of Barr, we visited Domaine Klipfel and tasted four different wines from the Alsace wine region: a Reisling, a Pinot Gris, a Pinot Noir, and a Gewürztraminer .  Wonder of wonders -- DH and I were actually able to taste the difference between these wines and the ones that we normally buy from Trader Joe’s!  David explained each of the wines and gave us hints about what foods would best accompany them. Surprisingly, I liked the Gewürztraminer the best.  It is a wine that I usually do not like.  But this one was exceptionally spicy and not overly sweet.  “Gewurzt” means spicy in German.  David said it was normally served with strong cheese or foie gras at holiday time.  It is best if stored for 5-6 years.  I think I’ll look for a nice bottle when we get home.  I’d like to serve this wine to my French brother-in-law who thinks that only red wine should be served with cheese!

On the way home, we made a short visit to the lovely town of Obernai, also called Little Strasbourg, where I bought a "bretzel."  How can you visit Germany without having a pretzel?

Captain’s farewell dinner is tonight.  We’ll be staying onboard tomorrow and not going on the trip to the Black Forest so we can relax, pack, and get these blog posts posted.  After so many days of vacation, I do not need a piece of Black Forest cake!

Approaching Cologne, Germany

Our dinner last night was quite enjoyable.  We shared a table with Joan and Ken from Nova Scotia.  There is one sitting for dinner (7 p.m.), and seating is open.  DH likes this setup because we can sit with different people every night.  That part I enjoy, but I miss getting to know individual servers who learn what you like and don't like.  My sister and brother-in-law would be so proud of us -- we are "dining" rather than "eating" and often spending two hours at the table!

Cruising overnight was uneventful, and we awoke late to a very overcast sky.  Rain is inevitable today, but we will survive!  When we visited Gdansk several years ago, it was pouring rain and it turned out to be one of the best days of our trip.  Maybe Cologne in the rain will be the same.

The Felicity offers two choices for breakfast:  buffet in the dining room with made-to-order omelets and a variety of other hot and cold dishes, breads, fruit, etc., or a light breakfast in the lounge with rolls, juice, coffee, tea.  Although the food choices are limited compared to ocean liners, we find no fault so far.  Wine flows freely during dinner.  There is a one-hour cocktail hour before dinner where drinks are 2 for 1.  No complaints there!

The river is wider than the man-made canal leading from Amsterdam to the Rhine, but not as wide as I had expected.  Riverbanks on both sides are lush and green.  There are intermittent industrial areas.  Occasionally, you can see a small village with lovely homes.  Once per hour or so, you can see trailer parks/campgrounds with older, small campers.  Apparently, Germans rent a camping space by the year along this part of the Rhine and leave a camper parked for weekend visits.  Interesting!

The main attraction in Cologne is Kölner Dom.  The Cologne Cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe.  Building commenced in 1248.  Although the cathedral was hit by 14 aerial bombs during World War II, it remained standing.  The incredibly tall building was perfect for allied aircraft to use as a landmark from which to calculate bearings to other bomb targets in Germany and Southern Europe so the cathedral was left intact for future missions.  Think of the stone masons and other workers who toiled over the centuries to construct this magnificent edifice.  Never would they have imagined that their efforts would aid a future generation defeat a horrific enemy.

The longest day(s)

Good morning, Amsterdam!  We left our home on Tuesday, the 31st, at 3:30 a.m. in the morning.  The limo took us to LAX without incident.  There aren't a lot of cars on the freeways at that time of the morning even in LA!  I've never driven so fast on the 91 -- it's usually one long parking lot.

The downside of leaving so very early is that we had a 3-hour wait before boarding the plane.  Even with a leisurely breakfast and a few long walks around the terminal, it was boring.  The plane trip from LA to Philadephia was fine, and the layover in Philadelphia was less than two hours.  We must have missed an incident in Amsterdam the day before.  Whatever happened resulted in extra security for everyone flying to Amsterdam.  Both of us had our hand luggage personally checked and "swiped" with some kind of cloth/chemical.  We passed!  And all of our checked luggage was inspected as well.

