Reeds and Trees

The wind was blowing pretty hard this morning as I walked the Mainaue between Hassfurt and Augsfeld. But it was still when I took this picture of the trees behind some reeds which grow near the water around here. Judging by how the reeds are growing, the wind must blow pretty steady in one direction [...]

Sunrise

Every morning I try to get out early and wander on foot in different directions. I’m trying to learn my way around the area, plus I prefer sunrise to sunset for picture taking. Since I’m an early riser, this works out better for me.

It’s a Small World

 
I’m coming, America!
Bernd Barthel is a retired school teacher from Hassfurt, Germany. Hassfurt is right next to Knetzgau, the little town where we will be retiring to soon. Mr. Barthel is planning a cross-country bicycle ride from California to New York this summer. Gerda met a young niece of his when they shared a hospital [...]

Lilli

 
Barbie is a fashion doll and American icon who turned 50 this month, but her heritage is German. You could even say Barbie’s mother was German.
In the beginning Lilli was a German cartoon character, created by Reinhard Beuthien for the tabloid Bild-Zeitung in Hamburg, Germany to fill space in the paper. In 1953 the Bild-Zeitung decided to market a Lilli doll and contacted Max Weissbrodt [...]

Liquid Bread

My first experience with this Bavarian “liquid bread” was in 1973 and involved a late night trip to the Bahnhof with my buddy Reginald, six half-litre bottles of Salvator doppelbock, and a crippling hangover.
Bock is a strong lager which has its origins in the Hanseatic town of Einbeck, Germany. Bocks have a long history of being brewed and consumed by Roman Catholic monks in Germany. During [...]

On this day…

March 1: Independence Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992); Saint David’s Day in Wales; Mărţişor in Romania and Moldova; Martenitsa inBulgaria

1562 – The French Wars of Religion began with a massacre of Huguenots by Catholics in Wassy, France.
1781 – The Articles of Confederation, the first governingconstitution of the United States, was ratified, legally uniting what were originally several sovereign and independent states into a new sovereign federation.
1872 – Yellowstone National Park, located primarily in the U.S. state ofWyoming, one of the first national parks in the world, was established.
1896 – Ethiopia won [...]

Karl-Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Wilhelm Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg

The newly appointed German Minister for Economics and Technology has one of the longest names I’ve ever seen. He only uses Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, which is enough. His family history is aristocratic, but he seems like an ordinary type. He is pro-America, something I expect we will see more of as times goes on. And he is friends [...]

When was the last time you went to church?

If you are going to wreck, you might as well do it right. Police are awaiting tests to see if alcohol was involved. My guess is it was probably a factor, along with luck. If the church roof hadn’t caught the car, the landing might have been a little rougher.
Police on Monday were trying to [...]

The Polymath

 
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A polymath (Greek polymathēs, πολυμαθής, “having learned much”) is a person whose knowledge is not restricted to one subject area. In less formal terms, a polymath (or polymathic person) may simply refer to someone who is very knowledgeable. Most ancient scientists were polymaths by today’s standards. 
 Saint Hildegard was a German abbess, author, counselor, linguist, naturalist, [...]

Is George Bush Smarter Than Angela Merkel?

I am not a big fan of President George W. Bush, and I don’t understand German politics well enough to form an opinion on Chancellor Angela Merkel.  But I do wonder which of the two is more realistic in their policy on climate control.   
In a speech at the White House on April 16th, 2008, President Bush [...]