On my last day in Switzerland Brian was working and Bea took me for a hike. We went to another not too far from Zurich destination called Flumserberg. Everyone in Zurich goes skiing there and they call it Flums.
We had a beautiful day and even though the hike was about two-thirds longer than I was prepared for and Bea had to deal with a couple moments of her mother being a little grumpy while out of breath it was wonderful. For me, being way up there and the feeling of the fresh mountain breeze is uplifting and soothing like nothing else.
There’s the lake where we were swimming and paddle boarding a few days before.
Bea is such a strong hiker these days. The tables have turned and she urges her mother on. Seems like the hiking has helped her to deal with her stressful year. She sets her sights on some very difficult destinations lately.
I’ll finish this series of posts with a series of selfies from our hike. You can tell I was very happy to be with my daughter.
More photos from my trip to Switzerland. These photos show the fun we had getting into the water on a couple hot days.
First up Bea introduced us to something I’ve long wanted to do – a river float. It’s a really popular way for Swiss people to relax and cool off. We went to Basel and floated down the Rhine for a few kilometers. Everyone has a dry bag to put their shoes and clothes and towel in and there are lots of places to get in and get out of the water along the city center.
There’s Bea with her dry bag below. We didn’t have room for all our stuff in her bag so I got in the water first and Brian took some photos of us as he walked along the shore with my clothes. Then he did his float with Bea after I got out.
There were lots of swimmers – we are some of the little specks you can see in the water.
There were four bridges we went under along our route. And there were lots of boats but they mark the swimming area clearly and there is plenty of room for everyone to use the river.
There’s Bea getting out above. All along the river there were places to sit and places to buy drinks and food. Even some cool public grills that people were using. Such a nice atmosphere!
I didn’t get as many photos of Brian and Bea in the water but they are in the photo below – more little specks.
We went and had a drink (a delicious cold champagne cocktail for me) and a snack and then headed to the train station. What a fun day!
The next day we got to enjoy more time in the water.
We went to a beautiful lake called Wallensee – not too far from Zurich.
As I mentioned I brought Bea’s paddle board from the US so she was eager to use it.
I don’t think you could find a more beautiful place to paddle board – with the mountain coming right out of the beautiful turquoise water – it’s wonderful.
Bea paddle boarded all the way across the lake and then she came back and gave me a ride.
And here’s a photo of Brian – he had biked to the lake to meet us and then after our day of swimming and paddle boarding he biked home while Bea and I rode the train.
I appreciate that the Swiss make enjoying the water so easy. There was no fee for these fantastic experiences. They were not exclusive and only available for wealthy people or locals. There was no regulation or registration for paddle boarding. Nothing of the ridiculous frustration Bea had simply putting her paddle board into Lake Michigan around here. And yet they make it safe – there are posted signs about safety measures that everyone respects and the swimming areas are well marked. And there are always amenities nearby – clean restrooms and little businesses right there where you can get an ice cream treat or a cold beer.
I’ve just returned from a trip to Switzerland. I spent a great week visiting with Brian and Bea.
I felt bad leaving Claire home – she couldn’t come since she is taking a summer school class plus she is working. But luckily she had a companion.
I arrived in the morning and within a couple hours Bea and I were enjoying a refreshing swim in Lake Zurich. I brought her paddleboard from Wilmette – she bought me a Brezelkönig. A fair trade.
The next day they took me to the mountains. To the Brunni area and the popular Grosser Mythen peak.
I haven’t walked up a hill with elevation more than a meter in a very long time. So I decided to do only part of the hike. I sat in a restaurant and ate plum tart and knitted and gazed at the beautiful view. Brian and Bea did a classic hike to the top of that big rock below.
Here’s the restaurant where they ate at the top.
Here’s their snack.
Here’s their view. I’m down there in that building below.
We had to say good-by to our Itty Bitty Kitty Committee (Nellie, Sylvia and Boris). They are off to the shelter and I think someone is going to snatch them right up.
And here’s our new kitty – Edgar.
We hardly know him yet but he’s big and he’s sweet. Stay tuned for more Edgar content.
Here’s the description from Friday Pattern Company: It features Viennese seams, gathered sleeves, and a gorgeous scoop neckline. The bodice is lined and the skirt has an a-line sweep. It buttons up the front and has an adjustable lace-up tie in the back. The tie can be cinched in or loosened depending on desired fit.
I wanted a basic dress that I will actually wear. I chose a sturdy blue Tumbled Non Stretch Cotton from Core Fabrics (love them!). I should be able to pair it with lots of different cardigans or scarves. I skipped the patch pockets and added pockets into the side seams instead. And I used a completely different sleeve pattern because I did not like how the original sleeve hung. I used my Cashmerette Upton dress sleeve and it worked much better.
I think I will add a hidden snap or two between buttons at the top to prevent gaping. Overall – very happy with this dress. And I’m looking forward to taking it to Zurich soon.
Next – something completely new – a hat.
I took a hat making class at a local millinery shop called Brim and Dash. The woman (also named Kathy) who owns the shop and teaches the class was great – she talked to me about millinery stuff the whole time and I found it all fascinating. She also offers felt hat workshops – ooh – I really want to do that too.
Her hat blocks were just beautiful to look at.
