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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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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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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!!).

 

judy-family

 

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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Pictures

2 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

I think I’ve mentioned several things before:

 

  1. My Aunt Jessie – my mother’s only sibling, collector of plates and other items

 

  1. I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

  1. I did scrapbooking for quite a while

 

  1. Fred and I eat at Cracker Barrel quite often

What brought these things to mind, is that we were at Cracker Barrel recently and I saw a picture that I had noticed before. I kept telling Fred that it reminded me of pictures I have of Aunt Jessie as a small child – actually wondering whether or not it actually was my Aunt Jessie. I know that Cracker Barrel collects odds and ends of “old times” to display in their restaurant/store. I suspect they travel far and wide at antique stores, and such, to find the treasures they want. They have items on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. I keep forgetting to “look up” and see what they have. Interesting stuff.

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Credit Google search and Cracker Barrel website

 

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Credit Google search and Cracker Barrel website

 

I have also mentioned the deer head hanging above the Cracker Barrel fireplace in every Cracker Barrel I’ve been in. It reminds me of the one we had hanging in our dining room all the years I was growing up (please see my post of July 10, 2016 – Family Treasures – Part 6).

The particular picture I have of Aunt Jessie that reminded me of this picture connection, is on a 3″ x 3″ piece of glass, and is literally painted on that glass. It has always fascinated me.

I probably would not have made any connection between those two pictures, had I not done a lot of scrapbooking, and that glass picture was there for me to place in a book. I always thought it was a neat thing to have – a picture painted on a piece of glass – but it wasn’t until I saw the picture in Cracker Barrel that I made any connection.

My shot of the Cracker Barrel picture
Picture on glass

So I thought I would show my readers what prompted me to write about it. I told Fred recently that when I got the pictures together, I would probably say, “oh, they don’t look anything alike after all!” But it’s fun to think about.

Who knows? It could be a long-lost picture of one of my family members! Stranger things have happened!

And here are a couple of other pictures of Jessie, that actually look more like that Cracker Barrel picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Enmu

25 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 Enmu

Is that title intriguing? Does it add a touch of mystery? You might figure out the “U” is University, and you would be right. Remember I said in previous musings that I grew up in the great state of New Mexico? That’s where the “NM” comes in. The only letter left is “E” – and – you guessed it – it stands for Eastern. Okay, all together now: Eastern New Mexico University.

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credit Google search and ENMU website

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ENMU Admin Building – credit Google search

 

 

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Concept Art for ENMU stadium – credit Google search

 

That was my first venture into the collegiate world. It is located in Portales (por-tal’-es), New Mexico, about 18 miles from Clovis, NM – also Cannon AFB – and a little farther to Texas. Several girls in my dorm had come over the Texas line to attend ENMU. Portales is about a four-hour drive from Albuquerque, so it wasn’t somewhere where I could hop home very often.

 

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Photo credit Jimmy Emerson

 

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Photo credit Google search

 

I tend to be a “people person” so it would not have mattered too much to share a room in the dorm with someone new.

 

 

However, as God planned it, my best friend, Billie Ann, decided to attend ENMU as well, so we were roomies. Too many times, that situation can break apart a good friendship. I’m pleased to say that Billie and I continue to be super good friends to this day. Here’s a picture of Billie and me the first day at ENMU, before we headed off to church. We hadn’t even had time to unload our bedding and suitcases. (See…we wore those pointy-toed shoes back then! Nothing new here!)

 

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Back in high school, Billie’s older sister, Becky, Billie and I formed a singing trio. As a child, Becky had contracted polio, and wore braces on her legs, and walked with crutches. Billie and Becky are not very tall people, so it was funny to see us – two shorties and one tall girl in the middle. Actually, Billie played the piano for us, so she was sitting during our singing times. Becky and I sang along with her. We were actually pretty good – not bragging or anything, of course. Fred said he thought we could have cut records – but we never did.

Here is a picture of us at my house, during one of our rehearsals. I’m the tall one. Becky is 4’7″ tall, Billie is 4’9″ tall, and I am 5’6″! Can anyone say “Mutt and Jeff?”

 

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We did imitate some of the current trios, and thoroughly enjoyed our time together. I remember Moon Over Miami, Mr. Sandman, and several others.

However, back to ENMU – I was not a terribly good student in high school. And I really can’t remember why I didn’t apply to UNM right there in Albuquerque. But I didn’t, and so went to ENMU. It was a small town, and a fairly small campus, and my first experience with dormitory life. Interesting – and not one I cared to repeat. Fortunately, Billie and I returned to Albuquerque after one semester.

But I found the academics to be quite good, and felt that I learned quite a lot. I actually made good grades while there, but of course, Fred wasn’t there to distract me!

Billie and I attended the BSU on campus (Baptist Student Union), and made some good friends while in that organization.

It was a fun experience, and I’m glad I had that opportunity.

 

 

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Surprise!

18 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

Fred and I have just returned from a nearly-two-week stay with our youngest daughter,

Janet, and her family in Virginia. You see, since Janet and her husband both work,

our 10-year-old grandtwins go to a before-and-after program at the local YMCA during the school year. During the summer, when school is out, they go to the Y every day. However, the final week before school starts, the Y closes down. They either “clean” everything, train new employees, or…..we don’t know exactly what they do during that week. Consequently, the twins have nowhere to spend their days. Upon several occasions, Fred and I have gone there to watch over the twins during that week, since they aren’t quite old enough yet to stay alone.

