While driving to Burg Lichtenberg the other day we spotted a stork nesting on the roof of a home in a nearby village. It was no small feat to snag the picture let me tell you. Moira was not riding along so I had to plead with Alannah to hang out the window at the T stop and try to catch it. However this is a teeeeeeny tiny village with one road in so cars continued to line up behind us and there is no street parking. When the first shot blurred we had to drive another mile or so to turn around and line up again. She heaved a big sigh of relief when she finally got it. : )
A few more storks were spotted poking around the meadow on the edge of town, but the nest was empty the next time we came through. We were lucky to catch this one at just the right time.
This week's theme at Snapshots Around the World is Basket. What does this picture have to do with that you say? Well if you zoom in on Allen's sunglasses you will see. Surprised him with lunch at the park during work the other day. Complete with my favorite - apfelschorle.
Please come join in the fun! We'd love to see your baskets.
One of the best park days ever was spent at the Homberg Stadtpark, known locally as the Pirate Ship Park. There is a large wooden pirate ship playground anchored in an enormous knee deep wading pool full of hefty rafts constructed in such a way that they can carry a heavy passenger load around the 'sea' despite its shallow depth.
Typical of German parks you assume all risk and personal responsibility. There are no gates, fences, staff. Just a giant ship and lots of shady trees around the edges from which moms and dads can keep an eye out.
unless of course Dad lands himself in the water too....
Truth be told this summer has not only chugged along, but has been fairly barreling down the tracks. During times like these it is even more important to provide for little pockets of recollection and quiet. Organized play has it's place. In this camp week that place has been most of our waking hours. But the rest of the time there is also a lot of this.
(and yes, those trains are sporting graffiti. It's some rough territory they travel through... ; )) For a boy who is in near perpetual motion it is especially endearing to see him so still, deep in thought, as he arranges and rearranges.
I finished my first crochet garment this summer and finally got pics taken. (These doubled as the mom-got-studio-lights-and-needs-to-practice-metering-off-them pics so please disregard the fact I don't necessarily know what I am doing. Heaven knows I rarely let that stop me lol.)
I used Caron Soft acrylic worsted weight yarn which has a bit of a sheen and soft drape to it. The pattern is the Urban Girl Cropped Cardi from Lion Brand. You can find it free here. Although I had two false starts it really did stitch up -literally from bottom to top - very easily thereafter. Third time's the charm. ; )
I only had worsted weight yarn at home which eliminated most of the free patterns for little girls online. The smallest size this pattern came in was 7-8. I did use a smaller hook than suggested but since my stitches tend to run a bit loosey-goosey large it probably is still a size 7. Should fit her perfectly in oh, another year. I sort of expected that, but figured it would take me that long to finish. In fact I would have been happy enough if it was finished in time to fit Abbie. Success tends to surprise me.
It will eventually have a button in front. The loop is there. The button must be located. Easier said than done here.
I was originally planning to make another for Abbie but we have since been gifted with a lot of hand-me-downs and I am turning my sights on hats and scarves for the older girls instead.
There is a story behind these pictures, one which has unfolded slowly over the past few years. My dear friend, Rebecca, first shared with me the story of Mary, Untier of Knots, some years ago. It came up again here and there and shortly before we left the States I found the prayers which accompany the devotion. I also shared the story with another friend.
Coincidentally, at a farewell party thrown for us on our last day in Colorado that friend slipped me a tiny medal with the image imprinted upon it. The medal came with me here, though I didn't think to investigate where the original actually resided.
Some time after arriving I began to research shrines and holy places I hoped to visit and discovered that the original image of Maria Knotenlöserin was kept here in Germany. Not only that but it was reasonably closeby, although further than a day trip. Our feis in Munich this summer would take us right by St. Peter Perlach, home of the image. So it was settled - this summer we would make the visit.
It was a bit of a painful pilgrimage, as I suppose all pilgrimages necessarily are. We had spent the better part of the day touring the Dachau Memorial and arrived in Augsburg to discover a festival in progress - right in the square before the church. That meant parking was not to be found. We circled further and further out and eventually parked in resident parking on a distant street (read: sorta illegally) and hiked up the hill as fast as we could.
The church stands apart from many we have seen locally. It looks more Mediterranean than Gothic, with its simple, whitewashed walls and tile floors. It resembles the mission churches of the American West and it felt like home there. (If I could even pin down where and what 'home' means anymore ; ))
The image is quite large in person. I knelt down at the front of the church before it for a few stolen moments, exhausted and relieved to be there. As I whispered a few quick but earnest prayers an elderly woman lit candles and slipped into the pew behind me, mouthing her own and smiling warmly. Our little band of travelers is clearly not German, and she may not have been either since the church is home to the Italian community locally. But, for that brief moment we were all just pilgrims, not so very different at all.
Knowing we still had several hours to drive, the visit was over much too soon and we were trekking over those cobblestones back down the hill once more with one last look back as the chimes sang out behind us. To date, it is one of most dearly beloved sights I have seen.
Now to be sure, I am a rotten videographer. Nonetheless, should you want to hear the chimes and walk with me for a second - or 21 - please join me here:
We've decided to shake things up around here. There has been a good deal of crafting and cooking and thrifting happening around here lately, but not a whole lot of blogging about any of it. My bright idea was to incorporate more of the 'we' into the blog. Since Alannah is our resident foodie and she is the one finding and trying all the new recipes, it seems fitting to have her explain them. She was game for the idea so now I have a blogging sidekick, a guest blogger, a food editor if you will. : )
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Take it away dearie....
While looking for 4th of July recipes, I came across this drink idea. I knew from the moment I saw it that I had to try it. It does indeed work. Don't let the cranberry juice intimidate you, because if you get your measurements correct, it actually tastes quite good.
The only trick is that you really do NEED to have ice or the beverages will not remain separate. So I had to settle with two drinks. (German freezer size...) This truly made my day though. I sat and stared at them for a very long time. It's the little things in life. (mom again here: like Mother, like Daughter ; ))
After our commissary failed us by being out of multiple ingredients we needed, I settled with strawberry shortcakes (with frozen strawberries, because they were out of fresh ones too). But they ended up being a success.
It came swooping across the valley out of nowhere the other night, alone this time. Once before we saw a pair lift from the pond together and cross the meadow out of sight, but this one was alone. My camera was on manual and not prepared in the least for midflight shots so I only caught a white blur as it sped by. But when it landed on the neighbors' barn I was able to capture these two before it disappeared again.
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Weaver; Weaver: ART WITH A PURPOSE Mennonite publication. Outlines one project per week in basic coloring, drawing, grids, lettering, painting. Inexpensive and enjoyable in worksheet format.
