Serger Success!

There's a new baby at our house - a Baby Lock Imagine serger - and I am having a blast getting to know her.  I bought a used serger years ago but could never figure out how to thread the blessed thing.  After several years of moving it only to dust, I finally sold it.  About a year ago, I had the urge to try again.  I've been doing more garment sewing for the kidlets plus I've tackled a few things for myself with some success.

So, I researched and then visited sewing stores to try them out.  Not surprisingly, I leaned towards the more expensive Baby Locks with their jet air threading ease.  I managed to locate exactly what I wanted through the yahoo site, SewItsForSale, and made my purchase a few weeks ago.  Probably paid a bit more than I should have, but you can't take it with you, right?

Serger project completed - yippee!

Here is a picture of my first completed project.  I used Butterick 5948 and made view E.  I made no alterations at all.  In the garment sewing world, I guess you would call this my muslin.  If I make this pattern again (and I will), I think I'll lengthen it a bit to hide more of my hips.  Lordy, lordy ....

The fabric is from the stash I inherited from my mother-in-law so cost basis is zero.  I learned a lot and even wore the top out into the world today with DH.  That's always a good test - are you willing to actually be seen in the garment that you made?

This was a good choice for a beginning serger project, in my opinion.  Simple design and construction, but I had to think about how to put it together using a serger.  Construction is not quite the same as using a regular sewing machine.  This was a combo project - I did the neck facing with my Bernina and topstitched the hems on both the sleeves and bottom of the garment on the Bernina as well.  (My serger does not have a coverstitch.  A stand-alone coverstitch is next on my list but don't tell DH!)

I had lots of good advice about the order of construction from another favorite yahoo group, the Creative Machine Newsletter.  Those wonderful ladies gave me detailed instructions so I didn't mess up!

I love, love, love the way the inside of the garment is finished.  Just makes the whole project more professional even if done by a fair-to-middling sewist with hand-me-down fabric!

By the way, if you are not familiar with yahoo groups, check them out.  There is a wealth of information out there.  Fair warning - the SewItsForSale group can get expensive!

They're out there somewhere!

September 17 - Our room key is attached to a piece of metal that looks just like an extra large beer bottle opener.  DH did not want to lug this around, so he removed the key to carry separately. Sometime during the night, DH decided to open the window to our room to get more airflow.  In order to keep the window open,  he used the "beer bottle opener" as a wedge.  Whoops - bad move.  When we woke up in the morning, it was gone.  Considering the cost of things in Switzerland, this is probably going to set us back a hundred bucks!  DH went outside and looked all over but couldn't find it.  Hmmm ... should be another interesting hotel checkout!

Today is the day to go to Interlaken and see the Alps up close and personal.  Unfortunately, the weather is pretty gloomy.  The weather report earlier in the week indicated that this was the best day during our Bern stay to go into the mountains.  We're hoping that the clouds clear later in the day.

On the way to the train station, we walked by the Bernina store.  They had the full line of the new 300s in the window.  I'm looking forward to visiting the store later in our visit.

Too beautiful to miss

We really enjoy our rail trips.  The trains are so clean and quiet and the Swiss countryside is just beautiful.  I thought I'd be reading my book or doing my hand sewing during these train trips, but I can't stop looking at the views.  We could definitely feel the increased elevation as we made our way to Interlaken.

A bit touristy?

Interlaken has huge hotels and lots of tourist shops; it is the most "touristy" place we've visited.  We walked the length of the town, found the fondue restaurant that was highly recommended on the Internet, then decided to take the train farther up the mountains to Grindelwald.  The weather was still overcast.  The Alps were out there - somewhere! - but we couldn't see them.

This is the smallest train we've been on, one of the special cogwheel trains that go to the higher elevations of the Alps.  Shortly after we started the trip, the conductor came for our tickets and told us that our Eurorail Pass did not cover this train.  The mountain trains are privately run.  Not only did we have to pay an additional $52 to continue the trip, but we were on the wrong car!  At the next stop, we exited the train and got on the car right behind us.  They split the train at that point, and only a couple of cars continue to twist and turn their way up the mountainside.



Where oh where are you, Alps?

 We sat right behind the engineer and had a fabulous trip to Grindelwald along a beautiful river with rapids.  The Alps were covered in clouds and fog.  It is a strange feeling - you know they are there, but you can't see them.

DH thought he saw one of the military bunkers that Switzerland uses for their defense.  They apparently have a highly sophisticated and secret defense system.

Grindelwald is a bit less touristy than Interlaken.  The weather was chilly enough for us to have a hot chocolate and something sweet:  a schwarzwalmer torte (black forest cake) for me and fruchtekuchen (berry tart) for Doug.