Before we left home for our trip, Janet had told us that the Saturday we were there, Tom had reservations for supper at a fairly nice restaurant, so we should bring one set of “nicer” clothes with us. Sunday “best” do? Yep.

Saturday was a nice day – a bit rainy, as the tropical depression was headed to North Carolina and heading up our way, and we were getting rain from that, but a nice day, all-in-all. Come time to go eat, we all dressed up and headed out. We arrived at the restaurant and waited in the foyer while the guys parked the cars.

When the hostess asked us to “follow me” we proceeded down the corridor. When she stopped at a large table, she held out her hand, as if to say, “Here ya go.” I glanced at the table, and my first thought was, “there are other people already seated there. Why is she seating us here?” Then I did a closer look at the “people” sitting there grinning up at me – and gave a screech! Sitting there was our other daughter, Karen, her husband, Brian, and also our granddaughter, Katie – all the way from Chicago!

Turns out, they all had planned this for a couple of months, as a belated surprise for my 75th birthday! We had a great meal time with them, then back to Janet and Tom’s house for dessert and just some fun visiting together. They stayed through church on Sunday, then until about 3:30 p.m. when they had to head back.

I am nearly in tears to think that my whole family was there, together, just to celebrate me (well, our grandson and his wife couldn’t make it, but everyone else was there!) Even Fred knew about it and kept it quiet for all these months.

 

judy-family

 

I love family!

 

 

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My Love Affair with Disney~Part 4

11 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

 

Just a few more Disney items to share with you this time. As you can tell from the previous musings, we really like all things Disney!

During the time our daughter worked at a Disney store, she purchased and gave to us a cell of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. He is my absolute favorite Mickey character! And this cell is just the thing for us to enjoy. He hangs proudly on our wall.

 

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And this picture just caught my attention the first time I saw it. Walt Disney had such a wonderful imagination, and this picture, superimposed on another of Walt himself, is the ultimate in his imagination. He is walking through Florida dirt and sand, but picturing Cinderella’s castle in his mind – where it would go, and what it would look like. This, to me, is imagination at its best.

 

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After September 11, 2001, and the terrorist attack on our country, Disney’s animators came out with a couple of figurines that spoke to me. I’ve only purchased one, but I treasure this one. It represents Mickey Mouse honoring and thanking the firefighters from that horrendous day. The other one represents the same, but for the police officers that worked so hard that day. Beautiful.

 

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There are a few other things – especially Disney t-shirts, but I didn’t think that would be of interest to many people. But they are fun to wear!

I hope you have enjoyed this little jaunt through our Disney memorabilia – as much as I have enjoyed writing it. All things Disney are fun things for us – to have and to do.

 

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Credit Disney World website

 

NOTE: My apologies for the reflections in the pictures above. I just didn’t want to capture my own image in the pictures, and therefore, the pictures I took are a bit skewed. But perhaps you can see the main focus anyway.

 

 

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My Love Affair with Disney~Part 3

4 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

Because Fred and I have Disney running through our veins, we have a LOT of Disney memorabilia around our house. Last time I shared some of our Disney memorabilia. I would like to share a bit more this time.

Fred’s sister and her husband came to visit us a few years ago. We did take them to EPCOT, which we all enjoyed. We also took them to (then) Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs). We usually enjoy taking visitors there – especially if they don’t really want to do one of the “parks.” It gives them a “taste” of Disney, without feeling like they must spend an entire day there, to justify the cost of the ticket. If they don’t want to purchase anything, that’s okay. We do enjoy showing them our favorite eatery there (the Earl of Sandwich), as it is probably the most inexpensive spot to eat within the Disney complex. And the hot sandwiches are GREAT!!

 

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In any case, when they came to visit, as we wandered through some of the shops, Jim pointed out a Mickey Mouse figurine to Sally, and they purchased it for us as a thank-you for all we had done for them on their visit. A few days later, after they returned home, we went back to Downtown Disney and purchased another figurine – one that I’d had my eye on for a while. They aren’t a true match, but I like them both, just the same.

 

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And then there’s the Precious Moments® figurine with Bambi in it. Really sweet.

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Anyone remember those old “E” tickets at Disney? They are long gone now, but we remember those tickets from the 1970’s when we first went to Disney World (which only had the Magic Kingdom at that time). Little pieces of papers littered the ground just everywhere you looked. Disney finally got smart and stopped that nonsense! However, they have brought them back – as magnets! And so I have them on our refrigerator door. Gives us a great opportunity to explain them to our grandchildren.

 

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And since we sail with the Disney Cruise Line as often as we do (our favorite cruise line, by the way!), we have reached the Gold level – five cruises with Disney. And we got this great magnet for it! We used to feel really honored to have sailed that many times with Disney – until we met a couple who had sailed 18 times with Disney!! Yikes!

 

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One last magnet for this posting – we had seen this magnet on several cars, and liked it. When we finally saw it at Downtown Disney, we snapped it up. And now it resides on our refrigerator door. I think it’s adorable!

 

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More next time.

 

 

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

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