Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas to all our family and friends. The morning broke bright and clear this fine Christmas day with the hoarfrost covering the plants and trees. The view off of our balcony was enchanting.

After a fine breakfast of homemade biscuits, rösti potatoes and apfelmus we enjoyed a quiet morning celebrating the birth of Jesus together. Since our apartment is quite small and we don't have much room for a tree, so we have made due with what we have. Delynn had brought our Christmas stockings that mother Ruth made and the angel was a secret santa gift from a friend at RIA. The holy family wood carving is new this year - we picked it up at the Christmas market in Basel from the carver who makes them. It is a nice piece.

We had such fun opening the wonderful presents our family sent. We savored each one as we traded turns. A Pendleton blanket, a fine pen set, a fleece and turtle neck sweater, movies, Crisco and brown sugar, movies, Chili mix and espresso cups were just a few of the many nice gifts we received. Being here, we are so very thankful that God has given us such wonderful family (and not just because of the presents...)

As we opened each present, we maticulously separated the tape from the packaging, the paper from the plastic and built fine little piles for recycling - it was slightly humorous but is rather second nature by now... We then gathered our little piles and put them aside for a trip to the recycling yard on Saturday.

I must be my parents' son. Dad and Mom Walz picked up a Sodoku book for Delynn's stocking. Well, unbeknownst to them, I had also picked up a Sodoku book for Delynn. My version was in German, naturally while theirs was written in English. Sudoku itself is language neutral. When Delynn pulled them both out of her stocking, I noticed that the back cover graphic looked identical - differing only in language. Further investigation showed that indeed, the books were both created by the same publisher (in England) but with of course, the necessary language changes for the chosen target market. To our relief, the puzzles are indeed different so it was not a wasted effort but an interesting story.

We also made a short video with our Christmas Greeting to all. Unfortunately I have been unsuccessful uploading to the blog - oh bother. I will try again later to see if we can keep the connection long enough to get it to you.

To all we wish a very happy Christmas, a blessed day to all! We love you and miss you.

Winter has arrived

Each season has its own special beauty. Winter officially started yesterday and we woke up this morning to a frosty trip to church. Three and a half hours later as we walked back from the train, I noticed that some of the bushes that had not yet been bathed in sunlight still held on to the frost, so I took a few pictures.

Today we celebrated the Christingle service at ACB - it is a wonderful celebration of the coming of Jesus at Christmas. As part of the service, we were all invited, especially the children, to make a Christingle. It originates in the 18th century in Germany. The Christingle is:

An orange: representing the world;
with a candle inserted: Jesus, the light of the world;
four toothpicks (the four seasons) skewered with raisins or sweets (the fruits of the earth)
and a red ribbon tied around the center: Jesus's blood given for us.

As Rev. Geoff called it: "the good news in the palm of your hand." It was huge fun. There is a picture on Wikipedia.

Peace and joy to all.

Oh, get me to the church on time...

We wanted our friends to know that we have had a last minute change in our holiday plans. Delynn got an unexpected blessing: a year-end bonus from PacifiCorp. So, she will be making a quick trip back to Walla Walla, Washington (yes, it is a real place) for our nephew Chris' wedding. She was not supposed to get a bonus - normally employees have to work until September to qualify. We have surmised that because she "retired" in July that they grandfathered her in. Anyway, we are not about to look a gift horse in the mouth (Hmmm - I haven't tried explaining that saying to our German or Swiss friends...). We found a round trip ticket for an excellent price (considering the price of international flights...) so after much prayer and deliberation we decided to send her. It will be a 4-day dash round-trip (no time for jet lag) but it will be good for her to attend. Unfortunately, due to the timing, Delynn will not have time to see anyone but family and go to the wedding. Bill, Ruth and the sisters are quite excited that she is able to come. I'll be holding down the fort here in Weil a. R, while she is gone. (I have already had a couple of invitations to "hang out" which will keep me occupied). Please keep Delynn in your prayers for a good trip.

Christmas traditions

We just finished our last day of school before the Christmas break. The students were a bit crazy Wednesday in anticipation of Christmas. We had a nice chapel Wednesday morning to tell the Christmas story from Luke and to be grateful to the Lord for our friends and our school. Two families are moving back to the States over the Christmas break, so we said our final farewells after chapel. These are some of the tough moments we go through as a small school because we build a strong sense of community together. We will miss our students immensely. Here is this year's school picture - these are some of the best kids in the world.

