More Odds and Ends

Okay, this has to be quick! Our Würzburg ward had a Saturday outing to a small village about an hour from Würzburg. This village is now part museum, and it is quite fascinating. The minute I saw this ancient yellow cupboard, it reminded me of the one that was our kitchen cupboard in Vernal and which Jim refinished and now stands in our kitchen in Providence! I loved seeing it in its typical surroundings. Thanks, Jim!! Just wanted to show you a bit of the influence of the Catholic church in these parts. There are statues everywhere, in the streets, the fields, on houses. Watch on...

Oops. I stuck in this skinny house out of order. I showed you one other skinny house from Trier. Isn't it fun?

This house is really a barn/house. The red bricks represent the house, and the rock represents the barn. This is located right in Rimpar not far from our house. A bit smelly...

I just went walking one day and tried to take pictures of as many Mary statues as I could find. There are many more, but this represents just one walk...

These are just normal houses, not government buildings. It seems really important to the people.

This one is painted instead of plaster.

Now we go for a walk into the country. This little place is a "hunter's blind." Someone can sit up there totally obscured by the bushes and wait for his prey. There are lots of them around.

Now to the benches. It doesn't matter where you walk, you will find a bench to rest on. Notice the "legs" of this bench. This bench is at the top of a wheat field next to a grape vineyard. Just sitting and waiting for someone. The statue to the side is representative of how the farmers ask for blessings on their crops, etc. Nearly every large field area will have the Virgin watching over it.

This was a sad little sight. Two trees are out in the middle of hundreds of acres of fields, and naturally with a bench underneath. The marker indicates that a man fell from his horse in this spot, and he died 10 days later. His wife put up this monument to him. It's complete with candles and a statue of the Virgin and flowers inside.

That's all for now. Love you all!

Odds and Ends till the Time Runs Out!!

This angel belongs with other pictures down below--isn't she something?

In order to get pictures "tied up" before we leave Germany, I'm just going to throw some in and not worry about order or meaning. So, here goes: As I've said before, in Germany "Dogs Rule"! It's true. As far as the population in general is concerned, dogs are the most beloved creature on the planet as far as we can tell, and this is just a simple example of the treatment they get. Just outside of this window at Ikea sit two doggie bowls, kept filled and fresh all day long so IF (and I emphasize IF) the dog doesn't go into a store with its owner, it can have refreshment while it waits outdoors!! Most stores have dogs walking through all the time, or at least in the owners' arms. "Dogs Rule"

This is on our way home from a district meeting in Bamberg, and Elder Webber (brand new from Ohio) and

Elder Hobbs (New Mexico) just couldn't make it all the way without a nap. They're such great elders!

And this is our district just before last transfer (the week before Elder Webber arrived). I wish I really had a picture of the TV that our cameras were sitting on--stacked two high with three of the elders holding their fingers down on the various "timer" buttons before they FLEW to the sofa for the picture. It worked!

Remember, Matt, how you always threatened to send a box home every month or so from Japan filled with beautiful Japanese kids? Well, these are my first choice so far--be looking for some parcels!! They belong to our Second Counselor and his wife, the Pinders, and they are sooooo fun! While waiting for their dad and Hank to get out of a meeting last Sunday, I just snapped and snapped and snapped pictures--couldn't help myself! Aren't they something? Bro. Pinder is from the Bahamas, thus the coloring, and he speaks perfect English, and their mom is German, served a mission in London, and speaks perfect English. Stalwarts of the ward. They also have a tiny baby boy.

And this is just one of the ancient brick barns that dot the countryside everywhere. Reminds me of the Daines.

Did We Really Unpack?!?

This will prove to be totally out of order, but I'm sitting in an archive in Nurnberg (2-1/2 hours from home) while Hank searches for some names for Andy's and Katie's neighbors. We've been here since 9 a.m., and it closes at 4 p.m., so I only have a few minutes more to try to post some things. And they're all backwards!!

Here we go...we hardly have any pictures of Wurzburg per se, 'cause we thought we'd have a year to do that. So, here are our three so far: A beautiful church, one of about 4,000 (at least)!

Flowers everywhere. These are outside our bank in downtown Wurzburg, with Hank posing as a tulip!

Same...

This is one of the gorgeous forests that are about 20 minutes from our Rimpar estate. There are paths everywhere. We would have been a year exploring all of them.

This was our one finished wall--I loved it!

This is Michelangelo in disguise. He's quite the guy, painter's cap and all. We just needed to fumigate after he left, 'cause he just leaves a smoky trail wherever he goes, even when he's not smoking!!

Fun guy.

