A Musical Visit

We spent a couple days with Betsy's family this week. One of the motivations was Henry's first band concert. A large group of 4th graders made up the beginning band, with Henry participating on his new alto saxophone. Here is one of their selections. Click to listen!

Henry is in the center of this picture.

I got to watch the concert with my pal, Frederick.

We gathered for ice cream back at the house after the concert, and Henry posed for a couple of different pictures. I imagine these represent his broad range of musical interests from classical to jazz and rock.

Clara and her grandmother played a piano duet for us too. She is quite good. Mary once again made our visit extra comfortable by providing us with a place to stay and lots of good conversation.

Franklin, the attack dog, monitored the visit.

Henry had decided to do the classic electric train under the tree this year, so I provided him with a tiny bit of help one evening.

Remodeling

Seems like interest in blogs is fading. Most everyone seems to have gone to Facebook, which I distinctly dislike for many reasons. I started this blog as a way to share with family and friends the things going on in our lives, but it has almost become more of a personal journal. Indeed, I have all of my postings each year printed into book form, and these have become a pretty good record of our retirement years and are fun to review. I only have a rough idea of how many regular followers I have for my postings here. The counts of visits to the blog kept by Google are quite low. So, before next year rolls around, I'll have to take some time to assess whether to continue or not. If you have suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them, although suggesting that I switch to Facebook doesn't really seem like a viable option. I don't see people using it the way a blog is used.

Anyway, all that aside, I thought I'd share a rough glance at what we have done with our Iowa home this year. We started in May with the idea that we wanted to update our kitchen and both upstairs bathrooms. Eventually, we added an update of the library too. All of these spaces had very dated looks and functionality going back to 1974 when the house was first constructed. Now in December, we are nearing a truly finished state with these projects. The work took much, much longer than we thought it would or think it should have. Nevertheless, we are happy with the results. There is still some painting and decorating work to do, and we think that we will yet have the kitchen and library floors refinished, but everything else is essentially done.

Without a wide angle lens, the photographs I can get are somewhat constrained. Those of you who know the old spaces will get the general idea though, I think. In the kitchen, we replaced all the cabinets and countertops. The wood in the new cabinets is cherry, and the countertops are quartz. We eliminated the chimney stack that rose from the basement through the kitchen (furnace and water heater now vent out the side of the house instead), and that bought us some additional cabinet and countertop space. We chose a backsplash tile that really works well with the countertop, we think. The old soffit was replaced with wood all the way to the ceiling, and the countertop microwave was replaced with one over the stove that also supplies venting and stove lighting. The single ceiling light fixture (centered, two incandescent bulbs) was replaced with an array of pocket lights, and the result is a much brighter workplace.

I steamed away the old checkerboard wallpaper and painted the walls a nice warm, creamy color. We also changed the display of items on the open wall, keeping Paula's "Tough Old Bird" painting and Rob's calligraphy artwork piece showing my mother's peppernuts recipe.

The white cabinets in the library were replace with nice new oak versions. Here too, I steamed away the old wallpaper and have painted the walls. I chose a color called trupenny, which is a fairly dark adobe or terra cotta shade. It seems to work quite well with the wood, the brick, and existing furnishings.

Over time, I had acquired or was given a number of pieces of artwork and photographs featuring rural scenes. I chose to create a grouping of them on the wall opposite the fireplace.

Among these pieces are a print of a favorite Grant Wood painting, a photograph of the farm on which I spent my youth, a print showing Holstein cows in a field, and a photograph of an old tractor. I really enjoy looking at this grouping as I sit at my desk.

The guest bathroom has new cabinets and a new countertop. The floor has been tiled, as has the tub and shower enclosure.

There is a new sliding glass door, and all of the plumbing has been changed. The kids have often complained about how low the shower head was, so with the new plumbing, problems like this have been corrected. The new vent fans here and in our bathroom are extremely quiet compared to the old ones, and they operate automatically based on motion detection and humidity levels.

The bathroom in our bedroom was always very small, so we "stole" some additional space from the adjacent guest bedroom. We think that this bedroom has not been badly affected at all by this change.

