JUST ME, BACK IN THE EARLY 1970's - PART 1

Still clearing through boxes in our 2025 downsizing project. Gregg came across these old photos of me, taken in the early and mid 1970's. When he put them in my hands, I could hardly comprehend that they were taken 50 years ago. Who is that young girl leaning against a snowbank? It's me! 

I decided to put them on here, along with the memories of each photo, so that our son could read them in the years ahead and hopefully have a chuckle. Hopefully you will too, or feel to skip most of it. I certainly won't be offended. 

In the next batch Gregg brings in, there were more of him when I asked. The photo above was taken on a walk on one of the trails around Seefeld in Austria. The name of where we stayed just popped into my head. It was the Hotel Hohe Munde. I don't remember what it looked like too much on the outside, typically Tyrolean I would say, but I remember the dance floor and the coffee shop and a wide staircase. I saved for almost two years to be able to go with a group of good friends, hotel and air fare included, plus skiing lessons and our evening meal.

I wasn't fond of the skiing part. In No.1 - it looks like I am trying to figure out which ski goes on which foot. No. 2 - I managed to stay on those feet for a while. No 3 - I finally gave up on the skis for a bit and decided to use this contraption. No. 4 definitely more my style. I would be the one being pulled instead of the toddler shown. I understood why there were skiers who looked so at ease, as if they had been born to it. I saw many a toddler attached to and straddling their parents' legs with their tiny feet resting on their parents' skis as they skied downhill, albeit more gently and slower than they normally would have done, and on the bunny slopes as they were called. The seeds are sown early.

In the next photo I am standing in front of The Golden Roof. It doesn't look so golden, but these photos have faded. I'm glad we found them when we did as they are deteriorating rapidly. What do I expect after not seeing the light of day for all these years?

In those early days, not long after we met, we were talking of places visited and found that we were in Innsbruck about the same time. Gregg was on an exchange tour with the British Navy and had time off. All his shipmates and friends were married and had gone home to be with their family. As it was a fairly short holiday, he had not flown back to the States and decided to see a bit of Europe. Innsbruck was on his itinerary. 

I had gone with a group of friends but decided to take a bus trip to Innsbruck one day, which the travel person at the hotel had recommended. I don't remember going with anyone else and maybe a tourist took this photo of me. The facts seem a bit fuzzy of how-tos after all these years. 

So, there was Gregg looking around the city moreorless at the same time as I was, and fancifully thinking, it was almost as if the fates were trying to tell us something. Two months later we met in my hometown. 

A little bit of history, the Golden Roof was completed in the year 1500 and was decorated with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I, to mark his wedding to Bianca Maria Sforza. The Emperor and his wife used the balcony to observe festivals, tournaments and other events that took place in the square below. The rest of the history can be read here. Seefeld, the town where I was spending my vacation, was only about an hour. 

I was closer to home in the next few photos, 12 hours plus by car from my home in Devonshire. Friend Moira and I are sitting next to a cannon on the battlements of Edinburgh Castle. This time I was away for a week's holiday. Moira's Dad was going on a business trip to St. Andrews in Scotland, and Moira suggested the three of us (also our friend Geraldine) spend a week in her dad's tent a little further north, and he dropped us off.

 

I had never been camping before and was eager to try it. I seem to remember my parents rolling their eyes when I told them what I was going to do. Dad occasionally would call me a hot-house flower, I liked my comfort too much he said. He couldn't imagine his youngest daughter going all the way up to Scotland and sleeping in a tent for seven nights in some strange place. Mum would fondly nod in my direction, agreeing with Dad. "Are you sure you really want to go camping?" with emphasis on the last word. Except for one long weekend on Dartmoor with a bunch of workmates the following year, I never went camping again. Definitely a hot house flower but that week up in Scotland, I wouldn't have traded that for the world. Enjoyed it from start to finish.

The photo above shows us playing cards in that lovely tent that was our home for a week, by a lovely windy loch, anchored to two strong, solid oak trees. None of us had been camping before and didn't really know how to do a simple thing like pitch a tent. It blew down that first night in pouring rain. Did we care? Not really! We couldn't stop laughing as we struggled to hoist it back up, pouring down with rain, catching all the flapping parts and digging them firmly onto the spikes which we hammered into the ground. Lesson learned, it stayed up for the rest of the week.  

