April 7th, 2016

A new favorite pastime here at our house is digging. With the plentiful moisture we receive, its pretty easy to break ground and find crawling critters. Our boys are in dirt heaven!

Our yard was what initially drew us to this house and motivated us to make a crazy yet good decision to switch our permanent housing last minute (https://www.germanyjournals.com/?p=283.) With the arrival of Spring comes the start  of yard maintenance. We were so grateful when hubby pulled out the lawnmower from the shed this past Monday and it started up with only a few pulls of the chord. He was racing against the rain clouds that hung low in the sky and finished with only a bit of drizzling. While Daddy mowed, E & S started digging. When I came out to check on the three of them, this is how I found the boys…

Hubby did a great job on the yard! The grass is tamed for at least the next week or so. With the amount of rain we get here, I’m not sure how often we’ll need to mow.

As we walked around the yard, brainstorming planting projects, we came across a little snail in a window box. It immediately reminded us of the movie Turbo; a story about a garden snail that dreams of racing in the Indianapolis 500. Fantastic movie! ANYWAY…

Hubby brought the snail to the boys and they called him Turbo right from the start! It was a new experience for them to hold a snail. We weren’t completely sure if the little guy was alive but then he started crawling around and is surprisingly fast…he’s living up to his name already!

We found a better “temporary” home for him (a takeout container with a lid) that allowed E to take the snails and some worms to school the next day to show his teacher and classmates. His class is studying worms and plants right now allowing E’s visitors to receive a hearty welcome.

Turbo returned home on Tuesday afternoon and was the center of the boys attention. They dug some more, had worm races in the rain and let their hands get covered with snail slime. They were captivated!

I suggested the idea of setting Turbo free in the yard to find his family but they aren’t ready to part ways with him just yet.

It is Wednesday afternoon as I write this post and the boys are out digging in the backyard again to their heart’s content. I can sit at the kitchen table and keep an eye on them out the back door. Once we figure out where we want to plant a garden, we’ll get them working to clear the land and perhaps find Turbo’s family.

April 6th, 2016

We went to church on Easter Sunday to celebrate with faces that are slowly becoming familiar to us. Though we only know a handful of names, its a welcoming place and we are grateful to have found an English-speaking church. We have attended five times now and are planning on settling in and trying to get involved. To those of you who have prayed for us to find a church, thank you! 

When we were visiting churches, we went to this one three different times before we heard the pastor speak. I’m glad we kept going back because we both really like the teaching style of the pastor. The worship is simple yet beautiful, the congregation is small yet diverse and the teaching is deep and challenging. There is a focus on reaching out into the community that we appreciate. We sit at long tables which adds a good dynamic of facing people when you sit down, naturally pushing us out of our comfort zone. The pastor ends the service with an invitation for us all to put out our hands and receive the blessing. The first time I heard him do this, it tugged at my heart. I thought of our church family back home doing the same thing. Whispers came from my lips as I thanked God for this similarity and sweet reminder of the commonalities we have in the Body of Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 4th, 2016

E has been fascinated with airplanes and all things space for as long as I can remember. I think one of his first words was actually “airplane!” He loves to play with the gazillion airplanes we have in our house, flying them close to his face as if he is in the cockpit. He shares his aeronautical interest with my Dad who was a pilot. S, on the other hand, recently told me he wants to be a Paleontologist. I was amazed that he could even pronounce the word, much less, consider this as a future job option! Who knows where these current interest will take our boys. For now, we enjoy coming alongside them and finding ways to encourage their interest in fun ways. While my parents were here, we visited two new places that did just that.

The first was the Technic Museum Speyer. The museum’s website drew us in with this description…

“wander around inside an original jumbo jet, as well as inspect the inner workings of a submarine and a sea rescue cruiser. In the halls you will find the largest space flight exhibition in Europe, offering the Russian space shuttle BURAN, an original Moonstone, space suits, a Soyuz landing capsule, as well as locomotives, vintage cars, fire trucks, motorcycles and thousands of other exhibits. 

Museums can be hit and miss with our boys but this one sounded perfect. We piled into two cars and drove about forty five minutes to the city of Speyer. This unique museum was quite amazing! We climbed into airplanes and submarines, went down a super fast slide, rode in bumper cars (the boys), ate at the cafeteria and enjoyed walking inside and outside to see the different exhibits.

Hubby and S were definitely the most adventurous going down the tube slide several times.

