Week One-Rouffach, France

by kerrie52todoLeave a Comment on Week One-Rouffach, France

Saturday March 22 through Friday, March 28

We have arrived in France.  We were delayed about 7 hours as one of our original flights was cancelled due to the fire near Heathrow Airport.  One of the many great things about retirement is that we can be flexible with our schedule.  No sense in getting upset about cancelled flights…nothing we can do about it, and we have no schedule.

Our first flight left Evansville on Saturday at 10:45am.  We arrived in Basel Switzerland Sunday at 6:10pm.  We had two layovers, each about 8 hours long.  That makes for a long trip.  We picked up our car at the airport (absolutely no issues, thank you Europcar!) and began the 30-minute drive to our home base for the next 8 weeks, Rouffach, France.

A bit of background here.  In the late 1980’s, Paul’s parents, Wilfred and Betty, and his Uncle Harold and Aunt Roselle came to Europe to find the Weinzapfel family.  They had a rough idea of the area of Europe from which the Weinzapfel family emigrated to the United States, but no known family members.  Their search was successful, and the American Weinzapfel family and the French Weinzapflen family connected.  The family has, for the past 34 years, had reunions in both France and Indiana to strengthen the family connection.  We have been very fortunate to travel to the reunions in France several times and have made great friendships with our French cousins. 

One particular family with whom we have become close is the Weinzapflen/Dufosse/Pascal family.  Cecile Weinzapflen, age 104, is the matriarch of the family. Cecile lives in Rouffach, France.  Her daughter is Christianne Dufosse.  Christianne’s daughter, Stephanie, stayed with us when our children were infants, in 1995 and 1996.  Stephanie’s son, Maxime, came to stay with us during the summer of 2022 and again for Christmas 2023.  The family has offered to us, many times over the years, to come stay at their home in Rouffach.  We have accepted their generous offer and will be making Rouffach our home for the next 8 weeks.

When in arrived in Rouffach late Sunday evening, Christianne greeted us with a delicious dinner of baked chicken and salad.  It was exactly what we needed after two long days of travel and airport food.  I slept like a rock that night!

Our first full day in France was a great beginning to our trip.  Paul, Christianne and I drove to the nearby town of Pfaffenheim.  We visited the church here and walked through the cemetery.  It is always interesting to visit the cemeteries in the Alsace area of France because there are so many familiar names from southern Indiana.  With the church as our starting point, we did a lovely hike through the forest to Notre-Dame du Schauenberg (https://www.visit.alsace/253001436-Chapelle-Notre-Dame-du-Schauenberg/).  Notre-Dame du Schauenberg is a pilgrimage church near Pfaffenheim.  The chapel was founded in the 15th century.  The nuns run a small restaurant with delicious meals.  Our first course was the absolute best vegetable soup I have ever had in my life.  My mother and mother- in- law both make really great vegetable soup, so no offense intended, but those nuns can cook!

We also drove to and walked around nearby towns such as Soultzbach, which is Cecile’s hometown.  We saw the graves of Cecile Weinzapflen’s parents and sister, and we walked to the home where she was born.

Tuesday and Wednesday were down days as I was struggling to get over jet lag.  The highlight of these days was a visit with Cecile.  She is always happy and smiling.  We brought some DeBrand chocolates (made in Indiana) for her and it made my heart happy because she enjoyed them so much.

Thursday was another day of touring nearby points of interest.  We started the day with a delicious lunch of pork and sauerkraut at a wonderful restaurant in St. Hippolyte.  If you know me, you know I love sauerkraut, so this meal was a real treat.  After lunch, we went to La Volerie des Aigles, which translates to The Eagle Aviary (https://www.voleriedesaigles.com/fr).  The aviary is an old castle ruin that houses birds like falcons, eagles and owls.  They do a fantastic bird show. We took our children to this bird show when they were young.  I participated in the show and had a vulture on my lap and a falcon on my arm.  Pretty cool!

The weather on Friday was beautiful so we drove to La Lac Vert, the Green Lake.  The drive to the lake was a gorgeous drive through mountain switchbacks.  We hiked on the forest trail around the lake.  The trail is my favorite kind of trail, slight ups and downs, heavily wooded, moss-covered rocks, a waterfall and a small stream.  All the ingredients for the perfect trail. 

