To Celebrate Official World Race Day

Congratulations to all who RAN on Offical World Race Day. Dad would love to run, but I'm proud of him for protecting his knees and sticking to bikes. On O.W.R.D. he rode his real bike TO the gym and had an extra long work out. We were with you in heart!

Hurghada Egypt on the Red Sea

Greetings from Hurghada Egypt on the Red Sea. We are spending a week of Thanksgiving vacation at the Hurghada Marriott. From Hurghada we can see things in the south that are hard to reach from Cairo, like The Valley of the Kings in Luxor. We can also go sailing on the Red Sea. Here are some photos of our home base at the Marriott. On Thanksgiving we couldn't find anyone serving turkey, or hardly anyone who knew what Thanksgiving is. So we enjoyed an American meal of steak in an Italian restaurant.

Question and Answer on Frankfurt

When we were in Utah in October we met our replacements, Dave and Julie Colton. She sent me an email with some questions. For the record, here is my answer.

Hi Julie,

I'm sorry this has taken me so long to get back to you. I remember how much I wanted to know about Germany. You asked some good questions, so I have followed them in this email. Please feel free to ask anything else that comes to mind. It is fun to talk about our memorable time here.

Fondly, Dorothy

Q: What do you do with guests who visit there in Frankfurt? What are your favorite local things to do with them?

A: When we want to show our guests the city of Frankfurt, it is good to start with the old town square called Romerberg. This is kind of the post card view of the town. My second favorite place in town is Goethe's house from the 1700's. Because Goethe is so revered in Frankfurt, his childhood home has been preserved and is furnished with period pieces. It is interesting to see how a prosperous family lived in Frankfurt at that time.



There are a few day trips around Frankfurt that our guests seem to request and enjoy the most.
A drive or cruise along the Rhine River to see the many castles on the hill tops.
Heidelberg has a picturesque castle in ruins. It is fun to tour the castle, the garden, and the old town.
Rothenberg prospered in the Middle Ages but during the Renaissance it was off the beaten path so it was forgotten and ignored. It was rediscovered in Modern times by tourists as a medieval town that time has not changed. It is good for shopping and strolling.

Q: Places to eat?

A: We live near a historic spot called Friedberger Warte. It is a convenient and quaint place to take visitors to eat.

Friedberg watchtower was erected in 1478 as a protection and observation point north of the town. From here, the watchman could see the surrounding area and warn the town of approaching marauders. In 1634 the tower was destroyed by fire and rebuilt. It survived World War II and is now home to a traditional restaurant, famous for its apple wine.


Q: What can't you get there as far as food, or anything else we're used to, that we should bring from home?

A: I think you can get most things here, or at least reasonable substitutes. We have a few favorite brands (D.O. and toothpaste.) For these, when we are in the US we bring back an extra one or two to last until our next trip. You don't really need to stockpile anything at the beginning.
Chocolate chips for cookies are one thing that I haven't found in German stores. I tried taking a block of chocolate and chopping it to make my own, but it wasn't the same. Since I don't bake much, it hasn't really been a problem. Two other small things that I bring back occasionally are my favorite dryer sheets (fabric softener) for the laundry and sandwich-size zip-lock bags (you at least need them for airport security.)

A: How did you handle home bills from there, and how did you do your finances (as far as banking, etc?)

Q: I am a big fan of QuickenBillPay.com. It has been so helpful and makes paying bills a breeze. Once you get it set up, it takes care of all the regular bills (like credit cards or utilities) in a timely way without having to think about it. If a person or an occasional expense comes up, I can enter the amount and address and it mails a check from our US checking account without the delay of international mail. It costs $9.99 a month and is worth it.