Can you see the slide in this picture of the airplanes with Mom and I? Its that twisting silver tube! We walked up several flights of stairs to walk through the airplanes and then had the option to take the slide down or walk. I only went down once and screamed most of the way down. Hubby took a short video on one of his solo trips down.

After lunch we checked out another exhibit hall. Dad pointed out the car he would like me to buy him someday!

The boys LOVED racing and bumping into each other!

My Mom and I sat outside this submarine and chatted while all the boys went exploring through it.

S picked this flower for his Dear and then another for me…LOVE!

I think my parents would be really cute riding in this motorcycle and sidecar =)

We left the museum knowing that we didn’t see it all. It would be fun to return someday!

The following week, we went to a place that many refer to as “The Dinosaur Park” because of the eighty plus life-size dinosaur statues found amongst the grounds. It just reopened for the season and I can see us going there ALOT! There’s fun playgrounds, sandpits, a small stream that would be great to play in come summer, mini-golf, restaurants, a beer garden, creative water structures, a musical stepping pad, more crazy slides and an amazing Lego exhibit!

Here are some picture from Opening Day with my parents…

S loved this water area and could have spent hours here if we hadn’t eventually moved him along

The Lego exhibit had replica’s of the Eiffel Tower, The ICE train we took to Paris alongside this popular US site. Can you name it?

We liked the park so much that I bought a season pass for our family on our way out! I love that my parents enjoy getting out and exploring their surroundings. I think I get my desires to plan family outings from my Mom. She did the same thing when I was growing up!  =)

This past Sunday, our family returned. We pass the park to and from church so we thought it would be a nice stop on our way home. E thanked us profusely as we drove up because he had heard so many great things about the place from his little brother. He was not disappointed!

The boys especially enjoyed this swing they called “the onion.” You climb in from the bottom and it has a lip inside that you can sit on. The Germans have a wonderful sense of play!

I’ll leave you with this little musical interlude from our oldest…

April 3, 2016

Its April! Though we have still haven’t seen the sun as much as I would like, we are starting to see more signs of Spring here! Daylight Savings  happened a week ago, on Easter Sunday, extending daylight into the early evening now. Thankfully, we have rolladens (rolling shades on the outside of our windows) to darken our home and assist in bedtime. Birds are singing in the mornings, flowers are blooming and water fountains have been turned on. Signs of new beginnings are refreshing after this damp and cold winter. Its still raining but I’m holding onto these little signs of Spring while I wear my rain jacket!

As I walk through our village now, I am reminded of my parents’ visit. They arrived the day after Andy left and lived here for ten days; walking the streets, brushing up on their German, visiting “our” coffee shop, and sitting in our living room. This was not my parents’s first time coming to Germany. My parents, sister and I lived here when I was young. I turned three years old shortly after we first arrived. We stayed for three years, splitting our time between the city of Mainz and a small village called Schwäbisch Gmünd. I liked hearing their perspectives and stories as they reflected on their own experiences from those days while making new memories with us.

Its been a tradition of ours to spend my Birthday together and I can only think of one or two years that we have been apart. This year marked 42 years of Birthday celebrations! This is by far the greatest distance they have traveled to be together and I see both their love and commitment to make it happen. Thanks Mom and Dad!

We showed my parents some of our favorite places and then explored a couple of new ones with them which I’ll write about in the next blog post. S definitely scored with the extra time he got with his Dear and Pop Pop. He quickly got into the habit of introducing his grandparents when they walked into familiar surroundings like the coffee shop or our library. E was still in school (to his utter displeasure) and hubby worked most days so we still had the reality of living within the structure of homework, bedtimes and work. However, when we have guests, “routines” are very relative. We did plan ahead for E to miss a day of school and he got Good Friday off which helped. Hubby coordinated his schedule as well, joining us on the days E had off. Here is a instant replay in pictures…

Dear and Pop Pop are HERE!!

S and I took Dear and Pop Pop on a walk through the Nature Path!

We took the train and bus downtown on Saturday. Dad struck up a conversation with a young man on the train and passed on some sage career advice. We walked through the Farmers Market, did a little Birthday shopping and enjoyed a good lunch! Mom and Dad bought me a travel backpack that I’m excited to put to good use on our upcoming Spring Break trip.

Sunday Brunch at our favorite coffee shop. We visited the Easter Market in our village that afternoon. It was very small but the boys still found a fun booth.

