POSTCARDS

Florida Keys

2012-01-02T04:11:00.001-08:00

By Uncle Hans

Renee and I spent our Christmas on the Florida Keys. Great weather. 80 and sunny each day.

We drove, as crazy as that sounds. It was 2060 miles, a little further than I thought. The driving went well, good weather on the way down and no traffic problems. We stopped at a Waffle House, which is a southern, fast food breakfast place. It is inexpensive and a unique experience as the whole kitchen is exposed along with all the noise and chaos to the customer. People seemed to like it. I had a pecan waffle and it hit the spot...........

Our favorite place, however, was Chad's in Tavernier on the Keys. We found this place in April when we were down. A great deli like place that bakes all it's own bread. Everything is so fresh and good. They were closed Christmas eve and Christmas day so the only day we could go was the 23rd. Too bad!

....................We found something from history: Smoking in bars! You are a "bar" if less than 20% of your revenue comes from food. Several "restaurants" have attached off-sale liquor stores so they could bring their % below 20 and the patrons could smoke. a cute trick.........

By Uncle Hans

Devil's Lake

2011-08-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

This year we camped at Devil's Lake. We have out grown our camper so we used a friends. It is 33', has 4 bunks, and a slide out. It is a lot more camper then we are used to. I couldn't believe all the room we had.

After we were all set up we played a few games of polish horseshoes.

Well we start the day with omelets in a bag ( slider bags do not work for this).

Then it was off hiking. There are many hiking trails. At the office we got activity books for the kids which gives them all sorts of things to look for.

We did some swimming and made some sand castles.

By Heather

2011-03-21T09:19:00.001-07:00

By Uncle Hans

We stopped in to visit Grandma Jean at her new digs at Parkside Village in Green Bay.............

.....the place is brand new and a couple of blocks from Neil's and where her condo is. Her room is nice, here she is talking to Hannah about a painting Hannah did for her. Unfortunately, the camerman failed to get a picture of the painting..........

.....The bathroom is large and safe............

........There is a kitchenette, but meals are offered in the dining room if you don't want to cook...........

......The common areas are all decorated with knick-knacks from bygone years. This is a display of handheld mirrors, all painted on the back. Another spot had spats and buttonhooks...........

........Mom worked with a craft group a few days ago to make this blanket, which they are donating to the Green Bay homeless shelter.............

........this is the family room, where families can come and have parties for birthdays, etc. Mom was telling me about the the deer which were playing out in the back which is open land back to a river. She pointed out the deer preferred the cultivated and mown grass near the building, not the weeds which were further away from the building.........

.....Hannah found this gorgeous painting in the lobby. It is downtown Paris and down with a oil paint and a spatula, not brush. Very cool...........

.....every room has a shadow box, just outside her room in the common area, which is to display momentos. Hers needs work so we are sending out a plea for little momentos. This box can be easily changed and whenever she likes...............

.....all in all, we felt great that Grandma Jean has a nice place in Room 110 at Parkside Village.

By Uncle Hans

Grandma Jean's Room

2011-01-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

By Uncle Hans

It took us a while, but we have finally settled Grandma into her new quarters. Neil and Kathy helped by bringing some pictures and mementos from her condo to make it more homey..........

..........her church at home helped out by sending a cassette tape of the service each week. Try to find a cassette player to buy, however. Like looking for a record player..........

.........We pulled in the TV from the guest house. But moving a TV is simple compared to moving a TV signal. That took some bad language, stringing wire, and replacing the ceiling tiles in the basement..........

...........to watch TV, you need a comfy chair. While at the second hand store looking for a cassette player, we found this beauty for $20.............

....we also found some puzzles, which Grandmas has conquered, one by one............

..........a couple of her mementos are noteworthy. These are actual family crests that she crocheted from an ancient catalogue of Swiss family crests that Grandma Rechsteiner had years ago. On the bottom are the family name, the Swiss crest, and the Canton crest for each family..........

.....We had to buy lots of groceries for Grandma. Here Annie helps us at the store. Grandma has enjoyed her time were with us. Still, she wants to go home to her condo. She has recovered from her fracture and a bout of nasty flu requiring hospitalization in late Oct. Neil and I have successfully wrestled with her ling term insurance company (we think), so she is nearly ready to move back into her condo to see how well that works. The trial starts on January 8th. Stay tuned.............

By Uncle Hans

Coyotes

2011-01-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

By Uncle Hans

You never know what will appear out the big windows overlooking Cable Lake. This early morning it was a pair of coyotes. I think they were looking for the roadrunner. The pictures were bad, out the window in poor light with a poor camera.........

.....after a while, we let Sam out to investigate. There was a lot of curiosity, some playing, then Sam ran them off.

By Uncle Hans

Mermaids

2011-01-03T22:18:00.000-08:00

By Uncle Hans

I found these two mermaids in my hot tub one recent morning...............

I asked them to do something that mermaids never do..............a snow angel.........

.......I wanted them to do it together as that would make a better blog picture. but the little one would not do it until the big one did...........

.............I can't believe it, but she laid down in the snow and made a snow angel...........

.........She ran back to the warm water and started talking the little one into trying it.........

.......pretty soon, you know............

...................Monkey see.................

..........Monkey do!

But then my alarm went off, so I got up and went to work......................

By Uncle Hans

Chainsaw

2010-12-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

By Uncle Hans

Renee talked me into buying a chainsaw this fall, and the Swiss always buy used. In this case, antique..........

.............She liked the new (antique) saw but complained it was a little heavy. So we bought a little brother for it.........

..........here is our friend Don and Renee working on a tree the wind knocked down a few nights ago.........

.....she looks pretty serious, and I would not like to mess with her............

.... Don looks, well, like a professional.............

