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Treasures From Germany~Part 6

4 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

During our first tour in Germany (1967-1970), we picked up this etching of the cathedral in Cologne (Köln), but just never had it framed.

 

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Then I remembered a frame that I had of a chalk “painting” of my Aunt Jessie that was in a wonderful old frame. I had her picture removed (sorry Jessie), and the etching placed in the frame. The etching gives the feeling of “old” or “antique,” and to me suits this frame just right. It hangs in a place of honor in our family room, and we look at it often. We were able to visit the cathedral many times during our two tours of duty in Germany, and we also were able to see it again on our Viking River Cruise a year ago. Here are some current pictures of it.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed all the traveling around Europe that we did during our stays in Germany. One of our favorite old cities to visit, was the town of Mickelstadt. It wasn’t too far from Heidelberg, and we visited often. Here is a watercolor of that town that we enjoy. Brings back so many good memories.

 

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When we lived in Wiesbaden, we would occasionally have “vendors” come to our stairwell door with goods they wanted us to purchase. Neither Fred nor I am very good at “haggling,” and when the artist approached us with this windmill painting, we said we just couldn’t afford it.

 

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We thought that was the end of it, but she lowered the price. Again, we declined. And then she made her final offer – saying it was the rock-bottom price she would go. I looked at Fred, and we agreed that $35 for an original oil, framed, wouldn’t break the bank. So we bought it. Didn’t realize we had that knack for haggling! We purchased the two prints of Paris scenes somewhere along the way, and added them to the Holland painting. The colors go fairly well together, we think.

One more thing that we picked up while in Germany, was a page, copied, from a page of the Gutenberg Bible. For many years, it just sat, rolled up, on a shelf. I finally had it framed to hang in Fred’s office. The “antique” look to the frame seems to match the page from that original Bible. The smaller frame holds the description of the page. We had it translated, and it says: The 42-line Bible was printed between 1452 and 1455 by the inventor of the printer in Mainz (Germany). The original of this book is found in the Mainz Gutenberg-Museum. This arrangement now hangs in our guest bedroom.

 

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~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

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Treasures From Germany~Part 5

27 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

In previous postings, I mentioned that one of our very favorite cities in Germany to visit was Rothenburg. It is a walled city, that has existed by name since 1170 A.D. While we didn’t know all the Nazi history of Rothenburg, we still loved the city. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

In March 1945 in World War II, German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg to defend it. On March 31, bombs were dropped over Rothenburg by 16 planes, killing 37 people and destroying 306 houses, six public buildings, nine watchtowers, and over 2,000 feet (610 m) of the wall. The U.S. Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy knew about the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg, so he ordered US Army General Jacob L. Devers not to use artillery in taking Rothenburg. Battalion commander Frank Burke (Medal of Honor) ordered six soldiers of the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division to march into Rothenburg on a three-hour mission and negotiate the surrender of the town….When stopped by a German soldier, Private Lichey, who spoke fluent German and served as the group’s translator, held up a white flag and explained, “We are representatives of our division commander. We bring you his offer to spare the city of Rothenburg from shelling and bombing if you agree not to defend it. We have been given three hours to get this message to you. If we haven’t returned to our lines by 1800 hours, the town will be bombed and shelled to the ground.” The local military commander Major Thömmes gave up the town, ignoring the order of Hitler for all towns to fight to the end and thereby saving it from total destruction by artillery. American troops of the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division occupied the town on April 17, 1945, and in November 1948, McCloy was named Honorable Protectorate of Rothenburg. After the war, the residents of the city quickly repaired the bombing damage. Donations for the rebuilding were received from all over the world. The rebuilt walls feature commemorative bricks with donor names. Traffic-reducing measures were put in place in a significant portion of Rothenburg to increase safety and accommodate tourism.

Since our days in Wiesbaden (1967-1970), we had visited Rothenburg, and collected etchings that we liked, and had them framed. Here are some of them.

 

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Here are some recent pictures of Rothenburg that we enjoy:

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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An Anniversary with a Thanksgiving

20 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

This Thanksgiving week marks an anniversary of sorts for Fred and me. 21 years ago, on a Tuesday, we left Virginia, our home for nearly 13 years,

 

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and drove down to Orlando, Florida. On that next day, Wednesday, we signed the papers for our new house in Kissimmee, obtained the keys for the house, drove to our new house and unloaded all the stuff we had packed in the car for the trip.