We visited the historical center and market square in Mainz, the city we lived in when we were here back in the 70’s.  We walked through St. Martin’s Cathedral, taking in the sacred beauty of this 1,000 year Roman Catholic cathedral. A Farmers Market was being held in the square that Tuesday, complete with hens, Spring flowers and food vendors. I often take pictures of my parents holding hands as they walk together. Now I have one here in Germany.

Scattered about were simple yet loving moments that I hope settle deep in the hearts of our boys. Not so much because of something we did, but more so because of the love their grandparents have for them.

And then…just like that…ten days were done. We said our goodbyes and as always, my heart ached. I know I am blessed having these two as my Mom and Dad. I’m glad they came…we all are. =)

March 31st, 2016

We had a couple of days to recuperate from our Paris trip, change the sheets on our guest bed, clean the bathrooms and get back into the swing of school and work before our next guest arrived. On Monday evening, March 14th, we were standing in the kitchen when we heard a knock on the window above the kitchen sink. Outside, I could see our friend, Andy! He reminded us that our doorbell doesn’t work…whoops! We also learned that our house number is not the only one in our neighborhood. Andy met some of our neighbors trying to find our house. Thankfully, they pointed him in the right direction!

Andy and his wife Kam have been dear friends of ours for years. We met them through our church back home and over time our friendship grew as our lives continued to cross paths in multiple ways. We were in a book group with them for several years that deepened our friendship in ways we could have never expected. When lil’ S joined our family, we asked Kam and Andy if they would be his godparents (one set). They have loved on our little guy generously and he adores them so! Up until now, we haven’t celebrated S’s Birthday without them. Here are a few pictures I found of S with Kam and Andy over the years…

Flash Forward again to the present…

As Andy walked through our front door, the boys attacked his legs with hugs. They were SO excited to see him! He was barely inside when he commented how surreal it was to be in our home in Germany. Thank you Andy! I couldn’t agree more. Surreal may be my word for the year! The boys were in their PJ’s already but we knew they wouldn’t get to sleep before getting to see Andy. It took them a long time to finally fall asleep with all their excitement pulsing through their veins!

Andy’s visit was short but we were so grateful he was able to make us a stop along his teaching route through Europe. He arrived Monday evening and left Tuesday after lunch. It was wonderful to sit around a table again and play catch up!

On Tuesday morning, we walked to a nearby bakery where Andy introduced us to Berliners. YUM! His German language skills came in incredibly handy allowing us to order our breakfast in a Snap! Afterwards, we took a walk around our village. S also got some great snuggle and playtime that filled his cup.

Lil S wanted to be near to Andy right until the final minute. He stood by the gate as he watched Andy drive away, waving goodbye. I don’t doubt he knows that he is cared for by this gift of a friend and another father figure in his life…a piece of our village from back home.

How grateful l am for friendships that span the decades, seasons of life and the globe! Looking back now on Andy’s visit, I am reminded of the time it took for our friendship with him and Kam to grow and deepen. I think it can be easy to loose perspective on the reality of time and relationships in seasons of transition. We can’t expect the same width and depth of community that we left after eighteen years to suddenly be replicated here in Germany after a few months. I’ve been thinking about this the past couple of weeks. How easy it is for our microwave mentalities to expect instant community when in reality, good friendships take time.

Thanks Andy for taking time for us! You brought love, joy, laughter, conversation, perspective and delicious chocolate. You are welcome back ANY time…bring Kam with you too!!

March 29th, 2016

There is SO much to catch up on as I look back on the past few weeks. Paris feels like a distant memory in light of all we have done since then. Yet, I still want to capture our last day.

It was nice to start and end our days in the two bedroom flat (with a pullout couch) we rented in the Montmartre district. It gave us room to relax, eat, and rest with enough beds to sleep the six of us.

On Saturday morning, we picked up a few pastries from the bakery near our flat before walking the streets in Montmartre.

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We didn’t get very far before we were drawn to a quaint café. The boys enjoyed playing foosball while we sipped on our drinks. I laughed when I looked at my sugar packet and saw the words “sucre daddy”. Sugar Daddy?! I later learned “Daddy” is a brand of sugar in France.

Topped off, we continued our stroll through the streets of Montmartre and eventually ascended a long set of stairs up to the Sacré-Coeur. My leg muscles had barely recovered from all of our walking the day before. Now I know how the French stay in shape!