We have been preparing for Christmas over the last weeks, trying to keep from accumulating too many things that will just have to stay here. In a odd sort of way, it is actually good that things are so expensive for us here; it keeps us from getting too much stuff. Trips to the Weihnachtsmarkten in Basel, Weil a. R., Lörrach and Gengenbach this year have been festive - Delynn loves the woolen goods; Michael loves the food! In the picture of the Basel Christmas Market, to the left you can just see three little cherubs atop the gold and white striped spires - the one closest is holding a wurst up like a prized offering. They make me smile every time I see them... We decided against getting a tree this year and instead have decorated our apartment with just a few items; Delynn made sure to pack our Christmas stockings which now hang on our wall waiting for the Weihnachtsman to fill with goodies. Did you know that in Germany, they still trim the Christmas trees with candles? We were talking to a German friend at Life group (that's what we call our Bible study groups at ACB) about how dangerous that must be and she said that it never really occurred to her that it might not be safe - her family has done it all of her life and they still do! The tree at school has electric "candles" on it along with student crafted ornaments.

Basel Weihnachtsmarkt - note sausage wielding cherub to left

Here's a better shot of the Wurstengel.

Delynn's thinking: "I could make that..."

We have been busy little social butterflies over the last week, attending several parties for Christmas - our Life group, RIA and Praise group all celebrated the Advent season. We also had a wonderful Carol service last Sunday evening. The service was held in the Pauluskirche up the street from where we normally worship. It is a great stone church with a rather large chandelier in the dome. The choir sat up in the balcony where the organ is situated. The entire service was filled with Advent readings interleaved with the choir and congregants singing familiar carols. With over five-hundred voices reverently and joyously reverberating within the confines of the Pauluskirche, it gave me goosebumps.

Speaking of geese... For Christmas day, we toyed with the idea of having a Mexican Fiesta thanks to a generous care package from the Taylor clan in Vancouver - they even sent festive cups and plates and a pair of maracas to party with! In the end however, we decided that the Fiesta will best be enjoyed with fellow staff members sometime soon and opted instead to try our hand at cooking goose. Well, it's not quite as big as the one from a Christmas Carol (you know: Scrooge and Tiny Tim...), in fact, it is not even a whole bird but just a goose breast (our oven is not that big...) We will let you know how it turns out.

Christmas tree in the courtyard of the Baseler Rathaus

The ribbon festooned Puppenhausmuseum (dollhouse museum)

Delynn and I would like to wish all of our friends and family a very blessed Christmas, or as we say in Germany: Wir wünschen euch ein sehr gesegnete Weihnachten.

So much different; so much the same

Sunday evening is upon us - a weekend packed with days full of activities is coming to a close. Wow, we have so much to share but will need to parcel it out so that the postings are not too long.

We (Germany, Switzerland and various other EU countries) celebrated Sankt Nikolas day was last Thursday. He comes to deliver small presents into childrens shoes: traditionally chocolate (big suprise there...) oranges and nuts. He goes from house to house in towns and villages, reading from a list the good and bad things each child has done. All of the students at RIA left their shoes outside their classrooms (including the teachers and staff) and found a nice gift in the morning! When one pre-schooler found a chocolate Euro coin in his shoe, he proudly stated that he would put the coin in his piggy bank! At Bible study Thursday night, our hosts had small St. Nikolas chocolates for everyone - and it is so impolite to refuse...

The staff and student's at RIA have been preparing for the last month and a half for our Christmas play: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! which we presented to families and friends on Friday evening. Our students did a super job! From the smallest preschool child to our middle school actors, it came off really well. The parents loved it! The play tells the story of a family of unruly children that barge in to take over the roles of a traditional Christmas program but the power of the story of Jesus' birth changes the children and those who see it. Michael played a small part as the Church's pastor, Rev. Hopkins, and was the backstage technician (sound, lights, props, curtains, etc.). Delynn take care of the money end of things and helped serve the hospitality (lots of goodies for the families). The teachers were also surprised by our parent/teacher organization that presented Christmas presents to each staff member. Delynn and I were given gift cards for our favorite Italian restaurant, book stores that have english books, shopping at stores with names you have never heard and a Swiss iTunes card (we can't use iTunes cards from the states because they can only be legally used in the U.S.). Well, by the time we got everything cleaned up and packed off to school, it was way late and Delynn and I had a train to catch Saturday morning to visit our cousins in Bohlsbach.

Aren't they precious! (This is the pre-school, not the staff...)

