The Great Balancing Act

Pottery Class

I'd like to say I took this picture, but I didn't.  I had a case of camera-stupid-itis and took all my pictures on what was apparently the wrong setting -- my pictures look like junk.  Grainy, blury, junk.  My backyard neighbor, Christy, took this pictures and kindly shared.  She is the official camera smarty pants of the event.

My other neighbor, Katja, kindly organizes a German American Women's Club Mother and Child Group for us. (Say that 5 times fast!  Good luck with that!  Half the time I can't even remember the name of the group.)  She kindly organizes field trips out into the wide, wide word of Germany for us.  We repay her by showing up late to the car pool take-off time.  Katja is a true German, and this makes her CRAZY.  She is also very kind, and never complains about it.  Katja arranged for the kids to have a lesson from a real-live potter this month.  It is such a popular event that she has had to run it three times as the potter can only take nine kids in a group.  Katja is a saint!

I think the kids did a pretty good job. . .

(Again . . Christy's pictures not mine.)

Surely they've learned all the potter has to teach by now . .

(Or not)

The potter prefers that the parents leave the class so that she can get the kids to focus on their lesson rather than their Momma's cameras.  Those are, of course, not the words she used, but it's what she meant.  We reluctantly left our precious children threw our coats back on and ran to the bakery/coffee shop around the corner. I felt a little bad, because I know Holly must have acted like an animal, but I think I may have been the first momma out the door.

The drive home in the dark and the rain with five hungry children in my van, and a wrong turn that Christy and I have agreed not to discuss (again that would be my contribution to the event) left a little to be desired, but otherwise it was a great trip.  Go Katja!

Next month Katja has arranged for us to go to the German Bakery again and make traditional German Christmas cookies.  This was a BLAST last year, but a little overcrowded with something like 30 moms and kids, and one very flustered dad.  We will be breaking into two groups this year, so that the kids can receive a little more instruction, and the bakery staff doesn't quit.  I'll have to try to arrange to be in Christy's group, because she is apparently the only one who can use a camera.

It's a good thing I have such great neighbors or I'd spend my life late, lost, and with junky pictures.

 
 
 

Burg Reineck

 

I took Katie’s Girl Scout troop on an overnight trip to Burg Reineck – a castle turned youth hostel run by the German scouting association.  We had a blast!  Now all of the girls can say they slept in a castle.  I think I have finally recovered from the event.

 

We took an exceptionally long, uphill both ways, hike.  (Into the valley, back out again, in another valley, then turn around and head back.)  In spite of all of my warnings, one member of the group did manage to wrangle with stinging nettles – me.  I also learned that rubbing the backside of a fern on the nettle reaction spot really does work.  Thank you naturalists at Northwest Trek!

 

Our science teacher mom acted as a guest naturalist for us.

 

At the end, or should I say middle, of our hike we explored a nature trail set up for kids.  We had a lot of fun at 8 different nature stations.  We learned that most of us can long jump as far as a rabbit. A few of us could make it as far as a fox, and another couple are in wee little mouse territory.  None of us can jump as far as a squirrel – they jump almost as far as a deer and that’s REALLY far.

    

And . . . we did a whole lot of crafts!

Legoland

Katja, Stefan, 3 other families from the neighborhood, the girls, and I went to Legoland on Memorial Day.  We had a great time!  As it was not a German holiday, the park was virtually empty – if you haven’t had the chance to partake in an empty amusement park, I’d highly recommend it.  It was the hottest day of the year so far, much warmer than typical for May so the girls really enjoyed getting a little wet in some of the water features, and we drank our weight in slurppies.   Katie and Stefan rode the infamous dragon roller coaster 8 times, and Holly went on one of the small coaster for her first coaster ride.    We love Legoland!

 

Though she looks horrified, Holly really wanted to go on this ride a second time, but we were out of time.  It’s top on her list for “next time”

 

And, submitted for your amusement, all of the neighbors that weren’t too sissy to go on the log ride.  (Notice that Katja and I are the only adults – the other two are strangers.)  Of course, when the kids went for a second go round, we stayed on the ground.

