Stockholm

I had a business trip to Stockholm, Sweden and Jim came with me so that we could do some sightseeing.  It was a great city and we really enjoyed wandering around.

Above was one of the views from our hotel room.  They were replacing pavers the whole time were were there and we were sure Roy was looking over us watching to make sure it was done right.  They finished the last day were were there.

This is the other view from our room.  That building is the City Hall which is where the Nobel Prize dinner occurs.

Our hotel was across the bridge from Gamal Stan and Old Town.  It was a lovely place to wander around.  The first night we were there we ate at a vegetarian restaurant.

This is the changing of the guards at the Royal Palace. 

We went on a boat tour so we could see different parts of the city from the water.  

We were fascinated by this Christmas tree which was a real tree with all the limbs cut off and then put back on.  We watched them work on it all week long.

Loved this basset hound in a cart.  He was barking at people as he rode by.

Vasa Museum

Junibacken - a museum for children stories

In the evening, we would sit looking out the window in our room and plan the next day.  It got dark around 3:30 pm!

We really enjoyed the Vasa Museum which showed a fully restored ship that sunk in the 1600's and was found and recovered in the 1960's - 333 years after it sank.  Ninety percent of the ship is original.

Loved that they called out that social distancing is a canon length away!

The weather most of the week was overcast or broken clouds, but one day we got this beautiful weather.

We went to Skansen, a two year old outdoor museum and zoo.  We saw arctic fox and lynx!

At the end of the day at Skansen, we had fika, a traditional cinnamon bun and coffee break.

Fika was so nice at Skansen that we stayed and had a waffle with lingonberry jam.

The weekend we were in Stockholm was the day that they turned on their Christmas in Stockholm lights.  It was fun to walk around the city and see the different lights.

Jim had traditional Swedish meatballs a few times!  The food there was great and there was always good vegetarian options.

We managed to have sweets every day at least once!  Loved stopping at a little cafe for tea and treats.

On a sunny afternoon, we took a boat trip out to the archipelago to see the summer houses where Stockholm citizens go to vacation.

We went to city hall, below, with one of my co-workers and learned all about the Nobel Prize dinner that is held there every December.

The children's tree at city hall.  It is where children gather to share ideas.  The idea started here and has been replicated around the world.

The gold room in city hall.

Lots and lots of cool statues in the city.  Big and small.

We ran into St Clare Church while out doing a walking tour of the shopping district.  A beautiful church to stop for a respite.

One night we tried to eat at a popular restaurant but could not get a table.  So we headed back towards the hotel and stopped at a Lebanese restaurant.  We got 15 vegetarian dishes that were so delicious.  It was super fun to try something different.

 All in all, it was a great trip.  Stockholm is beautiful, clean and the people are super nice.  I would highly recommend a trip there.

Cuban Pork Recipe

We enjoy cuban food and like to make black beans and a delish roasted zucchini.   This pork crock pot recipe is our newest addition:

• 1 8-10 pound bone-in pork shoulder, make sure it fits into your slow-cooker. Cut to fit if necessary.
• 1/2 cup frozen 100% orange juice concentrate
• 1/3 cup lime juice fresh squeezed or bottled, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
• 8 whole peeled cloves fresh garlic or 1 Tablespoon granulated dried garlic
• 2 Tablespoons dry oregano leaves
• 1 Tablespoon or more, to taste ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon or more fresh ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or a whole, fresh jalapeño, pierced with a sharp knife a couple of times
• 2 stems cilantro

Basically just crock pot it and then shredded it.

Lydia Seattle Trip

I took Lydia on her first flight and she was a rockstar.  We went to Seattle to visit Susan and Sydney (Susan's black lab).  Susan made it her mission to give Lydia as many experiences as possible.  That included a ferry ride and a puppy class at a Redmond Fire Station.

On the airplane!  On the way home everyone around me asked how she did on landing and when I said "Great!", they all applauded!

 

Cherry Trip with the 2nd Cousins

At the beginning of August, we took a Cherry trip with Jim's second cousin's, Lisa and Karl and Karl's boys, Ian and Eric.

We had originally planned on fishing some streams but the forest where the streams were located was closed.  So we did Cherry instead.

It was a great day of swimming, fishing and playing with the dogs.  No trout were caught but LOTS of blue gill!