.......these two looks suspiciously like inspectors from OSHA looking for safety violations. Where was OSHA when the good Lord blew down the tree? Someone could have been killed!!.........

.........in typical fashion, Neil showed up after the work was done but before the chili and beer was served.

By Uncle Hans

Thanksgiving Spooner Style

2010-11-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

By Uncle Hans

There is a long history in the Rechsteiner family of not celebrating a holiday on the actual day and Thanksgiving was no exception. This is Nov 28 as we missed by only a few days. Here is the KP section and Carol looks on. Actual, Carol was a driving force in bringing the whole meal together for halftime of the game, which is a very narrow window for a turkey.

.....Jake got elected "carver guy" and got to use Renee's new electric knife.........

.....as usual, the dinner was buffet..........

.....Carver Guy was hopeful that the Packers would beat Atlanta, but they did not..........

The fare was vintage with turkey, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, fresh-baked buns, cranberry sauce (Grandma made it!), pumpkin and cherry pie with real whipped cream. Never have so many enjoyed a halftime so much!.......

.....these are the "Buns Girls" Nice Buns!........

...........Rex called just as we were headed for the table, giving the cooks an extra five minutes to get the thing together.......

.....I was thankful that Rex called and sad that they could not be there. But no Rechsteiner is complete without some bizarre project or entertainment. To actually see chainsawing, champagne indoor fireworks, or the cat neuter in the garage...........

You have to stay tuned to the blog for the next few days.

Uncle Hans

PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA

2008-10-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

MOUNT SHASTA

2008-05-22T08:57:00.001-07:00

2008-05-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

REDWOODS
In 1148 A.D. this tree began growing near Jorden Creek at the north end of the "Avenue of the Giants". It was 839-years old it fell in 1987. The height of the tree was 300 feet, the average diameter was 9 feet and it's weight was 325 tons.

Misty Morning in the Redwood Forest

Fog is the lifegiving substance of California's Coastal Redwoods. Condensing on the needles of trees and then dripping to the ground, it accounts for as much as seventy inches of moisture per year.

Battery Point Lighthouse was completed in 1865. Now a museum operated by the Del Norte County Historical Society. It can be reached by foot at low tide.

COAST REDWOODS

Clearing fog reveals chunky islands topped by firs in this picture typical of the Northern California coast.

2008-05-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

Do these look like "Happy California Cows"???

2008-05-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Gray Whales
The gray whale is the most common large whale seen from shore along the west coast of North America. Gray whales feed in shallow waters near shore during the summer and fall and migrate south fro breeding and calving during the winter, and migrate north in the the spring.

Picturesque sea stacks are found along the rugged Southern Oregon Coast.

Tidepools can be found in many places along the Oregon coast. These unique costal ecoosystems support many different forms of life such as seastars, giant green anemones, purple and red sea urchins, mussels, turnan snails, green, red, and brown algae to name a few.

Ancient intrusions of basalt withstand the forces of erosion longer than sandstone, clay or shale. But with time they too disappear.

Afallen redwood so slow to rot it may lie on the forest floor for as many years as it grew, nurturing a variety of herbs, woody plants and wildlife.

A picture perfect day along the Oregon Coast.

2008-05-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Arizona

2008-04-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

Vegas Baby !!!

2008-04-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Freemont Street Experience, downtown Las Vegas.

Rosie the Riveter

2008-04-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

This 1940's poster features an image of "Rosie the Riveter." Propaganda posters like this helped recruit over 6 million women to work for the war effort during World War II.

(click to enlarge)

Oatman, Arizona

2008-02-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

Oatman, Arizona

Old Route 66 is a little quiter these days. Old Oatman continues to thrive with tourist visitors. Surprising to visitors is the fact that Oatman is starting to particpate in the booming International Gold Rush.

(click for enlarged view)

Grand Canyon

2007-10-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

From Navajo Point the massive Colorado River appears to be a mere trickle of water. However, 5,000 feet below the river continues to scour, carve, and shape the canyon.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
(click to enlarge)

Monument Valley

2007-10-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Mittens

Located in northern Arizona in the land of the Navajo, Monument Valley is known as the land without beginning or end. The majestic red-rock formations in this area along the Arizona-Utah border remind you of the old west. This is an area famous for its colorful Indian Heritage.

(click to enlarge)

Canyon De Chelly

2007-10-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

Lush green trees along the river bed stand in contrast to smooth walls that frame and protect White House Ruin.

Canyon De Chelly National Monument, Arizona
Fall foliage and a silver ribbon of water flowing in Chinie Wash enhance the beauty of the red rocks seen from Tsegi Overlook.
(click for enlarged view)

Petrified Forest

2007-10-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

Petrified Forest National Park

Pedestal logs balance precariously on eroding sediments in the badlands of Petrifried Forest National Park. Eventually the log will tumble from its perch while other pedestal logs continue to emerge.

(click for larger view)

Wisconsin

2007-09-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

The Badger State

(click to enlarge)

Autumn in Wisconsin

2007-09-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Autumn in Wisconsin offers a unique experience to travel the state's scenic highways to witness many beautiful vistas. These scenes provide a splash of fall color as represented by the brilliant red sumac and multi-colored maple, oak, and hickory trees found along the roads and on surrounding hillsides.

(click to enlarge)

Making Cheese

2007-09-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Old Country Cheese recieves approximately 120,000 pounds of milk each day from about 230 Amish milk producers. The factory is located five miles southeast of Cashton, Wisconsin, on County Road D.

(click to enlarge)

WISCONSIN

2007-09-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

America's Dairy State

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Hamann's Variety Store

2007-09-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hamann's Variety Store
Praire Du Chein, Wisconsin
Hamann's Variety Store in downtown Praire Du Chein was established in 1929.
(click to enlarge)