From there, we drove over to Titusville to spend the night with my brother and sister-in-law, since we had no furniture in our new house.

The next day was Thanksgiving, 1995. We celebrated that day with my brother and sister-in-law, their daughter and her husband, and her husband’s family.

 

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We will always cherish the memory of that time – that everyone opened their homes and hearts to us on such short notice. After a few weeks of sorting, disposing of stuff we had managed to collect after 13 years of living in one place, and cleaning the house, it was quite nice not to have to do anything but enjoy a good meal, and have wonderful fellowship with those around us that we love.

And so we remember the 21st anniversary of our arrival in Florida, along with our first Thanksgiving here, and the love that was just showered upon us.

And after that wonderful meal and a good night’s rest, we were up early on that Friday and drove back to Kissimmee in time to meet the moving truck with all our household goods. So we got to work setting our house in order.

 

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We are so thankful….and this is the week to express that thanks.

I found this pilgrim couple a few years ago, and they have decorated our Thanksgiving table ever since. I think they’re cute.

 

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A friend did a macramé pilgrim for me some years ago. He proudly welcomes any and all to our door this time each year. I love his bushy beard!!

 

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happy-thanksgiving

 

 

Courtesy Google Search

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Treasures From Germany~Part 4

13 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

There were several things that interested us while we were in Germany. All those years before that we lived in Wiesbaden (1967-1970) , we had never heard of the Kaiser company (founded 1872..became Kaiser in 1928) that produced porcelain figurines. But when we arrived in Heidelberg (1980-1983), that was the rage – to have some figurines by Kaiser. We found several that we liked and purchased them for ourselves. And some we purchased for our family. For instance, my Aunt Jessie loved dogs, and especially poodles. So we purchased this poodle for her. Following her death, I reclaimed it.

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And this little Scottie just took my fancy – he’s got such a happy expression, don’t you think?

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These dolphins reached out to me, so I purchased them. Kaiser had several different versions of the dolphins. I liked the two set best. Some were glazed (shiny) but I liked the unglazed better.

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I think this squirrel is quite the cutie.

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But this little bunny rabbit looks so much like Thumper from the Disney movie Bambi®, that I had to have him in my collection! He’s adorable!!

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We have a couple of nudies that appealed to us, and here they are.

 

I don’t have pictures of them, but my Aunt Jessie had several Kaiser figurines of gymnasts. Our Janet has them now, as she was quite interested in being a gymnast herself. They are quite delicate and beautiful.

Our Karen has a Mother and Child figurine, and a running horse with her colt – all made by Kaiser. Here they are in a picture of them on her fireplace mantle.

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As you can see, all of those Kaiser figurines are white bisque. While we saw many of the same figurines that had been painted, for some reason, I liked the plain white much better. However, there was one figurine that we purchased that couldn’t be anything but painted. It is so delicate and beautiful, and we treasure it.

 

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Another type of figurine that caught our attention was those made by Lladro (Spanish pronunciation – yah’ – drow). Many of their “human” figurines are rather grotesquely elongated – definitely not proportioned, and did not appeal to us at all. However, the figurines they made of animals were something that did appeal to us. My family purchased them for me and gave them to me as Christmas presents two different years. I enjoy them so much, and am thankful to have them. They were rather expensive, even in Germany.

One other figurine type we purchased while we were in Wiesbaden, and have enjoyed them all these years. They are Dresden “musical angels,” with each one having a different musical instrument. Two seem to be the same, but after looking closely, you will see that one is praying for her sister instrumentalists (far right – hands closer together), while the other one is directing the music (far left – hands more apart). I have treasured these figurines for over 40 years.

 

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~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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Treasures from Germany~Part 3

6 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

More treasures we found in Germany. We discovered, while in Heidelberg, that an art form had started. Sorry, I can’t recall the name of it right now. But artists would take old objects (such as this coal carrier) and paint it. It is now an umbrella stand in our house

 

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Or they would take things like this flan form and paint it. It also hangs on our wall.

