Bees & Butterflies ...

June 1, 2016

Our first day back from our holidays ...

the sun was shining ... it was going to be a beautiful day ...

I spent part of my morning taking pictures of the bees and butterflies ...

feeding on the lilac bush ...

the flowers were not going to be there much longer for them ...

We had a busy day ahead of us ...

the house needed to be spruced up and the lawn needed to be cut ...

We were going to have company from Ontario ...

visit with us for a few days ...

 

Our Last Day to Visit ...

May 30, 2016

Today we spent the morning visiting with Klaus and Resi ...

then getting some of our packing done as we were leaving for Canada the next day ...

After breakfast ... Klaus was busy drawing out the roads travelled ...

on our holiday ...

some of the routes drawn in blue were when Mike went with Klaus's on his work route ...

Resi was busy in the kitchen preparing a special lunch ...

We were going for the afternoon ...

to go visit with Tanya (Regina's daughter) and her family ...

in Vorchdorf ...

Before we left to go see Tanya ...

Resi gave me this handmade gift ... painting on the flowers ... then crocheting the lace trim ...

I can appreciate the time and love put into this towel ...

"In many kitchens in Austria ... this shelf would be hung in the kitchen ...

the used tea towels would be hung up on the hooks ...

and the long towel would be drawn in front to hide them" ...

I plan on using mine as a wall hanging ...

Tanya and Hans run the original four-corner farm ...

Hans and Tanya live on the upper storey ... of the farmhouse ...

and Hans's parents live on the main floor ...

It is a large pig farm ... that is totally automated now for feeding ...

even though it is ....

it still takes a lot of work to manage it ...

This cute little guy is Tanya and Hans's son Emil ...

he is 4 years old and full of energy ...

We were there in time to have a coffee break ... and cake ... at least the women did ...

the guys had a beer break ...

When we left the farm ... Klaus took us on a tour to Messenbach ...

showing us the house that mom (Oma) was raised in from the age of 1-13 ...

She would have to walk a few mile on the backroad ...

to get milk for the family ...

there were no other house around ... and no streetlights ...

Oma said it was scary at night when she walked those roads ...

we saw quite a bit of the countryside ... that Oma would ride her bike or walk ...

Klaus then drove back to Tante Paula's house ...

this was our last day to be visit here ...

We went back to the Seyr household ...

and enjoyed a lovely evening with some of the family that came by ...

to bid us farewell ...

It has been an extraordinary adventure ...

it's hard to believe the time had gone by so quickly ...

Hoping that we will be able to return again ... next time for a few more weeks ...

This holiday brought our family closer together ...

and a better understanding of the history ...

 

Families Together ...

May 20, 2016

Doris and Paul came from Vienna by train ...

Ernst and Ida were arriving later ...

driving from Vienna for all of us to go for dinner ...

The cousins Thomas and Paul had fun playing outside in the warm weather ...

They were so excited when Doris filled a tub with water ... !!!

Hilda came by in the morning ...

with a box of fresh made ...

"Traditional österreichische Bauernkrapfen" ...

(Austria Farmer's Doughnut) it is very light ... and tasty ... !!!

It was a beautiful day to be outside ...

the Rhododendron Plant was starting to bloom ...

Absolutely a beautiful flower ... !!!

A few families gathered together for an evening at the Bauernhof (farmhouse)...

"Gut auf der Haberhaide"

All of us together ... missing the two families that were not able to make it ...

we would be spending time with them on another day ...

Our meal was a cold plate ... fresh bread and rolls ...

variety of meats ... cheeses ... and condiments ...

served on a piece of birchwood ...

The beverage of choice was an "Apfelmost" (Apple Cider) Spritzer ...

We spent hours ... eating ... drinking ... visiting ... talking ... laughing ...

just having a super good time ... !!!

❤️

My sister Susie and mom in Austria ... 1976

You are always in our thoughts ...

Sending our love ...

January 18, 1956 - June 25, 1977

 

 

Taking It Easy ...

May 17, 2016

Klaus & Resi's house was our home for the holidays ...

the view was amazing looking out from the deck ...

Taking pictures of a few of the wildflowers along the driveway ...

We had decided to go for a walk into town ... toget some exercise after our trip ...

travelling along the back roads ...

Loved seeing the big green fields ... so beautiful...

As we approached town we saw the Maibaum (May Tree)...

A tradition that it is put up the beginning of Mayto welcome spring ...

and then taking it down at the end.

Along the way we saw beautiful homes and a fewplaces had chickens in their yards ...

nice to get fresh eggs every day ...

then walking by the little church ... where my mom & dad were married ...

then making our way to the cemetery ...

Making our way back into town ...

we stopped at Klaus's favourite place ... the "Gasthof Bader" for a coffeebreak ...

well ... I had coffee ... the guys had beer ...

This building was rebuilt in 1892 after it was damaged by a fire ...

In 1932 it was a family run farm with livestock ...

then in 1967 Charlotte and Helmut Bader ...

had taken over the building ...

and started a family restaurant ...

My treat for my coffee break ...

was a fresh baked warm Apple Strudel ...

Oh my it was so delicious ... !!!

We had a wonderful ... well needed walk ... back to the house ... !!!