CRAFTING IN THE NEW YEAR

I have started my 2008 stash busting. I refuse to buy anymore yarn until I get some of what I have down to something that is a little more manageable. Well...until the Maryland Sheep and Wool.

I would not call this a New Year resolution because I never keep them so I felt that maybe this year I would just say that intend to use up a lot of my yarn.

The first hat called the Nehalem Hat by Oat Couture, www.oatcouture.com, can be made with either DK Weight or Heavy Worsted Weight. You also have a choice of brims, cable or ribbed. It was fun and quick to make. The only adjustment I made was that I did not have any beads so I used three crochet corkscrews. I wear my hair in braids for most of the year and is hard to find a hat to get all that extra hair under. This hat is perfect for that.


The yarn is very soft Berroco Foliage. It is a thick and thin yarn so I used the DK weight instructions but the the size 9 needle of the Heavy Worsted pattern.
Worked out beautifully.


Crocheting the corkscrews for the Nehalem Hat made me want to crochet a project. I learned to crochet years ago and made my daughter's coming home outfit from the hospital. The only crocheting that I have done in recent years was teach a co-worker how to crochet because she wanted the Martha Stewart coming home poncho. This hat is a free Lion Brand pattern.



It is just called Suede Cap. I have some suede yarn left over from a purse exchange that I was in. The yarn is by Reynolds and is called Cabana. This was quick, quick.

I am off to a good start I feel.

Happy New Year-2008 Has Great Promise

TWAS THE MONTH AFTER CHRISTMAS

Twas the month after Christmas, When all through the house,
Nothing would fit me, Not even a blouse!
The cookies I'd nibbled, The eggnog I did taste....
At the holiday parties, had gone to my waist!

I remember the marvelous meals all prepared:
The gravies and sauces, the beef "nicely rare".
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese,
And the way I NEVER said, "No, thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt,
And I prepared once again to do battle with dirt,
I said to myself (as only I can),
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a MAN"!

So---away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip!
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished,
'Til all of the additional "ounces" have vanished!

I won't have a cookie, not even a lick!
I'll want only to chew, on a celery stick!
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot, and quietly cry.

"I'm hungry...I'm lonesome..and life is a bore
But isn't that what January is for"

Unable to giggle, No longer a riot!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD DIET!


(author unknown)

A Great Christmas

I had a most fantastic Christmas. The first 5 pictures are from a calendar that a family friend gave me. Don't you think that this is terrific!















My son got me the Keurig Single Cup home brewing system with the cup maker so I could use my own coffee. It works great for coffee or just hot water. I am loving this .









My daughter got me the The New Pathways for Sock Knitters book. I had been looking at it and wanting it but just had not gotten around to buying it. Feels good to have it now.











I am still in awe and smiling because I HAVE MY WOOLEE WINDER. I know it will not make my spinning better but no more stopping and starting to move the yarn, now it will at least look pretty on the bobbin. Get ready for some fantastic spinning...well...maybe not fantastic.













My friend Vicki sent my favorite coffee, Creme Brulee, this beautiful sparkly yarn and goodies. There were more goodies but this is all that made it home. I made this scarf for Vicki from a pattern at Garn Studios-Drop Design. It can be knit in a day with bulky yarn. I also made my daughter a black one and a grey/blue one for me. I lose my scarves when I am working so this one will work just great.








Okay, I am through bragging. Hope everyone had as great a Christmas as I did.

For the next year I plan on concentrating on my spinning and weaving but will keep a knitting project with me for when I can not get to my loom or spinning wheel.

I have great plans for the New Year.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

1st Sweater and Studio Tour

I thought I would give you a close up view of my sweater. On the sleeve is the cable stitches that I mentioned in my last post.







My daughter and I went on a studio tour in our area on Friday. We had a chance to meet and talk with the owners of 2 studios that offered handspun and hand dyed yarns and jewelry; owners of a Handmade fiber art Gallery that featured several local artist; hand painted furniture studio and a winery. There were several others that we wanted to go to like a hand blown glass studio and a pottery but time and weather was not in our favor.


Our first stop was Kiparoo Farm, www.kiparoofarmstudio.com
















I always stop at the owner, Annie Kelley, booth when I go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool in May. She has beautiful kits, yarn and her own patterns. I ended up with yarn and patterns to make some mittens and a scarf. The mittens will be knit and the scarf crochet. I really like this rich red. The yarn is wool and mohair.




Next, we went to Dancing Leaf Farm, www.dancingleaffarm.com
My daughter, TeAntae, had discovered her years ago when she needed to take a spinning lesson. Both Dancing Leaf and Kiparoo are farms. They offer completely different yarn and both are worth going to. I brought this gorgeous bright yarn from Dalis to make socks. The yarn is 100% superwash merino.























Our next stop was Lahara Gallery and Textiles. www.laharatextiles.com
I brought and insulated quilted lunch sack. I also signed up to take a rug hooking class this spring.






























Our last stop was Stone Wall Farm, Kathleen Balogh, offered hand painted glass ware as well as hand painted furniture. The sign said to go to the barn and it really was a barn. I loved it and wished I had one.

Proud Mom and 1st Sweater

So much has been going on these last few weeks. I finally finished my first sweater and wore it to my son's graduation. I am in the process of unraveling the cuff of the sweater to make it longer. Otherwise, I am quite pleased with my first attempt. The pattern is from Green Mountain Spinnery and is worked in the round with cables on the sleeve. The yarn is from The Yarn Cafe, http://www.yarn-cafe.com/store.cfm in Minnesota by Mooncake and is called Tranquility. This yarn is so soft that makes the knitting a joy. I will certainly make something else with it.










