Travel -Game On!

Wife and I spent an anxious hour at the foot doctor this afternoon. Neither of us was feeling very confident. The doctor has a great bedside manner. He brought in the new X-Rays. He pointed out that healing was continuing...continuing, not complete. He showed where a very important section on the outside of the toe has completed healing. That was important. We were on the edge of our chairs so to speak. It was not completely healed. That was clear. What did that mean for Wife staying in her boot.

It was then that he said that she could go shoes only. He indicated that she should keep her boot in case things felt like they were going backward. But he said if we were careful and used good judgement (like stay off of Medieval cobblestone streets), there was no reason for us to not take our trip. 

We came home feeling a weight had been taken off our shoulders...and threw ourselves into our preparation to go to Spain next month.

Disappointment

Not much newsworthy took place this past week. And the only thing that was, was a disappointment. 

Wife went into the foot doctor for X-rays on the status of her broken foot. One of the breaks has healed but two are still in process. This means another 4 weeks for her in the boot. 

She was depressed. I was depressed. But she's focusing on the instructions related to no foot movement to promote healing.

A #2 Family Fourth

Beloved #2 (aka Dowger Empress Poo Lee Shah) and the remains of her clan are scheduled to go off to their next work post, Medan, Indonesia, on July 27. It will be a much reduced clan. 2.2 is continuing her studies in Spain. 2.3 will be starting his university studies at Xavier in Cincinnati in August. So it will only be 2B and 2.4 who will be going off this trip. We very much wanted to see them before they leave. However, with Wife still in her boot and with limited mobility due to her broken foot. It was just not practical for us to fly and see them. Despite all the stuff they have to do to get ready to depart, they made the decision to come visit us for the 4th of July weekend.

We were very glad they did and we had a really good time. 

Put 2B and I in any given physical space and one can be sure there will be massive amounts of gastronomic activity. #2 wanted to be sure to get her NM Chile fix and bring certain things with her to Asia she can't get there. 2B also was on a NM food reminder kick. He also brought 4 bottles of wine with him for us to do a wine tasting. 

I planned a major 4th of July feast with smoked ribs, three kinds of kebabs (lamb, pork, chicken) and four kinds of vegetable kebabs (yellow squash, eggplant, mushrooms, onions) with Syracuse salt potatoes, and a strawberry pie (made by #2) for dessert. That was followed by our watching the entire city of Albuquerque a glow with home delivered fireworks from the upper deck of the Man Tower. 

A particular highlight of this trip for me was the time I spent with 2.4. As is the case with all of our grandchildren who have had their growing up years far away from us, it can be very difficult to develop a relationship. 2.4 is 11 and he has developed a real interest in cooking. This turned out to be a major opportunity for he and I to bond.

We started on Thursday. 2B & #2 really wanted to go out for NM food for lunch, there first real meal here. I suggested to 2.4 that he and I could go get a burger at local chain, Lottaburger, and then he could help me start prepping all the meat for the 4th. He jumped at the opportunity. 

 Me showing my pathetic selfie skills showing us at Lottaburger

 This young man has seriously good knife skills for his age. He wanted to and I let him cube all the meats for kebabs. This was some 4+ pounds of meat. Then we got to work on the flavorings. I seasoned the lamb with classic French garlic, thyme, rosemary & red wine, the pork with a Georgian combination of grated onion, oregano, & pomegranate molasses, and the chicken with an Indonesian inspired Salt Soy Sauce, Sweet Soy Sauce, & Five Spice Powder. 

2.4 showing some serious mortar and pestle skills pounding herbs taken with his own selfie video

Here are our meats ready to marinate overnight

 While we were doing our Georgian Pork marinade, 2.4 said he had seen a way to avoid the onion eye burning by doing the grating under the stove exhaust hood. I decided to give it a try.

You can see what happened

The next morning on the 4th, he and I went out again to Lottaburger for their great breakfast burritos.

Slightly better selfie of us taken by me with local mountains and blue sky in the background.

That afternoon he cut up all the veggies for the kebab (there were a lot). Today, on Sunday, he helped with making brunch. I had a grilled veg frittata. He cracked and mixed all the eggs. I fried up potatoes. He cut all the potatoes. 

Seriously, this young man was a GREAT help and saved me a lot of time...not to mention us having real quality time together.

Eldership Mission Sweden - Sleepover and Varberg

As Wife wrote in her post on Friday, the #3's, after all kinds of trials and tribulations trying to come up to Gothenburg to spend another weekend with us, ended up holing up in our apartment. They arrived on Saturday right after Noon and left Sunday morning around 11am. It was like a multi-generational sleepover. 

After they arrived, we split up with #3 & 3A going to the supermarket in the mall to get snacks and drinks, while 3.1 and 3.2 helped me to transport Wife to a restaurant in the mall where we were all going to join up for a late lunch. This involved 3.2 and I going to get the car from the far parking lot, 3.1 helping Wife down to the car, us driving to a place in front of a mall entrance near the restaurant so I could drop Wife off, and me then finding a parking place and coming back to the restaurant. 

We actually timed the thing pretty well with #3 and 3A arriving right after we had sat down. We went back the place Wife and I had been to twice before and it did not disappoint. It kind of reminds me of the Greek owned diners on the U.S. East Coast that have just about a bit of everything on their menus, most of it good. I had the kebab pizza again so 3.2 in particular and others could try it. I wanted burger maven, 3.1 to try the burger which Wife and I had enjoyed our first time (she declared it quite good), while 3A and 3.1 had pasta, #3 a big salad, and Wife a kebab platter (essentially kebab meat and fries). 

