Wild West, Swiss Way

Festival 

The Swiss love their dress up festivities, re-enactments, and history, so all year there are sundry events for which one can don his or her fancy bib and tuckerand accoutrements. Or top hat and cane as the case may be. Today we went to a Western themed one, American West. The eats were Swiss, but the costumes and armaments were very authentic.

The setting was a false front “town,” purpose built for the occasion. Venders sold goods, from cowboy hats to shaves, to Bandanas to fools gold. Characters paraded. A fife and drum corps boomed and tooted. And a marvelous coach, pulled by good Swiss Freibergers, gave rides for Fr. 2 a head. 

And the rain held off until we left. 

I was wondering who invited the French, but we heard from this fine gent that his uniform was Mexican! From the battle of the Alamo. Santa Ana’s army “borrowed” French uniforms and put their own insignias on them.

Very handsome coach horses. 

This friendly fellow gave us full demonstration of his fife, weapons, and gear. 

Including all the steps on how to load a black powder muzzle-loader. It isn’t quick, and has more steps than I remember, including blowing here, and biting off that, and tamping down this. 

This gent got in the act and showed us his old rifle, and how to do ground loading (on one’s back), and shooting (roll over on one’s belly and draw up the leg for balance). 

It helps to have a pretty girl in one’s company. The gents are eager to show and share with gusto. 

The medical field kit. Notice the bone saw. You wouldn’t want that gangrene-filled leg to stay, would you? 

Is he the undertaker? 

Better Half got himself the smoothest shave of his life: hot towels, lather with badger hair brush, straight razor, more warm towel, and orange blossom after shave. And, yes, the barber is wearing a Colt revolver. And, yes, it is very real. And yes, gun laws here say you may carry what you will for re-enactments, even the barber.

I personally would revise this.

Prices: coffee, pork, flour, fish, rice, cheese, black tea, work boots, house rent/month.




Bringing the brass cannon back after firing three very expensive shots of black powder. 

The fifer is the same fellow as above, but not helping the Mexicans this time. 

And a good time was had by all. 

Call Scribbles

Hands Busy

When the call is long, and not video, one may as well sketch, scribble, and color. 

This one is from some marks I had in my sketch book from somebody else’s drawing that I liked. So it is not original, just adapted. One another long call it might get more work. It is in colored pencil. 

Note:

Because I still am not allowed to use the Comment function here, for unknown reasons, I add mine to posts.

Pam, thank you for the post on Alyssa’s gorgeous eggs. Highest compliments to her. 

(Is that one of your paintings, with lemons, I see on a wall?)

Easter Psanky Eggs

Our family has made Ukrainian Psanky eggs for about twenty years. I learned the method when I took a community Ed class back when I still had a house full of children. All the kids (plus the ones at church that I taught the method too ) love to make these eggs. The moms are passing the craft on to their children now. 

My daughter, Alyssa, especially loves making Psanky eggs and she has gotten quite good at it. I wanted to share photos of her beautiful eggs with you . These are hanging in her illuminated egg tree decoration on the dining room table. 

And Baby Clara loves them too! Someday she’ll be able to try making them. 

Follow the link below to see a Psanky artist that inspired Alyssa with her designs. After she makes Psanky eggs, this artist breaks the shells and makes jewelry with the parts. She also makes necklace pendants with partridge eggs! 

  https://katherinealexander.art/

Post Festivities

Still Easter Season

Evidence in the egg shell bucket

And peeping bunnies

And flowers!

But the holiday part is over- though we did enjoy the day off on Easter Monday with worship and family time and a quiet day. 

No time yet to get at the rest of the adventure photos, but maybe soon. 

Next week is Sechselaüten. I’m not sure if I can go, but maybe I can get a picture. 

Blessed Easter

Christ is Risen! Alleluia! 

We will return to the Fox Trail, maybe tomorrow. 

Today was a busy day, getting back to Vögeli, and preparing for festivities. Fortunately, my helper is very competent, and had things in hand. Thank you, Shayna. 

We had our service with a good musician at the piano (meaning not me) -thank you, Thomas - and all sang with verve and gusto. Readings and a good Luther sermon focused our attention, which had a tendency to distraction from a little cutie in her Easter dress. (Sorry, no people pictures here.)

Dinner was in full array, with chocolate and chocolate and chocolate everywhere. I wonder why….

Even hiding with the egg warmers

Each place setting at the table had one of these, for Eiertütschen. Each taps his egg on his neighbor’s egg, to see whose cracks last. The pink egg won - maybe because it only got tapped once….

Our Easter tree was quite small this year.


But we got the message:

“He lives” - present tense

“He has conquered” - perfect tense, completed action.

For you, for me, for all. 

Alleluia.

Note - The Comment function still does not let me write. I saw some of you can comment. 

If you post a comment, go entirely out of the blog site, once it shows, before trying to do anything else, or you will repost your comment with each function you do. Then re-enter the site, and you can see old posts or whatever you want to do.

Holy Saturday

Here and There

We visited the Napoleon III museum in the Arenenberg villa here. Quite fascinating history. No pictures allowed, but I will share more about that later. Many famous and valuable paintings - ones typically seen in art history books - are hanging here. And many other valuables that museums don’t want broadcast on social media, for security reasons.

Then in the afternoon we went on a Fox Trail in Kreuzlingen. These are online moderated “scavenger hunts,” of sorts. One looks for clues to get the next clue along a planned route. These are in many places throughout Switzerland - a creative entertainment, that requires LOTS of walking, sharp and clever observation, and some effort. This one also involved chocolate, pumping water, bike pedaling, Hansel and Gretel, a book lending box, a well, and many other things, including Chocolates, and chocolates. Oh yes, and chocolate wrappers. And the foil of the chocolate wrapper to connect a circuit - yes, seriously; it pays to pay attention and follow directions. 

And, to crown the day, it was sunny, and flowers were blooming EVERY WHERE. 

The idea was to find these green fox prints, and codes or clues, or green signs with mysterious clues. 

Clue


Not a clue, but Eastery

Constance’s train station, on the right, with tower. Constance is the German half of the city, across the border from Kreuzlingen, but quite run together. 

A vending machine. Because this is Switzerland, and you might need fondue at two a.m……

…and this city happens to have a famous firearms auction house, with which some of our people work closely.

And further on, after declining the train ride, and trudging across town and up and up hills….Note the chocolate color


This place donated a chocolate bar to each participant who starts the hunt (which chocolate we were forbidden to eat until directed later, and for which we had to keep wrappers and foil). This Stop was about the middle of the trail. Once we arrived at the chocolate factory, we, of course, couldn’t resist buying more (I mean, could you resist?), and then we could redeemed our wrappers for a bigger chocolate, and - maybe because we smiled happily - the nice lady at the counter gave us chocolate eggs, too. But as a marketing ploy, they did quite well, too. Now we know where they are, and we MIGHT come back.

Our Freebies. The purchased piles were much bigger.

This is the use of foil wrapper to connect a circuit, after one does some calculations to get the lock box open.


“Bridge,” they said… Indeed? Which? 

“Walk downstream.” OK, it’s pretty.

An old mill with the next clue, which required pumping water, to “ put out fires,” which gave the next code.

Behold: fires. When water is sprayed at them, with vigor, they move and reveal the clues.

Local art to remind bureaucrats not to impose yellow boxes on the populace. 



To be continued……