Day: July 27, 2006

Lurzern Cove — 4 A.M., Me at the Cross, photograph by Bill Hendricks, 2006.

Mike’s family decided to have a party for Mike’s mom’s 90th birthday… so naturally they asked me to do the invitation and help Mike glue down 90 years of family photos. I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I’m touched they think enough of me to include me.

Better that than my uncle’s views.

I do thank you for your advice and support. At 53, I was officially disowned by the Buhl side of the family. My Quaker friends were a bit surprised too… being they/we are so liberal that we think everyone is. Well, Uncle proved that assumption wrong. LOL.

We are having a wonderful time, but Luzern was fun with no snow! It was hot and humid… very tough skiing down those slopes. Very picturesque though, and I’ve included a couple of snapshots. The Swiss don’t use a lot of air conditioning, but this warm spell seems to be making them rethink that. The room was hot and stuffy one of the nights.

Yesterday we escaped the heat a bit because it was cloudy. We strolled through old town and around the city’s old fortress walls. The views were nice, but last night it cleared up and we finally got to see the mountain range that surrounds the city. So we got what we came for — a glimpse of the Swiss Alps.

We looked for Prince William and clan, but it’s the wrong season… or so we were told. Mike pointed out the ad, and I included it. I think it’s a great example of the cure being worse than the illness.

Hope you’re gettin’ ready for a good weekend. Please let me know your news. Oh, and I included another photo I think you’ll appreciate.

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http://billhendricks-mctc.net/artchangeslives/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/luzernfountain.jpg

Until a few minutes ago I didn’t even know that it the city existed … but it does and it rests on a beautiful lake in a valley surrounded by some fairy tall mountains. We should be in Milan in 45 minutes. Sadly our stop will only be about 25 minutes. Mike and I are having a wonderful time. Our stay in Paris and Luzern was fabulous. We aren’t trying to see everything… really we are not trying to see much at all. Mostly our schedule and what we see within the cities happen pretty much by accident.

We were in Luzern for two nights… during what we found the “Blue\r\nBalls Festival” (hmm…) which occurs every year in July. This year it fell between July 21 and the 29. It festival includes live music and lots of vendors that surround the lake, it seem to center on the Kunst\r\nMuseum Square on the edge of the lake and all along the lake in what is considered to be old town. Tons of beer… too. It seems the art crowd can hold their beer better than the old town side. The younger folk seemed to hang out on the old town side. So it was a bit rowdier… Michael seemed to like that side more. It definitely was more casual and the boys were cuter.

Well, we the first language switched to Italian so I guess we are in Italy!

We did a lot of walking in Lucern… and walk the perimeters of the old city and along its walls. It seems almost as if Walt Disney built most of the town. The friezes … I think that is what you call them that were painted on the fronts for the buildings ranged from quite traditional to what might be called images of horror. I am sure you really don’t need a moment by moment of our vacation but I just wanted you to know that we are thinking of you and Steven J. I’ve attached a couple of pictures that we took in Luzern.

We are wondering what is happening with the tavern… Everything OK? Please let us know. Michael said you promised you would.

I guess we are having Italian tonight in Florence. Yum! We are both excited about seeing Silvano on Saturday. It has been a longtime. 

Hope you are well… You might think me crazy for e-mailing but this is my form of a postcard.