The Swiss Alps

“Tall mountains, green valleys, the beauty that surrounds me…”

Our trip to Swizerland was wonderful! We had a great time visiting with my brother Andy, his wife Yannick and their son (our nephew) Jayson in Geneva and hanging out with them at a chalet in the ski village of Anzere. (Thanks to Nigel and Christina for letting us stay in their place!) Here’s some pics from the trip.

Andy and Jay in front of Chateau Chillion, a medival castle.

The Ries families in Anzere.

Andy in Graham in Anzere.

Yannick and Tracey enjoy the fresh mountain air.

Isaac and Graham hang out high above Geneva.

Ghana Signs

For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been preparing for a 3 month visit in the States which starts tomorrow (!). As you can imagine, we had a ton of packing to do, gifts to find, responsibilities to pass on, goodbyes to say and lose ends to tie up. On top of all of this, Graham graduated from Kindergarten, Isaac was promoted to 3^rd grade and Owen…well, he’s still 2 and 110% boy – always a handful!

We are currently in Accra, Ghana waiting for our plane to London. From there, we fly to Geneva, Switzerland to visit my brother, Andy, and his family. We are really looking forward to seeing them. (I anticipate having some great pictures to post next week from that stay.)

So what does all this have to do with Ghana signs? Well not much, except that we drove through Ghana today and were reminded of the funny (to us) business signs we frequently see. West African English is a bit different than American (or British) English which can be both frustrating and fun at the same time.

Here’s a list of our favorite signs in Ghana:

Don’t Mind Your Wife Chop Bar
– A chop bar is just a little shack that serves local food. I guess this is a good place to go if you’re having marital problems.

Observers Are Worried Chop Bar
– Not the best advertising. Probably not the best food either!

Sokode Biscuit Factory – Proud Users of Holsum Fat
– Can fat really be wholesome or that just industry propaganda?

God’s Finger Farm
– If your kid ever asks you where fingers come from, here’s your answer!

Live and Dressed Chicken Sold Here
– These are more expensive than your traditional ‘dead and naked’ chickens, but I’ve heard they are cute. It is a mystery, though, why the chicken on their sign doesn’t have on any clothes.

Holy Ghost Zone Cosmetics and Hardware Store
– They take face lift to a whole new level.

God’s Love Furniture Works
– I’m not exactly sure what love furniture is, but apparently the God brand works.

One for the Road Palm Wine Bar
– Enough said!

Pics from San Diego

The lovely Tracey and ever-energetic Owen are back in Togo with us. They had a busy time in San Diego what with a wedding, catching up with family and Christmas shopping to do. Here are a few pictures from their time there…

<- Tracey and Owen at the Ocean Beach pier. Grandma’s house is only a few blocks from the beach, the pier and our favorite mexican restaurant – Nati’s. Tracey had a hard time keeping Owen out of the water.

‘Excuse me. Can I have this dance?’ -> Owen gets caught trying to cut in on his new Uncle Jason for a dance with Aunt Mandy at the wedding reception. Jason is a Marine staff sargent stationed in San Diego.

Tracey with her sisters, Jenny (left) and Amanda (right). Jenny flew in from her home in Tennessee. She and her daughter Kate stayed with Tracey and Owen at Grandma’s. Even though Amanda was super busy getting ready for her wedding, she still found some time to hang out with her older sisters.

 

Hanging with Kate. Owen and Kate ‘hang out’ after church services. The two spent a lot of
time together and had a bunch of fun. It was nice for Owen to have a little one his size to pal around with.