truly splendiferous day (121/365c)

we couldn't decide what to do today! walking? swimming? staying at the hut?
so we tried everything!

agnes, felix and i went mushroom hunting early in the morning and found quite a few choice edibles.

then we took a bus down to the lake (we walked by way of the farmers market where they had quite the amazing peaches and fresh cheeses) .... it was COLD but refreshing for the sun. we all had sunscreen on but got sunburned (it does eventually wear off, of course, we know)

what a view

then we went for a walk in the gorge (first we had to take a bus back. we were numbers 198-206 on the bus that had a max number of 72 - the driver just kept shouting: move yourselves in, move in, the bus is nearly empty!) .... it felt good to have more space and solitude.

some pretty grasses

theodore have a secret
(beautifully adorable
but also funny, because there's no way anyone would have been able to hear them over the sound of the water)

mary and martin on an idyllic little path 

irma agnes selfie

felix is *pretending* to jump rope
as martin watches amused

centa and her niblings

we took a long way home, had mushrooms and couscous for dinner, but all very much staggered

i really loved this moment!

we made a beautiful bonfire, sang songs, and i eventually went to sleep in the hay bed, which hadn't quite suited centa last night)

arrival in the beautiful mountains in slovenia (120/365c)

left early in the morning with brian and centa and theodore and henry and felix and took various busses to the airport where we waved goodbye to brian for his trip and then waited with coffee and cards for the car to be ready to rent (we were an hour or so early)

the long drive down to slovenia was fine until we got off the highway "30 minutes" from our destination, according to the gps. it was calculating the eta based on a belief that we were on a state highway with a speed limit of 90kmh. but in reality that highway was actually a narrow, twisty, windy mountain road badly in need of maitenence and full of potholes. nobody was driving more than 40kmh, and that was the locals. so it took a long time, and henry said he was motion sick. the eta kept getting later and later and later.

but we somehow arrived, finally, and settled into our delightful mountain hut that martin and mary had found on the internet. there was so much to see and do, specifically wood to find to start a fire, and of course the age old problem, deciding what beds to sleep in. centa chooses the museum-quality straw bed in the hut next door, where the owner's grandmother grew up.

First things first: unpack the lap-harp

on such a nice day we are going up to the attic and play cards

getting ready to go(119/365c)

today we got things to be ready to go: all of us.

brian has his flight to iceland tomorrow, and mary has organized a hut in slovenia for the rest of us. we even get to bring centa along, kind of in between salzburg stints. brian was very generous with his time and organized a rental car for us for tomorrow, from the airport, so we all can leave at the same time.

in the evening manuela came over and when brian got back from his daily run he put a pair of scissors in my hand and told me to cut his hair. i think after a glass or two of prosecco was maybe the wrong time, but henry appreciated the cut and called brian "mr. cool guy." brian proceeded to cut henry's hair too.

looking at coins
 

before

dinner was brought to us by jackie, who had made pesto and brought some over for us. oh joy.

after

philosophical question for the lack of today (118/365c)

if i don't write, take any photos, and make no entries on the calendar, then did the day really happen?

learning to be an adult (117/365c)

met way early in the morning to talk to the lady responsible for maybe removing the vines that are growing on the reisingerhouse. i am such an adult! (a few days ago, i was in the bathtub and heard some people cutting hedges in the apartment house behind us. i waffled back and forth whether i should dare to talk to them. i finally did, and the workers could not just cut the vines like i wanted, but they gave me the number of the specific person responsible.)

Not good for the roof or the air quality

met with irmtraud and made a wikipedia page for grazer salonorchester, which promptly got tagged for deletion. i am determined to spend the next 7 days fighting for the page. (edited to add: it worked! it's there now!)

edwards last full day (116/365c)

we used every minute we could while edward here making every moment count as much as possible working around his thesis writing schedule... playing music, hanging out, more music, more singing... all the best stuff.

barbara and i discuss big plans for next years' la strada
(maybe) (you have to make plans, or nothing will happen)

corelli trio sonata <3

do we look related?

picnic in the park and missing the museum (115/365c)

olena also had her birthday picnic in the park, and she got there too late for her own picnic, so some people had to already leave. we missed manuela who was there earlier. and centa came but didn't stay. we that stayed had a good time - first thing we did was get the boomerang stuck in a tree. then a bunch of menfolk made a big bruhhahaha about getting it back out. they did it right before we left, just in time to miss the schloss eggenberg exhibitions because we got there too late. oops

looking out over the palace as it closes up for the day

edward teaches them a new game