The Rev. Hopkins outlines the many problems with the pageant to Grace (our good friend Anne)

BTW: like my haircut? Delynn did it...

Here are some pictures from our trip to visit Theo and Elisabeth on Saturday. The two-hour train trip from Weil a. R. to Offenburg on Saturday morning was uneventful (the train back at 9pm was much more boisterous!) We got to enjoy the best schnitzel in the world!! I tell you, my cousin Elisabeth makes the most wonderful schnitzel. I remembered it from our last visit and she showed us her special techniques - the way her family has made it as far back as memory goes. We savored the schnitzel and german potato salad (They just call it potato salad here...) before heading off to the woods - and what beautiful woods they are...

We all four merrily hiked up to the Ritterhof Christbaumhof (a farm that grows and sells Christmas trees) - I think that between Theo and Elisabeth, they must have known over half of the people there! We enjoyed a small smackeral with some of their friends from Bohlsbach who were also there; the farm had Alpenhorns playing, hearty lentil soup, several different types of liverwurst and brats and the local high school selling hand-made items. Delynn and I purchased a small straw star to hang on our front door. As the sun began to set and the tempeatures dropped, we scurried back down to the car and drove to a neighboring town for their quite famous Christmas market (Weinachtsmarkt).

The town of Gengenbach has many original 14th and 15th century town square buildings intact. Theo mentioned that it is often used as a backdrop for period movies. The Weinachtsmarkt was alive with booths, activities and of course food! We walked and ate our way around the market. These pictures give a little feel for our adventuresome day! These pictures would not be possible without Delynn, who dutifully stood and allowed me to use her head as a tripod to steady the camera for long exposures (some as long a 1 second! - that is why the people are so blurry).

Beautiful Fachwerkhäuser (Half-timbered house)

A city tower highlights the festive scene
Delynn, Theo and Elisabeth - what great family!

We want to return to Gengenbach in the spring when we can enjoy the city in daylight! It is so beautiful.

We thought that this Christmas, things would go a little slower since we are staying here in our new home and not returning to the States, but we are so, so wrong. Our schedules here are just as jam-packed full of great celebrations of Jesus' birth as they were last year. We hope we will have the time to think... We also hope that you will greatly enjoy this celebration of the Advent season and that the reality of Jesus coming to earth will fill your Christmas with joy.

Getting into the season of Christ!

This morning, as Delynn and I were getting ready for our day, you will never guess what we heard... A brass band in the Rathausplatz playing Christmas songs. With the windows shut, it was slightly muted, so despite it being 3 degrees (Yup, it's warming up this week!) outside, we opened our windows to let the beautiful strains of music flood into our little home. We heard everything from "Winter Wonderland" and "Joy to the World!" to "Go tell it on the Mountain" and "Gloria, In Excelsis Deo!". It felt rather surreal. This is certainly one of the advantages of living downtown. That really got us going for the morning. We listened to the band play on as we cleaned our apartment and as they finished up for the day, we pulled up iTunes to strike up "Christmas In Velvet". Those of you from Delynn's side will recognize that as one of Derric's many albums. It made us feel close to family as we heard sister Debbie singing - ahhh. All we need is a fireplace and some snow.

The skies have turned a bit cloudy, grey and rainy. This is when the reality of living without a car sets in... Not that we miss the payments, insurance, gas. By the way, at the current exchange rate, gas is about $8.50 a gallon. No, that is not a typo: $8.50/gal - so no whining about that $3.50 gas back in the States, okay? I think this is why there are not many SUVs here - could you imagine filling up one of those monsters? You would need a second mortgage...

The weather being as it is, I haven't had a lot of pictures to share lately. Here is one I took in late October of the Basel Rathaus - we are thinking of using it for a picture to hang on our walls. Our apartment is still pretty bare of accents. We want to do a few things to make this apartment "ours", so maybe some pictures would help... Don't ask me, I'm just a guy...

We are starting to feel a little more connected here - today, when I went to the farmers' market to pick up fresh fruits and veggies, the daughter who works a stall with her mom recognized me and asked if we were from America. She remembered that Delynn had been there the week before and I thanked them for being so nice to her because Delynn is still learning German. We were also recognized at the pharmacy (the owner is familiar with our school). Unfortunately, prescriptions from the States are not the same as here in Germany, so we had some hiccups getting them filled - no worries, just another case of "it's not the same here". We will probably need to see a german physician for the next time, it just makes things less complicated.