 

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It is such a unique, and beautiful form of painting, and we enjoy these items so much. However, with all the crafty things that I do, painting is NOT one of them. Everyone kept saying how easy it was to do – just swirls and commas, and dots. But I knew I would never be able to duplicate what they did. So I just purchased their wares, and enjoy the end product.

This particular item is loved in our house, but we didn’t pick it up while in Germany. Actually, our Karen found it in downtown Chicago some years ago, and knew that we would enjoy it. Those of you who have visited Heidelberg, know that it is the gate to the old city – another landmark, if you will, other than the castle ruins itself. But it sits on a shelf in our kitchen, fully lit from the inside, 24/7, and reminds us of our time there every time we see it (or dust it!).

 

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And speaking of Heidelberg, shortly after we arrived in that great city, I found this framed photograph, in a shop. I loved it on sight, and purchased it. Through the years, the photo has faded to more yellows and browns, so I had it “restored” to its original colors. We thoroughly enjoy it.

 

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While we were in Heidelberg, I kept seeing a set of porcelain that intrigued me. I had a set of china that my brother had brought back from Japan years before Fred and I married, and I had a set of ironstone that we used every day. And then there was the antique Haviland china set that my Aunt Jessie found at an estate sale in Albuquerque many years ago, that I acquired at her death. But this porcelain set…well, it just kept eating at me. So finally, I told Fred that I would be happy with a tea set of it, and we purchased it.   It is called Burgund, and is produced by Goebel, the same company that produces Hummel figurines. However, before we left Germany, I told Fred that I had lied….I wanted the entire dinner set! Dishes! Plates! Serving pieces! Just ALL of it! And so we purchased it, and we use it quite often. I think it’s a beautiful set. Here is the covered serving bowl, just to give you an idea of the design of the porcelain.

 

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One little side note about the Burgund: as I was unpacking all the dishes, and checking off the invoice, I discovered that the store had not charged me for the 12 saucers. So I took the invoice back to the store and, in my halting German, tried to explain what had happened. They didn’t understand at first, thinking I was saying they had overcharged me. I was finally able to make them understand that, no, I had not paid for those saucers, and I was there to make things right! They were so happy to take my money that they gave me the salt and pepper shakers free! I told Fred that I never wanted anyone to think that ALL Americans were ugly Americans! Perhaps I helped that view in at least one store in Heidelberg!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

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Treasures From Germany~Part 2

30 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

Another musing about our time in Germany. We had such a great time, and enjoyed just everything there. The food was one of the best things! We never had a bad meal, even if we stopped at a Gasthaus in a small town we were traveling through. I remember we went to sight-see in one town, but when it came time to eat, we left the town and went to a Gasthaus in a smaller town down the road.

 

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The Schwartzer Adler Gasthaus – Courtesy Google search

 

Our girls didn’t understand our reasoning, until I explained to them:   If the food in the larger, tourist town isn’t too good, well, the patrons are just tourists and won’t be back. However, if the food in the Gasthaus, which is patronized by the locals, isn’t good, then the local people won’t be back, and the Gasthaus will close down. So the food has to be good. And it was VERY good!

We had several favorite restaurants within both Wiesbaden and Heidelberg that we frequented. I’m told that our very favorite in Heidelberg is no longer an eatery – it is now a bank! Noooooo! Unfortunately, we haven’t been back to see it ourselves, but our Karen and her husband, Brian, have, and gave us the bad news. Shucks!

Here are some of the treasures we picked up while in Germany. I’m not sure I remember where I purchased this candle, but I have enjoyed it for many years. While it is a candle, and “decorated with grapes and vines,” it is also painted with silver. Most unique.

 

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When we lived in Wiesbaden, our first apartment was on Albrecht Dürerstrasse (Albrecht Dürer Street). When we found this etching of the “Praying Hands” – and since we knew the story behind the hands, we purchased it. It hangs on a short wall in our entryway, along with a scripture verse, and reminds us of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

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Here’s an abbreviated version of the “Praying Hands:”

Albrecht Dürer was one of 18 children. He and his brother both wanted to be artists, but knew their father couldn’t pay for their studies. They flipped a coin – the winner would go to art school, the loser would work in the mines to support the winner. Albrecht won. His work at the academy was an immediate sensation. Albert worked the mines for four years to support Albrecht.

