Red flag warning

 

We're headed into a hot, dry and windy weather pattern, so red flag warnings are up. Central Washington is no slacker when it comes to natural disasters-- just take your pick. 

The Methow freeze of 1968 wiped out the orchards and killed livestock when winter temperatures dipped below -50 degrees Fahrenheit. The great Methow River flood, in spring of 1948, was the valley’s contribution to some of the worst flooding in state history, taking out entire towns and bridges.  

While historic flooding and extreme cold are occasional, recurring events, fire is a constant and ever-present threat these days, and always on the mind of locals, especially after the disastrous 2014 Carlton Complex Fire.  
 

 

Summer has transformed Amanda and Tom's farm into a Garden of Eden, bursting with life, both plant and animal.  
 

Tom irrigates almost constantly now, getting the property as wet and green as possible before they leave on vacation. Just beyond the orchard, the hills are already dry and brown, shimmering in the heat. 

In Twisp, our city water is metered and quite expensive, but those lucky ones pump all they want from the two irrigation wells on the property. 

In Central Washington, water rights are complicated, and free water has always been the great divide between the haves and have nots. 
 

 This is a season of wonder and discovery and they are loving their new home. The homestead is dotted with legacy plants, not just mature blooming trees and shrubs, but gifts like asparagus coming up through the weeds in a former vegetable patch, tough old species roses and iris, rows of currant bushes gone wild but still covered with fruit. 

As for the pear orchard? Well, not good news there for a potential harvest, as a late hard freeze destroyed the blooms at a critical time. Farming here (at least for income) is not for the faint of heart. The lack of a harvest might actually be a blessing in disguise their first busy year. 

John hit the road back to Seattle this morning. We had an excellent time. I'm staying a few more days, as I probably won't come back until they return from Europe in mid-July. 

Always the same, never the same

 

 

That would be a river...

It is a pleasure after the long drive to find our little sanctuary unchanged, which gives the illusion that time stands still in Twisp. Of course it doesn't, not here or anywhere else. 

Town is hopping with construction and tourists, but it's peaceful tucked away by the river. We watched a doe yesterday afternoon with her wobbly twin fawns. They must have been born a few hours earlier and just finding their legs, looking around in amazement. 

To the north of our house, the river has a man-made, high rock bank (called rip rap) that is not great for nature. But on the other side of our property, the dense trees and natural vegetation make an excellent wildlife habitat. It is a wonderful mess that hasn't been touched for years. Deer love it and we love looking at all that green. 

That property is owed by a quiet old man who lived there forever. I know this because he put in a high water stake marking the last big flood in the 1970's. That stake is below the level of our house for what it's worth (not much.)

Anyway, now his house is now for sale-- perhaps he is moving to a retirement home. So we will eventually have new neighbors who might have ideas for developing the property. All we can do is wait and see.

(I had a sudden impulse to buy the place but common sense prevailed. The last thing we need is a third house.) 

 

 

In other news. Downtown Twisp is undergoing a major makeover-- new sidewalks and awnings for the commercial buildings and replacing the 100 year old water lines. It's currently a mess but we can hardly wait to see our new tarted up town. 

 

Summer's lease

 

Check out this fine young horsewoman. Dressage riding is difficult and we're proud of Nova sticking with the practice, not to mention, tough instruction over the years.  

Along with horse chores this summer, she's a lifeguard at the Twisp pool and store clerk at Pinetooth in Winthrop. In the fall, Nova is a senior and Maya starts 8th grade. Wow. 

In other Methow Valley news, their big European trip is coming up, something that's been in planning for at least a year. They are going with another local family, best friends since their kids were born, so that makes 4 adults and 4 teenagers. Imagine the logistics? Wow, again.

Along with sightseeing in France and Italy, they're doing the demanding, high altitude Mount Blanc hut-to-hut, backpacking tour in the Alps. And I thought Viking cruising was tiring!

We're off and running again tomorrow, headed over to Twisp where a more laid back river awaits. John will stay the weekend, but I'll probably linger a little longer and relax. 

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date."

Shakespeare Sonnet 18

  

 

Madame

 

 

At the Verizon store yesterday, the twenty something employee said, "Can I help you Miss?" '

He was just being polite, American style, but I remembered how nice it felt, being addressed as "Madame" everywhere in Europe. From waiters to shopkeepers. 

We were in Cologne, in a cologne store, where I was buying (what else?) souvenir size 4711 cologne. An American man stepped in front of me at the counter and slapped down his purchase. The shopkeeper said, in no uncertain terms, "MADAME is next in line." The guy retreated with his tail between his legs. I don't think "Miss" would have had the same effect.

It is true that we have Americanized the world, bringing bad manners with us. Incredible, isn't it, they must remind men now to remove their hats in a Cathedral.

I was hoping to practice the few German words I know, but on the Viking tourist trail, everyone in the shops and restaurants immediately spoke English. Well, the red Viking lanyard was a dead give away. Not to mention our clothing. I think most people just emptied a drawer of t-shirts and shorts into their suitcase. 

