杉 cedar news

Chinese New Year's

2012-01-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

"Smooth Sailing"

We celebrated Chinese New Year's with all the Asian students, taking them to Boky's - a high-quality buffet restaurant in town.

Freshly made steamed & fried dumplings, peppered beef, mussels, a roast duck do-it-yourself carving station (!), chicken & beef yakitori, sushi - it really was pretty amazing fare and finished with ice-cream and tropical fruits.

Given our standard fare at the local pizzeria, we were in gastronomic bliss.

Tracie made "red packets," giving everyone in the house - everyone - 2CHF! Michael just spent the 10 we gave on an Asterix, while Jack loves to count his savings - a natural banker with a love of numbers.

***

We have Indian students from Singapore, Chinese and Japanese-Americans, Koreans, & lots of mixes, leading to an interesting discussion on what is Asia anyway. "Asia" in Europe is a grab-bag term, meaning anything East, Central and even Western Asia; the term has replaced its predecessor, "Orient," serving as counterpoint to define what it is not - ie the "West," an equally elusive term.

Europe is having problems of its own, again, with a looming economic collapse.

These bills may be relics someday soon, symbolizing a currency union of a mythic European unity. Marked by architectural designs that evoke epochs without specific historicity; no one could agree on choosing particular national icons, only stylized symbols.

Anyway, the Chinese wishes for good fortune are more desperately needed today.

"Happiness, Success, Fortune"

Games People Play

2012-01-25T04:53:00.000-08:00

Board games of mythical lands are alien territory to me, but M & J love them - more than movies, they say - so we occasionally go down that road.

Besides the above Switzerland, the guys in house have done marathon sessions of Risk,

adding to Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan, as well as

Apples to Apples

which even Jack can play (with some help).

Catch Phrase, a fast-paced, battery-powered version of Taboo, trades on verbal wit.

***

The Musee du Jeu (Toy Museum)a boutique exhibition space in La Tour des Peilz, had a fascinating exhibit on the history of games.

Once an innovator, America's commercialized culture turned to fads and celebrity gossip for game content, importing games of strategy from Europe, where smaller toymakers still invent lithographed boards drawing from myths, history, or Euro-style regions. a la Ticket to Ride.

At some point, American game developers chose the social goals of laughing and good times over pensive strategy, drawing upon TV culture, movies, & sports - the stuff of media - for reflective material.

The irony is that despite our casual posture, we remain uncomfortable with ourselves as a national culture; our social gatherings require non-stop laughter; our restaurants bury conversation with noisy music; our dinner parties decline the face-to-face of the table for the social distance of the living room.

Anyway, we're inaugurating Friday evening "raclette/game night," introducing the double-whammy of social eating (tabletop cooking)

with games.

Mountains nearby

2012-01-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

Experimenting with the aspect ratio of my Canon G12, getting more widescreen shots for the landscape outside,

where we headed, chasing snow up in Gryon.

The white stuff is harder to access in SoCal, so we should get up to the mountains as much as possible, even if that means buying snow tires! Swiss requirement for all cars in winter.

Michael shoveling Mrs. S's walk.

Cheese spread for quick supper - I in charge of the toaster for the smoked salmon - M&J had maybe 6 slices a piece? The live action aspect stimulated appetite, I figure.

***

And Carolyn celebrated her birthday with a fruit-layered cake by our Portuguese baker. We had a lovely day highlighted by the boys & their gifts, ending with a mushroom fondue near the cathedral.

Saas Fee

2012-01-06T02:45:00.000-08:00

Debby & Udo (aka Grammy and Papa) along with Isaac & girlfriend, Jessica, spent one day of Christmas with us before we went to Saas Fee.

As always, a wealth of books -1948 hardcover of Five Little Peppers & How They Grew, The Castle in the Attic, The Upstairs Room, and various WWII stories, complementing the Piet Prins' Scout series we've grown to love about the Dutch Resistance. There's a wealth of excellent children's literature we tend to overlook in our zeal to ingrain the Lewis/Tolkien canon (the latter's works never intended for children) with their Christian symbolism. Whatever happened to just plain old great books?

On that theme, I am reminded that something like 40-50% of the great preacher, Charles Spurgeon's books - when taking inventory of his library - had no theological theme.

Udo trying out MUJI's knit gloves that can be used on touchscreen devices!

***

Lausanne got 2 days accumulation of snow (about the limit) before we drove 2 hours to Saas Fee, a family ski resort surrounded by 13 peaks and a glacier with year-long winter sports; Zermatt (Matterhorn) the glitzy next door neighbor.

Everyone signed-up for lessons.

Michael ended up learning to parallel, placing 2nd in the slalom competition in his age bracket.

Jack graduated from saucer to skis, going up to the top of the blue runs. Carolyn found her stride in the intermediate range, and went all the way up to the glacier, where the highest revolving restaurant in CH sits.

At night.

I have been suffering a rotator cuff/frozen shoulder problem, so was in apres-ski mode all day long, but for a long walk downhill one glorious morning.

The slate tiled chalets are characteristic of the region closer to Italy. On Wed night, the ski instructors put on a fireworks show, skiing down the peak by torchlight.

***

We returned to Lausanne to open a few gifts; the standout being Jack's cuboro - an absolutely ingenious Swiss marble run.

Comprised of identically sized cubes but with different patterns, tunnel levels, and angles, making endless configurations. BRINGING BACK WITH US. The precision (marble won't pick-up speed unless all blocks are tightly fitted), the tunnel burrowing, & creativity reflect the Swiss traits of overcoming geographic obstacles. Jack took to it, immediately coming up with surprising variations.

Michael, our farmer boy, scored with this indoor gardening set, complete with recipes, and various potato-themed science experiments.

Advent/Epiphany clean-up!

2012-01-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

January 6 ends the 12 days of Christmas & begins the long season of Epiphany, as the magi returned to their lands to spread the news of the newborn King.

Spanish Christians celebrate with a feast & presents, in a far bigger way than Christmas. Bakeries here pay carbohydrate lip-service by baking a variety of cakes with golden crowns. January 1st - the 8th day of Christmas - marks the New Year and the circumcision of the infant King.

Between St Nicholas Day on Dec 6, the 12 days of Christmas including Christmas Eve & Day, & Epiphany - everything gets so spread out, relativizing Christmas in a good way, it seems.

***

Anyway, we took the boys to enjoy a morning in Lausanne, hitting Academe Ecole de Coiffure (hair salon school), for the cheapest cuts in town. The quality is high - careful oversight - complete with shampoo and a touch of class: they hang up your coat, greeting with a friendly handshake!

While out, we came across this Provence-style creche scene

***

Here's the house near us all decked out for advent:

Pretty spectacular, especially at night.

Christmas stuff

2012-01-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

Michael and Jack were in Christmas "spectacles" (shows) for Ecole Montriond, each class holding separate evening events the last week before Christmas.

Jack's class recited poetry, sang folk tunes, and performed a skit about Pere Noel (Father Christmas).

Jack was the wind,

while Michael's class held to the semester theme of "The Night," focusing on bats & phases of the moon, performing in black costumes by candlelight (made filming impossible, btw).

Michael recited lines in French & German (introduced this year), playing "Clair de la Lune" on piano. The spectacle was ambitious; the class featured individual & group poetry, songs, choreography, & instrumental pieces, followed with Christmas cookies baked at school (Jack's teacher served us wine!). Marking the winter solstice, the class had an in-classroom sleepover and teachers prepared breakfast the next morning.

We are amazed at the level of commitment & coordination (3 part-time teachers per class), the secular nature apparent - no mention of Mary, Joseph, or Jesus. The religious symbols - angels, carols, mangers - are present in decor and Bible lessons; innocuous, in contrast with the charged atmosphere in culture war America. The issues have been largely settled in Europe: the religious symbols are retained formally since the content is gutted; tribal nationalism and the State is where the action is.

***

I'm impressed at the serious art study here; checkout these paintings mimicking the style of Spanish artist, Miro

even the signature

***

Went to Colmar, France (2.5 hrs) for their famed Christmas Market,

much more elaborate than Montreux's.

Colmar actually ran several markets at different sites, one devoted to children; ie more sweets & toys, like this Pinocchio marionette stand.

Charming amusement rides,

such as this horsey ride complete with a rather strong, galloping motion

and snow-blowing machine

I was charmed by these porcelain creche figures from Provence, which are usually set in an expansive garden scene.

Colmar is the best preserved of the Alsace region towns, characterized by timber exteriors

and canals like Venice.

***

Like Beaune, there is beautiful artwork in cathedrals, although we didn't explore,

but enjoyed the architectural details as we walked past.

Both towns are 2.5 hrs away; Colmar more ornately beautiful with shops & restaurants tucked everywhere. Beaune, a sparse foodie town - given the Burgundy setting; what I imagine Napa to be like.

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-26T13:33:00.001-08:00

Having blogging issues with my IPAD, which I use on vacations, since it's more portable, but more a consuming, not producing, device.

Excuses aside, late Merry Christmas! from Saas Fee, a family ski resort about 2 hours from Lausanne.

Not sure when Happy became Merry in American English, so these vintage cards interest me. I collected several at an antique shop on Whidbey Island and enjoy the melancholic mood these 100 yr old messages put me in - greetings to servicemen on Ft Casey...

an abandoned garrison Michael and Jack explore. Ghosts of Christmas past indeed.

I guess this is the 4th day of Christmastide, pointing to Epiphany on Jan 6th, as the kings/magi/wise men -- Gentiles -- spread the good news to all the earth. Some Europeans exchange gifts on Jan 5th, clearly separating earthly gifts from the gift of Christ. Nice.

I enjoy reclaiming these liturgical forms, discovering their timeworn logic & beauty, with the occasional "so that's what that was for" response.

Snow!

2011-12-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

Here's one of my favorite carols, a traditional British one dating from at least the middle ages, "Unto Us is Born a Son"- I like the Latin and the ascending, descending runs of the tune. The historical narrative of Herod's slaughter mixed with the playful O & A & A & O line is fun to sing. We performed it the other night at All Saints.

Unto us is born a Son,
King of quires supernal:
See on earth his life begun,
Of lords the Lord eternal.

Christ, from heaven descending low,
Come on earth a stranger;
Ox and ass their owner know,
Becradled in the manger.

This did Herod sore affray,
And grievously bewilder,
So he gave the word to slay,
And slew the little childer.

Of his love and mercy mild
This the Christmas story;
And O that Mary's gentle child
Might lead us up to glory.

O and A, and A and O,
Cum cantibus in choro,
Let our merry organ go,
Benedicamus Domino.

***
We've had some snow recently.

Went toy shopping and stopped for a hearty lentil and chestnut soup at a great joint near the cathedral,

finishing with their signature cocoa!

Not too many downhome places like this in Lausanne which is filled with traditional restaurants and cafes that to casual Americans can feel stuffy. This place had a Moosewood (famous vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, NY) feel to it. Mostly college kids.

Saint Francois square from the #1 bus.

The sunset the other night was spectacular.

Lessons & Carols & Nativity Play

2011-12-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

Michael was innkeeper & Jack part of the angel choir in All Saints' Nativity Play.

Christmas plays are basically photo-ops for parents, but this one was streamlined, evoking worship and purpose, not just " we gotta gett through this."

Derrick as grandpa reading to the kids,

who acted and sang,

recounting the narrative of hope and King Herod's slaughter.

Camel-scooters of the Magi.

***

Lessons & Carols (or Vespers) services place the emphasis on waiting - the not yet, rather than already - situating the savior's birth within an unfulfilled history; pulling the past into a future unknown, rather than restaging a single, completed event.

Aisha & Paige helped watch the boys during Monday evening practices. The Brits all grew up with the standard pieces, so we focused upon newer carols, such as the beautiful A Spotless Rose. The Genesis fall, then the OT prophesies leading not only to Christ, but His Kingdom of peace were powerful, again. Btw, there are Brits for whom this service is alien territory now. Ended with mince pies and mulled wine, then hurried home to have our final house church for the term!

Fall Clean-Up

2011-12-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

Weather's finally starting to turn and the snowline's lower - many have already been snowboarding on Zermatt, where you can do winter sports all year.

As we head into finals, time for a blog clean-up!

