Just sit right back and you’ll read a tale,
A tale of an fun-filled trip
That started from a German port
Inside a tiny car.
Inside a tiny car.The mate was a German-learning gal,
The skipper brave and sure.
Two passengers set course that day
For a three hour drive, a three hour drive.The weather started getting hot,
The tiny car was tossed,
If not for the open windows of the fearless car
The crew would all be toast, the crew would all be toast.The car parked out on the street of this charted German town
With Katja
And Markus too,
The two cats in the garden,
Lots of tasty food,
And Janet and Kandi Rose
Here in Bamberg township.
My first weekend in Germany saw Janet and I on a three hour drive to Bamberg (no boats involved). Janet has friends who live nearby so we had a lovely little haven each night we were in town. They live right by Main, a river, and the first night we took a nice long walk along the Main after a good rain fell. 
The walk was beautiful and relaxing after a hectic few days cramming so much of touristy stops into the previous few days. 
We also threw in chatting in the garden and a drive to Schesslitz for some seriously incredible Italian Eis. Mmm hmmm. Tasty! If you want to see that tastiness (and EAT SOME!!), you’ll have to go there yourself. Who knows what tasty flavors will be available next!!
The onion pattern is the most famous pattern created, and has been used by many other companies trying to imitate Meissen Porcelain. Its signature logo, the crossed swords, was introduced in 1720 to protect its production and was added to the onion design. The crossed swords is one of the oldest trademarks in existence and is on each piece created here.
Not only dish ware is created – large pieces such as this sad lion have been created and a selection can be seen in the upstairs museum. The yellow tea service set was made in 1722. 
There are also many figurines with intricate details of both molding and painting.
The teapot with all the flowers? Each flower was individually hand made and applied to the tea pot and then hand painted.
A sculpture of discarded pieces is on display and was amazing to look at each side and see all the little hidden elements!
On the first stop of the tour, we watched a short video showing how the elements are mined, broken down, and then mixed together in a water slurry. After the 3 ingredients are well mixed, the water is spun out leave the clay which can be stored up to nine months before being created into a delicate porcelain something. 
I was mesmerized in the second room by watching the clay being formed by hand into a plain cup and then formed in the centuries old mold, removing excess clay to form the delicately thin clay. The clay dries in it’s mold for 30 minutes and is then removed. The base and handle are added using slip (some of the clay without the excess water taken out). After firing, each piece is only 65% of it’s original size! 
In another room of the tour, we witnessed another artist hand carving part of a statue. We also saw how each little ivy leaf is created in a mold and then added to the statue with slip, piece by piece. Some details, like roses and more detailed flowers, are created lovingly by hand – without any kind of mold! 
The third room of the tour taught how each piece is hand painted, how the colors used change dramatically during firing, and there were many examples of how paints change in firing. The steps to just make one plate are extensive, and require many years of training for each artist. When a piece is painted before firing, any paint that is applied cannot be removed, so perfection is a must!
The gold paint used is 90% pure gold and looks very dark before firing. After a piece with gold is fired, the gold is hand polished to give it the bright lustre seen at the bottom of the sample plate. It is only after these steps that a piece can be sold! 
The last stop of the tour before the shops was watching another artist paint an already glazed and fired plate. At this time, paint is not permanent until it is fired. Multiple colors require multiple firings as only one color at a time is applied. The only exception to this is in scenery, which is all painted at once.
Krögis is where it all began. Janet moved to Germany to help a mission organization in their new building, which needed renovation and a LOT of cleaning! Janet eventually moved on to a new job in Germany and moved to Meißen for her job.
It wasn’t a far drive, so she took me out to the 
Most of my pictures were lost form this day due to a fight with a computer, but I was able to salvage some of my favorites, which are mostly from the gardens. Gardens are definitely one of my happy places, and Germany is filled with beautiful gardens!
The Camp Director, Bob Badwell, was incredibly generous and provided church members with tickets to come to the Festival. This was exciting news for a friend and I because we weren’t going to be going due to finances. We carpooled with some friends and had a fun road trip to Stewartville.
Painted rocks inscribed with verses graced various places throughout the camp, which was a favorite features at Ironwood Springs. There was so much to see so Val, Katelyn, Michelle, and I set off to explore. We walked through the art and craft fair, checked out the food and had some treats. There were many activities including tree climbing, petting zoo, laser tag, mini golf, a Ferris wheel, zip lines, paint ball and more. Val was excited about the pony rides, which had sadly ended before we arrived.
We saw Clyde the Camel, who seemed to love Michelle. He walked over to her, ignoring everyone else. Another fun stop was at the Ole Red Barn for Western photos complete with costumes and all sorts of props! This isn’t normally something I do, but it was pretty fun! 
After seeing the festival events, the four of us walked through the grounds taking in the beauty. Even with all the activity, the grounds felt peaceful. 
There were sweet little touches of love throughout the ranch including little gnomes and a bridge over the river that runs through the property. The volunteers were all helpful and friendly, adding to the peaceful atmosphere. 
Finally it was time for the evening’s music to start! 
After Vested Worship completed their set, 
As Sarah ended, the promise of chicken and ice cream and ice cold water lured Michelle and I away from the stage and we were caught in a downpour of rain. It rained long and hard, completing our second shower for the day. Thankfully, many tents were set up and we were able to stay under one for the worst of the rain. We made it back to the stage in time for Tenth Avenue North at 9pm. 
While the whole day at Ironwood Springs was fun, Tenth Avenue North was the highlight. The message they bring to the audience is so needed. The lead singer, Mike, is funny (hello, prom queen disciples!). Their message rings true and was refreshing. 
Really, it was more like hanging out with friends and singing loud than attending a concert. “We’re not here to sing TO you, but to sing WITH you.”
Here are some of the songs they sang with links to the music videos. I hope they encourage you as much as they have encouraged me.
Driving home was a hoot (exploding salad, extra burger, and frostys thankyouverymuch). It was so late and I was so tired. But it was worth it.
A couple of years ago, Jordan wanted to have a field day with his cousins, which has started a wonderful tradition. This was the Third Annual Russie Field Day. Cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and Grandma were in attendance. 
There were some non-water races and then water joined the fun. It was super hot out, so the water was a welcomed addition. 
J4 and I played spectators, since he was too young and someone had to keep him from falling face-first into the pool (again). He didn’t seem to mind too much since he received his own little J4-safe pool and he got to eat lunch in his pool! 
There were also some side sand-games, played by Sam and Tyler before they joined in the water games. These games were cake making and hole digging. 
One one the funnest games to watch was a summer spin on Duck, Duck, Gray Duck. It goes Drip, Drip, Dump and involves dripping and pouring water and chasing. It was hilarious to watch! 
Field Day always concludes with snacks, and this year there was also grilled pizza!