On December 8, 2007 my son got his Bachelor of Science degree with honors. It amazes me that I sent him to school and he would rather party. He goes on his own and look what happens!!!

The first picture is my son, Roger, and my daughter, TeAntae. The next one is Roger, of course. It is hard to see in the picture but he has crimson and white tassels; gold and a white stoles. The white tassel and stole shows that he is in the Information Technology honor society, the gold stole signifies that he had a 3.8-4.0 grade point average.....
and then I had to show you part of the commencement program. The important part.....

The Cruise was Fantastic

We took the 7 day Eastern Caribbean Disney cruise. My daughter, TeAntae, and her husband Bryan renewed their vows. I do not have all the pictures as yet.

How do you like us as pirates?

The seas were very rough because of Noel, however, I had a ball.

Was able to work on my socks but not as much as I would have liked.

Currently, I am working in OH. Hopefully, just until Christmas.

I have been working on my first sweater, hope to get it finished in a couple of weeks. I just have the sleeves and collar to go. Then I will post it so you can see.

Take care,

Happy Halloween

I know that I have not been posting lately but hopefully, my life will be back in order next month.

This Halloween greeting is early because I will be taking a cruise with my daughter and son-in-law at the end of the month. They are renewing their vows on the Disney Cruise ship.

Are you on Ravelry? If you love fiber, you must sign up. Lots of great ideas, ways to catalog your yarn, UFO's, finished items, needles, books and meet great people.

See you next month.

I Have Been Framed

I just found out that I would not be leaving Minnesota anytime soon. I was depressed and then I received a call that brighten my day. A new friend, Theresa, said she was stopping by the hotel later that evening to show me something.

I have coffee every morning in a local coffee shop before work. Theresa comes in most mornings on her way to work or swimming. One morning I was knitting when she came in and we talked about knitting, crocheting and the fact that I spin and weave. She had never seen anyone spin so she asked if she could take pictures of me spinning. Theresa is a nurse and has a part-time framing business in her home. She loves to take photographs of people in natural settings doing everyday things then she frames and hangs the pictures in her shop as well as enters them in local shows.

To make a long story short, she asked me to bring my spinning wheel to the coffee shop because they had a fireplace and the place looks very homey. I am quite sure the shop employees were happy when we left because she moved their furniture all over the place to get good lighting. She brought her husband along to distract me so she could get pictures that were not staged. I actually got a lot of spinning done that night.

Approximately a week ago, Theresa, gave me a set of the pictures and extras for my son and daughter. Tonight, she came by the hotel to show me how she had framed the pictures.

I hate taking pictures, hope anyone that looks at them will just look at the wheel and the yarn.

Mom is Safe and Sound

This is Louise's daughter, TeAntae. I'm cross posted this from my own blog:

To those of you who've called or sent emails, thank you so much for all of your concern. To everyone, whether you're aware of this or not, mom has been working storm duty in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region since she got back from her European trip in June. THANKFULLY she was not in Minneapolis-St. Paul this week. She has been in Orlando, FL since Sunday at a training seminar/conference. She flies back to Minnesota today.

I didn't even hear about the bridge collapse until Mom called me last night. She found out from a friend of hers who'd called to see if she was ok. Then the flood of emails and calls starting coming in.

I think the one spooky thing about the whole thing for us is, though mom doesn't regularly travel that bridge (her territory is in the surrounding suburbs), we traveled that bridge a few times while I was up there visiting a few weeks ago.

Again, thank you for all of your care and concern. Everyone is breathing a huge sigh of relief believe me.

Yarn Crawl in Minnesota, part 1

It has been awhile since I posted. I do not have any pictures of the socks I am working on. Hopefully, I can get them posted shortly. I am also spinning yarn for socks. The yarn will be Christmas presents. Of course, after I finish spinning I have to get it dyed. Won't be able to do that in the hotel room.

However, I am anxious to tell you about my weekend. My daughter, TeAntae, flew in to Minneapolis Thursday evening to spend a long weekend with me. I do not think we had planned to do a yarn crawl weekend but that is what it turned out to be.

We started at Sheepy Yarn Shoppe in White Bear Lake, MN http://www.sheepyyarnmn.com/ . I can only say a fun atmosphere, staff and patrons.

The Yarn Café is more than a store and more than a café. They want you to come in for lunch, then stay and chat a while. Need help with a project you are working on? At the Yarn Café, they welcome the casual diner or the serious knitter as well as everyone in between. The Yarn Café is open for lunch dinner or anytime during the day that you are in the mood for a snack. They offer a selection of sandwiches, salads, soups, sides and pastries, as well as a full beverage service. Their beverage selection includes beer and wine, as well as many different coffees and teas. On Friday nights from 4 to 8 PM they have "Happy Hour" with half price wine and beer. They are also an internet cafe with two terminals and WiFi. The shop opens at 9A.M., I can not believe it...yes, we were there at 9.

Oh...and they have a great selection of yarns and patterns.

My daughter and I decided to go to the "Happy Hour" after yarn shopping all day. We ordered a glass of wine and a cheese platter.

