Starry Sky Ranch

en français

 

 

 

adventures every day

 

"We should come home from adventures and perils and discoveries every day with new experience and character." 

- thoreau

(the stones are remnants of the old Roman road)

Lunch at Cafe Lorrain

Every year my husband's German coworkers host a hike locally.  This year we walked across the border into France, lunched at a local cafe, and then hiked around the sandstone rock formations.  Perhaps because I am editing out of order or perhaps because I am still astounded that the lunch portion of this event lasted FOUR hours, we will begin here. 

Four hours. 

Did I mention that part?  

The cafe is about the only show in town for the hikers hitting the halfway point on the round trip from Germany and through the bluffs.  Additionally it is where the local population of less than 700 gather after funerals and such up at the (single) church, conveniently located a bit further up on Rue de l'Eglise.  (Church Stree)

 

The place was at capacity today representing the full range of humanity from the owner's granddaughter wandering between the tables with her pacifier in tow to the old ladies in their pastel polyester suits.  None of them batted an eye as the dogs hiking with us walked on in and settled under the tables.

an aside: That is mineral water in the bottle by the way.  Table water is not common in Germany nor France. You can order it, however it will usually be carbonated. 

After a leisurely wait, beverages started circulating and orders were placed.  Then we waited.  And waited.  And waited. About two hours or so.  I have to give props to my boys because while they are totally not used to food delays, and would normally consider that to be a culinary emergency of sorts, they sat perfectly still and quiet.  For two hours.  Or so. 

My guys ordered jagerschnitzel - they aren't real adventurous. For instance, although they had several varieties of escargot on the menu, the closest we got to them was through my zoom lens.   On each table were family style bowls of salad, platters of mixed veggies, bread baskets, and shallow silver bowls of pommes frites.  Once again I was reminded that Europeans make far better tea than I ever do at home and this is possibly due to water temperature.  Need to master this. 

So the dining part lasted another hour after which the check was called for.  After another half hour the dogs and the boys decided to wait outside.  I wandered the village with my camera and finally the rest of the party emerged from the cafe.  We learned later we should have read this review first.  It wasn't just us.  Still, it was a lovely place, a delicious meal, and it allowed us to rest up for the spectacular climb that was to follow.  Since that part lasted a few more hours, we had another hour ride home, and a little man here is making his First Communion tomorrow.  I am hitting the hay.  

Pictures to follow, as always.  Probably out of order.  As always.  : ) 

zoom, zoom

At Rebecca's suggestion we have Old Car week at Snapshots Around the World this week.  Go have a look. : ) 

(Paris car show below)

While I was looking for my old cars in my files I found all those other car shots.  These would be the ones I take while my children shout, "Mom!!! Mom!!  Did you get it? Did you get it???? Oh my GOSH!  Did you SEE that??"

So yes, I saw it.  I got it.  Here ya go. <g>
(Strasbourg, France below)

Next to us in the garage in Luxembourg.  Seems wild they let our crazy gang park next to these lol.   There was a brief tutorial about how to exit the vehicle before the doors opened.  And about not drooling on other people's cars....

No rules about posing though <g>

Brioche for Breakfast

Thanks to a day trip to France.  Devoured with gusto. 

Lest We Forget

  On a hillside in eastern France they stand at attention, rows of simple white crosses marking the lives of those slain during the wars which ravished this border region.  

It is not easy to forget a battle that waged in your backyard.  For them it was geographically no different than Wisconsin waging war on Illinois would have been for us. 

 

 

  

But fame is theirs - and future days
On pillar'd brass shall tell their praise;
Shall tell - when cold neglect is dead -
"These for their country fought and bled."

 
~Philip Freneau
I am spending the day here once again, remembering those long gone and those like my husband and son who have taken up the torch of freedom for the rest of us.  I will think as well of their wives, mothers, and children who bear the burden of separation and ultimately, loss. 

Boating on the Ill River

From an afternoon in France. Funny thing to know about cruising down the Ill is that you may choose to have the standard radio announcer voice describing the sites or you may choose a pirate narration.  Mine chose.....Aye, aye, matey!

Most of this bunch above and below are mine. Nice man in the yellow hat not included. 

Also not my peeps but I so appreciated them coordinating their clothing with the boat and the umbrellas.  It's the little things that make me happy. 

Shopping in Alsace

Alsace will likely be covered in several posts.  I do so love it there - the storks, the pottery, the linens, the architecture. Just a short drive over the border and yet a world away in many respects.  

I thought you might like to take a look at the famous Alsatian pottery. It is completely different than the pottery across the Eastern border into Poland.  It is primarily in reds, yellows, blues, and blacks with designs painted freehand versus stamped. And no, I did not buy any.  Scouts honor. ; )   But it was cheerful to see in the store windows.  

What I did buy was a small Hansi calendar and some cards to frame.  Hansi, whose real name was Jean-Jacques Waltz, was an artist-illustrator from the early 1900's.  He was caught up in the first and second world wars and the battle between Germany and France for his homeland.  His satirical illustrations of the German occupation drew the ire of the Gestapo. Today, his renditions of daily life in the Alsatian region is widely available in the local gift shops, for which I am exceedingly grateful.  I adore the colors and the simple storybook style.

Another surprise was that this secular calendar still features all the Catholic feast days which you can see if you follow that first link.  You can also see the typical linen patterns widely available here. 

 

 

random lately

Just checking in with totally random snaps from the past couple weeks. Too tired to type between getting Colin to the airport, a birthday party to host, and company arriving for the weekend. 

Just Being Sure

Mary had always been good.  Sometimes she had been so good Laura could hardly bear it. But now she seemed different. Once Laura asked her about it. 

"You used to try all the time to be good," Laura said. "And you always were good. It made me so mad sometimes I wanted to slap you. But now you are good without even trying."

"I know why you wanted to slap me," Mary said. "It was because I was showing off. I wasn't really wanting to be good.  I was showing off to myself, what a good little girl I was and being vain and proud and deserved to be slapped for it... We are all so desperately wicked and inclined to evil as the sparks fly upwards" said Mary using the bible words. "But that doesn't matter."

"What!" cried Laura.

"I mean I don't believe we ought to think so much about ourselves, about whether we are bad or good." Mary explained....  "I don't know how to say what I mean very well. But it isn't so much thinking as, as just knowing. Just being sure of the goodness of God." 

Everyone knows that God is good. But it seemed to Laura then that Mary must be sure of it in a special way.   "You are sure aren't you?" Laura said. 

"I am sure of it now all the time." Mary answered.

from Little Town on the Prairie

scenes below from another prairie in eastern France