Ahhh ..... Ok ... sometimes the pictures tell the story.
I kept trying to make the large black part of the foot pedal to move, then while looking at the pictures I just posted I noticed the rubber feet on the black tri-pod bottom - which would have the long black part (which I thought was the business end of the foot pedal) sitting sideways and the raw steel part at the top.
Sure enough ... that's how it sits and when I press down on the raw steel part ... up and down she goes.
I think this is one machine I won't be sewing barefoot in.