Traffic School

I complete my second week of traffic school last night and learned some things:

1. It’s expensive to get a ticket. My ticket (62mph in 45 mph zone) was $319.50 which included $57 for traffic school. And there were other stories from the class: $437 for running a red light (recorded by camera), over $300 for spitting gum onto the street from a car or pouring Mountain Dew out of a can, and $287 for parking in a Handicap Only spot (and he was really upset because he was there for less than 10 minutes).
   
2. The best idea for staying awake when you’re getting drowsy is to pull-over, stop and take a nap. But the cutest idea was based on an immediate incentive approach - place a $100 bill between the fingers of your left hand and then extend your hand out the window.
   
3. You’re allowed to pick up your cell phone and use it to call 911 if there is an incident where another driver is harassing you, i.e. road rage. The instructor suggested that just being “flipped-off” might not warrant a 911 call.

Even though I did not enjoy traffic school, there were some positives. I changed my driving habits somewhat:

• I watch my speed more
• I’m more cautious around schools
• I have mounted a picture of one of my grandkids to my dash as a reminder to drive safely. (Quinn is the lead-off reminder
  
  

and before traffic school started I always went to Wahoo’s Fish Tacos for dinner.

Calvinus Biere Incentive

The Anaheim CRC Council was stunned last night by a creative move by one of their members. Since we are so poor at getting guests to complete the “yellow” visitor cards, it was suggested that a reward be give to the Council member who collects the most completed “yellow” cards from our Sunday morning guests. The contest would run until the end of the May and the winner will be awarded their prize at the beginning of June as new Council membes are installed.
Since July 10, 2009 is the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth, the winner will receive the much coveted drink made famous by the distinguished reformer – a bottle of Calvinus Biere*. Of course, the discussion of the contest was quickly aborted after one of the Council member shouted, “Forget the contest, just give me the beer.”

* In Blondae Cupitas
One fine summer’s night in 1553, as he walked towards the summit of Mount Saleve, where he used to observe the moon and the stars, Jean-Baptiste Cern, the learned botanist and astronomer from Geneva, accidentally slipped into a crevasse. To his amazement, the walls sparkled in the darkness. ‘Gold!’ he cried. News of the discovery spread to Geneva and triggered an immediate gold rush. Mines and quarries appeared. Puzzled by the deserted city, Calvin summoned a mineralogist from the Academy of Lyon. Alas, this scientist discovered that in fact the mineral was just common pyrite – fool’s gold – and that Saleve’s only treasure was its good building rock. Calvin, incensed by the greed and covetousness of the people of Geneva, delivered thundering sermons attacking them. He exiled the ignorant scientist and promulgated his highly controversial anti-science laws, which plunged Geneva into scientific obscurantism. In memory of Calvin, and also of persecuted scientists and disfigured Mount Saleve, the Papinot Brothers, have brewed a beer with glints of gold. A traditional unfiltered lager, containing spring water, barley, hops, and yeast, all organically produced.

A memorable dream!

I normally can't remember my dreams but this one, early this morning, was different.

I was running past the house where Hank and Joan Lambooy used to live and Barb Andreas emerged from the house and called out to me. It irritated me because I had things to do but I did stop to chat with her. Then Jerry came out and joined the discussion briefly and then I continued my run. On the way home, running on a street in an industrial area, 3 guys approached me and forced me to stop – they were wielding a pistol. They told me that I was going to buy 7 T-shirts they had for sale whether I wanted to or not, at $7 a piece. I took a look at their merchandise and saw the all the shirts were the same design but at least they came in a variety of colors. So I selected 7 different colored T-shirts and thought I was free to go. But no, now I had to join them in one of the buildings and invest in their company (for some reason I had about $2000 in cash in my pocket).