There was a pub down the road and a small general shop. I seem to remember the pub people owning the camping ground. We went to two castles, Edinburgh and Stirling. There was a public bus once a week, which is how we got to these castles I suppose. Fuzzy memories on the hows after all this time. 

We walked down to the pub each night and one evening we were adopted by a young local couple we had gotten to know. The next night they invited us to go to their home for the evening. It was one of those self-entertainment get togethers, where the husband played a guitar, the wife sang Scottish folk songs, which we were invited to sing along to, and another of their friends recited Scottish poetry. We ate bread and cheese, ate crisps and drank pop. The hospitality was outstanding. Didn't want it to end and didn't leave until we were dropping off at well after midnight. Our hosts were only too ready to keep the evening going.

We were the only ones at the camping ground so we could take our pick of spots. We never found it boring. I don't remember much about the meals, but they were simple enough. We cooked spaghetti on a burner with lots of delicious bread still warm from the oven and freshly churned butter from that small shop not too far from the pub, all within a short walking distance. The pub always seemed to be quiet when we were there, with only a few locals.

On the last day when we were waiting for Moira's Dad so that we could start the journey home, a group of army lads turned up and started pitching their tent. They had some free time they said and decided to come up here from wherever they were stationed. We girls looked at each other and rolled our eyes but just as well we were leaving I suppose. A flash of my Dad’s disapproving expression just came to me. Gregg often says I have that same expression. I can hear my Mum saying, “Oh Stanley!” as she wrung her hands with worry. They needn’t have been concerned, but we are parents so we know how it goes. Dad gifted his girls with good head sense and taught skills that I still have today. I also have always had an overly cautious nature. Anyhow, those lads seemed very nice. We waved to them from the car as we headed south. It was a great feeling getting home, the same feeling I get now. Great to see my Mum and Dad again, and my Mum was particularly relieved I had such a good time but was now under her roof. Dad just rolled his eyes as I rolled mine and we had a bit of a laugh. Our dog Jason was filled with joy and his tail was like a whirlybird. He wouldn't leave my side for several days. Yes, it was good to get home.

This is Jason, our golden labrador. He was my baby. He didn't like other little dogs though, and we had to be careful taking him on walks. When he was a puppy and we hadn’t had him for long, we were on the high street in Totnes, and a passing terrier jumped up and bit him really hard on the end of his nose and wouldn't let go. He bled and bled and bled and was in such a state, poor pup. We had to keep him away from small dogs for evermore. I loved him dearly, a real sweet boy and he loved everyone who came to our house with even their dogs, but not terriers or other small dogs.

It's been a bit of a ramble and am sorry it's gone on for so long, but those photos started the memories flowing.

I have more photos and memories to share but I will give you a break and split this post into two parts, sharing the other in a few days or so.

Thanks for visiting and thank you for indulging me in my ramble. Have a great day!

 

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - VISIT FROM OUR OVERSEAS FAMILY STARTING AT THE AIRPORT - PART 1

 Hello family and friends, my blog break is over. I will be sharing several posts from our recent visit from our dear niece, her partner and his daughter. I thought they were really nice to say they didn't mind me putting their photos on here. I have always been very close to my niece since the first time I met her when she was a wee baby, and when I met her partner and his daughter, they were as nice as could be, with delightful senses of humor. I grew very fond of them over this holiday. We all had a marvelous time and it went all too quickly, but we have great memories and many photos taken during their visit.

It all started at Washington-Dulles International Airport and we arrived early. It has been quite a while since we were there to pick anyone up. As expected, we found the arrival lounge busy, with many people expecting loved ones off countless planes. Fortunately we found a couple of empty chairs.It was such a happy atmosphere. As each planeload of passengers made their way out of the customs area, the excitement was palpable. We watched as several families/friends greeted each other with such joy and excitement. We waited for their plane to land, and a text finally arrived from our niece to say they were in line at customs and that it would take forever. But at long last they came through the doors, and wouldn't you know it, with all the excitement we didn't think of taking a photo. Our arms were too busy hugging each other. But I did remember to take this on our way back home.