The climb was worth it for the incredible view afforded to us when we got to the top! Here’s a short clip of the view…

The Sacré-Coeur is France’s second most visited church after Notre Dame. It was built between 1875 and 1914. The name means “Sacred Heart” in reference to the heart of Jesus. It holds the largest bell in France within the campanile. Since August 1, 1885, men and women have taken turns praying inside the Sacré-Coeur both night and day. They pray for the church, the world and peace. Not an hour goes by without prayer being spoken…beautiful.

When we walked through the church, a service was being held in the middle. Our youngest and I got separated from the others after stopping to light candles. Knowing that we would meet back up since traffic moved in one direction, I took advantage of the moment to receive communion and allow our little guy to get a blessing from the priest.

Afterwards, we boarded the Le Petit Train de Montmartre. This little tourist “train” was parked near the Sacré-Coeur. For a small fee, we enjoyed a thirty minute tour through the surrounding neighborhoods…those of us who stayed awake that is! It was a great way to see a few more local sites without the mileage on our feet.

Time for lunch! We ate at a café where Grace recognized the waiter from two of her previous visits. Though our open seating by the door was chilly, it was a great place to people watch. Artists constantly stopped people in the street, drew their portraits and sold their impressions.

After lunch, we walked right out to the square full of artists and their work. What a lovely place! I bought a small watercolor from an artist that allowed me to take his picture afterwards. He invited E to join him. Grace’s daughter sat to have her portrait drawn and was quite pleased with the result! The air was full of inspiration and beauty.

To help balance out the artsy with the fun (a necessity we are learning with our boys), we walked down to a carousel we saw on our train tour. It was near the base of the Sacré-Coeur. What a beautiful day!

Before we knew it, it was time to be heading back to our flat, packing up our things and catching our train back home to Germany. Sadly, we had a rushed goodbye in the confusion and chaos of the metro station. Thankfully, we took this group picture in our flat before leaving to remember our time together.

While we waited in the train station, a woman came up to me and started talking to us. She introduced herself and reminded me of how we met a few months back when I was house hunting with the boys, looking for permanent housing in one of the many villages we checked out. She lived in the house next door to one of the available homes on our list. I had rang her doorbell to ask her a few questions and we chatted for quite awhile. She has since cut her hair and doesn’t live in the village we settled in so I haven’t seen her since. I honestly didn’t recognize her but she remembered me and the boys and was so sweet. It was pretty wild to meet back up with her in Paris! Shortly after, we boarded our train for home.

Here is the train station in Paris and the boys with hubby pushing my luggage after we arrived back in Germany. The boys are good travelers, a plus since they have been traveling since birth! Now they can carry their own clothes in their backpacks for shorter trips!

When we got home, E & S grabbed the train set and built their own version of the ICE train we had just taken. They even built their own version of Paris at the end.

I think Paris left a good impression on all of us. Merci Paris!

March 16th, 2016

This evening, as I was thinking back on our time in Paris and reading what others have to say about this famous city, I came across these two quotes…

1) Paris is always a good idea. -Audrey Hepburn

2) A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life. -Thomas Jefferson

I couldn’t agree more! Though our visit was short, we managed to take in several sites. The traffic is crazy, the people are passionate and beauty is everywhere. One of my favorite moments in Paris was sitting on the sidewalk with the boys. We were in a square in Montmartre where artists congregate, set up their easels, and create and sell their art. I was immersed in conversation with E and S and found such simple contentment in their company and our surroundings. I love getting to share these experiences. Later, Hubby showed me this picture he took from a distance…

We were deeply grateful to have Hubby’s sister, Grace with us. It was her fourth time in Paris and she navigated the trains and sites with ease and confidence. This greatly reduced the strain on us of figuring out how to get around. Thank you Grace!

On Friday, we put some serious mileage on our shoes! In hopes of avoiding the weekend crowd, we decided to focus on a few of the more popular sites in Paris. We walked up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower (and down), saw the Arc de Triomphe, walked up to the top of Notre Dame (and down), walked across one of the bridges built over the Seine and visited the Louvre. The kids did an amazing job hanging in there for all of it. I think they all passed out that night. I know I did! It was the biggest work out I have had since we moved to Germany.

Here is a look at our first full day in pictures!

The Eiffel Tower

The lines were short when we arrived and even shorter if we were willing to walk versus take the elevator. With our two energetic boys (7yrs. and 4 yrs), the choice was easy. They led the way up the 674 stairs to the second level! My legs were burning as I watched them in amazement. The views were rewarding though the glass floors were pretty unnerving. Thankfully, those were only in small areas!

