4th of July at the Cottage

I spent the 4th of July weekend with family at my grandparent's cottage. Family members came from Alaska, Virginia, Idaho, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. What a gathering! We ate well, slept close and played hard all weekend. We also took advantage of this chance to celebrate my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary while we were all together.

The girl cousins share a special bond in our family, mostly because we're outnumbered by boys. Here we all are at the 4th of July parade.

Happy Belated Father's Day!

After leaving Sandi's family, I went to visit my dad. We celebrated Father's Day fashionably late with ice cream at Dairy Queen. I also enjoyed going to church with my dad and taking a Sunday drive together.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Yvonne, Sandi and I flew home to the States at the end of June. We flew into Chicago and I spent several days with Sandi and her family.

Sandi and her dad showed me some of the historical sights of their area, including Bloody Mary's Bridge and a restored canal boat on the Erie Canal. It was also a time of catching up on sleep and getting over jet-lag. It feels great to be on summer vacation and to be back in the States!

We ate a leisurely dinner on the deck. Grilled chicken, sweet potatoes and fresh fruit - yum! I really enjoyed my time with Sandi's family!

Camping in the Lakes District

Before parting ways for the summer, six VCS teachers went on a fabulous camping trip on the edge of Lake Attersee.

Our campsite was literally at the edge of the lake! We could hear a gentle lapping of water as we slept in our tents at night. During the day, we enjoyed hiking, boating, swimming, sitting in camp chairs and cooking our own meals together. No campfires are allowed here, picnic tables are not standard in campsites, and we forgot to bring any large pots and pans, but these complications forced us to be creative and have fun working together. We borrowed a charcoal grill from some fellow campers, sat on our table cloth on the ground for meals, and (thankfully!) had planned foil dinners on the menu.

Thank You Concert

Seung Ok and Jae Gyung gave a cello concert to thank their teachers. They are so talented! These special girls have studied at VCS for two years while their father did a research exchange at a university in Vienna. They will be moving back to Korea at the end of June. It has been a privilege to get to know them and their family.

Last Day of School

"Ahhh, get us out of here!" It's been another great year at VCS and these fifth graders are ready for summer vacation. In August, they're all moving on to middle school!

Recess Fun

Here's a sight you don't often see at recess here: students playing American football! Soccer is, by far, the preferred recess support amongst kids in Europe, so I got a real kick out of watching these fifth graders play football.

These girls love to talk and laugh at recess. Sometimes they sing and practice dance routines and other times they join in a soccer or jump-rope game.