4 1/2 hours on the first flight, then over 7 on the trans-Atlantic flight.  My nervous system gave out somewhere over the Atlantic!  I tried to sleep, but with the overhead movies on throughout the entire flight and two infants on board, it was a futile effort.

As we came down through the clouds into Amsterdam, the spacious green landscape unfolded.  Everything is lush and green.  You don't see that much green in Southern California even in the rainy season.  And water is everywhere.  I was finally feeling the excitement of the trip!

The airport is very modern and huge.  If I had been less tired, I would have explored the intriguing shops.  One was just full of Crocs!  Doug was a bit harried by this time and also overwhelmed by the complexity of the airport.  We did manage to find a Starbucks!  Then bought a phone card, contacted Franklin about our apartment, and arranged for a shuttle to a hotel within walking distance of the apartment.

The apartment is adorable.  We are over a cafe that is open for breakfast and lunch.  You enter our apartment through a door at street level, then climb a flight of very narrow steep stairs to the next floor with a kitchen and sitting room.  There is Internet access and a nice tv/stereo system and comfortable seating.  Susan, the proprietor, left lots and lots of food -- cheese, lunchmeats, fresh fruit, milk, juice, eggs, quiche, butter, fresh bread, coffee, tea.  The top floor houses the bathroom and bedroom - with an iron bed.  Quite cute.  Will post pictures later.

We unpacked a bit then headed out to explore the city and to try and stay awake as long as possible.  The canals wind throughout with bridges every few blocks.  Most people are on bicycles with a motorscooter here and there, a few cars and delivery trucks.  As a visitor, watching the traffic is amusing.  We haven't quite figured out how to cross the streets safely.  There doesn't seem to be a "right-of-way" rule!  Pretty intimidating.  Our best bet is to find someone who looks like an Amsterdammer and walk across with them!  From time to time, you can see personal boats on the canals as well as tour boats.

We found several nice antique stores to roam around in and a terrific lace & trim store.  Hope we can find that one again - I saw something I wanted to buy for the girls.  Also stumbled on a long shopping street with recognizable shops (even Foot Locker) similar to the shopping area in Copenhagen.

The weather is fall like - mid 60s and sunny.  Most people are wearing coats or jackets and long pants.  It's funny how Americans stand out just because of the way we dress!  Most women are very fashionably dressed.  I saw several wearing a new style of pant with flowing trouser legs.  Hard to describe, but very flattering.

We found a nearby corner bar for a beer and a hamburger then continued to explore.  I think we walked 10 miles!  DH and I decided to come back to the apartment to shower, unpack totally, then just eat some of the goodies here for dinner with a bottle of Bordeaux wine we purchased when we finally found the grocery store.  We did just that.  At about 7:30 local time, we both decided that we were desperately in need of sleep.  Believe it or not, we slept about 12 hours straight!

Off on a grand adventure!

DH and I are off today on a 3-week adventure.  The adventure, unfortunately, begins at 3:30 a.m. when the shuttle picks us up for the drive to LAX.

We both celebrate our 65th birthdays this year.  It is also our 40th wedding anniversary.  Spending big bucks seemed the appropriate way to celebrate!  We fly to Amsterdam for a 4-day visit, depart on an Avalon Rhine River cruise, then spend about 10 more days exploring Switzerland from several cities.  We'll be traveling via rail in Switzerland on our Eurail pass.  Talk about an adventure!  I don't do well getting on and off trains (something about my past lives, perhaps), and DH has us on a train every day once the cruise is over.  We may have to discuss this a bit.

There is so much to look forward to on this trip.  Our stops are all new to us.  We enjoyed walking along the canals of Copenhagen immensely several years ago and hope to have a similar experience in Amsterdam.  Visiting the Anne Frank House will be emotional, I am certain.

We plan to taste German beer at each stop along the Rhine!

We are even spending a day in Steckborn, home of Bernina International.  We'll take a tour of the plant, then I get to play in their Creative Center.  I'm hoping to have a demonstration of the cutwork tool to see if it might be something I would actually use rather than just keep in the box.

