TIlT: (Fri) Hangin in Philly

Drove up to Philadelphia yesterday. Traffic not too bad. Get to see the daughter's acting school presentation today -- exciting. Maybe something of Philly. Last night we ate at a restaurant called Fork! Actually the food was very good. We made good use of our utensils, including our forks. Ho ho ho.

TILT: (Thu) Seeing deer dog

Sasha and I saw a passel of deer on our morning walk. Sasha was quite interested. So was I. So were they. Very. Very very interested in us. They us that deer in the headlights completely stationary stare. We all stared at each other for quite a while. Then we moved a bit too close, or a bit too fast. And off they went! At times like this you see why they as called whitetail deer.

Beautiful.

TILT: (Wed) Picturing the blog

This is a full TILT view of the blog.

Guess I'm VERY easily amused, eh?

TILT: (Tue) Posting from the iPhone

Maybe making it easier to post will mean more posting. Might work. Let's see.

Today I learned that I can procrastinate with the best of them. I think I already knew this but recent activity -- or lack there of -- confirms my lassitude.

Why is it so hard to get motivated to write? Sometimes it seems to work; other times nothing.

Nothing new, anyway. I give up.

TILT: (Mon) Get LOUD!

Cranked up the amp and axe today. Just making noise and getting the blisters on my fingers again, soon I hope to be callouses. I haven't played since before the Paris trip. That's a long time, and the fingers really felt that.

Still, music is just great. Playing music is even greater. And, playing music LOUD is even more greaterer. Just wail!

TILT: (Sun) Long dog walk/run

Today the weather was right for a nice long walk with the DOG. Sasha is not normally given such great things, but we got on a roll. Actually, I ran, and the wife walked Sasha. Or, is it the other way around.

Funny how such a simple thing can make the day better.

TILT: (Sat) Dancing again

More dance lessons, on Saturdays now. I'm still confused. Surprised?

I wonder sometimes if I really should just give up on this. It's not for me, anyway, but I would like to make my dancing partner happy. I hope this does. She seems happy to make fun of my dancing, so far.

TILT: (Fri) Haircut

Ok, really got the locks shorn today. Sheep-like. Not much left. Tired of the maintenance. Tired of the look. Tired. Now, no more long hair. Fine. Done.

I don't think I look too bald. I hope. I pray.

Oops.

TILT: (Thu) Into DC for work

Well, you have to do some client visits, and these were mine. Wander in early, go to 4 meetings, Metro home. Not horrible. Some new places and faces. Not horrible. Not too humid and yet sunny. Not horrible.

Might go back someday.

TILT: (Wed) Now the game ... or ... not?

The day after the power outage, we had the game. Got their early by DC Metro so I could have a beer at the Screaming Eagles tailgate. Fun -- weather was nice. Mind you, I'd had a long discussion with my wife about needing a rain coat or not. Decided: not.

Wrong.

Got there and got thru half-time and then a huge deluge. Knocked out half the lights.







Teams exited the pitch -- it was lightninging and thundering. Rain was sheeting. The pitch was just a lake. Fans ran out and splashed and skidded and surfed. This got cheers as well as announcements to stop doing it.









Got tired of waiting, so I ran thru the rain to the Metro station and went home.

They did restart the game much later, finishing after midnite. DC United lost. Well, too many injuries. Defense porous. Etc.

TILT: (Tue) Soccer or not?

Today was the rematch for the DC United / Dynamo game that was rained out. Then, I got a text message: match postponed for one day because there was no power at RFK Stadium. Well, I guess you can't play soccer at night without lights, not to mention a few other things that lack of power might inhibit. Still, when was the last time you noticed an event canceled due to power outage? Odd.

TILT: (Mon) Radio Choice Removed

Today my 2 local sports talk stations became one. FOX lost; Zebra with now ESPN980 won. Now, my old 2 stations play the SAME THING (1 second or so off). Gee. Now when I'm tired of Mike and Mike, I have NOTHING else to change to. Ugh. Unfortunately, I get tired of M&M quite a bit. Particularly when they repeat everything each hour.

Ugh. I'm not happy.

TILT: (Sun) Fixing the blog

For some reason the formatting was all off on my earlier postings for my Paris trip, so I've just spend a few hours messing around to get them to read/view better. Ugh. Waste of freaking time.

Gotta go walk the dog and hopefully survive the heat.

I took an hour almost to cool off after a midday run in 97 degrees (and probably 100% humidity). Ugh. Some guy died yesterday in some "fun run" -- he was 60 so perhaps wasn't as ready. Still, it's hot and hard to figure when to really do the running.

But, I think I'll go earlier on Tuesday. I'm sure it'll be hot and humid even in the earlier morning. Oh well, summer in DC. Loverly.

TILT: (Sat) Supporting the local farmers market

We just ate wonderful garden grown big succulent tomatoes. We got these from the local farmers market, which until now I'm afraid to say we just haven't used much. We got local beef, sausage, bacon, many veggies, butter, pickles and olives and really had a blast. Who needs Whole Foods (which is btw just across the street basically from this Saturday only market)?

TILT: (Fri) Back to work

Can anything be less interesting than the first day back at work after a fun vacation?

I did get thru my 300+ emails, and got the new iPhone 2.0 software loaded, and downloaded my first set of apps. Nice update I think. But, I don't think I need the new 3G phone to have most of the advantages of the new stuff. Now I can see my work Exchange email on the phone, along with my gmail ones, so I'm pretty happy. I think I'll cancel my work phone and just carry one from now on. I'll have fun running the battery down!

