December 27th, 2019 – Tarte Flambe

I was very tempted to call this entry “the reluctant chef” but that wouldn’t have been fair the the person panfrying bacon for this team effort. We figured that we have never tried our professional pizza oven for Tarte Flambe and thus gave it a shot. The results were excellent and to be repeated soon.

December 25th, 2019 – Christmas

Arno woke all of us up this morning and was extremely excited about the events that were to unfold soon. We had a quick bite to eat and then proceeded to open presents. The majority of the day was, as always, spent in the kitchen. We made a fabulous potato roast for lunch and had sous vide steak frites for dinner.

December 24th, 2019 – Weihnachten

Austin came over for our traditional German Christmas today, which is celebrated on Christmas Eve. We opened the gifts from my Mom and exchanged others with Austin. It was nice to see him again after some time, but he’s moving back to Dallas so that we’ll hopefully get to visit with him more often.

December 7th, 2019 – Flying Tiger

We all went to watch Arno’s Taekwondopracticetoday, which is always great fun. He is very good and has earned lots of belts by now. It the art of high kicks, but what’s much more important is that the boys learn to respect everyone, beginning with those who are older or unable to fend for themselves. Of course that is a very important cornerstone of Korean culture and a beautiful way to approach life.

November 28th, 2019 – Thanksgiving

We took a non-traditional approach to Thanksgiving this year. Instead of cooking all day, munching on Turkey and all the rest, we simply went to a brunch. It was fun and left us with plenty of opportunities to play and spend time together. What was missing, of course, was the company of good friends and that’s maybe the most important part of celebrating after all.

October 10th, 2019 – Arno’s Birthday

Now, the big day. Arno was excited as ever and could not wait to open his presents in the morning. As an added benefit, his very good German friend Hucky was here to visit with Charlotte. We had a great day, made a fine steak for dinner and then the girls had wine while the boys scattered all over the house and played video games.

October 9th, 2019 – Funny Faces

Tomorrow is the big day and Arno decided that he wanted to go to Nordstroms bistro for dinner. Unfortunate, but not unexpectedly, I did not manage to get any straight faces on camera.

September 8th, 2019 – Meredith’s Birthday

Meredith’s birthday is always a big deal and requires a bit of preparation. Arno and Margo had made a song and poem for her respectively, which was really nice. On Saturday, Chris and Mario came over with their daughter for schnitzel and wine. It’s been a very long time since we had laughed this much in one night. Meredith really enjoyed the evening and we all toasted to her before calling it a night.

August 24th, 2019 – Museums

It’s probably been close to two years since we had visited the museums in Fort Worth so we decided to make a go of it. Unfortunately, the lines for the Monet exhibition were once around the building, but the rest of it was just as interesting.

August 18th, 2019 – The Weekend

There is nothing better than a relaxing weekend and swim in the pool. Arno had a friend over for the night as well and we all watched a movie.

August 15th, 2019 – Miscellaneous

I haven’t really had a chance to take any photos over the past few months due to work. So there is an assortment of images that I managed to pick up every once in a while.

July 20th, 2019 – Pizza Night

Barbara and Hans-Walter came over for an evening of making pizzas. Everyone contributed one pizza, but under the condition that it’s one that you cannot buy in a restaurant. So, each pizza had to be completely new. Margo has a huge chocolate chip cookie and Arno a marshmallow and chocolate pizza,  both of which were delicious. However, the grand prize of the evening clearly went to Barbara for her truly incredible rainbow pizza.

June 23rd, 2019 – Quick Swim

It’s been weird outside. On one hand it’s extremely hot and on the other we’re getting one thunderstorm after another. Today was the third in two weeks that cause damages and power outages. We went for a quick swim in-between though, which was great fun.Oh, yes, and I totally locked the kids out just to get a few nice photos.

June 18th, 2019 – Basketball

Arno really enjoys playing basketball and it seems that the sport likes him back. He’s learned a lot over the last coupe of weeks during the summer league. Of course, when ever he does things like steal the ball, run across the court and score, we unfortunately are pointing the camera elsewhere so that any evidence of heroic deeds is still scant.

June 15th, 2019 – Horseback

I took Arno to his riding lesson in the morning and had lots of fun watching him as he fearlessly cantered around the ring.

May 30th, 2019 – Visiting Charlotte and Malte

We were lucky that Lotte and Malte were still in Bonn while we were there so that the visit was easy and the drive very quick. It was really nice to visit with them, as it always is, and we all had a great time.

May 29th, 2019 – Makeovers and a Skateboard

Margo and Meredith had their salon day in Duesseldorf today, which freed Arno and me up to explore toy stores. After much deliberation, he settled on a new gun and a skateboard. Of course, the girls had hours of fun being pampered and treated with all kinds of stuff that entirely escapes my imagination. We visited Christine and Marcus in their restaurant for a truly exquisite lunch that left everyone thoroughly satisfied.

May 28th, 2019 – Tourists

It’s strange when you feel like a tourist in your own country, but of course that’s what we are. I think everyone has a strong connection to Germany, but we’re also removed from the life here.

May 26th, 2019 – Family Photos

Olga and Vlady were very kind to bring a camera when they came over for coffee and cake. Olga took a lot of really nice photos, which was particularly beneficial for me since I am usually never in any of the images on this site.

May 26th, 2019 – Fair Grounds

We all had a good nights’ sleep and were ready to tackle the day. Olga and Vlady came over for coffee and offered to take a family photo of us, which was really nice since we usually don’t ever have everyone on the same side of the camera. Later, we went to a fair with lots of rides and even more sweets.

May 25th, 2019 – Travel Day

On a flight to Germany today with everyone being very excited to see Oma and a few friends. The travel day is always long and we actually made it through to evening, which mean everyone slept like a rock for the night. In the evening, we played roulette and naturally, made a recording of who won how much so that it can be known to all who’s winning and who isn’t.

May 17, 2019 – Margo’s Play

We watched Margo play in ‘Alice’ today, which was very well done.

May 2, 2019 – Margo’s Birthday

Big day. Margo turned 13 and we celebrated it over the weekend with a really nice dinner as well as at breakfast and dinner again. She had asked for a new room with a more adult bed and more adult pictures for the walls and so on. We had lots of fun together and all of us enjoyed spending the day with our little angel.

April 14, 2019 – Downtown

The day was just too good to pass up for a couple of shots in the park, at the DMA and in Deep Ellum.

April 7, 2019 -A Couple of Shots

Just a few casual observations with the camera …

March 24, 2019 – The Dallas Zoo

Barbara and Hans-Walter invited us to the zoo today, which was a really nice diversion from being home and allowed us to spend the better part fo the day outside.

