Palm Sunday

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

It is Palm Sunday already and we have spent nearly 7 hrs of it on the road returning from a near perfect trip to Prague. I am still processing it all and likely will be for some time – figuratively and literally since we took some 400 pictures of that magical city.

I realized this morning that it has been 2 yrs now since we have braided palms in this family. As this article explains this is a land without palms. Instead, we receive blessed bundles of herbs or branches from flowering spring shrubs. We discovered today that it is the same in the Czech Republic. Still wonderful, still a reminder of that magnificent procession into Jerusalem so long ago. It is just another of those different things I didn't know before we came here and thought you might not either.

(You can see more pics here and here)

Whatever is gracing your altars this year, may they bless you greatly.

I will be sharing as we can in coming days but they promise to continue to be full. We are so very pleased to be preparing to host the son of our dear friends for the rest of his spring break from his semester in Florence.

zoom, zoom

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

At Rebecca's suggestion we have Old Car week at Snapshots Around the World this week. Go have a look. : )

(Paris car show below)

While I was looking for my old cars in my files I found all those other car shots. These would be the ones I take while my children shout, "Mom!!! Mom!! Did you get it? Did you get it???? Oh my GOSH! Did you SEE that??"

So yes, I saw it. I got it. Here ya go. <g>
(Strasbourg, France below)

Next to us in the garage in Luxembourg. Seems wild they let our crazy gang park next to these lol. There was a brief tutorial about how to exit the vehicle before the doors opened. And about not drooling on other people's cars….

No rules about posing though <g>

Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

I was not expecting to write this post this month. Of course, I had not ever expected to be writing a post from this beautiful corner of the planet in the first place. I serve a God of surprises, one after another. And He has delivered a whopper in the last week.

This summer I will be writing to you from another country. Again.

Curious? Let me give you a hint. What do all these things have in common:

(royals pic from Defence images)

Don't let my glasses throw you lol. It was all I had of me lately. And yes, I will be reporting from the beautiful British Isles come summer. There had been hints over the past several weeks. There was also potential new opportunity here locally. We were just getting so ready to KNOW that we beseeched St. Joseph to join us in that intention last week. Amazingly, the day after the novena word came down on both fronts. The opportunity here was definitely not to be, and a wonderful new door opened in England.

I have no idea what that will end up looking like. We have been researching housing and have seen bright, open, gallery white spaces as well as stately old Miss Potter style homesteads. Tudor copies to townhouses. Remains to be seen what that will come down to in the end. My head is still spinning.

For this Anglo-phile it is a dream come true. I was a charter subscriber to Victoria Magazine and still own every one of them. While my high school friends were caught up with Madonna, and long before people had personal computers, I was enthralled with biographies of old English royalty. There are books on chintz and china, lace and needlepoint on my bookshelves. I have never even needlepoint-ed. (is that a word?) My daughter and I have developed strong opinions on variations of black tea. I was born for this <g>

Still, I would be kidding you if I didn't say that rapturous joy over this prospect is the only emotion we have experienced. I will be honest, when things are going well in my life I rarely rock the boat. In fact it would be more accurate to envision me huddled at the center – in my lifejacket – holding very, very still. So it was a conscious act of faith to step out of that hull and consider that there might be even more opportunity and possibility someplace other than the pond on which I was floating. Big leap of faith.

The train of thought went like so…. This house is not particularly full of character, but for the first time in maybe ever, it works. What if the next one didn't? We have good neighbors. Even if it did take 18mo for the neighbor to speak to us on ground level. (ie instead of from her balcony, poised for a hasty retreat) What if the new ones are awful? I haven't had to use my GPS in recent months. I was enjoying that. I like knowing where the store is. We found a dentist. We have a groove.

What if….??

Let me tell you, you can 'what if' until you can barely breathe, which is why my dear Gram did not approve of 'what if' in the least. And that knowledge brought me up short with this 'what if' instead – What if God knows all these things. What if He knows the plans He has made for me, plans to bless and not to curse. What if I just step out in trustful surrender and enjoy the ride? Like I did two years ago…

It is in that spirit of adventure that will say goodbye to this tremendous valley and these great, Grimm forests to say hello to cottage-lined lanes and the white cliffs of Dover. I will say goodbye to summer winefestivals and hello to high teas. I will say goodbye to yellow fields of rapeseed and hello to hills of heather.

I hope you will join me.

Meantime, you can expect chatter about home organization and moving a big clan like ours. This isn't across town. It is across a continent. Across a channel. We haven't even worked out the details there yet, but we will. I am sorting through my pinterest pins and determining what has worked here and what could be done better next time. It is a fantastic challenge and I am truly enjoying it.

There are more countries on the continent to see before the move and a lot more pictures to take yet too. It is going to be a busy year indeed. : )

what lies beneath

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

We almost missed it entirely. In fact, we DID miss it twice. Third time's the charm.

