Archive for the ‘Flashback Fridays’ Category

Flashback Friday ~ 29 November 1975

Posted in Favorite Girl, Flashback Fridays on Friday, 30 November, 2007| 1 Comment »

I haven’t done a Flashback Friday in many months but FG’s homework assignment two weeks ago really got me thinking about a natural disaster my older brother, Benny, experienced 32 years ago ~ the anniversary date was yesterday.

Benny still lives in Hawaii but we don’t keep in close touch. When FG was assigned the following homework: Interview someone who has been in/witnessed erosion or a landslide; he was the only person that came to mind. We called him and FG interviewed him. Here’s his story:

On November 29, 1975, on the Big Island of Hawaii, Benny went camping with a bunch of his buddies. They rode horses into Halape Bay. At about 2 am, there was a 7.5 magnitude earthquake which of course woke them all up. It was the largest earthquake to hit Hawaii in over a century.

The quake caused the earth around the bay to split so they ran towards the cliffs but a landslide of falling rocks forced them toward the water. Unfortunately, within minutes of the quake there was a tsunami which hit the bay with two forceful waves. The first wave was 5 feet high and the second wave was 26 feet high.  According to my brother, as he was being pulled out to sea and under the water, he came to the conclusion his “time was up.” But then, it was like someone pulled the plug in a bathtub, all the water receded and he was able to come up for air. Unfortunately, two other campers died due to the tsunami.

I’m happy to report my brother survived the earthquake, landslide, tsunami and volcano eruption and is still living happily on the Big Island.

And FG got an A+ on the assignment.

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Flashback to Margarita Fridays

Posted in Flashback Fridays on Friday, 15 June, 2007| 2 Comments »

Margarita Fridays in Germany, 2005

I enjoy a refreshing margarita on a hot summer day and love to share them with my friends so I’d plan  Margaritas Fridays as a way to get together and enjoy the beverage. I thought we’d have endless Margarita Fridays when we moved to Guam where it’s always a hot summer day. My mom even set me up with new margarita glasses for the occassions, but we only managed one or two due to schedule conflicts. My goal for our New York summers is to get back to those Margaritas on a warm Friday afternoon. Be sure to join us if you’re in the area…

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Flashback Friday: Leaving on a Jet Plane

Posted in Flashback Fridays on Friday, 18 May, 2007| 4 Comments »

This time last year, FG and I were living in temporary housing on post in Würzburg. We were classified as “dog people” since we had Bennett and Sport with us. We had a large room with a great view of the parade field and a small kitchen area but what we didn’t have was a private bathroom. UGH ~ my days of sharing a bathroom are so over.  We didn’t have much choice though since I didn’t want to put the dogs into a kennel before their LONG flight from Frankfurt to Seoul to Guam.  They were going in the opposite direction as us. So FG, Ben, Sport and I spent three weeks hanging out on base without a car. I did a lot of walking during those three weeks! All in all, FG and I had a really great time especially since it was spring and so beautiful. We spent as much time outside as possible ~ and the dogs enjoyed their time outside as well.  

We left Germany on 19 May and flew from Frankfurt to Chicago to Honolulu. We stayed in Hawaii for 5 days which helped acclimate ourselves to both the weather and the time. Fm and FG fared much better with the jet lag. I couldn’t stay up past 8:00 pm and woke up before 4 am every morning.

It’s going to be Deja Vu in a few weeks when we head back in the opposite direction and it starts all over again.

Anyone have suggestions for jet lag relief?

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Flashback Friday: 2005 Visit to Slovenia

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Travels on Friday, 11 May, 2007| 6 Comments »

When we lived in Germany, we made five trips to FM’s motherland: Slovenia. The paternal side of his family hails from the small town of Unec, Slovenia. We always went in the spring and it was a beautiful drive through Austria and into Slovenia. There are SO many tunnels along the way with some being 20-25 km long. The length of time spent inside the tunnels was a little claustrophobic for me. Interestingly, we found out FM’s cell phone worked even in the middle of a long tunnel which I thought was odd.

My good friend, Heidi, joined us on this trip. She LOVES to travel and I was excited to show her a country she hadn’t visited in the past. She’s great to travel with and I still think we could do the Amazing Race together. Maybe we’d be the first all female team to win! What say you, Heidi?

