Tag Archives: Christian bloggers

The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 14

14 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

Since we had sailed overnight to Budapest, and had an early shore excursion, we were up by 5:30 a.m.  We had breakfast at 7:00 a.m. with Richard, Judy, Lucy, Roy and Jill, Joyce, Rick and Mary.

By 8:30 a.m. we left on the shore excursion for Budapest.  Some “Fast Facts about Hungary” from the ship’s info sheet:

Home to over a million people, Budapest spans both sides of the Danube River – historic Buda on the east bank and cosmopolitan Pest (pronounced “Pesht”) on the west.  Brimming with history, culture and attractions, Budapest is full of baroque, neoclassical and Art Nouveau architecture, and plenty to do.  Museums, shopping and restaurants are the places to be.

The bus took us around the town, then stopped at the square where we went on to the castle.

Funicular

Back to the ship by bus, we had lunch, then to our new room on the Lif, for a nap.

At 2:15 p.m., we had a “Budapest by Boat” tour, with our Program Director, Carl West giving the commentary.  

Carl West – Program Director 

We went by the Parliament Building, which is the most famous picture shown in the Viking advertisements – red-topped building.  Really beautiful.

We were back on the ship by 3:30 p.m., where we rested/napped and read some – quiet time for us.

We had our final/farewell dinner at 7:00 p.m. with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  While it was a fun time, we had our last hugs and “wish we lived closer to you” from each of us.  While I know it was a very concentrated two weeks with them, we all feel we forged a deep and lasting friendship, that will only continue when we all get to heaven.

Since tomorrow would be a REALLY early day (we asked for a 2:15 a.m. wake-up call, with a 3:30 a.m. bus departure time into Budapest), we showered that night, and were in bed by 8:30 p.m.

The Whale 

According to Google search:  That’s the “Bálna / Whale” (formerly called CET building) a modern shopping, cultural, and entertainment centre, as well as a tourist attraction on par with Paris’s Eiffel Tower, or the Covent Garden in London – at least that’s what the city leaders want it to be.

According to Google search:  The Shoes on the Danube is a memorial to the Budapest Jews who were shot by Arrow Cross militiamen between 1944 and 1945. The victims were lined up and shot into the Danube River. They had to take their shoes off, since shoes were valuable belongings at the time.

The memorial was created by Gyula Pauer, Hungarian sculptor, and his friend Can Togay in 2005. It contains 60 pairs of iron shoes, forming a row along the Danube. Each pair of shoes was modeled after an original 1940’s pair. 

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

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 13

7 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Since we had to change ships today, Fred and I were up at 5:30 a.m. to shower and dress and finished packing.  At 7:00 a.m. we had breakfast with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  At 7:45 we completed our packing and put our bags out in the hallway as instructed. 

At 8:15 a.m. we reported to our assigned bus to leave the ship and go to Bratislava, Slovakia.

According to the ship’s info on Bratislava:   The emergence of Slovak national consciousness dates to about the 1700s.  The written language appeared before the 18th century, and near the end of that century a national movement began to encourage a Slovak identity and the development of Slovak Romanticism with a focus on popular folk traditions.  At the end of World War 1,Slovak identity was fully formed, and in 1919 Slovakia joined with Czechia to form a union of two western Slavic nations: Czecho-Slovakia.  But its independence was greatly limited by its strong economic, military and political dependence on Germany.

It was then conquered by the Soviets, who wanted to create a pro-Soviet and Communist Czechoslovakia.  This lasted until the fall of Communism during the Velvet Revolution of 1989.  In 1993, the Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully in what is called the Velvet Divorce.  The Czech Republic became a democratic state.  Slovakia became an independent nation. 

We arrived at the Bratislava Castle by 10:00.

It was quite windy day but not too cold.  While we didn’t go inside the castle, the outside was interesting. Because I knew the history of SPQR, I found this interesting. 