I had a birthday. Magnificent cake, a double-layered, pound cake tiramisu TO DIE FOR. Birthdays are celebrated during lunch, but Carolyn made a special effort, which everyone appreciated.

Something about massive sheet cakes.

Erice makes special handmade cards, which the students signed. My actual day was 11-11-11, but was overshadowed by Michael's Tintin extravaganza, so we made up for it.

We sometimes joke that Michael will grow-up to be an event planner; he so relishes celebrations and festivities.

***

On the actual day, we went out for a rare steak dinner at Les Trois Rois (The Three Kings) and enjoyed some tasty beef; Michael surprised us all by ordering horse!
The FLON - the old, bohemian warehouse district - has been turned into a retail transportation hub, with a wintertime patinoire (ice-skating rink).

Most larger towns have rinks, so we thought it'd make a great student venture.

The boys go on regularly skating trips with their school,

and Jack got the hang of it eventually.

This young Swiss man came out of nowhere and played with the boys.

Michael, surprisingly to us, fell lots of times, but never tired of it...

and the students formed a line

***
France and Germany have Christmas markets - Marche de Noel - with Montreux's the best in this region.

Rides,

such as this open carriage ferris wheel spins as it revolves! As in Japan, lawsuits don't pay well and it's not a civil right to be safe, so public spaces are full of real adventure.

Carolyn headed up Christmas cookie sessions to great success!

This year, we bought Betty Bossi's (Martha Stewart of CH) cookie dough,

which came with a simple diagram for a Gingerbread House!

The hazelnut dough (dark brown) was delicious.

***

There was a Secret Santa gift exchange, with the boys in the middle of everything.

which the boys absolutely loved.

Mugs seemed to be the prevailing gift.

Alex, whose aunt played with Miles Davis, is a sax player herself, & gave Jack a ride afterwards. The boys are fascinated by her leopard robe.

***

Dec 6th was St Nicholas Day, celebrated in German & French speaking countries, especially, by placing a Nick-shaped loaf with chocolates in an old shoe at bedside. The old town had a St Nick riding on a donkey. The above example is a particularly stunning example, with the traditional ceramic pipe.

Found these frozen clementines filled with tangerine sherbert - first course at Mrs. Schaeffer's Christmas dinner.

The Army were out at the Vevey market.

Really enjoy these Spanish KAKI - for one thing, they're huge.

Michael drew cards for everyone, placing a gift and card at each plate one breakfast.

This string of nuts, orange, cinnamon was beautiful, though sooon lost much of its scent.

Our Charlie Brown tree.

Happy Advent! It's in full-swing here.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

Celebrating a uniquely American holiday overseas can be special and strange. Nothing marks the day; you experience it privately since there's no public. We often felt that way about Sundays in Japan; attending church those mornings made you feel utterly alone, since 120 million others were oblivious.

But we had each other at Pepperdine's IP and the knowledge the day was being observed back home in mass numbers. Because we were facing 96, we catered the turkey, preparing the gravy, dressings (chestnut/cornbread/sausage/sage AND curried apple with dates), pies, plus biscuits at the last minute - ie the authentic flavors.

Carolyn used African sweet potatoes - one advantage of increased African immigration is a much larger variety of potatoes - for a twist on the American casserole. Stephanie guided students through pie-making sessions and I roasted one turkey for personal leftovers, filling the hotel with aroma, but frantically carved it in the end - not enough meat! Made me wish I'd roasted all the turkeys myself.

BTW, allrecipes.com has been a lifesaver, with 1000s of reviewed recipes, with a metric conversion and serving portion adjuster.

It felt good gathering supplies - beautiful mushrooms, fresh herbs, and a magnificent French bird that I brined in freshly pressed apple cider.

We ordered sandwiches for lunch, freeing up the kitchen for prep. Frances and Hope separating thyme leaves.

The turkey's in! The professional oven - convection, steamed air - cooks quickly and the custom-fitted pans have edges that slide into a choice of a dozen slots; no racks needed. I want!

Pie-making sessions: apple, pumpkin, & pecan.

Michael really loves helping, interacting, etc. Checkout the Tintin iron-on t-shirt (party favors)

The students did a beautiful job, hauling tables from upstairs classrooms, forming an E-shaped banquet table setting. I opened with a few words, noting only a 1/2 of the colony survived that first Thanksgiving - btw, George Soule, from whom Carolyn descends, was present that first feast - and read Psalm 100 (as the Pilgrims had), then prayed.

***
George Soule's tombstone in MA.

The Soule house (recreated)

A colorful character it seems, George was an original signer of the Mayflower Compact (thank-you Wikipedia!) & part of the illustrative lineage that includes Dick Van Dyke, Richard Gere.

***

Giving thanks is mainstreamed as a cultural practice, but like all secularized conventions - say, notions of calling - there remains the question: who is the addressee? To whom are we conveying our thanks? Whatever the intent, somewhat remains stuck in a self-congratulatory mode.

But we had fun, too; the guys wore ties, gals dresses, some donning turkey hats.

Michael insisted on wearing his bowler hat.

This year's group is very diverse by most criteria - ethnicity, religion, nationality - yet very similar by another measure. I recall our church in Ithaca, NY, a large university fellowship, with tremendous diversity - people routinely high-fived themselves on their mutual differences - was actually quite homogeneous.

Diversity there would've included the non-intellectual, working class from the lower-income valley below. The higher ed crowd indeed came from all around the world, representing myriad languages and diets, yet everyone met identical criteria, having passed through similar hoops.

Our group of 96 (!) total had a wonderful time, preparing, cooking, decorating, and feasting together. Lausanners 2011-2012 seem contentedly independent, given the many support networks now provided here for food, conversation, entertainment; they just kinda settled in here, as did we.

Still, Thanksgiving will be a highlight of the year, as the students really want time together, desiring community & a chance to experience home life, however makeshift.

Tintin party

2011-11-16T02:11:00.000-08:00

The timing couldn't have been better, as Michael's class party came on the heels of Spielberg's treatment of:

Carolyn hung Tintin banners and designs throughout,

placing "Milou (Snowy) has been kidnapped" signs in key spots:

The children came in costume - Capt Haddock a clear favorite

but the standouts were pirate ghost, Red Rackham,

and opera diva, Bianca Castafiore.
The Thompson twins

Carolyn made lanyards for each character, dividing the children into teams

for Tintin quiz competitions

Then on with the games!

What we learned: these kids are 5 years older than the last time we did this and much more rambunctious! We settled into brownies, newly popular here, but hard to find one that passes American muster (figurines from Happy Meals)

and tangerines (clementines from Spain and Israel are to die for).

Not sure what Pierre was

Present opening

followed by more outdoor play and the whirlwind ended

and Michael a neuf ans and Milou was found.

ERS at 97!

2011-11-03T02:28:00.000-07:00

With Pepperdine on break and Swiss schools ending at noon, we drove up the mountain to wish Mrs S "Happy Birthday!"

Sometimes I think she'll outlive me.

We gave a wonderfully read audiobook of Elizabeth Enright's children's classic, "The Four Story Mistake"

and multicolored roses arranged in a vase I gave the Schaeffers almost 30 years ago; filling this low-ceiling chalet with their fragrance.

Served up local patisseries - a local bakery does exceptional work - on one of Mrs S's hammered aluminum platters,

then lit up sparklers spelling 97.

---

Jack's second patisserie was "mille feuille" ("thousand layers") - a puff pastry with French origins dating 400 years. Bakeries here serve a pink or white icing with custard layered between pastry dough.

As with cream puffs, when they're fresh, the dryness of the thin pastry balances the custard filling for a crisp contrast. Italians call it a Napoleon; a baklava with custard, maybe. I asked Jack, tasting his first mille-feuille, "What do you think?" Reply: "It's awesome, Daddy."

The chalet is crammed with the material traces of a rich past, objects that are lovingly used, granting a sense of celebration to everyday events: tea with English bone china, garden flowers on the table. As busy as L'Abri was in those days, it wasn't the drinking coffee on the run culture of Starbucks.

My own family had nice dishes that were used on New Years Day, then stored the rest of the year. I & others learned from ERS the utility of beauty - its "use value," as Marxists say - recovering not only theological purity, but an eye and ear for, lack of a better term, aesthetics.

The beauty of holiness, a love of the Law, a poetics of truth, an historical faith; the relationship between content and delight.

These aspirations for a full-orbed approach were an ERS hallmark, as she tirelessly strove for art in everyday life, the vitality of prayer, musical imagination, appreciation of craftsmanship, children's literature, & breaking bread as the workshop for human belonging - all with an incredible taste for flair & style. A Christian Chanel.

Many of us now self-consciously reach for what she evinced, naturally, reminding me of her often spoken wish, "I pray my children will not be veneer, but solid oak, maple, cherry."

Fall

2011-11-01T03:21:00.000-07:00

Fall continues to amaze with its string of unusually warm days.

Michael's love of singing seems to function like an IPOD device - an inbuilt audio world that enhances his experience as he tunes out his surroundings.

The Chapmans landed in easy weather for touring,

including a climb to the top of the Lausanne Cathedral tower.

and Marta's hot chocolate at Le Barbare, a medal-winning recipe in Switzerland.

---

A Playmobil exhibition opened in town

but the highlight may have been seeing Tintin, enjoying the local fanfare around the comic book character, as well as pouring over the complete collection in Pepperdine's library.

We took a group of students - raffle drawing winners - after a quick raclette dinner (melted raclette cheese poured over potatoes) in our apartment; connecting two tables into an L, as in old L'Abri days...

Andrew posed

and, like most of the students, had never heard of the Belgian hero before, but could easily see the Indiana Jones inspiration.

---
The swans of Lake Geneva

to the dungeons

of Chateau Chillon -

it's nice when the weather cooperates.

Beyond all the region offers,

was the ultimate fun of putting on a show

in the downstairs music room, where stars were born.

Beaune

2011-10-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

Beaune is the heart of Burgundy's wine country -

highly recommended and close (3 hours), so

we hightailed to France after my Thursday class. (The "A" on the map, south of Dijon. As expected, the mustard selection is HUGE).

Beautiful fall scenery - probably last experienced like this in Ithaca days of upstate New York. Similar landscape, but more muted colors.

The town is mostly its medieval center, walled off with many narrow streets leading to squares, and this 15th century hospital:

featuring this lovely tapestry of the risen, sacrificial lamb:

and this incredible painting of the last judgement of Christ, the saved to the left, the condemned off to the right. No fuzzy thinking about hell in those days!

Much of the architecture of France seems rugged, due to the extensive use of stone.

Beaune is a gastronomic paradise, although we dined in more casual restaurants with the boys. I had steak twice, although the regional dish of Burgundy - boeuf bourguignon - was in firm competition. I vowed to try making this after admiring it on others' plates, eager to compare with the Guinness/cocoa-based flavoring I've had success with. Though essentially a stew, these seemed to retain a nice braised finish, always served with fresh noodles. I'll probably keep my mother's Asian style, serving on rice.

OK, this place

had separate chalkboard menus for red and white wines, as well, but note the roasted fig desert. The boys drew during dead times and did really well for the most part.

***
We had a tremendous time at the Saturday market,

featuring seasonal produce and an unusually good selection of clothing, as well.

Check out these mushrooms! Truffles, too.

Fall flora.

Kaki! (although not my favorite variety)

Large array of oysters. The French have a really wide palate and generally you can find great food at the most unlikely places; ie we had a great, cheap meal at a gas station! The attendee rings up your gas, then passes through a wall, emerging on the other side to grill us pork chops, rib steak, with fixings.

Jack and Michael love the candy lady

and the carousel and I was intrigued by these massive macaroons of various fillings:

***

On our way back to CH, we took a 30 min detour to visit the Abbey of Citeaux, where Bernard of Clairvaux first entered monastic life in the 12th c. Admired by Calvin and Luther, I mostly know the man through his poetry, having penned "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" & "O Sacred Head Now Wounded":

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

There wasn't much to see, but full of atmosphere nonetheless.

***
With the grape harvest over, we were free to pick the gleanings,

We brought back dozens of small clusters, along with salami from the vendor above, and served at housechurch; reading "I am the vine..." from John 15, and opting for savory, rather than sweet, for the evening's refreshment.