That is my daughter knitting away while we snacked at the Yarn Cafe. (By the way, I wove the top she is wearing, it is a copy of one we saw an an arts & craft show for a couple hundred dollars).

We also met a lovely group of ladies that asked us to come back.

I have every intention of going back to knit with this great bunch.

Don't you think this is a great idea for a yarn shop?

We also went to the Yarn Garage http://www.yarngarage.com/ . I have to go back and take pictures because you have to see to believe. The shop is very small crammed with yarn from floor to ceiling. My daughter said that doing inventory must be a nightmare. The owner, Steven Berg, calls himself the "Glitter Knitter". He has a "Yarn Tasting" on Wednesday nights that I have to try to get to before I leave the area. There is no way to describe this man or the store. Go to his website and surf around. You will be amazed. He is also sponsoring knitting cruises.

Our travels on Friday also took us to Amazing Threads, http://www.amazing-threads.com/ . I purchased some of their original patterns for my collection and brought some yarn to make a hat. My daughter went into the clearance area and brought some yarn and books. You will have to check out her sight to find out about that.

We also went to All About Yarn http://allaboutyarn.biz/ Because we were so hungry, we did not stay long and so I will have to go back and let you know about the store.

I hope I did not miss a shop but that was our Thursday night and Friday yarn adventure. I will let you know later about our Saturday.

All the stores in the area are open on Sunday from 12-4 or 5. In fact, all of the stores are open 7 days a week. I love it.

Happy 4th of July

Website to Few my Europe Pictures

I am working in Minnesota 6 days a week, 12 hours a day so I have not had time to update my

blog. Since I know that some of my friends check my blog, I thought this was the best way to tell you how to view my pictures. When you go to the site, click on each picture and it will open up to few all the pictures under that heading. You will then be able to view the pictures as a slide show.

http://picasaweb.google.com/RT.Turner.

Enjoy

I will try very hard to update the blog as quickly as possible. Keep crafting or whatever you do...

HONEY, I AM HOME

I got back last night 6/7/07, and received a call today telling me that I am to leave for Minnesota to work on Tuesday. The company sure knows how to spoil a wonderful vacation.

I will be posting pictures as soon as I can and will let you know the web address to take a peak.

Here a sneak peak of some of the pictures. The first one is me in Amsterdam. Yes, to get the sign all the way in one of the ladies on the tour had to get way back, that is me between the "I" and the "A".

This is me on a Rhine cruise in Germany. We had just left St. Goar where we hiked up to the Rheinsfels castle. That is St. Goar in the background. We were on our way back to Bacharach our home base for this part of the tour.

This is me in a beer hall in Munich. Okay, that is someone elses beer. I tried the beer that was suppose to have lemonade in it but it still taste like beer so I did not drink it. I have never been able to like the taste of the stuff.

My son has my pictures from Cinque Terre, Italy to Paris. He is suppose to put them on CD and bring them to me on Monday before I leave for Minnesota. At that point, I will try to get them up so that you can see the beautiful scenery.

Would you believe I took over 2000 pictures? I did lose about 100 of them by having them put on CD instead of DVD. It was my fault that I did not look to see what the last picture was. I lost my pictures of Germany's Bavaria including my tour photos of King Ludwig II's ornate Neuschwanstein Castle which was spectacular and me on the luge ride. I have my memories. I could ask other people for pictures of that castle but on my camera was a picture of me in front of it. I only had about a half dozen pictures of me and I lost 2 of them. You will have to take my word that I started my amazing journey in Haarlem, Netherlands, then went to Bacharach, Germany; Rothenburg, Germany; Reutte, Austria; Venice, Italy (should have thrown my passport overboard there; Florence, Italy; Rome, Italy; Cinque Terre which is on the Italian Rivera, we stayed in Monterosso, Italy and was free to explore the other 4 towns-I remember the evening I sit on the beach drinking wine while gazing at the sun setting-okay, back to reality; we next went to Stechelber, Switzerland where I rode a gondala and hiked to the next town. They had a foot of snow the day we arrived, It was hard to believe that the day before I was sitting on the beach-quite a shock, no one had clothes for this; next stop Beaune, France where we were treated to a wine tasting and had dinner in a cellar where monks used to store their wine; on to Paris-my son met me after the tour and I have to admit, we had a great time. 26 days that I will never forget.

Yes, I got some knitting done. That was my pastime on the bus going from place to place. I actually got one sock finished and was half way through the second. I brought yarn in Venice to make a pair of socks which will be called my Venice socks. I also brought yarn in Florence. I stubbled on this little shop and after the owner and I gave up on trying to communicate with words and me pointing at my socks, I just walked around until I found something I liked. After I paid and was walking out of the store, he stopped me and put a pattern book in my bag. The pictures are beautiful but it is all in Italian. Looks like the internet language translator and I will be close buds if I want to try some of these patterns. I will take pictures of the yarn as soon as I can.

I am heading out to spend the night with my daughter, TeAntae, and give her the presents I brought back and tell her all about my trip. It was so hard to do so by email or over the phone.

Would I recommend Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door Tours www.ricksteves.com ?

In a heartbeat. Yes, there is lots of walking but you can op out of any thing that you do not want to do. However, if you do not go on the excursions, I can bet you that you will be missing something spectacular. This is the first trip I have ever taken that I ate constantly and when I got home and got on the scale I had lost 3 pounds. One of the ladies on the trip had a pedometer and she said that she was averaging 14000 steps a day. As long as you are not a complete couch potato you would love the trips. Also be prepared that to beat the crowds and other tourist, we had breakfast at 7:15 and was out the door by 8:15 most mornings. As we were leaving the museum, etc., the crowds were just arriving. We had the rest of the day on our own to explore.

