Back home in Germany

After returning to Germany, still not over jet-lag and being tired, we had some nice activities with family and the branch. The Cazier family came for a visit and joined us in our branch barbecue (Grillfest) on the 23rd. I got a few pictures of the activity. The first picture shows a view from near our apartment overlooking the lake and landscape between us and the Bodensee (Lake Constance). It also shows the kind of weather we have had here lately - very cold and rainy. The rest of the pictures are at the Grillfest.

Here is the view from the hill behind our apartment. The lake is in the distance and there is even a large zeppelin hovering over the lake, but it is not easy to see it  unless you look very closely.

Grillfest pictures.

... including Elders Richman and Smith.

The Caziers

Wow! (and after time for a breather...)

Yes, I realize it has been a couple of weeks since my last post. We have gone through a double jet-lag and a whirlwind of events in Utah and after a week or so back, I am finally getting to do a summary. This one will only cover our experiences with family back in Utah, so if you are not following our family events, you can wait until my next blog entry.

We had an absolutely fabulous time with family in Utah. Of course, the wedding was the high point, but we had some great family activities and many visits with family and friends. I will merely summarize those 12 days in a few pictures with a few comments. Enjoy!

Of course, the reason for our return to Utah...

The lovely couple right after the marriage in the temple in Saint George.

For those unfamiliar with the beautiful sights on the way between Salt Lake and Saint George, I included this shot along the highway near Fillmore. It is really dry here.

Now back to Saint George. Here is a family group picture at the temple (all but the grandchildren).

the temple entrance

the fun and fabulous reception in Saint George.

The traditional stuffing of the cake into the mouths of the newlyweds.

a picture of the color in Saint George. This is a round-about near Ivins.

Back in Salt Lake, there was a bridal shower luncheon at Olive Garden.

Fun activities on the roof.

... and a little repair work.

The family 5-K fun run at Majestic Elementary

Celebrating some birthdays

Fun and more fun with grandchildren

and a little one in the tree (is this a Papaya tree?)

Shooting air rockets in the rain

Yes, we brought back a lot of chocolate for the family. No, he really did not get them all.

I do not have pictures of the Open House in West Jordan. I was too busy visiting people. Andrea got some pictures and I will post them later.

Away to America

Well, the time came for us to head to Utah for our son's wedding. I really feel the effects of the change and finally got a little bit of time with brain clarity to do these posts. It is wonderful to be with family again, even though we know we will only be here a short time before returning to our assignment in Germany.

 Crossing the Bodensee (Lake Constance) on our way to Zurich for our flight.

 Very tired, but happy to be with family.

 Back in the kitchen with Adam.

 And a grandson splashing in the water

 and others at the house

 Modelling dresses made by Oma for the wedding activities.

Elders come and go, visits and sights

Here is a collection of pictures of missionaries and some of the sights in the area. We had transfers and were sad to see our Elder Thompson leave. Our new elder is Elder Smith. Among the pictures are district meeting pictures and a couple of pictures we took while attending a football game (American Football played by local "professional" teams.

 The district in our last meeting together before transfers.

 Elder Thompson leaving at the train station.

 Watching the football game

 Some missionary role-play practices in our next district meeting.

 The Bodensee apples. The trees are loaded this year.

 Sister B loves the cloud pictures.

 We visited a sister who loves to collect stuffed animals.

The church in Ittendorf.

Rutenfest 2014

I am going to put together a couple of blogs quickly to catchup a bit.

This is our second year of Rutenfest, the major festival for Ravensburg each year in July - celebrating the end of school.

The name "Ruten" means rod, implying the means of punishing students. I not sure why they want to remember that, but it is a very old festival, mainly honoring children and their rich heritage. There are several days of activities, including a lot of drinking, but our favorite part is the large parade on the Monday Rutenfest. I have a lot more photos in last year's blog post if you want to get more of a taste of the experience.

Elders Richman and Thompson among the spectators.

Can you spot Sister B in the picture?

This is the Blaserturm tower, right along the parade route.

The elders on their way out of the city, passing by the Mehlsack tower.