Two brown eggs

I'm gearing up for the August 1 theme day (typical breakfast) though whether these eggs will feature tomorrow is still unclear. I bought them at the village shop (I'm working on a photo of the shop to show). I'm not sure they're from Villigen, but they're from the area according to the sign.

Eggs are graded by mass. The ones I usually buy at the supermarket are 63 g+ (about 2.2 oz), but these pictured here are smaller, about 50 g. They're also usually marked with the laid-on date, the Legedatum in German, so that the consumer can be sure the eggs are alright to use. If the eggs aren't refrigerated, as is the case in most supermarkets I've been to in Switzerland, they're good for upto 20 days from the time they're laid. If they're refrigerated, the window expands to 30 days. I've uploaded a photo of a carton of eggs from my regular supermarket at my overflow site. There you can also see the date stamp on the eggs.
White eggs and blue carton

20070730 Nikon Coolpix 950

Barn from Besserstein

I walked partway up to Besserstein (click on the label to see other related posts) a few days ago and here's one of the photos I took then. Notice the yellow bus in the background -- that's the neighboring village of Rufenach.

20070725

Oase

The boots from yesterday are installed in front of Oase (German for oasis), the main PSI cafeteria. This photo shows one of the rear corners of the building, with outside seating and a chess set.

20070715

The boots in Summer

Remember these on the PSI campus (link follows if you don't)? In the Summer, the pulsating water jets make the boots in the Liegende Figur "walk". I'd like to get a time-lapse image, but there is just too much light when the thing is in operation and I don't have the appropriate filters.
These boots were made for ...

20070722

Wood, metal and grass

Still over at the PSI. Here's one thing I found strange when I first moved here after many years in the US. The window shades are installed on the outside of the windows. Of course, one would expect shutters (all of them functional) to be on the outside, but not these. This example of what appears to be regular aluminum blinds is actually not a typical one, usually they're industrial grade and robust and are motor-actuated. Some of that kind are visible on the building in the background. They tuck away out of view when they're retracted. Yearly cleanings and maintenance keep them operating smoothly.

20070722

Shades of grey

Another photo from around the Paul Scherrer Institut. I liked the way this grey building matched the clouds drifting over. If you missed yesterday's post, here's a list of previous mentions of the PSI here.

20070722

PSI West

The west campus of the Paul Scherrer Institut, the national research facility that calls Villigen home, as seen from the bridge over the Aare. We've had a lot of rain recently and the river is high and muddy as a result. Click on the PSI label below to read previous posts that mention it. The Aare from the PSI bridge as seen in January.

20070722

Memories of days long past

20070722

Maize, two weeks later

When I did my first corn/maize post, one reader, Moi in Florida, asked if I would show a photo when it started budding. I waited too long, and these silked many days ago. Wikipedia on corn:
Maize

20070719

The blue car

You never know what lurks behind barn doors. First, there was the red car (27 May - the French Deux Chevaux). Then there was the green car (07 July - the British MG A). On Saturday, I caught this blue car taken for a spin from the barn across from our building. Anyone know what it is? For more views of the car, there's my overflow site:
More of the blue car

A reader (Richard, not from Zürich) has identified this as an Amilcar, produced in France during the 1920s. Here are a few links to photos:
Concept Carz
Wikipedia
Laplanche
Jensen Car Club of Switzerland

20070721

Damsons for sale

Do you know what damsons are? They're a type of plum (Prunus institia, Wikipedia entry here), usually used to make jams, rather than eat out of hand, because of the acidic skin. The Swiss-German name is one of the words I find unpronouncable: die Zwetschge (die Zwetsche in German). A little background on the fruit from the Oxford Companion to Food:

The damson had been known in W. Europe since prehistoric times (remains have been found, for example, in excavations of prehistoric Swiss lake dwellings), but was also growing in the Near East. It received its name because it was from Damascus, in Syria, that this damson reached Italy in times BC.

