A View to a Kill

This building we are in is equipped with eye bolts that are used to tie off the window washers. The building wasn't built with a crane and winch system to carry a window washing cradle. This crew inspects these hooks every 6 months for safety. They insert a small camera into the soffit to check the bolts from behind, for rust or corrosion. Since I live on the top, I got to visit a bit with this crew. They obviously depend on their equipment for safety as I would with my diving gear. They are very well trained, and their ropes and clips are also inspected on a regular basis. Now this is my kind of a job where the view is great. I could just climb over the rail and hang out all day long.

Cement Plant

The local construction here is slow but still continues. This is a floating Batch Plant in the canal below us. The tug boats move these huge barges of sand, gravel, and rock, through the locks from the Thames River. The cement trucks drive out on this floating cement plant to get loaded up. The barges are emptied daily and replaced. This entire operation can be floated to any location on the river.

New House

Here we are in London in out new flat. We finally got things put away or thrown out. We have very little storage so we get rid of the things that we would never use anyway. I got some paint on the walls to warm it up a bit and get rid of the white. Here are 2 pics of the living room and kitchen, which is one room a bit like a great room. Also a shot of the master bedroom on the opposite corner. Windows take up all of the outside walls allowing views from every room. Click on the pics for the full view. We love it.

Anniversary # 26

Here's a blast from the past on our wedding day, and today after 26 years now the King & Queen. We are on a roll now as our time together gets better each year. Son Brent and Sandra left this morning after 2 1/2 weeks here in Europe. They figured we needed our time alone for our Anniversary. We are both very proud of them and thankful for the special time we shared together. I believe they took full advantage of their time here as they visited 4 countries and saw as many historic sites as time allowed. They were of course anxious to get home and take care of our grand daughter. Now we will have a quiet night to ourselves and plan our next adventure.

Windsor Castle

Back in London after a 3 night stay in Paris, the tour continues. We had a beautiful sunny day so we headed to West London to see Windsor Castle. With Julie back to work, I took our honored guests through the castle that I had not yet seen. Founded in 1066 this has been the home of 39 monarchs and is the oldest royal residence still in use. Windsor is the largest castle in the world, and is a weekend residence for the Royal family. It is used as an alternative to Buckingham Palace for ceremonial visits by foreign heads of state. The Queen at 83 years old still rides her horse each day when she is at the Castle.

Galeries Lafayette

The Galeries Lafayette is a 10 story department store in the heart of Paris. This store was opened in 1893 and boasts of having all the latest in men's and women's fashions, much like Harrods in London. This is a picture of the center dome inside the store. Of course the women had to spend an entire day shopping in this store with absolutely nothing in mind to buy. But they finally melted down the credit cards, and ended the day complaining that they ran out of time. They had coats, handbags, jewelery, and shoes stuffed in huge bags, all of which I'm sure will never get used. Brent and I sit on this rail outside wondering why women can't just go in, buy what they need and leave. While the girls wasted the day shopping, we joined all of the normal tourists, and took a bus tour to see all of the Paris sights at 20 euros each.

3 Star Dump

In any of Europe's historic areas you will get old hotels. There are 5 star ratings which are the best and then they drop. We've tried them all, but this 3 Star in Paris was the worst we've stayed in. Our first night we were next to the lift and got woke up every time the elevator moved. We then changed rooms and got upgraded to the honeymoon sweet on the top floor. The bed wasn't even wide enough for 2 pillows as you can see. The shower was 24 inches square with the controls sticking out 6 inches. If you turned in the shower, you would bump the control valve and shut it off. If you wanted to wash your feet, no problem, you would get out and stick one foot in at a time. I'll tell you what, this didn't leave much room for the honeymoon.

Man Toilets

Now isn't this just the greatest toilet in the world. At the base of the Eiffel Tower we found this pit stop. Brent and I took advantage of this break station. As the women line up next to us and watch us with envy, we get-ur done with a smile and a shake and can still talk to everyone around. Life is good!

Eiffel Tower

We've been to the tower before but wanted to go to the top. With massive lines we still couldn't make it to the top. We did get up to the second lever about 1/3 rd up to an observation level. Some of these pictures aren't the best but they will do. This is a family shot of us looking over the city and a picture of Sandra on the upper level. Sandra has made traveling much easier for us as she speaks Spanish, can understand Italian, and remembers a bit of French from High School classes. So we'all just shut-up and let her do the talking.

The Musee Du Louvre

This is the famous Museum of Paris that we've been in before. I am holding down the entrance to the Museum in this interesting photo opportunity. Below is the famous Notre Dame that is a Roman Catholic Cathedral. Built in 1163 it is considered the finest French Gothic architecture in the world. It had a line of tourists at least 1/4 mile long. This is definitely a city that draws huge crowds of tourists year-round.

Paris

Here we are back in Paris again with Brent and Sandra for a weekend visit. Julie and I risked our lives to get this picture of the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the famous Champs Elysees. The Arch was built by Napoleon in 1806. Underneath lies the WWI Tomb of the unknown Soldier. The Champs Elysees is about a mile and 1/2 of the most expensive real estate in Europe. With the shopping that brings in people from everywhere in the world. The Champs is also the stage for the final leg of the Tour de France bicycle race each year.

Rome

After 4 days of touring the city of London, seeing the sights and riding the tubes and trains, Brent and Sandra gave us a break and went to Rome. I'm glad they took advantage of their time here and were able to go to Italy. This is shot of them at the Vatican City in front of St. Peter's Basilica, and what a great close up picture of the Pope as they got to attend a Wednesday mass that was open to the public. I wish we could have been there with them as they were seated about 20 feet away from the Pope. He said bits of the mass in 8 different languages.

Another Party

People have a hard time understanding why we like to move so much. Here's why......It's the Parties! We now have settled in at our new London flat after 2 weeks. Some of our wonderful friends in Guildford put on a Sunday afternoon going away party for us. Lucky for our guests, they got to join us. Thanks to our concierge and great friend Simon, (sleeping on the right) we have been honored to meet and get to know so many fine people. When you can come home everyday and be greeted by your neighbors, that is what makes it a real home. Now we can start over again with a 'flat' warming party and meet a new bunch of mates. If your life is a little dull and you want to spice it up a bit, try moving a few times. You won't regret it!

London Sights

I guess I'm getting to be a regular tour guide and picture taker. Here is Brent and Sandra in front of the Historic Westminster Abbey. What you can't see but really need to appreciate is me laying on the ground in the pigeon muck, to get this picture with the entire church in the background. We did get to tour the Abbey and had to make a stop at the London Ice bar, which is one of our favorite spots.

Wicked

This is West Londons # 1 Broadway show, and most successful musical. This is the untold story of the Witches of Oz, and how one came to be called "good" and the other "wicked". This show was loaded with shocks, special effects, and incredible costumes. We took this show in with Brent and Sandra on Saturday afternoon.

Buckingham Palace

This is the Palace of the Queen in Central London, and is a huge tourist attraction. We fought our way in to see the Changing of the Guards with about 3000 other visitors. The view wasn't the best but we got a few pictures of the guards, and one of Brent and Sandra in front of the Palace gates.

Brent and Sandra

Now we finally get a visit from Son..Brent and wife Sandra. Although we will miss our only Grandchild Kiana, we will have some fun hosting more US visitors. Our first day was a sunny clear day so we viewed the city from the London Eye, about 400 feet high. We don't yet have Internet service in our new flat so Brent and I went to this Internet cafe to catch up on e-mails. It's quite a lively place as you can see.