March 23, 2019 – Arno

The girls are in Louisiana for a volleyball tournament and so Arno and I were left to our own devices for the weekend. We had a nice dinner at the Mermaid Bar and went to my University lecture together in the morning. Afterwards, it was lots of food and a movie. We probably also had more ice cream than any one man can take, but we’re going to work it off tomorrow with a visit to the zoo.

March 16, 2019 – Skate Park

Arno and I went to the skate park in East Dallas today, which was awesome. There were a lot of really good guys and they all seemed to flow through at different times. Everybody was extremely friendly and most of the guys walked up to Arno to give him helpful tips such as ‘stand on your toes like a ballerina’ and ‘snap the board like you’re kicking someone really hard’. It was great to watch most of the other guys, who did impossible jumps and  incredible ollies.

March 10, 2019 – Arno and Wine

We had a nice bottle of red and a steak dinner tonight, so Arno wanted to try the wine. He took the shot glass in which is was served a little too literal though and drowned all of it in one swoop.

March 7, 2019 – Swiss Ave

Torsten visited today and we got to spend the afternoon together, which was a really welcome reprieve from work.  I had not done anything else for the last eight months and getting out almost felt like a prison break. We visited downtown as well as Swiss Avenue for the architecture and then cooked a nice dinner.

March 3, 2019 – Couple of Shots

Some images that I was able to take throughout February and the beginning of March

January 27, 2019 – Mostly Arno

Arno accompanied me to a lecture at UNT last week and was largely unimpressed. In fact, he let it be known later that he did not learn anything although he did answer one of my questions to the class. And on Friday we went to the Mermaid Bar for dinner where we ran into  Gina and had, well, what we always have when we go. Arno is a creature of habit when it comes to butter noodles without anything else.

January 17, 2019 – A Couple of Shots

We had a nice dinner tonight and lots of fun with Arno’s photography, which he updates on his own site now. My own shooting is still very much on the back-burner.

December 25, 2018 – Christmas

The big day is finally here. We unwrapped a lot, laughed a lot and played a lot. Of course, we watched a few movies as well.

December 24, 2018 – Weihnachten

As every year, we celebrated the German Weihnachten on Christmas Eve. Austin and his girlfriend came over for lunch as well, which was very nice.

December 22, 2018 – Getting Ready

Just two more days. Everyone’s excited and exhausted. Margo went to lunch with Bonnie while we did more packing and horsing around.

December 12, 2018 – More Snapshots

A couple more miscellaneous shots from the past two weeks.

November 30, 2018 – A Couple of Shots

With work being busy, there really wasn’t any time for me to photograph at all. I managed to get a couple of shots here and there.

November 3, 2018 – JHG Champagne Tasting

We had an excellent turnout at our annual Champagne tasting this weekend, which was superbly organized and executed by Marcus. Lots of great conversations, lots of excellent wines and lots of fun.

October 26, 2018 – Taekwondo

Arno received his green-blue belt today and did a great job with his routine. It was really fun to watch him excel at the sport, which also comes with a healthy dose of confidence.

October 14, 2018 – Arno’s Party

For Arno’s birthday party with his friends from school, we rented a game truck for the boys and made a ton of pizza for everyone. It was a great day for Arno and certainly a busy one for us.

October 12, 2018 – Mavericks

Marat had given us  four tickets to the Mavs game tonight and it was Arno’s first pro sports event. He was very excited and invited Freddie, his best friend from school to come along. It was a preseason game, which meant we saw a lot of new players and a lot of magic on the court. We had a great time and a fitting occasion for Arno’s birthday.

October 10, 2018 – Arno’s Birthday

This was it: never in the single digits again. The first image shows Arno on his last day of being nine and then we move on to the morning of his birthday. We started by opening the gift from his Oma, which is a beautiful bow tie and then continue to the afternoon when he got to open the other presents including a new phone. This, of course, was extremely exciting. Numbers were soon exchanged and calls were made. Now, it’s already business as usual.

October 5, 2018 – Margo

Just a couple of shots …

September 30, 2018 – Lunch at School

The Dad’s Club at St. Monica organized a fund raiser through selling pasta for lunch and dinner today. We only had time to pop in during lunch, but had a great time and certainly a great lunch as well. Arno helped with the clean up as part of his boy scout team.

September 22, 2018 – Cooking at Home

We had a very nice afternoon with Barbara and Hans-Walter making lobster rolls from the ground up and really enjoyed the results as well. On Sunday Margo and Arno both got dressed up for their weekly Cotillion sessions, where both get their finishing touches on manners and ballroom dancing.

September 15, 2018 – JHG Dinner

Tonight was our second annual “Eat Like a Knight” dinner at Bob’s house. This was also the first one where I did not organize or prepare anything, which was great. Marcus did an much better job and really put it together just perfect.

September 8, 2018 – Meredth’s Birthday

We had a quiet evening to celebrate Meredith’s birthday with a steak dinner and lots of great presents. Arno gave her a list of reasons why she is the best Mom in the world and Margo sang a song that she had written for her.

September 2, 2018 – Labor Day BBQ

Julie and Stan invited us over for BBQ and a swim at their house. We had a great time, as always, and really enjoyed the company of a few of their neighbors and friends.

August 20, 2018 – Museum and Milkshake

Yesterday, we found out that the Highland Park Pharmacy, one of our favorite hangouts for as long as we can remember will close for good by the middle of next month. The old building has to make way for a new office complex and thus a 106 year-old institution vanishes much to our dismay. We decided to go to the DMA first, take in a bit of culture before heading to HPP. It was completely crazy when we got there. Apparently everyone is coming to pay their respects before they close the store.

August 13, 2018 – Cheer

Margo and Arno have moved from the Highlands to a new school in town and closer to the house. We love it already and were welcomed with open arms by the parents and students. Margo had her first taste of it during cheer camp, which takes place over a weekend  just before the first day of school. The school actually has far more cheerleaders than football players, which I find very refreshing.

August 7, 2018 – Flash

It’s always fun to shoot with a flash and wireless trigger so that you hold the unit in one hand and the camera in the other. The images are always interesting, however due to the considerable discomfort any subject might experience, I can only do it so often.

August 3, 2018 – Friday Night

Long week! Margo had a hiphop dance performance today and Arno is still getting to know his new MacBook. We were all left pretty much without juice, decided on an easy dinner at the Mermaid Bar and to turn in early afterwards.

