Paul's BIG 50!

Jane Austen in Emma declared that "Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable." Well! we pulled off enough of a surprise for Paul's 50th birthday, that he declared was not in the least foolish nor inconvenient! And it was an actually pleasurable event enhanced by the many amazing friends in attendance.

We were blessed with a day of wonderful weather, good food, and superior drink for this grand celebration. The only unfavorable part were the friends and family, who for many reasons, were not able to be with us.

Thank you to all for the may well wishes and congratulations to Paul, on this, the beginning of his next decade.

Everybody knows it's Paul's 50th! plus some shark teeth for the occasion!

Celebrating in the garden on Alleghany Street!

Paul the selfie king!

Dad the photo bomber at Thanksgiving!

Count down: Saturday 59, Sunday 58 Monday 57,

Saturday July 3rd; Countdown - day 59 - I like living here, when during the World Cup, I can be surrounded by 3,000 of our closest Friends while watching Germany boot Argentina 4-0.

✈

Sunday July 4th; Countdown day 58 - what I like about living here is even while in Europe we are able to celebrate our Nation's Independence Day with good American friends and that we can spontaneously sing the American National Anthem AND make it sound great with harmonies and proper breathing and inflection. Guess we have sung that a time or two in our childhoods! Oh, say can you see....!!!!

plus good hamburgers and marshmallow roasting.

✈

Monday, July 5th, Countdown day 57 - I like hearing a hawk call so directly overhead, that I duck to see if it is landing nearby.

Mothers day 2010

This weekend my children showered on me a wonderful Mother's day. Besides being wonderful children themselves, I was presented with a beautiful poem, a tasty cake and an elegant tea party.

Wils' elfchen (an eleven word poem)

Liebe
die Freude
ich mag dich
ich lieb dich Mutter
Mutterstag

beautiful tea set by SAM

Shy bakers cook great cakes!

15th year of the Birthday Song

whopiee sledding! do you remember the JOY!

OK>.......so I am catching up on some lost video from the passed! enjoy! hey this is acting as my scrapbook...enjoy the hoots at the end of the run..remember the JOY of a long hill? I do, but my hills were not close to being this long!

Birthday stroll, 2009

On February 20, 1994 Vaden was born in Williamsburg. Prior to her actually entrance, we had to walk, and walk. Therefore in honor of that day we showed Vaden where she had "walked" just before the grand arrival. Here are a few snippets of the day in CW, which by way was as beautiful as 15 years ago.

The MUST for tourist foto!

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Thursday mit kamera - December 25, 2008

SANTA CAME!!

and left goodies under our beautiful tree (our tree, another adventure to share).

The traditional HESS truck from the states....always a hit.

Paul gets excited about a new DVD! Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull...good stuff.

And Lego was had by all....

and more Lego....

Then on to others...

..such as breakfast quiche. A shrimp quiche receipt found in the "Virgina Hospitality" cookbook of course.

Peter even had a visit from the Tomtum...notice the new rolled leather collar Peter is sporting as we go out for a Xmas day walk while the duck is cooking.

and Vaden sports a new scarf as we step off for our walk.

and we are off.....

and we stop for a quick photo, I think Wils is trying to blow a bubble of gum...?

"The Boys" all with a new sweater, a new hat and a new collar. Sharp looking bunch.

Late afternoon view across the valley towards France.

Putting the finishing touches on the Xmas dinner of roast duck, with wild rice mixture, corn pudding, green snapbeans, green Feld salad with walnut oil and walnut vinegar....

the duck, yumm

and to finish...a Yule Log!

JOYEUX NOËL !

on to Amberg, Germany

We traveling to Amberg, Germany this weekend to foto-docu a live nativity.

www.amberg-live.de/single.php3?liste=4&kamera=2
www.amberg-live.de/single.php3?liste=4&kamera=1

You can check out the weather and maybe even see us on this live feed.
So at 6pm (our time), 12 noon EST Saturday I'll find this camera and we will wave to you! look for us to the right of the big tree (from camera 1) or to the left of the tree from camera 2.

You can reply if you see us!

Merry Christmas to all ... we are off to a Weihnachtsmarkt.

snow chair

Our first snowfall of the year started on Saturday and continued though the night. We awoke to everything covered with snow, albeit slightly wet, it is still beautiful.

We started our Thanksgiving a little early this year, today, Sunday, with a wonderful feast at the home of a North American family.

I also started playing Christmas carols while I was preparing my traditional Colonial Williamsburg corn pudding and snaps for the meal.

I seemed to have started a lot of things today; let me finish by saying: have a Happy Thanksgiving and Godspeed in your travel to your chosen home-place for the holiday.