Our old shower was a very cramped, dark space. This was because of the overall small size of the bathroom, a low soffit over the shower, and a wall that separated the end of the shower from the sink area. By enlarging the room, eliminating the soffit, and using a glass enclosure, we have made the overall feel one of much greater roominess and light. New cabinets and countertops were introduced here too.

As in the guest bathroom, we have a tiled shower enclosure and floor. All new plumbing makes the space much more functional as well.

So, if or when you come for a visit, we hope you will enjoy the changes!

Sweaters and Soccer

This posting could easily be entitled "Showing Off the Grandkids." My excuse is that I want to show them wearing the souvenirs that Kathie and I got them while in Portugal. Unfortunately, we couldn't get all eight of them in the same place at the same time for the photographs, and so their parents helped me out by sending me some of these shots.

Each of the four girls received a sweater with all kinds of cute little animals and scenes for decoration.

For the boys, we have started our own soccer team using one of the jersey designs used by the Portuguese national soccer team.

Fire at Original Famous Dave's

Many of you have joined us for food at the local and original Famous Dave's barbecue restaurant near Hayward, Wisconsin on Round Lake. If you haven't already heard, the restaurant was destroyed by a fire this morning at something like 4AM. A report in the Sawyer County Record can be found by clicking here and a YouTube video is here. We understand that Dave Anderson, the owner, has already indicated intent to rebuild and reopen.

Here is what the restaurant looked like prior to the fire. They were celebrating their 20th anniversary at this location just this year.

Of course, we feel sad about this, since we have had numerous fun gatherings at Famous Dave's with friends and family. Here are a few memories.

One Trick-or-Treater

There are few trick-or-treaters out here in the north woods. In fact, this is the first year we have enjoyed having someone stop by. Tyler's dad brought him over late yesterday afternoon before heading into town for the local children's Halloween parties. We had previously hinted that we would have some candy available just in case. It was fun for us to meet Spot, one of the 101 Dalmations.

Relocated Propane

While I was busy moving dirt and filling the holes left behind by the extracted tree stumps, our propane supplier arrived. I had called them to inspect our tank because some of the trees that the storm uprooted fell on the tank. The dome over the controls was badly dented, and the entire tank was nudged sideways and off its base. I had asked for the inspection because I wanted at the very least to make sure that there were no leaks and then to have the dome replaced and the tank straightened.

Things got more interesting, though, when the men told us that the tank was not compliant with code and was too close to the house. A surprise for us, since we are the first owners of the property, the tank has always been right next to the sunporch, and no one, including the propane delivery guy, has ever pointed this out before. Nevertheless, we welcomed having it moved, not only to straighten it up and to have it comply with code, but also because it has always been a bit inconvenient so close to the sunporch and somewhat unattractive there.

So, the men proceeded to relocate the tank and to trench in a new copper line to the house. Turns out they found a defect in the old line, so that got corrected as well. We like the new location. Seems to improve the overall look, and the mowing and access to the hot tub and porch areas will also be better. Now if we can just get those house repairs scheduled!

Two Down; None to Go; A Hole to Fill

OK. I thought the second stump would be easier than the first one, because so much more of it seemed to be pulled loose.

I finally did get it to budge quite a bit, but then I couldn't pull it completely free.

Staring at it helps. One has to study where the remaining resistance might be.

A bit more digging and some additional root cutting.

Then success at last. Both stumps are now residing at the edge of the woods in the back part of our lot. Relatively out of sight. Both needed some persuasion in that regard, but I got them to cooperate.

Now I have to figure out where to get enough soil to fill the holes left behind by these guys!

One Down; One to Go

So, you may recall that we lost the three red pines near our parking area at the cabin. One snapped off part way up. The remnant was eventually cut down, and so its stump is still firmly embedded in the ground. The other two, however, succumbed to the 80+ mile per hour winds and simply blew over and were uprooted. We are told there had been six inches of rain the morning of the storm and quite a bit of rain in the week or two preceding. Hence, the sandy soil was extra soft.

