Party of 8

We are preparing for our first formal dinner party in our "new" house. The occasion was marked by the need to finally unpack my good china, which had remained safely in dish-pack boxes for over a year and a half now.

I do love to use all of our nice dinnerware frequently, not saving it for few and far-off "special occasions" only. But in this case, I had hoped to get the new floors laid in the dining room and family room before stocking the china cabinet. Alas, the need arose for the china before I found time to complete the floors. So, I spent a better part of Friday last week unwrapping, inventorying, cleaning, and setting each individual piece, along with cleaning the silver and locating the wine glasses. At least the table looks ready, in case the hostess isn't!

Panel Review

One of my spring break projects was to complete the disguising of the wainscot paneling in the upstairs nook and hallway. I had begun caulking the gaps in the 70's style luan some weeks before, but Jeff was eager to cover the stripey mess. I dug through my decorating stash and found some clearance wallpaper that would serve the purpose, so here's the update. I still have lots of other plans for the space decor-wise, but this is a start.

Gel Stain to the rescue again

I know I've blogged about this fantastic product before, but I just had to post these photos of my latest gel stain project. As much as I like the faux bamboo daybed I set up in our second guest room, we decided two twin beds would be a better use of the space. So, I found this great antique set of matching beds for a fantastic price. Of course, the price was so fantastic because the condition of the beds wasn't ideal. The previous owners were going to paint them, since that was really the only way to cover the significant damage. I may still paint them down the road after I repair the veneer (I can see a very chic satin black), but for now I've just done a coat of Java gel stain to hide the bulk of the damage so I can get them set up and in use for our upcoming houseful of guests.

I wish I had taken more photos before I started working on them. I was so eager to get going I just jumped in and started refinishing without taking proper "before" shots. The biggest difference is evident on the rails, but you can see the subtle improvement in the finished footboard on the left over the one on the right.




Bed rails before.........................and after gel stain

I'm almost done setting up the revamped guest room, so I'll post some pictures of the new layout when I'm complete (which had better be in a few days, as company arrives next week)!

Honey-do List

We were fairly productive over spring break. We didn't get to everything (some of which was no fault of our own, owing to out-of-stock items we needed to purchase, etc.). But we made a dent in a lot of the odd jobs around the house.


Da Vinci taking a break from all the raking.


Who says men can't multi-task? Jeff managed to catch a little March Madness basketball action on the laptop while working on the MBR walk-in closet.

Cheap Date

Jeff is off for Spring Break this week (more things to love about the college professor lifestyle ;-), so I invited him on a little date Monday. We did a late lunch at the Olive Garden, which was almost free as I still had some money on a gift certificate from our credit card points. Then, we finally went to see The Blind Side. We very infrequently go to the movies, so we miss the rare previews for the decent films we might actually be interested in. Of course, by the time we heard about The Blind Side and made time to see it, it wasn't in the regular theaters anymore. But, happily, we discovered Huntsville has a $1 theater that gets most of the popular movies right after they leave the main screens. I'm happy to report it is a very clean, well-run theater, so maybe we'll be catching a few more discount flicks in the future.

After an enjoyable and uplifting movie, we went to our regularly scheduled dance classes Monday evening. We take two back-to-back since the studio is on the far side of town, and we're working on waltz this month, one of Jeff's favorite. So all in all, we did dinner, a movie, and dancing for under $20 total! Not a bad price for a fun outing to kick off spring break.

The rest of the week will be spent working on various projects around the house, so I'll update our progress lest it appear we are slacking off too much!

For those who thought it wouldn't last...

Day Three: The captive animal is still securely tagged. We will continue to track the progress of this rare, one-of-a-kind "Hund".

Labels for Learning

In an effort to immerse ourselves in German to prepare for our Berlin excursion, I have taken the advice of a well-traveled friend. She suggested that I label everything in the house in German so I associate the item with the new language. Since I'm a very visual learner (as well as a little label-happy), this is perfect for me. I typed up several sheets of common nouns on cardstock and spent a good part of the day taping labels to household items.

I took German for three years in high school, but, as most Americans know, we don't really learn (or remember) a lot from public school foreign language classes. It's coming back in bits and pieces, thanks to the Rosetta Stone program I'm working through, which is good. German has masculine, feminine, and neuter articles (i.e., three forms of words like "a", "an", and "the"), which was always tricky for me. The washing machine is she, but the dryer is he. The faucet is he but the sink is it. So, I also included the relevant article on the labels. Now I just have to make sure I look at them after all this work!

My 'Psalm 37:4' moment

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my husband's job? My dear, intelligent, entrepreneurial Jeff has been offered a guest scientist position in Germany for two months. And, just like with Seattle, he has (of course) invited me along! What an incredible blessing this unexpected opportunity is!

This has been in the works for a few months, since we knew he was presenting at a conference in Prague and I was going to accompany him there. What began as a week in the Czech Republic has expanded to an additional seven weeks in Berlin at their federal institute to do research and form collaborations. It's all paid for and we get to pick the dates, set the agenda, everything!

