Souvenir from Paris

I have not disappeared, no. I have been down with a bronchitis bug, caught from Mom, and brought back from Paris. I have not been motivated to work on photos from the trip, but thought I would post a few just to get going............. This was the prop jet we took from Munich to Prague. Only about 50 passengers aboard, but the seats were real leather and far more comfortable than the big jet we had just spent 10 hours on from Denver to Munich!



Prague favorites

Above was a beautiful building with artwork throughout. We ate dinner in the basement restaurant- 6 of us. When the bill was delivered we put out our credit cards only to find out they only take Diners Club. Who the hell has a Diner's Club card anymore!!!! We thought we would have to wash dishes, but then the waiter told us they would take American $$ and brought out his calculator. We had no idea of the exchange rate, and we probably got royally ripped off..... At least the dinner was great and the setting was beautiful.

Below is a shot of the tremendous downpour on our first afternoon in Prague. This is the main square, usually full of people, but emptied out quickly. Luckily we were enjoying lunch and a beer in a covered outdoor cafe. We did get drenched walking back to the hotel. We never forgot our raincoats again on this trip!!!!

Below is the famous Astronomical Clock on the square. We were so exhaused after our long travel from Denver, I said to Mom that it was the Anatomical Clock! We had quite a laugh over that.

This is another view from the square in Prague- with the sun shining this time.

It's Crunch Time

I leave for my Europe trip in a few days and I have barely started to pack. I have a laundry basket with items I took to California a couple of weeks ago, and have done most of my laundry, but I am so confused about what weather to pack for. Definitely a raincoat, but temps have been varying from the 40's to the high 70's. So I need to pack for all possibilities. The river cruise ship is casual as are the touring outings, but what the heck does "evening casual" mean???? That is what the literature says for dining aboard the cruise ship and I have no idea. On the other hand, I will probably be the youngest person aboard the ship (there are only 120 passengers possible) so how bad can I look with my wardrobe??? I am working tomorrow, but will pack furiously on Wednesday.

I still have not finished the shawl..........arggghhhhh. Instead of posting here, I should be knitting on it. I certainly will not have time to wet block it, so I think by Thursday morning (flight is at 2:05 pm) I should be able to steam press/block it into shape. Where ever I am on it by Wed night, I will add the six rows of garter stitch and call it done.

Tragedy has struck my nest outside the bedroom window. After several days of rain, the robin has abandoned the nest. The austrian pine must not have provided enough cover to keep it dry, and I am glad mother robin found that out before she laid her eggs! I had another bout with aviary nature today. I was outside and heard major squawking nearby. I looked up and saw a hawk in the cottonwood next to our driveway. She (or he) was working hard at breaking off a small branch of the tree, and once successful, she flew off across the street into another cottonwood at a neighbor's house to her nest there. I could not photograph it as it was too far for that, but I got an old pair of binoculars and watched for quite a while as it tended that nest.

Another tulip variety

Forget me nots

Snow on the Mountain

A few more flowers are blooming in my front garden. Some are bold and some are quite subtle. I will miss the burst of growth that will happen in the next few weeks, but here are a few more shots.

Tomorrow night, I will also start to sort through yarn to see what I want to take with me on the trip. The flight from Denver to Munich is about 10 hours, plus the wait time in the airport. I have my Ipod with a couple of books, lots of Podcasts, music and a real book. I should have plenty to keep me busy. I will definitely bring the booby socks, and maybe the ball of Noro Sock yarn for basic socks.

I need to run now and get another few rows in on my shawl.

Almost Time to Get Excited

Next month my Mom and I are taking a break-the-bank trip to Europe. Mom is turning 81 on May 4 and since my husband doesn't like to travel and my Dad passed away last year, we thought a fun thing to do would be to take a major vacation together. We began planning this last August and decided on a Viking River Cruise/tour which starts in Prague- 2 nights, then a 7 night cruise though southern Germany from Nuremberg to Trier, then ending with 2 nights in Paris. It is now less than a month away and today we received our vouchers and a travel kit with luggage tags and lots of info.

Better get back to knitting my shawl which I want to take with me. I have about 10 inches knit and I think I will need 60" at least! Glad to report, it is looking beautiful as it develops some weight and the pattern is showing up some more.

I also strung beads on yarn for another Odessa hat, this time for Amanda's friend Mary. If I make a lot of progress on the scarf, I will begin this before I leave on my trip. Otherwise, it can wait since spring is certainly arriving in NYC and as the days warm up, there is less need for this hat. Again the yarn is Rowan Cashsoft DK, this time in a soft pretty shade of pale grey. The beads are a variegated bronze color and the effect together should be nice.