Michael Turns 9

2011-10-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

The day started out nice, low key; Carolyn scrambled eggs - fresh egg taste! - and Michael ate a rare treat of bacon, which he devoured.

Jack's school project graced the table - one of those unfortunate cats which lost its tail.

After sharing some email greetings, M opened Grammy & Papa's gift from NYC...

- always books. This time a beautiful old edition of "The 5 Little Peppers" and another about growing up on a British canal.

Carolyn baked a WONDERFUL double-layer chocolate cake to feed over 70 and, with Philadelphia readily available now, I made an easy cream cheese icing.

The Swiss, however, excel in pyrotechnics, a "9" sparkler in the center

with FUEL-CARTRIDGED, COLORED CANDLES emitting COLORED flames. 70 students singing Happy Birthday! No longer low key.

That's TinTin, btw, with his dog, Milou. We are going full circle, since Herge's comic strip inspired Indiana Jones (M's 8th birthday theme); we will eventually stage a TinTin school party to coincide with the movie premier this week. (This Financial Times article ("TinTin and the War") is worth reading).

The owl hoot by Elle, which perfectly matches Michael's whistling nature. And binoculars.

We then hopped in the car and drove to Beaune in the Burgundy region of France - 3 hours away, just northwest of Geneva - so had a birthday dinner in a wine cellar.

France is absolutely CHEAP compared to Switzerland and many Swiss cross the border to do grocery shopping.

We broke out this great board game based on Switzerland - a group gift from the house,
along with a lovely handmade card signed by the students -

while in Beaune, the heart of wine country (the bottles to the right),

but I leave you with this amazing cake recipe.

1 1/2 cups butter, softened, 3 cups white sugar, 5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1 cup buttermilk, 2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the dissolved coffee and buttermilk. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.

This time out, we have become firm believers in parchment paper! A big difference and makes serving easy.

***

Can't believe Michael will be a double digit next year. There is so much yet to learn and it's easy to feel we're running out of time & opportunity. But the indulgence of birthdays is a reset occasion, reminding us (and him) "We're so glad you're here."

EFT Normandy

2011-10-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

We landed in Paris and boarded a double-decker bus, which the boys were really excited about,

being seated up front & on top!

Once a semester, the program undertakes an Educational Field Trip (EFT); this fall was Normandy, a French region renowned for food (a climate akin to the Willamette Valley, OR) and a varied history.

We stayed in Caen, almost entirely destroyed during WWII, taking day trips to the surrounding attractions, such as Mont St Michel...

an absolutely surreal sight: a beautiful abbey arising out of the sea - due to its 20 ft tide - becoming an island.

We climbed through its 365 steps,

some of us getting help,

and discovered the stonework,

a striking cloister and scriptorium (library), where the scriptures were transcribed.

***

But for the majority of us, Americans, we were anticipating the American Cemetary & Omaha Beach, where the Allies gained a beachhead.

Cone-shaped trees cut at the top form a landscape motif, signifying the young lives buried below.

Grave markers form a Latin cross, structuring our mourning along a Christian framework; the memorial itself a monument to a bygone era, linking national sacrifice with God. This pivotal statue was encircled at the base with the words:

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

Many of us were moved by the number of unknown soldiers, as well as the only father & son burial site in US military history. We placed roses, but everywhere were

red poppies - a traditional symbol of death.

In stark contrast to neutral Switzerland, the French countryside is dotted with national cemetaries holding American, Canadian, & British bodies; every village anchored by a memorial for the slain locals of both wars.

***

The rest of the trip focused upon idyllic coastal ports, such as Honfleurs,

its countryside an inspiration for Impressionist painters,

such as Monet, whose garden estate outside Paris we visited, as well as the cathedral in Rouen

that he painted.

En route, we passed tiny French villages which produced early missionaries to Japan, as well as famed varieties of apples, appearing daily as desserts, aperitifs, and after dinner liqueur.

Our trip was 5 days (2 travel) and the terrible currency exchange trimmed our excesses, but the trip was great; the normal logistics of mobilizing 70+ persons in one direction, several times a day, is trying on the staff, which I am, thankfully, not a part.

KNIE

2011-10-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Knie is the unofficial Swiss national circus, running over a 200 year dynasty.
It's an intense, one ring spectacle, unlike anything you usually experience back in the States: intimate, live band - a classy affair entirely lacking in media gimmickry.

They run a fall circuit throughout CH, training the rest of the year, preparing next year's show. It was a high-octane series of acrobats, comedians, clowns, and impressive animals in a tight setting; this year featuring llamas, as well as the standard elephants and teams of horses.

The elephants bathe in Lake Geneva!

A deeply human performance, showcasing tremendous feats of physical training and timing, defying gravity, space. This year even featured Chinese acrobats echoing a Kung Fu Panda theme, picked up by KNIE - as well as VBS - curricula around the world.

Church Weekend Away

2011-10-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

That's not me. We were sitting on a mountaintop during All Saints Vevey's annual fall retreat -

"Weekend Away" in British vernacular; meeting in a hotel in Leysin, the next valley over from L'Abri in Huemoz - a startlingly similar vista.

I always forget the beauty of a mountain feel - the way a sharply contoured landscape brings everything into sharp focus, regarding your standing in the world. Different but similar to being "perched" on a beach facing the Pacific, say - poetically the sky often signified the divine; the ocean, death; ie, the other side. We rode the telecabin

to the top to take in at the spectacular view

watching mountain bikers and mountain scooters race downward, or the guy above.

An Anglican Bishop of Ireland delivered a series of studies on Elijah, interspersed with meals and fellowship. Lots of children now at All Saints, resulting in a strong response to teach and provide a sense of community - a key element for survival in a secular culture entirely indifferent to belief.

The woman above flew in from England, using Scripture Union materials (the main press for Bible curriculum in the UK), integrating children's teaching with the adult course.

A presentation of the Baal gods versus the one true God, followed by communion. "Family Service" (a UK concept introduced last visit) is usually a good-intentioned disaster, making church fun in a Sesame Street kind of way, but Clive, the rector, has struck a great balance now, delivering a service that children access and adults appreciate. As any educator knows, no small task teaching multi-levels.

On a side note, I'm always impressed by how much Europeans drink, the Weekend Away no exception: drink before dinner, throughout a long meal, and afterwards, following dessert.

Doraemon

2011-10-04T23:57:00.001-07:00

A few years ago, Michael & Jack got introduced to Doraemon, a robotic cat loved by millions of Japanese children.

I paired the cat with Astro Boy, created by the grandfather of anime, Osamu Tezuka, as two Japanese cartoons to color their animated world, while linking to my childhood; although due to marketing and DVD archival work,

M & J know far more about the flying do-gooder than I ever did.

Robots figure in the Japanese cultural psyche in a sometimes charming, sometimes disturbing, manner; exploring the line between man & machine, nature & science, in its constant obsession with technology, gadgets, the phantasmal overcoming of limits via transformative power. Perhaps medical technology has forced these issues; when a person ceases to be human.

The only nation to have experienced atomic warfare - allegorized by Gozilla's Cold War, enemy-turn-friend, about-face status (of course, compounded now by Fukushima) - trauma and the harnessing of power dominates the imagination:

Gigantor

***

However, the comic figure of the day is a rediscovery of the beloved Belgian series, Tintin,

the second most beloved European strip, next to Asterix. Spielberg is premiering his trilogy in a joint-showing in Brussels and Paris, flying to both capitals for competing premiers October 26th - almost 2 months before opening State-side December 23rd.

Tintin at The Grand Rex, Paris, Oct 26th!

Hopefully, this trilogy will introduce the original comic series and lovely animated cartoon to American audiences.

Tintin was carefully researched with historical and geographical details by Herge, whose centennial birth was celebrated in 2007.

An inspiration for Indiana Jones, Tintin & dog, Milou (Snowy) traveled around the world as a reporter, in the jet-setty style of James Bond; a wonderful chronicle of 20th century Cold War and cultural politics.

***

The nearby city of Nyon, where one of the adventures is set, has created a Tintin trail with large staging scenes that mirror the story.

Exact spots

Vintage 1953 auto

Holy Cow!

2011-09-28T06:28:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the cities from Geneva to Vevey hosted "Night at the Museum" - a 24 hr period of unlimited entrance to all museums for 10 chf, INCLUDING ALL PUBLIC TRANSPORT!

Kids are free anyway, so with just two of the below, we were in!

A green theme, Carolyn and I wore these around our necks & were encouraged to plant them - seeds inside the biodegradable ticket.

Lausanne's Natural History Museum - we'd been meaning to go here for years - houses geology, archaelogy, zoology, & a library. There was panning for gold...

Some old

and new friends.

Marie & Jack are somewhat an item.

I asked Michael to pose over the excavated ancestors of Vaud canton:

and the library featured some Pierre Viret manuscripts.

"On the Origin, the Difference, and the Place of Ancient and Modern Idols; True and False Images and Objects and the One True Mediator" (1551).

We could sure use him now, as Jeff Bezos launched Kindle Fire, moving the e-reader from book to video gaming.

***

Many local restaurants offered promotions to the LA NUIT DES MUSÉES, including Holy Cow,

a new hamburger joint in town:

the Che Guevara reference was cute.

Tasty, fresh fries.

Only Jack did not finish his basket.

The ease of travel, the compactness of the city, really makes Lausanne quite a spectacular urban experience, and I hate it when locked indoors all day on course work. We're having a very unusual fall so far, as well. Nothing about the weather feels autumnal except

The constant turning of seasonal produce, like the quince fruit

and a rich basket of chantrelles!

Bunraku

2011-09-28T00:20:00.001-07:00

Striking are the high emotions these puppets create, as visceral experience links to language - script is authoritative

- and text animates wooden figures.

What you see is what you get, as the chanter sings all parts and visible puppet masters work the dolls; a theater parallel to interiors that make pipes and ductwork part of the design.

Bunraku accepts & visualizes brokenness, building a transparent theatre where the parts - actor, story, prop, stage, musicians, viewer - are woven into a multifaceted, yet textual, unity.

By contrast, the conventions of mainstream Hollywood film being humanistic, musical and verbal cues advance plots & characters in an unfolding, linear arc, requiring passivity, distance, & fragmentation in the viewer whose main role is to identify, emote, go along.

"The function of..Western theatre of the last few centuries has been..to show what is said to be secret ("feelings,""situations,""conflicts"), while hiding the very artifice of the show (stage effects, painting, powder, light sources)...The Western spectacle is anthropomorphic...the Western actor...the voice..the look..the figure are eroticized...like so many fetishes.

Bunraku exposes the sources of theatre in their emptiness. What..replaces [theater] is the action necessary to the production of the spectacle. Work substitutes for interiority...Emotion no longer inundates, no longer submerges, it becomes reading material."

Roland Barthes, "On Bunraku"

***

Liturgical worship operates similarly; eg All Saints follows a prayer book (essentially, an updated script based upon the Book of Common Prayer),

where the minister reads plain type, the congregation responds the bold:

The Lord is here.

His Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

***

We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.

Perhaps we are the lifeless puppets, animated chanters, & visible stage hands, bringing to life the Church Invisible, meeting Christ at the table -

"..if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." Romans 8:11

- a Eucharistic Bunraku, if you will.

***

Western theater largely stems from the Mass, although I went to Japan for the premodern precedent. And while imagining the world as a stage is not novel (!), bunraku's attributes uniquely merges the textual and theatrical.

***

FYI, Barthes was a pioneer semiotician & highly influential literary critic. Although there is a long history of Euro-American intellectuals, usually French, who completely misread Asia - brilliant at home, utterly stupid abroad - Barthes, was generally reliable. Japan has been an aesthetic obsession dating to the 1870s, when Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, Eisenstein, Frank L.Wright, Pound, etc interpreted Japanese culture as an artistic antidote to Western rationalism, propelling its inventive arts & design practices into global currency most recently explored by the anime and the video gaming community.

(Image, Music, Text is a classic - the chapter where he analyzes an Italian spaghetti ad, pioneer in its day.)

Jeune Federal

2011-09-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last Monday was a holiday, Jeune Federal, and our first extended weekend, so, strongly recommended, we went north to German-speaking Lucerne.

