Back on the Interwebs

That's right. I'm back on the WWW now that I've finally had the time to get out and replace my dearly departed laptop. Lucky for me the geeks were able to recover the information from my old hard drive, but it's still a huge pain in the neck to get a new computer going. And it's not exactly like I've been swimming in free time.

I really shouldn't complain since one of the things that has kept me busy was a wonderful trip. Now that I'm back home it's hard to believe, but in less than two weeks we managed to fly into Munich and tour parts of Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.

And what a beautiful part of the world! The architecture, the countryside, the food and drink, and all the people who are lucky enough to call those places home made for one of the best vacations I've ever had. I did miss the guys while I was away, but I felt very lucky to have the opportunity to go.

Besides coming home with lots of good memories, I also came home with plenty of inspiration.

Each of these countries is a gardener's paradise. Everywhere you look there are perfectly tended flower beds, window boxes, and vegetable gardens. I jotted down some plant and color combinations that I can use in my own yard--even if I don't have a castle or a chalet to call home.

And the food! I may have to make pretzels again, and I'm positive I'm going to be looking for some of the German and Austrian wines that we had with our meals. Maybe the best treat of all was the Cottage Cheese Fried Donuts that we scarfed down on one of our tours. I don't deep fry anything, but I may have to make an exception if I can find that recipe.

I even found some inspiration for my knitting. There were some bold color combinations in the shop windows of Salzburg, and I liked the garter stitch vests and cardigans.

So now it's back to reality. No more castles, no more horse drawn carriages, no more mountains, and not as much afternoon beer drinking. Not as much.

And even though I've struggled with jet lag and had lots to do to catch back up to speed, it is very good to be home.