Christmas & Open House

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Christmas Eve was spent as a family at home.  It was a special (unexpected) blessing to have all five of us together.  In keeping with past years, for dinner we enjoyed a Swiss specialty – cheese fondue, followed by a Shirey (weekly) tradition – homemade ice-cream (chocolate, vanilla & mint chocolate chip).

For Christmas Day, we had an open house for anyone at our church who did not have family/friends to spend Christmas with.  Being an International church, many have left family back in their home country (Iran, Japan, Mexico, England, etc.).
It was an enjoyable day of fellowship with our small apartment filled with 20+ friends.

Baseler Stadtlauf '09

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On Saturday evening 9,000+ joggers met on the streets of Basel for the annual Baseler Stadtlauf.
Sue and Sarah were among the joggers who ran the 5.5 km route.  It's always an exciting event with the route looping through downtown Basel city, cheering crowds lining sections of the street and Christmas decorations lighting part of the route.  The 9,000+ runners were separated into different age classifications so they didn't all go stampeding down the street at once!
Rebecca & I (Tim) were spectators for the event.

Happy 15th Birthday Rebecca!

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Happy birthday Rebecca!

Rebecca turned 15 yrs old on Thanksgiving Day.  In the photo (left) you see the giant round eclair Rebecca requested for her non-traditional "birthday cake".  Sue made the custom eclair and served it with our home-made icecream.  yummmm.  :-)

Basel Herbstmesse '09

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For two weeks in October the city of Basel is filled with the hustle of people flocking to the "Herbstmesse" (Autumn festival).  This has gone on for centuries.  I read that this is the longest running festival in Europe having only cancelled once during WWII and once during the Black Plague!

We spent this past Sunday afternoon walking around Basel.  Everything is within walking distance from our church.  Sarah and Rebecca joined friends from church to roam the city and tackle a few rides that violently shake, rattle and spin you.

Sue and I were content to stroll through the busy stands full of Swiss handcrafts ... and then there were the wonderful smells, whether it be from the candied almonds being made, roasted maronies or the distinctive smell of cheese fondue to go.
We look forward to the Herbstmesse each year.

Firemen training center

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This past weekend we went to an open house for the new regional fire training center in the next town of Balsthal.  For many years this property was occupied by rows of old abandoned warehouses and train tracks – not of much use to anyone.  The place was completely transformed into a high tech training center.  A concrete car parkhouse, concrete apartment block, train tunnel and car tunnel were all built here for simulating real world scenarios.  The tunnels and buildings are rigged up with advanced computer monitoring systems.  We were able to see state-of-the-art fire fighting equipment including a ($8 million) train car & tanker used for putting out fires.

In image #4, you see Sue, Sarah and Rebecca standing next to an iron car designed to go up in flames and be reused again.  You can see real cars piled up back in the tunnel.  This replicates a multi-car pile up and fire in one of the many Swiss alp tunnels.  In an actual training session this tunnel would be filled with smoke and burning cars.  The fancy coloured lights are only for the open house. ;-)
Image #2 shows a live training session with trainees cutting apart a car and removing the passengers (real people are inside!).
Image #1 shows a nifty feature being demonstrated on one of the Swiss fire trucks.  A hydraulic jack comes down and lifts the truck completely off the ground so it can be rotated 360º!
Image #3 is of my co-worker Brent Hautle.  He's an American and Swiss citizen.  As a Swiss, he's fulfilling his Swiss Zivilschutz duty by helping with the open house weekend.  This is (roughly) similar to the civilian defense used in the US during the War.  Zivilschutz is an option to the required military duty for all Swiss men.  Brent performed his civil duty by bravely manning the grill in the food tent. :-)

This made for an interesting, relaxing and fun afternoon for our family.

apricots-digital painting

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It's hard to believe winter is right around the corner.
I really enjoy the summers here in Switzerland with the warm sun, cool breeze, low humidity, green everywhere with touches of colour from the flowers and fruit trees.  This is a quick digital oil painting study I did of apricots sitting in a basket on our kitchen table.  I liked all the warm colours and touches of magenta where the sun hit the fruit.  –– A nice reminder of summer when the winter snows come.

Roger Federer-Tennis #1

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Living in a small village tucked in the Jura Mts., life goes at a slower pace.  Bringing the cows down for the winter becomes a special event.  Besides farming there is other industry in the area, one being the offices of Jura, makers of the world's best coffee machines. [no, we don't own one. $$$$]  It's no surprise that one of their endorsers is another world famous name who grew up and now lives in this part of Switzerland – Roger Federer, world #1 tennis player.

I (Tim) couldn't pass up the opportunity to slip over for a visit yesterday when I heard he was coming by.  Jura planned a 50 min. interview with Roger which was also projected onto a screen for the small crowd to see.  Instead of asking the usual questions about tennis, they spent more time asking him about his family, etc. which made for an interesting interview.  I was standing along one of the temporary barriers as Roger made his way around the side of the building.  I wasn't expecting to run into him but it added some excitement to the day to meet Tennis' all-time greatest player.  I forgot to invite him over to the house for coffee.  Maybe next time.

