EDELWEISS, EDELWEISS

           

Every morning you greet me

Small and white, clean and bright

You look happy to meet me

Blossom of snow may

you bloom and grow

Bloom and grow forever

Edelweiss, Edelweiss

 Bless my homeland forever
 

                         

You may recognize the words of the song written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for their musical The Sound of Music.  It is in reference to this unique flower, which grows on steep and dangerous mountains and is the national flower of Switzerland and Austria.  To many, it signifies deep love and devotion.  Men have been known to face treacherous mountain climbs just to pluck one for their beloved.  As legion has it, a woman who receives an edelweiss bloom from a man she is assured of his deep love for her.  For my 70th birthday, we decided to go see the Alps and, just maybe, an edelweiss up close by taking a 9-day tour of Switzerland and parts of Italy.  What an experience!

    The first leg on this journey began with an hour flight from Tallahassee to Atlanta and then another ten hours on Delta from Atlanta to Zurich.  This was tough but we bucked up, put our ear buds in, listened to music, watched videos, partook of the "free" food and beverages, and attempted to slip in a nap here and there. 

Zurich

     The first day and night were in Zurich.  Although we were tired from the travel, we were invigorated by making new friends. They came from all over the world and ranged in age from 8 to 78.  Seeing the audacious scenery, the cleanliness of the cities, and experiencing a variety of cultures that first afternoon was a great kick-off to our new adventure.   As we rode in the tour coach  through the Zurich City Centre, Ron whispered to me, "Toto, we are definitely not in Kansas anymore." 

Charlie Chaplain character

Lake Geneva

      Day 2 took us to Bern where we took a short cruise on Lake Geneva before we visited the Charlie Chaplin Museum and Mansion.


It was fun seeing vignette's of  the comedian's black and white films and characters from our youth.  The day ended with a peaceful night in Lausanne.

Castle Chillon

Mountainside vineyard

 















On Day 3, we traveled to Zermatt for 2 nights. On the way, we toured the Castle Chillon
and lunched at the local Lavaux vineyards.



 Sunrise on the Matterhorn

 Matterhorn view from the Cable Car

     












      The next day our group road gondolas and cable cars up the Alps for an amazing view of the steep Matterhorn which was once considered by climbers as the unconquerable King of the Alps.  In 1865, the top of the Matterhorn was successfully scaled for the first time by a seven-man rope team led by a British climber named Edward Whymper.  Unfortunately, the descent proved to be even more treacherous than the climb up and four of the men fell to their death.  Today, more than 2,000 people per year attempt to reach the top.  An average of 3-4 of those never make it back down.  It is beautiful but I think this adventure will not be included on my bucket list. 

     Our inner children came out when we were in Zermatt so we slid in the snow on inner tube skis.
 

 

Isola Bella palace

     Day 5  We traveled to Baveno, Italy for a cruise on Lake Maggiore to an island to tour the Isola Bella Palace.

Lake Maggiore island with Isola Bella Palace

     Day 6  We caught the Bernina Line train in Tirano, Italy and traveled up the mountain to the Pontresina station in St. Moritz, Switzerland.  We were awestruck by the views  from the train.

Cable car descending from top of Stanserhorn

Day 7  We traveled to Lucerne and boarded an old
 timer train in Stans to get halfway up the

View from the top of the Stanserhorn Mountain

 

Stanserhorn mountain and then switched to riding a recently installed open-air Cabrio Cable Car to reach the top. The views were magnificent! In the evening, we were entertained by a local group performing a Swiss Folklore Show during  a multi-course dinner which included fondue as the starter.  Audience participation was required.  Doing the chicken dance was a blast!  We all sang Edelweiss like it was our native song.  

     Day 8  We enjoyed some free time in Lucerne which we used to check out the local shops and searched for souvenirs.  We had to spend all our Swiss Francs, you know. We relaxed at a grassy park for lunch and watched the local paragliders

Paraglider in Lucerne

soar through the sky in tandem with many tourists.  

