Some of the croppings I hope to do. There are a few changes we've made to the framing of some of the photos. And a few details of the day. That's the guest book cards we used instead of a tradtional guestbook. I pasted them in a scrapbook. We got some nice notes. Thank you to those who did them.

We have our prof wedding photos now! Well, the digital images, at least. Go to www.pictage.com Type in our first and last names (it's under Drew not Andrew) Wedding Photos. When it asks for an event code, put in this # 211618

We'll be getting prints soon. We're really happy with them. Here's a taste!
Also, I got a part time job as a teacher's aide in a 3rd grade class. I start in a little over a week. Woo-hoo :)

So Drew has had his heart set on making ice cream since I can remember. I've never met a guy more obsessed with ice cream than him. We got the Kitchen Aid mixer ice cream maker attachment as a wedding gift (though, in truth, we kind of took it in stealth before it could be wrapped). As soon as we got it home he was determined to make Guinness ice cream. He's Irish, he loves Guinness and the place we went on our first date used to have Guinness ice cream. They don't anymore. Therefore, he made it his mission to get some through other avenues. This led to an obsession culminating in a frenzy of ice cream making attempts these last few days. You can almost see the drool as he waits for the mixer...

For those of you considering getting a Kitchen Aid mixer ice cream attachment (say that 10 times) here are some things to know. 1) It's really slow. It takes longer than it says. 2) You can't put too much ice cream "batter" in at a time 3) It's really slow 4) After you make it you have to freeze it covered for a few hrs. It's not like an electric ice cream maker when after you churn it, it's done. You have to wait... again.

We learned this after many trials and errors. He made 2 batches that didn't work. One of Guinness, one of Caramel Pecan Cheesecake (yeah, we're broke but he wasn't scrimping on ingredients. He couldn't just do Vanilla or anything!). After he realized that if he put less in, it worked better and that freezing it after churning was necessary, the Caramel Pecan Cheesecake tasted very good. If you don't let it firm up in the freezer, it tastes like it has anti-freeze in it! Somehow that chemical taste dissipates in the freezer. So I'm expecting much more ice cream making in the future. Probably really weird flavors, too. Like Mango Almond Coconut or something. He has a thing for coconut... My quote of him for the day is "I make good ice cream, apparently." So it does work, it's just takes patience. A virtue few Pults have...

On a totally different note, my friend Laurel's baby shower was today! She's very close to her delivery date! Here are a few photos highlights:

We played find the safety pins in the bowl of rice w/your eyes closed (that's the photo of Laurel making the funny face). We painted baby clothes with glitter paint and played various other games. Plus, there was strawberry cheesecake for all, so you couldn't lose. I hadn't been to a baby shower in years, and this one was fun.

Because I just couldn't bore you enough with my history lesson last time-I'm gonna do it again! Some of you know that my dad was a scholar who spent much of his adult life studying an obscure 16th century printer.

Here's my dad's stats: Steven Brandt (University of California at Berkeley. Doctor of Philosophy in LIS/History of Printing and Publishing, 1992) studying Jean Girard: Genevan Publisher (1536-1557), Advisor: M. K. Duggan.

Director of Hiebert Library (Fresno Pacific College/Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary), Fresno, CA

Here's the write up of his research from Direction Journal. org:

This study treats the formation of French Protestant publishing in sixteenth-century Geneva. Unlike the period after mid-century, the foundation of the book trade in that city was the responsibility of several key individuals, the most important of whom was Jean Girard. Shaped by his Waldensian (Protestant Italian) past, Girard was sent by this heretical group to establish a printshop for the dissemination of their vernacular-based religious literature. His original vision was altered by events that affected the safety of the Waldensian community in the Piedmont (region of Italy). Girard, therefore, adapted to the evolving social and religious Genevan context, forming relationships with leading Protestant merchants.

With the return of Jean Calvin in 1541, Girard’s fortunes were increasingly tied to that famous ecclesiastical leader. The identification of Girard’s publishing program with Calvin has overshadowed other facets of Girard’s career. Tensions rooted in their radically different backgrounds did not emerge into public view until after the arrival of famous French exile printers such as Robert Estienne. This threat to his dominance in the Genevan publishing business, Girard faced unsuccessfully and he lost hold of his privileged position. Calvin, who now utilized alternative {87} outlets for publishing his prolific literary efforts, turned his back on his former publisher. Abandoned by his political support in the Genevan City Council after the defeat of the party he supported, Girard suffered a decline.