We greatly appreciate your ongoing prayers for us, they are very important and keep us connected. We still need a school secretary and that is our biggest concern. It is hardest on Delynn who has to pick up the majority of the tasks. Please keep this in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you. We love and miss you all. Happy December!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I presume by now that the turkey has been consumed, the stuffing has been stuffed and the cranberry sauce is now just a condiment on the leftover turkey sandwiches. The thoughts of football games and naps, and of course post-Thanksgiving shopping looms large as the stores open at midnight (or so I have read...)

The difference in day-to-day life here is most striking on a traditional North American holiday. Now, our Canadian friends celebrated Thanksgiving back in early October. Here in Germany, both days are just workdays, so life proceeds as normal - sort of. At RIA, we are conducting teacher development days both Thursday and Friday. And, as I have said before, these are not just days for the teaching staff to play hooky. We are working on our curriculum guides for the specific subjects we teach - these guides help in two ways: They allow us to objectively map the scope and skills of what each class will learn over a year, thus bringing consistency and we can look for synergy between different subjects. Curriculum guides are also a step in preparation for our accreditation process. I will be writing guides for the computer classes for each of the 10 grades that I teach (Pre-school to 8th grade).

Unfortunately, I have come down with a pretty good head-cold. I am thankful that it is nothing worse than a cold (we have had a couple of teachers out with strep this year). It is also a blessing that I didn't miss any classes, but I will be staying home today to rest and recuperate (I am tired of blowing my nose - even if it is 4-ply tissue!).

Delynn and I will likely celebrate our turkey dinner this weekend - it will be a simple affair but we will have a small bit of turkey (Sorry Luke!) as it is tradition. Maybe next year, we will go with a more authentic Thanksgiving goose just for fun (I haven't mentioned that to Delynn yet...)

Let us all take some time over this holiday to be thankful to God for the many blessings we each enjoy in our lives, regardless of where we are physically, we can be united spiritually in a gift of thanks. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Leaving comments

After a couple of emails from friends and family, I finally figured out that it is really painful to leave comments on our blog. I dug into it just a bit and now, everyone should be able to leave comments. If you don't have a login, you can select "anonymous" when posting a comment. If you do an anonymous comment, we would appreciate if you leave your name in the text of the comment somewhere so that we know who you are :-)

We had a great worship yesterday - it was such a privilege to be singing in a praise team again. The music reminded me a lot of Vancouver First Friends Worship songs. We sang "I Stand in Awe of You" which is a quite new song to ACB and the congregation loved it. The team leader, Karin, has invited me to sing again on Dec 2nd and to serve as a backup singer when other singers are out of town.

Hope that the change allows you to post - please let us know if there are more issues.
Love to all!

Fall has arrived in a big way

First, I need to sincerely apologize to anyone that endured physical, psychological or social pain due to the picture of Roquefort cheese that I posted last week. It was not our intent to harm any of our friends or relatives by displaying the picture. However, we had some more last night and it was sure yummy...

Delynn is snuggled over on the couch doing her German homework (wearing headphones and practicing her German listening and speaking skills with a CD). Did I mention before that Delynn and most of the other teachers are taking weekly German lessons? It is so good of our German instructor, Herr Hermann, to stay late on Mondays to teach the teachers. Since our apartment is so small, we use headphones as much as possible to avoid bothering each other.

Well, the weather here has turned in a decidedly fall-like direction. We have even had a few flakes in the air in the last week, but nothing that sticks to the ground. Our high one day last week may have hit 0 (that's in Centigrade). Psychologically, it feels colder whenever the temperature hits a negative value (it was -2 this morning) because we are so used to Fahrenheit temperatures where -2 is REALLY cold. However, when one walks everywhere, -2 Celsius is still pretty darned cold. It is so different without an automobile - last Sunday morning we bundled up with multiple layers (I like 4 layers personally) to get to the bus, transfer over to the tram and then make the short walk to church. Once inside, it is a bit like unpacking to get all the layers off and stowed away so they don't get in the way during worship, then packing it all back on as we make the return trip to Weil a. R. The Swiss have a saying: "There is no cold weather, just poorly dressed people." We'll see how poorly dressed we are when winter does get here... We also find that we do not keep our apartment nearly as warm here as we did in Vancouver. In our apartment, we have radiators rather than thermostatically controlled forced air for heat, so we have to conciously turn them on/off and adjust them. As such, we don't turn them on as much but choose rather to wear more layers, sweaters, etc. even when at home.