I am checking out my trip for next year...yes, I am going to take another one.

Never Enough Time

Final emails from mom (especially since she's been calling me now!)

"Roger and I went to Disney yesterday. It was tiny but fun. I even rode the roller coaster, Indiana Jones. Got you a pin. I only got one because they really did not have good choices. Pins must not be a big deal. I should have got Jane one. There is probably a Disney store in the airport.

I was a little disappointed in Versailles. I think it was because of seeing Ludwig's palace.

Roger is here so we are off; I will try to call tonight.

Mom"

They both catch flights tomorrow to head home. I'll get to spend Friday night and Saturday catching up with mom. We're never going to get any sleep!

I Love Paris In The Springtime

"Was unable to call you last night because we did not get back until after 1AM here. (comment from daughter: Mom never stays up this late!) We went to the Louvre yesterday and another museum as a group. I decided to take the bus back to the hotel and eat lunch in the area because I needed to wash clothes before we went to our final dinner.

I got on the right bus but was going the wrong way. When I realized it I said out loud that I am going the wrong way and started to get up. A gentleman stopped me from getting off the bus and started talking to me in French. He finally said something I understood about not getting off at that stop but getting off at the next. When I got off he kept motioning for me to go to another bus stop across the street and kept pointing to a sign. I remembered to say 'Merci'. I went to the bus stop and the seat there was broken so I had to sit on the end. A lady sat down and started speaking in French. When she realized that I did not understand; she pointed at the bench and said 'broken' and laughed. She got on the bus and I decided to have lunch where I was. When I got on the bus later she must have finished her shopping because she got on the bus with packages further down the line. She saw me started smiling and sat down beside me. When she got off she turned to me and said 'Au revoir'.

Oh, before that happened I had to buy another ticket for the bus. I was having a difficult time trying to decipher the words on how to do it. A lady came up, brought 2 tickets and then handed me one and said,"Enjoy our city." I tried to give her the money back but she would not take it. (comment from daughter: And people think the French are not nice.) The bus ride was much better than the metro because I got to see more of the city. I did get lost when I got back to my area because I got off a bus stop too soon, but that was also fun. I got my clothes and went to the laundromat. They are so different here. You first put your clothes in the washer or dryer, then go to a central terminal like machine, punch in the number of your machine and the amount to put in will appear. You put the money in and then your machine starts. Of course I think I had every local in the place helping me.

I am waiting on Roger and after he gets settled we are heading for Versaille today and Disneyland Paris tomorrow.

Love MOM"

My mom, the good will ambassador. =) I bet she could go to Iraq and make everyone smile!

Welcome to Paris

Just a quick note from mom as the tour arrives at their final destination, Paris:

"We made it to Paris. Had a Croquet Monsieur for lunch at a sidewalk bakery.

I have not heard from Roger. They are going to let me keep the same room for our few days after the tour. (comment from daughter: Mom needed my brother's flight information so she knew when to expect him on Saturday.)

I have to tell you again about last nights dinner. We spent the night in Beaune, France. Did I tell you about the wine tasting? We got these little wine tasting cups. The tasting was in a wine cellar, that was really neat. Afterwards we had dinner in a restaurant that was in a cellar that used to be where the monks stored their wine. Fantastic atmosphere! The dinner was out of this world! (comment from daughter: As she did tell me this it must have made a big impression on her) As soon as I get a calling card I will call you tonight. (comment from daughter: SHE DID!!!!)

Love you
Mom "

Love you too!

Twice is Nice In The French Countryside

Two emails from mom today!

"Can you believe that we were at the beach wearing shorts on Sunday at Cinque Terre, Italy. Had a great time. Took the boat to another area and had a marvelous dinner overlooking the water. Then also had a glass of wine on the beach.

When we left the beach, we got stopped at the tunnel in Switzerland because they had had a snow storm that morning. It took us forever to get to the place we were staying. When we finally got there, we found that we would not be able to go to the top of the mountain like we planned. I did not have clothes or shoes to go around in the snow so I took a short hike on a path that was clear of snow but had to climb over trees because the weight of the snow had broken limbs all over the place. I got to ride the gondola to Murren. It was so much fun.

Today we arrived in Beaune, France. Tonight we are having a wine tasting of Burgundy wine and the we will go to dinner.

We are only here one night. Then we will go to Paris in the morning.

Love and miss you very much.

Mom"

and the second email I received a moment ago:

"Just got back from the wine tasting. We actually were in a wine cellar tasting the wine. It was all red. (comment from daughter: Mom typically only likes sweet wines so this is a stretch for her.) I could not understand why I drink wine in the U.S. and I am drunk after a glass. But here in Europe, I can drink two and can hardly feel it. I found out that the U.S. puts some kind of preservatives in their wine and some people react the way I do and some people get headaches. (comment from daughter: AHA!)

I like Beaune. I walked around town; found the Basilica of Notre Dame. They have a beautiful tapestry that is an original depicting the story of Mary.

Tonight we are going to a dinner that is featuring regional wine and cuisine. Glad that I brought my nice jacket because we are suppose to look nice tonight. Our guide said that tonight he would have to put his shirt in.

