This has been a wonderful morning. Daddy was doing something with water that was not fun so I needed an activity to keep me occupied. Boy, it sure was neat up here with all the fronds. And I could really see far. The only problem was figuring out how to get down when the fronds became boring. Daddy and mommy were trying to figure that out too. When daddy showed up with the ladder I knew it was time to jump. It was scary but really a good time. I can't wait to go back out so I can get on the roof.

The glasses were just too much to refuse. Dinner the 4th we were offered unending Lemoncello in a special glass to go along with our dessert. It was a perfect way to loosen the joints before the party on deck.
As the pictures would indicate, the Lemoncello had the desired effect. Everyone was limber and ready to twist. Mom had a great time dancing with Darlene and Susan until, thanks to the magic of Dr. Jordan, Dad actually got up and fast danced for the first time in years. It probably also had something to do with the magic of Lemoncello!
Finally Dad got his chance to pour and liked it so much he did it twice. We needed champagne to wash down the Lemoncello so we had to keep filling the glasses.

What a way to start your 4th of July. We sat on our balcony and enjoyed the wonderful champagne breakfast as we sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar. Thank you girls for adding to our memorable 40th anniversary cruise!

We decided to see two small towns while we were in Portugal. We got on our bus in Lisbon and drove along the waterfront, through the exclusive resort areas and arrived in the village of Cascais. Here we strolled through a small seaside flea market, purchased some trinkets and then wandered through the streets admiring the old buildings with their ornate inlaid tile work. The pictured building is a hotel that looks out over the marina.

From there we drove along the coast until we reached Cape West, the most westerly point on the European continent. The beautiful rocky coastline was reminiscent of coastal Maine.

Two thousand feet later we climbed to the beautiful mountain resort of Sintra. Like here in the states, it is a place to escape from the hot, muggy summer weather and enjoy cool, clean mountain breezes. After a walk around the steep streets we started back to the ship.

As we pulled out of the harbor we got great views of the monuments surrounding the Tagus. We passed under the April 25th bridge. Originally named the Salazar Bridge after the Portuguese dictator, It was renamed to commemorate the day in 1974 when the revolution began that turned Portugal into a democracy. This bridge was built by the same company that built our Golden Gate Bridge and bears much physical resemblance. On a large base and clearly visible from the water is the statue of Christ the King that looks like the one in Rio. On the bank of the river on the opposite side are the Monument to the Discoveries with Prince Henry the Navigator on the prow. He was not an explorer but started the school of navigation that trained the seaman who sailed for Portugal in its glory days. Most famous of those standing behind Henry is Vasco da Gama who led an expedition around Cape Horn and opened the trade route to India.

The final monument is Belen Tower built between 1515-21. Its purpose was twofold; it served as a watchtower to guard the harbor of Lisbon, but it was also to commemorate the feats of da Gama.

Paris street scenes

No matter how many times you see this it is still hard to believe the traffic in downtown Paris. It is not a driving experience for the nervous. Note the blue van to the right that decided he wanted to go in the other direction. When you reach the Arch de Triomphe there are 12 streets that converge at this point and there are no lights and no lane markers. We saw a woman in a smart car in the middle of the loop with her car stopped and her engine off. Apparently she was experiencing a "melt down" in the middle of traffic. No one seemed to notice; they just swerved around her and kept going. One other interesting maneuver is the tour busses circle twice, then cut a diagonal acxross the circle.

We searched everywhere for Quasimodo when we reached Notre Dame but he was nowhere to be seen. The catherdal is massive and the detailed gargoyles and statuary quite impressive. In fact, we felt the exterior quite overshadowed the interior. I guess that's just a matter of personal preference.

The plantings, decorative streetlamps and open air cafes and restuarants all add to the charm amidst the bustle of downtown Paris. We were treated to a marvelous lunch complete with plenty of wine to enhance the atmosphere.

And, of course, what trip to Paris would be complete without a stop at the Eiffel Tower. Here the shot is taken looking down the Seine.

Dover and Canterbury

There was no missing the white cliffs as we pulled into the harbor at Dover. They rose around us as we sat on the ship and continued as we boarded a motorcoach for our ride to Canterbury. In the last picture, high over the cliffs, the majestic Dover Castle of Henry II sits, perched there in its splendor since the 12th century. From this vantage point it has stood as the protector of the gateway to England for centuries.
At the top is Canterbury Cathedral home of the Church of England since the time of Henry VIII. It was in this church's chamber room that four knights, taking literally the cry of Henry II "won't someone rid me of this worrisome archbishop," murdered Thomas Becket. The sculpture pictured hangs above the exact spot where the murder took place. The lighting completes the depiction of the four swords.
We arrived at 10:30 Sunday morning and were fortunate to be able to attend the 11 am service which was sung by the boy's choir. It was moving and had an intimacy unexpected in a church of this size.
After the service was over we took pictures of the interior which had an elegant beauty about it. We felt blessed to have arrived in time to to share in this wonderful experience. In our own way we had come centuries later and walked the way of the pilgrims "the holy blissful martyr for to seek."