I wasn't sure what they would like for their first meal here, and we thought of taking them out to a nice restaurant but as you might guess, they were very tired after their journey. So, we said we would order in, and everyone unanimously voted for pizza. We picked it up on our way home at a local family-run place. Our son went to the same school with the owner's son. You can visit their website here. I get nothing in return for this, but love giving people a good rating when it is well deserved, and we get consistently excellent food. We can purchase a variety of pizzas by the slice, and they also have wonderful salads.

The new table Gregg put together worked out great, and I meant to take a photo of it all set up but forgot. I will do that down the road somewhere. There were napkins but forgot to take those out of the cupboard and no one seemed to mind the kitchen roll. We were all so happy at being together. Knives and forks were set out and that pizza was thoroughly enjoyed.

My niece holding her glass up as we took one last photo before tucking in.

The first request on their bucket list was to see an American shopping mall (I think the ladies might have had something to say about this).We took them to Tyson's Corner the next day. I am still not able to walk around too much but I sat in one of the food courts and found an empty table and enjoyed people watching. Always a fun pastime for me. Husband and son sent me a few photos...and they came back to keep me company. Neither of them are shoppers for places like this, but once our family had the lay of the land, they left them to enjoy the mall. The Easter Bunny looked very tired...

but perked up as soon as this cute little girl visited.

You're not taking my photo are you son?

Oh, okay!

We sat right outside the Panda Express and Charlie's was a few doors up, but I only felt like a coffee son brought back with him. Great coffee from I forget where. Not one of the regular names you see, a new place.

Our dear daughter-in-law finished work and joined us. Then everyone came back and there was a group photo Gregg took.

There's a lot of American pop culture on German television and the youngest member of the group had heard all about Crumbl Cookies. Fortunately one had opened up not too far away from us, so we were able to stop on the way home one day.

A pose for friends back home.

I was told they change the cookies to a different variety weekly, with the exception of the chocolate chip. The cookies are quite big and some are cake-like.

Mine was this one with small easter eggs on top.

It was excellent!

I may be getting timelines confused as strangely I neglected my journal during the time they were here. I couldn’t keep up truth be told. So we did all of the things in my posts. Just maybe not in the order I put down.

That's all for today but more coming.

Thanks for visiting and I hope your day is a great one.

WEEKLY HAPPENINGS FROM MONDAY 12/9/24 TO SUNDAY, 12-15-24

Hello Family, Friends and Blogging friends, here is this week’s goings on.  Thank you for continuing to let me know how much you enjoy them. 

As I posted about our wedding anniversary yesterday, I left this one until today.

This week's weather forecast including last Sunday.

Monday, 12/9/24: 44 degrees going up to 56 degrees, with 100% chance of showers. We did in fact wake up to rain. It turned into a sunny day, though still quite cold.

Breakfast: small banana, half a cup of plain yogurt and small glass orange juice

Lunch: (?) I am going to have to think about that one. I am writing this the next day and hard to recall. But ask me something that happened 70 plus years ago. Gregg says I am like a laser and yes, I am smiling, it’s true. I expect many of us are like this.

Dinner: pork chop and the last of our homemade soup. The pork chop was marinated in a Greek-style dressing and a last-minute addition from Chef Gregg. I had mentioned the recipe a few days ago and he bought the chops on the last shopping trip. It was excellent and compliments to the chef. I will share it soon.

I pottered, wrote out a few Christmas cards, read and blogged. Gregg shopped, pottered and read. 

Tuesday, 12/10/24: Gregg had a scam letter saying his end of the year tax info was ready and to tap on the link. He was leery. He actually told me to tell you out there that he did click on what he thought was our bank a few weeks ago, and it took him a week to resolve that one. Very official looking letter with the bank’s logo, except found later there was an extra letter in the title. Where was Nancy Drew when we needed her? He told me if this helps any of you out there to prevent you from doing the same thing, he is more than happy to share. We have also recently had a friend who did the same thing, but it was also detected before any damage was done. It is a creepy feeling. I am having strange texts also, and a few emails, all very official looking. There are pros and cons for the internet, and this is one of the cons unfortunately.

