USofA Visit 2019

Has it become an Annual Visit - just once a year?  Well, that's true for this past twelve months.  A year is a long time between visits. On the other hand, years are quite literally getting shorter for us.  For instance, if you're just 5 years old, a year is 20% of your whole life. But at 73, one year is less than 1% of your life.  I don't really know that that's true, but it seems true.  (And that is a quote from Sleepless in Seattle, but I digress ...)  Hey, anyway, it goes faster as you get older.  Just ask a math person, though that would not be me.  That would be Werner.  And it would not be Hannah, the not-math person. :-)

As last year, we tried to game the plane seat reservations to get extra room which did not work AT ALL. But our seat mate was a sweet young lady from Denmark, making her first trip to the US with her family and was soooooo looking forward to her visit to Universal and Disney and the whole Orlando experience. It's nice to be reminded how much fun it is to visit these theme parks.

So, a touch down in Orlando, a quick look at Dylan at her twirling practice, hugs and kisses and then off again.

First to Jacksonville.  Where are the pictures??? I swear, or in Tallahassee speech, I swaaannn: (north FL/south AL lady-speak for "swear" because if you're a nice southern lady, you don't say "swear," much less swear). My status as a southern lady has been long since been relinquished.

I will again have to rely on my memories - without pictures - of our visit to Bonnie and Larry in Jax as well as our overnight at the Jenks House.  We had a great evening hanging out and talking German philosophers as well as Englewood classmates with Bonnie and Larry and the next morning talking politics and environment with Tom and Ila Rae at the Jenks House. If anyone ever has to stay overnight in Jax, let me recommend the Jenks House.

Then, off to Charleston.  We'd thought first to spend a night in Savannah, but as we had been to Savannah a few times, Charleston was appealing. A new venue -- let's go.

It was a good decision.  The architecture is southern but then again unique to Charleston.  Porches, doors to porches, wood frame homes, interior gardens, churches and graveyards..

And of course, waterfront.

There was so much to see but no time to see it all. We opted to tour an old home, a slave trader's house that had been restored and furnished in the style of the time. The docent gave us lots of history as well as lots of family and architectural information.  The history of its owner and his profession fit with our intention to visit the Legacy Museum in Montgomery later in our visit.

Gift shops are always interesting and I love to look at what's on offer. There were stone ground grits for sale, one pound, lots of dollars.  We decide to wait on that purchase!

Food in Charleston was exactly what I wanted: grits, biscuits and gravy, fried chicken, local dives and local dines.  We ate well.

There is a  market area with lots of small shops, mostly local, some not so much. What caught my eye were the baskets made of pine straw and palm fronds.  They are so lovely, but oh so very expensive!  We already have ample baskets for what we need baskets for, so we opted out of a purchase.  But later, walking around, we came upon an individual seller and explained our plight and she asked where we were from. Well, Germany, we responded.  "Well, my chile, here is a flower for you!!!" So we got hugs (and who doesn't need a hug?) and a flower woven of palm fronds.  It's a treasure.


And Germans. I swannn, there are Germans everywhere.  Walking along the river, we stopped at a map of the area and heard a couple of guys talking.  Germans.  So I said, Woher kommen Sie?  (Where are you from?)  It probably sounded funny because any German knows I'm not German!  But we had a nice little conversation with the guys - one of them was working in the US and the other one was visiting - then went our separate ways, nice.

Leaving the next day, I couldn't find my scarf.  NEED my scarf!  If not for now, for our trip back, and besides it was a favorite birthday present from Werner.  We looked and searched and finally decided I must have lost it at Poogan's Porch (also recommended), where we'd eaten the night before.  I thought is was a shot in the dark, but we got it! 

Off to Atlanta.

I'm not sure we got in our car again after we parked in Ginny's driveway.  I don't have any problem really driving in Atlanta, but if you ask me, I'd rather not.

There was dinner at Julia and Larry's with David and family.  Julia always cooks enough for Dana to take home another whole dinner, so the table was laden, and as ever, tasty.

The weather was pleasant enough to walk at Stone Mountain one day, where we met a walker with a stick very much like the ones we see in Germany, with the little shields from all the sites he walked.

Another day, we took in an early movie, The Green Book.  It's been quite a while since we were in a big theater - that was fun, a good movie besides.

A couple of other meals with Julia and Larry, a walk around the neighborhood, a lot of talking and the week slipped by before we knew it.

Next stop, Montgomery, Alabama, to visit the Legacy Museum and the Memorial to Peace and Justice.  It was rather chilly when we left Atlanta, but just a bit further south and west, it was quite warm.  We could shed our sweaters for a walk around old Montgomery that evening.