I have been to Trier three times now. The first visit was made during the summer Roman Festival which is held on the Kaiserthermen grounds, home of the Imperial Bath ruins. I thought we covered every square inch of the place that day. It was hard to miss the massive structure.

Trier itself is ancient – truly. It is thought to have been founded some 2000 yrs before the time of Christ by the Assyrians of all people. The people who descended from them, the Trevi, were conquered by the Romans in the century before Christ. It became a major hub for Roman big wigs. The Imperial Palace was constructed and south of that structure these incredible kaiserthermen, the emperor's baths, were built, fed by the Roman aqueduct system. After the Germanic tribes seiged the city in 360 the baths were used as barracks.

The facade is still intact and I wanted to be sure to take the boys here when they came this winter. It is a bit of Rome right here in Germany, seriously like stepping back in time. I told them we could save the entrance fee and just walk along the sidewalk. It was so tremendous you could see it all anyway. Zach's friend insisted on treating so we ended up walking through the grounds instead.

As we were wrapping up our visit we noticed steps. They really appeared to be just maintenance areas or something though. The boys wanted to check it out. They vanished down below and didn't return. After a while I told Colin I would go check it out. It was like slipping into Alice's rabbit hole. Just a short flight of steps down you entered a series of tunnels which connected various rooms throughout the entire grounds. There were openings in the roof periodically which lit the space.

I hollered MARCO? and Kieran hollered back POLO! I heard, but it took a bit to find them. It was vast, but flat and paved. We all had the same thought – Colin HAD to get down here. So Zach went back up to help navigate the chair and we all explored a good while. The whole day was a good lesson in sight-seeing. There is always more than meets the eye and you usually miss the best parts rushing to the next place.

This volume of pictures is probably like sitting through your uncles vacation slides. You are free to go <g> I just still am awestruck that we touched the walls that saw Constantine.

entry

Jan 2012 trier

Gone Feising

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

This weekend kicked off the first of March Madness for us. It is the month of the Irish and there will be a lot of jigs danced before it's over.

Saturday found us in Stuttgart for another feis. The whole family hit this one and while it had all the potential to be otherwise, I can say it was a totally stress-free day from start to finish. The girls and I worked together in the days before preparing costumes and packing the feis bag. We were working within a budget for this trip so we planned to drive down and back the same day and bring meals along.

It all came off without a hitch. It's not everyday you can say that now is it? I like to make note when it does!

Mar

Winter Walking with Abbie Rose

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

It's different this year. There is no more stroller in front of me. I am keenly aware of its absence I admit. For over a quarter century I have followed behind the wheels. But in place of the familiar hum of the axles spinning there is now a pair of tiny boots skipping, jumping, twirling. There are two bitty hands reaching, digging, pointing, sharing. Treasures in hand, she trips along the trail joy-filled and breathless checking every puddle and ditchside weed. And I am right behind, soaking it all in.

Someday – too soon – she will venture farther than I can follow. For today, though, we walk together. I am grateful for every step.

As we walked this day I felt a coin in my coat pocket. (pictured above) It wasn't a Euro and the saint caught my eye. When I came home I looked it up. It is Bulgarian and commemorates St Ivan of Rila (Rilski). You can see it here. Allen or Zach must have picked it up in Poland, Czech Republic, or Turkey is our best guess. Just made me laugh. How crazy that this is my life! I am grateful for this too. : )

Keep Your Eyes Upon the Rail

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

tracks

Life is like a mountain railway,
With an engineer that’s brave;
We must make the run successful,
From the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels;
Never falter, never fail;
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.

train

You will roll up grades of trial;
You will cross the bridge of strife;
See that Christ is your conductor
On this lightning train of life;
Always mindful of obstruction,
Do your duty, never fail;
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.

You will often find obstructions,
Look for storms and wind and rain;
On a fill, or curve, or trestle
They will almost ditch your train;
Put your trust alone in Jesus,
Never falter, never fail;
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail.

tracks

As you roll across the trestle,
Spanning Jordan’s swelling tide,
You behold the Union Depot
Into which your train will glide;
There you’ll meet the Sup’rintendent,
God, the Father, God the Son,
With the hearty, joyous plaudit,
“Weary Pilgrim, welcome home.”

train
This hymn is attributed to Eliza Snow. I pause at that line in the middle,

"They will almost ditch your train."

Many of us know those words, know that truth, we have known storms that come dangerously close to derailing us entirely. But there is no looking left nor right on the rails. Backward glances avail nothing. Our focus must always be onward.

Always onward.

So as I listen to one of my favorite renditions, again I ask myself,

"Where is my glance today?"

Mainz Madness – Fasching 2012

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Fasching 2012 was a bit more um, colorful, than Fasching 2011. At least for us. Husband had read about the parade in Mainz and heard it was second only to the celebration in Koln. It isn't all that far away and it seemed like something to to check off the bucket list while we were here.

