Busy Bees and the Second Business Trip

Last Sunday we went to a kite festival, but despite running around like idiots we only got a kite in the air for about a minute. It wasn’t quite windy enough, although enough people managed to have kites up to make us keep trying. It was a beautiful day with good friends and we were happy to get ice cream and play at a playground. Duke is gone again, this time in Egypt. It’s been easy besides taking care of the kids I got a lot of reading done.

The last three books: Lean In, Sisterland, and Middlemarch have all dealt with women’s character and choices given the opportunities available and the outcome on their lives and ultimately, power. I thought Sheryl Sandberg made some excellent points about why women are missing from the top levels of leadership, although the anecdotes were unbearable. Similarly Curtis Mayfield’s novel about identical twins has an interesting plot, but unlikeable characters and too many details of the endless errands that compose suburban family life. Middlemarch, well I’m only half way through but I like it and despite the circumstances of provincial 19th century England being completely irrelevant, it holds more truths than the other two.

So I did some reading and got the house in order, more or less, for Grandma and Poppy’s arrival Thursday.

Allison is delighted to have them here, we barely got her to kindergarten with the excuse that they were sick with JETLAG, but she got there and then grandma, poppy, Leo and I went to the Belvedere, an art museum and palace in one. It’s awful for toddlers and I got to see so much more than last time. Plus, they have a new garden installation entitled, “the perfect tourist takes the perfect picture.” Voila

We got lunch at nearby Salm Brau, which was on their “to do again” list and it was delicious fried fish and potato salad, which is delightful in Austria because it has a light vinegar dressing and no mayo. I snuck a little beer from my father in the law and that was great too.

On Saturday we went to a bee festival in Heaven. It was chilly and poorly attended, but we dressed the kids up like bees and tasted gobs of honey and got even more to bring home. Our favorite is from linden trees. We ate at the Waldgrill at Cobenzl and I had a delightful duck and plum cake too. We got home tired and just a little while later Duke got home from Egypt.