I took a look at their product line, which wasn’t too bad, but was based on old technology which I had seen many years ago and had been developed by Bob Kliest, former president of Pertec. So I wasn’t impressed with their business plans and left. As I got outside, I couldn’t find my car, a black Honda CRX, and considered going back inside to ask the guys what they did with my car. While considering my options, I saw a lady and her daughter looking at the building and learned that they also had been approached about investing. I told them the guys were using illegal tactics and someone should get the police involved. After all, they had forced me to buy T-shirts at gunpoint and now also stolen my car. The lady told me the car was in the side parking lot, which I verified. At this point I decided to go back in to understand the technology better. After another review, I still decided it was not a company for me and as I left, I saw Tom De Vries (Valley classmate) in the building, also checking out the product line. I told him the product was based on old technology and these guys did not have the right to use it. With that I left and went home – in my little black Honda CRX.

Where do these things come from?
-I like running, I always have things to do, I’ve recently taken to wearing colored T-shirts under my shirt, I like to have enough money in my pocket so that I can take advantage of opportunities, technology is fascinating, I respect Bob Kliest, I always thought my little black Honda CRX was cool.

What does it mean? Probably nothing!

Memoirs

Fred Wind came to the Route 66 group at church and talked about writing your memoirs. Why would someone do that? For the grandchildren, of course! And maybe even for yourself. He gave us a lot of good pointers and then invited anyone interested to drop in on the monthly meeting of the Memoirists at Bethany CRC. They meet most every 4th Monday of the month.

Today is the 4th Monday of March 2009, so I accepted Fred's invitation. At the beginning of the meeting they circulate a sheet of paper and all those that have something ready to read, sign up. Those that just want to listen are free to do so. What a variety! It ranged from travelling the Atlantic as an immigrant, to living on the the farm with no indoor plumbing, to three brain surgeries in two weeks. Everyone has a story and some people just need a bit of encouragement to share their unique experiences.

It just confirms what we all know but at times forget - there's nothing as interesting as people. And if you take the time to listen to a person talking about what they think is interesting, it's hard not to like them - at least the first time they tell you that story.

Maybe I'll start a memoir group at Anaheim CRC.

Taizé Prayer Service

Friday, on the way home from the Pancake House in Anaheim, I noticed a large banner on the First Presbyterian church - they are now having Taizé services on some Sunday evenings, including tonight, at 7 pm. I attended a Taizé service in Pasadena many years ago and the meditative ambience and format of the service fascinated me.

(From Wikipedia: "The Taizé Community was founded by Roger Louis Schütz-Marsauche (later known simply as Frère Roger or Brother Roger), born on May 12, 1915 in the village of Provence, Switzerland". )

Since I'm just back from Switzerland, I knew that this service was for me. I went there this evening and thought, "They really are quiet during these prayer services" because I couldn't find anyone. Then I looked more closely at the banner. It turns out that the Taize services are on Wednesday evening (the same night we have our Men's Group).

Stretcher Bearers

The title of this blog post comes from a lecture Bryan and I heard in Geneva on March 12. The topic was on the role of church members during the current economic crisis. The speaker was James Featherby, a British lawyer whose law firm represents some of the major British banks that have imploded. His view is that society needs to return to values, preferably Christian values, as the criteria for success and discard the chasing after short term goals. Since this will be a long-term effort, he suggested that there is an analogy to activities on the battlefield of the 1st world war - stretcher bearers are needed to carry the wounded from the field. This is one role that church members can play.

In Jesus' telling the parable of the good Samaritan, he was telling us that our neighbor may be the person who has been injured by the current financial meltdown. We are "stretcher bearers" when we help them get back on their feet. And it could take significant time and effort but this is what we are called to do.

Kristen and kids are entertaining us

My last night in Switzerland, I took this picture of Quinn and Troy.

Kristen, Lindsey (and friend Katie), Lauren, William, and Lilly (aka little dragon) arrived Sunday afternoon. The kids have this week off and Kristen had some work to do with her advisor at Azusa Pacific so a trip to So. California was the right thing to do. The gang went to the Brea mall on Monday and today it's Disneyland. They left for Mickey's realm at 8 am and as of now, 11:00 pm they're not yet home.

Sleeping arrangements are working out OK -

Kristen and Lilly in the large guest bedroom, Lindsey and Katie in the center guest room, and Lauren and Will downstairs in the TV room.