Boy, there is so much to tell you. I really want to take another trip whether with Rick Steves or not. The only thing is that I do not want to take one and you are not there. I had a nice time but it would have been fantastic if you were there so we could go down the alleys and run around. (comment from daughter: DEFINITELY!!!)

I am going to tell Roger that I want to go to Lyon. The high speed train takes 2 hours so if we go early we can explore and then come back in the evening. In fact, I am going to buy the tickets when I get to Paris.

Beaune is a walled city and very FRENCH.

Talk to you later. I should be able to find internet access tomorrow.

Mom"

A "Spirited" Trip to the Cinque Terre

"Have to make this fast because the internet is $1.00 for 10 minutes and 10 cents a minute.

Coming down from Rome, we stopped at a hill town. It was fantastic. We had a marvelous lunch.

Our guide brought wine (comment from daughter: Let's keep score shall we. That's 1.) for us and so on the way here, we were drinking wine and the bus driver was playing disco songs. Someone said that we needed a disco ball so he started blinking the interior lights in time with the music. Our guide had arranged for a meal by this lady that only opens for groups. It was amazing! I now have recipes for the two of you. She started with a pesto demonstration and then passed out samples. Her husband served us wine (comment from daughter: That's 2.) while we watched. Then the first course came which was a pesto lasagna (I have the recipe). It was amazing. Next came the main course. I chose the ham (TeAntae I do not know how to spell it. Prociuttto or something) or sword fish. (comment from daughter: She had Prosciutto.) I said that I wanted the ham which was delicious. The owner came around with seconds and put the sword fish that had a puttanesca sauce on it on my plate. I liked it. We also got salad that was very different but good. It was the birthday of one of the persons on the trip so we had cake that had some kind of a liqueur (comment from daughter: That's 3) crust on top. Then we were given some local wine (comment from daughter: That's 4) that was 18% alcohol. I think I will sleep well tonight. (comment from daughter: NO KIDDING! LOL)

Tomorrow, I am going to take the local train to the last town in Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore, then walk to the next town up, Manarola, because it is suppose to be an easy 30 minute walk, then take the train to, Vernazza which is the town under where I am staying, Monterosso.

Dropped my laundry off at the laundromat, she will wash and drop off at the hotel tonight for 12 Euro. Saved me doing it and I can get an early start in the morning.

I will not write tomorrow.

Love Mom"

Reading this, my eyebrows keep going up and up. I have a very low tolerance for alcohol and mom's even worse! All I could picture was disco dancing on the bus and there would be my mom, leading everyone in the "Bus Stop"!

They Got Me!

"I have been SO proud of myself on this trip. One lady got pickpocketed and I thought that I was being smart by wearing my money belt and I had made a fake pocket that I had pinned to the front of my pants with my shirt over it. Today on the subway, it was very crowded. A man kept pushing against my purse and in fact I felt him and gave him a mean stare. He started talking to another man and then at the next stop they got off. One of the ladies on my tour found that they had somehow gotten into her pocket and took her wallet. I stopped to buy water on the way to the Vatican and found that they had gotten me too. I got taken for 40 Euro, my day money.

You will love Rome. The guide that we had made the Colosseum come alive. I did throw my coin in the fountain. I stopped at this internet cafe, I am going to get some lunch and then look for the Spanish Steps.

The hotel we are staying in is nice but you have to walk 136 steps to get to the lobby. The elevator will only hold 2 people and 2 pieces of luggage.

As we were walking back from the fountain, we stopped at a church that was having a concert. The church was beautiful as well as the singing.

Tomorrow, we head for Cinque Terre and some needed rest.

Love Mom"

I can only imagine the look she gave that silly man. I'm so proud of her still for being careful enough to only lose that little bit. I know plenty of people who lose their passports, credit cards, etc... because they think they'll never get pickpocketed. I hope that's her only experience with that nonsense for the rest of the trip.

Florence... Not So Much

Something tells me mom misses Venice. LOL!

"Send me back to Venice and throw my passport overboard!

Florence is a hectic CITY. The motor scooters try to run you down and it is HOT. It is so crowded here and there are too many people selling something. It looks like around every corner stalls of merchants selling leather jackets, purses and scarves. I had planned on buying you some leather gloves but I got lost trying to find the store again. (comment from daughter: That's OK. Your present to me is that you have a good time.)

When we arrived yesterday, we had some free time and then we met to go to the Accademia. Michelangelo's David is breathtaking. It looks like he is about to start breathing and walk off. You can see his ribs & every muscle. In Italy you have to have a special card to be a tour guide. People that can not get the card will harass you to be a tour guide so what Rick Steve does is hire a non-talking guide that has their card but our guide did all the talking. We used headsets so we could here him in the crowd. Afterward we did a walking tour where he showed us the Duomo which is right down the street from the hotel. I really wanted to climb the tower-463 steps when you do not feel well is not a good idea. We will do it when we all come back together. We peaked through the gate at the Medici Riccardi Palace but it was closed. Then at 7pm we were taken to a restaurant for dinner. Very good pasta. Pasta is the first course, then came the steak, then dessert. Even when you are looking at the menus at the street cafes, you see first course, second course, etc. There was free time after dinner but I had went to a local pharmacy and she had me buy this medicine that you have to take on a full stomach. Put me straight to sleep and without the alarm clock, I would have missed this mornings walk.