The downtown area seems largely preserved, and our hotel had lots of interesting details - carved crown molding, patterned floors, tall, tall ceilings.

If you're ever in the area, both the museum and the memorial are more than worth a visit.  There are many volunteers and staff around to talk to you, to answer questions, to discuss.  It was moving and scary and sobering.

Then, just like that, off to Tallahassee.  It's always a treat to visit with Nancy and see some other folks while we're there.  This time we met up with David and got to finally meet his wife Sarah and their daughter Grace.  We did lots of talking and walking and throwing the ball for Minnie.  You all know I am not a dog person, but she really seemed to try hard to convince me otherwise this visit!  When we got ready for our "going away" picture, she came straight to me and put her head in my lap and gave me that puppy-dog look!

Finally to Michelle's!!  Yay!  She'd suggested driving along 98 so we could see first hand how Hurricane Michael has changed the landscape along the Gulf, though we would have done it anyway.. It was so emotional, so distressing!  All the damage, the thousands and thousands of trees for miles and miles, snapped off or broken, the houses gone or damaged, all the blue tarps still on homes.

But they are resilient and the community has done so much work together to help move forward.  There's still quite a ways to go...

Regardless, we had a great time with our family in PC.  And the very, very best?  Mardi Gras!  Joey belongs to the Old School Krewe now, a pretty laid back group.  The purple bus carries them along the parade route.  We offered to be "walkers" - the folks who keep the excited on-lookers from running under the wheels of the bus to grab the beads and such - but one of the members got the women from the fitness studio to do the work, sooooo...we got to just stand in the bus and throw the beads and Moon Pies and goodies.  I can't remember the last time I had so much fun!  Thousands of screaming onlookers, tons of beads thrown to the crowds, sore, sore arms the next day. Thank you Joey, Michelle and the Old School!

There's always good food, and this time a new treat - homemade pasta.  Joey decided Michelle needed the pasta attachment for the KitchenAid, so, pasta.  Clearly, deliciously better than the dried variety.

We don't really bring presents anymore - everyone has everything they need and besides we run into the old gifts so.....

This time is was an album, pictures of Hunter and Hannah when they visited us here in Bremen. It was such fun to put together, and even more fun to watch them going through the album. I hope they'll do it again and again.

And another family photo, plus one of Hannah and Harrison.  It was fun getting to know him.

Next, well, it's the beach.  Nancy offered her place as a intermediate stop between Michelle and Lee.  I tried to say No but I couldn't.  The beach is such a soothing, calming place.  It was cold, but sunny and of course practically empty of folks.  We took walks, we read, we said hello to the crane supervising her person who was supposed to be catching fish,we walked around Apalach, we ate shrimp and oysters.  I listened to the gentle surf and settled and breathed. Thank you, Nancy.

And finally back to Orlando.  The kids are in school and the school day lasts forever and then Dylan has twirling practice every day.  But there was a birthday on Saturday - Hayden is now 14 FOURTEEN years  old.  So hard to believe!  We ate with all of Crissy's family at a local Italian place of Hayden's choosing.  There was tons of delicious food, presents galore and singing.  He kept wondering where his new (second) iPad was, though mom and dad had warned him...  Poor kids, they just keep wishing.

Next day, Werner and I took Hayden to the movies.  Captain Marvel!  She was incredible and it was a fun time with the birthday boy.  Lee and Crissy prepped us on how Hayden behaved in the movie, but they didn't tell us about the reclining seats!  OMG.  This is a whole new movie experience and now I totally understand why Hayden wants to take a blanket with him.  Had I known, I'd have done that, too.

Crissy had a project waiting for me "stoning" one of Dylan's performance costumes.  It means putting more sparkle on what is already pretty sparkly - but to great effect! We were all happy with the result.

While the kids were in school, we went to visit a couple of friends - Beth Boozer, who I first met in 1966, and Steve and Trish Nicandri, exchange partners from Rochester, NY, who were with us for a week plus some whatever years ago - 2000? 2001? I still have to look. But it was great fun meeting up with old friends, reminiscing and enjoying the moment.

And then, poof, it was over.  Five weeks, lots of stops, so many wonderful visits, so many hugs.  There can never be enough of those. (2100 miles, 48 hours in the car, all well worth it!)

Thanks to all of you folks there for a memorable visit.  Till next time...

A Vacation before our Vacation

Werner gave me a present for my birthday - (another) weekend at Bösehof.  But this and that and whatever intervened and then it was January, so we booked it.  A decadent weekend before a 5-week US trip.

