The long good-bye

I detect a note of smugnees in my previous blog entry while describing the Grand Adventure of flying space-available for a vacation. I said something like, "Oh this is so easy, I 'll be back soon"! Well I can tell you......it has not been so easy trying to get home!

The FIRST time I went to McChord to catch a hop, the young man informed me that no planes flew directly to Germany and I would have to go an East Coast AFB to catch a plane. I called Terry to ask his advice, his comment was " how many stripes did the Airman have? (The answer, sadly, was two) Back to McChord , and yes I could be manifested to Germany even IF and WHEN they stopped on the East coast. My best chance was to come back at such and such a time. I have lost track of how many times - but it was a week long event - I showed up with baggage all ready to go. There was one flight I was SO SURE I would be on .................A non stop 15 hour flight on a C5, perfect, leave at 1700 go to sleep and wake up in Germany on a weekend too, just perfect. But oh NO, So sorry they told me, last minute change, no passengers allowed. I have lost count of the "last meal", last latte"...........and the last good-bye.

Every time I tried to find a way home, for instance plan B part 1 had me riding a train to Oregon to be picked up by Becca and taken to Portland International then fly to Baltimore Washington arriving around midnight only to then check the next hop to Germany.......As it turns out that train was booked full!! Doors just kept slamming on me. Time for plan C part 1.........that is to buy a commercial seat S eattle to Frankfurt, with a 5 hour layover at JFK in New York.

The optomist in me prevails so I am grateful for the additional time spent with family and friends. Joan and Jer had a farewell party for Dani, Roy and their precious baby Francis, who are moving to Vermont. I was able to see Robert, Bobbie-Sue, her boyfriend Kurt, Alex, Willie, and Gary, who I otherwise would have missed. Then of course there was Mar and Matt and Sadie, ONE MORE TIME......I was also able to have a farewell lunch with Kerry and Marta. Again, with the good-bye ONE MORE TIME. Even with all the hassle I would do it all over again! Go ahead and call me crazy..........

I am planning to fly space-available back to the states at the end of April so I can go to Terry's graduation from the Senior NCO Academy------Go Figure!

love and miss you all

Fun Follows

How much fun can one girl have at the ocean, how about eight girls? Mom, sisters, Mar, Cec, Joan, Susie Q, Joan's daughter Dani, her daughter Francis Dee and I all traveled to Pacific Beach, Washington to find the answer. As it turns out eight girls can have a lot of fun. For starters we couldn't believe that it snowed! It hardly ever snows at the coast! Of course we were prepared for the cold weather, springtime is ever changing - we expected the wind to add zest to our long walks on the beach and we weren't disappointed. The food, of course was delicious as well. A full course turkey dinner was just the perfect meal for the occasion.


We absoulutely LOVED playing electronic Uno (thanks, Matt), OMG it is a riot to play. Mom even mastered the quick wrist flick on a draw 2 card, WHAT FUN. The houses are the same we have rented in the past except this time we were disappointed no cozy warm fireplace anymore AND no washer/ dryer.... they now have hardwood floors and five bedrooms which was plenty big for our crowd. We did manage our walks on the beach, even Millie (Mom's car) had an adventurous spin on the sand - at low tide, of course! The only sister missing was Chris but Susie managed to create a paper Chrissy that we dutifully took care of all weekend. Cec remarked what a busy but well rested/deserved vacation for all of us. I agree. It was so much fun I suggest we all get togther next year for another ocean get-a-way, this time ..."Come one, come all"!

love and miss you all

Space Available

I traveled to the States on a C17! What an adventure to fly accross the Atlantic Ocean in the belly of this airplane, all 10 hours and 55 minutes of it!

Terry is in Alabama attending the Senior NCO Academy from March 17th thru April 30th, what a great opportunity for me to visit friends and family in the Pacific Northwest, also known as "HOME" The timing out of Ramstein AFB was perfect, I was able to catch the first flight scheduled to McChord. There was so much room in the cargo area that a young Mother was able to set up a playpen for her little guy. he slept most of the way, happy as a clam at high tide.

All in all an exciting and easy trip for me, considering I am not the best traveler.............And of course nothing was more welcoming than the sight of Mount Rainier............... ahhh home again!

love and miss you all

YIKES!

I told Terry the other day that I REALLY need to post a blog tomorrow, he said, that is what you said last week......and the week before that........AND the week before that!

Yikes! Where has the time gone? It can't be almost Valentines Day!

