Traveling is not for sissies!

I don't know who said hitting the road and sleeping in strange beds made for a "restful" vacation. Now my idea of a vacation is to stay home and have a masseuse and manicurist come to the house! I like to travel but boy do I like to come home and sleep in my own bed!

We started off August at home but headed to St. Louis on the 16th for Baby Lock Tech - to see the new machines. This is the Ellissimo - the new top of the line machine. We had training on it & a review of Masterworks software the first day, the second day was training on the new 18" mid arm quilting machine - the Jewel and then a class on merchandising and another on embroidery seminars.

Then a race to the airport to catch a 7:30 flight home - it was late. Ugh! Never try to fly into Newark at night, they start backing up about 1pm. The TSA guy in St. Louis cheerfully told me the previous night's 7:30 flight didn't leave till midnight! We made it home in time to fall into bed and then up early to start the washing machine to get ready to take off for Switzerland at 6pm! I was looking forward to the 7 hour plane ride!

Switzerland was breath taking! Flowers everywhere! We trained on the new 830 machine and ate chocolate everywhere we went. This is Jim & I at the Bernina factory in Steckborn.

We took a train ride - the highest cog wheel train in Europe - to the top of the mountain and went out on the glacier. It was COLD! We were at 11,000 feet above sea level.

This was taken inside the glacier. We mailed Ann & Bob a postcard from the highest post office in Europe. I hope they get it!

Pam Hayes from Hayes Sewing Center in DE, was shopping for chocolate cows in the chocolate factory and found some. The merchandising in this store was great - it enticed me to buy but the aroma of chocolate would have been enough! I ordered some 830 chocolates as bribes for buying an 830 - of course if we don't sell as many as I bought, someone is just going to have to eat them . . . .

And just around the corner from the chocolate shop was THE most gorgeous house & gardens. If you look closely into that Eden, there is a tiny little pond and ONE chair. The village only has 300 or so people in it so the street isn't that busy - our tour bus was a sensation I think! - it was the perfect garden to relax in.

The details made the trip. This was our dessert one night on the way home from Steckborn. Bernina thought of everything.

Including the men who welcomed us to the closing dinner - each one represented one of the Cantons in Switzerland.

I'm glad to be home but next weekend we head back to Gloucester and then into Boston to Fenway. The Sox are playing the Devil Rays and we have tickets courtesy of our boys. I'll post pictures if we don't get rained out.

Until next time.