a relaxing weekend at home.

Much to the kids excitement, we planned on spending a relaxing weekend at home, cleaning out the house - getting ready for the move. Turned out to be a great weekend - beautiful, sunny 70 degree weather - but not much cleaning out.
Friday lunch at a great pub in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!! with good friends. It's literally at the end of a road off the end of another road in the Surrey Hills. (Friday Street in Abinger Common). Very pretty setting.
Stopped off in Dorking for some antique shopping on the way home. Ended up buying an old cast iron kitchen scale with a copper bowl. It weighs a ton. Cute though. I have no idea where to put it!
Met some ACU college friends for lunch on Saturday in Hampton Court village. Glad we could get a moment with them on their whirlwind tour through London.
Afternoon strawberry picking at the local "pick your own" farm. I think they are really about a week away from being really good, but overall, I believe strawberries are Britian's best natural resource. so good.
Saturday night BBQ outing with good friends who we will miss when we move. B asked if we were eating BBQ, but no, that is just the general term used for cooking outside on the grill and having an outdoor party. The weather was fabulous.
Today L and I went to Thorpe Park for some thrilling amusement park rides. On the hottest day of the year so far (27 C). If you want, check out www.thorpepark.co.uk and click on "rides" and then "extreme rides" to see the ride videos. They show some of the crazy ones. We rode Colossus and Nemisis. That Colossus video will make you sick with all 10 of the cork screws. Just imagine how that feels in person. lots of fun.
I also rode "Saw" - it was intense! L opted out due to the fact it goes straight up in the air at 90 degrees and flips right over to go straight down. Me? I sat on the front with some random teenagers. I'm sure they were wondering who the crazy old lady was.
B isn't into roller coasters too much, so she and DA went to see Night at the Museum 2 instead. (A note about Thorpe Park - if you remember a photo of Princess Diana going on a Log Ride with Princes Wills and Harry when they were young boys- that is Thorpe Park. We went on that ride today too.)
Fortunately for me :-) DA is a much better organizer/cleaner outer/stay on task- packer upper than I am, so he still managed to make good progress on B's room. My contribution to the day???? I went to pick up hamburgers from the hamburger shack that parks on the high street after 6:00pm. The kids keep asking why we dont have any "real" food. I guess all the bits in the pantry dont count. Besides I'm trying to clean out the pantry, not refill it! (can't ship back any food items).
No cool European travel, but enjoyed some good ole British fun instead. Great weather just makes everything better.
And the cherry on top ... Chelsea won the FA CUP. Go Blues!

Dream trip to Scotland

(posted by DA)

What a great weekend. I recently was able to mark two items off of my “Life Adventure List.” Each was as great as I had hoped and dreamed.

The first was a trip to St. Andrews Scotland, the home of golf. On the first day we played the Jubilee Course and then day 2 - The Old Course. I went with three close friends, Craig, Chuck, and Chris. They were great traveling companions and made the trip really fun. I took lots of pictures and will be more than glad to show each to you with a thorough explanation. ("beware," says Bridget)

I won’t bore you will all the details. Believe me; I could give a hole by hole account of my play. I had a great caddie named Frank Carter. He knew every part of the course, and I put my complete trust in him. There were several highlights for the trip, but my favorite memory will be hitting into the famous greenside bunker on #17 (The Road Hole). I hit my first ball successfully out and landed it about 12 feet past the flag. It was a great shot if I say so myself.

I was fortunate enough to be able extend my stay in Scotland for a day. I drove down to The Borders area of Scotland. This is the home of the famous Tweed River; one of the great trout rivers of the world. It was beautiful. My fly fishing guide was Steve. He was raised on the river and was extremely knowledgeable. It had rained hard the day before, so the water was brown instead of its normal crystal clear. Unfortunately, I didn’t land the big one. I fished really hard all day and only caught three. We tried nymphs, dry flies, and even a setup called “czech nymphing”. Oh well, I just enjoyed being out on the river.

It was a great trip. One I will never forget. I plan to do my best to get back to Scotland one day to play the other courses at St. Andrews and to catch the ones that got away.

O-V-E-R the top

I'm almost too embarrassed to post this story, but it's a part of my crazy life, so here goes.

DA planned a guys trip to play golf in Scotland (Old Course at St. Andrews) and do a little fly fishing as well. It just so happened that I was invited to go on a "plein air" painting course in France that same weekend. I declined so that DA could go golfing without any conflict of babysitters, getting kids to/from school, etc. I've had lots of opportunities to go and do with the girls and he has been working hard at the bank. Lo and behold, he surprised me by planning the babysitter and setting things up so I could go to France while he was on his trip. Earned some brownie points there!!!

Here I am sitting in Carla Bayle, France doing a little painting.

More scenes in Carla-Bayle just asking to be painted. ha. It's a very artsy town with tons of art galleries. This is just one colorful corner. Post office has the blue shutters.

Plein air (pronounced PLAIN air) means painting outside in the elements - quickly and with a limited color palette. Now I havent picked up oil paints in probably 35 years, but I did my best.