Inspite of our determination to pack light and do without e-mail and the Internet for three weeks, we just couldn't do it.  So yesterday we hopped over to the shopping center and purchased a Toshiba netbook.  It's cute!  We'll have access to our e-mail and the Internet from time to time on the trip.  I hope to blog a bit, as well.

Packing is done, refrigerator is empty, bills are paid, books returned to the library.  Alarm is set for 2:30 a.m.  Next stop - Amsterdam!

Another kick-in-the-pants reminder --- do it now!

On the day I received my official driver's license at the ripe-old age of 17, I called my grandma and invited her to go shopping and lunch with me as long as I could drive her car.  Typically for a teenager, I procrastinated.  I never did take my grandma to lunch.  She committed suicide before my 18th birthday.

Decades later, my DH and I planned a weekend visit with dear friends who had just built their dream retirement home on a beach in Mexico.  Something - who remembers what - interfered with that visit.  Shortly after our postponed visit, my dear friend passed away from lung cancer.  I did not even know that she was ill - she was that kind of person.  Keep it personal, keep it close to your chest, be brave, be stoic, be undemanding.

Last Saturday, DH and I attended a memorial service for a friend of 20 years.  Bob was the best man at my sister's wedding; we attended his retirement party; we've hugged his wife, daughters and granddaughters, numerous times.  We've camped with Bob, we've partied with Bob, we've raised a glass of "gout" with Bob - we never imagined that we'd be saying goodbye to Bob before his 70th birthday.

Bob was a Vietnam veteran, wounded several times, and a tireless advocate for the Disabled American Veterans.  Bob was married to Renee, a Frenchwoman whom he met while stationed in France in the late 50s and my brother-in-law's aunt.  We talked about vacationing in France and finally getting to meet the family and seeing La Boule.  We didn't do it.  Time ran out.

I'm revisiting my bucket list.  Tonight, take at look at your own bucket list.  Your personal timetable may not be in synch with life's timetable.  Do it now!

One proud momma - make that two!

I spent last Sunday at my daughter's house working on a cute little sundress for Talia's first day of school in September.  Sara had seen an adorable dress on display at her local JoAnn's over the summer and fell in love with the pattern.  Unfortunately, by the time we got around to checking on the pattern number, the store had replaced the sample with a fall dress!  We researched online, asked clerks at several of the stores, checked and rechecked, then finally settled on a substitute pattern that resembled the first one.

Sara took Miss T., the elder, to the store to buy the fabric.  Big mistake!  Sara had her heart set on coordinating print fabrics that are so plentiful now for children's clothing and quilts.  Miss T., however, zoomed in on an Ariel print!  How could we not see that coming?

I loved working with Sara on this project.  Sara's home economics classes in school consisted of making an embroidery sampler and a batch of chocolate brownies.  Being a working mom myself through most of her growing up years, I had put my own creative sewing on the back burner in lieu of keeping the household running and the bills paid.  I have some regrets that I didn't at least do some simple sewing with my daughter while she was growing up.  Add that to the list of "things I would do differently if I had the chance."

The manual for Sara's sewing machine (a very nice Husqvarna Viking) is "somewhere in a box in the garage."  The first time we tried to sew together at her house, we couldn't figure out how to wind a bobbin.  I ran to the JoAnn's and had the salesperson show me how to do it.  Did I take a picture?  No.  Did I write down the instructions?  No.  For this project, I ordered a duplicate manual for Sara.  Hurrah!  We now know how to wind the bobbin properly.  Progress!

Every hobby has its own language, I suppose.  Those of us who have sewn for years take our language for granted.  Sara had difficulty with the pattern instructions not because they were written poorly or unduly complicated.  She simply does not know the language of sewing.  She's a quick study, though, and was gaining confidence with each step.

Here's Talia's first day of school dress made by her proud momma.

And I am so very proud of my daughter who told me as we finished that she might make another dress from an easy pattern.  Now we have all three generations interested in sewing.  Isn't that lovely?

