Summer String Fling 2011

 One of my pet projects for the summer is to host a 3-day strings workshop.  Julie Emig and I started this last year and today was the last day for another successful experience.  I love working with Julie and with the kids!  I also love three days of pure focus.  I get to ignore the rest of my concerns for the time being and have fun with music.  It's great to see what the kids can produce in 3 days.

Abby and Petra

Gertie and Ian

 On Tuesday afternoon I gave Gertie and Ian an extra pracitice session.  We did about 45 minutes of "compressed practice."  They learned music that normally would have taken them a couple of weeks to learn. They were good sports and it was fun for me.

Becky, Ian, Grace, Dori, Gertie - lunching before trip to Hearthstone.

April, accomplished violinist and much valued helper, Petra, Abby, Rebecca (sister of Abby and piano accompanist for "Simple Gifts."

Core Group

Expanded Group

We finished off with a performance at Hearthstone Retirement Home.

Calista and Mitchell

Thanks for loaning us your kids, Courtney!  Hope I'm home when you need a babysitter again!  Grand Aunt Rhoda and Great Grandma were so happy to help out and I got to join in the fun.

Sweet Baby Giana

Burchell and Giana were willing subjects for my camera's smile setting.  Giana gets worried when I get too close these days.  I look forward to the time when she lets me hold her again.  I like being a Great Grand Aunt!

Main Souvenir

We are slowly and carefully eating our way through the stash of chocolates I brought back from Switzerland.  So good!

More on Rheinfall

 Moving into the castle.  Over the centuries the Rheinfall has been a strategic place for land holders and so a most logical place for a castle.  Today, the Castle Laufen still stands and houses a youth hostel and reception area.  When Linden came back to us from making the arrangements at the office he had good news and bad news.  We knew we were going to be all together in one dorm room for 12 people and there were only 9 of us so we could expect to be possibly sharing close quarters with 3 strangers.  Good news was that we were getting the whole room to our selves.  Great!  Bad news was that each bunk was 3 mattresses across!  Never heard of this before!  It worked out fine but it was hilarious!

Another unexpected treat was to be spectators of this wedding procession.  The guest were given torches and they all wound their way down the path to various decks by the thundering falls where the posed for pictures. We kept our distance but enjoyed the elegance of it all.  We all came up last to the court yard thinking the evening was over but found a new excitement awaited.  There were the wedding guests opening up red paper lanterns.  A wick at the bottom was lit and as each filled with hot air it lifted off into the night sky, drifting off on a gentle breeze.  So romantic...  Wish we had better pictures!

Pentecost Sunday - Tauferstieg and Tauferhole

We packed up our Schowalter wine and our loaves of crusty bread and hiked up up up to the monument stone commemorating reconciliation between the Reformed Church and the Taufer (anabaptists).  There we read scripture, sang, prayed and shared in the Lord's Table.  One of our most memorable times.

A cave where anabaptists were know to have met.  We sang together a favorite anthem, "606"

Rheinfall

Zurich, Switzerland

In Zurch we got lots more history!  Gross Munster, Zwingly, Felix Manns, Hans Landis, etc.

Second floor garden

Beatenberg and Niederhorn

Scrumptious lunch by the Thunersee

Took cable car to top.  Showalter sisters!

All of us but Don and Jean road scooters down but here we had to walk up hill a bit.  Sailing down hill was the most fun!

Beautiful view of the Thunersee

The Castle of Thun

 Another castle and another ancestor who resided here as prisoner, Melchior Brenneman.

Linden playing the part.

NueHause at Moosegg, Emmental

Ruby and Carolyn at a beautiful look out spot.

Last year, Linden and Gloria thought it hilarious when they noticed a town with the name of Moosegg.  Lo and behold, this year the only lodging available for miles around was a farmhouse in Moosegg.  This was just the kind of place our kids would love to stay in for a week.  Old, rustic, quaint and with plenty of room.  Lovely surroundings and a fabulous view.  The sky was over cast when we arrived in the evening so we couldn't see much of a view.

But in the morning I looked out of the window to this:

"Hills peep o'r hills and Alps on Alps arise"

I saw many of these hanging from porches all over Switzerland and Germany.

I must try this some time.

Hans Haslebacher, Hinter Hutten

 Hans Haslebacher was the last anabaptist to be executed in Bern.  This farm is still owned by his descendants.

 At Hinter Hutten, we learned about story of Chrisian Fanckhauser and the trap door he built in the floor of his barn.  We were charmed and touched by our hostess, Regula who is the wife of the 13th generation heir to live and work on this farm.  Along with the history of the place, Regula also told of her own faith story.  This was a highlight for us all.  We had a lovely traditional meal here prepared by Regula.

Linden as Tour Guide

 At Langnau, the oldest anabaptist (Mennonite) church still in existence, Linden gives us some history.

Checking the maps

 Linden thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the tour guide job including all the months of research and planning.  He said this was a low stress trip for him because we were all adults and were able to help figure things out as we went along.  I am so glad I went along!  So many times I came across things Linden and Gloria had told me about but I didn't really understand until I was there to see for myself.  Linden really put together a wonderful trip for us!

Trachselvald Castle, Switzerland

 Showalter ancestor, Christian Martin lived here.  Alas, but as a prisoner in the tower.  Christian's son, Christian emigrated to America in 1717.

Lovely view from a tower window.

Rations door to a prison cell.

Bern, Switzerland

 We had one of our 3 restaurant meals in Bern.  Most of us ordered roschti a traditional crispy potato dish.  We had built up a healthy appetite from traipsing after Linden on a walking tour of Bern.  Bern was not a friendly town to anabaptists in the 1600's!

 The clock tower with the little figures that go around every hour.

Bears of Bern