Lots of time since my last post- sorry- but that means there's lots to catch you up on! The best thing is....
Stephen is home from Iraq! He came home in July and we were able to be there in Heidelberg when his brigade arrived. We were joined by many other happy family members, waiting to welcome them back to Germany and home. It was very touching for me to watch my little boy (!) lead his men in formation. Stephen looked so good, even with his funky moustache. I know he is so glad to be back. It's nice to be in the same country with at least one of my children!
In early August, to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary on August 12, we traveled by ICE train to Vienna, Austria, that grand old dame of Europe. That is one beautiful city, with truly majestic architecture. We did not get to visit the Lippizaner Horses, as they were 'on vacation' during our time there. But we visited the Hofburg, one of the palaces in Vienna, as well as the Art Museum. Our last day it was very hot, but we were still able to enjoy a fest near the Rathaus, with jazz music and food from all over the world. Sehr schoen! There is also a great park called the Prater, where one can ride all kinds of crazy dangerous rides, including a huge Ferris wheel with tram cars on it. We didn't ride anything, because it was too hot, but we plan to return at a cooler time. I want to ride the roller coasters!
At the beginning of September, Stephen and Megh came to visit us for a weekend. They wanted to go to Prague, since it is so close to us here. So to Prague we went again, on a gorgeous day with our son and his wife. Great day. We were able to visit the cathedral at the palace, which we missed on our trip with Michele and Dan Buhl, and it was breathtaking. It has some of the most beautiful stained glass windows I have ever seen.
And last time I blogged I had mentioned that Drew was engaged- and now they are getting married in December! New Year's Eve, specifically, on the stage at Triad Theater in Greensboro, where Drew and his fiancee Kelsey both work. So we will be flying back to NC after Christmas for a brief but exciting visit.
Fall is here, the weather is cooling down nicely, and lots of changes are on board for the library here. We are getting a new computer system call Millennium, so all of our records, etc. are being transferred over. At the end of September, we are also getting RFID, which is a new-fangled way to tag the materials in the library. This means all of our materials will need to be newly tagged and logged into the computer. Whew! Changes are exhausting. But hopefully worth it.
Ben is loving his bike still- we have plans today to meet some friends and ride to a gasthaus about an hour away to have dinner and watch the sun go down in the valley below. Should be excellent. Must go- keep in touch!
5 comments:
Can you tell me about the painting that Ben is contemplating in the Vienna Art Museum? : )
Yes. It is an ancient rendering of the world famous Cow Chip Factory. A predecessor of the modern Cheesecake Factory, The Cow Chip Factory offered reasonably priced cow chip meals to the weary European traveler. On the cold winter nights they offered Cow Chip Stew, filled with Cow Chip shavings and the afterbirth of the originator of the cow chips....if one was lucky enough to visit the Cow Chip Factory just after the birth of a new calf.
In the Spring, there would be the lighter and more tan colored Cow Chip Pie. As the flowers were blooming it seems the cow would enjoy the tasty seeds from the local vegetation and transfer those to their internal Cow Chip factories.....providing a Springtime delicacy available only for those few months when the flowers bloom on the beautiful hillsides as seen in The Sound of Music.
And as to how the original Cow Chip Factory transitioned to the current Cheesecake Factory....well, it seems the tastes of Europeans and Americans alike changed from preferring the taste of free-range cow dung to the sweet, smooth tastes of cheesecake. Why, I'll never know.
The employees in the painting are actually carrying Cow Chips to be thrown out at the end of the day...since, as everyone knows, Cow Chips are simply not as fresh the second day and begin to have a peculiar odor. The End
So good to see you posted again. Can't wait to see you in December. Love you.
Oh, and Uncle Chuck, you're a nut.
Dr. Chuckie, thank you for your enlightening words regarding the painting. If you can make the photo a little larger, look carefully at the serving men's feet beneath the tray of 'cow chips'- how many can you count?
Nannie:
That's not a foot....it's an udder!
Chuck
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