Ascension Day and Spargel Kiosks Everywhere

painting by John Singleton Copley, 1775

Yesterday was a German Catholic holiday.  It was Ascension Day.  For those who may not know, Ascension Day is when the Savior ascended back to Heaven to be with his Father after He appeared to His disciples after His resurrection.

It was also German Father's Day.  Who would have guessed? Frankfurt was shut down - all stores, businesses and - you name it. Jay and the kids had the day off.  It was a wonderful day.

We went to a park and had a picnic with some friends.  Afterwards we drove to the Px (military base) and casually wandered around the thrift store there.  (Of course the thrift store wasn't closed because it's an American military base.  It was closed Monday for Memorial Day.)  You can always find some small inexpensive treasure at the thrift store.  Jay got 3 or 4 CDs for $1 and Ivan found a very large box of magic tricks ($3).  The price isn't bad, eh? 

On our way home we stopped at a "Spargel Stand."  What is a spargel?  Maybe I have told you already, but (just in case) spargel is the word for asparagus!  Apparently it is spargel season here!  Yeah.  What a great season it is, too.  They do not sell spargel only.  They also sell strawberries, apricots and dark cherries.  These are all grown (as I've been told) by independent farmers and sold out of these roadside stalls (well, I don't know what they are called exactly - kiosk, stall ?).  There is one (practically) on every corner.  How wonderful for us!  Thankfully, the spargel people were not closed on the German holiday yesterday.  We bought a big basket (2 kg = about 4.5 lbs) of strawberries and 1 kg of cherries.  I wasn't able to share a picture of the cherries with you because they disappeared so quickly :o)

They taste as good as they look!!

Mr. & Mrs. Turtle

Hello out there.  This is just another "Jet walk" post.  I wanted to share the sight of the baby turtle.  I had no idea that it was Mr. and Mrs. Turtle sunning themselves on a rock from my last post.

The baby turtle is so cute!

God's Amazing Creations

Look what I saw on my morning walk with Jet!

Surprisingly (and happily), I was able to get very close to this bird to take a picture before it got tired of my company and flew away.

At least these guys can't fly!

Jet and I watch day by day as the ducklings get bigger.  I about lost my mobile phone for this picture.  I went one way and Jet went the other and it flew out of my hands, landed on the grass and bounced between the pond side and some rocks.

The experience of almost loosing my phone caused me to decide to tether Jet to a pole so I could sneak up on the bird in the first picture.

The path on the way out of the park.  The lighting made all the greens in the trees and grass so beautiful.  I'm not sure it was well captured here, but I tried.

Frankfurt Zoo

The kids and I went to the Frankfurt Zoo.  Here are a few highlights of the day.  Hope you enjoy :o)
  

We rode the U-Bahn (metro train) to the zoo.

Watch out for the wildlife at the zoo!

"Wake up Mr. Lion!"

A refreshing fountain for a warm day.

Ivan, the pigeon paparrazi!

"Yes, did you call my name?"

At the zebras' house.

Not all the animals were cute and cuddly...

Emily's a great photographer!

Look Mom! a Commodo Dragon :o)

Emily captured this photo with the tongue flickering out (not such an easy task to do).

If I had a nose like that I'd hide, too!

Careful guys...you're about to topple over...

Too beautiful for words.

Gotta love the Meer Cats.

Go ahead, make my day.

Mother ape playing with her baby (who looks an awful lot like Golom - poor thing.)

These are some huge hippos.

On our way out of the zoo.

We stop at the Frankfurt Kebab Haus. Ivan's "little" meal is a pide with cheese and spices and salad.

Emily and I split a doner kebab (one of my favorites :o)

And the winner is!!!

You may have seen this one on Jay's facebook page, but I decided to "blog" it here as a memento of the ongoing puzzlement of the German language.  The name of this company (as seen in the picture) is also in large black letters on the side of a pet store in our neighborhood. 

Kind of makes me want to.........oh, nevermind.

Germans Say The Darndest Things

I admit to being very naughty taking this picture.  (I wonder if there are laws against photography while driving?)

Well, you can't really read the back of the van in front of me, but it says Krankenfahrt.

Krankenfahrt?  What's a krankenfahrt?  Well, a krankenhaus is a hospital.  The word kranken means sick or suffer.  Haus means what it sounds like - house (hmmm - sick house).  The Germans get right to the point.  They tell it like it is, so what is a krankenfahrt?

Is it just me, or is this word funny? (at least to an English speaker?)  OK I google translated it.  In its literal form it is "sick ride."  A ride for the sick (or suffering).  How will I ever take German seriously?  

Ducklings In The Park

This is what Jet and I saw on our morning walk today:

Aren't they adorable?

Getting a little overgrown here.

Emily's 15th Birthday Interview, Birthday Dinner and Birthday Party

What is your favorite T.V. series?
Sherlock and Doctor Who.

What is your favorite book?
Ink Heart by Cornelia Funk

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A writer.

What kind of books do you want to write?
anything and everything

Describe what would be a perfect day to you.
A day spent with my friends doing something fun.

What is your favorite food?
Asian food

What is your favorite dessert?
any kind of pie

Where would you like to go on a vacation?
Australia

What is your favorite memory from last year?
Visiting my friend Sarita in Mexico.

What is your goal for this next year?
write more books

What is your favorite sport?
Soccer

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Blue

What is your favorite thing about living in Frankfurt?
being in Europe

What is your favorite story from the Book of Mormon?
the Sons of Mosiah

(Thanks to my friend Melissa for being so creative and sharing the idea of birthday interviews with me :o)

A tradition in our family is to let the birthday person choose what they would like for dinner.  This year Emily chose Yakisoba, broccoli with green beans and peas, and fruit salad.

Yakisoba is a dish Jay learned to make on his mission in Japan.  It has soba noodles, cabbage, and fried pork with nice Asian sauces and seasonings (yum:o).

And now....for the birthday party!!!! (and cake)  Yeah!!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Emily's request)

The Three Amigos