Homeward Bound

Maya (right) and her mother, Barbara (left), enjoying a picnic in the middle of a flood plain : 

Courmayeur, IT

Turin is about three hours from Ferney. The half-way point is the Mont Blanc Tunnel. On the Italian side of the tunnel, we stopped just before the tunnel in the town of Courmayeur for a picnic. The views of the Mont Blanc Massif were spectacular. Mont Blanc is 4,810 meters above sea level (15,780 feet ASL). Where we stopped in Courmayeur is about 1,380 meters (4,500 feet) ASL. More photos here.

Flume Dora Baltea / Dora Baltea River, which is fed by run-off from Mont Blanc, 

flows down through the Aosta Valley : Courmayeur, IT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Family Visit

Ivo Lucchitta, nephew to Marcella Lucchitta, wife of Ivo's uncle, the late Virgilio Lucchitta : Turin, IT

Maya's parents come to Europe every spring. This year, they visited us again and we all made a trip to Turin, Italy, to visit Ivo's uncle's widow. Marcella is well into her 90s now and lives in a home that houses four generations of her family. There's Marcella; her daughter, Marisa and husband Francesco; Marisa's daughter, Patricia and her husband, Luigi, and their children, Gabriele and Edouardo (Dodo).

Maya and Ivo looking through Gabriele's rock collection with Marcella and Dodo looking on : Turin, IT

Marcella was thrilled to see Ivo and they enjoyed a lovely visit. As is the custom in Italy, we were invited to stay for dinner and were treated to a fabulous spread of foods representing the Piemontese region of northern Italy. It was a most enjoyable visit. As always, Marcella's family made us feel welcome and comfortable.

Gabriele, Dodo, and their grandfather, Francesco : Turin, IT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Memories

A rocking horse evokes memories of Christmas past : Basel, CH

The rocking horse in this shop window in Basel caught my eye and reminded me of the year my parents made a rocking horse for my younger sister. They'd seen a picture in a magazine ad for Lysol disinfecting spray featuring a child on a rocking horse. My father took the picture and made a negative, then produced an enlargement, figured out all the dimensions, and crafted a rocking horse that became legendary in our family. Over the course of the next 30 years, I think my parents made a few more horses for various friends as gifts. This little horse made me think of that and of the many happy Christmases I enjoyed as a child. May your Christmas season be filled with equally happy remembrances and the creation of new memories.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 11/10

Family Moment

Family Moment : Nyon, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 7/10

For Janeen

 Cherry Blossom Birthday : Divonne-les-Bains, FR

Today is my sister's birthday. She likes Thomas Jefferson, Joan Jett, and cherry blossoms--hence the photo of cherry blossoms as seen around Lake Divonne the other evening. Janeen also likes a new coloring book and crayons, is a huge fan of the Twilight series and Harry Potter, and works with the youth in her church in Virginia. She's wise beyond her years, wicked funny, and one of the most well-read people I know. Janeen is one of my very best friends and I'm excited to see her in a few weeks!

Happy Birthday, Janeen!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

For Mom

 Bleeding Hearts on the 8th Floor : Geneva, CH

On the eighth floor of the main building at work, there's a terrace with great views of Geneva and the surrounding areas. Along one side of the terrace, there are planter boxes. The other day, I was up there for my lunch and noticed these bleeding hearts (Dicentra spectabilis, also known as Dutchman's Trousers.) My mom has several bleeding hearts planted in her yard in Virginia and these made me think of her and miss her.

Love you, Mom!

Bleeding Hearts, also called Dutchman's Trousers : Geneva, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

Arc d'Triomphe

Janeen and Janet at the Arc d'Triomphe : Paris, FR

This is a picture of me and Janeen at the Arc d'Triomphe after our visit to Sainte-Chapelle. While we were at Napolean's grand monument, there was a wreath laying ceremony at the Eternal Flame. Here's a bit of trivia for you: when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Mrs. Kennedy--remembering the Eternal Flame over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc d'Triomphe--requested a similar flame over her husband's grave at Arlington National Cemetery. To see a few more photos, visit my Picasa Web Album.

Photo taken by Antony from Bordeaux. Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 1/10

Friends

Janeen and Janet Kincaid : Bergheim, FR

Today, my sister and I are off to Paris, the City of Lights. This is a photo my friend, Diana, took of us last weekend in Bergheim. In the background with the two dogs is Diana's husband, Scott. Don't be fooled by the time on the clock tower. Di took this around 3:30 in the afternoon. The clock in the tower is busted and permanently fixed at noon!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 1/10. Photo taken by Diana Gibson.

Ancestral

Willy and Werner Marti : Kallnach, CH

Yesterday afternoon, my sister and I travelled through the villages of Kallnach and Lyss, Switzerland, on the way to Basel. In the 1850s, our ancestors, the Bangerters and the Martis, emigrated from these little towns not far from Neuchatel and just inside German-speaking Switzerland to the United States. Their final destination: Utah.

The Martis in our family departed from Kallnach, but the family name is still quite prominent there. The top picture is of Willy and Werner Marti, two brothers who own a Holzbau (wood working) shop. They told me that most their (and probably our) ancestors had been Landwirtsmaenner (farmers). Unfortunately, the town hall was closed for lunch and we couldn't stick around to pick up additional information the Marti brothers told us about, but I'll go back in a few weeks and see what more I can learn.

Burial place of another Martha Bangerter : Lyss, CH
(Click on image to enlarge)

Lyss was a much larger town, but their city hall was closed, too, so we went to the Friedhof (cemetery) to see if we could find any Bangerters. We found several headstones with the name Bangerter. The one that stood out the most to us was the one for Martha Bangerter. The irony of that find is, our grandfather, Eldon Bangerter, married a woman named Martha June Harvey. Like Kallnach, I'll go back to Lyss and see if I can find out more about my ancestors.

Click on the links here to see more pictures of Kallnach and gravestones in Lyss.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 1/10

Family in Town

Me and my cousin, John Rimmasch, in Biel, CH

My cousin John (my mother's nephew) was in Switzerland this past week working on a project his company has just north of Zurich in Schaffhausen. We met up in Biel this evening for dinner at a restaurant called Restaurant Räblus by Lac de Neuchâtel (in French. In German, it's Neuenburgersee.) It's been more than four years since I've seen John. The last time we saw each other was at our grandfather's funeral in Utah. It was fun to see him and spend a couple of hours together catching up.

Hey JohnE: Hope your presentation was successful! Wooooooooo woo.

P.S. Restaurant Räblus was probably the finest eating I've had in Switzerland since I've been here. If you're up around Lac de Neuchâtel, check it out. It's right on the northern end of the lake. The address is Neuenburgstrasse 90, Biel-Vingetz. Tel: +41 (32) 322 40 51.

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 07/09. Photo of Janet and John taken by Maya Lucchitta.