As you can imagine, I love the fun-filled days with the Rietkerks. And once in a while miss my peaceful days in Switzerland.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

This is my last full day in Switzerland. I have a flight out of Geneva at 10:15am tomorrow. The current plan is for me to catch a train from Nyon directly to the airport because of the car show in Geneva which is still in process and has been tying up the A1 on a regular basis. We'll say our goodbyes in Nyon.

This has been another wonderful trip - sledding, visiting other Swiss towns, relaxing at home and especially being with family. Tonight, being our last evening together, was a bit somber but there is also the anticipation of seeing each other again in the near future. And now all have gone to bed as will I after I complete my few lines here.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow" - a line from the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare; Juliet is saying good night to Romeo.

Getting High in Lausanne (really !)

Another great day! No rain and minimal clouds out Thursday morning so I headed for Lausanne. I joined Bryan on the bus to Nyon (5.60 francs) after we walked the kids to their stop. At Nyon I bought train ticket (27.60 f, RT) to Lausanne, good for return anytime same day. This is a great walking city.

I had lunch in the plaza of the cathedral (paninis: 5.00 f; water: 2.00 f, orange and cookies from home). BTW, I did not get high during lunch, that came after I climbed the tower of the cathedral. I was back home at 5:30 pm. TOTAL: 46.80 f.

I'm ready to go back and continue on to the sites that I didn't yet cover. I have posted pictures with captions on my Web Album.

A Room with a View

This is the view from my penthouse suite at the Goudzwaard residence.

A Walk Through the Village

I needed an umbrella to take the kids to the busstop this morning but soon after, the clouds cleared and the sun was out in full force. I decided to take a walk through Bogis-Bossey and look for crocuses. As you can see, the walk was a success.

Tonight we are going to Bryan's favorite restaurant - Perch Fillet, in Nyon. We have sitter for the kids and Stephanie and I will meet Bryan in Nyon at 7pm. It promises to be an great evening. If it's decent weather tomorrow, I plan to take bus/train to Lousanne to look around.

Run to the lake - and back!

The morning started with a break in the cloud cover and the distinct possibility (to an optimist) that it might be a day for outdoors activity. After taking the kids to the busstop, I went home, donned my running gear, and then headed south - over the A1, through the farm lands, down the road to Founex, and finally to the shore of Lac Leman (a.k.a. Lake Geneva). The run to the lake only took 25 minutes. But the run back was a challenge - the sun hid behind the clouds, the temperature was in the 30s, and the road was up hill the whole way. However, there is nothing like an invigorating run to start the day off right.

Most of the rest of the day was spent indoors reading, except for a trip to the Chevannes Shopping Centre. Stephanie dropped me off in the car and then I walked home in the rain. But with an umbrella, a walk in the rain in Switzerland is a pleasure in itself. Another great day!

"The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings." Robert Louis Stevenson

Head or Heart Worship

Bryan and I attended the morning worship service of The Church of Scotland, Geneva. They meet at the Auditoire de Calvin, next to the Cathedral where Calvin preached. As a family we all attended the Westlake Church service this afternoon. The first was a liturgical service with preaching by Rev. Theodore Gill from the World Council of Churches. The afternoon service had no preaching - four elders gave their testimony about the meaning of the cross followed by an invitation for members of the congregation to come forward and share their response to the same question. So at which service did I hear God speaking to me? I'll reflect on that in a future blog posting.

Between worship services we did have a chance to take a stroll through the woods just north of Divonne, France. A par-course was setup there and that was great for motivating the kids to forget about hiking and rather think about discovering the next challenge. The beauty of God's creation was very evident all around us.

Avenches - the old Roman capital of Helvetia

With Bryan off on his ski trip with his church buddies, Steph and I and the kids selected Avenches (ah-vahnsh in French speak) as our outing for today. It's about an hour and a half from home and its fame is that in the 1st and 2nd centuries after Christ, it was one of the largest Roman cities - about 20,000 people.