This was our first 2 or 3 weeks while we waited for the kitchen to be put in, etc. You can survive anything with a microwave!

More

More

That's it, folks! That was Wurzburg and Rimpar at a glance!

The Famous Autobahn Stau!

We had our first introduction to the great "stau" on one of our trips to Schweinfurt! A stau is a big to huge traffic jam, either caused by an accident or just construction where we lose a lane or two. This particular stau turned out to be an accident somewhere up ahead (learned from someone whose radio was turned on). Usually with construction, we just slow down to 5 to 15 kph and be patient, occasionally stopping, but just for a few minutes. In this stau, we were literally stopped for over an hour! This particular family got a ball and went to the side of the road and played catch. They were lucky to have some construction going on so they had a place to play.

Others just opened up doors, took small walks, helped little ones to an "outdoor facility" (by holding them over the weeds with their drawers at half mast), picnicked from the backs of their cars, etc.

This young mom was following us and had to keep two restless kids satisfied for the hour!

Truckers literally took naps...

And this is our new little buggy (our 98,000 mile little Opel Corsa). It is an automatic but shifts with the awkwardness of a teenager in a stick shift for the first time, but it has gotten us everywhere we have needed to go, and we're grateful!!

We're finally caught up with pictures since the theft of my camera on July 1. Hopefully I will stay caught up and not put you all through so much to see at once!!!

The gospel is true, and it makes us so happy.

And why, you ask, would anyone name a city Pig Crossing???!!!

Yep, that's what we asked ourselves! Schweinfurt lies about 1/2 hour from Wurzburg, and, sure enough, Schweinfurt means Pig Crossing! We called this home for two weeks while we looked for apartments in WB. Apparently there was an area where a river was shallow enough that pigs could cross, thus the name!! I'm not sure that's the whole story, but I'm not too interested in researching it further!!

Here we have the Rathaus, which is really beautiful. The typical open square fronts the building and is used as the weekly marketplace where the farmers bring their produce, flowers, etc. And, of course, you find your bratwurst vendors!!

Below, however, we will show you the real reason it's called Pig Crossing---and these are only a few examples. We're told there are many more throughout the city. The city really lives up to its name!

Welcome to the Texicana Restaurant...

McDonalds...

???

Plus a special rear shot...

No, these aren't the three little pigs, just three guys who wanted their pictures taken! From left to right we have Christian, Rubin, and Friedrich. They were fun!

I hope this little lady gets to wear a coat in the wintertime...

This is the #1 Volkswagen dealer in Schweinfurt...

And this lucky guy gets to sit down on the job...

This is our Schweinfurt high-rise. We were on the 19th floor of 24 floors. I've decided I'm not high-rise kind 'a gal, but it did offer a splendid view, as you will see below! Looking up...

Looking down...

Looking out...You will notice the foresty area near the horizon. That's a great place for long walks. Just as the farmers make walking paths through their fields, the state makes walking paths through the forest areas, offering what seems like hundreds of paths going in every direction. You feel like you're miles from any "city life," when in reality it's only about 15 minutes from you in almost any direction.

These were just two pictures of a beautiful sunset. Love the sun rays!

...

Dad and I painted a self-portrait! Just kidding...it's just a way of keeping a path clear of cars. We felt a strong resemblance, though!

And, last but not least...the "Leash Law"!! There is a wonderful Wild Park just across the street from our apartment which is a humongous version of Willow Park. It also has a forested area with wonderful walking paths, as well as deer, elk, lynx, birds, etc., to keep you company as you walk. It also has a fun water area for kids to cool down in, with slides and shallow pools and a few really creative "toys." There is a huge wooden moose that makes a great jungle gym, a monstrously long 7-9 inch diameter rope that is supported every 4-5 feet with long chains and swings long ways (not front-to-back like a regular swing) for 10-20 feet back and forth. Kids either sit or stand on that and get it really swinging. It's probably one of the most popular of the toys. Anyhow, it's a great place for picnics and a leisurely afternoon (or morning) of reading and relaxing, and it's always crowded and filled with laughter and squeals. It fits all ages from baby strollers to grandma walkers! But...the rule: You must keep your pets (from elephants to tigers) on a leash!

We understand there is another fun pig somewhere in the Wild Park who apparently has a pile of "pearls" sitting before him--wish we could have found him to add to our pictures! I wonder who "cast" them at him!!

The ward in Schweinfurt is about half German, half American (soldier families), and it meets on the fourth floor above the city's casino! They've made the church part of the building really beautiful, though, and the parking terrace and elevator allow you to completely skip the casino! At least the Young Men wouldn't have to go to the donut shop if they decided to skip class--their entertainment would just be two floors down!!

Love to you all!