According to Google and Ancient Rome for Kids:

The letters SPQR stood for Senatus Populus Que Romanusa – the Senate and the People of Rome.  After defeating Tarquin, the last Roman king, the people started a new type of government, a republic.  A republic is a type of government whereby people elect officials to represent them in government.

As a publicity campaign, and as propaganda, the new senate had the letters SPQR chiseled, branded or stamped on everything that they controlled.  Public buildings, new coins, and even park benches got the letters SPQR added to them.

The people of Rome were proud of their new government, and were reminded every time that they saw SPQR that they were a part of the Roman Republic, and no longer ruled by a king.

At 10:30 we left for Old Town with a walking tour.  We saw many fascinating sights.  Here are some:

This little guy is called Cumil (pronounced as Chumil).   As the story goes, Cumil was a mischievous person who while working, used to emerge from under the manhole to look beneath the ladies’ skirts! (Tripadvisor)

Statue of Bratislava Cavalier Schoner Naci

Napolean – one of the few places to sit

We were given two hours of free time, to look around Bratislava on our own,  which is really too long.  We found no place to sit – no public benches. We finally went into a bakery and had a hot chocolate and a chestnut pastry.  We met and shared a table with Iris and April, sisters from Calgary, Canada (Richard called them “the sisters”), who were also on our cruise.  We complained to Carl West (who is from Bratislava, as is Billie, our concierge), that there were no public benches where we could sit and rest our feet.  He just laughed.  We think it is the city’s plan so visitors have to go into a shop to eat or drink in order to sit and rest.

At 1:00 p.m. we had lunch in the Austrian Trend hotel – it was a very good meal and the entire upper level was set up as a restaurant for our entire ship’s compliment. 

At 2:30 p.m. we were back on the bus for our trip Budapest, Hungary.  All the buses stopped for a restroom break at 3:45. The bus trip to Budapest normally takes only three hours, but took us four hours instead.  We were finally on board the Lif at 6:15 p.m.

At 7:00 p.m. we had dinner with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  Richard told us their tour guide, while going through Transylvania, told a story about “wampires… and the bus erupted with laughter. 

We were in bed by 10:00 p.m.  It had been a long day.

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Labor Day

1 Sep

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Monday-Labor Day

September 1, 2025

God will meet

All your needs

According to His

Glorious riches

In Christ Jesus.

Phil.4:19

We are God’s 

Workmanship, created

In Christ Jesus to do good works, 

which God prepared in advance 

For us to do.

Eph. 2:10

Rejoice

In the 

Lord always

I will say it again:

Rejoice

Phil. 4:4

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help

In trouble.

Ps. 46:1

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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The 15-Second Rule That Changed My Life: How to Let Go of Guilt and Live Free in God’s Grace.

31 Aug

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged from Janet Perez Eckels

Let me tell you what happened the other evening.

People are often surprised when I mention that I cook. Yes, I’m blind—and yes, blind people do cook. In fact, we do it quite economically. When no one else is home, there’s no need to turn on the lights. Imagine the electricity we save!

Last night, while my sweet husband was telling me about his day, I was peeling some carrots. In my hurry, I placed one too close to the edge of the counter, and sure enough, it rolled onto the floor.

Without hesitation, he jumped up and said, “I’ll get it.”

As he handed it to me, he added, “Here. Got it before 15 seconds.”

“Fifteen seconds?” I asked.

“Yep. If you pick something up within 15 seconds, no harm done. Learned that as a kid.”

I smiled. But then I paused. The more I thought about that quirky little rule, the more profound it became.

A Deeper Application

Sure, the floor is still the floor—whether something’s there for one second or fifteen, it still needs cleaning. But there was a lesson buried in that moment.

I started wondering… What if I applied that 15-second rule to my inner life?

How often do we let something negative fall into our spirit and just leave it there? How long does it sit before we even realize the damage it’s doing?

I’m talking about guilt.

Anybody know what I mean?

When Guilt Lingers Too Long

That sneaky emotion creeps in when you’re most vulnerable. Guilt slithers through your thoughts like a snake—slow and quiet—but poisonous all the same.

