2013-10 Italy - Part 2

The second part of our trip started by catching the ferry to Capri. Then we made a call to the hotel and they made arrangements to come to the port and pick us up. The view from the rooftop patio is beautiful and seems like it should be on a postcard! The day was just lovely being relaxing without any pressure to go rushing to see anything.

 

We hired a small boat to take us around the island. We were shown caves and areas where the water reflected red or green or blue. The most famous Blue Grotto cave was such a rich blue color we were amazed! They do not let you stay long inside though because there is such a line of people waiting, but our guide said something because we made three loops around the inside rather than just the one loop. 

Emerald Grotto 

Blue Grotto

Our next day we decided to explore - we walked almost half-way around the island up and down very steep stairways! We thought we were doing so well until a jogger passed us on one of the wider sidewalks that zig-zagged down the side of the hill. Every step we took brought more beautiful scenery.   It seemed that the people who live here take it for granted - just like we take the wonderfulness of our own homes for granted. We stopped and rested at the bottom of one long trail on a beach and were lucky to find a bus to take us back to the main town area. I was done walking for the day!

We had to leave and get on with our travels so later that day we boarded the ferry again, only this time heading for Naples.                           So good-bye Capri...

2013-10 Italy with Kim

This trip was planned a bit more in advance than the last one. We met in Rome and caught a train to Naples where we were met by a tour guide who drove us to Sorrento - Nice!

 not a scratch or bump!

We were visiting in the off season so it was not supposed to be so crowded - or expensive, but oh well. Our young guide drove us around the Amalfi Coastal towns. There was no way I would want to drive these twisting narrow roads! And if this was the slow season I can not imagine the drive during the summer vacation months.

We are used to the almost soft white sand on our beaches, but we found these beaches to be made of pebbles and small smooth rocks. There are beautiful gardens in every town and village, plus interesting streets loaded with shops and small coffee houses and restaurants. The way the houses and buildings are built up the mountains it's no wonder we could almost eat whatever we wanted and did not gain any weight!

Positano

Each view is more beautiful than the next as we travel the twisting road that follows the coast with sometimes seems glued to the mountains. It was a bit cloudy off and on which kept the days from getting too hot. We stopped often and enjoyed walking around in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello plus a few smaller places too. The best part was staying extra time in Sorrento and exploring on our own.

lunchtime view in Ravello 

Our hotel in Sorrento with a fantastic restaurant right on the piazza.

2013-10 …just updating still

Nothing makes me feel my age more than babies and toddlers. They grow and change so fast, and then they start moving pretty fast too - which means the person 'watching' must move fast to keep up! Ha!


My little granddaughter is up and running now and I am loving watching all the changes.

discovering boxes as hide-outs

visiting Indiana grandparents with Mom

And as an aerobic dance instructor for Halloween - how cute are you!

2013-9 Rayna Gillman workshop

My quilt guild is sponsoring another wonderful artist - Rayna Gillman - and I've signed up for both days. I've not finished the pieces from the last workshop, but that doesn't matter, right? I'm learning new things and new techniques…

but I do want to finish these - I love the ideas and the creative process that she taught!

For this first project we worked from a photograph, using the colors as inspiration not what was depicted in the photo. My picture was taken on a hill of an island with bushes, flowers and a tree in the foreground, then the sea and sky in the background. Hmm, can you see it in the horizontal colors?

It's not finished of course, and I do see it needs more work, but I am stretching and I still like it.


This next one is not mine. Her inspiration is the photo on the right of shades of pink paint in cans. I really like what she has started and can't wait to see it finished!

 The second class was taking 'Cinderella Blocks' she called them, blocks you hate or just don't need any more and cutting them up, sewing them back together with some other fabrics, and then doing it all over again. This is Rayna's sample that she slashed and laid out to show us possibilities.

 Here's the one I started with before slashing away and adding bits of this and that.

2013-9 Ramsey

It's been a few months since I went to the vet with my dog Ramsey. She's getting old and seemed to be stiff going up stairs and was groaning in the evenings. I was hoping to get a prescription of arthritis medication for her so she'd be more comfortable, plus she needed her shot and I wanted more heart medicine.