July 29, 2018 – More Modeling

We’re still working on the shots for an agency and probably just need a better photographer. It’s a work in progress, but the main thing is that Margo and Arno are willing to give it a try independent of what comes of it in the end.

July 28, 2018 – Couple of Shots

It’s been a busy week. Arno purchased a new MacBook Pro with his savings, which makes use very proud, while Margo had a theater play in which she performed extraordinarily well. Unfortunately, they did not allow cameras.

July 20, 2018 – Commercial Shoot

Quinn invited Arno and me to visit him in the studiofor a shootthis afternoon. It was really fascinating to realize how much work goes into 30 or 60 seconds of TV and online spots. The set was incredibly creative with industrial lasers that can burn a hole into the wall and thus have to keep moving. The commercial is for top-tier college football teams so Arno also got to marvel at a bunch of extremely tall and strong guys.
10/27/18: we saw the finished commercial at lunch today for the first time and it looked awesome.

July 11, 2018 – Modeling

We’ve been taking photos to apply with modeling agencies … here are some of them.

July 8, 2018 – Couple of Shots

It’s been a while and we have not really done anything special other than all seeing Lion King in Fair Park. However, that event was completely off for cameras and the ushers enforced it hard. I had to fight to even get my camera into the venue. Anyway, here are a few shots from different occasions and more on Margo and Arno soon as we’ll be working on their modeling cards now.

June 30, 2018 – Quick Swim

Austin visited us for lunch and we all hopped into the pool beforehand. The funniest moment though was when Margo catapulted a chunk of whip cream onto Arno’s pants. She hit just the spot to make it very embarrassing.

June 29, 2018 – Margo’s Fashion Show

Margo spent this week in fashion camp where she learned about models, agencies and how to walk down the runway. Today was the clear highlight for the girls as they had the opportunity to show off all of their newly acquired skills. It was fun to watch!

June 22, 2018 – Germany

Just a quick trip to visit my Mom. Nils and I met up in Oldenburg, I went to see Marcus’ new restaurant and visited with Charlotte and Malte until deep into the night. It’s always great to catch up with everybody, even if it’s only for a few short moments.

June 15, 2018 – Back Home

We’re finally back home and are pretty happy about it, too. The morning was utterly uneventful and the drive not worth a mention. Back in the house, we all scrambled into our own rooms for some welcome privacy, cherishing the ability to closeonesdoor ononesclose relatives for a few precious hours.

June 14, 2018 – Day Three

So, we did go to the pool and we swam – again. It did not help with yesterdays’ sunburns though and forced us to take it a bit easier for the rest of the day. After threatening everyone with a modern art museum and being vocally overturned, we still needed to get away from this place for a bit. We all got in the car and drove to Austin for a tour of the capitol building and some very decent food in a hip Italian place.

June 13, 2018 – Day Two

Our first full day was characterized by lots of swimming, floating races down the lazy river and strong efforts on all sides not to use foul language. We mostly succeeded. Other than that, we also ate a lot as we always do, but without the cooking, which was very nice. It’s so easy to not worry about it or spending lots of time in the kitchen. Tomorrow we’ll try to convert our lobster tan into a real one while swimming a whole lot more.

June 12, 2018 – Lost Pines

Meredith has a conference in South Texas each year and so we all decided to go. It is in a place called Lost Pines, which immediately prompted Arno to suggest that we switch the E and I in the name on all signs. Great idea! Anyway, we’ll be here for the next couple of days and need to figure out what to do besides playing pool and swimming in the pool, which seem to be the only sensible options so far.

June 9, 2018 – Arno’s Goodbye

Arno had invited his best friends for pizza and a swim. He’ll be joining a new class after the summer at St. Monica, so this was also a goodbye party for him.

June 8, 2018 – Willy Wonka

Arno and Margo have been at Hockaday for the week as part of their summer camps. While Margo was focused on fashion design and sewing, Arno learned how to perform a play and, of course, acted in it as well. It was great fun to watch the kids and to see Arno on stage.

June 6, 2018 – And Yet More …

So here are the last of the portraits. I am fully paid up and we all got what we wanted.

June 4, 2018 – And More …

I am still getting my $2 worth of photos (more soon). Here are some portraits throughout the day. Otherwise lots of cooking, horsing around and a bit of swimming, now that the pool is perfect once again.

June 2, 2018 – Portraits

I knew this day would come. Arno and Margo now want to be paid for their portraits. We mutually agreed on two dollars for 100 images each. Next, I’ll probably have to pay the espresso machine as well …

June 1, 2018 – Friday

Arno was home from school today due to a shoulder injury and so we spent some time at the pool, had a great burger for lunch and horsed around a bit while I worked in-between.

May 30, 2018 – Arno’s Graduation

Arno cleared the hurdle to fourth grade today, which was quite easy for him. We attended his very long awards ceremony and then went home. I told him he could pick any place he’d like for lunch and that’s how he tricked me. We ended up eating at McDonalds, which we virtually never do, much to Arno’s delight.

May 28, 2018 – Memorial Day

This weekend was our first in the pool, which has just been refinished a few weeks ago. It was really nice to be back outside, enjoying the sun and playing around. We had a really quiet weekend without obligations and just a lot of time to play games, cook food and watch movies.

May 24, 2018 – Around the Room

I’ve just been playing with the camera a bit tonight.

May 23, 2018 – Margo’s Concert

Margo has been dabbling in music for a while now and had played the trumpet for about a year now. Today she finally got her chance to show it all in front of an audience of parents and fellow students at her school.

May 21, 2018 – A Birthday Party

Arno and I went to a birthday party for Nolan, one of his best friends, which took place in a really large gym. The boys played football and soccer and ran around quite a bit. It was really fun to watch him interact with his friends.  Afterwards, we all met up for dinner at our local Thai spot.

May 12, 2018 – JHG Wine Tasting

We had our annual JHG wine tasting tonight, which was great fun and, as always, highly interesting.

May 11, 2018 – Friday

This was a really busy week, albeit the fact that I rolled off a project and wasn’t working twelve or more hours per day for the first time this year. We resurfaced the pool, will get a new backyard fence this weekend and had lots of stuff going on for Margo and Arno. Maybe most interesting, Meredith bought Margo her first pair of heels, which is about a decade too early as far as I am concerned, but who’s asking?

May 2, 2018 – Margo’s Birthday

Margo was very excited when she went to bed last night and we all had to promise to get up really early so that we have enough time to unpack presents. Obviously, we all complied as we began our day around 4:45am this morning. Margo got clothes, a new phone and a necklace. In the evening, I picked up the kids and we all met at Houston’s for dinner.