 

My dear other half is off to see our son later on today. It is a weekly thing now more often than not, and not always on the same day. I love the fact that they get their father/son time. They asked me to go but I would literally slow them down as I am still effectively hobbled. This way they can see more, do more and I am happy at home. I enjoy my quiet time and everyone wins. 

A grey, overcast day and we were surprised to see not one, but two large foxes in our neighbor’s yard in the early afternoon. They made their way to the neighbors at the back of them, hopping the fence, making it look so easy. We were surprised to see them this early but read that on overcast days when the lighting is more subdued, they feel safer to roam. I brightened up the photo a bit below so you could see foxy more clearly. The other one had run ahead. This is Gregg’s photo.

Breakfast: I didn't feel like eating anything until noon, so...

Lunch: As it was my first meal of the day I was heading for my Weetabix but Gregg presented me with a full breakfast. It was very good and I remembered to take a photo for this post. A fried egg, oyster mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and he added a pork chop left over from the night before, divided between the two of us. There was also a slice of toasted rye. 

Dinner: As father and son were meeting up and I was solo, and being a bit tired, I looked in the fridge to see what was handy, and I ate a bit of this and a bit of that. At some point mentioned previously and too boring to repeat. 

I wrote out a few more Christmas Cards. Pretty postage stamps for the holidays from the last trip to the post office. I can’t take photos of those as it would be frowned upon probably, maybe even illegal👀. When the cards start rolling in, I always look at the stamps on them. Fun to see the different artwork from different parts of the world.

My guys found themselves in Georgetown. One of their stops was Barnes and Noble. An old friend of our son saw him and stopped to chat. Gregg went upstairs and sent me the photo below. If you click on the name above you can see photos of this part of Washington DC with its history. 

Gregg and I spent a lot of time looking around here when we were first married as we lived in an apartment across the Potomac River, and we always took friends when visiting. One night we went to a Spanish restaurant where flamenco dancers entertained us all night. The meal consisted of small plates of food presented throughout the evening, the longest meal I ever had and it was wonderful. The dancers entertained us between every course. A very memorable time and a treasured memory, especially as our good friend passed away a couple of years ago. We were young whippersnappers back in those days of course, and newlyweds. 

My guys are always happy to share photos with me by the way, and send them while they are out and about. They are also happy that I put them on here, our daughter-in-law is very sweet like that too as they enjoy looking at the blog.

Earlier they walked by the open-air skating rink. A bit blurry but it gives you an idea. It is down near the Potomac River, a very pretty area. This link gives information, and this one is on Yelp. You can click on where it says ‘see all 36 photos’ which is fun to look at.

Wednesday, 12/11/24: I woke up to pouring rain and it was very loud, the hardest rain we have had in a long time. A different kind of alarm and I much prefer the birds. We slept late, it was dark out there.  Here’s a couple of pictures, one giving you an idea of what is on the tree in the family room (I should have put the lights on)…

and the other of the wet deck. All looks very bare and wintry. Sophie Squirrel is wondering if I am going to bring a brolly out for her.

Breakfast: didn’t feel like any.

Lunch: toasted cheese and tomato soup

Dinner: shrimp scampi. It was very good, top notch.  I will have shared the recipe on yesterday’s post.  

A decision was made today about getting rid of our cable TV, and just using the internet for streaming, using our phone and iPads. The company’s website doesn’t make it easy, but eventually Gregg got a person to talk to and she couldn’t have been nicer, and very professional. We have literally been talking about this for months, and finding that we were watching less and less the last couple of years.We can still keep up with the news. I was concerned about sports, but Gregg said there are ways. He just has to figure it out and he is the one who made the final decision. I had quit watching TV over the last year plus. Our son and daughter-in-law don’t have cable either and watch by streaming. They were/have been fine with it, and they are the reason we started thinking about it in the first place. 

Thursday, 12/11/24: As I sit typing this, I am watching early morning visitors at the bird feeder. Two squirrels having a face off for what's in the dish. No doubt it will be on the ground again in a few minutes. As one chased the other off, a Blue Jay came down for a quick morsel and flew away. He is back again! A Black-capped Chickadee flew in, picked up a seed and flew out again, the same with the Tufted Titmouse. A House Finch, Dove and the Dark-eyed Junco next. It's a veritable parade. Looking through the glass is my TV and much preferred.

