Remembering Rod

Last Saturday, our friend Rod Rodriguez was killed in that terrorist
attack at the Marriot in Pakistan. Rod and his wife Caryn were our
friends in Korea, then they moved to Germany a little before we did.
Rod was a good man, and Kristie and I are still troubled by these
events. Read the article about his memorial service in Germany:
http://www.stripes.com/articleprint.asp?section=104&article=57701

Four of us from Korea who are now here met on Friday to talk about
our friend. It was a beautiful sunset that night, and we toasted in
honor of him.

Boxing Up

The first round of movers came on Wednesday. That shipment was the
stuff going into storage while we are in Okinawa. I decided to put my
books into storage, as I was afraid that the humid air could turn
them moldy. I sent them away out of love and affection.

Few people can properly understand the pain that this separation will
cause. I have stood in front of the shelves daily and stared,
touched, and sometimes even read those books. They were my 753 little
idols. And now they are gone, taken from me by two incredible sweaty
German men (one of whom had a gastrointestinal problem and stunk up
our bathroom in a wicked way).

The remainder of our household goods will get packed up on Monday and
Tuesday, but who cares about that stuff?

At the Car Wash

To prepare our car to sell, I brought it to a place called Mr. Wash here in Wiesbaden. It's Germany efficiency at its finest. I drive in to get it washed, then drive around and park it on a huge conveyor belt. It travels through an assembly-line cleaning that would make Henry Ford grin. They clean the mats, windows, interior, and vacuum. It's pretty fun to watch. They have a soundtrack of light classical playing, making me think of these car men as ballet dancers with rags.

The Honda come out glistening. I proudly hung a vanillaroma tree on the back window crank, then it rained.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

We spent our Sunday in this town, about two hours away from here.
People often scoff at it as too touristy (complete with an eye roll
and a flip of the hand), but there often is a reason that places like
this are frequented by tourists: they are interesting. This is the
perfect little German town with a village square, shops and cafes,
churches, and a whole mess of half-timbered houses, all within a
wall. It was very Disneyland-like, only for real.

Even Rick Steves agrees with me.

These were some strange snowball-meets-donut dessert. Nothing too exciting.

At today's rate, this stupid thing is only $1379.63. Shall I pick up two for you?

This is multi-tasking indeed!

Rhining, Wining, and Dining

Lela and Vera, Kristie's mom and aunt, have been visiting us for the
past week. They went with Kristie to Amsterdam and Venice (see
Kristie's photo page for her pictures), and now we are touring around
this area.

We went on a Rhine River driving tour, stopping at Rudesheim and
Oberwesel. The weather was perhaps the best it's been this season,
and we have lunch on the river in Rudesheim, and then has a glass of
Riesling at a castle in Oberwesel. It was perfect in all respects.

This morning, we'll leave for Rothenberg for the day.

Luther Socks

I went to Luther's childhood house a few months ago, and I bought
these at the gift shop. While it seems to be outrageous selling
hosiery at the Reformer's house, I think Luther would approve of the
comedy and the exhortation to have warm feet.

At Ease!

Couldn't I have at least closed the dishwasher?

Heading Back to Asia

We found out today that my request for a transfer to Okinawa was approved. Kristie and I are excited to go be beach bums for a couple of years.

We wrestled with returning to Portland or going for another tour with DoDDS. We both felt lured to Okinawa, so I put that down on the list. I'll be returning to the classroom teaching Language Arts to middle school kids.

I may learn to scuba dive, but I doubt I'll learn to enjoy sushi.

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Still My Favorite Photo of Aslan

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Can You Tell the Difference?

Trip to Mainz

Yesterday, we went to Mainz via train with our new friends, Dave, Drew, and Melissa. After lunch, we visited the cathedral and St. Stephen's Church (with windows designed by Marc Chagall).

I think this guy looks like me, if I grew out my beard.

I'm easily amused by third-grade humor...

Easter Market

Last Sunday, we went downtown to the Wiesbaden Easter Market with
Dan, Kelly, Charlie, and Aslan. After a bratwurst, we spent most of
the time in Starbucks.

Don't judge me!

Cologne- Then and Now