Jeune means "fast," having Reformation roots, as Protestant believers in Geneva called a day of fasting to remember fellow Huguenots slaughtered in France's religious wars. A bit like American Thanksgiving, if we were to honor the Plymouth Colonists who died (up to 1/3) that first year, rather than a sign of friendship with native peoples.

At any rate, with the exception of the sentence above, that tragic history is long gone. Case in point: the chocolate fiend in above photo, who knew the Jeune as a holiday (a fast from school). Lucerne, like Vevey, boasts an international classical music festival; the chocolatiers featured edible violins & pianos.

The famous wooden bridge crosses to the old medieval section. When we lived in Tokyo, the arson fire of the structure made the front page of The Japan Times; the city being a long favorite of Japanese tourists with their deep appreciation for classical music, striking scenery, especially bridges - a focal point in Japanese garden design.

Also known for the highest and most steeply angled funiculaire in the world, we are saving this for clearer weather another time. Given the topography and technical know-how, the Swiss are pioneers in funiculaire and gondola design, engineering San Francisco's first cable cars, as well.
Our trip focused on the Museum of Transportation, the most frequented museum in the country. Museums unleash considerable graphic, architectural design & financial power here; a Swiss designed Beijing's Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in 2008:
The musuem has a theme of overcoming - poor resources, mountain barriers - with ingenuity and persistence, burrowing the first railroad tunnel with Italian workers,

turning historic trains into play equipment, essentially, while offering the set above. Jack could've stayed for hours.

Highway signs. Kids also invited to do the digging

but the highlight was an over-the-top display of maybe 40 significant automobiles along a wall on individual platforms,

which a moving lift retrieves one at a time, chosen by an audience vote:

our group voting for a vintage Rolls Royce. The scale & engineering grace was jawdropping, reminding me of upscale vending machines in Japan, which would display floral bouquets.

Speaking of cars, do you know which Swiss car designer and racer co-founded an American car company, celebrating its 100th birthday this year? Louis-Joseph CHEVROLET. His town will have a procession of 1000 Chevies in November.

***

The famous lion commemorating the death of hundreds of Swiss guards (these died in the French Revolution), who have been protecting European monarchs since the 15th century;

anachronistic, the only remaining guards today continue to protect the Vatican:

ERS

2011-09-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we visited Edith Schaeffer at her apartment, bottom floor of a renovated 17th century chalet - a treasure trove of memories; wedding photo of parents in China (in traditional dress), old Chalet Melezes L'Abri bread board, favorite hymnals like Christian Praise, tea service, original wheelbarrow shipping china to Europe, etc.

Every wedding gift long broken after years of L'Abri ministry, everything seen is everything survived.

Michael and Jack entertained with their music,

while enjoying her BBC reception with wonderful children's programming.

This baby Steinway was the subject of the book Forever Music, reflecting the deep engagement with the arts and culture which was, along with a vital spiritual life, ERS' contribution to the Schaeffer household. Grandfather Seville,a Greek professor who also knew Mandarin, read his Greek NT 'til the day he died at 102.

I'll never forget the meal shared 3 years ago, Michael proclaiming his history, "I was born in China and Jack was born in China," to which Mrs S loudly added with back straightened, "And I was born in China."

Like Ruth Graham & Os Guinness, ERS was a child of the China Inland Mission, writing of her early years in Mei Fuh:
I'm unsure to what degree a less "settled" origin propels one to either accept or foster restlessness, although I see that in myself, certainly. At home everywhere, at home nowhere.

I sometimes wonder if Michael's strong desire to farm & plant gardens expresses an unsentimental longing for place.

Cathedral

2011-09-20T01:22:00.000-07:00

Lausanne boasts a beautiful cathedral with much of the original facades and stained-glass windows intact (in contrast to the Notre Dame in Paris), for centuries, anchoring the city as a "go to" destination, before the bureaucratic organs of the global state - UN, UNICEF, etc - made Geneva the political centerpiece.

The last tower in Europe to feature a crier who climbs nightly from 10pm to 2am, proclaiming, "All is well..."

Rue Pierre Viret is a street circling the cathedral base

named after the reformer whose 500th birthday is being commemorated now (Calvin last year). Viret was based in Lausanne, forming a Protestant academy, and - in his day - was published and read second only to Calvin; largely overlooked as none of his works are available in English, but the Viret society is busily working to correct this.

Reformation Wall (Geneva); Latin for Jesus below

***

You may know that TIME magazine named the "new" Calvinism "one of the ideas changing the world right now", undoubtedly owing to the influence of young, restless, & reformed, such as Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church fame. The movement is not without controversy, but seems more-or-less healthy, while a testimony to the new technologies that have spawned and authorized a new set of figures - a virtual eldership, if you will - adding pizazz and outreach, while pulling resources from existing churches; ie the Amazon.com version of "doing" church, the DrudgeReport way of doing news, and, as former senator Anthony Wiener discovered, a Twitter way of doing scandal.

***

Back to church. A Catholic cathedral turned Protestant, the site of the famed Disputation where Calvin critiqued the official church teaching, there is an aesthetic stoicism centering the service from iconography to teaching. One of the most expensive instruments in the world ($4.2 million),

this magnificent pipe organ was made in Massachusetts and is the first European cathedral with a Made in the USA label! I am committed to not leaving CH without having the family attend an organ concert, which, like rock concerts, the heavy bass reverberates through the body of the listener. I, like many, have been turned off by the mortuary-style, wall-to-wall carpet organ music; a stone church setting was an acoustic revelation.

The front entrance features a famous rendering (in medieval European art) of Moses whose head is studded with horns, commonly ascribed as an error in translation from Hebrew to Latin when the word for "light" was rendered as "horn."

Could be. But I am far more intrigued by the possibility that light and horn are cleverly punned to register multiple meanings of godly radiance with legal justice & power, as in Christ the lamb with 7 horns in Revelations. Horn as symbol for legal, kingly power - Solomon's ivory throne - evoking blood and righteous sacrifice (eg Lady Justice and her sword). See Michael Bull.

Back to Viret. I got excited to see one of the many exhibition placards stating that singing was one of the liberal arts featured in the academy, confirming Christopher Page's thesis in the book below.

The Neighborhood

2011-09-15T04:19:00.000-07:00

I brought my Canon G12, walking the boys to school the other day - about a 12 minute trip without Jack's stroller. Starts at the elevator - floor 5 - down to -1, where we exit the parking area onto the bridge over the tracks.

Turning left,

zigzagging down Fontenay

and backtracking through a residential street, "bonjour"ing everyone along the way. (Not necessary on faceless city streets, but defined spaces like this or neighborhood cafes).

These houses are somewhat designed after the distinct rooftops of Bernese farmhouses, with their graceful overhang:

Not sure when uniforms were discarded, but children come in all colors and clothing with personal gear for their school work.

Japan may be the only place where you could see the old-style French school gear - thick and heavy - having adopted these from FRand military style, black uniforms from Prussia in the 19th c - still standard issue:Japan as "museum of the world," as it came to be called; cultural artifacts fossilize there long after extinction in their original context. (Tang Court dancing - long gone in the PRC, but still performed in at the Imperial Court in Kyoto).

Back to the walk.

This fountain is the convenient waterstop, before crossing onto the street towards school.

The scooter rack.

Living in a small, wealthy city with an advanced artistic heritage, there's a LOT going on for kids: children's theater, children's opera, and "The Magic Lantern," a movie club we're really excited about.

***

Not sure about this blue elephant mascot, but La Lanterne Magique hosts workshops on the theatrical, literary history of film and how to critique images, screening films to an exclusively child audience.

Charlie Chaplin's The Circus - a silent - will kick-off the monthly series in October accompanied by a 37 piece orchestra. Chaplin! Not a kid's movie!Chaplin escaped anti-red sentiment in the US by moving to Vevey, where he is buried; his secretary long attended All Saints Church.

Being integrated into public schools means being the recipients of a highly cultivated Swiss culture; largely due to its position of neutrality, a level of uninterrupted education permeates the system.

Apple Medieval or Apple Modern?

2011-09-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

There's been much fanfare since the release of the IPAD and the next evolution of personal computers that are more tactile - a child's approach - in touchscreen operation. Your finger, previously limited to a 2x3 inch area of a laptop or smartphone, now "scrolling" pages of a digital "book."

Some, most notably, semiotician Umberto Eco ("The Holy War: MAC vs DOS") have contrasted Apple's mediation of technology via eye and body with medieval Catholicism's magical, iconographic experience
versus the non-mediated, mental abstraction of Calvinist Protestantism, perhaps, better demonstrated by PC interfaces.

Apple's triumph as world's biggest company (surpassing Exxon this August) actually seems more like a "Protestantizing" of Catholicism; transcendent authority accessed via material icons transformed into self-autonomy affirmed via touchscreen technology. In a de-Copernican Revolution, the galaxy recenters around the individual in the form of "bite-size" (literally) images; the touch of infinity bested by the material world, then reduced to the manipulation of jpeg.

The world becomes a view in Heidegger's critique of humanism ("The Age of the World Picture")turns out to be spot on in critiquing a shrinking spiral, where the material realm becomes a consumable; a feedback loop where the world you touch is the world you digitized. IE, you are, in a sense, in communication with yourself in an extraordinary act of virtual ventriloquism:

"Age of the World as Puppet" where the puppet & the world are collapsed.

La Croisee

2011-09-06T03:26:00.000-07:00

We are in the canton of Vaud, a minority culture (French speaking) in a largely Germanic culture. Protestant, French Huguenots were Calvinists who fled persecution in the 16th-17th c, landing in CH - the Rhone river becoming a border separating Catholic/Protestant lands.Lausanne is top center of Lake Geneva continuing right to Vevey, Montreux, and Aigle, where you catch the 22 min mountain bus ride to Huemoz, where L'Abri (red circle) sits. South and directly in front is Evian, France of bottled water fame. French and Swiss Alps mostly surround the lake, as additional ranges crisscross as you go east towards Italy.
Lausanne is on a slope north of the port of Ouchy, the north/south axis now entirely connected by metro. The park on left is Parc de Milan; M & J's school (red circle) just across the street. Other reds: home, old town, cathedral.

The faculty apartment

Jack's room separated by door to Michael's. After bunking back home, they declared, "I want my own room," but the other morning, I found Michael had migrated & joined Jack's bed!

Main bedroom

living room

We bought the great table at Gloryland, the motherlode of second hand stores and run by Christians; with two leaves, we can seat 10. Chairs at another place for 5 CHF each! Like Salvation Armys and Goodwills in wealthier neighborhoods, these can hold great finds, since the quality of goods is generally high. We got a set of Swiss stoneware - Langenthal - with the table, other items for 160 CHF, including delivery! The boys love these stores, since they can actually afford things; old pins - 6 for 1 franc.

The bath.

Our galley kitchen.

My office, which doubles as Playmobil spot.

The best part are the tremendous views (towards FR from the living room):

from the bdrm:

In general, things are incredibly sturdy, built to last, as craftsmanship is very high, although Swiss might not do much with the interior, at least by credit-acquired, American standards. While our recent construction tends to favor superficial looks over durability, modern Swiss is solid, but a bit sterile.

BTW, La Croisee means The Cross, the former name of the hotel run by a Christian hotel foundation, now being operated by Pepperdine for its study abroad program. Students arrive tomorrow! Yikes!

Street Theater

2011-08-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

We recently took in the Vevey Arts Festival, a juried performance art competition placing acts at various squares throughout town.

There was a cotton candy siting, so we went scouting for

Barbapapa! A French cartoon figure synonymous with cotton candy.

I know little of this family of globs but they're popular with the very young. Barbapapa is the pink dad (= cotton candy), followed by Barbamama the mom; each their own color and skill set.

Away from animation to the real. We were mesmerized by this Argentinian duo that performed for an hour. Several skits showcasing their acrobatic strength and flair for showmanship.

After 30 minutes of jawdropping feats, we were stunned

by the utter lack of artifice or effect,

simply drawing you into their human creativity and achievement.

It is possible to see this kind of legacy to the middle ages on the streets of Switzerland - the kind of art that surfaces in circus or Vaudeville - but I was brought up short as to my own need for gimmickry, technological pizazz. After 20 minutes of my own internal fidgeting the magic of this duo made its impact,

leaving me deeply moved at seeing how hard these individuals worked at their craft.