On this particular trip in 2005, we ventured a little farther than usual. We took a day and drove to Piran on the Adriatic Coast.  Not surprisingly, the town had a very Italian feel to it.  One of the things we still laugh about are the “hairy” mussels FM had at a beach-side restaurant. They really had what seemed like hair growing on them.  Yuck.

Here we are enjoying the coast in Piran:

          

Another day trip was to Bled, Slovenia which is about a 40 minute drive north of Ljubljana and truly one of the most beautiful locations I’ve ever been.  It’s clean and pristine. The walk around the lake is about 6 km and is best done in the early morning when no one else is around. In the past, we’ve stayed in Bled but the hotels were full by the time we tried to book a room.

Here’s Heidi enjoying the view from Lake Bled Castle:

To get to the island in the middle of Lake Bled, you hire a boat rower and the boatman ROWS you out to the island for about a 1/2 hour visit. A half hour is plenty of time to visit the church, ring the bell for good luck (or is it good health?), then it’s a leisurely walk around the island which leads back to the boat. FG getting ready for the trip:

      

Heidi and FG on the ride to the island:

 

We stayed at the Union Hotel in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The Union is a grand old hotel in the heart of the city. Ljubljana is a fun city to explore and there are lots of yummy restaurants and my favorite of all ~ the LUSH store.  One of my favorite memories of this trip was sitting outside a tea shop and enjoying a great cup of tea with Heidi. FG and FM were off exploring so it was calm and quiet! 🙂

Another view from the castle:

 

Normally, we don’t travel back to a place we’ve already vacationed BUT I don’t regret we went to Slovenia 5 times.  Three of the five visits, we were accompanied by family and friends from the states and we enjoyed the country every time we went.

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Flashback Friday: Class Trip to Veitshöchheim, Germany

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Germany on Friday, 4 May, 2007| Leave a Comment »

Last year, I was a parent chaperone on FG’s class trip. We took a leisurely boat ride up the Main River from  Würzburg to Veitshöchheim, Germany ~ about a 3km ride. It was a gloriously beautiful spring day. I almost didn’t make the trip due to my allergies with the blooming flowers. May is my favorite time of the year in Germany because it’s so beautiful but my sinuses hate it.

Once we got off the boat, we had a picnic at a playground which was located along the river. We then walked to the Summer Palace of the Würzburg Prince Bishops to enjoy the Hofgarten. The Summer Palace was built in 1680 and the garden has lakes, water fountains, a maze, over 200 Rococco style sandstone sculptures and wonderfully blooming flower beds.  If anyone reading this still lives in the Würzburg area, PLEASE take a trip to see this town ~ it’s well worth it.

One of my favorite sculptures ~ a boy and a goat:

The tower:

And here’s the BEST 2nd grade class 🙂

What a great trip!

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Flashback Friday: One Year Ago

Posted in Flashback Fridays on Friday, 27 April, 2007| Leave a Comment »

This time last year, we were enjoying our last few weeks in Würzburg, Germany. FM’s Uncle Paul and his friend, Barbara came to visit us for a few days. We took the strassenbahn to one of our favorite restaurants in Würzburg ~ Casa del Gusto. It’s more of a wine store with food. The food was especially fresh and very yummy We also loved the atmosphere which was warm and cozy:

 

We toured them around the gorgeous town of Würzburg which is one of the prettiest places in Germany. This photo with FG is one of my favorites from Würzburg. St. Nikolas church sits on the hill.

                                

Goodbyes are always hard and FG had to say farewell to her best friends who live in Neunkirchen:

                            

and her favorite teacher:

                           

It’s sad to think we’ll be saying goodbye again so soon to our new found friends.  I’m much better at saying “see you later” and slipping away 😉

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Flashback Friday: Last Easter at Home 2002

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Germany on Friday, 6 April, 2007| 3 Comments »

Easter is a holiday I would prefer to spend at home but we always seem to be traveling, mostly because spring break falls during that time. Our last Easter celebrated at home was in 2002 and it was a really wonderful Easter.  Standing room only at mass because all the twice a year Catholics attended.  After church, there was a quick Easter egg hunt and then we went to brunch with other expat friends:

We’ll be in Tokyo for Easter, but that’s OK, my 2002 Easter memory always brings a smile to my face and I’m REALLY thankful we spent Easter at home with such special friends.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

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Flashback Friday: Another 80’s Flashback

Posted in Flashback Fridays on Friday, 30 March, 2007| 7 Comments »

A few months ago, FM and I watched part of VH1’s TOP 100 videos of the eighties. I knew the songs but hadn’t seen a lot of the videos since we weren’t hooked up to MTV back in the day. The show is very entertaining and funny even if you were just a baby in the 80’s or, gasp, not even born yet. FG loves hearing about the 80’s.