Our gite (pronounced zsheet)

The place we stayed (Manzac D'en Bas in Castex) is in the south western part of France. Our "gite" overlooked the Pyrenees mountain range that separates France from Spain. Our hosts bought this old farm house 6 years ago and have spent the time redoing every square inch themselves- including digging out and installing their pool. It is amazing the amount of work they've done from the run down, falling down farmhouse of old, to this fabulous charming little get away. (the family lives in the middle section with the green shutters). They saved every single thing they pulled out of the house, including lumber which they had denailed - and reused, to rocks to roof tiles to hay feeders, etc. They stored it all carefully and have tried to use it all in order to be environmentally responsible. Very impressive.

It was so beautiful there and the French food was amazing.

View from just above the house.

We went to a little Sunday market in Mont Bruen (??? spelling) that was filled with interesting characters and fabulous old buildings.

Market town. Aren't those buildings cool?

Here I am with my buddy Julie at the market.

We thought we'd be in for a little shopping experience, but it's more for the locals to buy things they need like juice, veg, fruit, plants, clothes, etc. plus Native Indian leather clothes (that was a shocker). I didnt buy anything, just people watched . The majority of folks were plain ole hippies. Dred locks, tie dye, haram pants - the works.

Our host family was so attentive that we jokingly ended up calling the husband "Giles, the sherpa". He carried our paint tables around, served breakfast, "elevenses", lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. He took us out on our field trip painting and kept the coffee/tea coming when we painted at the gite. It was so fun. Lots of fun and laughs - mainly geared toward our pitiful paintings!

Here's a sample of our work laid out in the "drying room". Mine are the 3 on the bottom right hand side.

I dont think I'll be selling or even framing my paintings, but hey, when will I EVER in my life have the chance to go on a painting course in southern France. What a blessed life!

Guten tag from Berlin, Germany

German and European Union flags

Took the first May bank holiday weekend to travel to Berlin, Germany - one of those important European countries that we had not visited yet. Wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. The interesting sights are within a fairly small area, so we were able to hit them all on one day. Their infamous history is so recent, and it absolutely amazed me how quickly things have developed there over the last 20 years. This November is the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the "wall".

Here are 2 images of the same sight - the Brandenburg gate:

This one just 20 years ago - it is taken from the West side facing the East side of Berlin. The wall is in front with the graffiti on it. (one confusing part - it wasn't the cardinal east and west side of the city. I think those were just descriptions of the controlling political sides).

Here is the same area today. Folks are free to walk through at their leisure. (Images are a little fuzzy since they are actually part of a hologram.)

There are 2 rows of cobblestones through the streets of Berlin that show the placement of the wall before it was torn down. Plaque reads "Berliner Mauer 1961- 1989"

One major fact that I had not really clued in on was that the wall wasn't always there. At first the border was open between the East (Communist) side and the West (Freedom) side. Folks would live on the cheaper East side, buy their goods there, but then work on the West side so that they could earn 4 times the salary. One night the wall was put up in secret, so in the morning the folks were cut off from their families, jobs, friends and even automobiles that were on the "other" side of the street from where the wall was placed. The animosity grew between the 2 sides and the death zone between the borders was heavily patrolled with illegal defectors shot on the spot.


Here we are at checkpoint Charlie, one of the more famous checkpoints to travel between the 2 sides. This building is actually a reproduction, but it is in the correct location.

I felt a little weird taking pictures of these places knowing that it was a place of death and strife for many. We tried to be respectful while at the same time learn facts about life at that time.


This shot is especially meaningful as we can just casually stand on each side of where the wall was placed, even though, within my lifetime, folks were killed for trying to make it to the Western side. Crazy to think about.


One really ironic thing is that this is a section of the original wall that is still standing. As hard as people worked to make the iron curtain fall, they have now actually had to put a fence up AROUND the wall to protect it! I'm sure there are some Germans who cannot even fathom that the wall is being protected.



We ended up taking a 5.5 hour bicycle tour through the city. It sounds challenging, but it is very fun. (Did the same thing in Barcelona). You ride on these cruiser bikes for about 5 min. over flat terrain and then the group stops for information about that sight and then you move on. It's very, very easy riding plus it's good, informative and the kid's don't mind spending all day on the bike. Great type of tour for our family.


This plaza was the sight of the massive book burning that took place in Berlin in 1933. Over 20,000 volumes burned.

Here we are with the Dom (Cathedral) in the background.

DA at the Brandenburg Gate. The brand new American Embassy is located directly to his right.

Pergamonmuseum -housing the original Ishtar gate of Babylon (of Nebuchadnezar's time). A replica of this gate currently stands on location in Iraq close to Saddam's former palace.

Pergamon alter - "the largest and most important treasure of Berlin's museums". From the Greek ruins of Pergamon (now in Turkey).