Hot chocolate and sweets - yummy!

We took the cogwheel train back down the mountain looking forward to our fondue dinner.  Unfortunately, the restaurant did not start serving dinner until 6 p.m.

The Berner-Oberland Bahn

While wandering in and out of shops, we suddenly saw skydivers!  People pay LOTS of money to go up one of the mountains and skydive down into the town of Interlaken landing in a large open field in the center of town.  Someone would have to pay me LOTS of money to even think about doing such a thing.

There's a skydiver in there somewhere ....

We took the train back to Bern, had some wine in room, and dined at the Eiger, a family run restaurant near the hotel with excellent service and delicious food.  Clouds, fog, drizzle, and good memories of a special day in the mountains.

Random observations in Amsterdam

• Amsterdammers may not arise early, but they sure like to party late!  Bars do not have to close until 4 or 5 a.m., so there is street noise until the wee hours of the morning.
• The Flower Market was disappointing due to my expectations.  I envisioned row after row of stalls with blooming flowers.  Instead, the stalls are filled with bulbs, both packaged and non packaged, for sale.  The vendors will ship worldwide, but with my inability to grow anything in the garden, I will pass.  I did see bulbs that I have never seen in the U.S.  There are flower carts placed sporadically throughout the city with flower bouquets that are gorgeous.  I imagine there are more in the spring.
• When I open up my blog, Blogger opens in Dutch!  I was floored the first time I tried to blog until I realized that everything switched to English once I logged on.  The Internet truly is an amazing thing.
• One of the first things I saw this morning (Saturday) was a man dressed in a tuxedo with tails and a boutonniere riding a bike!  On his way to a wedding perhaps?  Shortly thereafter, I caught a glimpse of a car decorated with a fresh flower arrangement on the hood.
• You can take a guided bike tour of the city.  We've seen several groups.  I'm sure it would be lots of fun to pedal around, but I can't imagine trying to navigate the intersections!
• As in Copenhagen, the preferred lunch seems to be a small sandwich eaten while walking or biking.  "Lunchtime" is about 2 or 3 with dinner no earlier than 7 p.m.
• During the light rain the other day, many bicyclists were adeptly handling the bike and an umbrella!
• The street cleaner comes by often.  Garbage is left in plastic bags at a designated spot near the side of the road for pickup.
• The arches under the canal bridges are rimmed with small white lights at night.  Simple, but very pretty.

A day of firsts

Amsterdam does not wake up early it seems.  Even the cafe below our apartment, which only serves breakfast and lunch, opens at 8:30 a.m.  Imagine if Starbucks opened that late?  We slept so late in part because we did not hear traffic noise or bicyclists until after 7:30.  What a treat!

I cooked my first meal in Europe!  Fried eggs, bacon (which is round cut), toast, yogurt, juice, and coffee.  Actually, Doug made the coffee in the Philips Senseo.  We watched the canal come to life as we ate.

We planned for the day, which means that DH poured over the maps and highlighted a suggested route while I took pictures of our bedroom.  Isn't it cute?

Off we went on a convoluted route through a maze of interesting streets towards the famous Red Light District of Amsterdam.

Without warning, we sighted a scantily clad female standing provocatively in a window.  No doubt, we were there.  The Red Light District actually does have red lights which for some reason surprised me.  I was warned by a friend not to try to take pictures.  Rumor has it that you might have your camera taken and thrown into the canal.  I doubt if snipes.com covers this sort of thing, so we decided not to take a chance.  I have no pictures to share with you.  Considering that we were walking through the area about 11 a.m., there were quite a few girls already at work - young to middle aged, ivory to ebony, slim to stout.  In the middle of this unique district sits the oldest building in Amsterdam, the 14th century Oude Kerk (Old Church).  You can literally stand at the entrance to the church and see the red lights and occupied windows.

Along the streets of the city

We settled in a cafe right outside the Red Light District for a cup of coffee before heading off to the bustling train station.  Doug researched the tram system while I watched for pickpockets.  We tried to find a tour to the windmills and dykes at the visitor's center, but the tour we wanted does not run on Saturday, our only day to explore somewhere outside the city.  The visitor center guide suggested that we just take a local bus to the Zaanse Schans, a nearby town with working windmills.

Letting our adventurous spirits guide us, we tackled the tram system and headed off towards the museum district.  It was raining softly as we exited the tram at The Van Gogh Museum.  Fortunately, the museum has a lovely cafeteria where we ate a "club sandwich" Dutch style - salmon, butter, capers, and thinly sliced cucumber.  Yummy!

