Laowai

Here are a group of photos that Brian took when I was in the US after my dad died. Look at all those sweet smiles.

Just moments before I took these photos this room was covered with scissors, fabric scraps, pattern pieces, pin cushions, bits of stuffing and thread. All the aftermath of making two Halloween costumes. 

Welcome to our living room. We usually come in through the elevator so this is our view when we get home. Down the stairs is the other door that you come through if you don’t take the elevator. There are the posters that I snagged at the brocki. They are from the 70s – advertising routes for SwissAir. The photographer is George Gerster. He did arial photography before everyone and their brother had a drone. The Canada poster shows logs floating in water and the USA one shows the everglades – the little white dots are birds. I love ’em (the posters, not birds). Our bedrooms are down the hall that you see in the middle below.

We have this funny little nook. It’s a good central spot for a desk and all the piles of papers that we need to sort and organize. And I love a good gallery wall so I stuck a bunch of photos of my cuties on a piece of oilcloth. If we were going to be here permanently I would paint the whole wall a pretty color to set it off. 

Here’s the view from the couch. This my view when I watch lots and lots of BBC.

The view from the patio door. You can see our dinning room table in the distance on the right.

This apartment has lots of funny angles and nooks that I don’t quite understand. One of these odd areas is the passage behind the fireplace/elevator block. It’s just a small space where you can walk along the windows from the living room to the dining/kitchen area. It’s so small you might hit your head on the beams if you are too tall. So I made it into our little playmobil land. There’s always lots of light so it’s a good place to play and the toys are sort of tucked out of the way too.

Here are some pillows I’ve made. I made the quilt block one recently.

So that’s it. It’s been fun putting this room together. This sectional used to be in our basement and it didn’t get much use. Now we are used to all spreading out on this roomy couch so I don’t know if we will be able to go back to our regular size one (this is riveting blogging I know). I love our new wooly rug and my round La Fonda coffee table. The best part is the view.

I use the Google translate app all the time. Thank goodness for it. Otherwise I would constantly be flipping through the pages of a German dictionary. And yet even thought it’s super helpful it isn’t always crystal clear. The other day we got a notice in the mail for some upcoming lectures at the local hospital. 

Here are the translated topics that made me chuckle:

Must I at all yet to the gynecologist?

Acidic Belch – Drugs or Operation

Hardness of Hearing Dizziness and Co.

My Knee Does Woe. Why?

If The Relaxing Sleep Fails.

And then there’s this that I saw in Michigan. You didn’t know Brian had a side hustle did you:

Claire and I took a little walk through the arboretum and orchard next to our apartment. Just to say hello to Fall.

That rhymes.

Brian ran the Lausanne marathon on Sunday. I think he said this is his 13th marathon. He seems strong and he seemingly does these marathons without much stress or effort. I like to see him feeling satisfied after he finishes. Lausanne is lovely – it’s in the French part of Switzerland. Just a couple hours from Zurich. The weather was brisk and we walked along the lakefront park the afternoon before the marathon. The girls and I slept in while Brian started the race the next morning. Then we went to the Olympic Museum that is right next to the marathon finish line.

This opening ceremony dress was, for me, the best part of the Olympic Museum (I want one). There were lots of interesting historical photos and all the torches from the modern olympics on display. It put me in the mood for watching the upcoming winter olympics.

Here are all the medals waiting to be handed out.

Good job love. I know it actually does take a lot of effort and we’re proud of you.

We got home yesterday. I’m glad the girls and I were able to be close to mom last week. Here are some random photos from our trip.

I loaded up on fabric while in the US – pretty prints and some fabric for Halloween costumes – here it is in the washer.

Bea and Tucker – she loves that dog!

We also spent a little time with Grandma C.

And the fall color was lovely:

I realized, sadly, we only have grandmas to visit now (no grandpas). But we are fortunate to be rich in the grandma department.

Here’s Bea living it up at the United Airlines lounge. We travel well thanks to all the miles that Brian accumulates.

 

We had a good trip but I’m ready to stay put for a while now. Sigh.

I’m back home and trying to fit into my routine. My head is distracted thinking about my dad… and my mom. The girls and I are going back to the US next week to see mom and have a mini memorial for dad/grandpa. My mom pulled out a bunch of old photos of dad when I was in Midland and it made me think of all the good times. I’m eager to show those photos to Bea and Claire. 

In the meantime life goes on here. Or as dad would say now and then, such is life. Our view out the window calms me. I can relax when I gaze out at the sunrise. When I’m up in the night because of jetlag I can look around the lake at all the twinkling lights. And today we saw something that made us smile – a blimp flying over Lake Zurich. It zig-zagged around very slowly. And eventually it came right over our apartment. Oh and the sheep are back – you can see them below. I love them so much!

My dad passed away earlier this week. I’ve been here in Michigan with my mom and my sister. I’m glad I am close to them now. 

You probably know that my dad was devoted to fishing the rivers around his home. You may not know that he has kept records of each fishing trip for years and years and years. He had these little papers where he recorded all the data. The stack below represents each time he went fishing in 2017. He wrote the weather conditions, the water temp, water clarity, where he caught the fish, which flies he used, what kind and size of fish he caught, insect activity, where he fished… About every third paper he notes that he saw an eagle.

The paper at the bottom was his last fishing trip – on September 14 – looks like it was a clear day and he fished from 9-mile on the Pine River.

It feels interesting, how certain artifacts from a persons life suddenly become so meaningful. These papers, his chain anchor, a sharpening stone from the grandfather that meant so much to him, his fly tying box – all these thing and some more that we will uncover seem very special right now.

Here is a happy photo of my dad where he was most content – on the river. And you can bet there is a bass and panfish data sheet tucked into one of those pockets.

My dad is unwell. He had a stroke on Monday and he is in the hospital struggling. I’ve never felt so far from “home”. I really wish I could be with my mom and dad and Jennifer hugging them. 

I want to tell my blog the news and I have to post here out of habit but there is not much else I can say. So I’m going to stay close to my phone waiting for news and I’ll post some colorful vibrant artwork that I appreciate.

The parking garage at our town’s swimming pool is fantastic. It’s filled with artwork – here are just a few snaps.

 

Today I am sharing some photos of my kitchen because I took the time to clear the clutter and because I like to share.

So welcome to my kitchen. As you enter by the dinning area there is a glass cabinet built into the wall. It’s a nice spot to put my beloved sentimental dishes and linens.

The biggest difference between this kitchen and my kitchen in Illinois is the light. The light! Our home in Illinois feels tucked into the trees and you can see birds landing on branches just outside my window. Here I am above all the trees and instead of seeing little song birds close up I see beautiful hawks sailing above the orchard out my windows. Even on the cloudiest day it feels bright here. When I unpacked our stuff some of my dishes seemed dusty – I couldn’t see the dust in our old shady kitchen.

Everything feels very reflective – the windows, the cabinets, the shiny countertop – it even has a mirror backsplash. Sometimes it’s too much light – like when the sun comes up and it’s going to be a hot day and you’re not awake yet. But I can’t complain really.

I have space and plenty of light to grow some plants.

It doesn’t look all that big but it’s a convenient kitchen and there is plenty of storage. Here are a couple views looking the other way toward the dinning area.

The view is really amazing – it changes every minute. The clouds and boats move about in the day and then lights twinkle all around the lake at night. It never gets tiring.