Life is Wonderful!
Check out today’s wonder on my Facebook post!
Today is Labor Day in the USA.
It’s a day to thank our workers.
Thank all who make life better
By their diligence … never shirkers!
Regardless of the job they have,
They perform with willing heart.
I’m filled with gratitude for them.
They carefully do their part.
During COVID we took special care
To thank our healthcare workers all.
We should continue to thank them
And all the others whether large or small.
No job is less important than another.
All are crucial for the bottom line.
Teamwork, passion, determination
Are ingredients that make the results shine.
“Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
The after effects of COVID-19
Have left some workers unwilling
To return to the office or work space;
They find teleworking more fulfilling.
But the worker who inspires me most
Is the on the job person who strives
To make the world a better place
By interacting with others’ lives.
Yes, it can be done at home sometimes,
But what about when you want to dine out?
The chef and wait staff better be there,
Or you’ll be high and dry… without!
So, today I want to shout out a thanks
To all the workers who make life sweeter.
Here is one… our Dolly Wolly in Switzerland.
You should go to her place and meet her!!
This is what it looked like then they bought it.
Now the restaurant has taken on a new look.
And De’s husband, Andre’ is the chef who
Puts out superb dishes – he’s quite the cook!
Here are De and Andre’ with some family
Sitting down to enjoy a meal…
You can tell by the empty plates and smiles
How good it was; how it made them feel!
So, Happy Labor Day, all you workers
Who strive to serve the public with care-
Whether out in front and quite visible
Or hidden in back rooms, with work to share!
We appreciate the way you aim to please
With passion and with determination.
What you do is important and beneficial
Regardless of your chosen occupation.
Thank you!
Hugs from
JanBeek
(volunteering at the Food Bank)
Volunteer work counts, too!
Stay-at-home Mom work counts double!!
Yesterday our granddaughter
gave birth to our great-grandbaby #5,
a perfect little girl.
Hope and Drew named her Charlotte.
Don’t you love that name?
Dear Baby Charlotte, this poem is for you:
Bob & I have two children, Ty & DeAna.
Also God blessed us with
a beautiful, smart, loving daughter-in-law, Monika,
and a clever, fun-loving, creative, talented son-in-law, Andre’
From those two children and their spouses
we have seven grandchildren
and now five great-grandchildren.
We feel so blessed to have lived long enough to
see our family expand in such a beautiful way.
This is some of the California crew
two Christmases ago
before our granddaughter, Faith (in the white hat),
had our great-granddaughter, Mable.
But, you can see great-granddaughter, Cosette, in there.
Bob & I are on both sides of our
daughter-in-law, Monika.
Monika’s parents are behind us.
Our son, Ty, is at the back.
Only granddaughter, Hope,
the new mommy,
is missing here.
Also, missing are DeAna,
our daughter and her family…
they are in Switzerland.
That’s our oldest grandson, Mike, with his wife, Tania,
in Switzerland. We went last year to their wedding.
We are looking forward to their gift of great-grandchild #6!!
Here’s De, with her hubby, Andre’,
who is THE CHEF EXTRAORDINAIRE in their
chalet (hotel/restaurant).
We love going there to enjoy our daughter and her family (three boys) !!!
Let me know if you ever decide to travel to Switzerland.
I’ll put you in touch with this wonderful
Relais des Mélèzes.
(You can check out their facebook page, too).-
Just type that name in the search bar.
Here are Andre’ and our DollyWolly, DeAna.
Oh, and if you are blessed as much as we are,
you have adopted other “kids” to be part of your family, too.
Here is our dear Daughter #2, Lainalainalaina, with us!!
Yes, we are blessed indeed!
She is such a sweetheart…
and she has blessed us with two other granddaughters, as well.
Children are such a blessing.
Babies are such fun, aren’t they?
Are yours all baptized?
Here I am with DeDe.
Ah, what a sweetheart she is, too!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
See ya tomorrow.
The last two days of our marvelous three week trip to Switzerland were a bustling, busy, blessed time. Our daughter, DeDe, and her hubby, André, treated us royally with a trip to Chamonix, France on Monday and then a tour of the Gruyère Cheese Factory in Gruyère, Switzerland on Tuesday.
That’s the Rhone River Valley below.
We were headed through Switzerland to France.
It was a surprise gift for us
plus De’s best buddy, Laina (our daughter#2),
and her daughter, Katy.
Wow!
Look at this chalet next to ours.
We stayed in one named “Soli.”
(That’s De’s hubby’s nickname)
Enjoy the views out of every window!
After settling into our beautiful chalet,
we walked to the place where the cog train (tram)
took us up to the top of the high peaks
where the glacier is.
With climate change, it is melting fast!
That night we were treated to a phenomenal dinner.
