A very grapey week

September is warming up a little this week. After some days last week where we barely reached in to the 50's (12-14 degrees C) we finally got a week of warming weather. Not to say that the days don't start cool - we keep threatening to freeze - but the sun has been coming out consistantly and we are hitting the high-teens during the afternoon. I think it got up to about 19 on Sunday, which is pretty respectable for this time of year. But it has been very dry this month. Now, I know some of you are saying "Didn't Michael write something a couple weeks ago about a 'Very soggy Saturday'?" Yes, I did. But that was the only rain of significance we have had this entire month. It just happened that we decided to take a trip when the rain came. Oh well. Good thing we are from the Pacific Northwest. However, we have integrated into the German culture when it comes to umbrellas. Back in the PNW, you can generally tell a non-local because they carry umbrellas. Locals either wear a cap or have a good rain jacket with a hood. In Germany however, everyone carries an umbrella when the weather threatens rain. We now do the same for the most part. Of course, if I am riding my bike, an umbrella will not do, but generally, when walking or taking public transportation, we have our Regenschirm nearby. Most businesses provide umbrella stands - I don't remember the last time I saw an umbrella stand in the States. Darn thing would probably get stolen anyway if you left it to go shopping...

Okay, enough about weather. As I said, the sun has been shining which is perfect weather for picking grapes. As some of you may recall, the school has a small vineyard out in front of the school. It is a built up burm of ground with about a dozen rows of vines. There are several different varieties of grapes planted there and we (uh, I mean our students) get the priviledge of harvesting the grapes and making grape juice.

It is always a hit with the kids no matter how many years we do it (and frankly, we get so many new students every year that it is always a new experience for 1/3 of the school). Also, what better field trip is there than to get the young ones dressed up in grubby clothes and wellies, trudge across 20 feet of grass and be spot on your destination. The students are very proud of their accomplishments AND they get to sample the fruit of their labors - literally.

Just a second, the laundry finished and I have to iron my wrinke-free shirts...

Okay, mission accomplished. While the washing machine does a great job of washing, it spins the clothes at about 1100 RPM, wringing all the water out that it can. Unfortunately, this also tends to wrinkle even so-called "wrinkle-free" shirts. I find however that if I iron them straight out of the washer (yes, men can iron...) that it both removes the wrinkles and helps to dry the shirt out.

As I said, the boys and girls at Rhein International Academy really enjoy the grape harvesting. Or, maybe it is just that they get out of the classroom and get to do something different. Well, either way, the smiles say it all.

These girls were very productive - I think they produced more buckets of grapes than any other team. Mr. Walz is very proud.

We paired up older with younger students (they do have pruning shears you know...). We always emphasize "Safety First" but make sure that the younger students do get the opportunity to actually cut off some grape clusters.

You can see below just how close the vineyard is to the school... The green bucket is on a trailer at the bottom of the vineyard. Literally just a few meters from our front door.

Two kindergarten students are helping each other lift the enormous bucket laden with the fruit of the vine. Below you can see some of the variety that will soon become juice. Doesn't God make beautiful things! And tasty too...

The students are facinated with the grape press. With the pulp squishing out of the press several squeeze forward for a look. It takes an amazing number of grapes to make just a small quantity of juice. We plucked two bucketfuls of grapes from their vines to produce enough juice for everyone to get just a small sample. But it was all worth the effort. Now, when the students go to the store to buy juice, they KNOW from where it comes.

Here is a picture that captures just a little of the creativity and joy we see at RIA all of the time. During Art club, one of the teachers discovered during art that the heel of a shoe makes a pretty good painting stamp and the student was shown how a straw can be used to blow colors around to make pictures. In a couple of weeks, Michael will be starting up Chess club again (because the weather will make it increasingly difficult for Football (Soccer) club to meet.

It seems appropriate that at church we are spending several weeks looking at God's Creation - our place in it and our response to it. God has created beauty almost any place one looks, if one takes the time to really look. I hope you are able to take time this coming week to contemplate the simple, complex beauty of a flower or a sunrise and be blessed by it - and out of that to be a blessing to others in God's creation.