7am coffee and croissant for breakfast. Bryan did not make me sick. (comment from daughter: Mom had stayed over the weekend before her trip and Bryan was just getting over a cold. He was worried he'd get her sick before she left.) I did not catch the cold until we make the climate change from cool and rainy to blistering hot in Italy. I need some cooler shorter pants but can not find anything my size. I found plenty in Germany but did not realize that it was going to be this hot here in Italy and we are still going south.

After breakfast, we met our local Italian guide at the Uffizi Gallery. We got to see some very famous paintings and he talked about the artist. Then it was free time. I went to the Ponte Vecchio. It looks better in pictures. Quite a few gold shops but I do not wear gold. From there I wandered around and found a place for lunch. I saw lots of wig shops too. Stopped for gelato. They have a Red Bull Gelato. Wondered what it taste like but did not try it. (comment from daughter: Eew! So glad you didn't. That sounds horrible.)

In the morning, we had for Rome.

Miss you,
Mom"

Sneezing Across Europe

"Taking a walking tour of Florence in a bit and we will go see Michelangelo's David.

We stopped at an AutoGrill on the way here that had the most delicious pasta. Everyone said that what they ordered was very good. Why can't our truck stops be like this? (comment from daughter: I wish I knew. It sounds wonderful.)

I purchased a Snicker bar in Germany and a Kit Kat in Italy. The chocolate is different than in the US, much better.

I received a note from my blog from Rhonda wanting to know if I was getting any knitting done. You can let everyone know that I am knitting. That is my pastime while on the bus going from one place to the next. I am about to finish the toe on one sock and will be starting on the other on my way to Rome. I did pick up a couple of balls of yarn while in Venice. Don't worry, you can pick out which one you want. (comment from daughter: YAY!!!!) I also bought enough yarn to make a pair of socks. I am going to call them my Venice socks. (not from daughter: I did something similar on the cruise we took together. I finished a beaded crochet necklace while sitting on our room's veranda overlooking the Castaway Cay just as the sun set.)

I caught a terrible cold when we were in Austria. I think it was the change of weather and I have been so tired. Anyway, I lost my voice but I do feel better. The tour guide gave me my own room in Venice and he is doing the same here in Florence. (note from daughter: And why didn't she tell me sooner? I guess not to worry me. Glad she's feeling better.)

Here in Florence, right outside the door, is a market that must take up miles and miles of stalls. Mostly they are selling leather goods like purses and jackets. I did see some felted bead necklace and I may buy one. I am still looking for something special for you. Wish you were here to see these jackets but I would not be able to take it back if it did not fit. The beads I saw in Venice looked too much like the beads we see when we go to a good show.

My room is cute; at least this one has a toilet seat. Some of the places I have been have not.

Got up this morning and had my last cup of caffe latte in Venice at the neighborhood coffee shop. This morning, half the tour group came.

I still do not have a watch.

Will write more later.

Love Mom"

Venice, There Are No Words

"Venice... there are no words. I am in love. It is better than the pictures. I got up this morning before breakfast and had a caffe latte at the local coffee shop. After breakfast, our local guide took us on a tour and we ended at San Marco. I am just speechless.

And my room. It is perfect. Again, I am not sharing. I even did not have to share a bath. I have one with a bidet. Had to try that this morning. You should have seen me with the hand held shower. There was more water on the floor than on me. I could not stop laughing. My room overlooks the Canale Della Giudecca. Just perfect. You know that there is a 7 day Venice tour.

I took the water taxi that all the locals take, up and down the Canal. It was only 13 Euro and you can get off and on for 12 hours. If you get a single trip ticket, it cost 6 Euro. I have been off and on at least 6 times today.

For lunch I had Puttanesca... spicy but delicious. (note from daughter: This is mom's favorite pasta dish and she's on the hunt for the ultimate plate of it) I will have to try it in Rome and see what I think.

Last night we all pitched in and rode the gondola and we even had a musician. Our guide, Ben arranged it. The guy quoted such a low price that he threw in the musician. It still only cost $25 each. That was also fantastic.

I am paying for this internet and I have to write Roger and Ileana so until Rome....

Love you
Mom"

Ok, so why after reading this did it bring tears to my eyes? Happy tears, but tears none the less.

The Most Amazing Day

Sometimes my mom, who you'd think couldn't be more amazing, simply astounds me yet again.

"May 19th
I made it on the three mile walk from Austria back to Germany. A group of us went at our own pace and stopped a lot. It was very beautiful walking through the forest. I even walked up to the castle with everyone. I do not know how to describe how amazing the castle is. There is no way that Ludwig was mad. Ahead of his time maybe, but certainly not mad. I took lots of pictures. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I took the bus back, it was worth the 1 euro.

Afterwards we took a luge ride. I rode twice. (note from daughter: I wish I could have been there cheering here on, "Go Mom! Go!") I almost did it again but it got too crowded. One person in our group fell off because he was going too fast. You did not have to worry about that with me.

I just got back from walking to the little village here. The people paint scenes on their houses, and things around the windows or their names. The inside of the church was very beautiful.

I take it back about taking this trip. It would be great. At first I felt we were going so fast that everything was a blur but maybe that is good, it is sure packed full of memories.

When I get off I am going to take a shower and lay down a little before dinner.

Long bus ride tomorrow about 8 hours. (note from daughter: She was on her way to Venice next.)