My choice was veal with mushroom sauce. Mmmmm!
Thank you, De & Andrê.
Tuesday morning we drove back
up and over the mountains into Switzerland
to another surprise destination:
the town of Gruyere.
Gruyere is our favorite cheese.
How fun to see the place where it is made!
Tuesday night we returned to De & Andre’s chalet in Vissoie.
We packed, and prepared to go to Geneva to fly home.
Wednesday was supposed to be a smooth set of flights home.
However, with the Queen’s Procession,
our flight to London was delayed,
so we missed our connecting flight from Denver
and had to spend the night there.
This morning we finally made the flight to Bozeman
where our kind neighbor, Gary, met us and drove us home.
It’s a gray, dull, cool day …
not like the warm, blue sky days of Switzerland.
We’re spoiled!
But our hearts are filled
with the beauty and warmth
of our fabulous trip.
Thanks so much for traveling with us.
Back to reality in Montana now.
(Not a bad place to return to –
just a little smokey and cool right now)
God bless you, family & friends.
We love you. 😍😘
See ya tomorrow –
Hugs, JanBeek
(of course God is willing, Laina!!)
Have you missed me? We’ve had a whirlwind four days here in Switzerland. Each day from eye opening early mornings to collapsing in bed at night has been phenomenal. If you’ve been following me, you know it was the weekend of my oldest grandson’s wedding.
Let me take you to the church and two fairytale receptions. Sit back and enjoy!
The wedding was full of music, fun, smiles, tears, promises, family & friends. A choir sang, our daughter, De, and Chrissy (our youngest grandson) sang a duet with Nick ( the middle brother) accompanying on guitar. I even had a role by reading a message ( in English, thank God) that they prepared for me – a message if forever love and devotion. Then we all headed to the outdoor reception nearby where wine, hors d’oeuvres and music flowed. Mike played in his alpenhorn group.
Look carefully! I’m holding Mike’s hand. The group just played “Amazing Grace” and dedicated it to me!!!!
The second reception was a sit-down dinner after more wine, beer, and socializing in this gorgeous outdoor setting:
We woke this morning back in Vissoie. Ready to go on another adventure. See ya later! Thanks for sharing and visiting with me.
Love , JanBeek
Seeing the falls he named in honor of his queen, David Livingstone wrote in his journal, “Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”
Waterfalls and all God’s natural beauty affect me the same way. This country of Switzerland is so full of those “scenes so lovely.”
As we venture out, the lovely scenes are amazing in every season here.
Scenes so lovely!
André and De are so generous as they share their chalet, meals, transportation and their love with us and with De’s best buddy (our daughter #2 Laina) and her daughter Katy. What a grand reunion we had with them here yesterday!
Hebrews 13:16 “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
Last night Mike & Tania joined us for a fun evening of raclette & karaoke. Chris & Nick and their girlfriends came, too. Ah, we are so blessed with this wonderful Swiss family!
Thanks for joining me and sharing these “Scenes so Lovely” today. Wish you were here in person! Come back tomorrow, okay? See ya then (God willing).
Hugs, JanBeek
The joy of just being
Is certainly joy enough
But the joy of being in Switzerland
Is a joy that’s hard to beat – it’d be tough.
While friends and family back home
In California and Montana are roasting
We were enjoying comfy mid-seventies
And lovely meals and yummy wine toasting
.
We were having ham with salad & sausage
At De & Andrés wonderful chalet
I came back to our room to post
And left Bob to finish dessert, but hey…
.
There were two girls outside
Hunkered under umbrellas in the rain
So I pointed to our inside table
And sent them to Bob – let me explain
He was having sorbet; I was done
My place at the table was free
He will love getting acquainted
And they will love his company!
This morning we cooled it in our room
Bob read and I enjoyed reading posts
The day started off rather quiet
More alone time than Swiss’s most
We went for a walk in Vissoie
And enjoyed every sight and each sound
We visited the local church and had
Time for prayer, finding God all around
“Daily Word” gave us the scripture
“Be glad in the Lord and rejoice”
Let nothing keep your joy from you-
Respond with a song; raise your voice!
Like a well that can never run dry
My joy is a wellspring from the Lord
I deal with whatever life brings me
With a smile – and I never am bored!
Keep your sense of humor alive
Find the joy in whatever you see
That poor bunny hit the door with a bang
Oh come on, have a good laugh with me!
.
The joy of being in Switzerland
Is part of the happiness of being alive
Well enough to travel and adapt
Thanking God each day we survive!
Thank you for traveling vicariously with us!
We love sharing with you. Take joy!
“Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” Psalm 32:11
See ya tomorrow (God willing) –
Love, JanBeek
What a wonderful way to spend a Monday afternoon in Switzerland! DeAna drove us up to Zinal… just to enjoy the time together, the scenery, and an ice cream. We did all three. Wanna join us?
Mountain majesty
Views usually not seen
Except in movies
Sharing with our De
Made all the more beautiful
By stream and mountains
Blue sky up above
Flowing River at our feet
Life can’t be more sweet
Then add some icecream
And the cows that made the cream
Surely it’s a dream!
Hearing the children
Laughing and playing outside
Yes, it’s Paradise!
Meantime, the Groshongs
Continued their hiking fun
In this same region
Found a gentle cow
Grazing on the Swiss hillside
Up close – personal!
Lucky the bovine
Was feeling cooperative
But don’t press your luck
Here comes another
He’s looking mighty leery
Don’t try petting him
Onward to glacier
Visit before it is gone
Then back to Zinal
What will tomorrow bring? Come back and see! I love sharing with you. Which of my pictures today did you like best?
Love to you from JanBeek (and Bob & De, too)
Our weekend began with a cloudy day in Sierre, Switzerland, but soon the sky cleared and the weekend was sunny and beautiful.
It was a beautiful fun-filled time with family and friends. Let me share some highlights with you. We’re having such sweet Swiss times! One highlight of our weekend was a choir festival in Véraz (near Sierre) where our daughter, DeDe, and grandson, Chris, sang with the Chippis choir.
Every day here in this beautiful country is full of the blessing of family and friends. Sweet catch-up time. I love sharing the fun with you.
After the festival, we went to André’s brother’s fiancée’s place for a raclette evening. So nice to have catch-up time with Kad & Roger.
Meantime, our friends, Jim & Terry, took the bus from Vissoie up to Grimentz where they are enjoying a few days of hiking in those fabulous mountains. They’re sharing a few photos of their experiences. Have a look!
Yes, the mountains are alive with the sounds of water and hikers and joy! Once upon a time, a dozen years ago, Bob & I took that hike. Now we are content to enjoy those high Alpine views through others’ cameras! Oh, and from the bus- of course.
Thank you for your responses to our posts. We love sharing our trip vicariously with you, dear friends. Wish you could be here in person.
See ya tomorrow (God willing)-
Love, JanBeek
The hills are alive with the sounds of family!
Yesterday our daughter, DeAna, drove us down into the Rhône River Valley, through Sierre, and up into the Alps on the other side to an area called Crans-Montana. It is where she & André lived 30 years ago when they first moved here. On the hillside e hind the restaurant André managed way back then are a few chalets. One of them, built in 1772, is owned by ZuZu & Célia. They invited us to spend the day there with them.
ZuZu (Christian Zufferey) was our AFS son in 1980-81. He is André’s first cousin. He and Célia prepared an amazing meal for us! The first plate was an outstanding eggplant quiche. The second plate was lamb (my favorite) and a ratatouille. All the vegetables they grew in their gardens here in this gorgeous high Alpine place.
The opportunity to be together again with ZuZu was so very special. After the meal we shared various liqueurs – also made by them using various fruits, etc. that they grew.
After our time there, De took us back down into Sierre where we had a nice visit with our friend, Christiane Rielle.
Then (as if day was not already blessed enough), we were treated by our DeDe and our grandson, Nick, to a wonderful dinner at Capri Restaurant in Sierre before returning to Vissoie for the night.
Then today we went on a guided tour of Sierre. Our grandson, Mike’s new bride, Tania, provided the tour. At the Sierre Tourisma Office, my buddy Terry found a hat for a souvenir… and I found a terrific pair of funky glasses that I could not resist!
Now you can see why I didn’t bring a pair of sunglasses with me on this trip. I needed THIS pair!!
Bob, Jim & Terry Groshong, our MT/CA best friends, learned all about the history of Sierre. There is the town hall behind the 4 of us. If you saw my post about Mike & Tania’s civil ceremony, it’s the same place where they were married last weekend.
Then Tania guided us to an old (1700s) chalet. Look at they key Jim is holding. It opened the cellar door where we did some wine tasting.
Next Tania drove us to Chateau Mercier where she explained the history and we tasted more fine Swiss wines.
Lovely Chateau Mercier has beautiful gardens, too. We walked around and admired them before going to Chateau Villa for Raclette dinner. Mike joined us there.
Jim & Terry will leave tomorrow – so you can say farewell to them for now nit’s been wonderful to have them with us this week!
I can never tire of these beautiful Swiss Alpine views! Come back tomorrow. We’re going to take the bus down to stay with André’s mom. I’ll share those views with you, too..
Thanks for traveling vicariously with us! Bee 🐝 well, dear friends! See you tomorrow (God willing).
Love, JanBeek (and Bob)