Europeans learn English from an early age, and they're rightly proud of being multi lingual and certainly not resentful speaking it in Germany, especially when accepting your money. Ha ha.

Viking does an especially good job contracting local English speaking guides for the tours. Many were born and raised in the area, and there was always a sense of pride and deep knowledge of history. 

History is an important subject in German schools. WWII is ancient history for our kids, but that dark time of fascism, reconstruction, and "never again" is taught in schools and ingrained in German society. 

Well, "Madame" needs to get going today. 

Return to the jungle

 

 

 

It's overwhelming how the yard has exploded in just two weeks. We're never away for this long in June so it's kind of shocking.  

 

It rained hard yesterday and next week will be hot in Seattle-- the recipe for more rampant growth.  

Like inside housework, I do something outisde almost every day-- deadheading, weeding, staking, etc. so it really shows. Oh well, I have all summer to whip things in shape. 

But what to do with this sprawling tomato plant? 

 

Speaking of growth. Over on the Carlton farm, remember those balls of fluff a few weeks ago? They've turned into ravenous teenager ducks and chickens. Good job, Amanda. 

Soon the family will take off on their own 3 week European adventure, with a much more ambitious itinerary than ours. They're busy now getting the farm ready for house sitters.  

 

Last but not least

 

The windmills got short-changed on the blog. Our final tour was late afternoon on our last night on the ship. Honestly, windmills and wooden shoes sounded like a cliche, along the lines of the cuckoo clocks in the Black Forest. Expectations were low. We were tired. 

 

But a pleasant surprise was ahead when the ship docked adjacent to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site. A charming local college student studying cultural history led the tour.

 

This is the place to see real working windmills and discover the history of windmills. For 700 years the people of the Netherlands have used windmills to claim their land from the sea.

 

We all know this, but seeing them up close and personal was exciting. Some of us climbed the steep ladders to watch the giant wooden gears and sails at work. 

 

People still live in these old windmills, paying a small amount of rent. The guide said most commute to other jobs, and there's a ten year waiting list to live at Kinderdijk. 

 

Generation after generation of millers worked these machines. They had big families in the old days, like this photo showing a rather unhappy looking bunch. Why are those young children bald? 

The windmill base had a room for eating, sleeping and a stove for heat. The cook house was outside, as was the outhouse. They grew their own food. 

The main room had a single cupboard type bed, maybe 4 feet by 3 feet, where the parents slept in a semi-reclined position. The kids got the floor. You wonder how they managed to have so many?

It all looked horribly uncomfortable, but in medieval cultures, lying perfectly flat was considered deeply unhealthy. People associated the horizontal position with death and believed it could cause the soul to leave the body or allow bodily humors to pool. 

OK, then. Kind of like sitting on a plane for 9 hours. 

Speaking of sleep, east to west is the tough jet lag. We boarded the plane mid afternoon, and landed in Seattle at about the same time of day. The sunlight never changed outside the window. By then, we had been up about 24 hours. 

The last two nights I fell into an exhausted sleep early, then wide awake up at midnight, my body positive it was morning.  

But all is well. We are well. And happy to be relaxing at home in cool and rainy Seattle. 

Double lucky

 

 

We are incredibly lucky having had the opportunity for such a memorable trip, and double lucky everything went well. 

There were horror stories from others on the cruise, like an Australian couple who endured a 12 hour layover in Hong Kong because the middle east air space is closed. Others dealt with last minute cancelled flights from the east coast. And so on.

Viking (I thought) gave us a too tight connection in Copenhagen, so I upgraded to seats at the front of the plane in case we had to run for it.  They turned out to be first class (duh) which gave us access to the KLM Crown Lounge in Amsterdam. 

There we learned how the other half lives. We helped ourselves to espresso, juice and made croissant sandwiches with cold cuts at the bar, feeling slightly guilty. Why? There was a full hot food breakfast buffet, free alcoholic drinks and people were lounging around looking bored, as if this was normal airport stuff. Well, not for us. 

Long story short, we were sure glad for those front row seats, because the short flight was indeed late and we raced about a mile to a far away gate in Copenhagen, only to hit a wall of people at the immigration checkpoint. (The same thing happened in Frankfurt.) Fortunately, the Seattle passengers were allowed to use an expedited lane so we made the flight just in time. 

We have nothing but praise for Viking service. Every detail was handled meticulously. For example, the bus didn't just drop us off in the weird Amsterdam airport underground, we were met by representatives who escorted everyone to their check in counters. Just like having a careful caring nanny, watched from start to finish. 

The upside to escorted travel is you see much, much more than you could solo. The downside is the strict schedule-- early morning tours, bags out in the hall at an ungodly hour, many transfers, group dining. 

"Relaxing" isn't one of good adjectives I'd use to describe a Viking river cruise, but it was an unforgettable and enriching experience. The local guides and tours were amazing, the ancient cities and towns beautiful, the people we met friendly and interesting. I didn't even have a chance to practice my pitiful German. 

And now we're ready for a quiet summer at home. Speaking of which, only two weeks away and the garden looks like something from Sleeping Beauty. 

 

Our kind neighbors watered my flower pots and watched over things. John also turned off as many faucets as possible before we left-- no water disasters. 