Love and miss both of you

Mom"

At "Home" In Austria

These 3 emails only came a couple of hours ago so this is hot of the presses as it were:

First email:
"This is short because the internet is slow and I only have a few minutes-
Went to Munich to the Hofbrau House and had a beer that had lemonade in it. Still tasted like beer.

Also, we just arrived in our home for the next two nights on the Austrian border. We will take a 3 mile walk to castle. Have to get more money. (comment from daughter: What have you been buying young lady?) Will write more later.

Mom"

Next I received:

"This lady that told me about the text messaging was texting her daughter back and forth all day on the bus. We are going to the castle tomorrow. I made the mistake in the days. We can take the 3 mile walk over hill and dale to the castle or we can take the bus. Then it is uphill to the castle. I am going to try the walk. I will take lots of pictures of the castle.

We are staying on a farm tonight. The meal was delicious. My room is tiny but cute. I am sharing a bath with another lady but I have my own room. (comment from daughter: She has been really lucky so far only having to room for 1 night with her official roomy at the moment.)

I sent you the 2008 list of tours. I think we should take a two week tour. I will tell you why when I get home.

Love Mom"

and last I received this important email:

"Forgot to tell you: The farmhouse has a washer and no dryer: my underwear is hanging on the line. (note from daughter: She is going to kill me for posting this one but my husband agreed that this is good information. I just hope she got a picture!)

Mom"

Could Not Wait To Tell You

My mom is about as "bad" as me when it comes to meeting people. We'll talk to anyone! Looks like she's doing well...

"May 17th
There is an older couple that have adopted me or something. I am always having to stop them from paying for my snacks. I had told them that my favorite artist was a man by the name of David Young and that he played two recorders at the same time. (note from daughter: I have to agree, this guy is amazing!) When I went into the famous Christmas store here in Rothenburg, I had noticed a CD by David but did not get it because I thought I had it. After I got back to the hotel I realized that the one I have is the one David wanted our opinion about the cover. (note from daughter: Yeah, we've met him so many times, he knows us well) This CD was made especially for this store. There is also a DVD movie but there is no use me getting it since it will be in Germany.

Anyway, I was having a piece of cake, very delicious, here at the hotel when the couple saw me. They had purchased the CD for me. Can you believe that? We will have to do something nice for them when I get back. I would like you to think of something nice to make them as well. They have just been a dream. Your jewelry is so pretty that even rich people would die for it. (note from daughter: Mom is biased.)

I am in working on postcards because it is raining and I am tired of being wet. I will meet everyone at 8 for the nightwatchman tour. Tell Bryan that this is great and he will love this or one of the shorter Rick Steve tours. You have to get up early because that is the only way to see things without the tourist but they are really packing it in.

Love ya,
MOM"

Lots of Castles

With this and the next post, I'm all caught up. =)

"May 17th
We are in Rothenburg.

I just walked up this tower that was 214 steps and some of them straight up. We had to walk backwards to get down some. I wanted to see the whole city but we still have the rain. Tonight we are taking the Night Watchman tour. I also have to find some lunch. The town is very pretty but pure tourist. There is a yarn shop beside the hotel that I am going to check out. (note from daughter: Mom, always keeping her priorities in order.) Also, I want to walk the old wall. This town is surrounded by a wall. We were told that after 6pm, we will have the town mostly to ourselves. We will see. Nothing but shops for tourist here.

As for food, I am eating. I ate white asparagus yesterday and it was good. I have been putting things in my mouth to keep from getting hungry and I have surrvived. (note from daughter: Mom isn't adventorous when it comes to food so I had to remind her to make sure to at least TRY the food before looking for a burger)

Tomorrow is the Disney castle. We have to leave here at 7:30am to get there before it opens. That is one thing about this tour, you have to get up early in order to get to your destination before the tour busses get there.

Talk to you when I get use of the internet again. Next time we will definately set up the IM or text message when we are out of the country. Almost everyone knew about it and that is what they do in their rooms at night instead of waiting for a computer like I have to do.

Love ya,
MOM"

Germany And Castles

A quick check-in from mom when she arrived in Germany...

"I just made it to Bacharach. The hotel is fantastic. I still have my own room. Each room is decorated differently. Mine is a dream come true. It is so pretty. I am facing the Rhine.
The pictures will not do it justice.

We stopped at an open air museum to see Dutch life in years pass. Then it was a long bus trip to Germany. We did not stop for a picnic, instead they decided to take us for pancakes of all types at the open air museum.

Tonight, we go to dinner in the hotel and then free time to walk around the town.

Love and miss you

Mom aka Louise"


The next day I received this report....


"Hello,
Just think, I slept in a castle, on the Rhine, in a fairytale room. I took plenty of pictures.

Today we explored a castle. I will have to tell you all about it when I get home. I brought Bryan a present. I know you told me to spend my money on myself but I could not resist. (comment from daughter: Bryan's my husband. Hey! Did she get me a present too!)

Tomorrow we are going to Mad King Ludwig's castle that the Disneyland castle was modeled after. We will spend one night in Rothenburg. (note from daughter: This is the town they filmed the Vulgarian village scenes in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in!)

Love and miss you

MOM"

Anne Frank House, Houseboats and Coffee Houses (Mom's Last Day In The Netherlands)

I should have titled this "The Houses of Amsterdam"!

"Don't worry about internet fees. At least not right now. The internet is complimentary with this hotel. Do not know about the others. (Clarification from daughter: In my email to her I had asked her not to worry about emailing often as I wanted her to spend her money on better things.)