The class ran from 10 am to 4 pm and it took the whole time to make my raffia hat. Shaping and hand sewing and more shaping and then choosing my finishing ribbon – it was so fun. She was a great teacher and she told me my stitching and my bow were good.
It seems the same thing happens every year – Summer comes and I feel I must make a cotton sweater and as I make it I am reminded that I don’t really like knitting with cotton. It has no spring, no life and as you wear it it gets saggy. I really should stick to just sewing with cotton.
And yet, I do like my sweater. I wanted some texture added to this basic and reliable pattern so, with lots of help from my knitting teacher, I figured out how to add this cable pattern.
So what’s next on the crafty agenda? I always have ideas swirling in my head and I have yarn waiting to be used. But I really should focus on my windows and going swimming.
There’s a fun new business in Chicago called The Strip Club.
From their web site: The Strip Club” is Chicago’s first and only photobooth studio featuring a collection of rare, vintage photobooths and our retro-style digital photobooths. Each booth has a different format and feel. Customers take their own photos the old-fashioned way, climb in the booth with a friend, pay for their photo, and have some fun!
Claire humored me when we were close by and we took some photos. So fun!
I have struggled the last couple summers getting motivated to work on my windows. And I realize it’s because it is at it’s heart a demoralizing endeavor
The reasons I am trying to restore the nearly 100 year old windows on my house are a) they are lovely windows that are a big feature of the charming exterior b) old windows are meant to be repainted and reglazed – they are made to last. c) when we briefly looked into window replacements the windows were very expensive and they would alter the look of our house in several negative ways.
So I tentatively began to restore my windows and I built confidence and I felt very motivated.
But now there are several things that discourage me (in no particular order).
First, the windows are made of old wood. Old growth wood has properties that make it strong and long lasting – new wood does not. Basically these windows cannot be made today. That idea blows my mind and also paralyses me.
I don’t have the carpentry skills or tools to do woodwork that is occasionally required – like when there is some rotted wood at the bottom of a window or the sill. Replacing a bit of the wood is called a dutchman repair. Where are all the Dutch men?
It’s very very hard to find craftspeople who are knowledgable and available to help you. I have found a couple but they are very busy and some aren’t available to work on smaller projects at all.
All the window people agree that old fashioned paints like linseed paint and oil paint are the best for windows but using or finding those paints is almost impossible. In the few years I’ve been doing this oil primer has disappeared while the available paints don’t bond as well to wood or they don’t let the wood breathe.
I learned about wood epoxy repair and used it a bit but have recently found that it really is not a long term solution – it will fail and that will be bad for your window.
So what is a person to do. A person who loves her house. A person who appreciates good architecture and a solid old building. A person who doesn’t mind learning new things and getting dirty.
There are some great resources – people who have been very encouraging (Scott Sidler and Stacy Grinsfelder) but after the initial excitement at the though that I could do the right thing for my house myself – I am very very discouraged.
And yet I carry on since overall I feel doing something vs nothing is better. So here are some photos of my current window project.
I bought shelling pea seeds because I forgot to order snap pea seeds and that is what the store had.
They were growing really well.
I made one small harvest.
Shellng peas is fun.
Most of them weren’t big enough yet – I needed to wait.
But I was able to make a salad from my little container of lettuce.
Yum.
But back to the peas. We had two days of storms and their trellis fell down… twice. I was able to pick them up and hobble together a sturdier support. But now the vines are all wobbly and a bit wilted. I’m just hoping they will survive until they are nice and fat and I can harvest them all.
Note to self – make a much more stable trellis next year.
I have lots of wild strawberries growing around in various beds and I’ve seen a robin eating them. And I’m trying to grow poppies (below) for the first time.
Peony season is done but it was great.
I follow a woman gardener online and she walks around her garden and refers to all the plants as “she” So I’m going to start doing that too. It seems appropriate.
And now I’m waiting for my green beans to get big and also looking forward to lots of annual flowers blooming.
I’ll begin with a springy photo of home. After a long stretch of chilly weather we are finally getting some warmth.
So here’s what my family members and I have been up to.
Brian took himself on a mini vacation to Lisbon a few weeks ago. He sent me several photos of interesting tiles.
We got to see Jennifer and Jenna on their way back from Madison. Everyone loves to visit us lately because we have kittens!
I went to our very mini Memorial Day parade with a friend. As I’d hoped – they did have grown men on tiny cars.
And then it was time for Brian to visit us here in Wilmette. Claire and I never eat outside these days because we would rather be inside with our kittens – but I do miss outdoor meals.
Brian was patient about the feline situation.
Then he was off to a meeting in New Jersey and then another in D.C.
In more kitty related news Claire and I were invited to the cat shelter’s fundraiser ball – they had a last minute cancelation so we got to dress up and hang out with a bunch of cat lovers.
This week Claire had exams and next week she starts summer school. Here’s where she sat studying for much of the weekend. The kitties are very supportive.
Bea also has a big exam coming up next week and then she will be done. She had the last two weeks off and spent much of it with a friend in Rimini, Italy. Here are some of the photos she sent from various places.
The photo below is from the hometown of her friend. The mountains glow red like this for a short time at sunset – called the Rosengarten.
She also found a two euro coin with an image of Trier Germany – the namesake of her high school (New Trier). The high school has a bas relief sculpture of the same Roman building on its exterior.
And back at home I’m doing some work on my old windows and of course I have some knitting and sewing projects happening too.