I am quite looking forward to chuch tomorrow. I have the privilege of joining one of the praise teams to lead singing during worship. We had a great practice Wednesday and I know most of the songs - there are a couple of new ones but it will be great to help lead worship songs again.

I took my fizzy vitamin C this morning to help fortify my immune system against the weather. Oh, yeah - another thing we find interesting is all of the fizzy tablets. You know: a tablet that you drop into water, like Alka-Seltzer. Well, almost all over-the-counter vitamins and minerals are sold in these tablets. We can even find aspirin in fizzy tabs. Fortunately, the vitamin C (with Zinc) has a palatable taste which goes down well.

Found out something else new this week: for those of you in the States that support your public TV or Radio stations, I applaud you. Here in Germany (as I think with most of Europe), we get to pay a TV & Radio tax. If you own a TV or a radio or both, you pay a monthly tax to help fund the standard TV channels. The tax applies to EACH television and radio you own (if I am reading the form correctly...) even if you only use it to watch DVDs. The thing is, these channels (some national, some local) still have advertisements, so it's not like we are paying to keep the programs commercial free. And, it's not like we watch a lot of German TV... I probably watch more than most because it does help with my listening comprehension. And, I am starting to enjoy the odd football game now and then. Luckily, before we filled out the form to pay 17 €/month in taxes, we talked to our landlords and found out it is covered already in the "associated costs" we pay with our rent.

Oh, we have to tell you about the wonderful tarts we bought the other day at the Lörrach Farmers Market. We were just walking down the aisles when we came across a pretty looking Apricot tart. They are sold in quarters (just enough for two) so we also picked up an apple tart for Sunday. In talking with the stall keep, we found out that she bakes them herself at home and brings them (along with all of the fresh fruits and vegitables) to sell at the market. Seems like I am talking about food alot but that's what my family does :-)

By the way, just look at this pumpkin! It is so striking that I had to take a picture of it before Delynn cooked it up for storing. It will make a wonderful pumpkin-something-or-other I'm sure.

Here are a couple pictures from our school's "Crazy Hair Day" - some of the kids did a great job don't you think? I have been thinking about RIA and what makes is so different and one thing that hits me is that here, no student can get lost. We know every child; recognize how special God has made them are and can motivate, encourage and love them as individuals, not just as a class. That is really cool.

Our students: this is not the way they look every day...

The Coen sisters really got into the spirit of the day.

Gotta love it!

As Delynn and I complete a little over three months of living in Weil a. R. it has given us pause to reflect on the incredible number of changes we have experienced. With this wholesale change of every aspect of what we called our life, it seems like it has been much longer than just three months. As I have said before, we are blessed beyond words and we first thank God for allowing us to make this move. But as with all change, it is not all smiley faces and without some tears. We do feel like this is home and don't see ourselves living anywhere else or doing anything else - at least for this time in our life together. We look forward to seeing how God leads.

It is hard to explain the feeling of being here. There are times walking down the Hauptstraße in Weil and seeing our apartment building in the distance, looking into the eyes of a student during an "Aha!" moment or riding the tram across the Rhein to church when we think: "we could live here forever" This is life! You gotta love it.

We continue to run into those small differences that make our life here interesting. Some of them we think - why don't we have this (or do this) back in the states? Other times we think: Okay, that's just the way it is here and we drive forward with a prayer and a smile.

One example: do you know the kleenex we have in the states is wimpy! In Germany, blowing one's nose with gusto is not frowned upon and I think in some ways encouraged... When we bought our first box of kleenex some time ago, we discovered after returning home that it way 4-ply thick! not the flimsy 2-ply stuff found in the states - and one can even find 5-ply tissue. Delynn, who in her daintiness does not need 4 sheets, took to peeling apart the kleenex and used only 2 layers at a time. But Michael loved being able to blow my nose without shredding the tissue all over the place. And no, blowing my nose does not actually attract geese, it just sounds like it... The next time we went shopping, we got two boxes: the regular 2-ply for Delynn and the hefty 4-ply for Michael. We are at peace.


Another example is the cheese. First, if you are at all squeamish about cheese, please skip this section - I'm thinking specifically of you cousin Donna. Interestingly enough, cheese is one of the few items that is, on the whole, less expensive here than in the States. I know that most of you have read our entry about a month ago (5 Sept) on cheese. Well, last week, we bought some Roquefort cheese - this is the blue cheese that comes from a particular region of France. In fact, only cheese aged in specific caves in France can have the name Roquefort. When we opened the package, we could see that unlike all cheese produced in the states, this cheese was still alive! I took a picture below just in case you have never seen blue cheese up close and personal. We were overwhelmed with the multiple layers of flavor: tangy, tart, sweet, salty. It is truly wonderful - if you like blue cheese that is.

