ST. BERNARD LIFE-SAVERS, BASTILLE DAY, LITTLE RED TROLLEY

Once on a driving trip through Switzerland in a rented car, Virginia and I found  our minhotel to be closed.  We opened our map of the area, and found another hotel nearby on top of a huge mountain in the middle of the Alps.  We were lucky to find a vacancy at that time of day where the people were very friendly and accommodating.

The next day we observed many beautiful dogs, each with a handler, approaching the hotel.  Most of them were grown St. Bernard dogs - all very well behaved.  We discovered that these handlers were training these dogs to rescue skiers lost in the snow!  This was a most interesting experience for us.

We left there the next day and headed for Annecy, France.  This happened to be Bastille Day, which is a huge celebration observed yearly (similar to our July 4th.)  We had no reservation at this town, so we stopped at the information office (The big "I") They directed us to a nice hotel alongside "Lac D'Annecy".  The innkeeper and his family were very cordial, and even washed all our laundry.  The food at the nearby restaurant was spectacular, with fresh broiled fish, sprinkled with ground roasted  coffee beans.  (WOW).

For several years now, each Christmas we receive cards from this hotel, inviting us to return.

We then drove on toward Innsbruck, Austria where we found our minhotel in a small town called Igls.  To get to Innsbruck, we had to board a little red trolley to go down the mountainside, where we found a huge music festival in progress.  We found front-row seats to eat and enjoy the music, and then took the little red trolley back up the mountain where we enjoyed another night in a very nice hotel with very friendly hosts.

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

Art Linkletter, who has become famous as a motivational speaker, author, and host of a TV series on CBS for many years,  tells this story about his visit to a nursing home recently.  

It seems that he had been invited to give an inspirational talk  to all the residents of a nursing home in his hometown.   There had been sufficient notification to all the residents of the home prior to his appearance.  Practically all the residents attended, and he was well-received after his address.

As he was walking out the door of the home, there sat an older lady confined to a wheelchair sitting right near the exit door.  She had been unable to attend the speech.  Out of courtesy, he stopped to speak to her.  He politely asked her if she enjoyed the speech.  She told him she was unable to attend.  He then asked her,"Do you know who I am?"

She then looked him right in the eye and told him, "No, but if you go right over there to the admission desk, they can tell you who you are!"

HOT DOGS AND BUTTERMILK

Well, let's see now.  It must have been late in 1948, (61 years ago).   "Uncle" Earl Long had just been elected into the Governor's office.  For his inauguration ceremony he chose to use the L. S. U. football  stadium.  He issued an invitation to all the citizens of Louisiana to join him.  He would provide free hot dogs and buttermilk for everyone who attended.

Virginia and I  had just moved into our new house near the campus on Aster Street, which was  in walking distance from the stadium, so we decided to have this "delicacy" for supper that night.  The stadium was filled with all 48,000 seats, and also the entire field was covered with people.

 He gave his inaugural address from a huge platform erected right on the 50 yard line.  As I recall, he was dressed as usual - with suspenders (gallusses, he called them), no coat, and spoke with the casual "north Louisiana" accent (country slow drawl).   Both he and his older brother Huey Long have been described as "eccentric" in some ways.  Later, "Uncle Earl" was to become more "eccentric".

 As we left the stadium for home, we passed by the serving area, and were offered a whole sack full of hot dogs and many small cartons of buttermilk to take home with us.

(WOULD ANYONE LIKE SOME HOT DOGS AND BUTTERMILK?  We still have plenty left over to share!)