The first picture below shows the two uprooted stumps. The roots on the near side in this picture were fairly much intact, while the roots on the opposite side were broken and exposed. Of course, when the weight of the trees was cut away, each stump tried to right itself to some extent. The near side roots would have acted a bit like springs to make that happen. Lots of soil still clung to the exposed roots, and with the many rocks in the sandy soil up here, we saw that the root systems engulfed and grew around lots of the rocks.

Nevertheless, I assumed that with some work, we could dig one or both of these stumps out. For me, these kinds of tasks can be very rewarding. I'm sure others just shake their heads that I'd even consider trying. Anyway, we proceeded to dig away the soil, chop away or saw away roots as we cleared the soil from them, and more of the same over and over.

Eventually, I was able to hook my trusty Silverado with its super low four-wheel drive to the stump and work at pulling the stump free. First attempts were premature. More digging and cutting was needed, especially around the roots on the near side. All of this transpired over two or three days. Today, however, we achieved success! When it finally budged loose, the stump rolled right up out of the ground.

Maybe you can see the amount of dirt and embedded rocks that were still tangled in all of the large and small roots below the ground.

Here is the hole left behind. We are now filling this back in and will put the pieces of sod we saved back over the top. I'll probably have to find some additional soil, since there isn't quite enough left over to make up for the space that the stump and its roots occupied. After getting as much of the soil off the stump as possible and reducing the root mass somewhat, we dragged the rest of the stump over to a spot near the woods and pushed it back out of the way as far as we were able. (It is very heavy!)

As my title says, one down, and one to go!

Italy

Returning to my posts about our recent trip, I'll share some pictures and stories about our time in Italy. We flew from Lisbon, Portugal to Florence, Italy and rendezvoused with our good friends, David and Robert and met new friends, Karen and Dale. They had been in Rome and drove to meet us at the airport in Florence, where we rented a second car and then all drove to the first of two villas we enjoyed in Tuscany.

Our first evening, we gathered outdoors for the first of many, many bottles of wine we enjoyed during our stay.

One of the motivations for the trip was the fact that both David and I turned 70 this year. Kathie and I had found this lovely T-shirt at the Cedar Rapids airport before we left, so we gave it to David that first evening. Sure enough, the next day he wore it.

Each of the two villas was delightful. Both were old buildings, though very well kept. The rental of villas in Tuscany is a thriving business it seems. Each of the two had a pool, although the water was quite chilly, as they were not heated and temperatures, though great for our stay, were typically in the 70s during the day and down into the upper 40s or low 50s at night. My only complaint about this first villas was that insects, both flies and mosquitoes, were numerous, pesky and biting!

Each villa had several bedrooms and nice shared spaces as well. We cooked some of our own meals but also enjoyed local restaurants. During the day, we either relaxed at the villa, reading, conversing, and enjoying the amazing views, or we visited some nearby village or city.

One of our first outings was to the city of Montepulciano, which sits high on a hill. The drive there, along some winding secondary roads, took us past beautiful vineyards and olive groves on a gorgeous, sunny day. After some sight-seeing, we ate a nice lunch in the city.

After lunch, we went drove to the Avignonesi Vineyard for a tour and wine tasting. One of the most fun things of the entire trip for me was the chance I had to watch the grape harvesting. I had always imagined this was done by hand, when in fact, most of it is now done by machines like this one. A little smaller, though not much, than the combines I'm used to seeing at home, these machines straddle two rows of vines in each pass. I really wanted to go out and ride along, but I thought I'd not be welcome to do that. Later I read about the equipment online (New Holland makes a lot of it). They use rotating mechanisms that shake the vines and cause the grapes to drop on conveyer belts that deposit them in a hopper. Trucks are loaded when the hoppers fill and transport the grapes elsewhere. According to what I read, the machines are actually leave fewer grapes behind than hand picking does. I saw little waste on the ground and vines that were stripped clean. Really fun to watch!

Our tour guide took extra time to show us the process for the two sweet after-dinner wines that Avignonesi makes. Here we are in the drying rooms, where both red and white grapes are staged during the first step. Essentially, they let the grapes turn to raisins for a bit, before pressing a very sweet, thick juice from them. Of course, we saw other wine making facilities too, and we enjoyed an extended tasting session.