The next morning we woke heading into Amsterdam harbor. Our first stop was the flower market. Even though it was not in full color as the tulips were past blooming this year, it was still full of many seasonal flowers and booth after booth of bulbs for sale. Up and down the streets were pedal cabs like the one pictured here and everywhere there were bicycles and bicycle parking lots jammed with thousands of bikes. We certainly had to wonder how anyone could find where they had parked. According to our guide many of them are simply abandoned.
There was not a comfortable feel about walking the city streets. It was very crowded and everyone seemed to be in a hurry. We did take an interesting boat ride through the canals and saw lots of old Dutch architecture.
In the port guide we were given on the ship, Amsterdam was described as an "amoral city." We were intrigued by the captain's elaborate explanation of the difference between a coffeehouse and a cafe. If you want a cup of coffee in Amsterdam you need to find a restaurant or a cafe. Coffee is not sold at coffeehouses; there one buys and sits to smoke marijuana--licensed and perfectly legal. However, smoking cigarettes is not permitted!
As we walked along the downtown canalfront looking for a Christmas ornament, we passed the building pictured. Inside the doorway stood a wonam dressed in black fishnet stockings and heels with her leg up on a stool. This too was perfectly legal in Amsterdam.

Emily and Katie

Beth and Shawn's girls, Emily 6 and Katie 8

 

Our next stop was Helsinki, Finland. As a stark contrast to Russia, we were impressed by the clean, modern buildings and public transportation system. The first two shots were taken in Porvoo, a small, wooden structure town established in 1386. The red buildings along the waterfront are the original "salt houses" where food was preserved and stored. There were many quaint little shops and lots of cobblestones for walking. Our granny guide told us some interesting facts about this country of 5.6million people. Long ago they assessed their resources and concluded they had two: timber, as the country is 75% forested; and their brains. If they were to compete in the world marketplace they had to be educated. Therefore, by the age of 16 a child is expected to master four languages; Finish, Swedish, English and either French or German. Even more impressive was the fact that 36% of the population holds a master's degree or better. The main industries are ship building, where they construct most of the world's icebreakers, and Nokia phones.
The third picture was taken at a lovely farmhouse where we were treated to an excellent lunch. The last picture was taken at the open air market along the waterfront. Along with the gorgeous fruit and vegetables there were booths with locally made cloth good and the hats pictured. I'm sure this was not a PETA approved shopping site but they were beautiful. Also along the waterfront were some wooden frames--drying stations. Here in the late spring women meet at the water's edge and wash their rugs in the salt water. Then they leave them on the racks to dry. This tradition goes on and is a big social event when the weather improves.

40th Anniversary

This year in June Mary Lou and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. It seems like such a short time on one hand; on the other like it has been our entire life. We decided to do something special to celebrate, so we booked a 16 day cruise from Stockholm to Rome aboard the Royal Princess, one of the small ships (710 passangers) . The appointments were beautiful and the experience more intimate, but we did miss the big stage productions of the larger ships.

We spent the first two days exploring Stockholm and were surprised at ow little traffic there was for a large world city. We came to find out we'd arrived for their summer solstice celebration, a family event much like our Thanksgiving where everyone went to the country and spent time together as a family. There was much fun singing, drinking and dancing around the maypole. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Sweden and loved exploring the old part of the city.

Our first stop was Estonia. It poured most of the day but we had ponchos and stayed fairly day. We enjoyed visiting a part of the country's past in a recreated village and were treated to some traditional music and dancing by a folk group.

From here we went to St. Petersburg, Russia. The city proper appeared to be in a state of disrepair, but there was evidence of new construction and renovations everywhere. Even the public transportation was old and dated. Counter to this was our arrival at the palace of Catherine the Great, (pictured above) with its elaborate gold ornamentation. It represented the greatest disparity between the haves and have-nots we have ever seen. Marylou's favorite was the green wedgewood room with its matching walls, tablecover and china. Many of the rooms were also fitted with a delftware fireplace that stood from floor to ceiling. Most of the floors were intricate parquet patterns. For this reason were had to wear booties over our shoes to help protect the wood. From the blue of Catherine we went to the yellow of Peter. Again at Peterhof everything was gilded and very ornate. Of special note here were the magnificent grounds and the 27 intricate fountains that dotted the landscape.

It's very difficult to relax after a busy day. Fortunately I found a nice pillow where I can rest my tired bones. PopPop and I rose early on Monday morning because there is much to explore. At 4:40 I went through the "ritual of gratitude" with a great deal of purring, kneeding and gum rubbing. I could tell PopPop was happy to see me and glad that I was overjoyed being with him.

Our baby daughter

On July 18, 2008 we were blessed with another daughter. Her name is Dolly and she is a calico about 11 weeks old.Her birthday is 5/5/08. After one day I can tell she is an extremely social being. While mommy and Aunt Peggy are in Pennsylvania she noticed a whole side of the bed was being wasted. As you can see, she has moved in completely.