Being more accustomed to the way movies transport to distant times & places - helping (requiring us) to forget our existence - these theatrical performances rather reinscribe a common world between performer and audience.

Net result: Theater becomes a shared bond, less about fantasy, more about the magic of work; opening up the space you already inhabit - different than Narnia being accessed via a wardrobe you pass through. This is a dimension that liturgical practices are trying to bring into worship, as well these days; not just about - neither against, however - thinking or believing, but doing.

***

In a footnote to the legendary 1936 essay, "The Work of Art in an Age of Mechanical Reproduction," Walter Benjamin notes that stage actors - because they are real - lack the prodigious promotional industry that Hollywood studios invest in movie actors. Movie actors require publicity & rumor mills - we'll make you a star! It is the role of advertising to humanize what are, essentially, inanimate industrial products; making them heroic, as well as culturally palpable to the consumer - negotiate meaning.

Since our emotional and mental lives are increasingly dominated by media and imagemaking, it is tough to experience the 'magic of work,' either in everyday life or in worship. That space has been removed. Screen projections - up high at front or the IPAD in your lap - a symptom of the malady, not cure.

Ecole Montriond

2011-08-29T04:42:00.000-07:00

Reminding drivers: school in session again!

This is Montriond, where Michael and Jack began school today - typical turn-of-century school building, where kids play in the yard; very nice park across the street. It's a 13 minute residential walk with morning/afternoon sessions & a 2 hour lunch, which kids come home for.

Madame Massy had the children swing by Jack's desk and shake his hand! This kind of sociality is learned early, as each child greets the teacher and enters the shared public space with respect. They will share such spaces all their lives, in contrast to Americans who move privately in public spaces - the way we do with cars on streets. This enacts a level of accountability and personal stake we generally only experience in churches, if at that.

Madame Massy

Madame Reischer (below) with intern (right) and Michael at one of the yellow desktops. The fellow looking at me is Pierre, who really loved playing with Jack 3 years ago (he still wears big glasses). Desks are in sets of 4,

where Jack's are in pairs

The boys were excited to begin school, getting their supplies ready; pencil case, notebooks, backpack, classroom slippers - a bit like AWANA; ie a world that is theirs.

That's Jack (left) negotiating the playground. He never attended Montriond, so doesn't have playmates welcoming him back. On the other hand, he told me, "A girl likes me. Gave me candy." I saw him take this candy (SUGUS: popular Swiss, Starburst-like)and dangle it in front of children, trying to win affection, I think. Michael, on the other hand, has joined a band of boys, playing all through the forest after school let out today.

Of the two, Jack will have the easier transition - just rolls with things - while Michael has hurdles to climb; some are just there, others are his own making. From day 1 in China, Michael used his winning personality to get him places, but the early weeks here will be hard - he was shell-shocked in class today - sacrificing his social aptitude; a trade he's never made in his life.

***

Swiss schools are largely fun at this age; tracking begins in earnest 5th grade, determining academic & vocational lines where 20% go on to university. As in Japan, elementary is less academic (ie less abstract); the emphasis is on learning to focus, follow instructions, hand-eye coordination, drawing - exploring a tactile world as a foundation for intellectual training.

***

For now, we decided to let the boys be outgoing Americans when out in public, although Michael takes this up a notch when singing at the top of his lungs; this is definitively un-Swiss, but maybe a little give-and-take is OK? 70% live in apartments, so they learn to be contained, resembling behavior we associate with kids from hands-on parenting. These kids are sweet, lacking the who-gives-a-rip vibe you sometimes see in American youth culture empowered by media.

It dawned on me the other day that superior dining behavior is probably due to the fact that these kids eat twice as many meals at home; not just scarfing, but trained how to be at a table. A way of doing things - ritual, if you will - tied to eating, talking, entering buildings, studying, until second-nature. Not outside the box; this approach to values, precisely, the box. How to own it.

Cafe de la Poste

2011-08-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Just past Lausanne extending 'til Vevey is a scene of astounding beauty; steeply terraced vineyards with tiny villages perched on hills dotting the trails and roads that crisscross them. Epesses, St Saphorin, and the village of Chexbres, the spot where Cafe de la Poste services the tables overlooking the dramatic backdrop of French and Swiss Alps rising up from Lake Geneva.Each village has its wine by same name and you can order by the deciliter.We had just spent the day at All Saints, staying for the BBQ - a small humble affair by American animal protein standards, but very delicious and enjoyable. The rector, Clive Atkinson, Protestant Irish is preaching out of the Psalms (pronounced "Sams") of Ascent, dovetailing nicely with GRC in Camarillo.

We connected with a L'Abri worker, Richard Bradford and another American expat, Amy, with a private business helping corporate clients with leadership; apparently, companies recognize that the "predator" model of manager - gets things done and everyone hates him - is costly by human standards. "Crazy boss" and other choice vernacular comes to mind.

We ended the day early to get the boys - and us - on fall school schedule which begins tomorrow! The boys are in the schools we wished for, so we are all excited and nervous to see how this will all go.

Pata Negra

2011-08-27T04:35:00.001-07:00

Summertime is not only sausage-grilling season here, but seems to focus upon cured meats, as well, perhaps because of the picnic menu. At anyrate, Michael and I discovered Pata Negra
a cured ham made of the black pigs of Spain who feast on special diet of chestnuts and grass.
We were attracted to this man's slicing directly off a cured leg:

We're talking hoof

It had a beefy texture with belts of fat running through it. We regret never having been to Spain, despite the fact that our deepest friendships here have been with Spanish folk who form a second-class citizen status here, dominating the service wing of Switzerland's hospitality industry.

***

Sometimes diverse groups inhabit a common world via a shared marginal status: foreigners, Christians, economic underdog. Etrangers is often translated "outsider" or "stranger" as in Camus' famous story, a staple of French studies. It can mean alien or gaijin (Japanese) or gentile, in English Bible translations of non-Israel. In its most brutal 20th century, nationalist form - where people, land, culture coincided - these labels also marked the non-human, the contaminated, ie Jews.

Sometimes premodern worlds marked the non-human by class or work station, as the buraku, a non-ethnic "people" in the Japanese Edo period (1600-1870) whose labor involved the shedding of blood (leatherwork, butchery), a religious taboo.

We live in a time which celebrates difference - in contrast to equality defined as sameness in early modernity, as in Marx. Not too long ago it seems, minorities were "invisible" - now they're everywhere. Colonialism complicates these shifts and Camus was, like Jacques Derrida, French Algerian.

***

Some of these tensions are tapped here by the Swiss People's Party (SVP); quite vocal & the largest party, the SVP houses Euroskeptics and anti-immigration sentiment. These signs are everywhere:

"Stop Massive Immigration"

- a petition seeking 100K signatures to put anti-immigration measures on the next referendum. While some of the ads are poisonous, many people are sympathetic to a loss in Swiss identity; most immigrants being Muslim.

Although the country has an exceptional number of foreigners - almost 20% of the total population - they draw attention (touch a nerve?) to the secular nature of Swiss society, representing a threat to a culture that modern Swiss (and Europeans) have abandoned - or been abandoned by. Modernity marginalizes everyone in different ways; the secular have the political high ground but a hollowed tradition; the religious a cultural legacy without form.

We are from a 1st world nation in a privileged role here, in our betwixt position. Europeans, especially Swiss, still think more tribally, wanting to know, for example, upon meeting me, where I'm from; never quite satisfied with the "from America" response. In this context, I'm reminded how crucial Asia was/is in shaping European identity, its historical Other.

On the other hand, in the States, I'm taken aback when some do not "see" me at all; accepted & equal, but effaced of any cultural marker; one of us. Whatever than means.

Ecole de Voile

2011-08-25T06:29:00.001-07:00

Sailing School

We'd been eyeing this sailing school in La Tour de Peilz since Michael was 3, admiring family friend Isaac's Wed afterschool lessons (Wed: 1/2 day school - mountain kids go skiing in winter!).
Sailing's been on our minds, since being with the Bonds on Whidbey Island, raising all things nautical, like kayaking, up a notch. (Jack on the left in the last boat).

The La Tour school differs from most in teaching the work of sailing: pulling out the boat, assembling the sail, docking.

They learned to right a capsized boat, perform rescues.Even Jack joined the 5-7 yr old course.

Sailing &, especially skiing - given the natural resources - are generally "normal" here, not falling into the haves vs have nots camps. Families also budget more for vacations - a frequent criticism of our, perhaps, more European-style president - taking advantage of their mandatory holiday time; by contrast, American work conditions seen as generally harsh. We'll never be Europe, but I'm keenly aware of the diminishing standard of living for the American middle class, real wages having stagnated since the 1970s.

My diatribe (after 2 years of reading): part of the credit crisis owes to Americans trying to recoup via credit and sending out an additional wage-earner what their parents had outright; mistakenly thinking owning more and better quality goods compensated for lack of time to even enjoy them; see Juliet Schor's The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisur e.

My own family's working roots have spoiled me against golf & tennis, ie leisure sports, even though I'd probably enjoy the former; it always seemed to be about real estate.

Anyway, I'm a tenured academic with the last company job in the country whose unemployed summer status is coming to an end. Everyone appears to be thriving, Carolyn using her French in town, kids in school next week, & Wed afternoon sailing lessons running through fall. We have a schedule.

Update

2011-08-22T02:03:00.001-07:00

We're in school limbo in the canton (state) of Vaud; term begins today, but we meet with more Swiss school officials Tuesday to assess Michael & Jack; placement thereafter. Not worried about the French, the officials want to see how the boys function in their native language, so we're playing hookie from the start.

The Swiss system, like the US, is fiercely governed locally; not one national model - an oddity separating both nations from other nation-states. Indeed, the US was an early inspiration for CH's regional, autonomous approach, thus explaining its anomaly status within Europe - non-EU, non-Euro. Health insurance required, not nationalized.

***

Money is, of course, a topic of major concern

The 1000 CHF note is a pretty purple and BIG; the denominations increase in size and value, as do their coins, with the exception of the .5o centime piece: small but mighty. The notes sport key literary, historical figures and now have fancy electronic imaging to prevent counterfeiting. In contrast to Euro notes:

which have generic images - types - of European architectural styles, since individual nations couldn't agree on whose national icons should emblaze which bill.

This trip suffers from a currency war in which the US is a key player; heavily indebted, having borrowed billions abroad (and domestically), to underwrite spending, we are paying back $s by lowering their value. If I owe you $1,000, I can pay back less by making it worth $800; something domestic vendors from Breyer's to Biolage have engaged in, shrinking containers, portions, and quality to offset costs. The last time we were faced with this, birthed the "fun-size" candy bar back in the 1970s.

Many nations made money off the USA's arrangement - we buy, they build - so guilt is everywhere. High CHF or Yen doesn't help the Swiss or Japanese export or tourism industry either, although it empowers them to travel, spend abroad. Older German investors, facing demographic demise, chose to invest in American subprime real estate, as well, for retirement income - no kids to support them - but lets just say that Americans abroad are caught in-between:

4 years ago, for $1, you got CHF (SwissFranc):

Today:

It's a sobering reality hard to accept, I think, to consider the decline of your own country. Christians have understood downward trends as cultural decadence for awhile, but usually not economic demise. Our own myths of inventiveness, drive, untapped creative energy, etc. keep the national ego strong - can't happen here - especially with elections looming.

Given that Christian theology is so rich in articulating debt, slavery, payment, etc, you'd think the Church would have more of a voice in these times. I am amazed that the first performance of Handel's Messiah was a fundraiser to liberate debtors.

I also wonder about the utopic promise of technology, geared more for personal distraction, turning to Charles Hugh Smith:

"'Innovation' stays safely corralled in the realm of toys, gadgets and social media. Real innovations in education, governance, the legal system, etc. that threaten the status quo fiefdoms and Power Elites are smothered at birth."

Serious thoughts for serious times.

***
I leave you with some Swiss pics:

The Swiss version of water cooler can be hyper-elegant; choice of mineral, sparkling, non-sparkling, etc.

Swiss are the world's biggest per capita consumer of chocolate, so are always innovating their taste:

How about a chocolate chip chip?

Back to Migros, the main supermarket chain

Need to keep a 2 CHF piece handy for those carts - the coin releases the cart, and is refunded upon return.Jack heads straight for the bread!

