Draußen Sein (Outside)

We've been riding our bicycles lately - so fun, since paths are flat and we sometimes ride along the river, so no traffic. We've gone 16 miles to and from Bad Vilbel

18 miles along the river, even watched polo practice,

and worked our way up to 30 miles to Hanau. Along the way we spotted this clever TV repair truck

I often see wild rabbits while out running.

But I wish I'd seen this one.  100 Euro reward - wow!

Maybe somebody thinks he's in this hole. :)

An octuplet garage, thanks to German ingenuity 

Finally I found a street where I recognized the person's name. “Being 

One of Bonhoeffer's quotes is: "Being a Christan is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God's will.”

Another famous German memorialized. 

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be." - Anne Frank I agree.

A friend told me that Frankfurters don't pick up garbage because the park cleaners do it. It's their socialist version of keeping everybody employed. Hmm.

Do you think our grandchildren would like our backyard to look like this?

Missionaries in Action

Janice took this darling picture of Rand in Sharing Time.  What a great man, eh?

Sweet neighbor Elfi celebrated a birthday at the Sharpes' apt and she demanded each set of missionaries to kneel down and sing to her - in German as she critiqued their performance. 

We helped the Palmers clean their apartment before their move- Sister Robertson, Tuesday, Janice, young sisters,

Sister Perez, Sharon, me, June.

New Public Affairs couples, the Walkers and Galbraiths will oversee the European visit of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir next summer. Great duty! 

Darling Porthstrasse elders. Elder Jack, bottom right, is the grandson of our Holladay neighbors, Joe and Elaine Jack.

The FIEF (Faith In Every Footstep) Funf (5) K crew for Pioneer Day. Elder and Sister Reukert by Rand, Elders Reuker and Amundson, Frankfurt Mission President Stoddard, translation employee, Coraline Giraud-Carrier (we ate Christmas dinner at her parents' house in Paris 38 years ago - small world!), race-organizer Dale Greenwood, Margit Ezard, Debbie and Richard Riggs (kneeling), Steve and Liz Edmunds, Silke Langner,  Ann and Richard Smith, me, Marsha Castleton, Yvonne Bausman. 

Around Frankfurt

One holiday when there wasn't much traffic, I jogged downtown.  

Cities on rivers are so picturesque.

Especially when summer comes. This is one of the first blue-sky days. 

Look at everybody enjoying themselves.

Within walking distance of us is this house with a moat - right near the city!

Here's one of many fun sculptures in a wading pool

And Preungesheim Prison, right in a residential area. They even have a section for mothers of children aged 3 and under. They like to keep them together.

 

Some of us went to the Monet exhibit downtown. Jack and Vonnie Sharpe, June Smith and I loved it.

Wonderful!

Brother Blacoe gave us his last tour of downtown Frankfurt.  Born in Ireland, married to a German woman, he has educated missionaries and others for years.  Nickname  "Blacoe-pedia."

He showed us where the original Jewish synagogue was downtown. When it was burned down, after the war, young men salvaged the bricks and walked them out to our cemetery to build these walls around their Jewish section.

Cute Bella and Mia (via Rachel) sent us these "hugs" for Mother's and Father's Day.

We love thinking of their hugs when we go to bed every night.

 Here's our address. You can send us letters using a US stamp through the pouch anytime.  (hint hint)

Outings near Frankfurt

We've had some great day trips but the Greenwoods diagnosed me with the ABC's. Another beautiful cathedral, another big city, another baroque castle, another battlefield cemetery.

Here are most of the European area Medical/Mental Health team members at Draconburg castle.

Great group who cares much about missionaries.  Stevens who are based in England, Greenwoods, Purdy and Hawkins (Biddulphs weren't in photo), and Rand.

Janice, Abby McKeon, intern in Office of General Counsel (she knows Mike Price!), and us at The Residenz in Würzburg. 

Mespelbrunn castle with a wet moat.  Elder Riggs has seen hundreds of castles and says that wet moats are rare.

We rendezvoused with Jill and James Kennedy and Karen and Richard Nelson in  Saarbrucken.

Holladay 28th Ward lives on in Germany!

I ran in a community race called the Church Run. We ran on cobblestones, through farms and parks to five different churches. Very fun. 

(1st place in my age group - but how much competition is there in for us older women?)

Rand and I rode bikes to Bad Vibel.  In Germany, we can walk and ride on paths off main streets for miles. 

After traveling in Europe, we have noticed over the years that each country has its distinctive personality.  Marlene Matheson found this in Sweden and we must agree.

Switzerland II

Well it's not as good as the first version, but it's legal and you can

watch our video HERE