Preview of Hungary

This is a special entry for Pam.  I want to show her some photos of Hungary, and this is easier than emailing them.  Pam and I are planning a trip to Czech Republic and Hungary in May, so I want to share these photos taken in May 2005 when I visited Budapest with Gabor & Kati and another couple.

So, Pam, here is a small preview of places I would love to revisit while we are in Hungary.

Pest and the Danube behind me.

Katalin.

Buda is on the left and Pest is on the right side
of the Danube River behind her.

St. Matthias Church high on the hills of Buda.

Another view of St. Mattias Church.

Museum on Hero's Square.

Inside Keleti Train Station.

The Basilica in downtown Pest.

Another view of the Basilica.

Szentendrei, an artists' colony near Budapest.

An artists' stall in Szentendrei.

I bought the big round piece for my grand piano.

Visegrad on a bend in the Danube.

Another view of Visegrad.

Winery on Lake Balaton.

Another view of Lake Balaton from the winery.

I think my memory is accurate.  However, note to Gabor & Kati: Please let me know if I need to change any of my captions.

I could go on and on (and I probably will in a future post), but for now this should be enough to give you an idea of why I want to return to Hungary.

Jeannette

Before and After

Remember this?

Little alcove in our entry  - BEFORE

First I painted the walls dark green.

Then I made some sheer curtains.

Next we had the carpet and vinyl removed.

Today the ceramic tile was installed.

The installer will add a matching grout tomorrow.

So much nicer with only one type of flooring in the guest bathroom and anteroom.

Dave has been busy, too!

He built these 18 drawers to store our CDs.

Then he made this oak front plate for the CD cabinet.

Too many CDs to count.
Dave just measured how many inches of space we would need.
They are stacked two-deep.

Pita, on the other hand, only wanted to sunbathe on the balcony.

Pita will be 17 years old on April 1.

Lessons can be learned from cats.

Jeannette

Dallas

Last week I attended the OAKE (Kodaly music conference) in Dallas (March 17 - 20) which was held at the Dallas Sheraton on Olive Street.  I was lucky enough to get a room on the 32nd floor with a great view of the Dallas skyline.

Dallas from the 32nd floor of the Sheraton.

One evening Linda, Liz, Tom, Gabor, Kati & I had supper at Dakota's Steak House.  The weather was so nice that we dined outside on the patio.

Linda

Liz

Tom

Kati

 Jeannette

Just samples . . . not to worry . . .

Gabor

(You can't take him anywhere!)

At the conference, I got to visit with a lot of my Kodaly friends.  Crystal Schlieker is one of my favorites.  She was in the Bellevue East Band a few years back, so she is extra special to us.

Tom & Crystal

One afternoon Gabor, Kati and I visited the JFK Museum, which is housed in the book depository were Lee Harvey Oswald hid when he shot President Kennedy.  That corner where Oswald hid is still preserved behind glass.  The museum in very well organized with photos and an audio tour of the artifacts.  The following photos are of the book depository.

Back side of the book depository.

Notice the square window on the end of the row of arched windows.

That is where Lee Harvey Oswald hid when he shot JFK.

Again, notice the square window on the end of the row of arched windows.

 Behind Gabor and Kati is the street where President Kennedy's motorcade was assaulted.

After we left the JKF Museum we stopped for lunch at a place called Gators.  Kati had fried alligator.  Gabor and I stayed with more traditional fare.

Kati's head on a silver platter.

There were gators everywhere inside the restaurant.

Very generous serving of lemons with Gabor's diet Coke.

Cute bench outside Gator's Restaurant.

You can get a nice scenic tour of downtown Dallas on this free trolley.

There are many beautiful statues outside Bank of America headquarters.

All's well that ends well.

Gabor back home in Massachusetts on Lake Cargamond.

A good time was had by all.

Jeannette

The koi survived!

Our six koi reappeared in the pond this past Monday.  They hibernated all winter under a ledge on the bottom.  We haven't seen them since Monday, but it is a sure sign of spring that they are coming out of hiding.  We also had a goldfish, but there was no sign of him on Monday.  Can you say "Donner Pass?"

Angie took this photo on Monday.

The water in the pond is warm enough to wake up the koi.

Looking forward to more signs of spring.

Jeannette

30 Years Ago

Dave found these photos when he was cleaning his office. I used to keep them in the buffet, but somehow I lost track of them.  I was so happy to have them back again!

 

Our wedding day - Aug. 25, 1979 - Bellevue

Our $17.00 wedding sheet cake from Bakers in Bellevue.

Kristi riding one of the Olson's horses.

Cowgirl Angie.

There are others, but these are my favorites.

Jeannette