The First Loaf

It's simple really.  After returning from Europe I've developed an appropriate dissatisfaction with the garden variety Wonder Bread that populates the shelves of the local bread aisle.  The Artisan breads from the grocery store bakery aren't bad, but what could be more fresh, cost-effective, and personally enriching than baking your own.  Here is a picture of my first loaf of bread.  It made for a good learning experience and tastes pretty good too.  It's a basic white bread with a bowl of oatmeal added to the dough.  Thanks Jane for the swell idea!  It's a hit.

Europe: Dzierzoniow

Our first task upon arriving in Europe was to aid/teach an English Camp in Dzierzoniow, Poland.  This was a difficult week for Jane and I.  There was also a tent revival going on in Bielawa (a neighboring town) during the evenings.  Our schedule afforded no time for us to recover from jet lag.  Regardless, the Lord strengthened our bodies and we were able to be effective during the camp and had a great time getting acquainted with the Polish kids.

Here is the bed I slept on.  There is a pretty busy street outside that window.  It made for an effective alarm clock.

Here are some of the leaders doing the motions to "Dip Dip."  This was one of the favorite camp songs for the kids.

Here is one of the Polish boys from my group.  His name is Maciek.  Each group had a name and my group was called "The Jumping Beans."  In Polish it's, "Joomping Beenz, tzee beast oov teamz." (Jumping Beans, the best of teams)

Another, Piotrek.

This is Ada.  She was the youngest one in my group and the only girl.  She was way smarter than the older guys and could more than hold her own.  Did I mention she's really cute? Yeah, she's fierce too.

Here are some of the kids receiving instructions for the next game at the gym.  It's hard to see but in the back there is some gymnastic equipment.  It's all metal and pretty gnarly looking and there are no pads.  It would appear that Polish kids learn the hard way.

Europe: Wrocław

I recently returned home from Europe.  I will be posting some of the photos I took so you can all know about my time over there.  Here are some photos from Poland.

This one was taken from the market square in Wrocław.  Each of these buildings is most likely older than our country.  They have all received new paint jobs and look nice and modern.  You'll notice the storefronts at the street level.  These are all little restaurants with outdoor seating.  The one with the red canopy is a Pizza Hut.

Here is a cathedral near the center of the city.  There is a spiral staircase going up the right side of the tower.  It is very steep and narrow but the view from the top is nice.

...see!

Can you see the castle in the middle (and extending to the left)?  This actually functions as the Courthouse and Prison.  "Be good or they'll throw you in the castle!"

...one last shot from the cathedral.

This is one of the cooler and more distinctive buildings in the city.