Ummm. Served best at room temperature...

And sorry Dad, but I can't ship it back to the States...

More cheese: I can't believe we did this, but Delynn and I actually bought a fondue pot. Yes, I know it is soooo 70's retro but it is also very traditionally Swiss. In the fall, when the weather is crisp and cool, the Swiss turn to fondue and Raclette. Raclette is melted cheese on toast topped with various yummy things which is served at most of the festivals in this area of Germany and Switzerland. Fondue, and I mean real fondue, is not from any package but is instead made from melting Emmenthal and Gruyère cheeses into a heavy ceramic or cast iron pot. Neither Delynn or I know anything about fondue, so we were risking nearly a pound of cheese on our little experiment (luckily cheese is one of the few items that is less expensive than in the states). At first, we thought we would just try it ourselves before inviting others over to try, but in the end we had Aubrey and Amy-Jo (two teachers from RIA) over to take part in our little food experiment (we had them sign a waiver first...). We cubed up the baguette, laid out the traditional condiments: baby gherkin pickles, olives and little pickled onions as well as some non-traditional items: fresh mushrooms, par-cooked carrots, apples and pears we picked up at the farmer's market. As the cheese was slowly added to the pot, I was at first concerned that it would be too clumpy, then too thin, then too thick but in the end, it came out great! We had a such fun together telling stories, chewing over world issues and sharing our lives as we dipped and twirled each morsel.

Just a fun moment. Last month, we celebrated Allison's birthday while we were without Internet (with much crying and gnashing of teeth...) Anywho, it was a sort of dress up party - we were all supposed to dress up as a super-hero. As you can imagine, we didn't bring a lot of costumes in our luggage with us, so we made due with what we had around the house. We thought you would enjoy a picture of Geek-boy and Tartan-girl! - our super-hero alter egos. Luckily, Delynn brought a lot of scarves with her and I found the funky glasses in the toy section of a department store and yes, that is duct tape on the bridge of the glasses. (Thank you Jerry and Rhonda for sending the roll of duct tape - it added that authentic geek touch). I could only wear the glasses for short periods of time because I couldn't see nearly anything!

"Auf Wiedersehen" from Tartan-Girl and Geek-Boy

RIA Hoe Down!

Just a couple of pictures from the RIA Hoe Down! party at school a couple of weeks ago. This is a chance for our school families to get together, enjoy some grilling and social time. Everyone had a great time - we were blessed with beautiful weather and a square dance group from Weil a. R. came out to dance. We had face painting, goats and pony rides. Michael helped fellow teacher Cam on the BBQ grill (very manly work!) while Delynn kept the books. A bunch of the fathers and kids had a pick-up football match (i.e. soccer).

Another happy RIA family enjoying the Hoe Down!

Nothing better than an candied apple on a beautiful fall day. After giving the children lots of sugar, we like to give them back to their parents...

Goats were well fed and Michael is left holding the bag...

Faces got painted...

And the square dancers danced.

This photo shows the Square Dance Klub from Weil a. R. that came to dance for us at the Hoe Down! The couples come from all over the area - including a couple from France that travel across international borders to dance. After showing off their stuff, the eight dancers dispersed into the crowds of families to snag a partner - including Michael (who was quite fetching wearing the cow apron that my nephew Matt made for me years ago). We formed two rather lopsided squares of dancers as we learned some elementary figures - does anyone remember the doe-si-doe from 3rd grade? Yeah, that kind of stuff. Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulties with the camera during the whole sordid affair, so we don't have anything to post. No, really.

Fall festivities abound in the Dreiländereck

Throughout Europe, the fall is time of special celebration. It seems like the average person is closer to their agrarian roots than we are in the States. Now, before you write and angry retort, I realize that most county and state fairs are associated with the end of harvest, but we don't seem to connect them as closely with harvest or have so many festivals, celebrations or special events tied specifically to the end of harvest. In a town just north of us (Haltingen), they hold a harvest thanksgiving church service. There are special events going on every weekend in the various cities, towns and villages - one of the largest is the Herbstmesse in Basel. This festival is like the state fair but without the 4-H exhibitions. They have food, rides, handcrafts, carnival games and roasted chestnut stands across half a dozen venues around the city. Fortunately, most of them are within walking distance of each other. The atmostphere is festive on these cool, clear, autumn days. On Sundays, since shops are closed, these are the places to to after church - but you can forget about any personal space.