I the mushrooms - these chantrelles were boxed in lovely wooden crates.

Stop for coffee break. Pain au chocolat for Jack,who runs to the window each time a train passes, counting each car; joyfully exclaiming when a double-decker pulls in.

Spectacular sunsets off our living room.

The Move

2011-08-13T02:32:00.001-07:00

Next time: 24 footer needed.

This move was surprisingly hard; then I realized: we're out of practice! We had lived in one place not for one, but over 3 years! Our neighbors threw us a party the day before leaving, echoing gatherings of our "new" and old church groups. With Beacon Hill & GRC, we felt more attached than ever; resettling in CH* - at least for me - feels different this time. Not singing "I Left My Heart in Camarillo" yet though.

The two out-of-country spots we know best - Japan & CH - resemble each other in striking ways, most painfully now in terms of currency exchange, as the world's investors look to the Swiss Franc and Yen for safety, given the dollar collapse.
Really pricey now: $1 = .75 centimes. OUCH! CH is 20% higher living costs than Europe anyway, and a Big Mac in Zurich priced in at over $17.00 last week.

We are under the Pepperdine safety net for half of the main meals - huddling close like US soldiers in Japan, staying on base where their dollars hold sway - but make our way out to explore.
These terraced vineyards along the lake take my breathe away every time; deemd a UNESCO World Heritage Site 4 years ago. Hiking trails run parallel and shortcut paths cut across to other levels.
Refilling water bottles is a fun sport; village fountains supplied by tasty mountain run-off.

Michael & Jack experience much nostalgia as they reacquaint with familiar see-saws, climbing trees, All Saints Church. Since we moved often and travel besides, they probably make mental adjustments more than most: ie this slide looks smaller, this railing shorter. At some point last year to his and my sadness, Michael became too heavy to ride on my shoulders. The boys have their lives ahead of them, but even at 8 & 6, sense time passing. Nothing registers life's melancholy quite like the steady aging of children.

***

New things. We visited the wonderful Food Museum (Alimentarium) in Vevey, sponsored by Nestles, the world's largest food company. History and geography of cuisine and a killer kitchen of a carefully prepared, set menu (4 course meal), this place was fascinating.

Nutrition research, 200 year old dissertations. The museum is in the old Nestle mansion (the company owns Vevey) on the lake front.

A fitness/calorie burning center complete with a somewhat more complex nutrition pyramid; Jack mostly favoring the middle carb/fat levels! Swiss are really health conscious now - nutrition labels, city initiatives to walk more, health clubs - though a far cry from USA's multi-billion dollar diet & obesity business.

Outdoor gardens supply the museum restaurant and Michael found his favorite - pumpkins - hanging on an arbor!

Although the quality of restaurant meals is uniformly good, the exchange rate, twenty years of the USA's food revolution, and our credit-based, eat-out-all-the-time lifestyle means you can generally find better cheap to middle-fare meals in the States. Swiss noontime assiettes (plate-of-the-day) seem to run $23; stand vendor panini, $12 market sandwiches off a shelf, $7. More than once, I've thought, staring at my plate: "I paid $30 for this?"

Then again, hard to compare since lunches are seated, multi-course affairs; like having nice business lunches everyday. But when I'm back home looking for a lunch, generally don't pull into a Cheesecake Factory?

The museum's final room featured the place of food in religion, devoting key attention to the Church's feast days...

and the last supper, reminding me of Christopher Page's history highlighting the church keenly known as a feasting & singing community, borne out in Pastor David's series on the Psalms, where even creation praises the Maker:

Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together.
(Psalm 96:12)

Close-up of the beautiful vestment piece.
***

The lake sparkles in the summer light, crisscrossed by Alpine ridges - a glass-like stage with dramatic backdrop.

We rented a paddleboat (with slide) of our own, as one of the great turn-of-the-century steampowered paddleboats whizzed by.

***

BTW, this has been the summer of lost teeth for Jack!

Apparently, the Swiss tooth fairy settles at 5 francs.

***

Another morning we explored Chateau Chillon, one of the most beautiful, smaller castles of Europe.

Castles are complete with dungeons and points of fascination, such as the lord's toilet! A real step-up apparently.
I was struck by the mosaic patterns in the castle chapel and receiving rooms, compared to the rest of the interior. Certainly cathedrals held a beauty that was a gift to the community - an aesthetic that was social, not private. God & man co-mingled in the most beautiful spaces in town, whereas modern home-dwellers create private bastions of beauty. Imagine if the most exquisite aesthetic experience of the week, including awe-inspiring music, was a church. This social weight underscored by geographic proximity - churches anchored a town - has been poorly supplanted by the modern museum which, however vital, essentially curates, ie has overseen only one purview of a church: attending the past, a mausoleum of culture.

***

We made it to Vevey' outdoor market last Saturday, thoroughly enjoying the stalls; M & J are more independent - no stroller! no diapers! - enjoying the goods, while missing kettle korn.While we enjoyed the bottomless wine sampling! You buy a glass, then drink away.

There were new vendors, such as this block print outfit doing letter prints entirely by hand! Stunning.One section had sellers decked out in folk costume

Believers were out there, too: "He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever" at the top. I admired them, as well as knowing that this form of witness was absolutely odd in Europe, even more so than in the States. But they're dedicated.

***

Picked-up our disposable grill, lakeside ritual, with Michael doing most of the grilling. Veal (wrapped in bacon), pork, North African merguez (lamb) sausages - very delicious.

Discovered Lausanne's outdoor pool and diving boards. Our thrillseeker did backflips off the 5 meter.

After church swim in the park fountain, with Michael's old school in back. Carolyn met with school officials, but need another to have M & J assessed before placement; we are hoping for the same school with same friends.

Thank you for reading this long entry!

*Confoederatio Helvetica (ancient Latin name of Switzerland), thus abbreviation CH.

Culture of Death

2011-08-12T00:55:00.001-07:00

This may seem like an odd way to begin blogging from Switzerland, but we were introduced to this dynamic BBC program - MI5 in the States - during our last tour of duty. Refreshingly played by more classically trained actors emphasizing the physicality of acting; emotion tied to formal muscle movement, not the premise of romantic expressivity a la Hollywood (playing a taxi driver means interning at Yellow Cab, then giving voice to an authentic spirit). Not as severely overpayed as in the USA, these faces are seen in numerous shows & ads, while countering Hollywood tropes; ie morally flawed, complex heroes actually die.
Britain's answer to 24, except the European stage plays off of post-Cold War politics and hypocrisy in a single-superpower world; individual and national ambitions contradict and reinforce each other in complex ways.
Not all the actors are hunks and the more literate dialogues - spiced with Shakespeare, Milton, ancient war histories - also feature "normal" life, ie you'll find the male protagonist (Adam) folding a paper towel into a coffee filter while the average-looking intelligence queen (Ruth) attends her weekly chorale.

My personal favorite episode featured the fallen MI5 officer with paranoid delusions (below) staging a suicide, holding fellow officers captive. Memorable lines, touching upon fate:

We are what happened
to us.

and secular culture's lack of heroism:

We used to have a culture of death,
when England was Christian.

We stumbled onto Spooks years ago, finally viewing all episodes in order last year, and discovered a British expat subculture; a community dating back to the 1800s, lining the cities of Lake Geneva with tearooms, Anglican churches, bookstores, and upper-class aesthetes having mountaintop epiphanies en route to chasing sun-drenched landscapes in Italy. This fall's season 10 may mean the end of the principal, Harry!

Ritual

2011-08-11T00:13:00.000-07:00

The initial posting weeks ago about MI5 (btw, season 10 has begun!) and the formal nature of British acting inspired me to write about Bunraku, one of Japan's 3 classical theater forms, still active. Bunraku is puppet theater with orchestra and chanters who vocalize all roles stage right, while puppeteers manipulate the 3/4 lifesize dolls.
Striking are the high emotions these puppets create, as visceral experience links to language - script is authoritative - and text animates wooden figures. What you see is what you get, as the chanter sings all parts and visible puppet masters work the dolls; a theater parallel to interiors that make pipes and ductwork part of the design.

By contrast, Bunraku accepts & visualizes brokenness, building a transparent theatre where the parts - actor, story, prop, stage, musicians, viewer - are woven into a multifaceted, yet textual, unity.

The conventions of mainstream Hollywood film being humanistic, musical and verbal cues advance plots & characters in an unfolding, linear arc revealed, requiring passivity, distance, & fragmentation in the viewer whose main role is to identify, emote, go along.

"The function of..Western theatre of the last few centuries has been..to show what is said to be secret ("feelings,""situations,""conflicts"), while hiding the very artifice of the show (stage effects, painting, powder, light sources)...The Western spectacle is anthropomorphic...the Western actor...the voice..the look..the figure are eroticized...like so many fetishes.

Bunraku exposes the sources of theatre in their emptiness. What..replaces [theater] is the action necessary to the production of the spectacle. Work substitutes for interiority...
Emotion no longer inundates, no longer submerges, it becomes reading material."

Roland Barthes, "On Bunraku"

***

Liturgical worship operates similarly; eg All Saints follows a prayer book (essentially, an updated script based upon the Book of Common Prayer),

where the minister reads plain type, the congregation responds the bold:

The Lord is here.

His Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

***

We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.

Perhaps we are the puppets, chanters, & stage hands, bringing to life the Church Invisible, meeting Christ at the table -

"..if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." Romans 8:11

- a Eucharistic Bunraku, if you will.

***

Western theater largely stems from the Mass, but I had to go to Japan to retrieve a premodern precedent.

***

(Image, Music, Text is a classic - the chapter where he analyzes an Italian spaghetti ad, pioneer in its day.)

Whidbey #7

2011-07-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

This was our 7th trip to Whidbey - the same unassuming cottage on the Keystone Spit near a ferry dock. While Michael in a crib & high chair on the Puget Sound, Jack was 4 or 5 months old in Deyang City, Sichuan.

Now look at 'em. Giles Bond behind.

Our love for this place was affirmed again, luring Tacoma locals and Camarillo visitors, as well. Gideon and Jack shared a table for breakfast cereal.

The children were old enough to really have fun at Fort Casey, the abandoned garrison nearby, matching our Piet Prins' "Scout" series, wartime stories of the Dutch resistance.
The sound of freedom. Hornet F-18s, top of the American fleet, practiced their deafening lift-off/landing exercises.

There were discoveries this time, like this story about Hokusai,

a prolific Japanese woodblock artist featured at the Coupeville library. A crazed genius by myth, a la Amadeus Mozart, his influence on the Impressionists animated Chris' bedtime reading:Our library card was active, building a sense of return, as did local merchants recognizing the boys.

Also new, Michael and Jack took part in a theater workshop in Langley, a town with more shops and creative galleries, like this glass blowing hot shop, producing a beautiful red & yellow, swirling bowl and Jack's blue paperweight.

Michael made a table arrangement of beach findings,

leaving the jellyfish

and crab pincers behind.

Earlier in Tacoma, a magnificent lowtide at Titlow Beach invited clam, crab diggers and novice explorers.
while on Whidbey, attracting a rare afternoon visit by the resident bald eagle, no doubt hunting for prey.
Another discovery was participating in the Whidbey Children's Theater (forgive the poor quality!)

a high quality outfit celebrating its 30th year, with seasonal offerings, such as last year's Robin Hood. A musical rendition of Treasure Island doubled for M & J's camp theme. Lacking resources of higher cities, this community invests in low tech imaginative play and work for its young people.

Jack lost 3 teeth this trip! A true Jack O'Lantern.

***

Whidbey Highlights

our favorite hike along the water overlooking the Olympics, with purple alfalfa in bloom.

kayaking!

watching the weekend cruise ships - floating hotels - and local ferry from Pt Townsend.

Earlier on, M & J checked out Aunt Suzanne's honey bees, whose honey won 1st place at the county fair. Delicious for others, but overtaking the lovely garden, since these bees crawl around the grass.

Mt Rainier came into view for July 4th

We had an unusually satisfying visit with Michelle, on her lovely organic farm on Vashon Island, with daughters Valencia and Annie - our inspiration for international adoption. Jerram Barrs introduced Michelle to gardening while at the English L'Abri.