Back at the apartment, we started to play games. 3.1 is in her element. She set up 3 different games using various apps. The most fun of these, by far, was a game called Gartic Phone. (The name makes no sense to me. We all started to call it Garlic Phone. It doesn't have anything to do with a phone.) In the game, each player writes a short sentence or phrase, that is sent to one other player. Each player must then make a drawing representing the sentence or phrase. The drawing is done on your phone, computer, or other device. That with the time limit severely limits what can be created. The drawing is passed on to another player (at random) who has to write down a sentence or phrase describing the picture. That is sent on for another picture to be drawn, with a last round of interpretations taking place. Then you look at all the results. The way the narrative evolves can be quite amusing as is the pathetic attempts to draw.

Snacks and chocolate were consumed during all this. We closed the evening off with a movie after which all crashed. Next morning I took the two grandchildren back to the supermarket to buy donuts and pastries. We had a nice breakfast, played another round of Garlic Phone and then the #3s had to make their way back to Malmo. Wife and I decided to have one more day trip down south to a small city called Varberg. 

Because of the time, we decided to find a place for lunch first. I've made a lot of jokes about Swedish cuisine, or the lack thereof, however, I think we've finally cracked the code to get Scandi food as #3 calls it. You go to any place called 'Restaurant' with no other ethnic designation. You're going to find a place that has a salad bar (some fairly sparse, some extensive, a choice of fish and meat entrees, with a burger and a kebab plate thrown in, and free coffee. The food is going to be pretty good to very good and have a surprising amount of flavor. 

 The Meal at Varberg

This place had an incredible salad bar. I kind of wish I could have just ordered it! I should have taken a picture of the whole spread but I was too shy. 

My Plate

Two kinds of pickled herring, two kinds of potato salad, a pasta salad, two kinds of cabbage salad and pickled onions...about 30% of what was on the bar!

I had a Grilled Plaice, a whole flat fish with boiled buttered potatoes, roasted veg, butter & caper sauce, with a shrimp garnish.

 

Wife had the Pork Schnitzel & gravy, with roasted potatoes, Bernaise sauce, and veg.

 It was so much food!

We were at a place on the outskirts of town near a nature preserve. The nature of the sky over the weeks we've been shooting photos has been rather blah and i was in the mood to give monochrome a try.

 

 

 Study of Espouses Fotograficus Unus Pedibus

She Contemplates

She Stalks

That which is Stalked

 Stalking the Stalker

 In Varberg City

(With the mobility challenge we really did not do much, but said to ourselves next time we visit the #3's we will want to spend a good day shooting here.

Dragon Ship

Old Customs House

 The Port Square

More Black & White

Eldership Sweden Mission - While Rome Burns We Are Ordered To Fiddle Around Malmo

#3 can be...a bit terse...putting it mildly. One suspects she has at least some Klingon blood in her. Last Thursday as we were working to get Wife medical assistance, she was in 'take charge' mode having determined that 1) she actually had some passing familiarity with the Swedish healthcare system, 2) having another moping concerned individual (that would be me) was not going to help the process at all, and 3) there were grandchildren who had expected something other than medical crisis from our visit, said in no uncertain terms,

"You menfolk take the children into town, find something to do and have a good time. Qapla!"

(Or words to that effect)

3A upon realizing HE has been assigned the mission of being tour guide, realizes he can go to the de-I Sandia Outfitters' website and download its "Yes you too can have fun and make money (out of your victims...WE MEAN CLIENTS') from being a tour guide course"

 

Marche-ons!

La Famille

3.2

 

3.1

3.1 holding cat who thinks I am the devil incarnate

Respect

 

Malmo has it all

The HIGHEST class architectural scaffolding

I mean it has the image of the building being renovated

All the classic aspects of West Coast Sweden - Towers, Clocks, Scaffolding. Sometimes all together

 

 

 

 

 Loved this combination of the ultra-modern green glass and the reflection of a traditional building

 Waterfront

 

 Malmo is Sweden's third largest city. It used to be a port and industrial city. Now it is a tech and information business center (which is what attracted #3 & 3A in the first place). However, in the center of town is a working wheat milling operation!

 Other Street Scenes

 

Malmo has one of the best professional soccer teams in the country. The Cup final was being played and the center of town was overrun with the oppositions visiting fans.

 3.1 insisted we experience traditional Swedish food by having burgers for lunch

We got home and I made dinner for everyone, which the hospital facilitator and patient both appreciated.

Gothic Heros

The notorious Goths, who periodically swoop down on the Imperial Center that is de-I Towers are also allegedly our vassals. So the word went out to the Visigoths. Your contribution to the Imperial well-being is needed. 

In reality, a bit more than a month ago, Wife and I were projecting out all we were going to have to do finally getting our house back in order AND having to prepare and plant our garden. It seemed overwhelming. Daughter #1 offered to come with grandson 1.2 to help. We accepted. 

They arrive on Thursday night. We put them to work immediately. 

 I am #1...I will ALWAYS be #1 in the de-I hierarchy. I am here from the Visigoths to honor my pledge of fealty to the Seniors.

And this is my offspring, 1.2

 

 Her Excellency, Wife, greets us

 This what awaits us

 Let the Labor Begin!

 

 

 Final Results

PLEASE don't ask about the gnomes. It is our burden to carry.

There were still more things for #1 & 1.2 to help us with before they left. It was a blessing to have them come because I don't think Wife and I could have handled it without them.