It was hard to say good-bye to my Mom in January, we had such fun while she was here, so many stories that I should have shared along the way. Our trip to the markets plus our jaunt down memory lane to Landstuhl come to mind, but for this blog I will share a story from our Ireland trip.

Mom, Terry and I arrived in Dublin on St. Stephens Day, or Boxing Day as it is known in England. We had arranged to let an apartment on the south side of town near where the Rigney's live. We called Mikal and he agreed to pick us up at half one- which by the way is how the Irish tell time, it sounds quaint doesn't it? He was delighted to meet Mom and Terry, he then took us to his Mother's house where we were treated to a memorable lunch. She had obviously put some time into it, there was a huge amount of food and the table was set beautifully. She is is a charming and vivacious woman, Mikal calls her Mudds. I can only guess that it's a shortened version of Mother-Mudder-Mudds.......however, I never did ask. Lunch concluded with a special cake Mudds had made before her Spain holiday- (I didn't dare ask when that was) she did need a VERY sharp knife plus Terry to help hold the cake while she hacked into it.....I likened it to a fruit cake covered (sealed you might say) in marzipan! And she told us that she had saved cutting it just for us! She did rembember to unplug the blinking Christmas light atop the cake prior to consumption! Too funny, I didn't dare look at my Mom.

Mikal loaded us in his car and began a tour of Bray and the surrounding area. It was a beautiful drive that took us on a coastal route that included a peek at the residence of U-2's Bono.

At various times throughout the day, Mikals wife Aideen had called his cell, we could hardly help but hear his end of the conversation......things like "no dear, I really didn't eat much" (we certainly had) and "yes, dear we will be home round half six or so to be sure" We were just passengers along for the ride, I did wonder at the twinkle in both his and Mudds eye.....True to his word, we finished the sightseeing and the five of us arrived at his home to be welcomed by his family. Introductions made and then with drinks in hand............ we were led to the dining room and saw that Aideen had a formal dinner table set and we were the guest of honor!

I would pay good money to have a picture of the look Mom's face when the (heaping) plate of food was set in front of her, no wonder Mikal only picked lightly at lunch at Mudd's house! Needless to say the conversation and the wine flowed late into the evening. I do believe I waddled on the way outside to get into a cab back to our apt. I was very thankful there was not another "Irish Christmas Cake" for dessert!

love and miss you all

Christmas in Edinburgh

Edinburgh we decided would be the perfect place to spend Christmas this year and so it happened on the shortest day of the year, my Mom, Terry and I boarded a flight headed North to Scotland, the land of our ancestors.

What a wonderful city, I have said it more than once and all of my traveling companions agree, "I could live in Edinburgh" I can't really put my finger on what it is that makes this place so special. Is it the castle that dominaties the skyline? Maybe the famous Royal Mile or the amazing number of literary giants that have called this home. Perhaps it is the sense of the savage history that makes it what it is today, it just is!

We had a great apartment right in the heart of old town with a view of the castle out our window. What fun to watch all the holiday shoppers from our second floor perch. We of course did the obligitory tour of the castle and journyed on a hop on hop off tour which educated us on various famous landmarks throughout the city. Another memorable day was spent getting our pounds worth while riding on an all day city bus pass. Who knew that paticular bus does not loop back around, just another adventure and a great way to see more the city. Our goal that day had been to purchase dinner for Christmas and we ended up touring the town and finding some wonderful cheese at a real cheesmongers shop!

We had scoped out St. Mary's Cathedral the first day we were here so we could attend Midnight Mass with His Emminence Cardinal O'Brien officiating. The bulletin indicated carols at 11:30, Mass at 12. Thank goodness we arrived early to get good seats because there were no carols; the choir, the Cardinal and countless others processed to the altar promptly at 11:30 to begin the service. The cathedral itself is magnificent - arches, statues, frescoes and carvings. This all lent itself well to the pomp of a Cardinal's Mass with thundering organ, angelic choir and enough incense to waft us all heavenwards. All in all it was a beautiful service. The Cardinal, in his opening remarks welcomed one and all, especially a group all the way from San Diego, Texas! And lo and behold, as we were leaving, there was the Cardinal right at our exit so we shook his hand and exchanged blessings of the season. Amazing!

Now it is time to leave this city behind and travel to Dublin to re-visit with the Rigney family, so I say ......."Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night"

love and miss you all

Birthday Blog!

