A Rainy Day in Basel

We live very close to the city of Basel, Switzerland (I think it is only about 20 kms away). One rainy day we decided to head over the border and just wander through the streets. Here are some impressions.The Rhine River runs through the center of Basel. You can cross the river at one of several bridges or you can take a little river ferry across. Away from the river, you will see trams, buses, and lots of bikes, in additon to cars and people.

This building really is this old.



"Läckerli" are a traditional Swiss cookie. They are made of honey and nuts, and are very chewy - perfect with coffee. In this window they are all packaged up in special Easter wrappings.

As we walked by these windows our mouths watered. This confectionary shop ("Candy shop" doesn't do it justice) makes all of its delights which include chocolates, truffles, dipped fruit, and macaroons.

The Church
Basel has a wonderful old Reformed Church.
For all of you historians, Erasmus is buried here.
It is simple in its decoration and is unique for its chairs instead of benches. There are many designs of chairs and it is fun to walk through and see the patterns.

18

Lindsey is 18!

Two very "Lindsey"gifts - an archaeological study Bible and a quill with ink!

We started the day in our traditonal way with a fun breakfast off the good china.

In the evening (the next day) she had some friends over to help her celebrate.
I couldn't resist adding these two pictures ...

The first one was taken on Lindsey's first birthday. The second is just for fun!

Toad Crossing!

It is the time of year, once again, for the migration of the toads. In the spring and the fall the frogs move between the forests and the creeks. They usually travel at night and often they need to cross the roads. This is always dangerous for the toads, and so protective measures are taken.

In particularly dangerous areas little fences are put up along the road sides.

Signs also appear warning drivers to slow down at night and to watch out for toads.
It is a sure sign of spring.

The Candlelight Dinner

The Candlelight Dinner is an annual event held by our church, the Black Forest Christian Fellowship and Black Forest Academy. This dinner-theater type evening gives us the opportunity to share our faith in Christ with our German friends and neighbours, community business people, and landlords.

Guests, this year, were welcomed with the theme of the evening - Sing Freedom- a musical and theatrical presentation of slavery, the Underground Railroad, and eventual freedom from slavery. Danny led the gospel choir and band. The freedom we can have in Christ was tied into the "Sing Freedom" theme.

This was presented in as many ways possible from the decorations through the program. The evening included drama, drum ensemble, dance, and 2 monologues and of course, lots of singing!

Special thanks to Michele, Eileen, and Mark for letting us use their pictures.

These 2 window murals were painted by our friend Rob, who is the grade 5 teacher at Black Forest Academy. They were huge.

Suzanne played the role of Harriet Tubman and gave 2 monologues -
all stories of slavery and freedom

And then came the choir...approximately 50 of us for the first half.

The High School choir joined us for the second half - making the total around 100!

Both Lindsey and Sherri were in the choir (in case you don't recognize us, we are the ones in the bottom right corner.)

Getting Started

Holzen. Usually it is green, but this winter we have had more snow than usual. Spring will soon be here but in the meantime enjoy these winter pictures.

Take a walk with us into our world. Get a glimpse of our daily lives - at home and at work.