Visiting Ellen

As has already been shared, last Wednesday was a day set on our calendars for quite some time, one we'd really looked forward to since it meant just spending a day being together without a cooking agenda. The thing that made this day special for me was visiting Ellen (aka our adopted American cousin) for the first time.

So, early in the morning six of us drove across the border and met at the Bellingham Amtrak station. 

It was supposed to be seven of us, but our Kathy was too sick to come. 

And since I've mentioned her, I will also say that if Manitoba were not so far,

Char and Betty would have been there too.

As train rides are not the norm for us, you can see that there was a sense of excitement 

about getting on the train and checking it out.

It is a relaxing way to get places and did not seem to take any longer than driving ourselves.

At the Edmonds Station, Ellen stood waiting with her sign . . . just in case we'd miss her.

Goofy girl and so much fun!

She had rented an 8 passenger vehicle to take us about for the day. 

Our first stop was an early lunch at the Queen Mary Tearoom, 

truly an old British experience in decor and very tasty food. 

Kind of funny to go to a tea house and not have the traditional high tea, 

but we all opted for fruit with sandwiches or salads.

After lunch, we spent a couple of hours at the University Village shopping Center, 

browsing through some home goods/decor type stores

 and admiring the beautiful open air walks lined with the prettiest hanging baskets.

After Ellen realized we were all too eager to cut down on shopping time to see her house,

this was the next stop for us . . . and one I enjoyed very much! 

I love homes that have the added character of several renovation stages behind them

 and little displays that speak of making it your home, 

a place where family and friends are  loved and cherished. 

This is what I saw at Ellen's.

Her bedrooms, now empty like most of ours,
hold memories of when they were filled with kids,
 now grown yet welcome back for little retreats again and again.

Her Dear (as she calls him) obliged us all with a photo op

on her porch steps before we headed out to eat again. 

Too soon, our seven thirty train came to take us back.

Following the gorgeous Washington Coastline

we talked about marriage and life,  

most surely entertaining  the quiet passengers stuck in our cabin.

And the sun set on yet another beautiful day 

before we headed back across the border and home.

Europe Twenty Years Ago

As for the risky part. . . here's another great photo I had to think twice about before posting! When we finished our time in Lithuania, we flew to Germany to spend some time touring  a bit of Western Europe. After feeling immersed in the Eastern European way of life it was a culture shock to see the difference in these two worlds at that particular time, especially when going to a grocery store.

We rented a car and drove, using a fold out map, with destinations in mind, 

but no reservations made anywhere. 

In Germany we visited Rothenburgh ob der Tauber,  a well preserved Medieval walled city. I loved the buildings and just everything about it, from the violin playing in the courtyard to the Town Hall Tower with a beautiful view of the city and surrounding area.

All the while my eyes went to the flowered window boxes on buildings.
This one obviously caught my eye, inscribed with a German prayer, asking for the Lord's blessing.

Of course this is where people take the cruises on the Rhine River, which would be fabulous. We kept our eyes on it at different lookouts. We also did the hike to view the Lorelei, which brought back memories of the poem/song we learned in German School.

We toured some castles, the most amazing being the Neuschwanstein Castle.

 In Germany we also visited Hitler's retreat called the Eagle's Nest, perched high on a mountain peak with a 360 degree view of the surrounding Alps.

Like I said, the view was incredible from up there

In Salzburg, Austria, we stayed at the Schorn Hotel which is about 800 years old. The history all over Europe is something one just can't get over when we live in a country that is only 150 years old.

We visited Mozart's House, being the girls were into studying music and theory at the time.

The highlight of our stay in Austria was the Sound of music tour 

which we did on Julene's 16th birthday . . and we sang the song . . . yes we did. 

The tour ended with a dinner theater and Schnitzel and noodles.

I believe we did a lot of video on that day as I could not find photos.

When day was done, we'd look for a Bed and Breakfast to stay at.

Not sure any more where this one was. . .  but quite typical with the feather blankets.

We enjoyed the views as we drove ...

and here we are in Switzerland, where we visited the family that we met in Lithuania.

The Bed and Breakfast we stayed at had cows right outside the window. 

Every place was such a different experience.

In Zurich we spent a day on, what I remember as, a very touristy shopping street. The flowers were beautiful, the vendors busy. We did come away with some little Swiss Army knives, but all in all, shopping was not much a part of this trip. It was about seeing places we may never see again. At least not as a family.

On our return to Germany, before flying home, we had the privilege to see my grandfather with his first wife. Having been separated during the war, she was believed to be deceased.  Fifty-three years later now, they met in Germany and we were able to see them and hear their unique story before they both passed away. From beginning to end it was a summer we all hold dear in our hearts, even so many years later now.

Taking a Risk

Recently the question of whether we'd ever taken a risk came up in a conversation -

to which my initial response would be, 

not really - I don't think I'm much of a risk taker.

But then, I remembered some trips, one of which we went on exactly 20 years ago.