They're putting us up in an adorable historic villa that's been converted to self-catering apartments.It's right near all the public transportation lines and shopping districts, so it will be super convenient to come and go. I've even found a riding stable less than 3 miles away on the edge of the Grunewald Forest, so I'm hoping to partake of some of the authentic German classical riding instruction while there.

While Jeff is playing in the well-equipped labs and networking with international scientists, I'll be taking an intensive German course in the mornings and then experiencing the sites of Berlin.

This feels like the realization of a dream from years ago. I always wanted to study abroad or work as an au pair or backpack through Europe, but I put those pursuits aside to push forward the fulfillment of other goals. I could never have imagined during those poor student days of cramming German and working in the stables to pay for riding lessons that I would one day be able to "summer in Europe" with my amazing husband and enjoy the language and culture of Germany!

Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. -Psalm 37:4

Hard Headed?

Well, now I am hopefully!



Being a therapist, I've worked with more than my share of traumatic brain injuries. So I'm always conscientious about wearing my riding helmet during any equestrian activities. Maybe it's because I started in the hunter/jumper arena (where helmets are expected and required), but it always surprises me how many other riding disciplines don't routinely wear helmets. Particularly in my current region of the country, where saddle seat and five-gaited shows are popular, I rarely see riders with helmets.

Given that your brain is about the consistency of firm jello (or warm butter, whichever visualization you prefer), helmets are far more about slowing the impact of the brain against the inside of the scull than they are simply protecting the scull bones themselves. (My blog title is hence a bit of a misnomer, but it was a good play on words.)

I did my research and decided that the previous helmets I've used are really not sufficient. My new purchase is measured to fit my head exactly, instead of an adjustable one. It's also one of only a few brands in the States that meets European guidelines (which are much stricter than US ones, not surprising since they are better equestrians than we are).

I never realized that my head is slightly smaller and slightly narrower than the average adult until I started looking for the perfect fit in a helmet! Finding just the right one was worth it, though. It's super comfortable and I can't wait to try it out in my lesson Friday.

P.S. Jeff, in his standard pun, has dubbed my new safety devise "Helmet Kohl"!

OTs are the "Must Have" new fad!

Jeff sent me this article link from Wednesday's edition of the New York Times about my former profession, pediatric occupational therapy (on the Fashion and Style section, of all things)!

In a nutshell, upper-class parents are hiring occupational therapists (OTs) to give their children a boost in fine motor and visual motor/perceptual skills (like handwriting, scissor skills, copying figures, etc.), often so they can get into an ultra-competitive nursery school or kindergarten. Additionally, many otherwise typical children are having difficulty with fine motor skills, partly due to a heavy academic push without time for normal "child's play" which builds these fundamental areas.

I have seen this firsthand, working as a pediatric OT for over six years, four of which were mostly school-based. My college thesis was actually on the role of extracurricular activities as it infringed upon free-play opportunities! Parents were often surprised when I explained to them that normal "childish" behaviors like crawling and playing in squishy/wet/sandy material is crucial for intrinsic muscle and sensory development.

It's nice to know therapy is no longer regarded as only for those with "something wrong". However, I never had the honor of being employed solely to give a privileged child an advantage!

Quoting from the article, one father from the Upper East Side says:
“Even with the economy like it is, the hottest question when we socialized at our country house this summer was not what country club do you belong to, but who is your child’s O.T. back in the city. And how can I get an appointment?”

Jeff is ever the entrepreneur; I'll let him know if he gets tired of Alabama, we can always move to Manhattan!

Northwest Highlights

We had a super time in the Pacific Northwest! I toured a bit by myself during the day and then enjoyed the evenings with Jeff. We had great meals (including local fish, authentic Greek gyros, homemade Italian pasta, fantastic steaks, and a great Indian buffet). We went dancing Tuesday night at a ballroom studio in the theater of a historic brick building. We walked the downtown, (including of course Pike Place Market), rode the Monorail, saw the Space Needle, and watched stained glassblowing.


Eating gyros near the Market

Jeff played hookie Thursday (the last morning of the conference) and we did the Underground Tour (some of Seattle's streets were built over the original turn-of-the-century sidewalks and ground floors after a devastating fire, so you can walk under the city in the preserved spaces).


Down in the belly of the city

Then we continued our history lesson with a stop at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park (which is basically a free museum run by the National Park Service as an extension of the thousands of preserved acres in Alaska and Canada, as Seattle was the launching place of most of the gold seekers). That was fascinating! To see the physical hardship men (and a few women and children) went through in an attempt to just reach the goldfields (let alone dig to find paydirt) was staggering. This was no easy "get rich quick" scheme, that's for sure!