The Van Gogh Museum has a security system that could rival any airport.  The museum has over 200 Van Goghs in its collection as well as works from other masters such as Monet, Renoir, Picasso.  We watched an informative short video on the life of Van Gogh then explored the four floors of the museum leisurely for several hours.  I had seen some of the paintings at the Los Angeles Museum of Art when they were on special exhibit, but seeing so many of his works in one collection was quite a thrill.  Occasionally, I would enter a gallery and gasp -- there's a Monet! there's a Pissarro!  a Renoir!

We walked "home" among Amsterdammers finishing up the work day and heading to their own homes.  The grocery store was mobbed with shoppers.  As we got closer to the apartment, we noticed the cafes and bars full of young people sipping after-work beers and visiting with friends.  At our favorite little cafe a block from the apartment (Cafe Wheels), we sipped our own cocktails (Bombay Sapphire on the rocks with a lemon) and asked the bartender about smoking laws.  The Netherlands adopted a no-smoking law in pubs and restaurants only two years ago - the 14th nation in Europe to do so.  If you sit at one of the outside tables, smoking is permitted.  Interestingly, he mentioned that Ireland was the first in Europe to adopt a no-smoking law!

View from our dining table

There are water taxis on the canals.  It is fun to watch people in business attire on their way home from work laughing and talking with others on these taxis.  Reminded me of taking the bus or the train home everyday with the same people and developing friendships.

Tomorrow, the Anne Frank House then more adventures on the streets of Amsterdam!

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!

It's a small world after all ...

A few months ago, I battled my way through Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat.  The battle had nothing to do with Mr. Friedman's book or his writing style.  The battle had to to with my advancing age and decreasing ability to read non-fiction for a sustained period of time with any level of comprehension.  I take it slow --- very slow --- and stop reading when I realize that for the last 3 pages, my brain has been on the dim setting.

This is a great book, and I highly recommend it.  It may not be the book you want to take to Cabo San Lucas, but it is something that you should put on your "must read" list.

Although the book focuses on the global economy, business, government, and how technology has contributed to the flattening of the world, I couldn't help but be reminded how each and every one of us is affected by these changes.  I have an etsy store where I am slowly, but surely, selling the clothing that my MIL purchased in Sri Lanka over 30 years ago.  In the past week, I have made the following sales:

• to a lady in Germany who lives near a town we will be visiting in September
• to a buyer in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, the town where I was born and raised
• to another buyer in Sterling Heights, Michigan, the city where DH and I bought our first home

Pretty small world, isn't it?  In each of these cases, I was able to instantly communicate via the Internet and share stories, memories, a piece of my life, with people who had been absolute strangers until our lives connected through technology.  Pretty amazing stuff.  It wasn't all that long ago that communication was via sailing ship or wagon train or pony express and took months and months.  Now we gripe if the download takes more than a few seconds!

The awesome power of the Internet

I don't know about you, but I'm regularly awed by the power of the Internet.  Since I went public with my blog just a few days ago, I've had readers from all over the world.  It's been an exciting adventure and also a geography lesson!  I've had lots of fun looking up the names of cities, and even countries, that I've never heard of before.  Thank you, thank you, to all of those who have taken the time to visit.  Please come back!

How does it happen that my words can be read from these distant lands? Beats me. But I'm glad that this wonderful technology is available. I'm also glad that I'm not one of those seniors who avoids learning new things - or at least trying to learn!

There is some disagreement about when the Internet was "born." Most experts point to 1969 as the birth year.  (You can read a little about it here; for a more indepth history, go here.)  National Public Radio had a really funny piece last month on Morning Edition called "An Ode to the Internet's Big Bang." You can read the transcript or listen to the actual broadcast.  I think it's funnier if you listen.  After you listen (or read), see if you can figure out what all the terms actually mean.  Funny stuff.
 
Speaking of 1969, it was a really interesting year.  I Googled "what happened in 1969."  Here is what I found in less than 2 seconds on this amazing Internet:

• Richard M. Nixon becomes President of the U.S.
• 1/4 million people march on Washington, D.C., to protest the Vietnam War
• Neil Armstrong becomes the first human to step on the surface of the moon
• Ted Kennedy & Chappaquiddick
• Charles Manson & Family
• Woodstock
• Pontiac Firebird introduced
• First ATM installed in the U.S.
• Test flight of the Concorde
• microprocessor invented
• Sesame Street debuts
• The Beatles' "Abbey Road" released
• Brett Favre is born (sorry - remember, I'm a football fan!!!)

And that's just a partial list.  Quite a year - I remember it very well.  It was the year that I fell in love with my best friend.  He's still my best friend, and he cooks for me every Sunday.