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I Had Some Questions for the Oracle

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So, after a delicious hotel breakfast (we highly recommend the Phillipo!), we headed off to Delphi. The Acropolis was awe-inspiring, majestic, other-worldly. We were also there first thing in the morning so it was quiet. Delphi was something else all together, at least in terms of people. So many school groups. But also, just *different.* Much more diverse than I thought it would be in terms of structures, with the remains of marketplaces, treasuries, statues, temples, walls, an amphitheater, and a stadium. I found myself thinking a lot more about Greek culture in general as we were there. What it was like to have this religion, community, and social structure as part of your everyday life. In particular, the theater was stunning. We had learned from the Acropolis that the museum actually filled in a lot of the gaps, and were looking forward to that here. But the Delphi museum was smaller and less accessible seeming, though there were many incredible pieces. -- Driving through the Gree...
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The Age of Acropolis

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After an iffy night's sleep (stupid jet lag), we had a delicious hotel breakfast and then headed over to the Acropolis. Absolutely everything you have ever heard about its scale and sense is absolutely true. I'm gobsmacked. We meant to head back to the hotel to change quickly and instead ended up taking a long and much-needed nap. After lunch at a crepe place, we headed over to the Acropolis Museum. I had been a little so-so about attending, but after seeing the Acropolis, wanted to learn more, and it was truly fascinating. Then some more walking around the Plaka before meeting the Hill Matthews family for dinner and ManhManh, which was delicious.  With some gelato and walking around the neighborhood afterwards. Hoping for a good night's sleep tonight before heading to Delphi and Volos tomorrow!
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We Made It to Athens!

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  After a half-full flight (it was like flying in the 90s! I got a whole row to myself!), we arrived in Athens this morning and managed to get our jet-lagged selves to the hotel, where the roof deck features the above view. Walked around and saw several major sites without even trying to, you practically trip on history here! The most fun, though, was walking around window shopping in Plaka, having some Greek snacks, and wandering the Anafiotka neighborhood.  My friend Theresa would especially appreciate all the street art! Met the Hill/Matthews family for delicious spritzes at an adorable place near our hotel, and now trying to stay awake just a little longer!
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DIY Airport Lounge

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  We don't have fancy enough credit cards to have airport lounge access (or more to the point I'm not willing to spend the money on annual fees for something we would rarely use), so when we had a long layover at JFK on the way to Athens today, we took advantage of the time to meet up with our friend Dawn at the TWA Hotel, and cross a bucket-list item off. The Saarinen terminal itself was a big part of my architectural studies, so it was great to see it in person. Plus it was just a fun and quirky place to hang out and catch up. Now, on to Greece!
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SNOW Project Sunday

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It looks like our Small Project Sunday will be spent... Shoveling: Packing (one of us has more to do than the other two of us): Delivering these two to their Spring Break Camp: And crossing our fingers that our flight tomorrow actually leaves.
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Coya

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Our amazing Coya passed today at a little over 15 years of age. Thanks so much to the amazing staff at the Animal Humane Society who helped her go with dignity and grace, and allowed us all to be there with her. When we lost Geronimo, I was low-key looking for another keeshond, and became involved with several keeshond groups online. Most had coalesced around closing down a notorious New York puppy mill, but I made friends all over the country (and in Canada) who cared about the breed. You are all amazing people and I care about you so much. When Wendy found out about a backyard breeder in Western Wisconsin who had a dog on Craigslist, so grabbed Bill (who had Sapphire, one of the puppy mill dogs) and they went to rescue her. Once they got her out of there, Wendy needed a home for her, and so 4-year old Coya came to us. Her pedigree papers called her "Lacoya of Seven Bridges," but to separate her from that we called her Coya, after Coya Knutson, Minnesota's first female c...
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(Hopefully) Reap What You Sow

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Today was "divide and conquer" day for Small Project Sunday, due to our schedules. Patrick took on the bedroom closet . Meanwhile, I started to get ready for replanting our gardens. Summit in particular had suffered kind of a major setback last year , and we are still not sure what will come back up, particularly in the new-ish native garden  (also a post on that  here ). We also are trying to plant more native plants at Ashland, and have installed native gardens at the house where Patrick's dad lives on Winter Street and at Hague . But this all has to be on a budget, because the loss of plants at Summit alone might be major cross your fingers that it's not!), so today I took a class on winter seed sowing at the Capital River Watershed District. I had looked up information online and it did not look too hard, but I was happy to have some folks there show me the ropes. It was 59 degrees today, and too late to winter sow seeds that have longer germination periods (60 d...
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