While not as large an economic enterprise as other European publishers of the period, Girard’s role as an aesthetic innovator is outlined in order to understand the fundamental role Girard played in establishing the contours of French Protestant book design. The interrelationship between the appropriation of new religious ideas and their presentation is discussed. While Girard’s printshop was beyond official French control, the activities of censorship were directly focused on his publications. Despite this, Girard’s books have been found in a geographically broad and socially varied cross-section of the French reading public.

College de Barbas, for Waldensian ministers

It an obscure niche of history but the more I learn about it from looking at the many pages of research he left behind, the more interesting it is. It sort of brings together printing history with French, Swiss, Italian and indirectly broader European history. He was very interested in the censorship aspect of the Reformation and the competition and politics btwn the reformers, as well. It was unfortunate that another scholar also began working on Girard at the same time he did. And that many important documents were burned years ago. The Waldensians themseves are an interesting group. They had to hide from the Catholic dominated authorities so they worshipped in N. Italian caves. The photo is a woodblock etching of the opening to the Guieiza, or church, cut by Paolo Paschetto, 20th century. Looking into them online I found that some of the Waldensians fled to the U.S. in the 1890's. They set up a village in North Carolina. So there's even a relevancy to U.S. history. For a good short synapsis on them go here: www.valdese.com/trail_of_faith.htm

So, I thought I'd show everyone where exactly in France I was born. It's a sort of smallish city (140, 000 ppl) called Belfort, also the name of the surrounding region. The name Belfort is derived from the Latin word "bellus" meaning beautiful, and "fortis" meaning strong, and refers primarily to the stronghold at Belfort. An Austrian possession, Belfort passed to France by the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and was fortified. The region is called Franche-Comté (the former "Free County" of Burgundy) is a région and a traditional province of eastern France. (Answers.com)

The city of Belfort is the capital of the Territoire de Belfort. It has kind of an interesting history. Incorporated in 1922, it is made up of that part of the former province of Alsace which was retained by France between 1871-1919. The territory was spared German annexation on the ground that people there were French-speaking, unlike those in the rest of Alsace. The mauve colored building on the left is the city hall.

Belfort lies in eastern France, in hilly country close to the German border that was fought over for centuries. A major fortress town since the 17th century, it commands the Belfort Gap, or Burgundy Gate, between the Vosges and the Jura mtns. In the old city center, one can hardly overlook the extensive city fortifications which were not abandoned until the First World War. The top photo is taken from the very top of the fortification, looking down on the city. (Wikipedia)

Jews were first permitted to reside in the city of Belfort in the 1300s. Their numbers lessened in following years due to widespread expulsion from France during the Black Death. By the time of the Nazi occupation of World War II, there were 700 Jews in the town, of which 245 were killed. (Virtual Jewish History) The Belfort region had been a quiet zone since the initial bloody WWI battles of 1914-15. It was one of the few places where the French had driven the Germans back on their own soil, as the area surrounding the city was part of German Alsace. During World War II, however, the French were not able to hold the Germans back. French soldiers reported capture in Belfort in 1940. The community was not returned to France until 1944 when the British liberated the region from the Nazis.

The Lion of Belfort is a sculpture by Frédéric Bartholdi, architect of the Statue of Liberty in New York, located in Belfort, France. Look how huge it is! It's magnificent in real life. It was finished in 1880 and is entirely made of pink sandstone. The blocks it is made of were individually sculpted then moved under Belfort castle to be assembled. The sculpture is 22 meters long and 11 meters high and dominates the local landscape. A copy of the statue stands in the center of Denfert-Rochereau square in Paris, and another in the Jardin botanique de Montréal. (Info from Answers.com)

The lion symbolizes the heroic resistance of Belfort during a 108 days long Prussian assault (from December 1870 to February 1871). The city was protected from 40,000 Prussians by merely 17,000 men (only 3,500 were from the military) while the rest of Alsace was taken by the Prussians. The siege is commemorated by the huge statue. The many Alsatians who then took refuge in the town contributed significantly to its industrial growth. Instead of facing Prussia to the east as was intended, it was turned the other way because of German protestations. (Info from Answers.com) Drew says that's what makes it French-**whatever!**

I have been there twice that I remember. Once at 12, once at 17. But my photos are all regular film so I couldn't put them up here. I have one of me in front of the city hall with men in traditional sailor outfits. Like sailor berets-priceless. And it is the ultimate irony I was born there, in a military town! But I think it's an interesting place. Anyway, there was your history lesson for the day. Don't worry there won't be a quiz.

**More Honeymoon Photos**