Laowai

We just got back from a great vacation to the Engadine area.

We stayed in a small town called Silvaplana – it’s especially beautiful because there are beautiful lakes and mountains everywhere you look. This is the area of Switzerland where a small group of people speak Romansch. The houses have very thick walls and they are decorate with pretty patterns.

We started out with a lovely Fall hike. Bea was in a great mood and she practically ran up the path.

The larch trees were beautiful.

Brian went on some nice long runs while we played at the town’s very nice playground. There was a zip line from one side of the playground to the other – Bea went back and forth on that thing about a thousand times.

We took a gondola way up into the mountains. Torture for poor Brian as usual.

It wasn’t the best day to go up in a gondola – we had a good view for a while and then it was complete whiteness when we went into the clouds. Strange feeling. 

You feel like you are perched on the tip of a rock way up there – like you could fall right off the mountain if you make a wrong step. And then you look at the map and are reminded that people ski off this mountain. Yikes. This is not Apple Mountain. The other thing that is remarkable about this area is it is very fancy – I mean there is a porche dealership on the edge of town. There are ads for expensive watches and spas in the gondola and I spotted a $500 sweater in a store window. The town of St. Moritz is just down the road and it’s historically full of famous and expensive people. Not really my scene, but fun to see all the same.

This is more our speed – Claire apreciating traditional alpine furniture – she kept telling me – Mom, I love this heart.

So we got to have our snowball fight on top of the mountain and the girls loved it. The next day it was supposed to be rainy all day so we were prepared to hunker down. And then the snowflakes started falling during our breakfast and they didn’t stop ’till after bedtime. It turned out to be a really nice day despite our cold toes. I had been thinking that I really would love to see this place in the winter and then it happened.

Then it was time to head home – our train ride went along a famous section of track that is a UNESCO world heritage site. The rail line was finished in 1910 and is the highest altitude transalpine railway and one of the steepest railways in the world. It was a beautiful ride – I couldn’t take my eyes off the scene and it made me feel amazed and fortunate.

We just got back from our little Fall vacation. We rode way up into the mountains and there was some fighting… snowball fighting.

Here’s the best photo of Brian pouring on the drama when Claire throws a snowball at him. 

I’ve got a ton of photos to sort through – we had a great time!

The main attraction… penguins of course:

I wish I had better luck capturing their faces lit up by the fish tanks. 

Hands out of my popcorn. Grrrrr!

We were more interested in climbing around than petting goats.

Here’s an exhibit that shows how pig poo can be converted into electricity. Bea often asks Brian how electricity is made – she likes to listen to him describe the various ways we get electricity. Add this to your repetoire Brian.

The end.

Now here’s something for Bea. It’s the 2+2 blouse from Oliver and S. I’ve made this pattern twice before – it’s nice to sew a pattern that you know. I was thinking I’d make a dress with this fabric, but she just doesn’t get much wear out of her dresses lately. She chose the stripes for the trim. I think she looks like she should be selling cotton candy and lollipops in a little booth with a pink striped awning. She’s happy with her new shirt.

We’re having weather that I suppose a snail just loves. All day it’s been cycling between rain and sun. It’s beautiful. Small pockets will open up in the clouds and you can see a bit of blue sky and then you can see the rays of sun coming down either into our windows for 20 minutes or they will shine onto the green hills across the lake and make the most vibrant green glow against the grey sky. Then it will be raining again the next time I look out the window and the sky will be a flat mass of heavy clouds. I listen for the rain (or absence of rain) every time I go under the sky lights. We’re stuck inside but at least the weather is putting on a show.

The Kid’s Clothes Week Challenge is just a bunch of bloggers telling each other that they will spend at least an hour sewing each day for a week and then showing off all the cute things they made. Since I like to show off my sewing projects and I find all the other ladies projects really inspiring – I’m in. Here’s what I’ve made so far.

I used the Music Box Jumper pattern from Oliver + S. I don’t know what to call the fabric – I’ve had it for a long time – it’s like an oxford shirt but it’s heavy and a little stretchy. And this is the first time I’ve used snaps. They sell snaps at our grocery store. I think I might use them on everything since they were so much easier than buttons.

I made the size three – I think it will look better once she has grown into it a bit more. But I’m happy – it was an easy pattern and I like jumpers.

Just a bunch of random photos from the last week or so.

I walk Bea out the door and few steps away from our apartment and then she walks the rest of the way to school. There she goes under the train tracks and up the hill.

After we leave Bea in the morning Claire and I take our time getting back home. She likes to pick these berries and we look at all the spiders and slugs. Eeek.

Brian took the girls on a hike last weekend. I worked on Claire’s quilt the whole time they were gone. So nice!

The quilt is almost done. It’s gone quickly. And now I’m on to the binding. I love doing the binding – it’s the home stretch and it’s straight and easy.

Bea lost her second tooth the other day. It had been loose for over a week – enough time to make a proper tooth pillow.

Here are the girls with the ipad. What in the world did we do before we had an ipad? And look they are actually playing together.

Next week is the beginning of Bea’s Fall holiday. I’d like to sew up a storm for the Kid’s Clothes Week Challenge. And then we go to the mountains on Friday.

Do you know about the Brambly Hedge series of books? I just discovered them and I have a big crush on all the little mice that make up the Brambly Hedge world. 

**** Warning for Grandma C. — lots of pictures of mice coming up! ****

I spent a lot of time as a kid drawing cutaway house scenes and setting up my doll house so this is all right up my alley. How can you not love the sweetness of the little mice with names like Wilfred, Clover, Dusty, Catkin, Primrose and Teasel. 

The stories are sweet but it’s the illustrations that really make these books special. They are very inspiring for little dollhouse creators. I hope Bea gets into that one day and has as much fun with it as I did.

There is even an animated series – it couldn’t be cuter.

We made some bread yesterday (Fannie Farmer’s wheat bread). Later I also made some chocolate zuchini bread. Bea tried some of the chocolate bread which is really like chocolate cake after dinner. She ran into the kitchen and said “Mom, there’s someting green in my cake!” Then she begrungingly liked it even though it had vegetables in it.