 Following his return to Nürnberg, and a festive dinner, Albrecht raised a toast to his brother and said that, now it was Albert’s turn to study. With tears in his eyes, Albert showed his hands that had been so damaged working in the mines, that he was unable to even hold a paint brush, and so unable to study art. It was “too late” for him.

 Tradition has it that Albrecht’s drawing of the “Praying Hands” are those of his beloved brother in prayer.

There are other versions of this story, but this one touches my heart.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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The Young Men

24 Oct

My Take

DiVoran Lites

the-young-men

Painting by DiVoran Lites

 

 

 

The boys aren’t children anymore,
Yet they race kites along the shore,
The splashing surf roars up, away,
While twilight steals across the bay.
So tall and strong and smart these two,
There is nothing they can’t do.
And so they string a three-tiered kite
And loop-the-loop into the night.
When tails get tangled, kites swoop down
To trail the sand along the ground.
In silhouette the men stand tall.
And, as the kite begins to fall,
They run to lift it, set it free,
Performing high for all to see
Against a burnt-sienna sky,
An acrobat a-flying high.
The boy’s are men now – how they grew!
And there’s just nothing they can’t do.

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Treasures From Germany~Part 1

23 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

We were blest with being able to live in West Germany for a total of six years. We spent three years in Wiesbaden, then 10 years later, we returned to Germany for another three years in Heidelberg.   Both tours of duty were precious to us. God gave us the opportunity to live in a country that wasn’t our native land, to see the beauty of other parts of the world, and to know another culture. I wish every American citizen could have that experience – to see the United States from the viewpoint of other countries. It certainly helped us to see what a wonderful and free country we live in.

One thing we did, that I wish was imperative for every American, was to visit a World War 2 concentration camp. We visited Dachau several times – on our own, and with friends and family that came to visit us.

 

Memorial Wall
Crematorium

Dachau has been really “cleaned up” from what it was during the war, but the atmosphere is still there. It truly makes us appreciate the United States so much more.

 

Credit Google search
Credit Google search
Credit Google search

 

But there were other things that we did in Europe to make us wish we could have stayed longer. We traveled to England.

 

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We traveled to Italy.

 

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We traveled to Greece.

 

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We traveled to Switzerland.

 

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We traveled to Austria and Liechtenstein.

 

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Mozartplatz in Salzburg

 

We traveled to France.

 

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As you can see, we were well-traveled. We saw beauty everywhere. And we saw treasures everywhere we went. Some of those treasure we bought and brought home with us.

I’ve mentioned the alabaster lampstands, and onyx “eggs” that we enjoy. We had a friend in Maine who was a bit of a germaphobe and actually boiled the alabaster items her husband brought back! They literally crumbled in her hands! Ouch!

Somewhere along the line, we picked up this set of bells.

 

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When I had a meal ready, I would “ring the bells” to let everyone know that it was time to gather at the table. I still have the bells, but don’t usually ring them anymore. I just yell for Fred to come.

I have never developed a taste for beer, wine, or any other alcoholic drink. However, that didn’t prevent me from purchasing this cute miniature wine-glass set.

 

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When I saw it, it just struck my fancy. And as for the beer and schnapps glasses – they were a gift from a delightful German girl who came and stayed with us for a few weeks.

 

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The York High School in Yorktown, Virginia, has a German “sister city” – Zweibrücken – and some of their students came to stay in Virginia to see how we lived. A lovely girl named Astrid stayed with us, and her thank-you gift was this beer and schnapps glass. We don’t use it, but think of her and the time we had together when we look at it.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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It’s Music To My Ears

16 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

Seems like I have always loved to sing. I vaguely remember being in the Christmas program in my 1st grade class, and sang a solo. I think it was….Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

I’m sure I sang in the children’s choir in our church. I don’t remember much about that. However, I do remember being in the youth choir in our church. And when I turned 17 years old, those of us that age, were allowed to sing in the adult choir. I was rather appalled to realize that some of those older women really needed to stop singing in the choir! And I made up my mind then and there that, when I got to that age, and if I found myself “warbling” like they were then it was time to stop singing in the choir!

I remember singing in my Junior High School chorus. Back then, Elementary school was 1st through 6th grade. Junior High was 7th through 9th grade, and high school was 10th through 12th grade.