Land Ho!

The Pirate Park is open for business!  We have been eagerly watching the construction of the pirate park on our walk to and from school.  They opened it up this week, and Holly has been dying to go.  We got the chance to check it out this afternoon after Katie got back from a birthday party and before dinner.  It is super cool!  The girls never even got off the boat part to explore the larger play structure.  If the nice, spring weather holds, I predict we'll head there again tomorrow afternoon.

German American Fest

It's fest time again here on post.  A couple of times a year they set up a small German/American fest -- a few rides, a few games, a couple of food vendors, lots of security -- it's the perfect sized fest for us.  It's nothing like "Doing the Puyallup" of course, but we were excited because this time around, Holly decided to try some rides.  Previously, they have freaked her out, but she tried one on for size and was hooked.  We spent about an hour and a half putting the girls on rides and having fest food for dinner.  Curtis then stayed and took his turn selling pints of Blue Bunny Ice Cream at the battalion's fund raiser.  Sunday night's hands down flavor winner -- cookies and cream.

Homburg Floh Markt

     We made a trip to the Homburg flea market today.  It is a very nice market with lots of antiques, and as such we should have been there a little earlier with the serious shoppers.  We did find a couple of treasures though.  First pictured is a coffee grinder -- I think I might be starting a collection here as I keep admiring them at the markets.  The second pictured is a Monk's Key, with cork screw inside.  Printed on the handle is "In Vino, Veritas"  -- In Wine, Truth.  The idea of religious figures and alcohol is foreign to Americans, but in Europe there are many groups that make beer or wine.  You will recall that the inventor of champagne was a monk.

Flohmarkt

     We went Flohmarketing today (flea market).  We hadn't been since the last time we were here, so we had a good time.  First we went to Bad Durkheim, then drove the scenic route (Holly learned to spot castles) to Vogelwah, then onto Worms.  It was really quite a nice day.  Curtis and Katie each got a Roman Coin.  They literally dug through a plastic bowl of them to select their favorites.  Katie's has the VII on it, and she knew it said "7" -- hurray for her new classroom!  I purchased three vintage cast iron Christmas Tree stands.  I know, you are asking why -- click here.  I noticed some ladies in the neighborhood decorating with these this last Christmas time, and I liked it.  The taller one with the star on the side and pine cones on the base is the most unique design, and thus most valuable of the three.  The one with the bell and tree on the base would be next if there weren't a piece of cast iron broken off on the back that you can't see.  Both of these are about 80 years old.  The art deco one is less vintage.

Mannheim Christmas Market

     We took the street car down to the Mannheim Christmas Market this afternoon.  It was quite crowded, so if you want beautiful, aerial shots of Christmas Markets, click here.  (This link has interesting Christmas Market info, and if you click on the small aerial photo of a market in the right hand column you'll get a slide show of 9 pictures.)  I do think my picture of the Mannheim water tower, shown here turned out pretty decently.  I  had a heck of a time getting the picture of the girls below because people kept walking by.

Buffalo Park

    After spending all day yesterday working on the house once again – we put another coat on Holly’s room and painted the kitchen – we decided to take it easier today.  So, we took about a 3-mile round trip walk to and through Buffalo Park.  There is a farmers’ road of sorts that wraps around the back of our housing area, and if you follow it you get to Buffalo Park.   

     Buffalo Park is a nature park – it is composed of deciduous forest nature trails and contains an animal preserve that you walk around the perimeter of and view American Bison, boars, a few varieties of deer, and goats.  It was a very nice walk.  Everyone did really well until we were on the way home and out of the forested area – then it was a bit hot.  We got some nice pictures, and a not so nice picture of the Bison as they were a bit far from the fence today.  I’ve included it anyway as I stuck the inside of my knee in stinging nettles to get the right angle for the picture not to be obscured by the fence – everyone had best be ohhhhhing and ahhhhhing.

(If you have not already discovered this, you can view larger versions of the pictures by clicking on them)