Judo tournament - Sarah

Here's a video of Sarah's judo match(es) held this past Saturday in Mürten, Switzerland.  We came to watch and give our support.  This was a ranking tournament to qualify for other tournaments.

Sarah enjoys attending a judo club in a nearby town.

Tuscany region-Italy

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It was like a dream come true for our family to have 3 full days in the Tuscany region of Italy this past week. After an 8 hr. drive south we ended up at Case Cares, a Christian center and guesthouse (photo 1). This is a renovated (... renovation in progress) 16th C. villa that still produces olive oil from the surrounding olive grove.

From here we were only a 40 min. train ride to the center of Florence (photo 2-6). We spent the afternoon walking the streets and photographing everything in sight. Perhaps next time(?) we will be able to see the inside of some of the churches and art galleries full of the world's greatest art treasures and breathtaking architecture. I've never been in a city like Florence with so much to photograph at every corner and down every alley.

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We spent day #2 swimming at the sea and throughout our stay in Italy we were always on the lookout for a good Italian gelato (icecream) whenever possible (photo 7).

We did find two churches in the countryside that did not require a pricey entrance fee like in Florence. I've included a photo of a nearby abbey (for nuns) tucked away in the mountains (photo 8). You could spend a lifetime in Tuscany and only begin to see the amazing beauty of the region.

Some of the most memorable parts of our holiday were the restful times spent chatting, eating and playing games as a family when we weren't in "sightseeing mode".

Hope you enjoy these samplings of the sights we saw.

August 1st – fireworks

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August 1st is Switzerland's national independence day (over 700 yrs.), complete with fireworks, bon fires, food and celebrations.

We find a spot to sit overlooking our small village of Holderbank (600 people) and watch for fireworks which could come from anywhere in the town since most firework displays around Switzerland are shot from private homes and can be quite impressive (and costly!). In the left photo, you can see a large bon fire on the hillside and fireworks launched from a home across the street from where we live. The right photo also shows a bon fire on a nearby mountainside.

Sarah's 17th birthday party

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Sarah had a sleepover party with some friends to celebrate her 17th birthday – two weeks early.  On Saturday afternoon we made a fire and had lunch at Holderbank's very own castle ruins.  While it's not a big fancy castle like at Disney World, our small town of 600 is proud of our castle ruins!

Sue made the cake and to follow the "frog prince" theme, the cake was topped with a frog and white chocolate colored and shaped into a very tasty throne.

Camping in the Swiss alps

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Heather and Sarah decided to rough it and do some wilderness camping last night.  The tent was set up miles feet away from the nearest toilet, running water and wifi.  Even wild animals cars passing by our front porch would not keep them from a good night's sleep under the wilds of the Swiss alpine night sky.

They were able to survive on a bottle of filtered water and an AC link .... to connect the laptop and watch a (Jane Austin) movie. ;-)

BCF Kids Camp '09

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This past weekend was the annual kids camp with our church in Basel, held in Kilchzimmer.  

Life was crazy around our apartment leading up to the camp with tables, chairs and floor space occupied with boxes, visuals, lesson notes, craft supplies, etc..

Sue, as the Sunday School coordinator, had a great team to work with.  The curriculum & lesson plans were written from scratch along with a theme song specially written to go with the series!  We are thankful for those in the church giving of their gifts, abilities and time.  The theme of the weekend was "Get Wisdom".

The flowers in the hair are from the Hawaiian  Luau on Saturday which included bananas placed on the grill with Mars bars melted in the middle.  mm mmm..

The camp always concludes with the congregation coming out to Kilchzimmer (40 min. drive) after the Sunday morning church service, for a grill, short children's program and time of fellowship.  The weather was great the entire weekend.  

Thank you for praying.

Apple Store - Zürich

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Heather's friend from college is visiting with us for 10 days.  Hmm..... What do people want to see when visiting Switzerland?  How about the grand opening of a computer store?

This morning was the grand opening of the Apple Store in Zürich so we decided to head there for part of the day.

  

Right now you're either scratching your head wondering "WHY? I don't get it." or there are those (and you know who you are...)  thinking "Totally Awesome! – Wish I had a limited edition Swiss Apple Store T-shirt!".

For those in the first group wondering why, we did visit a more "normal" tourist attraction on the way home – Lenzburg castle.

  We arrived at the Apple Store early but didn't mind standing near the front of the line as we had nice weather.  We were entertained with watching the reaction of people passing by wondering about the looooong line winding around several blocks, security everywhere (the "brute squad" with dark suits/ties, huge muscles and sunglasses) and TV and radio station crews documenting the event.

Two minutes before 12 noon (opening time), about 15 Apple workers took a victory lap down the line of "excited" people, giving high fives, clapping, doing the "wave", etc..