(As an aside, kudos to a few of the only sane, logical men around: the Canadian Mounties. They began regulating and recording the people crossing the border, ensuring law and order, collecting names and contact info to notify loved ones in case of emergency or death, requiring adequate supplies to prevent freezing or starvation, certifying homemade boats and rafts for safety before allowing them to float downstream, etc. It was serious business, as each person needed approximately one ton of supplies to survive for a year in the Yukon, and they had to carry it 33 miles over the mountain pass during one part of the journey.)


What would you do-o-o for a Klondike bar (of gold, that is)?

A trip up to the observation deck on the 76th floor of the Columbia Center (tallest building in the Pacific Northwest) yielded an excellent view of the city and mountains from almost 1,000 feet up.


Columbia Center, and Jeff surveying his domain


View of the harbor and Mt. Rainier

We rented a car Friday and drove down to Vancouver (with the sunroof open and the windows down to bask in the sunny, warm afternoon). We toured Fort Vancouver (an outpost for the Hudson Bay Trading Company in the early 1800's, another fascinating story) and the Marshall House (base housing for two years of commanding officer George C. Marshall, of the Marshall Plan fame).



We spent a lovely weekend in the company of our gracious hosts. We drove south to Salem for services and greeted many old and new friends. A game night that evening left Jeff a bit winded and sore after basketball, dodgeball, and kickball, but a radiant day spent walking at the zoo Sunday stretched out the cramps and prepared us for a red-eye flight that evening back to Huntsville. All in all, a splendid trip I can't wait to repeat; I'm just sorry it took me 30 years to make it up to such a beautiful part of the country!

Why throw fish when you can READ!

Make thy books thy companions. Let thy cases and shelves be thy pleasure grounds and gardens.
- Judah ibn-Tibbon (12th century)

I know Seattle is probably most famous for the Pike Place Market, but one of my favorite places was the Central Library. It is a quite new structure (compared to the historic building I usually love), but the aesthetic and functional design is incredible. For example, the non-fiction collection winds up through the four top floors of the ten story building on a continuous series of shelves called the Book Spirals; this way, you can walk uninterrupted through the Dewey Decimal system without ever needing stairs and elevators. The floors slope gently up and around and the bookshelves sit on slight concrete wedges to level them. There is an escalator up the center as an "express" method of finding a particular section, as well as the standard staircase and elevator to get you to any given floor.



Another favorite feature was the book return and sorting mechanism. I watched a four minute video describing the method, which is simply genius. It takes individual books straight up and over the heads of patrons in a series of ducts to a sorting room, rotates them all so the binding is aligned and covers face the same direction, reads a radio signal to determine what section is required, feeds them off appropriately, stands them up, and shoots them on to shelving carts to be reshelved. With a collection of over 1 million pieces, you can see why this automated system would be needed!



But the best part was the children's section. I spent so many happy hours at public libraries as a kid (it was a regular occasion once or twice a week to make the trek, either walking to a small local branch or driving to a larger one). This place was so warm and whimsical, any child would want to find a good book and read. And for those who only go to the library to play (yes, I mean you, Dear ;-), there was a well-stocked area for that, too.

Seattle!

One of the biggest boons of Jeff's job as a professor is the opportunity to attend and present at technical and professional conferences. Okay, one of the biggest boons for me, that is! Jeff always invites me along anytime he goes; when it's somewhere industrial like Detroit or Pittsburgh, I usually have more pressing things at home. But when it's somewhere interesting, I always make time. We've been to Hawaii, Cape Code, Baltimore, DC, and now Seattle on these trips.

So I'm presently blogging from the convention center in downtown Seattle on our third day here. Our flights up early Sunday were thankfully uneventful, given the current bad weather on the East Coast. We have a fantastic corner suite with two whole walls of solid glass windows at a very eco-friendly, sustainable brand-new hotel (thank you AAA discount ;-).

We are here almost a week, then we will rent a car on Friday and drive down to the Portland, OR area to spend the weekend with friends.

I've been seeing a lot of downtown Seattle on my own the last few days, but after Jeff presents tomorrow morning, he will be free the rest of Wednesday and all day Thursday so we can explore together. I'll be posting more about our past and future escapades in the next few days.

Safe in Huntsville

For all those who were wondering: yes, the University of Alabama in Huntsville where the shooting occured last Friday is the same university at which Jeff is employed as an assistant professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. He knew both the shooter and two of the faculty killed (he had been working on an interdisciplinary project with the biology chair and one of the associate professors). Jeff's office is about half a mile from the Shelby center where it happened. We're all fine, and we appricate the concerned friends and family who called and emailed to check up on us. The campus is closed all this week, so it will be interesing to see how things go next week when classes resume.

In memoriam

I realized today that it has been exactly one month since I last posted. Many thing have happened between then and now, though not much on the house or in the kitchen (my usual blog topics). My oldest brother Nate's memorial was this past Tuesday. The whole experience is still a bit surreal. Life is moving forward, just as he would have wanted. He will be missed by so many.

Nathaniel Arthur Goddard, Oct 4, 1973 - Oct 4, 2009

Nate and family with new baby, taken just over a year ago