It shows up in moments of discouragement. And then it speaks:

“If you hadn’t done that, this wouldn’t be happening.”

“What were you thinking?”

“You’re not doing enough.”

For me, it’s thoughts like: “You should spend more time reading God’s Word, encouraging others, creating more leads, writing more…”

That guilt starts stacking up like clutter in a room, and before you know it, it’s stealing your peace and silencing your confidence.

But not anymore.

I’m Applying the 15-Second Rule

I made a decision: guilt doesn’t get to linger.

If something falls into my heart that doesn’t belong there—regret, shame, self-doubt—I have fifteen seconds to pick it up and toss it out before it spreads discouragement and sadness.

Why? Because guilt trips cost. 

And the currency is joy, peace, and a clear mind to serve God.

Here’s the Truth: God Already Forgave You

If you’re like me and you’ve got a list of past failures, here’s what you do:

  • Ask for forgiveness.
  • Believe—truly believe—that God forgives a repentant heart.
  • And then… move on.

If you’re dealing with something right now that’s making you feel guilty, address it. Correct it. Then move forward. Not because you’re perfect, but because He is.

Dr. Charles Stanley once wrote in his devotional: “Remember we are forgiven. If we confess our sins, He forgives. First John 1:9 promises us the process is that simple… The Enemy stimulates false guilt… Make a declaration: ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, I reject these feelings of guilt. They have absolutely no scriptural basis. They are false, and I refuse to acknowledge them.’”

The moment you do, the weight lifts. The lies lose their power. And your heart begins to breathe again.

Jesus Came to Give Us Freedom

He said it Himself: “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:9-10)

Life to the full. Not half-empty with guilt. Not dimmed by shame. Not heavy with regret.

That’s the promise—and the freedom—we get when we walk through His gate. A fresh start. A clean heart. Like a morning breeze, reassurance fills the soul.

Let’s Pray

Father, thank you for the freedom we find in You—liberated from destructive emotions and replaced by the peace and reassurance You give me—a beautiful gift wrapped in Your love.

What guilt are you still holding onto that God has already forgiven—and what would your life look like if you let it go… in the next fifteen seconds?

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Peaches!

29 Aug

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Peaches are my favorite fruit. Always has been and probably always will be.

“This year’s peach crop in the South is exceptionally delicious. We’re fortunate to enjoy freshly picked peaches at their peak ripeness. However, peaches destined for shipping must be harvested before they fully ripen to ensure they arrive in good condition.

Ripe peaches are fragile. We have learned to wrap them in bubble wrap if we are taking them to Florida. Our daughter was visiting last week and took some home to her neighbors. She received a text this week from the neighbor saying she had one for lunch. It was the best peach she had ever eaten.

I made three batches of peach ice cream and still have a 2 quart batch in the freezer. We try to eat low carb and clean ingredients so we/I make our ice cream. I have two of the freezer bowl machines. I bought this one several years ago and it works great.

Photo Credit Amazon

The machine capacity is a little larger than a quart. After a few years I decided I would like a larger capacity machine. On the other hand, I didn’t want to give up kitchen space for a second ice cream maker.

Ninja has an ice cream maker, the Creami. I looked at it several times but it simply didn’t appeal to me.

Someone on social media mentioned the Kitchen Aid mixer offered a mixer bowl attachment with a two quart capacity.

Photo Credit Kitchen Aid

For a few weeks I argued back and forth with myself. The tipping point was that aside from the ice cream paddle, there would be no parts to store.

I have had some blips learning to use it. As I was making my first batch, I didn’t seat the paddle correctly. As the ice cream thickened the paddle slipped out of place. The machine began flinging ice cream over the side. I wish I had taken a picture.

Overall I am very satisfied with the attachment.

In anticipation of our daughter’s visit, I made a batch of peach ice cream in each machine. I am mulling the idea of making a vanilla or chocolate base and dividing it between the machines. By adding different mix-ins I would have two different flavors.