I did mention it to my German friends a few days earlier to which they both responded, "Why? They'll all be drunk," with a shake of their heads. Honestly, we took that with a grain of salt. For one thing, all German festivals involve a fair amount of alcohol. While drinking and driving is dealt with severely here, open intoxicants and drinking and walking are not considered a problem. So we expected some of that. But "all" sounded like an exaggeration. Yeah.

It wasn't.

Feb

I am just going to interject here that the little people generally get dressed up cute when going out in public. But sometime in those last minutes before we get out the door Brendan usually reworks at least part of his outfit. Today it was his cold weather gear. So. Back to your regularly scheduled programming…

We arrived an hour or so before the parade was set to begin and immediately found a parking spot. Rare events such as these always make us pause and go, hmmmm <g> After scouring the street for signs to the contrary, we assured ourselves it was, indeed, a legit spot. We headed down through the park to the city center. It wasn't hard to find. You just follow the noise.

Feb
The parade route was lined with beer trucks and pommes vendors, beer and french fries being standard festing fare. People were milling about and just beginning to line up streetside. We took spots ourselves and settled in. That lasted about 20 minutes, at which point a crowd of "young people" (ok, did I just say that? I did. I think I am very old….) could be seen carousing down the street in our direction. When they gathered on our corner and decided to stay I smiled pathetically at Husband and he moved us further down the road. Right after I taped them. <g> It's terrible video because you know, there is a fine line between getting footage of drunken revelry and being noticed getting footage of same.

Untitled from Starry Sky Ranch on Vimeo.

You get extra points if you can identify the song on that one. If you watch international soccer you might recognize it. Give me an H!

So we set up again and waited. A long time. Two more hours actually. Which required some pommes to convince Abbie it was going to be worth it.

Feb

The crowds grew to massive size by the time the parade reached our end of town. Like, massive. Like, the kind of crowds you see on the news massive. The rest of the event could be summed up thusly: music, costumes, and public drunkeness. All in large quantities.

You might think you have a visual, but if you haven't been here I am venturing to say you probably don't. I am not posting all my pics here (though several will likely end up on the website by the end of the week) because some were a little over the top. Like the guy dangling the little girl out of the window ala Michael Jackson. Or the old folks in the parade chugging tiny shot bottles of vodka as they marched. Or the bottles and broken glass that literally covered the streets like peanuts at the Organ Grinder. (Did I just date myself? Someone tell me there are still Organ Grinder restaurants someplace?)

(this was my little space before things got rockin'. The dirty clogs are mine, the vodka wasn't though)

Don't get me wrong, it WAS a cool thing to say you got to see in person. Still, we did form a human chain and got outta Dodge before the parade was over. Seemed better to leave before the crowd no longer had something to focus their attention upon. Our German friends said this year was particularly rowdy and the news was all about it last night. So Tina, if you are reading this – you were right!

Feb

Anyway, I was pretty pumped that I did get to see those giant puppet head guys finally. The kids mostly had fun – if sometimes in a deer in the headlights sorta way. Always an adventure in this family. Always an adventure. They will never be short on stories!

If you want to get a feel for the place and the day I made this slide video. The music is one of the party songs you hear at all these things. I apologize in advance if you are singing "La, la, lalala" all day now. If it makes you feel any better it is stuck in my head now too. "So a schöner tag…" Remember I already explained this event so you know that this may be a PG show ok? Ok.

Untitled from Starry Sky Ranch on Vimeo.

Enjoy! As for me it is four minutes to lent now. Probably my cue to go to bed instead of sitting up snacking as though I was storing up til April. Even if I maybe was. <g>

If you want to learn more about Fasching in Germany you can check out last year's posts here and here.

Illuminate

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

It is better to illuminate than to merely shine.

– St. Thomas Aquinas

A week of mornings and a big thought.

Kölner Dom – Cologne Cathedral

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Kim Halloran-Fry

We knew from reading the history that the Cologne Cathedral was exceptional, being one of the largest cathedrals in the world. It is hard to convey the awe you feel as you approach however. It is truly immense. You find yourself gazing up and up and up, the eye drawn irrestibly, which of course was the intent of gothic architecture.

The facade is covered with intricate carving.

While Colin and I went looking through nooks and crannies of the interior, Allen and the kids trekked up the 500 foot spire to the bell tower lookout.

At the top you are rewarded a view of the Rhine and the city. And you can check out the Petersglocke, the largest free swinging bell in the world. They send you up with ear protection, should you arrive up there when they ring.

We spent far more time in the cathedral than expected and left at dusk. I so wished I had my tripod but we still got a decent parting shot of city.

Starry Sky Journal

Reflections from Starry Sky Ranch

Category Archives: Germany