The store workers cheered us as we entered (photo-bottom right) and handed us our T-shirt.  I even gave an interview (photo–bottom left) for the Zurich TV station – TeleZüri.  This is only the second Apple Store to include a glass staircase to a lower level .

There are Swiss jokes about how boring Zürich is ... today was an exception. ;-)

illustratedWORD since 1997

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It's hard to believe we've kept our family website going non-stop since the summer of 1997.  I no longer have the original layout but did locate the 1999 design for our startup page (bottom photo).

The Internet has evolved over the years in how people make use of it.  It's useful to have this form of instantaneous distribution to keep in touch with our family and friends around the world. While we're free to share more personal family & ministry details through our newsletters and emails, the website provides a way to complement the newsletters with vivid images and videos.

We look forward to blogging with more images of our family, ministry, and other "stuff".

CEF Vehicle Project

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This weekend we had the excitement of picking up our new (for us) car.  It's a 2 yr. old Nissan Note.  I'm sharing this on our blog as there were many who have been praying for this CEF project and gave financially toward the purchase of a ministry vehicle.

This car project was another example of how the Lord provided in an amazing, completely unexpected way and perfect timing!  We saw the same thing happen back in the 90s with our previous vehicle, where God provided in ways we never imagined.   

A BIG thank you to all who have prayed and given toward this project!

As with our previous vehicle, when driving this car We'll have another regular reminder of how God provides in His way and in His timing.  

PTL.

Holderbank (SO), Switzerland (in miniature)

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This is a view of our village of Holderbank (population 600+). When you view the image enlarged you'll notice a big difference between photo #1 and photo #2. After editing the original in Photoshop, the bottom image resembles a "tiltshift lens" photo, giving it a miniature look as if it was part of a model train exhibit!

[You can see the front of our red van, bottom right]

Swiss humour

I couldn't resist posting this slice of Swiss Culture and humour.  Even if you don't understand Swiss German dialect you can follow along.  [English translation version]

There is a website for signing up volunteers to help clean bird droppings off the Swiss Alps.  This is a good example of orderly swiss efficiency at it's best.  We can do our part to save the environment and the Alps from extinction.  

Before you rush to sign up and arrive with brush and climbing gear in hand, I better let you know that this is a joke from the Swiss tourist bureau. :-)

Winter scenes from Kilchzimmer

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The setting sun spread a blanket of orange on the snow, which brought out the vibrant blue shadows.  These photos were taken this evening from the top floor of Kilchzimmer where my office is located.  

We've had our share of snow, ice and a freezing temperatures this past week.  

I love scenes of freshly fallen snow ... as long as it's not viewed through a car window while sliding down an icy mountain road. :-0

Church Retreat - Lungern

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Lungern, nestled in the heart of the Swiss Alps, is famous for it's breathtaking panoramic view from the top ... at least when it's not engulfed in dense fog and snowfall.  Despite the thick fog (very poor visibility) and snowfall on the ski slope, we had a fantastic weekend of food, skiing, and plenty of fellowship with our church family in Basel.  

There were no major accidents on the slopes even though Sarah had a sore ankle and needed to be rescued by the snow patrol which included a free snowmobile ride down to the gondola.  We're thankful that nothing was broken but Sarah was still quite disappointed in having to leave her friends on the slopes and return to the bottom.

New (Lunar) Year Party

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We celebrated the new Lunar year with friends from our church in Basel.  As you can see, several came dressed for the occasion and others wore red.  We had an enjoyable evening of Asian food and fellowship.

Family Photo

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We hung a bed sheet in the living room for a backdrop to our quick family photo session before I had to carry our dried out Christmas tree down the road to the annual Holderbank Christmas tree burning.  People in Holderbank bring their trees to a nearby field for a big fire followed by tea/coffee and conversation.

A Basel Wedding

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It was exciting to share in Janet & Stephan Stücklin's wedding in Basel.  It was a beautiful service in a large 13/14th century church.  The day was filled with Medieval & Renaissance music provided by Janet's friends.  Janet is studying Medieval/Renaissance music.  The musicians even led a processional down the streets of Basel to the reception – traffic control provided by the Swiss police.

Wedding Cake Challenge

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Sue spent many hours this past week on her first attempt at making a multi-tiered wedding cake.  It was exciting for Sue and a good learning experience.

Stephan and Janet Stücklin attend our church in Basel and are getting married tomorrow (Jan. 3) in Basel.

The two end cakes are chocolate cake with white chocolate (buttercream) icing.  The center cake is pound cake with buttercream icing.  The dark red roses were to match the wedding colours.

Besides the challenge of making the cake and decorating it, there was also the nail-biting task of getting them to the final destination ... intact!

Lighting info: Main flash (1/4 power) w/shoot-through umbrella at camera left (a few inches from camera lens).  Bare flash w/barn doors at rear-camera right (1/16 power).