I haven’t limited my peach enjoyment to ice cream. I made a peach coffee cake, peach bars and no bake peach cheese cakes. (My daughter made the cheese cakes.)

I found most of my low carb recipes at All Day I Dream About Food

Grok AI is my source for different flavors of low carb ice cream.

Peaches are going away but apples are coming!

Mutsu is my favorite apple. Do you have a favorite?

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 12

24 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

After breakfast, we began a partial bus-and-walking tour of Vienna, Austria.  There’s just so much to see.  It seems strange to have an ultra-new building with the old buildings, but they seem to fit together rather well.  For the entire six years we lived in Germany, I hounded Fred about taking me/us to Vienna.  Never happened!  So this trip finally put us in that beautiful city.

I’m not a terribly good historian, but I have heard of the Hapsburg Dynasty.  Austria was the home for that dynasty.  The ship’s info sheet stated:  The rise and fall of the House of Hapsburg began along the Danube’s banks in 1276.  With Austria firmly in their grasp, the family gained new territories by marriage until their serial nuptials put most of Europe under their power.  As their wealth and territory grew, few royal families remained to help them acquire more kingdoms.  Their solution to this problem may have also been their undoing.  While the dynasty actually had its beginning in 1020, it wasn’t until 1273 when it moved to Austria.

The info sheet also said:  The Hapsburgs sought to retain their massive power through intermarriage between cousins or uncle and niece.  “The best spouse for a Hapsburg is another Hapsburg,” went the proverb.  The last of the Spanish line, Charles 2, was disabled from birth, perhaps from a genetic disorder typical in children born from siblings, and died.  It’s likely that the Austrian Hapsburg line ended for the same reasons.

While there are still living relatives of the Hapsburgs, for all intents and purposes, the dynasty died out in 1918, at the close of World War 1.

We walked through Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, which has a really dark interior.  I was unable to get any good pictures there.

But the outside is remarkable.  There is even a bronze model of the cathedral outside, that is to scale. 

We then walked through some of their Christmas Market.  It was still rather early in the season for the Christmas Market to be up and running, but there were a few booths set up already, and we enjoyed seeing them.

At 12:45 we met under the clock on the square and headed back to the bus and into the ship for lunch, which we had with Richard, Judy and Lucy.

At 2:00 p.m. we took a tour of the Schönbrunn Palace.  It’s very opulent, but beautiful.  

On our way into the Palace, there was a man on the sidewalk, covered in gold.  He was standing on a box, and was singing some Mozart – advertising a concert.  I just thought it was cute.  I gave him a short curtsy, and he replied with a small bow.

We had an early dinner (6:00 p.m.) with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  At 7:00 p.m. some of the group left for a Mozart and Strauss Concert, that was free to all who wanted to attend, since we had to change ships again.  Fred and I decided to stay onboard and pack.  Then we read some, and then were in bed and asleep by 9:30 p.m.

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

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 11

17 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

November 16th, Monday.  We were up at 6:00 a.m. to shower and dress.  We had breakfast at 7:15 a.m., with Richard, Judy and Lucy joining us (they don’t get up as early as we do).  By 8:00 a.m. we arrived at Emmersdorf, Austria.

At 9:30 a.m. we took a bus to the 900-year-old Melk Abbey.  It is situated on an outcrop rising above the Danube, crowned by twin towers.

Here is a model of the Abbey 
As you can see…we are fascinated by pipe organs 
They were not without music 

While the abbey was founded in 1089, and given to the Benedictine monks, the current abbey was renovated between 1702 and 1736.  It was originally a royal palace with ceremonial courts, guest apartments, grand halls and a library – which contains around 80,000 medieval manuscripts.

Courtesy Wikipedia 

The abbey has a blue room,

 a green room,

a marble room, and the mirrored room.

Many of the floors have beautiful wood-inlay.

This beautiful stairway is the beginning of the grounds.  However, since I still couldn’t maneuver stairs very well, we walked down (and later up) the ramp.

