Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Damn fox...

Now I find out that you're not supposed to eat any local raw vegetation due to some fox epidemic...I guess they contaminate foliage with parasite eggs that cannot be washed off...They then grow up inside you over the years and then take out your liver...

You must cook to kill...fortunately the warning also state that you get the same risk from petting your dog while eating...well I've done that forever...so from a risk probablility standpoint, I've only notched up a percentile or two...Whew!

Cheers, Dave

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Wet Morning Stroll

It rained last night, all night. Woke up at 8:00 and it was still raining. So I prepped the dogs for a morning stroll.























Well as soon as we stepped out, the rain stopped! So the dogs did their business and I packed away their rain coats. I was then headed to the bakery to get fresh bread for breakfast, when I ran into my neighbors. They are early octogenarians with a very young, energetic dog. They asked if I wanted to join them on their walk. Why not? So we all headed out...despite their age, a short walk to them is a solid 2-3 mile hike. The dogs though loved it and as we walked through a small refuge (wild park) on the way back home, my neighbor (the wife and ex-chef) pulled out some 'weeds' and asked me to smell them. Expecting a parsley, basil or mint smell, I was a bit taken aback by the foul smell. She then said "c'est l'ail'.... garlic! Add the leaves to a salad or soup...it's wonderful.

So I grabbed the leaves and after finally picking up the fresh bread, got home and added them over our eggs. They were great! I never knew you could eat garlic leaves (cut them right above the white stalk). They're pungent, but much less so than the cloves. I have since read, that they're also very good for you....By early summer, the leaves will flower, and then they will lose their vitality.

So now, I need to head back out and grab some more!

Back to the topic of empty nest syndrome, as Dedi and I shared our breakfast with a fresh white baguette, we both could only think of Aubrey tearing off a chunk with a big smile, as she does with all bread....and when I ask her to use a knife, she'll repeat my words of times past "It's good luck to tear it with your hands!" And then of course Brenna, who will say, "No thanks" when you offer to cook her a full breakfast..and then proceed to snack from your plate until you're forced to make a fresh batch...! As you can tell, we already miss the girls terribly and hope to hear soon that they have arrived safe and sound!







Solo Voyage

Friday we all headed out to Zurich and spent the night at Novotel Airport Hotel. Then early Saturday morning we took Brenna and Aubrey to the airport where they prepared for their first solo transatlantic flight.

Brenna had been nervous on Friday and was feeling a bit ill on top of that. She's basically the 'adult' on this trip and was feeling the responsibility piling up.. but Saturday morning she seemed confident and well. Aubrey was ecstatic.


Here's a shot of them going thru security check 1. Security nailed me for snapping the picture.
One last shot as they passed immigration in Zurich....no security guard nearby to shut my camera down!
So off they went with a sheet of paper with 100's of phone numbers, just in case, but it appears that all went well. I was able to reach Brenna's cell phone and she indicated that they cleared immigration and customs in Atlanta and was walking towards the terminal for their connecting flight to Denver. Pretty cool! I'm proud of them!


Once they get to Denver they'll have a busy week shuffling between old schoolmates, Grandma and Grandpa, and some shopping to stock up on Reeses Candy Bars and other essentials!


So Dedi and I are getting an early taste of the empty nest syndrome. I'll write more about this later.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Wandering Ride

Another nice day today....The calm before the storm? Snow is in the forecast. Anyways, I took a nice leisurely ride to Aubonne to explore some of the back roads. It was quite pleasant to just ride around, letting my mind wander, keeping just enough wits about me to avoid running into cars, curves, and pedestrians!

Aubonne is best known here as the home of IKEA but is really a nice place to visit. As I rounded a corner after a short climb, I got a nice view of the fortified city.






From here, I dropped into a valley and climbed out riding along a 12th century stone wall. I then approached the famous "Château d'Aubonne" and rode up to check it out. Got some nice shots of this 12th century castle. ...










view from above...













and of course, a shot of my wheels...
The ride home was even more leisurely as I coasted along the lake...Got to see St-Prex, an old city close to our home. It has been inhabited for 7,000 years. Talk about good neighbors...loved the small bridge between two households...



































and of course a shot of a dock...with some color tinting added...
Once home, Dedi, the dogs, and I did a nice walk along the lake as Brenna jogged and Aubrey skateboarded....another day is history.
Cheers, Dave

Friday, February 16, 2007

Dishwasher Pre wash cycle

Tigger and Telly have recently taken on the nasty habit of sticking their heads in the open dishwasher and doing a gratuitous pre-wash dish cleaning. I guess this is okay and ecologically if not hygienically sound.