Today we had breakfast at 7AM. We met at 7:45AM to take the train to Amsterdam. From there we walked to the Anne Frank Haus to make sure we were there at least 1/2 hour before it opened. We were among the first in line and was able to get out before the crowd started. The area that the family occupied was larger than I thought. They should ask me who turned the family in. Just think, the father legally signed over the business to his two "trusted employees/friends". Any thoughts.....

We then walked around the area and looked at the architecture. It was amazing to see the houseboats (From daughter: In trying to find information to link to I found loads of information on RENTING houseboats. Check out the link for a gorgeous example!!!) that cost a fortune now, mainly because they have to buy the dock that they are at. When Amsterdam started, the homes were taxed according to the frontage. There are houses that are only as wide in front as one window.

Took lots of pictures. I see now that I decided on the wrong lens. When we come back, we will bring a small camera with long lens. This camera is heavy and I did not bring the long lens.

I forgot to tell you about yesterday, are maybe I did. Anyway, I got lost and a man helped me find my way back. On the way, he saw a long line at the church and said it was probably a local art showing and lets go see. We went in and the two of us talked about the art and how people had painted trunks, etc. It was fun. Then he took me to the area that I needed to be in and he went off to buy flowers for his mother for Mother's Day. (Daughter's response: AAAAAAAAAAWWWWW!)

Back to today....We took a canal cruise and the person that was driving was so funny. Hope we get someone like that when we come. Or maybe we will decide to go somewhere else.

We walked through the Red Light District. That was funny. There was so many "COFFEE HOUSES". I could not find real coffee. (From the daughter: I just don't want to know.)

We went to the Rijks Museum and then I walked around the area until it was time to start back. Some people decided to stay in Amsterdam.

In the morning after breakfast, we head for Germany. We are going to an open area museum and then on to Bacharach, Germany for two nights. This is suppose to be a long ride so I will work on my postcards, knit and listen to my IPOD.

Mom"

From Mom's Monday report, I suspect she was clicking away with her camera. What a day!

First Two Days In Europe

This report is a combination of her first and second days in Europe (Saturday and Sunday). She had the morning of the second day all to herself as the tour didn't start until that afternoon/evening. Now this is the way to spend Mother's Day!

"The hotel is so European with a comfortable bed, the tub is so deep I thought I needed a step stool to get in to take my shower. You have to leave your door card in a slot by the door to have electric.

I won't have a room mate for the next couple of nights. The lady at the front desk when I came down this morning whispered to me that she had fixed it so I could have the room by myself so just leave my things in the room.

Breakfast was what you read about as European with cold cuts, bread, STRONG coffee, and juice. They had eggs and sausage but they where terrible.

There is an Italian restaurant in the hotel but last night I was just too tired and tonight we all go out to dinner together somewhere.

Everyone ride bicycles here. They have the greatest market basket bike things that I really wish I had. Even the saddle bags are really great. Most people have both.

I met a lady that LOVES Americans yesterday. She told me to go to the department store (Note from daughter: I think this is where she went, Vroom & Dreesman, but she'll have to correct me when she gets back) and then go to the top floor. There was a restaurant and you can stand on the terrace and see all of Haarlem. That turned out to be the best place in Haarlem. The restaurant at the top was like an Eatzi's. I got some juice and sit on the terrace. The lady at checkout told me the restaurant closed at 6 so I had planned to come back for dinner but when I got there at 5 they had put away almost everything. I went down stairs to another little place they had and got a quiche, juice and brownie. I was so tired, I had to get a bag for the brownie.

Everything is closed today. I did found out that there is a grocery close by that I'll go to since I can not find my deodorant or razor. I also am to bring my Rick Steves book to the meeting tonight but I know I do not have that. It was so thick that I did not put it in the luggage.

I will talk to you later,

Love

Mom"

I can just see my mom now, the darling of the Netherlands! =)

A Daughter's Surprise

Hi folks!

This is not Louise, this is her daughter TeAntae posting. While mom's zipping around Europe right now, I thought it would be fun for all of us, as well as a nice keepsake for her, to update her blog based on some of the emails and video postcards she's been sending (edited for content of course). I don't know how much of mom's journey I'll be able to capture here as it will depend on how often she can contact me but I'm certainly going to do my best. So let's begin...

After a shaky start, mom had her first two flights to Newark, NJ get canceled so Continental transferred her to KLM so she could get a direct flight to the Netherlands, she arrived safely in Amsterdam on May 12th...

"Okay everyone, I made it to the hotel. Check-in is not until 3pm and there is an Italian restaurant in the hotel. It is a little chilly so I am going to buy something for my head. The Saturday market is around the corner.

I am happy to say that it is not raining. In fact, the sun is shining but windy.

When I got to the hotel, there was a couple in front of me that are also taking the tour tomorrow.

I will try to send another report tonight to tell you how my day went if I can get on the Internet.

Talk to you soon,

Mom aka Louise"

She's on her way to Bacharach, Germany today so I need to fill in the other posts to catch up. Hope you enjoy this little sneak-peek into mom's adventure!

Take care everyone!
TeAntae

Europe Here I Come

The time is finally here. I am leaving for 21 days to take Rick Steve's Best of Europe Tour. My son will join me in Paris where we will stay 4 days exploring and of course we will have to go to

Paris Disney.

I will report on my trip when I get back. Made sure that my knitting was packed. Have to keep busy on the plane and long bus rides.