TILT: (Thur) Traveling home from Switzerland and Paris

We spent one more night in Paris, training back on one of those very fast TGV trains that they announced was doing over 200 mph at some point. France is not as interesting by train as Switzerland is -- the train from Paris to Bern went thru nice valleys and showed some hills and lake Neuchatel. The train back was just ... fast.

Then, out to Charles de Gualle airport for the flight back to DC. All and all a nice set of travel days in this trip -- no hurry, no complications -- except they gave us train tickets for August rather than July initially and we had to go back and change them and wait again in a long line. Paris is full of them. We just missed Bastille Day, which I'm happy to have left town for.

So, did we have a good time? I think these pictures answer that question. Yes, we had a blast.

TILT: (Wed) Switzerland has serious Alps

Tuesday we went from our friend's house in Thun up to a mountain called Niesen that sits across (tho not as close as at Kleine Scheidigg) from the big Alps: the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

The view of those mountains, the lakes (Thun, Brienz) and the town of Interlaken in between was spectacular.

This view is what that word was invented for -- describing this view from this high up requires this word: SPECTACULAR. Wonderful too.



















Then, the clouds came in and the mountains started appearing out of the gloom. Even more impressive and interesting.






Then we had some beer. I love Switzerland. And, Feldschlosschen. Or, in this case, any beer they're serving at the top of a mountain.





Which by the way is where the term "Feldschlosschen experience" comes from. Way back when I first visited Switzerland and my friends I was just about 16, then I came again at around 18. The second time, I was with a friend from the US, and we hiked a lot. As we got into the mountains near the Jungfrau, we had a beer at the end of a long hike up the mountains, and that beer was Feldschlosschen. Then, we had the Feldschlosschen experience: completely tired and deserving of a good beer. And, a view. I think beer with a vista is best, don't you?

TILT: (Tue) Thun and Friends

The best way to have a great time visiting somewhere, anywhere really, and particularly places that speak different languages is to have friends. We have friends in Switzerland, both in Bern and Thun. This time we visited the friends in Thun. They have a nice little house that fabulously decorated. Our friend should DEFINITELY follow up on her idea of becoming an interior decorator.





Even more spectacular is their backyard that has a distant view of the serious Alps between other houses -- we sat out one night around a fire and watched the sun sink and the glow on those mountains fade. We drank wine and beer. Too much wine and beer.




Here's to good and great friends. We love you!





The town of Thun has its own beauty as well. The Aare river runs out of the Thunersee and thru town, providing a nice focus for the small old town with its castle prison.

TILT: (Mon) Bern in full flood

After arriving on a rainy Sunday, we had good Swiss cheese (they don't call it that -- they call it Emmentaler and other things, depending on which kind) and bread and cold meats for dinner. And, Feldschlosschen beer -- my Swiss favorite.





The next day, we drove to Bern to wander around. Grand old city built the in curve of the Aare river. Wonderful to just walk around.






And, then have a beer -- in this case the local brewery's quaff. That was near those Bern bears you may have heard of.




There are many towers and statues along the main street that are funny, like a monkey, like a fat man eating babies -- all not pictured to remain politically correct. But along with statues, there is something else commonly encountered in Switzerland. Let me see ...







I remembered: it's clocks. I've heard the Swiss are more famous for that than cheese. I could be wrong.

TILT: (Sun) Travel day to Switzerland, but remembering Paris

While taking the train to visit friends in Switzerland, I reflected on the fun of Paris.





After all the museums and monuments and squares and walking, a few things stand out. These include:

the Metro






playing boule in a garden at lunch




the little streets with Parisian life (and of course cafes), like Rue Cler



the little churches that pop out at you as you round corners, stuck in a niche (St. Sulpice, St. Germain des Pres, and so many others ...)





the food, including crepes




the little restaurants, stuck in out of the way places that someone knew to send us to




the chocolate





the food, including the bread and things built on that






Notre Dame, of course -- visited in the whirlwind, but to me less impressive than ...




the odd gas stations




(ok, that was a joke -- Notre Dame WAS impressive, more outside than in. The church that impressed me most inside is ... coming later in this blog entry!)

What else do I remember?

the Cafe life




the Rodin Museum -- visited at some point in there




Sainte Chapelle -- the most wonderful thing in Paris -- a palace of stained glass reaching to heaven




So wonderful, it bears repeating.




All in all, a wonderful visit!

TILT: (Sat) Paris day 4 -- Getting High

Our last full day in Paris I spent wandering around to all the high parts of Paris -- the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and Montmartre with Sacre Coeur. It was nice to get high. It was like taking a ring around the inner Paris.

First, Sacre Coeur -- a beautiful white apparition above the city, but so real close up. Magnificent.










Then, the Arc -- interesting placement (monument to Napoleon) on the Champs Elysees -- in one direction the Louvre, in the other La Defence with its square "gateway arch". I found the view from the top more interesting than the monument itself, but then, I'm not French.










While I took a lot of pictures, it's hard to use them to explain the experience of waiting an hour in line to get up the Eiffel Tower (and I got there early), then taking the elevator (really more like a mountain tram) up first to 2, then on a separate one to the top. Looking down while moving up did make me dizzy, but concentrating on the horizon was helpful. The top is WAY up there, so high that you really can't see much with any detail. Some say don't bother to go up (costs extra too), but I liked it. Then again, I like to get high -- the vistas are just great.




The lower floors were also interesting -- you're closer to the monuments and buildings so it's easier to see them.








It really was fun to just wander around and see everyone doing what they do.