When we got back down, tummies were rumbling. We walked a few blocks to a local bakery and market where we purchased bread, meat, cheese, fruit, chips and drinks. We had our Parisian lunch in a little park, near the base of the Eiffel Tower…budget friendly and great views!

Arc de Triomphe

Napoleon had this monument built to pay tribute to his victories. Beneath it lies the tomb of the Unknown Soldier dating back to WWI. The names of all French victories and generals are inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. As you can see in the last picture, our boys started loosing steam here.

We took an open-air “taxi” from the Arc de Triomphe to Notre Dame, allowing for a couple of naps and a bit of respite for our feet. Our driver, Alain, shared French history and interesting facts as he took us through the CRAZY roundabout, down the Champs-Elysées, alongside the Luxor Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde, pass the Louvre and finally to Notre Dame.

While we waited in line to walk up to the top of Notre Dame, we bought the boys Nutella Waffles to help them refuel. It was our only real line we waited in the entire day. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long before we were ascending the winding staircases to the bell tower and then to the top! Afterwards, we went inside to take in the beauty!

As we left Notre Dame, the sun began its slow descent in the sky. With Grace and Hubby navigating, we walked across one of the bridges over the Seine in search of a café for dinner. With all the energy we were asserting, we needed another pit stop to fill up again!

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After dinner, we took the train to the Louvre. I read somewhere that the Louvre is free on Friday evenings after 6pm. Though we were able to walk right into the Louvre (no line), the adults were stopped from entering the exhibit halls because of our age. A minor detail I had missed. Just so YOU know…the Louvre is free to those 26 years and younger on Friday nights after 6pm. Sadly, we can no longer pass for twenty-somethings! As we were brainstorming a new plan, a French gentleman approached us and offered to get one of us in for free. Hubby accompanied him as his guest allowing us to get our group of six in with two tickets. The kind man gave us a short tour.

Due to our time and energy restraints and the boys’ desires to see the Mona Lisa, we immediately made our way through the maze of hallways in search of her. When we found her room, we were surprised to be able to walk right up and gaze upon that famous smile. How fun it was to see DaVinci’s masterpiece in person! I was pleasantly surprised to find the Mona Lisa larger than I had expected.

We took in a few other pieces, like this sculpture that Grace named “The First Selfie” and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, before exhaustion took over and we bid the Louvre goodbye. Perhaps we will return another time.

When we left the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower was lit up in the distance. Beautiful!

Bonne nuit! (Goodnight in French)

March 15th, 2016

We just finished week one of visits from family and friends. What a gift! Last week, Danny’s sister, Grace came with her daughter. Yesterday evening, we welcomed our dear friend, Andy from back home. Tomorrow, my parents arrive for ten days. These faces bring with them comforting familiarity, shared stories, news from home and lots of love. Its been a true gift to our spirits!

Grace and her daughter arrived by train last Tuesday afternoon. It was so surreal to see the train doors open and watch them walk onto the platform where I was standing with the boys.

Suddenly, they were here…in Germany…to visit our family…because we live here…its our home! Weird!! Our old world collided with our new world, putting me in a strange, dream-like state. I wonder when this will feel common or if it ever will?

Grace took the train back to Paris Wednesday morning after a quick overnight at our home. She had meetings for work that evening and Thursday. We kept our niece busy showing her some of our favorite local sites; Nanstein Castle, our village, the Nature trail, “our” coffee shop, the labyrinth and a couple of stops on the Life Path. The sun came out both days which was a HUGE treat!

On Thursday evening, we all traveled by train to Paris to reunite with Grace. It was the first time our family has traveled out of Germany since we arrived last November. The train had two levels. Our seats were on the bottom level which disappointed the boys. However, we got a foldout table that helped make up for it! E enjoyed checking out the food car on the second level about half way through the trip. It was very cool and had yummy snacks!

Our train ride took about two and half hours. We arrived in Paris around 9pm, stood in the taxi line outside the train station and lucked out with an English speaking taxi driver. He took us to the flat we rented and stopped the traffic so we could all cross the street. We were exhausted and excited to be in La Ville Lumière…the City of Lights! I’ll write more on Paris in the next couple of posts.

Au revoir!

March 7th, 2016

Here are a few aspects of our lives that are becoming our new normal.

Dinner Out…we started frequenting the same restaurant once a week and our favorite coffee house on Sunday afternoons to get to know the owners and staff. I also get a night off of cooking. A win-win!

“Renting” our Shopping Carts…we put a coin in the slot in order to use the cart. When you return it, you get your money back.