April 29, 2018 – Downtown with Tourists

Arno and I went to see an Ansel Adams exhibition at the Dallas Holocaust Museum today and then wandered off into downtown. He had never been to the Kennedy memorial and so we went. It was actually very nice and we had lots of fun taking pictures.

April 28, 2018 – Margo’s Birthday Party

Margo invited her best friend, Ashley, to celebrate her birthday today. We went to lunch at Houston’s, saw a girl teen movie and then moved on to the beauty salon, had lots of cookies and ice cream and roamed through the Mall a lot as well.

April 15, 2018 – Dinner

We took the 94 Mercedes out for a ride today, which turned out to be a bad idea as the rear window went down, but not up again. There’ll be a major repair bill in our future somewhere. After bringing the car back into the garage, we proceeded with safer transportation to make a second attempt at dinner.

April 8, 2018 – Breakfast

I changed my flight to a 5am out of Boston this morning, which meant little sleep and a long day ahead. The upside was that we were able to hit Norma’s for an all-American breakfast of bacon and eggs in the morning.

April 7, 2018 – Convocation

Today we had our convocation at the German retirement home in Boston. It is great to see everyone after a year and there is always lots to catch up about. We’ve had many good conversations, lots of new insights and met new folks as well, which is certainly a pleasure. Ruedigerand I went for a walk across the Commons before our church service and formal dinner in the evening where we had lots of laughs and a really good time.

April 6, 2018 – Boston

We arrived in a snow storm today, which was quite a change from the 22C we had in Dallas when we took off. I had a few hours to walk around and luckily the sky cleared a bit so that I could walk and shoot a little. In the evening, we had a reception dinner at a local sea food restaurant, which was very special as it always is.

April 1, 2018 – Easter

Given that Easter Sunday and April Fools Day fell on the same day, we decided to have a bit of fun with it. Meredith had the great idea to give Margo and Arno empty presents, which worked out exactly as planned. Of course, they both got a goody bag with a few small gifts and some candy in the end.

March 25, 2018 – Chillida Exhibition

We saw a very interesting exhibition by Eduardo Chillida today at the Meadows in-between Burger House and Paciugos. It was really nice to  get out a bit and enjoy the day.

March 11, 2018 – Football in the Park

Our Sunday was thoroughly uneventful except that Arno and I went to the park so that we could throw the ball for a bit. Arno has a very good arm and can throw very well. Thus, we need to work on catching the ball a little.

March 4, 2018 – Arno’s Riding Competition

Arno got to show off his horseback riding skills today in the annual competition at the SMU stables. He did very well and mastered the challenge with stride. Overall he finished second, which left him a bit ruffled. Hopefully that will just turn into more ambition down the road.

March 3, 2018 – The Park

We needed to decide where to spend another perfectly sunny afternoon. The downtown park sounded real good and gave us a shot at visiting as many of the museums as possible. It also provided a much needed break after a very long week of work for me.

February 25, 2018 – A Movie and Some Cool Moves

Arno and I took off today to see “Black Panther” at the Highland Park Village, which was awesome. We had lunch at the local grocery store, then proceeded to the theater and really enjoyed the flic. Afterwards, we went to the park and the DMA. Since it was a balmy 22C out, we quickly lost our sweaters and Arno jumped right in with the break dancers who typically show up on Sundays.

February 19, 2018 – The Weekend

We’ve a very engaging dinner with Diana and Martin last night and then another great meal with Hans-Walter and Barbara today. It was really great to catch up with everyone as we laughed through most of the night and talked through the day.

February 14, 2018 – Valentines

Since the date fell into the middle of the week, we exchanged gifts in the evening. Meredith got a wobbly head figure of the Queen, which she must now fashion on her desk at work, but which more likely ends up in a drawer or on someone else’s desk. Margo and Arno both got what they wanted and I ended up with a big box of chocolates, which I do and don’t want – both for obvious reasons. Afterwards we frolicked around.

February 3, 2018 – The Party

Several good friends came over for our party tonight. Meredith procured all the food so that we could just focus on our guests, which was really nice. Unfortunately, I did not catch everyone on film while we talked a lot, laughed as much and had a couple of glasses of wine.

February 2, 2018 – Birthday

Today was my fiftieth birthday. We started the day early since we all needed to get to work or school and then opened presents in the evening. Margo and Arno had both written letters, which was very sweet.

January 28, 2018 – Duck Sunday

We went over to Michaela and Tony today for a fabulous lunch with potato soup and duck. It was a lot of fun, as always, and we spent a great afternoon talking and tasting a bit of wine.

January 20, 2018 – A Night to Remember

Erin and Michael came over for a glass of wine and some pizza tonight. We had lots of laughs and ended up drinking quite a bit of wine. Most amazingly, Margo and Arno stuck around for most of the dinner, which is most unusual. They were just very comfortable.

January 14, 2018 – Weekend Fun

We had a very relaxing weekend, played games, watched the Kingsmen movies and visited a park with dinosaurs. What else could you want?

January 7, 2018 – Buying New Boots

It’s been two years since Arno got his Cowboy boots and was time to move him up in size. So, after a big breakfast and a quick round of backgammon during which everyone refused to pay me for their losses, we went and tried a couple of nice ones.

January 6, 2018 – Walk in the Park

I had a few hours in-between the morning and afternoon activities and decided to take a walk around downtown while is was balmy and sunny.

January 1, 2018 – New Years Day

Since everybody stayed up past midnight yesterday, we had an adequately slow start into the day. For the most part, we caught up on our Star Wars and tried to keep warm.

December 30, 2017 – This Week

It was a quiet week with some work and lots of time to play with old and new toys. Tonight, Bonnie and David came over for a dinner that Margo prepared as a Thank You for her godmother.

December 25, 2017 – Christmas

Round two of Christmas dealings. Today we all received the American presents, surprised each other a lot and then played a couple of rounds of the Whimpy Kid boardgame that Arno gave to Margo. Having received a Nintendo Switch, Arno is now part of the in-crowd while Margo got an entire new wardrobe for the summer.

December 24, 2017 – Weihnachten

As every year, we cherish German as well as American traditions over Christmas. Margo and Arno received their presents from Oma today and we also had Austin over, who could not make it tomorrow. So we exchanged gifts with him as well and then had a nice lunch with him. Meredith and I both received a book on philosophy and a German movie from Austin, which was very nice.