Here we are again another Dezember upon us, which many of you know kicks off what we refer to in the Adams family as Birthday Week. That special time before the Christmas Holiday season kicks into high gear. This week sees more than a few fellow Sagittarian's turning another year older. They include: our friend Jim Long, the twins, Jim and Joan Adams, Annie Butcher, Charlotte Thompson, my neighbor Llorenz, the hunter, Steve Adams and OF COURSE yours truly, privelaged to spend this year with my Mom who is visiting from the states. Naturally, the evening was spent with a few friends and naturally we had a few laughs................


The guests included our German friends Hanni and Josef , Josef's sister Annie as well as Dutch Roy and Belgique Julie. The menu , one of my favorites- chilidogs! It was funny watching their faces especially the mozzarella cheese stringing from spoonfuls of chili,. For dessert I requested Mom's easy quaker cake with broiled coconut topping. She commented, " such a simple cake Lizzy, are you sure?"

This simple cake turned out to be the evenings entertainment......everyone loved dessert and insisted on the recipe, or as Josef called it, the reciept...SO Julie, being Julie the "translator" was writing down Mom's dictation.....Hanni and Annie with all their questions and gestures, discussing stirring versus beating......rapid German/English/Dutch flying back and forth- everyone commenting...to make things more complicated we had to convert cups to milliliters, fahrenheit to centigrade, inches to centimeters etc, etc........our Simple Quaker cake kept getting more and more complicated.....there would be a lull in the conversation then someone would ask a question and we were off and running again........how much coconut......just what is cream in German, can it be doubled...... etc. etc. just too funny~




The evening concluded with everyone taking home a copy of what is now referred to as Kuchen von Judy! It was one of those "YOU HAD TO BE THERE" stories, but for those of us who were there...........it was another evening spent sharing and laughing with friends.

love and miss you all

St. Martin of Tours

11/11 @ 11:11; November 11th at 11 minutes past the 11th hour marks the begining of Karneval or Fasching. German children celebrate with a tradition that has evolved over time and has been ongoing for hundreds of years, they remember a reluctant hero, St. Martin of Tours. Children aged 11 and under gather together at dusk carrying lanterns and sing special lanterns songs, songs of the harvest and songs of the land, they walk thru the town, sometimes St. Nicolas joins them and usually the procession involves a bonfire as well as treats for the children as they remember St. Martin, a 4th century Roman soldier who is best known for his compassion for the poor. Many legends surround his life, my favorite is the telling of how he cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar who was freezing in a snowstorm. Traditionally, goose is eaten on this day, St. Martin is said to have tried to hide in a barn full of geese to avoid being appointed Bishop, the geese gave his location away. It is no coincidence this is the time of year when donations are asked for, all in the name of St. Martin of Tours.

My 10 year old friend Fatima asked if I would accompany her as our village celebrated St. Martin's day last Sunday. We met at the edge of town and it seemed as if most of the village was there, including the local marching band as well as our escort, the local fire department. Usually , the children make their lanterns at school, they are so colorful, all shapes and sizes. The evening was crisp and clear as dusk descended the anticipation and excitement grew. The band started playing and off we went...up and down streets, singing songs handed down thru generations, we marched thru town to the sound of the band and the melody of many voices. We stopped at one point and watched as a bonfire was lit, after gazing for a while, we continued thru town and on to the Dorfehalle, where children were given treats and a Weckmänner, a traditional bread in the shape of a man holding a pipe, only baked this time of year.





All throughout Europe variations of this celebration take place. Fatima told me that Tuesday, I must attend the Waldfuecht version, she is excited because there is a real horse and rider depicting St. Martin and it promises to be much bigger and better. I explained to her that being (the only American) included in the Bruggelchen festivities was a wonderful experience for me, a special evening spent with the villagers as they gathered together in rememberence of this beloved Saint......below a verse from one of the many songs sung:

Ich geh' mit meiner Laterne
I go with my lantern
Und meine Laterne mit mir.
And my lantern goes with me.
Dort oben leuchten die Sterne,
Up above the stars are shining,
Hier unten, da leuchten wir.
Down here we're shining.
Der Martinsmann, der zieht voran.
St. Martin, he marches on.
Rabimmel, rabammel, rabum.
Rabimmel, rabammel, rabum.
Der Martinsmann, der zieht voran.
St. Martin, he marches on.
Rabimmel, rabammel, rabum.
Rabimmel, rabammel, rabum.


And now to post this blog at the official start of the Karneval season..............



love and miss you all