 

The next project is getting a handle on this jet lag. The goal is to make it to 8 pm tonight. 

 

Don't look for an early blog tomorrow. 

Just passing through

 

We’re on the final leg of our cruise, watching the world drift by the window today as we head north toward Amsterdam, arriving at the city dock late tonight. There’s a final touristy tour this afternoon that involves windmills and souvenir shopping (sounds a bit like the Black Forest tour except in Holland.) 

One last dinner on the ship, then the bags need to be outside the cabin door before we go to bed. Departure at 6:45 am to the airport. We have a short flight to Copenhagen, then a LONG flight to Seattle, arriving about the same time of day we leave tomorrow. 

Oh boy! Now we get to do the jet lag thing in reverse. 

Yes, it would be nice to see a bit of Amsterdam, but two weeks seems about the right length of time to be gone. It’s been an amazing whirlwind of a trip and we’re ready for home. 

Eau de Cologne

 

Today is Corpus Christi in Germany, a national holiday, so the Cologne Cathedral was hopping with indoor mass, outdoor services and processions. We took the morning walking tour as usual with a local guide (Viking does a great job on these) and went back later when the great doors were open again for tourists.  

‘

Well. There are Gothic cathedrals, and then there is Cologne, truly in a class of its own. The soaring interior is absolutely breathtaking and chock full of treasures.

The “Water of Cologne” is a light, fresh fragrance launched here in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina.

 

The classic “4711”  (our German grandmother would dab on her temples when she had a headache) is still around.  Yes, I found some souvenir size bottles. A nostalgic scent. 

A few steps from our dock, the very popular chocolate museum. And the mustard museum. 

What a gift shop! Yes, we indulged. 

And the wonderful bakeries. Everything is delicious and inexpensive. Too bad we’re never hungry on this cruise. 

On to the Netherlands tomorrow. 

Castles in the air

 

The 40 mile stretch of the Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with more than 28 castles, most built before 1400. Usually the ship travels at night, but we sat on the sun deck this morning while our tour director narrated the sights and stories.   

Most of the castles were destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries but there they still stand- some romantic ruins, some converted to hotels. While it looks like something from a fairly tale, the history on this strategic stretch was dangerous, dark and violent, with each greedy fiefdom lord demanding river tolls while robber barons terrorized the mariners. 

Not to mention the Lorelei, but that’s another story. 

For example. See that metal basket? The unfortunate “wrongdoer” was put up there to starve, after which the birds ate his carcass. As a lesson to all who passed by. 

Peace and plenty down in our world. It was a chilly morning and the crew brought around rich hot chocolate (with an optional shot of Baily’s Cream.) Hence the morning smile. 

Then the sun reappeared as we approached the beautiful old city of Koblenz at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel. The excursion was a walking tour led by a local retired schoolteacher (heavy on the history.)  

Yet another Roman wall, ancient churches, WWII history and so on. I saw some eyes glazing over in our group (maybe history fatigue) or just a desire to go shopping. Well, the temptations along the way are many and stores full of beautiful things. I’ve obsessively collected fridge magnets, that’s about all there’s been time for. 

After the tour, John and I took the gondola across the Rhine. The solitude was nice, also the views of the ship below. 

Only so many hours in the day, so we didn’t even get out of the cable car to explore the giant fortress looming over the city. It’s been blasted to smithereens many times, like all the castles on the Rhine.

As for local history, according to our tour guides, everything in Germany has been destroyed by the French at least once. These countries becoming European Union “friends” is a very recent thing. 

 

Another late dinner coming up,  then on to Cologne tomorrow. 

 

Small town, big history

 

Speyer, Germany is a quiet town on the West Bank of the Rhine with a long history. It features the largest Romanesque building in the world, an imperial cathedral, and the burial place of eight Holy Roman Emperors. 

How about that? Someone was practicing (John says tuning) the organ when we entered, making for an atmospheric experience.  

We took a walking tour from the ship that lasted about an hour. This area in Germany was the home of most Pennsylvania Deutsch. Our Bleam family ancestors.  

All the local tour guides have been terrific. And they know their history. Our guide this morning was a former Lufhansa flight attendant and now a helicopter pilot. Yes, really. The guides are all highly educated and entertaining.  

The historic dissent against the Catholic Church in Speyer gave birth to the term Protestant. This church was built around 1900 to honor the 1529 Martin Luther Protestation of Speyer. We had a peek inside but no pictures. So much gold for a Lutheran church!

Speyer has a long Jewish heritage, and pogroms were a tragic part of that history. Money lending was forbidden for Christians, but the Bishop needed money to build the Cathedral. The church offered rights and protections to the Jews that were unheard of in the rest of Europe. The town became a center of spiritual and intellectual life for the Jewish community.

We had a brief visit at Germany’s oldest “Mikva” c. 1104.

It contains ancient synagog remains and 33 feet deep ritual bath. 

Almost all of Speyer’s Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. 

The daily Viking activity sheet arrives in the cabin each evening. 

We attended the teatime and Rudeshiem coffee experience in the lounge. Dinner at 7.