December 21, 2017 – Haircuts

It was due time to impose structure on a couple of unruly heads. So, we went for Tan’s Eggroll, a complete hole-in-the-wall with great Chinese food, for strength and then proceeded straight to Rachel. As a result, we all look like decent human beings again. Next, we put the finishing touches to our rooms. Margo and Arno had both done an incredible job in sorting through toys and books that they do not need anymore and which we have donated for poor children. In return for their hard work, both now have 48 hours of “unlimited everything” which means they can stay up as long as they want to, watch as many movies as they like, etc. I was told someone stayed up until 1am this evening.

December 10, 2017 – Brunch

This morning we were invited over to Marcus and Marie’s home for brunch. Unfortunately, it looks like they might be going back to Germany soon and we will miss the good company and friendship. At least we’ll soon have more more stop on our German trips since they are moving to Dusseldorf and thus close to home.

December 9, 2017 – Invention of Christmas

We had another highly engaging JHG lecture by Thomas tonight on the invention of modern-day Christmas. It was quite a surprise to learn that it is a purely German product which only came to the US in the 1830s while Santa Claus was an American invention who first made is appearance during the civil war; only for Northern soldiers as a bit of psychological warfare.

December 6, 2017 – Food

Just a few impressions from our favorite past-time: eating good food.

December 5, 2017 – Trumpet

We may not have Satchmo in the family, but Margo sure is trying to get close. She played the trumpet for me for the first time tonight, which was a lot of fun. Most astonishingly, she took Beethoven’s Ninth in a completely new direction and it was subsequently very hard for both of usnot to burst out as we waited for any vital signs of D minor …

December 3, 2017 – On Film

It has been months since I was last able to take the Pentax 6×7 out for an adventure, so I was very excited to have a few hours and four rolls of film to play with. The process is not easy, you only get ten shots per roll, which means there are no second chances. Once you are done, you then have to first develop and then scan the negatives, but it is well worth it in terms of the quality of the images. My first stop was Deep Ellum North of downtown where I shot in color.

Second stop, now in B&W, was Bishops Art District …

December 2, 2017 – Northpark

Margo and I had the afternoon off and wanted to see the new Murder on the Orient Express movie. Once at Northpark Mall, we grabbed lunch at the Mermaid Bar and then headed over to the theater dodging large x-mas crowds. The movie did not disappoint one bit and was filmed in 65mm to make it an incredible experience to watch.

December 1, 2017 – Adventskalender

Meredith had the excellent idea to give Margo and Arno books for Advent this year. She put together 24 packages, one for each day, for each of them. Given how much we all love books, the excitement ran high tonight.

November 25, 2017 – Pizza Night

Stan and Julie Ryfa came over with her two sisters for a pizza and wine night. We truly enjoyed the great company and had a few good pizzas along the way as well.

November 22, 2017 – The Week

We had a few slow days leading up to Thanksgiving, which gave us a chance to goof around and spent a lot of time together. There was a lot of dressing up, dancing around and cooking good food.

November 17, 2017 – Talent Show

Tonight Margo had her talent show at school, which was really amazing. We saw many really good performances and had a lot of fun. Margo’s class danced to Surfing USA by the Beach Boys.

November 12, 2017 – In the Kitchen

Everything happens here: dramas regularly unfold in this space, most work gets done in it, we celebrate our successes here andwe obviously cook a bit as well. If you were to reduce our house to just the kitchen, nobody would probably notice until it is time to go to bed.

November 5, 2017 – Downtown

I took a few hours off today and grabbed the camera for a stroll around the DMA and park. The museum currently has a very interesting infinity box piece by Yayoi Kusama, which pretty much requires getting an appointment. I was lucky to be there over the lunch hour and could slip right in.

November 4, 2017 – JHG Champagne Tasting

Tonight, we had our first annual Champagne Tasting at JHG Texas, which was very engaging. We tried five sparkling wines from different countries, which led to interesting revelations especially based on the varietals that were used to make them. My favorite was a Californian. The organization also awarded it’s first scholarship for nurses tonight, which was very exciting.

November 3, 2017 – Tae Kwon Do

Arno has been training in Tae Kwon Do for a while now and just received his second belt this week. He really likes the sport, which is apparent in these images.

November 2, 2017 – Margo’s Semifinals

They did it. Tonight Margo’s team beat the best team in their league to move into the Championship finals this weekend. The game was really thrilling and a great pleasure to watch. Needless to say, the girls were incredibly excited and just very happy to be playing for the big trophy on Saturday.

October 31, 2017 – A Roman and a Rock’n’Roller

Tonight was Halloween and despite the expectation that some of us,by now,might be too old to collect candy house-by-house, we all went out and mounted a solid attack on the neighborhood. There were quite a few people on the road, which was fun to see.

October 30, 2017 – Margo’s Playoffs

Margo’s volleyball team has fared extremely well this year after a mixed performance during the last season. Most of the credit surely goes to their coach, who is a phenomenal motivator for the girls and also extremely fair to all of them. The game was close and very thrilling to watch. Everyone on the stands enjoyed it thoroughly.

October 26, 2017 – Friends

Luckily, I had a chance to visit Malte, Charlotte and the family during my stay in Germany. It was great fun and we talked well into the night, as always.

October 22, 2017 – Car Heaven

Do cars go to heaven? Yes, in fact they do, but they pass through a small, little known workshop in Oldenburg Germany before transitioning from one existence to the next. While visiting Nils, I got a first-hand glimpse into the process and saw the final results as well. It’s simply a magical place and you can’t help but wonder what happened to each of these vehicles, their histories and the stories they might tell, if they would only come to life. Needless to say, we had a great weekend with lots of laughter, good food and great conversation.

October 15, 2017 – Highland Park Pharmacy

Another visit to one of our favorite spots, the Pharmacy. We took Meredith to the airport for a conference and then had all day to roam around, which we did. Arno finally found the car he wants to drive when he grows up. Now he’s just got to work a little to get there …

October 10, 2017 – Arno’s Birthday

Two long days of patience and waiting have passed, more than a dozen bags with gifts from Sunday are still untouched and now the day is finally here! We all got up very early to have enough time for Arno, who unwrapped a couple of presents and then went on to School. In the afternoon Meredith picked up Margo and Arno as early as possible and we continued to unwrap, dance, smile, shout and scream. In the end, it was probably the birthday with the  most presents, yet, for Arno and we all enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Houston’s afterwards.