Update Another variety of plum appeared at the stand today: Reineclaude aka greengage. Picture and text at my overflow site:
Greengages for sale

Since there has been some interest, here's a link for US residents to information about growing damsons. They're suitable for USDA zones 5-7:
Plum, Damson at the National Arbor Day Foundation

Previously photographed at this produce stand:
Cherries for sale
The strawberry stand and the green car

20070720

Straw bales

Straw bales are all that remain of the wheat fields now. There were also some rectangular bales; for pictures of those and plastic-wrapped cylindrical bales, visit my overflow site.
More straw bales
A previous post on hay making:
Hay

A few DPers have recently posted photos of hay or straw bales from their corners of the world. If you know of others I've missed, please leave a comment.
11 July 2007 Abraham Lincoln across the pond in Brookville, Ohio, USA
19 July 2007 Bergson next door in Chateaubriant, France
19 July 2007 Fredrik not so far away in Ystad, Sweden

20070719

Sunflowers

We also have sunflower fields, among the other food crops. In the background is one of the edges of Villigen.

20070707

Fountain Halseisen

The fountains around Villigen are getting labels and I've learnt that this one is Halseisen. It has appeared on this blog before (The fountain across from Vogt), but not dressed in its summer finery.

20070714

Reuse

More geraniums. I did say that they're very popular. I like how the wagon wheels have been reused.

20070708

Geraniums!

This house on Hauptstrasse always has abundant geraniums in the summer. Quite a feast for the eyes.

20070714

Tickets with your chainsaw?

As a student of the German language, I find many of the words succinctly descriptive. Take Landmaschinen (agricultural or farm-related equipment) . This shop a few doors down from us on Hauptstrasse sells and services just those. What I like best about this photo is the poster on the glass door, advertising an upcoming production of Julius Caesar (click the photo to see the 1600 pixel version of the photo.) I wonder if they're selling tickets to the show.

To those of who are wondering: yes, the weather was fabulous on Saturday. A photo of the shop including a big patch of blue sky can be seen at the overflow site.
Blue sky and power tools

20070714

The last of the light

Seems like a long time since we had real July weather. Yesterday the rain finally stopped, the sun shone brightly and the temperature made it into the 30s (Celsius -- about 80 F). I took this photo just as the sun was disappearing behind the Geissberg ridge. You've seen the slope in the background in other posts on this blog. The bicyclist, if you make him or her out in the lower right corner, is on Hauptstrasse.

For a photo of ripe wheat, or something related, take a trip to the overflow site.

20070713

Barn door (detail)

Detail showing part of the track for a sliding barn door.

20070616

Through the window at Hirschen

Looking out through one of the windows at Restaurant Hirschen. Of course they, too, have red geraniums in their window boxes.

We usually make a point of ordering their seasonal dessert sampler, but this time we simply had no more room! A photo of our appetizer can be seen at the other site:
A Hirschen appetizer from Summer 2007

Other Hirschen posts:
Restaurant zum Hirschen (with a poor quality photo of the dessert we had)
zum Hirschen

20070706

Fountain Villigen 1854

There are two fountains in a row, this one and the one from yesterday, the one built in 1878. Visit the overflow site to see them together in one photo. This bigger (and potable water) fountain seen here seems to be upstream from the other. A sign at the back indicates that some renovation work was done on it in 1997.

Notice the planters with red geraniums on the column. Almost all the fountains in Villigen (some ten of them) are adorned in this way in the summer. Stay tuned for more photos over the next months.

20070709 Nikon Coolpix 950

Fountain Villigen 1878

It's been some time since the last fountain post (click on the label below to see the old ones). Here's one with non-potable water. There are two more photos of the iron grill and the hydrangeas in the background at the overflow site. This batch of photos was taken with my seven year old Nikon Coolpix 950 (my first digital) camera.
Around fountain 1878 at the overflow site.