It was a relaxing day catching up with family and getting to know the younger generation.

 

Lydia 10 Months

 

Surfing Pics

                                            Loved these pics of Kody and Drew playing at the lake!

 

Town Hall

 My team at work was responsible for the Legal Department Town Hall this month.  We went with the theme of "Cool for the Summer" and planned an hour and a half for content with 3 "commercial breaks" between the sessions.  It turned out great and I was so happy everyone got into it!

Fire at PML

A couple weeks ago, we went out on the boat early in the morning to swim the dogs before G started her shift as a boat patrol.  We headed out to our favorite buoy but when we got half way across the lake, we saw smoke from a fire. 

So instead of swimming the dogs, we rafted up to a couple boats that had planned to ski and watched the fire.  Pic above is G and her coworker, Cameron.   It was his last day at the lake as he headed to Texas to go back to school.
 

After about an hour, they finally called in air support and out of nowhere, a giant helicopter came in to get water from the lake.   We high tailed it off the lake and tied up to the dock where we spent the next two hours watching two helicopters come in every 4 minutes for more water.  Luckily the fire was out in about 4 or 5 hours.

Working Pup

Jim and I had to go to Staples and the Sonora Courthouse to make copies and submit paperwork for a lawsuit.  We thought it would be a great experience for Lydia.  Above is Lydia waiting for us to make copies at Staples.  I just tied her to a bench and she napped.  Occasionally she would look up at someone working at the copier right by her but she never stood up!

 Here is she is at the Courthouse waiting for us to finish.  She did an up on the auto door opener and opened the door for us.  The guards working the metal detector were so impressed.   And then we had to go thru the metal detector.   I went thru and had her wait on the other side.  Then I called her thru to me and she went thru it all by herself!  So proud!

Lydia at Work

Part of Lydia's training is going to work with me so she learns how to cope with boredom.   Last week, I went in early and before anyone was there, I took her off leash and threw her ball.  At one point she was just standing around and I asked her where her ball was.  She went and stood by this giant plant.   I got on the ground and hunted all around for the ball and couldn't find it.   So I stand up and look down at her and see it in the pot!  She must have put it there and when I told her to go find it she went right to the pot.  Smarty pants!

Honey Harvest Aug 2022

We harvested honey last weekend and bottled it this weekend.  We had 30 frames full of honey and filled one and a half 5 gallon buckets of liquid gold.

This is the wax capping that we have to cut off to harvest the honey.  This is a messy job!

 After letting the honey sit for a week to get the air bubbles out, we bottled it.  Total was about 75 lbs of honey which was 60 12 ounce bottles and 25 16 ounce bottles.  Plus some that needed more straining in some take out containers.

Lydia Swims!

We have been working really hard at getting Lydia to feel comfortable on the boat and to like to swim.  She usually gets on the boat, curls up in a ball and falls asleep.  I think it is her way of avoiding something that scares her.

Well, last week we get on the boat and she decides she is "all in"!  She goes on the back deck with the other dogs and jumps in the water.   I think what finally got her is she saw Hops swim to shore and play on the shore, so she followed her.  Then the next thing we know, she is taking her turn jumping off the dog ramp and fetching a toy.

Next up - get her so she is not terrified of the toilet and bathroom at work!

Hops in the Doghouse!

I was sitting in the kitchen working and look out and Hops has squeezed her fat body into Ahi's dog house and had her head hanging out looking dead!  She is such a nut.   Poor Ahi is sitting out in the middle of the yard because her Labrador sister thinks she owns her dog house.

Angry Ahi

 

These pics were taken on the boat out at Cherry Lake.  Ahi was sitting in the co-captain's chair and growled at Lydia every time she innocently walked by.   After I got done giggling, I told Ahi to "knock it off" and that is when I got the last picture of her acting like nothing happened!

25 Year Heart Party

We celebrated my Dad's 25th anniversary of his heart transplant with family and Spanish food.

We loved being together, chatting and laughing.  My dad got this plaque saying "lucky" as that is the theme of the life he has lived.

 

Boat Time

We had a heatwave last week, so on Friday nite, we went out on Drew's boat to beat the heat.

We had some time to surf, then tied up and ate appetizers for dinner.  Oakey B loves the boat!