After our hike we had a picnic in the sun and enjoyed listening to the birds sing.  After soaking in the beautiful sun of springtime, we drove to Gerardmer.  This town is fascinating to me because Paul’s Great Uncle Clem was here during WW1.  Seeing the landscape that he saw over 100 years ago is so interesting to me.  It is also incredible to think that members of Paul’s family were within 50 miles of each other during the war.  Not to get political here, but it kind of highlights the craziness of war 

As I wrap up the summary of our first week, I have decided that I will count each week of this trip as one “To Do.” I will be doing so many new things while we are here and if I count each new activity, city, and restaurant, I might finish all 52 in a few months.  This week’s new activities include:

  • Holding a vulture and a falcon
  • Visiting many new towns in France such as Rouffach, Soultzbach, Soultzmatt, Pfaffenheim, St. Hippolyte, and Munster.  The highlight for me was visiting Gerardmer since it has a special family history.

Stay tuned for week 2 of our trip.  Week one included planes and automobiles.  We get to add trains in week 2.

Restarting My 52 To Do

by kerrie52todo1 Comment on Restarting My 52 To Do

After a very lengthy break, I have decided to restart my blogging career.  I started My 52 To Do in the year I turned 52.  The idea was to do 52 new things before my 52nd birthday.  I started off with a bang, but then life got in the way. To be completely honest, my dad got sick and I lost the attitude to write anything joyful.

Six years later, I am picking it back up.  I fully retired a few weeks ago and I have no more excuses.  The concept of My 52 To Do is to do something new each week.  I have a very short list of some things I want to do in the next 52 weeks.  Some are epic (epic to me at least) and some are very simple.  I can’t promise that there will be one each week, but I do plan/hope to do 52 new things over the course of the next 52 weeks. 

Some things on my list:

  • Attend the French Open Tennis Tournament
  • Learn to crochet
  • Visit at least one new national park
  • Visit one new country
  • Eat at restaurants in Newburgh that are new to me

I am writing this blog in the Charlotte airport because I am embarking on To Do #1.  Paul and I are traveling to Europe and will live there for the next 88 days. We should be able to do many new things in the next three months.  I will keep you updated.  I hope you will read along and even make suggestions for things to do as the year progresses.

Kerrie

8 Maids a Milking

by kerrie52todo1 Comment on 8 Maids a Milking

my cow friends
My cow friends

The idea of milking a cow as one of my “52 To Do” came as a suggestion after my first blog post.  My friend Donna Hurm suggested it and I loved the idea.   As I child I was obsessed with the Little House on the Prairie books.  I fantasized about being Laura Ingalls Wilder, growing up on the prairie and drinking fresh milk from our family cow.  There are several flaws in this logic.  Number 1, I am lactose intolerant. Number 2, I am not really that fond of physical labor or early mornings… but I digress.

Donna not only offered up the idea, but suggested the farm of her cousins, the Rexings, as a place we could do the milking.  A few weeks before the visit, someone asked me about upcoming activities on the list.  My nephew Colin and niece Emery immediately chimed in that he wanted to milk a cow.  A few days after that, my niece Megan shared that this was on her bucket list.  So, with 8 of us in a caravan, we headed to the northwest side of Evansville to milk a cow.

donna hurm and kerrie
Kerrie and Donna Hurm, the lady with the brilliant idea to milk a cow. So fun!

The Rexing dairy farm milks 70 cows, twice daily.  Thanks to automation, the process takes about 90 minutes each time.  If done by hand, it would take hours.  The process was amazing to me.  The doors to the milking area open and a group of cows slowly ambles to the next available milking station.  I am guessing there are about 8 cows at a time.  Udders (most cows have 4) are cleaned by hand twice before milking begins.  The automatic milking machine is attached to the udders and the milking process begins.  The machine self-releases when the milk flow drops below a certain level. Workers then apply a liquid to the udders to prevent infection.  When the last cow in the group finishes, the doors to the outside open, and the cows calmly walk back out to the field. The milk is piped from the milking station to a holding tank where it is stored and cooled.  I think it takes about 7 minutes for each cow to finish.