I do remember singing solo’s in church – and not just in my home church, but in churches that Fred and I were members of years later.

But my best memories of singing came about during my High School days. I remember that we had to choose between singing in the chorus (or being in the band if that was our talent) or taking P.E. I chose music.   I was in the girls chorus all three years of my high school.

But there were two other groups within the music at my high school that I was interested in:  All-State Chorus and a hand-selected group they called Dreamers. I had to audition for each of those groups each and every year. The first year I auditioned for All-State Chorus, I had a cold and didn’t qualify. However, the final two years of my high school I was able to be a part of that group. High School choruses from all over New Mexico came to Albuquerque for the concert. We met in the University of New Mexico (UNM) gymnasium for rehearsals and the concert. As you might imagine, the acoustics were not the best, but we needed the space. And since Albuquerque was more-or-less central in New Mexico, it was always held there. What a fantastic experience that was!!

 

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1959 All-State Chorus from my high school

 

But I think, outside of All-State Chorus, the best thing about high school and singing, was to be a part of Dreamers all three years of my high school. There were 12 of us each year – four voices on each part of a trio. We always had a great blend, even though many of the voices changed out each year, as some graduated. We traveled to sing for other group meetings around the city. It was great!

 

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1959 Dreamers

 

Our chorus director was Arthur Loy. He was also the director for those of us in the All-State Chorus as well as the Dreamers. He had a great love for music, and his students, and the talent to direct us. He picked great songs for us to sing – some of the old great ones: Night and Day was one of my favorites. I was sorry to graduate and leave his tutelage.

 

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As you can see, music has been a large part of my life. I am grateful.

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Psalm 96:1

 

 

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Surprise!!~Part 2

9 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy  Wills

 

I recently wrote about a surprise that my family played on me – a delightful surprise, I might add (please see my post of September 18, 2016 – Surprise!!).

 

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There are some in my family that LOVE to do that kind of surprise on other family members. Our son-in-law, Brian, is one of the best.

I remember once, when we were living in Virginia, and Karen and Brian were living in Harrisonburg, VA (and attending James Madison University) (before children), and they surprised us by showing up in our morning church service. As was my custom, after we (the choir) entered the choir loft, I would peruse the congregation, to see who all was there. I’m sure my jaw dropped to the floor, when I looked at that section of pews and there they sat! They both ducked their heads, grinning.

And then there was the time that Karen and Brian with their two children, were going on a cruise with Brian’s parents, leaving from Seattle, Washington. When I informed them that Fred and I would be up there at that time, visiting with Fred’s parents and sister, Brian asked if we would like to surprise Fred’s family with their visit. That one didn’t work out as we had hoped, unfortunately. They had hoped to just show up in the church service that morning. However, with the time frame they had to get to the cruise terminal, we just didn’t have the time for a surprise visit and unplanned lunch. They all did come to church, but we had planned with the restaurant for the meal, and it was ready for us to sit down and eat when we arrived. And then they were off. It would have been a lovely surprise, if it had worked out. Fred’s parents were delighted.

 

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I think the best surprise that I ever managed to pull off, was Fred’s 70th birthday party. Several months before his birthday, I had asked both of our daughters if they and their families would be able to come – as a surprise for their dad. So the plans were made. As it turned out, our oldest grandson, and Tom, our Janet’s husband, were unable to make the trip. Everyone else made it. Our grandtwins were only three years old, and Janet managed with them on the airplane by herself. My brother and his family live just one hour away, and we had invited them all to come – with Fred’s knowledge.

The day arrived, and we all had arranged to meet at a shopping center, where I would pick up the food we were having. It was February, and the weather was beautiful. Brian and his family picked up the salad from Olive Garden, while I picked up the main dishes from Romano’s Macaroni Grill. When we all arrived home, I went in the front door and hollered for Fred to come and help. And then his girls and their families walked in! Again, it was a lovely surprise!

Most of the group
My brother, Bill, and his son-in-law, Ron
Connor and Hannah with ALL the toys!
Cousins

A good time was had by all. Janet had the twins make this “picture” for Fred, and we display it in our family room. The color has faded through the years – the left side was blue paper and right side was pink paper, representing Connor and Hannah. But it’s still a fun thing to look at, and remember.

 

I love Family

I love family!

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