44 - since 1977

Thursday, September 2, 2021

We get to walk in the hills today. It's a weekly spiritual cleanse as well as good exercise for the dogs and us. Our driver remarks on the dangerous truckload ahead on the street. Can you spot the 4 mattresses piled on top of the mini-van? The vehicle tilts as it goes around the corners.

We often see old cars in the area. This army ambulance is still in service.

Near the start of the mountain hike, the grass-cutters are mowing head-height horse grass with their machetes. They tie their loads to bamboo frames that they sling on their shoulders. They'll carry the grass down the hill to sell or feed their livestock.

Surrounded by green, trekking up steep hills, we look for a new route to one of the WWII Dutch forts. We come up from the other side. Hmmm. Nice. 7 km (4.5 miles) of incline and a few flats. A really good alternative walk.

This fort is protected by a berm that's 10'-12' (3-4 meters) tall. The main rooms of the fort are carved into the mountainside and reinforced by concrete. Dutch craftsmanship means that the window cutouts are perfectly arched and smooth-sided.

From inside the courtyard, you can see the steps up to the front gate.

The dogs romp across the crumbling top of the gate as I hold my breath. it's about 2' wide but they are sure-footed. (The sunken fort is on the left, the steep berm is on the right.)

W shoots this picture looking into the entry from outside the walls. 

We pick up pinecones as we stroll through the pine forests. The tappers have been collecting sap from the pines. They cut long strips into the bark and place little cups underneath to capture the liquid. Learn more about pine sap uses here. 

In some places, the trails are eroded by cross-country motorcycles.

Along other walking paths, utility vehicles have gouged out 2-rut tracks. The trenches get deeper each year.

W hops 3' down into the track at a high point. It falls off right behind him.

As the all-terrain sport vehicles erode the dirt, the tropical downpours wash it away. In some places, the tracks are 15' deep. Water collects in the ruts and the center bump is unstable so we try to avoid walking in them.

Recently, many trails and natural beauty are being "enhanced" by tourist installations like restaurants, Flying Fox zip-lines, and other sport venues. These hotspots are quickly overrun by little food stalls and souvenir sellers.

I call up to the two fellows building a new platform, hati-hati! ("be careful!") and they ask where we're from, how long we've been here ... typical conversation. I tell them I'm a mom of grown kids and worry about them working so high up without railings.

"No worries, Ibu," they say (in Bahasa Indonesia) and laugh.

On the way home, we join friends for lunch at The Mandarin in Lembang. It's one of few places with an authentic Chinese taste, though it's also adjusted its menu for the Indonesian palate.

We're still a distance from home so we stop at a frozen yogurt place (40c for a bag of mango yogurt). Sadly, they are kosong ("sold out"). Beside the driveway, there's a pop-up store with a frontage partway on the street. Curious as always, I check it out: an aquarium shop with a 6" axolotl, mid-sized aquarium sharks, and exotic fish besides the usual local ones.

Friday - Happy 44th Anniversary with Waldemar

To end our early walk, we start the celebration of our anniversary with breakfast at Miss Bee. We haven't been there in months. The food and service hasn't been good since the pandemic started. Perhaps the chef changed, which is common.

W tries salmon latkes - though  he winces at ordering the "expensive" dish ($6 US; mine is $5.50). I urge him, "Live a little today!" and he does.

Both meals are beautifully plated but have cooled off. That's not a problem for Indonesian diners. Food is often served at room temperature.

At the base of the tree near our table, there's a typical arrangement of the tropical plants we tried so hard to keep alive in Seattle. In their native environment, they flourish and need constant pruning and thinning.

We have some errands in town. One is getting our eyes checked. Prescription, good. Cataracts, none. Healthy. Yes. We walked into the eye clinic without calling ahead. The bill is under $50 for both of us. We find out that it would be free with our insurance card and an appointment, which we will do next time.

By 2:30 we're hungry. We pause at Ambrogio for a late lunch. Their koi pond runs the length of the building.

We order a Reuben sandwich - with an oily pesto sauce (as though grilled bread isn't greasy enough.) Delicious.

It's a tranquil lunch spot. "Can you believe how beautiful it is here?" W and I often say to each other.

The fish swim up to our table, hoping for food scraps. Not allowed. Sorry.

When we get home, a bundle of roses and palm branches is waiting on the porch. Ruth has an eye for beauty, which she shares generously. We are delighted by her thoughtfulness.

The biggest number of roses are layered into a 2' (66cm) cylinder, my trusty go-to vase. I like how the palms ruffle over the top.

We place them in the middle of the living room.

The next group goes into the hand-painted Chinese-style ceramic pot we spotted at a moving sale. The blush of the roses picks up the tones of the glaze.

Perfect for the dining area.

And with the last three flowers and an Erlenmeyer flask, we have a bouquet for the bathroom.

My final chore of the day is spray-painting the hundreds of pinecones we collected last week and this Wednesday and Thursday. I try a new copper spray that might be my favorite, though the gold-tipped green looks good. The reds will need a little something-something. Silver tips or a striped red-and-white ribbon. (Already have the ribbon.)

The plastic used to wrap the roses is perfect as a painting base. Once I'm done, I wonder, what can it be used it for? Ideas start to swirl around in my head. After all, how often do you get a one-by one yard/meter plastic sheet with such interesting colors and textures? The seeds that dropped from the cones create irregular bumps.

It takes an hour to finish painting. Night is falling. Finishing such simple tasks means we'll have creativity and energy for other things later later. We've got about 400 cones ready for Advent and Christmas. Yay.

A friend reminds me that it's been 3 years since we became acting pastors at Bandung International Church (BIC). How can that be? The pandemic blurs the years but time marches on.

W shoots pictures on his walk along waterfront properties. Here, riverside is among the least-desirable spots. Garbage, chemicals, and other waste float by. The same people who toss their garbage into the water will use it to bathe and wash their clothing.

W spots a tangle of banyan tree roots, too.

Saturday

W hops the little bus angkot to town while I write. The groomers arrive to tidy up the poodles. All the dogs love running on Thursdays. Gypsy never gets bathed so his fur sheds any dirt naturally.

Cocoa the standard poodle is the color of Indonesian mud so she doesn't look the worse for wear. On the other hand, Bailey turns a sooty grey with black paws. Because he's a house dog, he gets a bath as soon as we get home from the mountains.

The dogs treat that groomers as the canine version of a doggy spa. It's a treat - and they get a treat afterward.

The two guys, who arrive every few weeks on their motorcycles with a great bag, turn Bailey into a white fluff-ball again. They like using our American clippers, though.

Afterward, Bailey curls up beside me for a nap until it's time for his afternoon walk. Happy dogs.

Read more:

*The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. Psalm 33:5

*Do not worry about your life. Matthew 6:25

*Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:35-40

Moravian Prayer: All praise, glory, and honor to you, our most gracious Lord, for your steadfast love which banishes our fears. You fill us with hope and enable us to keep your covenant day by day. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.