Ron enjoys the fancy farewell dessert.

        A farewell dinner with our new found friends, tour director, and coach driver wrapped up our tour that evening.  Some of our fellow travelers had plans to extend their trip to other countries and adventures.  We were sad to leave everyone and beautiful Switzerland but, for better or worse, there is no place like home and getting back to family. 

      By the way, in case you are wondering, we never saw an edelweiss flower.  I guess you have to hike instead of ride up the mountains to see one.  Maybe next time.  We did see many, many beautiful wild flowers everywhere we went and all the houses and hotels were adorned with window boxes full of multi-colored geraniums and other flowers.

 





 

    

 

 



    

          

 

CIRCLE THE WAGONS!

     

        Reds here.  Blues, you circle around back.  Greens, you're in the garden.  Purples, aka all others, find somewhere to be.  Somethings coming.  We have to hunker down in our camps. 

      Uh-Oh. Holidays are almost here.  No problem, we'll mix it up, and follow Peanuts' character Linus' advice in the 1966 It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  He said, "There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people...religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin." 

     Can't really speak to the Great Pumpkin issue but I'm thinking the politics rule has been blown to smithereens in the past eighteen months.    

      Conversations with people who agree with us, even if it is  in whispers, are easy.  We don't want to offend anyone, right?  But, be honest, when is the last time you had a one on one, face to face discussion about your political views with a friend or family member with an opposing view?  Now some folks post comments, links, or art work that reflects their view on  social media...Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, etc..  Many of these posts border on being downright nasty at worst or just plain ole disrespectful to a  "friend" with an opposing view.  Guess this is the new way and okay for some.  I wonder---there sure is a whole lot of blocking, defriending and opting out going on.  

     You would think since the election is over, the social media wars and protests would settle down.  After all, what's done is done. The politicians are giving  unification speeches out of the yin yang.  It's not working. Maybe unification happens one person at a time, not one politician at a time. Wouldn't working together to find some common ground be better than circling our wagons and shooting barbs at one another?  I believe love of family and friends will prevail but only if we demonstrate respect for one another, including on social media.   

      It would be very epic to see a train of all the colors circling together.  Perhaps Bruce Springsteen envisioned the same thing when he wrote the lyrics to "Land of Hope and Dreams."  Below is an excerpt from his song.  Peace be with you.

This train
Carries saints and sinners

This train
Carries losers and winners
This train
Carries lost souls
This train
Dreams will not be thwarted
This train
Bells of freedom ringin'
This train
Carries broken-hearted
This train
Thieves and sweet souls departed
This train
Carries fools and kings
This train
ALL ABOARD


   



       

ARE WE LISTENING?

            Are we listening?  I mean really listening.  It is an art you know.  It not only means hearing the words that slide off someone’s tongue but also deciphering the motivations and hidden meanings through observing tone, body language, and motivation.  

            Over the past few months, millions of us have stayed up past our normal bed times to watch some or all of the fifteen presidential debates.  Why? Now, I am not a politician, pundit or pollster but I surmise some have already made up their mind and only watch for the entertainment value and, admittedly, many of the debates have been laughable.  But, I believe the majority of us want to become informed and ultimately make the right choice about who is the best person to lead our country.  The dynamics of this election cycle are making it exceptionally difficult.

           Think about it.  Amazing promises of change abound from almost all of the candidates. Each candidate contends that they can do it better than the other because they are (A) establishment, (B) non-establishment, or (C) none of the above.  We want to believe our favorite candidate, at least at the moment, is the best and can do everything promised.  On the other hand, we are so disgusted with the partisan gridlock in congress we want to throw up our hands in despair and give up.  All the candidates claim they can tear down the barriers and get things done.  Bring it on! 