After a rainy day yesterday, the sun is shining. I hope the same for you. Current temperature is 32 degrees F., getting up to 42.

Gregg is off having lunch with his old friend. They find places where they can chat for hours and hours, without someone coming around with a broom to sweep under the table and clang the trays. When I went out regularly with friends, this was the staff’s ‘subtle’ way, at one certain restaurant, to get us out of there. It is one of the reasons I started inviting them back to our place where they used to stay overnight. We could chat to our heart’s content for as long as we wanted, and I didn’t get the broom out once! 

Breakfast: Weetabix, my old standby. A tablespoon each of chopped dried dates, pumpkin seeds and 6 almonds, a small banana, large glass of water and a cup of black coffee. 

Linda (DrumMajor from Kansas), asked me what is Weetabix. I answered her question in the comment section, but thought I would do give more details. I went straight to the company's homepage to get this information. The box I get usually looks like this.

Weetabix is a breakfast cereal that is compressed into biscuit-like thick, oblong wafers, which are lovely when warm milk is poured over them, or in my case almond milk. Dairy and I don’t get along these days. Weetabix can be found at most of our supermarkets.

Here's the info I found: "made from whole grain wheat, cane sugar, salt, and barley malt extract. Nutritionally it is a good source of fiber and contains vitamins and minerals. A serving of Weetabix contains 4g of fiber, with about 2g of sugar per serving. Health benefits: Weetabix is Non-GMO Project Verified and certified Kosher. It's also vegan and heart healthy."

The Weetabix we buy is manufactured in Coburg, Ontario but it is as I always remembered it. Nostalgic it may be, because it is one of those comfort breakfasts my mother always fixed before sending me off to school, so you can say I have enjoyed Weetabix my whole life. I should be in one of their commercials!

Truthfully, I didn’t know all this until I looked for their website. I enjoyed reading about them so thanks for the question Linda. I feel the same way whenever any of you ask me something. If I don't know the answer, I go on one of my curiosity journeys which I always have fun doing. 

Lunch turned into Dinner: I ate lunch/dinner late and fixed myself a sandwich. It is cooked like French Toast using two slices of Pepperidge Farm  bread 

(because sometimes I just have to have white bread), 2 thin slices of a large tomato and a slice of Swiss Lacy Cheese, or you could use any cheese you like. I dipped both slices of bread into 2 beaten eggs, put the element on medium and sautéed both slices fairly quickly on what would be the inside of the sandwich, so they would be set and not soggy before adding the tomato and cheese (having used a spray of olive oil, or avocado oil to coat the pan). I then placed the one slice in the pan first - ‘set side’ - up, layered the cheese and tomato slices on top, and then put the second slice of bread - set-side down - this time on top of the cheese and tomato. I cooked one side of the whole sandwich until golden, and then gently flipped the sandwich over to do the other side. I forgot to mention I put the frying pan lid on the pan so that the cheese would melt faster. Also a few bread and butter pickles on the side. This sandwich is almost like a Croque Monsieur but not as fancy and without the béchamel sauce, It is like a grilled cheese sandwich but more like a savory French toast. Very tasty! I have probably made this way too complicated. It is easier and faster than I have made it sound.

Snacks: I drink water off and on all day and every day. Also have my cup of black coffee early morning, green tea in the afternoon and chamomile at night. In the early evening I enjoyed a cup of blueberries with a half-cup of pro-biotic yogurt. 

Even though I have always eaten a relatively healthy diet with lots of veggies and fiber, I am enjoying keeping track of my meals. It helps to remind me to keep on the straight and narrow if I have strayed the day before. I have always been a bit regimented when I make my mind up on things, a bit stubborn one might call it. Butter really must be corner to corner on the bread. Just ask my dear other half and yes, I am smiling. We rarely have butter, using more olive or avocado oil now, but ohhhh butter! Nothing like it and all in moderation, so enough of that!

Gregg arrived home after dinner time. He had been dealing with rush hour traffic for a couple of hours, or as the detailed one would say, “I think it was an hour-and-56-and-a-half minutes.” Gregg just said that. Family joke! He had a good time chatting with his friend. They went to an Italian restaurant in a shopping strip.  