What a great family trip! We had a great time viewing the old ampitheatre, the sanctuary (a place of worship for Helvetians from all of Switzerland) and the old Roman wall along with its only remaining tower. Most of the old Roman ruins are out in the open, surrounded by farm land, while the ampitheatre is just outside the modern little village of Avenches. The kids enjoyed pretending to be lions and other wild animals in the ampitheatre for the spectators, Stephanie and myself. They also were proficient at playing gargoyle atop the various walls.

We ate lunch atop the old Roman wall, then went to the neighboring village of Morat, the best preserved medeival village in Switzerland. Later in the day, we came back to Avenches to tour a fine museum with artifacts recovered from the surrounding area.

Fine French Cuisine

Each morning I look out my window and see the chateau calmly presiding over the village of Divonne, France. And each morning I think, "What would it be like to have lunch there?" Today Stephanie and I sampled their service.

I started by making reservations for 1pm and I knew that we would be treated well. The receptionist could speak English and she had obviously had a class in customer service - she was the most pleasant telephone person I have spoken with during my visits to Switzerland. Our coats were taken, we were shown to the dining room, and were offered our choice of any of the tables by the windows.

We ordered our drinks - Coca light and a local French beer - and then were served a dish of mini appetizers, three each. I got lucky because Stephanie only ate one of hers. We decided to order a main course followed by dessert. These were presented as works of art (see the pictures) and were delicious. This was followed by our choice of some little sweets.

Our service was superb - a waitress that could speak Anglais and a waiter-in-training, trying his best to do everything right. We were treated royally!

After two hours, we decided that it was time to get back to Switzerland, pick the kids up from school, get Bryan from the train station, get some pizza for Friday night dinner - in other words, "get back to the real world".

A green worm in my glass?

Just in case you don't know the street or village where I reside right now, I thought I'd show you with a picture.

Bryan is still in Italy on business, so Steph and I had fun listening to the kids share French facts with us. Did you know that the words for "green", "worm"and "glass" all sound the same?

After dinner, the kids helped me write a letter to a 10 year old little boy in Haiti that I am sponsoring via World Vision. Troy wrote his note in French, the language that the little boy speaks.

Brainstorming

Bryan left for Italy early this morning so I walked the kids to their bus stop by myself. You'll see that they have a new bus stop - a half a block farther way and on the north side of the street.

Troy has a paper to write. It must deal with clothes and costumes used during a particular time period. Troy selected the 1850s - gold rush, president Lincoln, etc. Tonight after dinner we did a bit of brainstorming so that Troy would have a lot of choices for his project. Stephanie, Quinn, Troy and I sat around the table and listed as many types of clothes as as we could think of. I noticed that Quinn really got into the brainstorming process while Troy was just waiting for his turn so that he could tell a story that wasn't related to the subject at hand.

Le Chateau de Divonne

(Chateau de Divonne in the Fall of 2008)

After walking the kids to their bus stop, I came home and told Steph I was going for a run. She asked, "Are you going to the chateau? My response, "No, that's too far. After crossing the French border, I decided to go to the tourist information office in Divonne. Then, with a fist full of brochures, I decided I might as well go the extra half mile (up hill) to the chateau. Even with overcast skies, the chateau and view of the surrounding area is spectacular. When I finally got back home, I realized that the whole expedition had taken me an hour and a half. And I would do it again!

Snowdrops

It rained lightly through the night and off and on into the morning. I walked Troy and Quinn to their bus stop at 7:28am - all of us sporting umbrellas - while Bryan followed a bit later (due to his sore leg from ramming it into a snowbank yesterday) .

After breakfast, Stephanie and I went for a walk to Divonne, France, circled the lake, enjoyed the flora, and then came back home after an hour and a half. It was a calm and relaxing morning

"Sledging" as they call it here

Sledging, or sledding, was enjoyed by all of us today. Bryan had located a facility that offers a 7 kilometer sled run. I took us about an hour and a half to drive there, but it was well worth it. Steph, Troy, and I had individual sleds while Bryan and Quinn shared a double. You can see some of the activity at my Web Album.

With the picture at the right, you can see two of the happy sledders eventhough the run was over.