Our stay at the second villa was the longest (about 4 nights at the first and ten at the second). Sunsets looking out west over the Tuscan hills were often spectacular. This one was taken from the second villa.

This second villa also had a nice pool, lots of lounging spaces, and a hot tub. There were almost no insects here for reasons we couldn't explain. Both villas, by the way, were reached from roads far below via steep, winding lanes.

Another of our outings was to the Brolio Castle and related Barone Ricasoli Winery. The castle, which has 140 rooms, has been in the Ricasoli family since the 11th century, and the family still lives there part of each year. So most of the castle is closed, though we saw a few rooms with interesting collections of weapons, furniture, and other items belonging to the family. Walking through the courtyards and enjoying the views were rewarding, since the castle sits atop a high hill, and one can look all around at the surrounding vineyards and farms. The formula for Chianti Classico was invented by the Ricasoli family, so this was a featured wine when we stopped for a taste. However, I most liked the grappa they offered and purchased a bottle for us all to enjoy back at the villa.

Siena was another day trip, a much larger and more popular city for tourism. There is always a gelato shop or two or three or more in each city. David and I were always drawn to these.

Nearly every Italian city has a central plaza, and some have additional plazas as well. This large one at the center of Siena is the site of the twice-annual Palio di Siena (July and August), a bareback horse race around the perimeter of the plaza. I encourage you to read a little about it here, and to see the photographs of the race. They cover the perimeter with a thick layer of dirt, and the plaza is filled with spectators.

A duomo or cathedral is often a key part of the placement of any plaza, and the one at Siena is quite amazing. The duomo is built of two primary colors of marble, alternating black and white.

Part of the tour Kathie and I did allowed us to hike up a series of narrow, low-ceilinged, spiral, stone walks to reach the top of an arch where we could look out over Siena in every direction.

The inside of the duomo was fascinating too and full of beautiful artwork, including scenes on the floors crafted of various carved pieces of marble, alcoves, paintings, statues, and a music library with displays of hand-crafted books of musical scores and chants.

On the day that Robert, Karen and Dale traveled to Lucca and Pisa, David, Kathie and I went instead to San Gimignano. This walled city (many of the old Tuscan cities are or were once walled) is famous for its towers. The story is that each prominent, wealthy man tried to outdo his neighbor by building a tower yet higher than the preceding one. Not all remain, but those that do make the skyline of San Gimignano quite interesting when you approach it on its hill. This picture looks down from the only tower accessible to the public down at a smaller one.

David and I climbed the 219 steps to the top, and a friendly German tourist agreed to capture a photo of us there.

In the streets below were many food carts or trucks. At least two offered fresh roast pork sandwiches right off the hog. Literally, right off the hog.

Almost needless to say, the food in Italy is fun and quite difficult to resist. I had so many different and wonderful pasta dishes and wines, and the antipasti are often fun too. This one was a cheese and pear with crumbled walnuts appetizer that I tried and enjoyed.

Here's the whole gang of us on one of our last nights together, plus I got nice shots of our friends.

After leaving the villa, Kathie and I returned one of the cars in Florence. (David and Donna: The car return location was only a couple blocks directly behind your apartment there along the Arno!) From there it was a short walk to the train station, where we boarded this high speed train to Milan. Too bad we can't see fit to construct such service in the U.S.! The train was very comfortable and clipped along at 300 kilometers per hour (about 185 MPH) to have us arriving in Milan in just 1-1/2 hours.

Our one free day in Milan, before flying home, was spent wandering the central downtown area. This seemed a common, pleasant, Sunday thing to do there, since the streets were full of people, the shops were open, restaurants were busy, and street performers of all kinds were out and about. Witness the break dancer we saw, for example. His money bag is ready for donations, of course.

The duomo here, like so many we have seen in Italy, is spectacular.

And, as Milan is regarded as one of the world's top fashion industry cities, we had to walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, within which appear shops for all the top fashion labels. The architecture is quite impressive.

The next day we boarded a plane for the first of three flights to take us back to Cedar Rapids and home. Having been able to spend time with good friends, both old and new, in each of the two countries we visited made this a very special trip.