Eggs Fresh from the Farm…so fresh that we occasionally find feathers in the carton!

Heated Window Sills…most of our windows have heaters directly below them which makes for a nice and warm seat for our kitty. I can’t help but think the builder liked cats.

E’s New School Community…Last week, we went to a Dr. Seuss Literacy Night with games and activities galore. Our Thing 1 and Thing 2 had a blast!

Building European Monuments…here is S’s replica of the Eiffel Tower using his building blocks. Can’t wait for our little guys to see the real thing in person.

Hubby’s sister arrives tomorrow with our niece. We are super excited to spend a few days with them! We also get to host our dear friend, Andy, next Monday as he travels across Germany. THEN, my parents arrive next Wednesday!!!!! There is some SERIOUS excitement around here. Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I may be a bit absent for a little while. If so,   you know why. I’ll be sure to catch up at some point!

Tschüss! (bye in German)

March 6th, 2016

Heir Schmitt joined us for dinner this past Wednesday night. He is the owner/landlord of the house we were originally going to move into before we found our present home. We are grateful for the opportunity to still develop a friendship with this kind man, though we are not his tenants. Perhaps that’s even better.

As we chatted over dinner the other night, he began to share some of his family stories. He captivated us with the details of his father surviving WWII, how his family renovated and rented out the upstairs of their home to an American family back in the 1950’s and the strength of his mother as she solely provided for her injured husband, parents and children.

He also told us a very entertaining story about this local monument of a man plowing behind an elephant. The man is actually Heir Schmitt’s grandfather. I may get some of the details mixed up but here’s what I remember…

Heir Schmitt’s grandfather was a carpenter. He was hired by a wealthy circus family to build wooden horses for the carousel alongside other projects. The family paid Grandfather Schmitt on the front end for these jobs, which was a big deal and not very typical. Over time, a friendship developed.

The circus family lived in a beautiful villa with a large garden. At the start of WWI, the men of the family and most of the horses left the village to fight. This made it difficult to maintain the large garden. One day, Grandfather Schmitt was having tea with the daughter of the family. As she shared about the challenges of keeping up with the garden, Grandfather Schmitt remembered how elephants were used for manual labor in India. He suggested using one of the circus elephants to pull the plow to break up the ground in the garden. The daughter liked the idea so Grandfather Schmitt designed a harness using large, leather belts. He outfitted one of the elephants and successfully plowed the field. 

Somewhere along the way, the success of using the elephant to plow a field was shared amongst the villagers. People did not believe this was possible and a bet was made. A crowd of folks came to a field to watch the elephant at work. Harnessed to the plow, the elephant pulled it down to the end of the field where he then rewarded himself by grazing ears of corn from a neighboring field. The elephant would then walk back down the field, turn around and repeat. When he reached the end of the field again, he rewarded himself with a second mouthful of corn. The owner of the corn field became enraged at the lost of his corn and began to yell at the elephant. Grandfather Schmitt offered to pay for the corn but the farmer would not have it. Meanwhile, the elephant started becoming agitated. The crowd of villagers added to the commotion, agitating the elephant even further. Grandfather Schmitt implored everyone to calm down but they would not listen.

In the midst of the commotion, Grandfather Schmitt watched the elephant suck up several rocks from the field into his trunk and then point his trunk at the crowds. He yelled at the villagers to hit the ground as the beast began to fire a round of stones out of its trunk. The rocks flew over the heads of the people, hitting the surrounding trees with great force. The elephant then trumpeted loudly and loaded it’s trunk for a second round. Chaos erupted! The elephant bolted, pulling a flying plow behind it. The plow swung wildly from side-to-side as the beast ran through the streets, leaving a trail of damaged doors, fences, gates and road. The elephant ran back to the security of it’s circus tent. Upon seeing the damage, Grandfather Schmitt refused to pay because the villagers did not heed his warning. This story became famous and a monument was built in remembrance. 

As Heir Schmitt shared about his famous Grandfather, his face lit up. The boys were enthralled as they listened. They especially liked the part where the elephant shot the rocks out of his trunk! E asked if this was a true story and Heir Schmitt said, “Yes!”

The next day, lil S and I drove over to see the monument again. I was completely surprised to find a sign nearby with a summary of Heir Schmitt’s story! Though it was a shorter version and retold a bit differently, several of the details were similar. The sign had it printed in German, English and a third language (I’m guessing French). Reading through it, I learned that the elephant’s name was Sam.

Gotta love family stories that become a part of local history!