October 8, 2017 – Arno’s Birthday Bash

It actually isn’t his birthday today, that will be in two days’ time, but it was the only weekend we had available until November to celebrate Arno’s birthday with friends and families. One of the parents in Arno’s class recommended a place called Pinstack, which is a bowling alley with laser guns, a climbing wall and a ton of machines to play. It was a great afternoon and now Arno really can’t wait to open all of his presents on Tuesday.

October 7, 2017 – Downtown

Saturdays are busy. In the afternoon, we all took Arno to his riding lesson and then moved Margo to a birthday and pumpkin carving party South of downtown. The rest of us continued on to a walk through art galleries and dinner at our favorite BBQ spot in downtown.

September 28, 2017 – JHG Lecture

Today, we heard a very engaging lecture by Prof. Dr. Haspel, the Executive Director of the Lutheran Academy in Erfurt, on the parallels between Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr. The event was very well attended and thoroughly interesting.

September 26, 2017 – Fathers Day Mass

It’s been three months since Father’s Day, but we had the appropriate mass at school today and so I went with Margo and Arno. As in previous years, it was nice to see all the kids walk in with their Dads and for me to be there for Margo and Arno. Both had made very nice presents for me.

September 21, 2017 – Dancing

We had a little music going on this evening which spontaneously turned into a party. Originally Arno was on his way to Taekwondo and Margo planning to stick around to help me fix dinner.Then things took a different turn.

September 17, 2017 – Cotillion

Margo started her second season of etiquette coaching, this time at the Dallas Country Club, which was fun to watch. We only caught the end of her session, but it was very nice to see her enjoy the atmosphere and her peers.

September 11, 2017 – Modelling

Arno needed some images for school on Wednesday, so we set out to snap a few images that look cool, professional in a James Bond way and handsome as well. Now we’ve got to print them all since we can’t decide which one is best …

September 10, 2017 – Modern

To give Meredith some time off, the rest of us jumped in the car and drove over to the Modern in Fort Worth. It was an easy drive as many people were likely still on holiday and since premiums gas remains a sought-after commodity here in the area. We had a very good lunch during which Margo told us her body can’t eat any more meat while she was wolfing down slices of crispy bacon.

September 8, 2017 – Meredith’s Birthday

We all got up real early this morning to wish Meredith a Happy Birthday and to give her a present from Margo and Arno to open. After work, we continued with more presents from all of us and with a dinner at the local Greek place.

September 5, 2017 – New York

I had an hour or two before meeting Nancy and Johnfor dinnerat our customary spot, the Oyster Bar, and took a walk down and then up the High Line. It was pretty touristy though and I quickly moved back to the streets where lots of professionals were rushing towards the subway or home.

September 3, 2017 – Downtown

Not having been able to photograph much these past few months due to work, I took the opportunity to venture into downtown for an hour of visiting the DMA and park. Margo helped me in the kitchen where we finally managed to perfect our french fries, which was great fun as well.

August 27, 2017 – The Weekend

We had avery niceweekend with a bite of decent food andexcellentcompany in that Barbara and Hans-Walter came over for dinner. Margo and I ventured out to Lockhard for our favorite BBQ and some shopping for fancy hats (we didn’t buy any) on Sunday.

August 19, 2017 – Flying Fish

We had lots of contentious views on where to eat dinner so we decided, well actually I forced everyone, to go to Flying Fish. The meal was accompanies by much drama and minor psychological scars, but everyone survived the extremely healthy food, which is a start.

August 16, 2017 – Margo Day

Margo had a really nice idea today: she got a nice gift for everyone in the family and told us that she will present it on a day of her choosing. We quickly evolved the idea to include a special day for everyone so that we’ll have small, but heartfelt presents four times a year. Next up is Arno, who will pick a day in the Fall.

August 13, 2017 – Chicken Nuggets

Arno and I made chicken nuggets from the ground up this morning, which turned out really well. Arno is a very good chef already as he understands the intricacies of taste and how to refine a sauce or dish slightly to our liking. For dinner I made schnitzel with white asparagus, and it was a self-inflicted punishment to peel the darn things for an hour and a half.

August 6, 2017 – The Weekend

We had a rather short weekend since I had to work on Saturday and needed to fly to Phoenix on Sunday morning already. It was nice none the less and we had a bit of good food at our traditional Korean restaurant on Friday evening.

July 28, 2017 – Margo’s Play

For the past three weeks, Margo has been in a theater class at her summer camp and tonight it was showtime. The performance was incredibly well put together and had a thoroughly professional touch. Most of the actors were older and thus received more prominent roles, but it was a great experience for her in any case. After all, she got to watch and learn from many kids who already are semi-professional actors. We thoroughly enjoyed the show and the fact that Austin came out to see her as well.

July 23, 2017 – Iris van Herpen at the DMA

Arno and I went out for lunch and decided that it might be a good idea to check out the new exhibitions at the DMA. We had lots of fun at the creative center where Arno invented a new communication device that seemed surprisingly close to resembling an automobile and then went into the truly astonishing Iris van Herpen exhibit. Given that fashion runs in the family and that Arno is very much on top of it, it was very nice to see a designer who can stretch our perceptions by showing familiar things in a completely new way.

July 22, 2017 – A Swim and A Swim

We had a very busy day with math tutoring in the morning, swimming lessons after lunch and a birthday party in the afternoon. It was all great fun though and we really enjoyed the party with good conversations and a phenomenal pool.

July 16, 2017 – Fancy Dress

We are still recovering from the long trip and thus spent aquietweekend at home. Meredith bought clothes for Margo and Arno, which naturally meant that we had to try them on and parade around.

July 7, 2017 – Going Home

Well, our time is almost up by now. We made some last minute purchases and spent time with my Mom before heading back to Frankfurt and a nice visit with the Fischers in Sinsheim.

July 4, 2017 – Chiemsee

Nici and Andreas had invited a few of us over to their home at the Chiemsee after the convocation where we spent two wonderful days with food and wine. We visited king Ludwig’s castle on the Herrenchiemsee island and had an all around wonderful time. On the way back, we were very fortunate to escape an accident between three trucks that occurred literally a 100 yards ahead of us on the highway. If we had been 15 seconds further advanced, we could have been in the middle of it all.

July 2, 2017 – City Tour

We ended our stay in Erlangen with a tour of the city, which was engaging and fun. Our guide was a professional historian and educator, so we all learned a tremendous amount.

July 1, 2017 – Convocation

Today we attended the Johanniter convocation, which is always great fun and highly interesting. I am amazed by the caliber of people each time we go.

June 30, 2017 – Erlangen

Margo, Meredith and I went to the town of Erlangen for our Johanniter convocation while Arno stayed with Hucky in Bonn for a few days. The town is beautiful and still very much preserved since it wasn’t bombed nearly as much during the war, due to US tanks being too close by the time the British got around to destroying it, as other parts of the country were.