I will say though that it can be a bit disconcerting when they do the taste test on the clean dishes....anyways...

Dedi's been out this week and it's been me at home wearing many hats. One hat that I was kind of proud to wear was my chef hat. Somehow, despite work and dog duty, I managed to put together a complete cooked dinner for the girls every night...I noticed however that regardless of how early I made dinner it appeared that the girls had already made a meal for themselves.

It was only when I noticed that Tigger and Telly have both spontaneously given up on the pre-clean activity that I figured out what was really up!

Were all looking forward to Dedi's return!

Cheers, Dave

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Clearing after the storm...

Wow...it sure got nice late this afternoon. Aubrey joined her friend Lara for some homework and fun (yeah right) and Brenna and I walked down to the lake where we were treated to real waves bashing the dock...we walked down the ramp...Brenna got soaked!

The real exciting news though is that I think I have figured out how to put a video together...I've put two up on www.timeeng.com but I think you can access them from here. The 1st (with Brenna's picture, is a 2006 recap). The 2nd is a few clips from a recent concert at the church of Saint Sulpice.....You should be able to play either video by clicking on the image. Let me know if this works!

Cheers, Dave

Click Image to play 2006 Recap


Click image to play concert excerpts...


Wind wind go away..

Greetings from 'Suisse'..Hope you all are doing well. Drop me a line (or better yet, a comment here) so that I know you're still alive and kicking...I like the comments as this adds to our memory album and turns this into more than a one way monologue....



















I'm starting to get the complaints...hey Dave, you're not keeping up with your blog! So here I go...

Got up late this morning; about 2 hours later than what Tigger and Telly would have liked...both looked at me impatiently..."Come on man...we neeeeed to go out!" I looked outside and all I could see was rain and sleet. I knew it would be futile to ask Brenna or Aubrey to do the run, so I grudgingly put on some warm clothes and a rain jacket, reached for an umbrella and headed out. Should have left the umbrella in the closet, as with the wind it only served to whip me around as it tried to reshape itself into a tulip. Tigger and Telly seems indifferent to the conditions, and as I slowy began to water log, they took their sweet time sniffing and finding their favorite spots.

Now I'm inside, warm and well fed...just wishing the wind would die down, feeling a bit of cabin fever. Girls are hard at work with homework and I guess I'll start planning our spring break...for once Dedi and the girls have overlapping vacations ...
Cheers, Dave

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Winter Mud



Brenna and I did some Mountain Biking yesterday...beautiful weather but it's been so warm for so long that instead of frozen trails, we were met my a muddy slush. Still we had a great time!



In the evening there was a 17 piece orchestra playing at the St-Sulpice 1,100 year old church. It was spectacular. I will post a video if I can figure out how to make it work!
A big thanks by the way to all of you who have stepped up (or are still thinking of stepping up!) to help Becky with her big climb!
Cheers, Dave

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Mount Shasta Climb


Well I guess it's my turn to put on a 'let's do something good hat' and ask if any of you would like to sponsor my sister Becky!


She will be one of 40 climbers hiking up Mount Shasta in July to raise money for the Breast Cancer Fund. Her goal is to raise $1.00 for each foot in elevation ...$14,162. Collectively their goal is to raise $500,000. I'd like to see her shatter her goal, so I'm reaching out to you for help.


I've had too many friends and family members diagnosed with breast cancer to ignore this cause. Becky in particular has lost many close friends to the disease. She, by the way, is a nurse in Reno, Nevada and is healthy and strong.


I think it's great that she has taken on this project but in in her eyes, it's simply a privilege to be on the team. If you wish to make a donation, you can do this online at www.breastcancerfund.org/climb07/bfisch


Here's what Becky has posted on her page: "In July 2007, I will join a team of breast cancer survivors and others whose lives have been affected by the disease in Climb Against the Odds ~ Mt. Shasta, the seventh major mountain climbing expedition hosted by the Breast Cancer Fund. Our inspirational team will strive to raise $500,000 for breast cancer prevention initiatives, will work tirelessly to increase awareness of the harmful health effects caused by environmental toxins, and will express the strength and courage we found in challenging ourselves to climb to the top of a 14,162' dormant volcano in Northern California."