It began with the idea that before our kids were all grown up, 

we wanted to do a family service project overseas somewhere.

We checked out options such as Haiti and Bulgaria 

ending up with an opportunity in Lithuania where volunteers were needed to

renovate an old army barrack into dormitories for a Christian College.

For a family whose calendar was always shock-full of activities it was very strange to keep six weeks of the summer completely blank and trust that it would all come together. At the end of June we were packed up and ready to leave home for a place and work that was quite unknown to us. I know I have mentioned this trip briefly in the past and written about the wonderful couple who was in charge of the project here.

The city we worked in, Klaipeda, is a port city on the Baltic Sea. We could walk down to the shore from where we stayed with other volunteers. The Lithuania Christian College Foundation had rented one whole floor of an apartment, across the street from the re-construction site. It was typical of other apartments in the area, with one communal kitchen per floor and a tiny elevator you could never quite trust to make it up or down.

The apartment we stayed in was not as run down as this one down the street, but signs of the  post- communistic era were still visible everywhere.

It was sad to see the state a country can be left in when people have limited motivation or hope. The barracks that were to become dormitories for students (and  now are) needed insulation, plumbing, electrical work and basic finishing before anyone could be asked to live in there. Volunteers came and went to do the part that they felt gifted in. When we were there, the insulation and dry wall went in. Ben was eleven at the time and loved going to the site with his dad every morning.

I had been under the impression that I'd be involved at the site as well, but on the first night there I was asked if I would like to take charge of the meals in that one tiny kitchen to serve the workers. Go figure! Yes, this may seem to make sense now, but this was then. Cooking for the group of up to twenty five workers with limited supplies was the first challenge. The second challenge was that of having to walk to the market almost every day to pick up groceries, keeping in mind that I did not know the language.

The meat department left a lot to be desired. I cooked the meat well. 

The dry goods department was sparse to say the least.
The bakery . . . let's just say there was none . . .
and I learned to knead bread by hand.

Here, at the table, which was set up in a cleared out bedroom beside the kitchen, we ate breakfast, lunch and supper with the volunteers which consisted of a group from Switzerland, and a few single men from Manitoba, one of whom offered to make porridge every morning. Those who know me know that I'm not a morning person, so this was very sweet.
There were so many variables that came together, details we saw had been orchestrated by One who knew us well. The Swiss Mennonite couple, overseeing their youth group, spoke hardly any English but we spoke their language. The teen aged kids, were a fun bunch that our girls enjoyed being with and, to add just one more bonus, the couple had a boy almost the same age as our Ben. These boys had so much fun playing hockey on the job site and games in the evenings . . . they hardly noticed they did not speak the same language!

On weekends, we had free time to go to the beach or do some touring.

Storks were seen in abundance along this road.

Besides the physical work, there were baseball games with the summer college students,

church services and opportunities to serve with music.

I share this today with fond memories of a time we took a risk.

 It was most likely one of our very best summers

as we experienced the joy of simply working together as a family

and realizing that it is in giving that we receive.

Brother and Sister

June comes along with the virtual reality of another year gone by. 

We celebrated with an after school pick-up and a trip to the Clayburn Village Candy Store.

Natalie got into the car with a" thank you in advance picture" she had drawn.

Her anticipation always makes me smile.

Since it was Landon's first end-of-school to celebrate, it was especially fun see his smiles at this authentic graduation date . . .  although I had taken him there on a random day once at which time he kept saying how often Natalie had been while he'd been there zero times.

This tea house/candy store is over 100 years old and reminiscent of times past in the way it is kept and run. Shoppers get a paper bag and fill it with candy of their choice. It gets weighed and priced accordingly.  I'm not quite sure why Landon's candy necklace was already around his neck. It did end up in the bag later.

Together they prepared on extra bag for their brother,

whom they had carefully kept out of the loop in regard to these plans.

When I asked if they wanted to stay for a drink or go to the park,

this is what they chose.

I'm often surprised how much they love the playground.

It is fun to see how they try to include each other in their play by creating an obstacle course or 

finding a new way to do the slide.

Taking turns climbing up 

and landing in a pile of giggles at the bottom.

Looking at these photos reminds me of how fleeting these years are

and yet how the foundation of a sibling relationship is built.

When I dropped them off at home, watching from the car,

I could see how they have grown in this year gone by . . . 

and now I see how they are holding their candy bags behind their back for the reveal!

Some things just never change.

With Love from Saskatoon

If I could judge from his expression, I'd say the text with this photo 

(to show that something was in the mail for him) 

was truly as good as the gift itself!

It is more blessed to give than to receive,

is what I think of when I see how excited

they are to send a card to their Papa . . .

with stickers of cake and coffee . . .

cause that's what he likes for dessert.

Father's Day Thoughts

On this Father's Day I'm thankful for a father who
was proud of me

provided for me

protected me

participated in my life

prayed for me and

pointed me in the way I should go.

Lots of things I'd love to tell him today,

but I rest in the fact that one day

I will see him again.