By 12:10 p.m. we were back on board the ship, and had lunch in the Lounge with Janice and John from Ontario.  We were also joined by the couple from Los Angles (originally Denmark) but we still did not get their names.

At 2:00 p.m. we sailed through the Wachau Valley.

The countryside is stunningly beautiful.  Both banks are dotted with ruined castles and medieval towns and are lined with terraced vineyards.   The Wachau is described as “an outstanding example of a riverine landscape.”  Noted for its cultural importance as well as its physical beauty, it is described:  “The architecture, the human settlements, and the agricultural use of the land in the Wachau vividly illustrate a basically medieval landscape which has evolved organically and harmoniously over time.”

At 4:00 p.m. we docked in Krems.

Fred and I decided to stay on board the ship because it would be getting dark soon and it was cool and windy.  Before dinner Fred and I watched the Monuments Men movie in our stateroom.  Really good movie, and gave us some insight into the Nazi greed and stupidity.

At 6:45 p.m. we went to the preview of tomorrow’s Vienna excursions.  Carl West told us we have to change ships again.  Following much groaning from the passengers – during which he remained silent – he said, “thank you.”

At 7:15 p.m. we had a traditional Austrian dinner.  We had our first schnitzle with potatoes, a small piece of chicken, wurst, and dessert.   Richard, Judy and Lucy ate with us. 

We sailed to Vienna overnight.

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

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Strength and Peace

11 Aug

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Photo credit WordPress AI

Be strong and take heart, 

All you who hope in the Lord.

Ps.31:24

May the Lord of peace 

Himself give you peace

At all times in every way. 

The Lord be with you all. 

2Thess, 3:16 

God will show me the path of life;

In your presence is fullness of joy:

At Your right hand are pleasures 

forevermore.

Ps. 16:11

Surely God is my salvation:

I will trust and not be afraid. 

The Lord is my strength and my song;

He has become My salvation.

Isa. 12:2

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 10

10 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

This is the day we would be transferring from the Gefjon to the Skadi. 

Therefore, we were up at 5:30 a.m., dressed and finished packing.  We had breakfast at 6:45 a.m. with Richard, Judy and Lucy, and Danny who is retired military.  Richard liked to tease Danny, so we had a lively breakfast conversation.

We had to have our bags outside our door by 8:30 a.m.  We were also to have our room keys turned in by 8:30 a.m.  We boarded bus number 3 and left at 9:00 a.m. along with three other buses bound for Passau.  We rode the bus for one-and-a-half hours to Passau.

We moved from the Gefjon to the Skadi.  It was essentially the same ship, just a bit older.  We even had the same room number, 325.  We unpacked our tote bags (they would bring our suitcases later), then at 11:30 a.m. we went on a one-and-a-half-hour walking tour of Passau.

Passau (pass-ow) is known as the “City of Three Rivers.”  It lies at the confluence of the Inn, the Danube and the Ilz rivers.  It was originally a settlement of the Boil Celtic tribe, and later the site of the Roman fort, Castra Batava.  Passau was an important medieval center for the salt trade, the “white gold.”  It was transported from the Alpine salt mines to Passau, where it was processed by entrepreneurs called Salzfertiger.  The salt imports to Passau were forbidden in 1707, and that trade was lost.

During the Renaissance, Passau became famous for making high-quality knife and sword blades.  Local smiths stamped their blades with the Passau wolf, and superstitious warriors believed that the wolf granted them invulnerability.

When fires ravaged the city in the 17th century, it was rebuilt to reflect the baroque character that survives today.  Today, Passau is home to 50,000 people.

We were back on board the Skadi by 1:30 p.m. and had lunch in the lounge with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  By the time we had finished lunch, our suitcases were in our room, so we unpacked them.  We hoped this would be the only transfer we would have on this cruise.  One nice thing about a cruise – you usually get to stay in the same room for the duration, which makes it quite nice.  This was just a small disruption.

After we had unpacked, we went back into town.  We saw St. Michael’s cathedral first, 

and then Saint Stephen’s. 