Among the venues is the Bellevue wheel. Someone mentioned that this is the largest temporary Ferris Wheel in Europe, which I find credible. Each of the 42 carriages can hold six adults and the apex reaches higher than the nearby cathedral's steeple. Needless to say, Michael declined the invitation to ride but gave the camera to Delynn to bring back pictures.

Even though the day was a bit cloudy, there is still a nice view of Basel from the Ferris wheel. This is looking down on the Marktplatz (market square) and Basel Rathaus (town hall - the red building in center).

Of course, after an exhausting ride on the Ferris Wheel, one needs to refresh and replenish themselves with...

Apfelstrudel of course! Especially when it is served warm with vanilla sauce. Ummm good - doesn't Delynn look happy? Near the Apfelstrudel stand is a ride that is more Michael's speed. The video gives a small taste of what this two-floor "Karussell" is like. It takes a rather large amount of time just to tran-load the children between rides but it is beautiful to watch.

While Delynn and I certainly miss our friends, family and faith community back in the States we also realize what a precious gift God has given us to experience this place, its culture and people.

Thank you for your patience.

We got our Internet restored just a few days ago, so we will start adding some entries to get everyone back up to speed on our lives. There is so many things to share - Kleenex, cheese, square dancing, Herbstmesse, but rather than do one big long entry, we will break it into a series of posts. Delynn and I think we have figured out why so many people think that German is such a difficult language. Take for example the following (please forgive the pixel-ation):

This 42-letter compound noun is an actual picture from and actual business in Basel, Switzerland. Now, while this may seem daunting to read, just forget trying to pronounce it! I think it works out to about nine syllables that tell us that it is a Christmas shop that specifically has jewelery and other Christmas furnishings. Whew - gotta love this place!

Please stand by...

To all of the faithful followers of our blog, we have run into a small technical difficulty that has kept us off-line for a bit. So, you know those big hairy complicated contracts that you get from your phone company (the ones you probably ignore and throw in the recycling?) Well, imagine getting one in a different language - a language in which you read like a 3rd grader...

We thought that we had everything set up correctly for our apartment - phone and DSL for internet. It was all working just wonderfully until this last week. In reviewing the contract (we kept ours) it appears that perhaps we have not been actually paying for the internet part. Oops. And considering that it took the phone company 10 weeks to figure out we were not paying and turn off the service, I dread thinking how long it will take to get it back on.

We will post again as soon as we get up and running at home. In the mean time, we will have very limited access to email and such. We appreciate your prayers that we can resolve this quickly - the internet is our major connection back to the States.

As the Hard Rock Café motto goes: Love all, serve all!

Fall break wonders

Another week with lots and lots of pictures - we hope you don't mind. As most of you know, we went to Edinburgh, Scotland for three days of our fall break to meet Mark and Jan Kelley. What a smashing time we had with them. Edinburgh hasn't changed much - more Starbucks than I remember but just as many Pizza Hut's. We avoided the Pizza Hut and only stopped at one of the five Starbucks we found there.

But, before we get to the trip, a quick language lesson. Okay, when picking a name for a café, one should probably avoid words which, when Americanized, make the place sound less than appealing. Case in point: the sign for this café on a square in Basel makes it sound like they came in last place in a rating context because the food was less than edible.


What the sign actually says is that they have a sausage grill on Barefoot Square (Barfüßerplatz or "Barfi" in the dialect). We have been by this place several times (our tram passes by on the way to church each week) but I finally got a picture. I still haven't gotten the nerve to try the vittles.

Oh, here is a great picture on the same square of a tram sponsored by a bank. Get it? Piggy bank... We loved it! Delynn suggested that it looks like something from Disneyland...


As long as we are in Basel, I'll lay out a few pictures from our trip there Saturday. The weather was peerless, the market was fragrant with fall, the pedestrian zones were bustling - it was a perfect day.

Basel Rathaus (City hall) with the fall market (Herbstmarkt) on the square

Rathaus courtyard above. Same courtyard with Delynn taking a quick break below.
This exceptional stained glass was in the Basel Münster - it was just one of many wonderful pieces there.

Okay, as mentioned, we did go to Edinburgh. We spent Monday visiting the Castle at the west end of the Royal Mile, visiting the Queen at the east end of the Royal Mile at Holyrood Palace (alas, she was not at home that day...) and stopping at nearly every tartan, cashmere and cheesy tourist shop in between. (Well, at least a couple...)

