Zermatt

This is what the top of the Matterhorn looks like from a helicopter (so I'm told).

I haven't seen it for myself but I know some lucky ducks who have...

that's right, these guys!

Maisie and Denise  

Michael

 Michael's friends Denise and Lawrence came to visit this summer and they were super generous and kind enough to take Michael and Maisie on a helicopter tour of the Matterhorn with them.  Maisie couldn't stop talking about it for days.  Definitely a highlight of her time in Switzerland. 

Thanks to Denise for the photos although I can't thank her enough for sharing such a cool experience with Maisie!

more crafts and nature

While my mom and sister were here we had a crafting day (because it was cold and rainy outside).  My sister and I made little fabric flowers (for hair accessories) 

while Funny and Maisie made this guy

He turned out a little better than shameful bear, don't you think?  I think it's because they used a better quality fabric but Maisie thinks it's because my Mom was behind the sewing machine.  Further proof that fewer curse words produce better results.

As for mother nature, I found this "fruit" on my daily lake walk

It looks like this inside:

Does anyone know what this is?

And, I found this dancing leaf on the same walk.  

You can see more of the "fruit" on the ground to the right of the leaf (if you can take your eyes off of it).

Family

Had an amazing two weeks with my mom and my sister!

Les Diablerets, Switzerland

Chamonix, France

Sailing Club and Shameful Bear

Maisie tossed aside Kayak Club this year for the more sophisticated Sailing Club.  It was only a matter of time I guess because the sea is in her blood (I've got nothing but desert sand in mine so she didn't get her love of water from me - thanks Grandpa H).    Yesterday was her first day on the water and it was a beautiful day on Lac Leman (Geneva).

Maisie was paired with a more experienced partner who showed her the ropes:

 Setting sail:

Hauling in the boat:

Maisie the Sailor:

Below is a photo of one of our "Summer List" projects.  I couldn't find any terry cloth so we bought a towel and made this: 

We named him Shameful Bear at first because he looked so awful.  The fabric pulled apart as I tried to sew it (I'm no Auntie Kristen) and he was full of little holes but we got out a needle and thread and closed him up.  Maisie did the face and accessories (fancy bow tie) herself and we think he turned out to be pretty cute after all.  

We are now fully into the school routine.  As much as we enjoyed our summer, the fall weather is so beautiful that we can't be anything but grateful for it.  We can't wait for my sister and my mom to get here so we can share it with them!

Dragon Boat Races

This past weekend I participated in my first Dragon Boat Race on the beautiful Lac du Joux in L'Abbaye Switzerland.  It was a breast cancer research benefit and I joined a team that was made up of Moms from the International School of Lausanne and most of them are also my hiking buddies.

Here is the excellent team I was lucky to be able to paddle with:  

We had a knowledgeable, experienced Captain and a super motivated drummer which seemed to make all the difference in our strategy.  Here we are kicking the butts of our competition in the first race 

(we're boat number 6):

And here we are coming back to the dock after our first victory (that's me, last paddler on the right):

We ranked 2nd overall out of 12 all female teams and lost the final by 7/10ths of a second.  I'd say "We'll get 'em next year" but who knows where we'll be next Fall?!  I'm going to miss this stuff for sure!

Last Day of Summer and First Day of School

For our last official day of summer vacation we rented a boat with an awesome slide on the back and pedaled out on Lake Geneva.  Here are Maisie and her friend Lacey working hard to get us out past the pesky swans:

This is the view back to Vevey when "we" decided to stop pedaling:

Goofy girls striking a pose,

and soaking up the sun which, as you know, we didn't get very much of this summer but last week was spectacular and a nice way to end the break.

This is Maisie the 7th grader on her first day of school:

It was mercifully only a half day so I didn't have to worry for very long but there was no need as she had an excellent day and got all of the teachers she wanted and a big locker.  She's looking forward to another great school year.  Go Maisie!

Belgium and Where the Heck is My Summer Weather?

We spent our summer holiday in Bruges/Brugge Belgium  

I found a B&B which allowed dogs (they had two of their own) so that we could bring Layla with us.  It was cute but perhaps not suited for tall people considering the spiral stair case and bathtub (no shower) but we managed.

This is the little patio in front of our "house"

We had a pretty cool view and delightful hosts

We were somewhat limited in our activities with the not perfect weather and the dog  so we mostly walked around and took in the amazing scenery.  The town is very clean and well preserved and very beautiful.  Most people speak Flemish although we got by with a little French and lots of English.

We took the one sunny day that we had and went to the beach to dip our toes in the North Sea.

We saw this cute little shack where you can borrow library books.  What a great idea!

Windmills

And here is the Frites museum.  We didn't go in but I can't imagine that the life cycle of a potato to french fry was very captivating.  I just liked the door signage.

Of course we had to sample the local fare and compare it to our Swiss chocolate but since I've never met a piece of chocolate that I didn't like, I'm not the best critic.  I thought it was all amazing.  

Here are some of the other local goodies we brought home with us.  I've heard Speculoos called "crack in a jar".  I'll let you know how it is when we open it but when the main ingredient listed is "cookies" you know you're onto something good.

We've had pretty lousy weather so far this summer with lots of clouds and rain but things are looking up today with lots of sunshine with the high temperature in the 80's.   Maybe I won't need a sweater today.  Hope you are enjoying your summer wherever you are.