January is cold and bare and gray and often wet.  Frankly, a time to indulge, IMHO, for whatever that's worth.

Off we go.

We're kind of late arriving day one, so we unpack and get settled and unwind and find the sauna and take a nap and dinner.  Tough day.

Day One: a walk around the lake.  It's about 7K, so a nice workout.

 There's still remnants of the snow.

 And can you see our rosy cheeks??

 Somewhere up there is the sun, midday, north Germany. No, I never really get used to it. But I have to say we have already noticed the days are longer.

We visited the sauna each day.  We indulged in breakfast, did a little exercise, read A LOT, and had lovely dinners with equally lovely service.  Folks here seem to really like their jobs.

Once a year is too much - really.  But thank you Werner for a lovely birthday present, even though I am not exactly sure for whom that gift was intended (snicker, snicker). Hugs and more hugs.

Kohl u. Pinkel, v. 2019

Yes, it's been another year. But it is simple and fun and pleasant and we love doing it again and again.

It was a bit complicated for us this year as Muriel and Tony from England had called at the last minute to come and stay with us but adding two more to the table wasn't an option for Klaus and Johanna.  I know that must sound funny (and maybe off and somehow wrong or unfriendly) to our USofA friends and family, but anyone and everyone here fully understands.  Imagine you have a table that seats 10 and you have 10 chairs and that is it.  That's it!  Muriel and Tony totally understand.  So we kept our obligation to attend and Muriel and Tony entertained themselves (which they do very well).  It worked out great.

Not only is Grünkohl one of my most loved dishes, this whole business of the Fahrt (the walk, the wandering, the tradition of it) is one of those Bremen things that has wormed its way into my being and so belongs to the season and the time and, most especially the people, that skipping it or missing it is just not done. Just. Not. Done.

There's the core group - Hellmerichs, Wichmanns, Brandts, Ursel, Ingrid.  Lately, Ludwig, an old dear friend of Klaus' (plus or minus wife Elke) has joined us, depending oh his health.  This year, they were both there.

And the weather was pretty OK too.  No snow, not radical cold, no rain (thank you!) but crispy clear and bracing, we could say.  

We stopped for schnapps along the way, and of course a bit of sweets.

Later, the feast.  And what a feast! The greens and all the extras.  I'm sure I have said it every time, but the only thing missing is corn bread.

We talked and talked and talked.  After all these many years, I can finally sit and listen and sometimes contribute to the conversation and not feel like I have to go home because I am so exhausted trying to keep up in this foreign language.  Yes, of course I can speak German and all our friends here think my German is amazing, but it is only wonderful.  But my German is good enough and we had such a great time, again, sharing a traditional meal with good friends.  That's what friends do.

Happy 2019

Happy New Year!  We did our usual and spent a lovely evening with Ilsemarie, Ulli, Johanna and Klaus, this time an event at the Goethe Theater.  It starts at 7 PM, goes about 2 hours, and then you can stay for the party or party on your own.  We allow to party a bit before and then head home!

After admiring the tree, the new kitchen, and the new landing and steps to the small yard, we made a toast to 2018.  I'm looking forward to a more congenial 2019.

 How about wild boar goulash with fresh Spätzle to start us off?  

The food was predictably delicious and the conversation predictably lively.  We've stopped dancing around the Christmas tree, but it's still lots of fun!

After a fantastic show set around Italian opera aria at the local theater, we sneaked off to Ilsemarie's office nearby and had a glass of bubbly to 2019. And then we all headed home.  Werner and I both have colds (bad) and somehow standing in the middle of rockets and mini-bombs is no longer our favorite thing to do.  And AND staying up to 1 AM is also not on the list.  So, old fogies that we are, we got home, got in our jammies, watched the noise and light from the front window.  The teenagers across the street had lots of fun lighting lots of fireworks. That was enough for us! 

 January 1, 2019.  Sounds like science fiction.

How often have we done this walk around Meyenburg on New Year's Day?  Don't know.  I tried to look back on the blog, but there are only a few mentions.  I take lots of pics, but I don't always post.

A quick look in the picture folder shows walks there in at least 6 of the last 8 years, though somehow we think we have been doing this forever.  Well, maybe not....

But we're keeping up a tradition, however long it is, so off we go to Meyenburg.


In past years, there's been snow, but not this year. We've hardly had any freezing weather, but it was cold and clear this day. The blue skies were more than welcome.

We took our usual path through the fields.

 

Would you believe?  Still, summer flowers blooming.

 And there are still lots of ducks at the mill pond.

We hope your days between Christmas and the New Year were refreshing and renewing.  All the best to all of us for 2019.