Darci's Dress Up Quilt - Doll #12

The old cliche - seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - seems appropriate today.  I've finished the 12th block and am well on my way to completing the next one.  I have two more pieces of fabric from our quilt group swap.  Drum roll please ..... I even have ideas for those!  My goal is to finish these last blocks before we leave on our trip to Europe.  (More about the trip later.)

Here is block #12.  Maybe it's the butterfly button that I found somewhere in my travels or maybe it's the white collar, but something about this block tickles my fancy.  Many of the gals from my quilt group have drafted new collars or sleeves or pockets or even dress shapes.  Their creativity seems endless.  I'm intimidated by straying from the rules, but I took a chance and drafted both a new collar and new sleeves for this block.  I like both of them.  I'm using the sleeve pattern for the next block as well.  It's hard to see from the picture, but I used a yellow thread for the buttonhole stitch on the main part of the dress and on the white collar.  I think the yellow against the white adds a little zip especially with the butterfly button.

So, I'll have 15 blocks when done.  Now the math part .... how do I make 15 blocks stretch into two wallhangings -- one for Miss T., the elder, and one for Miss T., the younger?

He's back! Or, Grandpa goes to summer camp ...

My love of professional football started years ago when I would watch the Sunday game on tv with my dad.  In those days, games were only played on Sunday afternoons.  Usually, one game was broadcast in any market as long as it wasn't subject to a tv blackout.  My dad worked 6 days a week; so, Sunday afternoons with him at home were pretty special.

My passion for the NFL and the Raiders, however, dates to the late 60s and early 70s when the Raiders could actually win games and championships and when a 40-something football legend, George Blanda, often saved the day by kicking a game-winning field goal.  I loved this guy!

If 60 is the new 40 (sounds good to me), then 40 must indeed be the new 20.  Brett is back!  Yup.  The on-again, off-again retirement of Brett Favre is off-again.  He has returned to the Vikings summer camp to begin yet another quest for the Vince Lombardi trophy.  Brett, who turns 41 this fall, became a grandpa last spring and wants to give "one more try" for a Vikings Super Bowl berth.

I'm a committed Raider fan - Commitment to Excellence or needs to be committed - you choose!  But watching Brett Favre play football is pure joy for this football nut.  The man loves the game.  The man gives everything he has to the game.  It's just FUN to watch him play!  By the time it's obvious that the Raiders won't be headed to Cowboy Stadium on February 6, 2011, I'll be pulling for Brett and the Vikings to head that way.

Go, Grandpa, go!

Darci's Dress Up Quilt - Doll #11 (Finally)

I've noticed over the last few days that my energy is returning.  Hip, hip hooray!  Life was getting to be a bit boring, I must say.  I think spending the weekend with family celebrating our daughter's 33rd birthday and playing with the three kidlets - who have an endless supply of energy - forced me into recovery mode.  Lunching with some dear friends helped lift my spirits, too.  Or maybe it was just the passage of time.  Today marks four weeks since the surgery.  I am now free to go swimming, have a tub bath, soak in the spa - and remove the last remnants of tape covering my boo-boos.  Normalcy!  Can't be beat.

I finished up another dress block this week.  At a recent quilt show, I purchased two small hand-crocheted red hearts.  I intended to use one of them on the bodice of a dress, but the scale didn't seem right to me.  So, they became pockets.  The mini-rickrack also seemed a better scale.

Four more to go.  I already have an idea for the next dress with a fabric that is not quite pink, but not quite salmon either.

I'm still crazy about the Nook e-reader that Doug bought for me.  I'm halfway through Emma by Jane Austen.  This was my favorite Jane Austen book as a teenager, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it the second time around.  Barnes and Noble sends me an e-mail once a week offering about a half dozen of their classic editions for free download.  So, I loaded Howie (that's the name I gave my Nook - guess why?) with a few of the titles on my "Books I Should Read Before I Die" list:  Women in Love, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Sons and Lovers, Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, Three Musketeers, Dracula.

Now the problem is to find time to read all these wonderful classics and still keep up with the bestsellers that I enjoy.  And sew.  And play.  And see the family.  And travel.  And visit with friends.  And sleep.  And blog!