A July of much time away sandwiching 10 days before our Swiss departure. We are packing and saying our good-byes to a variety of communities with a bittersweet air, as we've become attached to our church and school.

Year End Program

2011-06-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Michael's speech kicked-off Beacon Hill's program, featuring less recitation and more singing this time!Little cherubs raising their voices is great, but I was most impressed by the scope and depth of Biblical knowledge and even theology for this age. Many feel the strongest feature of the school.

Mrs. Meza's kindergarten class featured an ode to springtime.

Jack was recognized for his love of math facts.

Michael for "exotic interests." He has a love of life - not always booklearning - in a hands-on approach. Classical Christian leans on the academics, so we tend to favor methods stressing the "discovery of God's creation" a la Charlotte Mason - a kind of classical Christian meets Montessori.
While the wisdom of citations for everyone is uncertain, the parents marveled at how well their children were known by faculty.
The music will be ramped up next year with choir, theory, and appreciation classes, hoping to teach music literacy (ie identifying fugue, choral, symphonic structures). There's a lot of thinking going on these days connecting God's people with singing, music, and poetry:
Christopher Page's book has been really fascinating, linking the Church's identity with singing (praise) and dining (the communion table).

In sum, BHCA has taken a major leap forward in its second year. We wonder how our vision of affordable private education will produce a viable secondary school. Things to work on: service opportunities for the children and teaching seminars for parents; a true feeding into the community.

Even a rubric on table manners, etiquette, having conversation, etc is being considered - the kinds of emphases ridiculed in the 1960s' drive to level social difference. My own observation is that men with Catholic upbringings are more likely to help another man with his coat; ie gentlemanly behavior. So, in a circuitous, Protestant way - like our liturgy - we are discovering practices long established by other traditions. Better late than never.

With great field trips, much parental involvement, I trust that next year will be very exciting, as BHCA plows through a more fluid curriculum - allowing kids to move according to aptitude - while ramping down the academics to a more appropriate pace. My observation is that Christians - in an adversarial, defensive posture towards the world - compensate by aggressive academics; "We may lack resources, but we're smarter than you!" Albeit, there is the "We don't mind being yahoos" posture, as well.

We plan to keep up with developments via Skype while in Switzerland for Pepperdine's abroad program - our return trip, which started this blog 4 years ago!

Music Family

2011-05-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

We have weighed in on the music side as a family, partly owing to Carolyn's upbringing - mother sang weekly in the Sweet Adeline's barbershop group, dad's master chorale work in a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony forms a powerful memory (C almost weekly requested "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" at our Minneapolis pre-Wed night, Bible study hymn sing).

So, despite the boys' natural athletic interests, music plus church plus academics will probably make them less culturally American, ie a family culture revolving around sports.

M & J at their spring recital. Michael opened the recital. His love of performance really came through.

The breakthrough was Jack, however, who can really play now.

We're a little unsure how smoothly Suzuki will move to Switzerland, but we'll try. Lausanne has a music conservatory and opera - unthinkable for a town that size in the States - and Switzerland has a high place for the arts, so we're hopeful.

This year had a very entertaining group number: "boom-whackers"!

Next came Michael's choir concerts and Heritage Festival competition - both very satisfying experiences for child and parents. The choir direction and music selection is high quality, always aiming to enculturate the children with serious chorale traditions.

One venue was Ventura's Community Presbyterian - a beautiful space with murals and CA Spanish architecture.

Michael exhibited nervous embarrassment, which I can't quite figure out, given his natural ham approach to life.

The Heritage Festival awarded the choir a gold! Well done and

off to the Magic Kingdom for rides. Elle joined us on Sat for one of our last times together before the summer splits us apart for a year.

***

The discipline and deferral of pleasure involved in learning a musical instrument is daunting for everyone, but the pay-off is tremendous; the child's joy and energy are bridled. With classical Christian education, there is a lot of bridling going on, so we are hopeful for its ultimate fruit, too, not only for informed custody of a tradition, but the shaping of a soul's pleasure.

In search of a well-rounded, educational project, desire is being rehabilitated these days, eg James Smith's look at liturgy and the emotional life, philosophically critiquing the lack of formation in evangelical higher education in its pursuit of institutional status in a competitive market:
or Alan Jacobs' strategy for returning to reading via enjoyment, countering the traditional Great Books approach on the ethical life and moral high ground of the classics (remember Allan Bloom's Closing of the American Mind?:
and, of all things, a rediscovery of puritan heavyweights, such as John Owen - typically known for classic treatment on sin - who writes on the subjective experience of the Trinity and the love of the Father among His children:

"Consider the company they keep: it is with the Father -
who so glorious?
The merchandise they trade in, it is love -
what so precious?"
J. Owen.

GRC's book study a year ago on this was a complete revelation.

In sum, the life of the mind - as well as the pleasures of the heart & body - now appear as different attempts at getting at the same reality.

Spring in Conejo

2011-05-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a cool, relatively wet spring with pockets of beautiful weather, as on Mother's Day. Carolyn weaves arts & crafts through holidays and curriculum; the boys happily return the effort:
One tremendous gift of family life are the occasions - a calendar of events mostly unique to each family, adjoining the feast days of the church to give shape to days which, otherwise, run full-steam ahead on an economic logic at odds with human or divinely ordered time.

One thing I really anticipate in Switzerland is living in a setting where all these calendars (solar, harvest, theological, family, school) more or less powerfully align, at least formally.

***

Beacon Hill honored Grandparents last Friday morning; we all descended.

Our boys only have one surviving grandpa and he is out-of-state, so our children joined other groups for interactive sessions. This great-grandma only spoke Spanish, so lots of cultural exchange going on here.

Michael at an unguarded moment during the assembly:

The Santa Monica Aquarium was a great find, as was Bay Cities Deli, where I found the most comprehensive selection of Italian imports,

such as freshly made Dove Cake (4 kinds!) for Easter. The prepackaged boxes, btw, seem to drop in quality much more so than, say, their Christmas counterpart, panetone.

Apparently only the English speaking world, for some historical glitch, uses the term, Easter, to mark the Resurrection of the Savior, apparently naming an ancient, pagan goddess (given the eggs and bunnies, is this surprising?). Some believers (eg at GRC) have switched to "Resurrection Day," but that just doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

Prepared a crown roast of lamb this year, only catching the symbolism of the paschal lamb crowned as a mockery - seems tighter as a Good Friday ritual:

***

We made a quick stop to the Conejo Valley Days fair, near the TO Library, for some rides, such as the ferris wheel:

and this stomach-churning (highest portable version of this ride), which our thrillseeker son loved. Nascar instincts. Fun linked to, on some level, feeling out-of-control, helpless and, ultimately, baiting death:

***

Took the boys to a nearby breakfast joint run by Greeks - good quality food at decent prices. Can't think what our home life would be if M & J didn't enjoy food!

Then a rare hike up the TO hills, retracing steps taken 2 years ago. Michael wanted to play the storymaking game we played on the return journey, each person adding a line to a tale. Recycling memories & the value of repetition - even at 8.

***

After a Sunday lunch in Santa Paula with a family from church, I led the children to the local river bed where they threw rocks and just got dirty.
The children of GRC seem less parentally managed, ie more willing to let them just go, explore, accepting the consequences. Given my exact opposite orientation, I think it's usually a healthy antidote. Then again, I quit college & left LA for L'Abri and didn't look back, not grasping the life-pattern I was disturbing.

***

Ojai is a western CA town and valley, where Carolyn arranged a beautiful tenure celebration party at the Ranch House:The Japanese bridge leading to a bamboo shelter. Ojai is a tiny artist colony of sorts; local notable, John Nava, designed the large scale tapestries hung in Our Lady of Angels Cathedral downtown.

Bart's Books, an outdoor used bookstore, has become a favorite spot.

Overtaking an actual residence and grounds, the different sections surround the former kitchen where I found, appropriately, cookbooks:

such as, Rosa Beranbaum's Cake Bible.

So, our lives are full of events these days, including last night's final AWANA program. The dedication of the staff - over many years - is humbling and I see some of that volunteerism pouring into Beacon Hill, which has become, kinda, our AWANA? M & J were recognized, as every child is, but didn't receive ribbons or Baskin & Robbins certificates because this year, they basically just showed-up.

My childhood was not as specialized, my gifts - whatever they are - not as developed. There is a generation of us, now adults, holding jobs and also trying to figure out what we're good at, I suppose.

Jack turns 6!

2011-04-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Our little Snoopy turned 6! Hard to believe.

Hard to believe that Peanuts is officially vintage and not the animated lingua franca of childhood any longer. For my generation, the Schultz cartoon was part of print culture, the Sunday morning ritual of pouring over the LA Times' Calendar and "funnies" section. A ritual entirely foreign to Michael and Jack.

Even the merchandising was hard to come by.

Carolyn made the dog house while Michael - loving performance - dressed in his Snoopy costume without embarrassment, reminding me of last summer when he refused to change out of lederhosen in downtown Lausanne. What costume will he be refusing to change out of 10 years from now?

The cake! SoCal heat - even for spring and fall outdoor birthdays - always tests my frosting.

Several games: Egg and Spoon Race, Linus & Lucy Freeze tag,

Flour Snowball Fight and, the favorite, the water shooters!

Carolyn's parties are elaborate and simple; loads of work but the games are socially interactive.

Big Lots had 60th Anniversary Peanuts mugs for sale!

+++

On the actual day, we had a smaller gathering

Michael is quite generous and has a hole in his pocket, I'm afraid. Loves to give away.The Kwongs hit the target with a Peanuts lunch pail

and Yahtzee -his game, since Joanne B. taught him two years ago.

Odds and Ends

2011-04-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Pepperdine is winding down and I've been visiting Beacon more, initiating an origami paper crane folding fundraiser for Japan. The Bezos Foundation is giving $2 per crane up to $200,000 (no mistaken comma!), so we got busy,
producing 100 out of Japanese print. They were shipped to Students Rebuild in Seattle, who are making an art installation which will go up in the city of Sendai (what's left of it, anyway). Architecture for Humanity is in charge of the rebuilding project. This was an international effort, linking Camarillo with 19 other countries and 48 other US states (Mississippi excluded).

Chris and Hilary and several adults gave it a try.

Carolyn and Aiden.

Cranes are almost sacred in Japan and, like the tortoise and dragon, evoke longevity and good fortune:
Before the origami, Beacon had its all school egg hunt followed by Devin's resurrection message and...

hot cross buns!

Stoneground Bakery made them special order out of, basically, their prized challah recipe. They were beautiful.

***
Fawns and California poppies on campus!

Pepperdine's International Programs sponsored an orientation for next year's students. The family met all 82 students for the first time; it was a grand success. We will basically pick up where we left off when we see them next in Lausanne. We made a Jeopardy game out of Swiss factoids, such as:

Richest man in Switzerland founded this company.
Most tools found in a Swiss Army Knife.
Name of a this very popularly used invention.
They consume more of this food per capital.
What product mimicking the property of a plant.
Only one of two of these in the world that's square.

Answers:

IKEA
82
world wide web
velcro
chocolate
Swiss flag

***

Lastly, a lame picture of Michael's choir concert. Mozart's canon as a prelude to the Requiem, both performed with orchestra. Michael could recognized the liturgical structure of the piece, saying, "This is a church service." It was a gorgeous Latin text and powerful singing. Electrifying performance.

AWANA Grand Prix

2011-04-01T09:22:00.001-07:00

Michael AND Jack entered cars for this year's AWANA Grand Prix:

The derby race moved indoors to avoid rain and the reduced budget meant a scaled-down food menu. Michael signed up for popcorn duty,offering generous amounts, to the chagrin of the lady in charge.

Jack's Snoopy won 3rd for design:while Michael's Yellow Submarine took 1st in design, 3rd in speed:

Inspired by In-n-Out Burger, I placed a Bible verse underneath,

adding a devotional to an otherwise secular vehicle.

Reformed churches tend to define children covenantally, according to promises and precedents made to families - they are "grandfathered" in - where AWANA reworks a Boy Scouts model of inspiring effort, rewarding scripture memorization with jewels and badges. I admit being quite moved, seeing the children get excited, receiving teaching and activities designed just for them.