June 29, 2017 – Krefeld

By now, we spent a couple of very nice and relaxing days with my Mom in Krefeld.

June 26, 2017 – Perfect Hair Day

Meredith and Margo went to their annual four-hour hair appointment and loved every second of it. Obviously, they look like they belong to a far richer family every time they come out, but Arno and I are stll allowed to tug along.

June 25, 2017 – Travel Day

Flying to Germany never gets any easier. We were all packed this morning and ready to go when Ray showed up to take us to the airport. The flight was very much uneventful and we ended up in Frankfurt with a bit of energy left. We made a quick trip to Dusseldorf over lunch and took it very easy otherwise.

June 18, 2017 – Father’s Day

This year had a special surprise in store: Margo and Arno both performed beautiful dances for me which they had choreographed and rehearsed for the past week. It was really nice to see them and I couldn’t be prouder.

June 17, 2017 – Quick Swim

We’ve not  been outside much this year and so we now use every opportunity, no matter how short, to get out and soak in the sun.

June 15, 2017 – Raclette

I guess we’ve had some miscommunication about fondue versus raclette and cheese versus broth. Margo and Arno both want the meaty version where you stick a piece of cow or pig into a pot until you’re reasonably sure that all bacteria has withered and then you stuff it into your mouth. Well, what we did was a typical raclette with cold cuts, pickles, onions and cheese on top. There were few happy campers tonight.

June 11, 2017 – Season Opener

Arno and Margo had a swim earlier, but it was still pretty cold and a short affair, so today really was the opening of the pool season for us. It was a balmy 90 degrees outside and the water wasn’t too bad.

June 9, 2017 – New Clothes

Just a few shots from this week and mainly today. Margo participated in a fashion show at her Hockaday summer camp and promptly returned with a complete new outfit.

June 7, 2017 – Around the Room

Just playing around a little, I decided to try to take a few shots in the room to capture anything that looks interesting. That actually sounds a lot easier than it is and there are lots of hard choices in regard to what to include or leave out, how to approach an image and how to frame the shot.

June 3, 2017 – Arno Riding

It is always fun to watch your kids in sports activities and you can often catch yourself being very proud of what they accomplish. For Arno, it is horseback riding that makes it worth my while. He has been a natural and absolutely fearless from the very first time, when he rode Stefan’s horse in Germany, on. My Dad rode exactly the same way, so it must be in his genes.

This evening we were invited to an excellent dinner at Carol and Eric’s house. Eric is likely the best amateur cook I know, so this was a lot of fun and a real treat. It was also weird to be sitting it out as I wasn’t allowed to help. It was a very good experience all around though.

May 29, 2017 – Movie at the Mall

Arno wanted to see the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie and so we ventured out to Northpark Mall. The movie was actually pretty good ans we both enjoyed the experience. Of course, we couldn’t go back home without having an ice cream at Paciugo’s first where we promptly ran in Marcus and his family.

May 27, 2017 – JHG Dinner

Tonight we had a medieval dinner at the Clark residence, which worked out great andwaswell-received. Everyone had fun and the food was excellent.

May 24, 2017 – New York

I had meetings on the following day and took a few hours to walk from the Southern tip of Manhattan to Central Park and then back down to Grand Central for a very nice dinner with Claudius and Gesa. It was pretty much a cloudy day and the light conditions changed every few steps, which made it very challenging to achieve satisfactory results throughout.

May 21, 2017 – Architecture

I took the Pentax 6×7 out today to get a couple of nice architectural shots. These are just test images I took with a digital camera to find the best angles and spots for the film shots. Hopefully, this will eventually morph into a new project to document more of the urban environment here in Dallas.

May 19, 2017 – Eating Out

We’ve been very busy and also lazy, which resulted in having to find good, yet affordable restaurant food.

May 17, 2017 – Final Exams

As the final exams come closer, everyone has been studying real hard …

May 14, 2017 – Mother’s Day

This was obviously Meredith’s day and we spoiled her as much as we could. Arno and I started the morning by watching the F1 race in Barcelona, which wasn’t really her cup of tea, but things progressed from here. The three of us had a couple of very nice gifts for her and we all went to Northpark for anoutsidebrunch on a perfect day. Back home, we cooked for her and had great fun playing “Trash”.

May 12, 2017 – Athlete’s Banquet

Tonight Margo was honored at her school for successfully playing on the fifth grade volleyball and basketball teams. There were a lot of parents, a lot of speeches and the kids had lots of fun.

May 7, 2017 – Bishop Arts

While Margo and Meredith met with her godmother for a birthday lunch, Arno and I ventured out to Bishop Arts district where we had a feisty lunch at Lockharts and then took a few shots in the area.

Margo came home from her shopping trip with what basically amounts to her new summer wardrobe. She had a lot of fun shopping and picked very wisely as well. Here she is giving me a private fashion show.

May 6, 2017 – The Party

Margo invited her closest friends from school for a movie night and pizza contest at our house. The girls all decorated their own pizza and then got a prize (an ever-popular fidget spinner) for their creation. Surprisingly, it worked out in a way that each of Margo’s guests won a prize. Afterwards, they watched the movie and had a ton of popcorn.

May 2, 2017 – Margo’s Birthday

Margo turned eleven today. I really can’t believe how fast she is growing up. This morning we celebrated her German birthday with the gift she received from my Mom and then in the evening we went to Houston’s and she unwrapped all of her other gifts.

April 3o, 2017 – Lazy Sunday

No much to report. Everyone was so exhausted from the past few weeks that we decided to do surprisingly little today. Margo and I went shopping for her birthday party next week and Arno spent a lot of time with one of several Lego sets he’s not had a chance to build, yet.

April 23, 2017 – Main Street Arts Festival

Arno and I went to the Forth Worth Main Street Arts Festival today to get a couple of nice street shots from the event. We left really early to get there before the festival really started up and also because the light is just best between 10 and 11, the so called golden hour with great shadows and lots of dark spots and sunlight. We stopped at PF Changs for a quick lunch and then headed back out for more photos.

April 22, 2017 – Couple of Shots

I haven’t been able to photograph as much as usually do and certainly as I would like to. It’s been too busy lately and we really did not have time for a couple of series. These images were taken over a two-week period at home and the school where Arno participated in the second grade living museum. He was Pericles and caught a bit of flack from the minister for impersonating a man who was divorced and never bothered to get married to his second wife, but that did not stop him from picking a fierce warrior and skilled politician as his subject. Good for him!