One particular video brougt back a memory that always makes me smile:

I was about 20 years old and in Denver for a few days. I had gone to visit one of my favorite couples (Werner and Sharon) who were visiting Keystone. It was dark when I got back to my hotel and I got on the elevator in the lobby. Right before the doors closed, three guys got on. I only looked at the first guy who was tall, lanky and had long hair. After all my “self defense” classes, I thought about getting out but it was too late. I kept my head down when I answered their question i.e. “How ya doing?” and “Having fun in Denver?”

Meanwhile, I’m thinking they’re “hitting” on me and, shy as I was, there was no way I was going to look at them. So, I get to my floor and I notice on the elevator panel the penthouse level light is on. Just before the doors open, I look up and see Steve Perry of Journey. I’m sure they saw the look of recognition on my face because they all gave me BIG smiles and said goodnight in a teasing way.

To this day, I think about the encounter whenever I hear a Journey song. In my delusional state, I thought I might be in danger and surely they must have been thinking the same thing since I had Steve Perry “trapped” in an elevator.

I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but he really does have a fabulous voice, doesn’t he?

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Flashback Friday: Amish Dinner 2006

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Travels on Saturday, 24 March, 2007| 3 Comments »

Last March, we made an unplanned trip from Germany to Ohio to attend FM’s grandmother’s funeral. It was a sad event but it was a good chance to see many family members FM hadn’t seen in years and FG & I had never met.  

While we were in Ohio, FM’s Uncle Paul invited us to attend an Amish dinner with him, his girlfriend (now wife) Barbara, and other family members. Some Amish have started opening their homes to small parties to augment their income. I think it was actually FM’s Aunt Linda who had the connections for this particular Amish home. I was thrilled we were invited since I’ve always been curious about Amish living (ever since seeing the movie ‘Witness’) and it was a great chance to see inside an Amish home.

We drove to Middlefield, Ohio and were treated to a very tasty meal in a wonderful peaceful atmosphere. We were seated and served  family style at a long farmers table:

I was very impressed with the meal, especially since it was cooked without electricity! The mashed potatoes were so delicious and SMOOTH ~ I secretly think the cook must have used an electric mixer. Just kidding. I don’t doubt she was true to her Amish roots.

If you look closely at the plates in the photo, we’re done with the meal and the plates look as though we’ve licked them clean. That’s how good the meal was ~ FG & I are enjoying dessert of fresh fruit cocktail. Yummy.

The other thing I notice about the photo, besides the “Just take the photo, I’m eating” look on my face,  is how PALE FG & I look. Hmm…guess we’ll have that look again next winter 😉

If you ever find yourself in Middlefield, Ohio, I highly recommend dinner at an Amish home. I plan to go again when we return for a visit.  It was truly a memorable time. Thanks, Uncle Paul!

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Flashback Friday: Wild West Winters

Posted in Flashback Fridays, Travels on Friday, 16 March, 2007| 3 Comments »

Several people have expressed concern that I may not fair well in Upstate New York due to the harsh winters. They obviously aren’t aware of my two winters spent in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. I worked at a lodge which only opens during the summer months and has a skeleton staff during the winter; much like “The Shining”, but thankfully minus the Jack Nicholson character. Lots of snow and cold. One winter we had two days of -42 degrees. Really, NEGATIVE forty two degrees.

In the photo below, I’m standing in front of my house and any white you see in the photo is snow!

We always used to say Jackson Hole had two seasons: Winter and August. One summer, it snowed on the 4th of July! The photo below was taken in May and we were thrilled to see the blacktop of the road. We drove on snowpacked roads the entire winter. It was an interesting place to live and I have great memories of fun people, lots of outdoor activities and, yes, enjoying the snow. 

 

Can you tell by the puffy jacket and tight jeans that it was the mid-eighties?! I hear those jackets are coming back ~ can it be?

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