One especially impressive area in Berlin is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It is a very interesting plot of land with over 2,700 blocks of concrete set at various angles on undulating land. It is very disorientating to walk through, but really cool at the same time. Hard to describe and give the correct impression of it. A "must see" though. There is a museum underground, but it was too graphic. The kids and I walked through the first section of the museum and after that B decided it was too sad. She didn't want to see any more. I only learned later that museum is for 14 year olds and older. oops. Should have stayed above ground in the cement block area.

the kids within the cement blocks in the memorial to murdered Jews of Europe. (really, that's the official name)

All in all I'd place Berlin in the "been there, done that" shelf. Happy to have seen it and experienced it, but don't think I would ever make a point to go back as a tourist.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Monte Carlo, Monaco is over the top. It is just one main town over from Nice, so we took the train one morning and spent the day there. Monte Carlo is unbelievable. They were setting up for the Grand Prix through town, so there were lots of grand stands everywhere, but that isn't the crazy part. The opulence is what is crazy. Some of the fanciest boats, yachts, sports cars, etc. were all over this little country that isn't even 1 mile long. I just cant even put it into words. Some of the yachts were bigger than our house. We were there when the Masters Tennis tournament was going on, so the town was all dressed up for that too. Didn't have tickets to the Monte Carlo Country Club, so we didn't see any tennis. Ha. We even walked by a store on the main street where they sold "customized jets" like AirForce One. Always wondered where to go buy one of those.

A car show was being put on at the convention hall, so L begged us to go. These were "bespoke" sports cars (made to individual specifications). Cars that are featured on Top Gear show. Some car companies we had never even heard of right along side oldies like Lamborgini, Ferrari, Masserati, Bentley, etc. The Weismann was mine and DA's favorite car. L liked all of them, especially seeing a Bugatti (fastest car in the world) and he had B take his photo with every car. We have lots of those pictures. I guess if DA and I can take a million pictures of the water, he can take pictures of cars.

B liked this little number.

Matte black was the popular paint finish which I predict we'll see on a car on your main street soon.

We didn't catch sight of any of the Grimaldi family. No Prince Albert, Princess Grace or Princess Stephanie although we could see their palace perched on top of the rock cliff overlooking Monte Carlo. We ended up leaving their country a little earlier than planned. The kids were tired from walking up and down all the hills and were ready to get back to the hotel in Nice.

Nice, France

Nice, France. This is not a postcard, just a really good shot that DA took.

After we left Athens, we traveled to Nice, France. B says, "the 'i' is pronounced "ee". For those readers who are unfamiliar, Nice rhymes with Greece. Nice is located on the southern coast of France on the French Riviera. OOOOHHH. Fancy, huh? Well, it is fancy, but I'm telling you, it isn't because of the beaches. The beaches are rocks! The water is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful, the town is quaint, the boats and cars are cool, but the beach is made of thousands of rocks, no sand.
Notice the rocks.

To one little girl who walked all over the ruins in Athens with a good attitude because of the carrot dangled in front of her that she would spend a couple days lounging on the beach---- well rocks are NOT a welcome sight. She wanted sand. And to add insult to injury, the water was cold and the wind was blowing. 62 degrees is almost too cold to be laying out on the beach.


However, as shown here, she did have fun playing on the beach.


They don't even have lounge chairs and umbrellas on the beach that you rent, except for one little private beach area. Folks just lay their towels out on the rocks and lay down. So uncomfortable. I swear if those folks ever went to Destin, Florida, they would never go back to the French Riviera again.





However, I must say again that the water was really pretty. Very turquoise blue. The French food was good. Cant beat a fresh baguette and President butter. The buildings in the "old town" were so picturesque. Looks just like every French painting you've ever seen.

Flower boxes, laundry, shutters and terra cotta colored buildings - must be the south of France!

We got a kick out of all the French people who must wear their swimsuits under their clothes to work. They would come out to the beach at lunch time (noon to 3:00), remove their work clothes, and lay on the rocks for a little sun, then put their work clothes back on, pick up their briefcase and head back to work. Too funny. (yes, most women were topless, but at least they weren't changing their clothes out in the open as we have seen before).

Cracks me up to see him wearing his "fixin' to...the state verb of Texas" t-shirt on the Riviera! Looks just like the Beverly Hillbillies.


One of the most highly recommended outings is to go to the Matisse Museum. We talked to the hotel desk clerk before we headed out to confirm the best way to travel there. We talked to our taxi driver about it as we drove there and we looked on in amazement as we stared at the front door to the museum as it was locked. "Closed on Tuesdays" the sign said. Why hadn't anyone told us? That was definitely a bummer. We did not make it back either. Taxi ride was too expensive and we didn't want to repeat that cost again.

The French Riviera has a reputation of being for the rich and famous. One morning we walked through the antique stores which are located all along one street. L found a pair of paintings of a little white dog that looks like our family pet - canvas only, no frames. He told me he would buy one of them it with his own money if it cost about 20 Euro. I told him to ask the price. In heavily accented English, the owner said, "1,800". DA asked again. She clarified, "one thousand eight hundred euro for 1 picture"! We all choked, walked out and decided that we wouldn't be buying any French antiques on this trip.


L getting blasted by the freezing cold waves!