Nice view of the Castle from the bottom of Frederick Street were our hotel was situated.The view from Edinburgh Castle was again exceptional. That blue bit in the background is the Firth of Forth, a huge estuary and river system which we visited on our second full day in Edinburgh (more below).
More from the Castle - it costs 11 pounds per person to get in, so we spent a considerable amount of time there. Frederick street can be seen just to the right of my elbow...

Here are the intrepid travellers in one of the many little side alleys, or closes, that are scattered throughout Edinburgh. The enclosed pathways often lead to elaborate interior courtyards that allowed the more well off to have their residence off of the main street which was often overcrowded with selling stalls, people and animals (along with their odors...)

This is the Firth of Forth - we spend most of the day here. Can you believe this is in October? Most of the Scots were marvelling at how great the weather had turned. The train bridge behind the sailboat is one of the engineering marvels of the world. Built in the late 19th century, it took 5000 men working seven years to complete. It was a revolutionary design at the time and is the Scots equivalent to the Eifel Tower.

Finally, this is the 12th century Inchcomb Abby, lying on an island within the Firth of Forth estuary. We took a 90 minute cruise out to view the island and the wildlife. They are famous for the Puffins that inhabit this and nearby islands in the estuary, unfortunately the birds have migrated to their winter homes.

We greatly enjoyed our first break, especially the chance to see Jan and Mark. Back at it tomorrow with two days of teacher development. You know, I used to think that teacher development days (a.k.a. in-service days) were just days off for teachers. I have come to find out that we actually have to work... We will be focusing on biblical integration and curriculum mapping as well as various other topics.

Oh yeah, we got a tip on a Christian radio station, which we finally picked up. It comes out of Mulhouse, France and they have Christian music in French, Spanish, German and English. It is really cool to listen to praise songs that we know so well in English being sung in different languages, worshipping the same Lord.

We love you all - thanks for the comments and emails, we read them often and they make a huge difference for us; thank you also for your prayers. Nuf said.

Unsere Wohnung

We have had a couple of requests to show off our apartment. We have been here almost a month now and have gotten things pretty much in order. Except for coming all the way over to Weil am Rhein to see it, the next best thing is a few photos. So, here we go. I'll walk you through our home in a few easy steps (believe me, it takes only a few easy steps to walk from one end to the other).

Welcome to our home! This is the view as you enter our front door. Down the hall on your left you will find the bedroom (picture below) and bathroom (no picture - pretty boring). On the right behind the coat rack are two black bookshelves that we rescued from our friend's keller. These are our main organizational units and fit the hallway rather nicely. The hallway is not rectangular but rather widens as you move from the front door to the living room seen in the back. Beyond the bookshelves is a desk (upon which I am creating this entry).

Here is our bedroom - the bed is quite low to the floor, but it works well for us. The room is nice and light when the sun is up as we have east facing windows. We got the bed stands at IKEA about two weeks ago. This room has the nice rolling shutters that can really black out the room if we want to sleep in.

As you continue down the hallway past the bath, you are welcomed into our living room. The couches can be used as extra beds and you can see why we love our little place so much - the wall of windows... but more on that later.

The living room, dining room and kitchen are all very conveniently located in the same room. The Pergo floors are easy to maintain and keep the room nice and light.

The kitchen is essentially a wall of cupboards with the sink, stove top/oven and washing machine all visible in the picture. There is a refrigerator, microwave and other storage to the right of the counter top and you can also see the desk/computer area.

Now, come outside onto our balcony...This is another reason we so love our apartment - it has a wonderful downtown location. From our balcony, we have a view of the city's Rathausplatz - this morning, there is the weekly farmer's market with fresh produce, meats, breads and flowers from local vendors. Luckily, we can see the clock (and hear the chimes) so we always know the time!

To the left is the Hauptstraße (Main Street) - so convenient for shopping, catching a bus or train, restaurants, big over-sized chairs, etc. We still can't believe that God has given us this wonderful chapter in our lives. Maybe we will be less sanguine when winter comes, but I don't think so.

We are off tomorrow to Edinburgh to meet with Mark and Jan Kelley - our good friends and pastor from Vancouver First Friends Church. Our fall break coincides with a trip they had been planning before we took our posts. We are so much looking forward to seeing them again.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. We need prayers more than you know to live and work and serve the children; not living in our strength but in God's strength. We miss you and love you.