It is one of the town’s foremost baroque landmarks and boasts the largest pipe organ outside the United States.  Beautiful.  It has 17,974 organ pipes, 233 stops and four carillons.  All five parts of the organ can be played from the main keyboard, one at a time, or all together. 

The Skadi sailed at 5:00 p.m.  At 7:00 p.m. we had dinner with John and Denise from California, and a couple from Los Angeles who were originally from Denmark (never got their names).  He was a German teacher in a high school in Los Angeles.

More interesting sights in Passau:

Remember, we were told that the incomplete “8” equals a “4” – therefore, the date shown is 1499. 
A plaque on the wall in the Glass Museum 

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

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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August Bazaar Adventure: Shopping and Memories

7 Aug

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

August has kicked July to the curb. In a way, i am glad that August is here. Our daughter will be coming for a visit soon and we are looking forward to it. I’m also looking forward to spoiling our granddog, Ollie.

Each year one of our local Methodist churches holds an enormous rummage sale. Except they call it a Bazaar. Whatever the name, it is a huge event held at the fairgrounds. It takes them a week to set up in the covered buildings.

This is a two day event, Friday and Saturday. My husband and I got an early start for us, we were there by 11:00 am. Thankfully, handicap parking was provided along with volunteers pointing out empty spaces. Otherwise we would have needed to park a fairly long way from the event and my husband wouldn’t have been able to handle to walk.

Once inside the buildings, my husband headed toward “man” things and I went straight to my favorite area, the kitchen and dining wares. I must give them kudos on their organizing skills. Every section has volunteers and a check out station.

I sorted through a collection of sharp knives. In the past, I have found my favorite brand of kitchen knife, Rada. I was in luck and found one and it was only 25 cents. Next I moved to the table with plastic items. At previous bazaars I have picked up pieces of Tupperware in great condition. I did find a very nice orange round canister but it was $8.00 and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t think what I would use it for. But then, I spied this interesting green container. I examined it and discovered it was a Tupperware piece I had never seen. I had to have it. It cost me a whole dollar. I haven’t found a use for it, but I am sure I will. If you know what it is, let me know!

My husband joined me in kitchen ware. A few days previous he mentioned he was looking for a small stainless bowl to use in his shop. I told him the bazaar was sure to have one. In fact he found two for the grand sum of $3.00.

He also found an item in the electronics he was considering purchasing. He was hesitant because the volunteers had told us that Saturday everything would be half off. I urged him to buy now as it wasn’t expensive and it was something needed.

Speaking about the half price sale on Saturday, I had found two ice cream makers, each marked $35.00. I didn’t need one, but it would be nice to have a spare. My husband and I decided to return for the Saturday half off. There was an item in electronics he was interested in and I would get an ice cream maker.

We didn’t linger among the other areas. The facility is not air conditioned. The heat plus the wall to wall people was a bit much for us, but it was good to see the excellent turnout. The proceeds are used to fund missions

We were later arriving at the bazaar on Saturday, not realizing the sale ended at 1:00 pm. We arrived around noon. Which was a bad thing but also a good one. So much had been sold! The volunteers were closing out their areas. The item my husband was hoping to buy was gone and the ice cream freezers were sold. But…the round orange Tupperware canister from the previous day was still there. When I picked it up to look it over, the volunteer said I could have it for 25 cents. Sold!

At home, I left the canister out for several days while my mind pondered its use. Then I remembered my aunt Geroleen. She keeps her coffee filters in a specially designed container that has a small tool with a rubbery end. No trying to separate the filters, the tool does it.

I remembered that I have a bar eraser. I cut a small amount of the eraser off and stuck a sturdy toothpick into it. It worked like a charm. Then it didn’t. The eraser I used was a white one and it crumbled. I’ll try a regular eraser next.

As I put the container into the cabinet with the canister I keep coffee grounds, I smiled as I realized the two canisters were meant to be together. Just like in the 70s. Did any of you own these pieces?

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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