I often check my neighborhood app as I have been wondering about Fluffy Kitty on these cold nights. Thankfully I haven’t seen her in the lost animal section. 

I am a bit worried as on the app someone shared their security camera’s picture of a coyote. It certainly looked like a coyote, and not a fox people have mistakenly ID’d as a coyote. There was a bit of back-and forth about people letting their cats out at night and the topic got quite heated. 

I will never sit in judgment as my parents always let our cat out at night. Back in those days it was considered cruel not to, but different country, no predatory animals to speak of and foxes were never heard of in my small town. So, different times and 60 years ago. 

However, someone mentioned on this app, that her neighbor had lost two cats not so long ago. These cats were waiting to be let back into the house, and before that happened, a coyote came along on two separate occasions, took one first and then the other. This happened about a month apart. How horrible! I would be worried about small dogs, even big dogs. 

Coyotes are very smart animals. I would never have thought in a million years that we would have to be concerned about them here in the suburbs. We don’t leave our birdseed out at night because of these sightings and even before they arrived, simply because of the foxes and raccoons we have around here, forgetting only occasionally. There is a large wooded area with a water source not too far away. A great habitat for any animal, even for the ones passing through. This is the reason we see so many of them and let’s face it, they were here a long time before people showed up.  

Friday, 12-13-24: today was another meet up for father and son. My dear other half has been busy this week. Son had business in Maryland today. As he left quite early and my night kept me awake, I took the opportunity to sleep in to catch up on some z’s.

Breakfast: slept through it.

Lunch: fixed myself a mixed vegetable salad of leafy lettuce, cucumber slices, shavings of carrot, cherry tomatoes. No salad dressing, and not for any other reason than I didn’t grow up with it. Pretty boring but very enjoyable and I felt like a salad.

Dinner: same as yesterday with the faux Croque Monsieur.  At this point in time, it is my new favorite sandwich. 

Above is a Carolina Wren. He was singing away. For such a little bird he has a loud song. But there was also great excitement - for me - a Northern Flicker this afternoon landed on the bottom feeding platform. I have seen them here before but very rarely and not for a very long time. I reached for my camera at my side, turned and looked again, he was gone. This has happened each time I have seen one, the last time being months ago. One of these days! (That turned out to be an hour later when he perched on top of the high rail, as you may remember from my other post.)  Now I am content with numerous House Finches, Eastern Bluebirds, Tufted Titmouse, Dark-eyed Juncos, male Cardinal and even a Red-bellied woodpecker. I put the new bag of birdseed into the dishes early this morning, the no mess sunflower kernels and it certainly attracts the birds, more smaller ones and yes, the squirrels. 

A bluebird is patiently waiting for the squirrels to vacate so that it can fly down from its perch to eat. He didn’t have to wait long.

Saturday, 12/14/24: Today has been a very quiet day. Neither of us have been out. Pottered and pottered and enjoyed pottering, getting down to a few things around the house. 

Breakfast: didn't have one.

Lunch: I fixed both of us a mixed green salad and I wanted to make Gregg one of those sandwiches I did the other day. He ate every last bite and said how good it was, so that made me happy. He is always very honest about what we make, even with the meals he makes. 

Dinner: as lunch was late we ate relatively light. We found small appetizer egg rolls in the freezer with a dipping sauce. Gregg sorted those out. We will be grazing if we get hungry later. I have just finished a hot cup of Camomile. 

It is very cold outside. We are hibernating!

That's it for today. 

Sunday, 12/15/24: Son came over for our usual Sunday morning get together. It was wonderful and a fun time. He left at noon to pick up our daughter-in-law. Later in the day...

he was on his way to Winchester (in Virginia) late afternoon. He sent us this photo. Traffic had backed up for miles because of a three-car accident. We all hoped the people involved were okay and are now home and will be safely tucked up in their own beds tonight. It hasn't snowed here, but we have had rain for the last several hours. 

I am including three jigsaw puzzles to brighten the day. I have been doing them over the past month.

My knee continues to give me problems. Hopefully the physiotherapy sessions will help. My first appointment is in early January.

Thanks for looking at my around-and-about post, and have a great week.