Cathedral and Such

St. Gallen

On his way home from a mission trip in Sri Lanka, my brother stopped to see us and give a report on his trip. On one of the days we took a little excursion into St. Gallen to show him some highlights. He had damaged feet, so extensive walking was not an option. But we did look into the city church and the Abbey Cathedral and some picturesque streets, and the chocolate shop. And dinner at the old post house. 

St. Laurentius, the City church, Reformed

The Cathedral, Catholic

High noon, and the bells were ringing 

The dome fresco

Angels and cupids everywhere 

The pulpit, above and below

To be continued…..

Where We Went

 Davos

And we want to know where June went. It is hastening by. 

Yesterday we went to Davos (yes, THAT Davos, but not presently infested) to visit and take some things to a brother(-in-law). He is recuperating from a serious medical incident in what he affirms is “the best rehab facility in Switzerland,” which is quite a rank in a country renowned for its “wellness” facilities. This one is up a winding mountain road high above the town in a beautiful setting. I think the setting is what makes people recover. He is ambulatory now, so we went to a restaurant for a fine al fresco dinner. 

Here, with this view

And similar in all directions 

And said brother sent us home with this, 

A regional specialty 

Packaged thusly

A enjoyed today (not quite all of it 😁). 

Happy June

Rushing Waters

We have had a couple of weeks of heavy, unrelenting rains, so everything is soaked, the heifers on the hillside are dripping, the slugs are happy, and the streams are dashing and tumbling madly.

We are hoping for some sunshine soon. 

Re-finished

Rocker

We have an old rocking chair. It was bequeathed to us long ago by an old man in our church, after his wife died. We were newly wed, and in a new state, and that elderly couple were some of the first to welcome us to the congregation and to the area. The chair has gone with us to our many homes over the years. It had been painted a green, and a yellow, and then a non-descript dinginess. The seat started shedding its innards. Parts were held together with angle irons. But it means something to us, so eventually we took it to the furniture re-finishers in this area to make it better. They did. The paint is gone, and it has a lovely stain to show off the wood. It is re-enforced and strong. It is newly stuffed and upholstered in a sturdy leather. It will serve at least a couple of generations well. The old man is long gone, but we think he would like to see it. 

We always enjoy seeing what the furniture refinishers have on offer when we visit, which is infrequently. This time it was these:

For a particular taste, I suppose. 

I like these colors. 

Happy end-of-May to you. We have been in drenching downpours for a week, and are hoping for some sunshine soon. It would make the tomatoes happy. They are covered, but it isn’t warm and cozy outside. 

Deidesheim Tour

Wine Country

After a fine German dinner in the restaurant, a relative (native to the town) took us on a little walkabout, and to a wine distributor for a tasting session, that, of course ended with some cartons full of bottles leaving with us. The wines from here never disappoint. 

Notes about Deidesheim: first mention of it in AD 699. It was founded on a Roman road. It was granted the right of fortification in the 1300ˋs and had walls up to recent times. A couple of segments and towers remain. It is in that part of Germany that was constantly fought over between the Germans and French, and was for a time under French rule in the early 1800‘s. It has a very long history of wine growing, cultivating 485 hectares currently (a bit less than a thousand acres). 

A painting in the restaurant. A runaway carriage horse. 

Deidesheim’s main square. Note the palms have come out of winter protection. The area is quite mild for its latitude, and the soils and sun are ideal, making conditions right for vineyards. 

The wine distribution center, for all the vineyards.

Fig trees are a common sight here. They are usually grown next to a house wall or one of the stone walls around the vineyards, where heat is stored in the rock mass. They do produce fruit, some kinds more than others. This one is being trained to grow against the wall. 

The heart wood of the pruned fig tree. 

A map of the vineyards on the hillside outside the city. The names are old, and many have been in the same family for generations. Our relatives’ family plot is on the right. 

This is a vintner family historic home

An Easter tree in someone’s yard. 

This is not a wonderful photo, but it shows the character and form and uniformity of materials in the architecture. 

Goodbye, Deidesheim, until Wine Festival at the end of summer. 

Excess

Tomatoes

Adelina planted a dazzling array of seeds of colorful tomatoes, and they germinated in good order. But then she had way too many, so offered us some, which we accepted. BUT, when she planted hers out, the dastardly slugs ate them. So we are sending some back to her. But we still have a lot. Takers? 

We have a number of other things starting, and some disappointments that have not appeared at all, or got immediately eaten by slimy critters.

These are safe in raised beds.

The wild strawberries are coming out. Tiny and tasty. 

And roses are blooming! We love our roses. All kinds.

The early spring flowers are done, and some later spring blooms are delighting the eyes. 

Both potted and planted. 

A Dutch Iris. I miss my profuse German irises from the old homestead, now blooming merrily. 

Back to Deidesheim next. 

Deidesheim Day

Visit

Back during Holy Week, on our Anniversary, on our way to the Easter Retreat, we stopped to visit relatives in an old German town.  We had an excellent dinner at a fine old restaurant, and then got a little tour and wine tasting. The area is vineyard country, and produces very fine vintages.

A vintner’s house

Spring gardens everywhere 

Old, old grape vines that will be lush and full of grapes as the year goes on.

A good traditional German meal

One of the fine rooms in the historic restaurant 

Woodwork details

To be continued…..