home to Homer countdown

Dearest Homer,

I know we haven't been very good about writing lately.  It seems that summer is a good time for visiting Switzerland and Europe and well... we've had a few visitors.  (pictures to follow, very soon, I promise)  However, we have started our official HomeToHomer countdown.  

27 DAYS!!!!!!!

While we are very anxious to see you soon, having visitors is allowing us to "live in the moment" and appreciate all of Mother Nature's boundless beauty while we are still in Switzerland.  

lots of love,

mama

Le Tour de France 2009

Dear Homer,

Yes we did go... it was only 20 minutes away by train, in Yverdon les Bains.  When we arrived, we waited (watched the caravan) for 40 minutes and the riders came by for all of about 40 seconds... see for yourself how fast they are!

The goings-on of one boy

Dear Homer,

I know you've been wondering, "What does H. do all day?"   So here are some of the goings-on in his little boy world.

March-June, H. attended a small bilingual school.  It's a brand new school so there were only 12 students!  He loved every minute of it... especially "sports" day and swimming.

All of this week, he has been busy at soccer camp.

The last week at his school was devoted to sailing... we were having a hot spell so, each day ended with a swim in the lake.

H. has also been working on his pizza eating and foosball skills, every chance he gets!

Occasionally he forgets his humble roots and gets a little sassy... 

can you hear him saying "haha Homer, I'm swimming in Lake Geneva and you're not!"

The Neighborhood

Dear Homer,

These are some of the things that we see as we walk around our neighborhood of Ouchy.  The only thing missing on our walks is you.

p.s.  I took these with my iPhone... they are as is... no enhancements!

Lake Como

Dear Homer, 

 Daddy and I just celebrated 11 years together.  Grammy was still here on the 4th of July and offered to stay home with H. while we ventured off to Italy for a few days.  We stayed in a town on Lake Como called San Siro, just north of Menaggio. 

Here are a few of the reasons we'll go back someday:

- Greg declaring, while driving, "this is the craziest *^%$# road I've ever been on."

- Popping into a wine bar at noon and seeing George Clooney, again.

- Sitting in a wine bar that serves free meats and cheeses and internet access.

- Watching clouds roll in that within minutes become whitecaps and breakers.

- Drinking and dining and paying in Euros.

- Going for a morning walk and discovering a lakeside hamlet that wasn't on the map.

- We love the word Prego! but have no idea what it means.

- Pasta, Pizza, Gelato and Cappucino.

- Pine trees and palms growing side by side.

- Being in Bellagio and having a Dutch man congratulate us on our new President. 

*** by the way, I'm just kidding about George Clooney, it was just another photo of him.

A little place called Yvoire

Dear Homer,

On the south side of Lake Geneva, there is a little place in France called Yvoire.  It has been there for 700 years!  We visited by boat and ate some delightful crepes while strolling around admiring the shops and gardens.  Not really a place for dogs... except for the crepe shop maybe :-)

The German "L" of CH - Luzern

Dear Homer,

There are 3 famous cities in Switzerland beginning with the letter L, that people like to visit:  Lausanne on Lake Geneva(Lac Leman) is French -speaking, Lugano on Lago Lugano is an Italian- speaking canton, and Luzern on Lake Luzern is in the German-speaking region.  We made a brief stop in Luzern (aka Lucerne) on our way back from St. Gallen.  The sun came out long enough to across her famous bridges and we were able to have a nice outdoor meal at Pinocchio's restaurant... Pinocchio was the name of the owner's dog and our dinner companion :-)

St. Gallen and Appenzell

Dear Homer, 

When Grammy 
was here we rode the train to the eastern part of Switzerland visiting St. Gallen and Appenzell.    St. Gallen is a small Swiss city known for its cathedral and university.  It is a diverse town with a rich mixture of old and new... notice the "red carpet" section of town.  Appenzell is the home of the stinkiest of the Swiss cheeses, Appenzeller, one of the cheeses used in a traditional cheese fondue.  We never found the cheese factory while there, but we did wander around an interesting cemetary... until the rain came.  Click on any of the photos to see larger.

HOMESICK!

Dear Homer,

Yes, I think we are all just a wee bit... here's why:

 - Hana and Erin went home yesterday... we had a lot of fun with them the past three weeks!

 - Today, Lady is going on vacation to Portugal, for 3 weeks.  Who is Lady???  Well, she is our building's mascot; an intelligent, white bundle of fur who runs to greet us in the hallway, on the stairs, and out in the garden.

 - I miss waking up in the middle of the night to your growls at the critters and owls... now I wake up to the sound of loud cars and people walking down the street.

 - I wish I had a dryer to use only twice a month, just for the bedding and towels.

 - I heard that "the evildoers" (Northern Natural Gas) have started to dig up your yard, including the knock down of all our beautiful pines.  The stipend they gave us IS NOT going to cover their replacement, as they originally indicated ... I'm not sure that being home to watch all of this would make us feel any better but, at least we would have YOU to look at.

No more complaining... we are out and onward to discover even more of beautiful Switzerland!

More later...

Swiss Windows

Dear Homer,

There is a woman, a mother and a fellow blogger, who writes about her experiences living and raising kids in the Swiss Jura region.  Her blog is titled "From My Swiss Window."  This title inspired me to look at the various windows that I see around me here in Switzerland.  These windows, part of peoples homes, are as beautiful and unique as the Swiss people and landscapes.