April 10, 2017 – Deep Ellum Arts Festival

The Deep Ellum Arts Festival is a great place to shoot, lots of fascinating people, nobody complains about being photographed and there’s always a million good backdrops. We walked for a couple of hours until everyone was out of juice, but it was well worth it.

April 9, 2017 – Our Week

Just a few show from this past week. Somehow I never managed to get enough together for an entry here so these are all over the place.

March 26, 2017 – Lunch

We had a late night yesterday and really only made it out of the house for the unavoidable food-intake today.

March 25, 2017 – JHG Wine Tasting

Tonight we were at the annual JHG Texas wine tasting, which had the theme of underdogs, basically wines that are underappreciated and from unknown regions. It was great fun, as always, and Nici celebrated her birthday as well with cake and a song.

March 19, 2017 – DMA Exhibition

The DMA has staged a fantastic Mexican art exhibition at the moment and it is hard to even find parking. Yes, the works by Rivera, Kahlo and many other first-rate artists was clearly worth the hassle. We actually did not have to stand in line due to our membership, which made it even better. The museum manages the flow of people very well so that you never feel that it is crowded.

March 18, 2017 – Season Opener

It was clearly a first when Arno decided that he wanted to go for a swim in March. Usually the pool season doesn’t start for another month at least, but then again, it is pretty warm already. Margo joined in pretty soon afterwards and both suppressed their shivers as they got out of the cold water again. In the end, it was good fun for everybody.

March 15, 2017 – Hunting in the Kitchen

Arno played around with his bow and arrow for a bit tonight …

March 12, 2017 – The Weekend

We actually had a much quieter weekend than we had anticipated. Our dinner plans for Saturday were crossed when the folks we had invited canceled and today other friends reported the onslaught of the flu so that we could not visit with them either. We took to the Meadows instead and saw a phenomenal Ribera exhibition and then concluded the adventurein stylewith our favorite milkshake.

March 5, 2017 – Lazy Sunday

Not much to report today. We watched a couple of the Star Wars movies and ate a lot. That’s about all there was.

March 3, 2017 – Cotillion

Margo has been going to a formal dancing and manners course this year. She learned how to conduct herself at dinners and formal dances and met a bunch of very nice folks her age. Today was the last event where parents where allowed to watch and photograph.

March 2, 2017 – Bulgogi

We all met at our favorite Korean BBQ restaurant after school today, which has long become a staple for us. The staff knows us so well by now that we don’t even have to order.

February 27, 2017 – Frankfurt

So, this is a repeat from a few years back when I had the Monochrom with me at the Frankfurt airport. It was interesting in that I have taken to some of the same images as before and also to see the difference color makes.

February 26, 2017 – Bonn

I visited Malte and Charlotte today for a very unique Karneval experience in Bruehl close to Bonn. It was really good to see everyone again and certainly fun to meet some very nice new folks as well.

February 25, 2017 – Dusseldorf

Nils and I took a long walk through Dusseldorf, which was really nice.Most of all, it was great just to catch up since we hadn’t had a chance to see each other for too long by now.We took a bunch of street shots, then ran into a large group of folks celebrating carnival and ended up at the Meilenwerk, a storage and retail space for vintage automobiles.

February 20, 2017 – A Couple of Shots

We’ve been making photos throughout the last two weeks, but it kind of flowed at its own pace. Most were shot on random days, some on Valentine’s and others last night.

February 5, 2017 – Pizza

Since I got a new steel plate for the pizza oven for my birthday, we figured we better give it a try. Now, making pizza is usually an all-day affair as we start with the dough and source and then prepare the individual toppings. We made four tonight and they turned out to be by far the best we have ever managed. The steel plate really does wonders in the 500 degree heat of our pizza oven.

February 2, 2017 – Birthday

It is so nice that I didn’t have to travel so far this year and we promptly used the opportunity celebrate my birthday today.  I was extremely touched by the nice gifts and the fact that Arno and Margo both really put a lot of thought into what I like.

January 29, 2017 – Day in the Park

It was absolutely gorgeous today, which prompted Margo and me to go out and explore a little. We took the train through downtown and rummaged around the park, added a few stops for coffee and ice cream and then went shopping to bring it all to a close.

January 28, 2017 – Hanging Out

We all met at Fernando’sfor lunchafter my class and Arno’s German school, went horseback riding and then had a very quiet evening with little to do but studies and playing around.

January 26, 2017 – Bubble Wrap

We found a package with new dinnerware at our front door this afternoon and soon enough the packaging materials morphed into a set of highly creative costumes. Naturally, it turned into a fun dance and superhero show pretty quickly.

January 22, 2017 – At the DMA

While Margo [played her basketball game, we drove down to the museum for lunch. Naturally, we ended up drawing and crafting while we did not eat much. Needless to say, the exhibitions were more interesting than food as well. In the end, we ended up at the Pharmacy on our drive back to the house.

In the evening we were finally ready to try out all of Margo’s new dresses to determine which ones she’s going to keep …

January 21, 2017 – This Week

We had an eventful week in which we saw the offices behind the house being torn down to make room for new homes. We had burgers at Chips, ice cream at Paciugo’s, went to our favorite bookstore, rode the skateboard in the living room and made slime from glue and detergent.

And here are a couple of B&W shots …

January 14, 2017 – Charlotte’s Web

Over lunch, we secured supplies to make a traditional Texas chili with chuck beef and lots of home-made chili paste.We then went to see Charlotte’s web at the Eiseman Center in Richardson. Arno and Margo have both read the book and knew the story well, however, it was still a lot of fun to watch the actors, who each had two roles in the play. Afterwards, we got in line to obtain an autograph on our programs while Arno told Templeton (the rat) that he liked him best. When we came home, we found that Meredith had bought a couple of dresses that Margo can wear for her Cotillion group which introduces fifth graders to etiquette, formal dancing and table manners.

January 7, 2017 – Basketball

This winter, Margo started to play basketball, which is something her Mom had also done as a child. She enjoys it very much and we wish we could provode her with more opportunities to practice so that she can build her skills quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, she’s bound to the practices at the school and thus needs to be more patient. In any case, she is very good already and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her game today.

January 2, 2017 – The New Year

So, we did not go to the fountain in downtown as we had done in previous years. Instead, we spent the morning watching a brilliant Sean Connery as Bond in Diamonds are Forever and then we took off to the park to soak in the sun. It was a georgous day with about 24 C and lots of light. Truly a Texas winter day.