I've been to London to visit Christine

Well maybe I can kick start this blog with more summer pictures.
When they first arrived, Christine and Hillary flew on Ryanair from Frankfurt to Ireland. The flight was cheap but taking more than their carry-on luggage would have been very expensive. A month latter, acting as a luggage courier, I went to visit them in London. Christine, Hillary, Liz and I went to Westminster Abbey. Below, the Montana Hotel where I stayed, looks a lot like the building where they lived. It reminded me of Mary Poppins' neighborhood.





When in London, I like to look for fashion trends that are on their way to the US. The young ladies everywhere were wearing scarves in the middle of the summer. I had the nerve to photograph these two examples.





Thank you to Ana for your tasty Couscous Salad recipe. I'll include it here. We invited the summer interns, and John's lawyer-missionary couple for dinner outside in our yard. (Br Cutler is taking the photo.) We had fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden.



Couscous Salad with Chicken, tomato and Basil

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15.75-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
2 cups chopped tomato (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 2 breast halves)
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup (1-ounce) crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at high for 45 seconds. Add the broth; microwave at high 4 minutes or until mixture simmers. Gradually stir in couscous; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in the tomato, chicken, basil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and sprinkle with cheese.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Our August 2008 Photos

The McNalley family became good friends while we served in the Darmstadt English-speaking branch. The branch was closing because the US Army base there was closing. Madison turned 8 and her mother asked if Dad would baptise her. I spoke on Baptism and brought refreshments. Julie McNalley is a woman of great faith dealing with a lot of strains now.




Dagmar & Bjorn's wedding celebration gave us a chance to participate in a beautiful LDS wedding. In Germany everyone has to be married at city hall first, then you can go to a church afterward. This ballon launch was a colorful alternative to throwing rice. We had just attended a ring ceremony in the chapel next to the temple. That evening we joined the wedding party and around 100 friends for dinner at a restaurant.




Braunfels is one of our favorite castles because they still have a royal famiy living there continuing the 500 year chain. We went for the summer night Opera Fest and enjoyed seeing the young tow-headed princes jumping on their trampoline! The castle, grounds, museum and village are all charming and seem like a place out of time.




---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The best part of August was that Christine and Hillary came through twice. When they were here between London & Greece, we took them to Frankfurt's Old Opera House to see "Carmen." It was the unforgetable Flamenco version! The opera story was told through Flamenco dancing! The next time we saw our accomplished travelers they had added Italy to their travelog and were ready to go back to BYU.

Auberge Chez Zackrison in Germany

Mike and Candi Zackrison with Hannah and Heidi have been in Germany for a week. We have enjoyed being their base camp as they traveled out and about to see Germany and Switzerland. Mike served a mission in the Frankfurt mission. Candi served in the Zurich Switzerland mission. It is so fun to get acquainted with Hannah and Heidi.





Christine and Hillary stayed here a few days before going to Ireland. We took the tour of Heidelberg castle. Three of Rachel's friends (they had been in Israel the first summer term) came as they were traveling in Europe. We enjoyed showing them some of our favorite sights in Germany, like the Rhine River. Diane Bush was a bonus as she returned to Frankfurt to take the plane to LA after a study program in Italy.




This is our last July and August so now is the summer for anyone to come and see Germany while we are here.

Jack Johnson comes to the Rhein River

John says it wouldn't have happened without our missing the movies Friday night. Our movie was sold out. On the way back to the car we walked slowly and started reading posters on walls as we passed them. And there was Jack Johnson in concert TOMORROW in St Goarshausen on the Rhine. It must be sold out, we reasoned, but what if....

Through struggling German/English translations confusion, by phone & online we learned you can only buy tickets at the door. No, it's not "sold out." Could it be true? That is about all we knew when we took off in the car Saturday afternoon to see what we would find. We hid a key under the front doormat for Mike and Candi who would be back from Munich that night. We decided if nothing else it would be a great ride.

What we found was a beautiful open-air concert in a meadow on the cliff above the river at the Loreley. The gray clouds rolled away. We sat on a stair and joined about 30,000 (our guess) young German kids who appreciated Jack Johnson as much as we did. It was fun to watch them singing along.