            But wait…hold the phone, push pause, and block the spam!   Are we not also observing name-calling, personal attacks, insults, cursing, and antics that mirror elementary school spats among the candidates?  Cute, funny…let’s think about this. If a person cannot even maintain common civility among just a few opposing adults, should we think they are going to react any different when a large group of legislators disagree?  Will they call them names and expect everyone jump to attention?  What if leaders from other countries simply have other ideas, at best, or disagree with them entirely regarding international issues, at worst?  Will they take their marbles out of the game and fly home?  

The candidates would like us to believe their campaigning demeanor is all part of the game but, if elected, they will magically develop decorum and represent our country with sagacity and finesse, domestically and abroad.   Of course, this incredible transformation from their campaign trail “anything-goes” persona to oval office stateliness will indeed allow them to instantly work through all opposition and fulfill all their promises.  Hmmm…

            The truth is very few us average Americans will ever meet or have a conversation with any of the candidates, much less really get to know them.  Making an informed decision about who to vote for based on a few soundbites here and there is difficult but it seems to be more important than ever to do so.  The world is changing and there is so much at stake. 

            Citizens do have the right to expect the candidate we ultimately elect to be president of the United States of America to not only speak responsibly but act with dignity, even under duress, every day not just when the mood strikes. Let’s put all the candidates on notice that we are looking beyond their promises and assessing their potential to inspire productive, meaningful relationships so this country can move forward.  Yes, we are listening!

Summertime, Summertime...

Sunflowers welcome the sun with delight








But Luna Hibiscus only open at night.

 Blueberries fresh from the bush are a delicious treat














And tater digging is pretty neat.


                 

 

Mowing in the summer is not

too cool

 





But a dip in a river
or pool MOST DEFINITELY RULE!

 

HOPE YOU ARE  ENJOYING YOUR SUMMER!

 

 

I'm Puzzled

   
         It all started last Christmas.  Ron gave me a 1000-piece jig saw puzzle entitled, "National Parks America."  This was appropriate for two reasons.  First, my bucket list includes seeing all the U.S. National Parks before I pass on to a better place.  Secondly, I grew up doing jig saw puzzles with my five siblings every New Year's Eve.  I loved the gift.  For the next few weeks, this puzzle dominated our dining room table. In between other activities,  I worked on it.  Ron also worked on it but our 12 year old grandson, Cole, turned out to be the quickest of all in recognizing the pieces that fit.  We completed it in just a few weeks.
    
     Hooked,  I bought more puzzles.  After all, putting together puzzles is supposed to be good to keep you mentally sharp and help prevent dementia.  I bought Ron a 750 piece puzzle entitled "Clunkers."  The finished puzzle depicted cars from the 1950s & 60s in a rustic scene staged in a colorful drive-through bar and restaurant setting.  He finished it within a couple of weeks.  My 6 year-old grandson Nathan, with his brother's help, completed a 100-piece Glow Zone animal puzzle shortly after. 

       Okay, I admit it, I got cocky.  I bought a 2000-piece Mega puzzle with very intricate zoo scenes. I spread it out on a large cardboard sheet on the table because I knew it would take a while.  No one wanted to join me in this challenge but after working on it a few minutes each day for several weeks I had almost all the edge pieces.  All was going well until we had guests for dinner and I had to move it. I mistakenly placed the cardboard with the puzzle-in-progress on the arms of a recliner in the corner.  Wrong move!  On the way to the bathroom, someone knocked it on the floor.  Oh my!  I would have to start all over again.  I decided to postpone the challenge. I put it away with a plan to bring it out again next New Year's Eve.

       So I was done with puzzles for the time being, that is, until I discovered www.jigsawplanet.com.  I learned I could put together puzzles, any theme or size,  to my hearts content for free online.  You are actually timed to see how long it takes you to put your selection together and where you rank with your competition.  This feature turned out not to be such a confidence builder for me. I completed a 63-piece frog puzzle in 20 minutes.  The top completer finished the same puzzle in 2+ minutes.  Determined, I did a 48-piece Mona Lisa in 17 minutes. The best time was slightly over a minute.  Bummer!  I guess I have a long way to go but can you beat me?