Joni & Friends

2011-03-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

Beacon Hill visited Joni & Friends in Agoura Hills on the way back from Our Lady of Angels Cathedral. Children and adults were profoundly impacted by the ministry's call to care for those in need; ironically, helping we who are "well" become active and socially outward.
Joni generously welcomed the students into her office, demonstrating her voice recognition software which enables her to write.
Touring the facility means showcasing specific individuals with disabilities. It's worth noting how groups move from being invisible - like minorities in the 1950s - to mainstream recognition. Conversely, orthodox Christians today feel invisible among our culture's powerbrokers, such as the university, media circles.

Refurbished wheelchairs are delivered internationally, for which the children collected a donation.

The center of the building is the "floating" chapel, where we sang the doxology after reading the words from Amos, "Let justice roll down like waters..." inscribed in the fountain below.

The design is lifted from Maya Lin's realization of the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham, which uses water as a temporal element, illustrating the timeline of the civil rights movement. She is one of my favorite 20th century artists, after her award-winning design - at 22 years old! - of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in DC.

We ended the session, making "gospel bracelets" which will be attached to every donated wheelchair, then listened to Joni give her testimony, raise disability awareness, as well as offer practical advice to the children: "Always swim with a buddy!"

Our Lady of Angels

2011-03-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

Beacon Hill's field trip was a double-whammy: Lady of Angels Cathedral + Joni & Friends, a resounding success and rewarding on many levels.

First, we were going DOWNTOWN, such as it is; the original church bordering Japanese town, always stuck out as an anomaly to me. We boned up on Ojai artist, John Nava, and his vision for the Belgian tapestries which softened the cold interior space of CA mission-colored concrete.
Unlike other towns, LA was not previously anchored by a cathedral, not that OLA - its-next-to-freeway status - accomplishes this. But since my own church meets in a warehouse on the outskirts of Camarillo - bordered by a railroad, not highway - I let out a huge exhale, upon entering a sacred space, again.

The tapestries feature official saints and commoners alike

with a red marble slab bookending the entrance's baptismal pool.

The children were encouraged to climb, touch, feel almost everything, underscoring the tactile dimension to iconic Catholicism versus Protestantism's mental abstraction which Umberto Eco wrote of years ago now, comparing Mac computers to PCs. Touchscreen technologies only further the argument and, Apple, it appears, is dominating.
Erlinda, our able guide, is a born native and will be buried in the crypt space below - 5500 spots available, along with Gregory Peck. The children loved knocking on the hollow, unoccupied spaces.
Perhaps, my favorite spot was the chapel dedicated to St Joseph and the topic of adoption:
Really, Christ is the adopted son and "prototype" of a renew humanity - birthed at the cross; the water and blood of his wounds conjuring the birth of Eve via Adam's side.

Joseph above & the children below:

Reliefs from the original church

I asked Michael and Jack if this reminded them of the cathedrals in Europe. They replied matter of factly, "No." It did for me, however. Here and there, these are houses of worship doubling as tourist spots.

Our modern condition.

Jishin

2011-03-15T14:18:00.001-07:00

Mountains fell
And filled the rivers.

The seas heaved
And flooded the land.

Boats along the shore
Were helpless in the waves.

Around the capital
Not one temple or pagoda
remained intact.

Dust and ashes rose
Like billows of smoke.

Caught inside
A house might crush you.

Outside, the ground was torn apart.

Without wings,
You could not fly away.
Only a dragon
may ride the clouds!

For a while right after
There was talk
of the vanities of this world,
and people seemd to be rid
of the sinfulness in their hearts.

But days and months went by,
then years,
and no one spoke of it again.

excerpted from the HOJOKI (Account of My Hut)
by Kamo Chomei, 1212 AD

Spring break

2011-03-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

This past week we stayed home, rather than travel for Pepperdine's spring break. I took Michael and Jack to the bank to open savings accounts.
They proudly spilled their coins onto the banker's desk and began counting. The concept of earned interest was difficult to grasp and, given the current rate, difficult to take seriously, but deferred anything would be a worthwhile lesson.

Worked on home projects and visited Beacon Hill twice:

The school is doing well in its second year and we're tweaking the curriculum from cookie-cutter classical to learning that takes advantage of local resources and talent. The church has improved the play area - new swings, water fountains, basketball hoop - and there's a VAST area for exploring: Michael picked peppercorns last year and found swarms of ladybugs.

Devin structures PE sessions:

Compared to the asphalt wasteland of Gardena Elementary, this looked absolutely idyllic to me and lacked the harsher realities I grew-up with: a few roving thugs who would terrorize the kids, stealing their lunches (the teachers were afraid of them) and general anonymity. These children are surrounded by their moms who volunteer and remain a presence. We're coming up with our version of the "PTA," as well.

Elle will be teaching and incorporating a gardening rubric into all the grades next year. The possibilities for teaching (global economy, local stewardship, spiritual analogy) are endless and exciting and we are sad to miss out on next year!

All in all, there is an impressive community being established through BHCA. I am a believer in the neighborhood, community school which, curiously, is what studies have shown people want and choose over choice of charter schools (cf Diane Ravitch: The Death and Life of the Great American School System). It's an exciting endeavor for us to be involved in, to be contributing to.

***

Parting shots:

Jack with the Schneekloth boys during the recent L'abri conference. Jack and Michael (rt) performed a duet:

On take-offs and landings, Michael reaches out to hold hands - our little family ritual - sometimes crossing aisles, and this trip, behind rows!

Winter

2011-02-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we've had some key events: Carolyn marked the big Five O, Michael and Jack's Coming Home Day, and the annual L'Abri Conference in Rochester MN.
Since Francis Schaeffer's lymphoma treatment at the Mayo Clinic in the early '80s, L'Abri established an office and residential work in Rochester - about 90 minutes southeast of Minneapolis/St Paul, that has grown due to conferences, medical ethics seminars, and a community (PCA, et al) surrounding the branch.

My college apartment mate practices psychiatry there, so we visit while the boys experience arctic weather:
Michael woke-up early to make ice candles. He LOVES snow and would throw himself onto mounds of it, always game for someone to engage in a snowball fight. Jack had an early bad experience with wet socks and refused to go out afterwards!

I gave two workshops:

"Homesick for a Place You've Never Known:
The Orphans of God and Spiritual Adoption"

"Images as the New Opium of the People"

also bringing 5 Pepperdine students. I made use of a MadMen clip, illustrating competing notions of nostalgia and homeland at work in modern culture, in stark contrast to Biblical linearity best represented, perhaps, by Abraham, who never looked back.

As stark contrast, Ozu faces crises non-nostalgically - war, dissolution of the family, modernity are faced head-on, without melancholy. Extended family photographs are taken in his films, but never viewed:

The house - its emptiness - is an actor in the family drama.

Wim Rietkerk, of the Dutch L'Abri gave a closing talk contrasting Reformed and Puritan conceptions of spirituality - sojourn vs pilgrimage - and Dick Keyes' tweaked the Tulip by preferring "Pervasive" over "Total Depravity."

The conference dovetailed with Valentine's Day, Michael's "Coming Home Day" 7 years ago; we celebrated Jack's, as well.

For us, this has largely meant - along with Chinese New Year's - eating a variety of our favorite take out dishes.
Carolyn involved the Beacon Hill children in a dragon puppet craft, then broke out fortune cookies.

Jack's coming home was met with considerably less fanfare - we just came home; only now working to correct the deficit in our rituals of the event.

Carolyn turned 50! We had a number of small events; David and Teresa threw a party after church. and Susan came over on the actual day for cake and presents. Then old college friend, Beth, flew into town a couple weeks later for her 50th and we held a joint celebration, going to Ojai for the weekend.

Knott's Berry Farm

2011-01-23T21:26:00.001-08:00

Christmas break we decided to try Knott's, a more low key theme park counterpart to Disneyland which had a Western theme - chicken dinners, Pendleton apparel, old West town - and a measure of authenticity, built around an historical Walter and Cordelia Knott and their berry stand:
My family sometimes went to Knotts just for the famous fried chicken dinners and shopping, which you didn't need park admission to frequent.

The ghost town - former center of the park - was actually foraged from abandoned ghost towns and rebuilt in Buena Park as a backdrop for the Western spirit and Americana patriotism. This later melded perfectly with the '70s Jesus Movement, as a Knott grandson purportedly attended Calvary Chapel and, later, the Simon Greenleaf Law School - the explanation for the quality Christian bookstore on site. I used to attend the New Year's Eve concerts and bought some hard to find apologetics books there.

Now, it's morphed into Camp Snoopy, lending a cartoonish motif to the hotel and the Peanuts franchise everywhere.
I have mixed feelings about it all, but Michael & Jack loved it, especially the amusement park rides, much like pier arcades and roller coasters.

We panned for gold...

but Michael LOVED the thrills best

reminding me of pushing him in a swing upon returning from Guangzhou. He wanted to keep going higher, laughing hysterically

until he threw up.

Back to Knotts. The chicken dinner was a bust, bookstore gone, shopping mostly of cheap trinkets, the ghost town still there, but lacking any coherence standing next to Camp Snoopy. My memory has taken a bruising, as I realized I couldn't deliver the goods to my own children.

Christmas Snapshots

2010-12-31T16:13:00.001-08:00

Michael was one of the wise men at the GRC Christmas program this year - honored by a long reading -

as well as part of Beacon Hill's 3rd grade choir, here demonstrating the messianic-prophetic transformation of darkness to light in Isaiah.Jack as sheep

and, now, BHA kindergartener in his own right.

Pasadena Civic's Nutcracker production was fabulous. The beautiful 1931 Civic Auditorium hosted the only live orchestral accompaniment in LA, complete with live animals, pyrotechnics, wired acrobatic angels, etc.

On Eve, neighbors, Jim & Marjorie, had a gift-opening for the boys, with walkie-talkie gifts.

Uncle Dave and Aunt Stephanie drove down with Grandpa for a few days.

Christmas morning with a smaller - mercifully - number of stocking gifts this year. Jack with his prized Nutella.

Carolyn found a marble run

for Elle's marbles and knited pouch gift for Jack.Cowboy boots for Michael - he wears them constantly.

Michael's art gift: a chubby winter squirrel!

An important trip was a visit to a distant cousin Bruce in Reseda.

There is a favorite line from Chris Marker's Sans Soleil which states, "How can you remember thirst?" I think advent marks a similar emptiness, drawing attention to what hasn't happened yet - a meditation on longing and desire - while Christmas as we know it is usually celebrated as immediacy. It's really about remembering what we don't have. The baby is in the stable, but his kingdom is not fully established "far as the curse is found."

I leave you with our family offering of Away in the Manger.

Advent

2010-12-16T13:43:00.001-08:00

We are in the 3rd week of Advent, the New Year's of the Christian calendar, the 12 days of Christmas beginning on the 25th and ending on Epiphany, January 6th. We helped mark it by attending a Lessons and Carols service at a neighborhood church, where the prophetic readings and somber music gave the aesthetic-historical setting - from Genesis to Revelation - of the messiah.

But first things first: the tree

This is a free tree donated by the farm to Michael, as we bought an Oregon delivered Norwood Pine. CA climate is not conducive to the firs and evergreens of the northwest, so these are imported.

Everyone busily went in decorating mode:

The handpainted sailboat is from a Greek toymaker in Athens. his son was Michael's age

Given the hardtimes, we have often wondered how his little store was faring; it barely survived the transition to EU status when we visited. Enormous frustration was evident with every local we spoke with, so I wasn't surprised when the riots began last year.

Michael relishes decorating and festivities in general.

I love this creche ornament Michael made

Ornaments are generally memory devices, so Jack was disappointed at all the "ohs!" and "oohs!" in our "paint by numbers" nostalgia, each loving object connecting a line from a moment in the past to now; his marking-history by-ornament isn't as established yet, so he was overjoyed when finally finding a photo-ornament framing his adoption picture.

The gingerbread cookies are a favorite, although this ready-made dough had a WASPy flavor - less dark and molasses-laden. Carolyn has been rolling out shapes with the boys every year.

I made my Swiss leckerli cookies - bready confections influenced by the Germanic traditions of Basel - with a unique hot honey, candied fruit dough with kirsch glaze that takes days to soften. They are robust flavored, spicy.