20070709 Nikon Coolpix 950

The watering can

A little garden nearby. For a couple of other shots from this little mixed flower and vegetable garden, check out my overflow site:
The garden with the watering can

20070708

Planting seedlings

The sun is finally out; there's no time to waste. There was full-on farming activity along the road into Villigen yesterday. I took this photo with the sun almost directly overhead and the result is not so great, but at least it conveys the idea. This plot of land was harvested about two weeks ago as you saw it in an old post. For a sideways view at the vehicle and the men in the back, visit my overflow site:
Planting seedlings II

It seems that yesterday's photo was a bit confusing. The part in the background is actually a hill, and the corn is on the valley. I have another photo on the overflow site that might help to clarify this:
The landscape around Villigen

20070707

Maize

Yesterday evening the sky cleared up briefly after an entire week of being mostly overcast. Here's some sunshine on maize or corn plants.

20070706

Excursion: Saint Bernard Museum in Martigny, Valais

There's a museum (Musée et Chiens du Saint-Bernard, the website has pages in English as well) dedicated to the St. Bernard (Swiss National History Museum and Wikipedia and St. Bernard Club of America) dog in Martigny in Canton Valais (Wallis). One can go up to the old Augustine monastery and hospice at the St. Bernard pass where in the summer months they have a few dogs for tourists to fawn over, but that takes an additional hour from Martigny and I had already travelled for more than three from Villigen. I just visited the museum and associated kennel to learn more about these special dogs and their legendary service to the monks and the wayfarers at the pass through the Alps between Italy and Switzerland.

To see more pictures from my trip, visit my overflow site:
Saint Bernard museum in Martigny

Updated to add the SNHM link.

20070703

If you don't have a window ledge ..

to put planters on, use your barn door.

20070626

A Lilliputian window

The window, if that is what it is, is barely big enough to fit a planter!

20070626

Red geraniums and green shutters

Red geraniums, white lace curtains and green shutters on Hauptstrasse.

20070626

Hay

Across Hauptstrasse from us, there's a piece of land that's used as a meadow where wildflowers and grasses are allowed to grow. Yesterday, the first hay harvest was made. In the photo above, the hay is arranged in rows for ease of collection. In the photo below, the hay is gathered up. While summer Sundays are always work days for farmers, most of the rest of us get to enjoy the weekend and perhaps go biking like this person in the second photo.


20070701

Daily photo theme day: Red

Geraniums, especially red ones, are very popular in window boxes in Switzerland. You might be familiar with photos of the dark brown mountain chalets with copious red blooms in the windows (links to photos at other sites: 1, 2, 3). This particular window box belongs to a house on Hauptstrasse. Over the course of the week, I think I'll show you other windows.

This month, nearly a hundred DPers are participating in the theme. See red all over the world:

Shanghai, China - Mumbai, India - New York City (NY), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Hamburg, Germany - Stayton (OR), USA - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Hyde, UK - Oslo, Norway - Brookville (OH), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Joplin (MO), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Selma (AL), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Chandler (AZ), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Seattle (WA), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Evry, France - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Boston (MA), USA - Grenoble, France - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Hilo (HI), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - La Antigua, Guatemala - Brisbane (QLD), Australia - Singapore, Singapore - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hong Kong, China - Sequim (WA), USA - Paderborn, Germany - Saarbrücken, Germany - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Tenerife, Spain - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Sydney, Australia - Naples (FL), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Mainz, Germany - Toruń, Poland - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Singapore, Singapore - North Bay (ON), Canada - Jakarta, Indonesia - Montréal (QC), Canada - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Baziège, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - New York (NY), USA - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Sharon (CT), USA - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Villigen, Switzerland - Chicago (IL), USA - Torquay, UK - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Paris, France - Seoul, Korea - Manila, Philippines - Milano, Italy - Austin (TX), USA - Chennai, India - Madrid, Spain - Seoul, South Korea - Wailea (HI), USA - Toronto (ON), Canada - Ajaccio, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Zurich, Switzerland - Sydney, Australia - Budapest, Hungary - Moscow, Russia - Auckland, New Zealand