tulips. volcanos, and fire

Tulips

So spring has sprung here in Basel, and it is amazing. We can grow anything in California, but we can't grow tulips like they have here in Switzerland. Not only are people's yards full of them, but the city medians and tram stops are full of the most amazing arrangements - Corte Madera Beautification Committee, eat your heart out. To go past just tulips, the magnolia trees and other trees are all in crazy bloom - it is just wow wow wow everywhere you go. As there has been little rain and no wind, it seems like it will last forever, but today was the first day I saw the beginning of the end - tulips starting to open wide; leaves starting to show up on the trees - I need to keep enjoying these bulbs and spring blooms as I can tell that they will pass soon.

Volcanos

Some people e-mailed asking us if the volcano was affecting us - so here is the update: we couldn't see any ash here in Switzerland, but truthfully I don't think you could see it anywhere (except maybe Iceland itself). The impact was huge, though - not only for Sue's company (drugs don't ship either when planes are not flying) but people at her company (stranded for a week), and our friend Rob, our official first visitor, had to take a train from Brussels instead a plane. But he got here nonetheless, and we were thrilled with his second visit, on the way back from Milan, because he couldn't get a flight back to Frankfurt to get back home. It was also an amazing sight to NOT see any planes flying all weekend - ala September 11th - made us all realize how little control we really have sometimes...

Fire

Now this is the best part. Some people have asked us what feels different - well, let me tell you, it is the joy of fire. Switzerland is every boy's dream come true - there is fire and the possibility of fire EVERYWHERE. We have gotten out frequently to go hiking - there are amazing trails everywhere, and just 10 minutes from our temporary housing there are great woods to go hiking through. And every 10 minutes or so in the woods you find fire pits - some like campfires at campsights - nice and official; some just spots off the trail where someone could not contain themselves and had to build a fire.

You think I am joking, but I am not - ask Rob - he saw it, too. He actually helped us stoke an old set of coals back into a fire.

The official fire pits are for people to come and grill and picnic - and the signs say it is ok to collect wood as long as it has fallen down (no chopping down your own trees) - but it is hard to imagine for a California girl that it is ok to start fires in the middle of the woods!

So the kids had fun adding to the stoked fire - closing it out with a pee-ing ceremony as you should put out any fire that you start. Next time we will have to make an official grill out and bring along the picnic.

What else is going on? Bennett celebrated his 7th birthday (got a Swiss Army knife), Karl is excelling at German class, and Eric lost both of their backpacks on the tram one day. All in a day in Switzerland...