But instead he said he'd like to get an ultrasound of her abdomen because it seemed swollen. OK.






Well, she has cancer and he recommended not doing chemo or anything else because it was spread all throughout and would basically be more painful to treat her than to take care of the discomfort she already has. Where does all this cancer come from? Is there just a stockpile of bacteria or germs or something that is lying in wait to attack someone's good cells? Are you born with these cancer cells and they just wait?

On the news there was a story of an eight year old going through her second round of chemotherapy, and others with breast cancer or leukemia or another of the hundreds of types of cancer, and then of course there's my own mom and dad who got cancer later in their lives. Do the researchers and scientists have any real idea where all these diseases come from or why they begin to grow?

Arrggh!

Well, as I am writing this in March 2014 I can say that dear Ramsey dog is still with us but needs more medicine to be comfortable. That is a good six months longer than the vet originally thought. We go on short walks because she gets tired, but we still have great cuddles and she still runs after the bunnies and squirrels.

2013-9 Remember it's the Little Things...

Bianca has been working so hard to learn to wink. 

This picture reminds me that with perseverance we can learn and accomplish a goal. 

So now my task should be to set my goals, again - they always get side-tracked - and to remember to set them in smaller steps than I usually try to do. You know, those BIG IMPORTANT GOALS that I never seem to ever finish might be better served by breaking them down into smaller steps and worked on every day.

 Like learning to wink - just practice and do part every day.

2013-7 St. Louis visit

It is a little pleasure that I think many people forget - to do things slowly with a small child and see those things in new ways. Mike, Karly and Bianca stayed with us several days and even though she is still very young we explored some fun places.

First was Faust Park with a good playground for small kids, a carousel and of course, the Butterfly House!

I want to go back here every year as Bianca grows to see her different reactions. This visit she didn't try to touch any of the butterflies, but also did not want them to touch or land on her.

one of the many inhabitants

Hello Ms Butterfly!

We had a fun visit with Great Grandpa and I love how happy he is every time the kids come to visit and see him. Got me thinking that I will never see my grandchildren unless I live to be pretty darn old. Ah well, I'll just have to extra enjoy my grandchildren!

Funny hair!!!

One of our fun trips was to the Magic House in Kirkwood. It has doubled or tripled in size, at least, from the last time I was there. There are baby rooms, toddler rooms, and rooms for water, sand, building and drawing! There are rooms in the basement for schools to have special classes or people to have birthday parties.  Looking at the 'house' from the street it seems like four houses built onto each other. I suppose when the directors get a new, wonderful idea they have just decided to eland each time. How wonderful and I wish it had been like this when my children were small, but then I think, what will it be like in 10 more years?

And who had more fun playing?

sliding down the 2-story slide

a music machine

Long day - so tired and ready to nap

The last full day of fun was at Aquaport enjoying the water. I know I had at least as much fun as Bianca did! I do remember liking so much to play in the water with the kids when they were so little.

2013-7 San Diego

So it turned out that we could actually find a time when everyone (except Kim in England) could take some time off from either work and/or school and take a family vacation. Dick and I offered a few choices and San Diego won. Hoping for the best, since neither of us had been there, we chose a place called the Catamaran. Turned out to be a good choice with pools, restaurants and nice rooms on the 'bay' beach. We walked a short two blocks to the ocean most of the time but it was nice to have the bay too.

 Walking on the sidewalk along the beach was the best for people watching and just enjoying the day. Unfortunately we were there during the only week of the year (probably) when the weather was on the chilly side and not sunny. Not a problem for us though - everyone wants to go back soon!

Nothing better than nice warm sand!

Best way to see the area!

Dick and I gave all the young people chances to play while we enjoyed ourselves with Bianca. They took a segway tour around the city ending up at a place where they then put on wetsuits and took a kayaking tour. A whole day off! 

walking the boardwalk with Pa-pa

One day was just to enjoy the San Diego Zoo…

reindeer

We waited to get parking - so crowded - we waited to see the pandas - longest line ever - we waited to eat - everyone is hungry at the same time - but most people were in good moods and polite and the zoo is really nice. I think we were lucky that it was not a hot day or too sunny.

cutest koalas around

beautiful birds