 

I was able to assist with each of the steps I just described AND to milk a cow by hand.  Gary and Don Rexing estimate it would take at least 20 minutes to milk a cow by hand.  I probably tried hand-milking for a minute.  I didn’t want to waste the milk and I also didn’t want the cow to have to wait for the milking.  (Moms who have nursed their babies, I think you get what I am saying!)  I suspect trying to get 5 gallons by hand would have left me with screaming forearms.  When the cows arrive at the milking station, their udders are sort of solid.  I would equate it to a sand bag??  When they are finished, their udders are soft and droopy? I know these are terrible descriptions.  I wish I had better words but let me tell you, it was SUPER interesting.

 

Don and Gary Rexing with Kerrie
Gary and Don Rexing, the super generous and patient farmers who let us participate in milking.

I learned so many interesting facts:

  • Milk comes out of the cow at just over 100 degrees. They want it cooled to the mid 30’s in under two hours.
  • Each cow produces between 9-10 gallons of milk per day.
  • Cows eat about 90 pounds of food/day. Most of the food the Rexing cows eat was grown on their grain farm.
  • The Rexings operate the dairy operation almost exclusively using solar power.
  • Cows are bred to compensate for any weaknesses in the parents and take full advantage of their strengths. A breeder evaluates each animal (cows and bulls) on about 70 qualities.  He then looks for traits that match the qualities that help produce the best offspring.  All “mating” is insemination.  There is no cow hanky panky going on. (Note from the editor/Paul.  I think she means Cow/Bull hanky panky.  Kerrie must have been sick the day they covered this in health class.)

I can’t begin to tell you how much I LOVED this “to do” and how much I appreciate the idea from Donna and the time and friendliness of Gary Rexing and Don Rexing.  They were so patient with our many questions.   I believe it is important to understand where our food comes from.  Milk doesn’t grow in gallon containers, it comes from a living animal and from hard working farmers.  It was so interesting and eye opening to better understand the process.  And, it was udderly fun!!

While I don’t think my words can adequately describe the excitement I experienced, I hope the photos and videos give you better view into the joy.

megan and friend
I think Megan was even more excited than I was about this adventure.

colin checking out the storage tank
Colin checking out the storage tank

Emery and Paul miling a cow
Emery and Paul doing the milking

My first blog post ever

Featuredby kerrie52todo1 Comment on My first blog post ever

Hey friends and soon to be friends. I am super excited to share my exciting new venture and adventures with you. My birthday is in December and every year, my husband (Paul) and children (Alexander and Bailey) start to ask me what I want for my birthday and for Christmas. As I have gotten older, I have come to the realization that I don’t want stuff….I want memories.
With birthday 51 just completed, I was thinking about the second half of my life. Paul and I are basically empty nesters now. As this empty nest realization really sunk in, I concluded I want this second act of my life to be filled with just as much excitement, joy and wonder as the first 50. In theory we should have more free time, so why not take that free time and do something really cool with it.
The idea came to me to celebrate the year I turn 52 with doing 52 things I have never done before. I have been tossing this idea around in my head for about two years and I like the symmetry of 52 weeks in the year with my 52nd birthday in December of 2018.
I brainstormed with a few close friends, and have a partial list of things I would like to do. Now obviously, I am not a Kardashian so this list is a list of things a reasonable person can afford to do. I do have a job so I can’t travel the world all year. I also have bills to pay so I can’t do 52 exotic, expensive adventures. My list includes some things that are more “out there” but it includes many local things have just never taken the time to do. Here is a small sample of things on my list, so you have an idea of the variety and scale of my project.
• Acupuncture
• Take a tap dance class
• The Kentucky Bourbon Tour
• Spend the night in the woods all by myself
• Sing karaoke in public
• Visit a new state
• Learn to surf
• Donate plasma
As you can see, some things on the list can be done locally and only require a few hours, like acupuncture or a tap dance class. Some will take a day or a weekend, like the Bourbon Tour or a night in the woods alone. Some items on the list require courage (or maybe liquid courage) like singing in public. Some take some planning, time and money, like taking a vacation to a new state or learning to surf. Many items on the list are for my own personal pleasure, but some are acts that serve others, like donating plasma.
I hope this short list gives you an idea of where I am going with this blog. Stay tuned for my next blog for a more complete list. I hope you will join me as I do some fun stuff, learn more about myself and my community, and keep my brain and body active for the next phase of my life.

Let’s see what I can do in and at 52!
Kerrie