You could tell we were Americans because we showed up with 45 euros in our pockets and our plastic cards. Plastic? No one seemed to have heard about the concept, not even the ticket counter or the restaurant. So John found a mountain stairway DOWN to the town on the river below and took off running in search of a cash machine. The amazing part was the run back UP the mountain after finding the one bank in the small village below. That man has a great heart!!

Jack Johnson sang for about two hours of concert and encores. How is his voice able to stay so strong? Under the stars, in an open field, and on the Rhine, it was the perfect setting for listening to his mellow sound and lyrics. We had a great time and felt our spontaneity really paid off.

Beach Week Gallery

Teaching Early Morning Seminary

As I get my blog caught up from the end of May, I want to mention teaching seminary because it made a big impact on our year.
We studied the Old Testament, which I love. It testifies that Jesus is the Christ, and prophesies of our times and the Last Days.
Let me recommend this web site for anyone who wants to read the Old Testament with understanding.
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ot/contents
Click LISTEN

From here I downloaded it to my iPod. Then, as Hamlet read aloud, I followed along in my own book. It makes them SO much more understandable. Give it a try, maybe when the Sunday School reads it again in 2010.

Here are two photos of my class -- not wanting me to take there photos.






My sail bag was the perfect carry-all.

This is not the Louvre.... it's Sainkt Katharinen Krankenhaus (hospital)

On the very day that I was to board American Airlines to our family Beach Week, instead my doctor sent me to Saikt Katharinen Krankenhaus (hospital.) Here I spent 5 days wishing I were there. What an experience! It is taking me full month to recover.

Finally they released me in time to get to Beach week from Tuesday to Saturday!







The doctors said that I had an inflamed kidney. They treated it with IV antibiotics. It probably resulted from a urinary tract infection, though I don't remember struggling with those symptoms. I found the following information online. These symptoms describe what I felt after I got over the 103* fever and it's symptoms.

"How well your kidneys work is called kidney function. As your kidney function gets worse, you may:

Feel very tired or sleepy.
Not feel hungry, or you may lose weight without trying.
Often feel sick to your stomach (nauseated) or vomit.
Have headaches or trouble thinking clearly
Have trouble sleeping.
Urinate less than normal.
Have swelling from fluid buildup in your tissues. This is called edema (say "ih-DEE-muh").."

Capri and Vesuvius

The Mediterranean beaches are pebbly not sandy. I think it's because there aren't waves and you need waves to bring sand.




The Blue Grotto really IS very blue. And yes, this is the place where capri pants got their name.










We climbed to the top crater of Mt Vesuvius to look inside to the volcano that erupted on Pompeii. I was disappointed to not see any smoke. When I was a child in the 50's it was still smoldering following its last activity in 1944.

Amalfi Coast

After our afternoon in Pompeii we drove along the Amalfi Coast because Rick Steves said such great things about it. This is the southern side of the penninsula at the bottom of the Bay of Naples. We made it to the small coastal town of Amalfi just as it was getting dark. Saturday morning we walked along the seaside, window shopped in pottery stores, and watched a wedding that was entering and leaving on the steps of the church. John and I enjoy having Rachel along. She is willing to "go with the flow."

The view from the coastal road on these high, steep mountain slopes is spectacular. The road was so narrow that when a bus came around the corner toward us we had to back up to let it pass.

Pompeii with Rachel

Day begins in Rome where John and I met up with Rachel. We are headed to Pompeii today. Saturday morning we expect to take a ferry to the island of Capri.






In Pompeii we walked around the ruins guided by the audio tour. When people were covered by ash and it hardened over the centuries, a cavity was formed that is used today to make plaster casts. These casts are a little eerie as they reveal people as they were caught that day. I'm fascinated by these little niches that are found around the buildings of Pompeii, because they are so similar to the niches seen around Italy today displaying religious icons and scenes.