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 us not 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 6x7 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 and we 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 John for dinner at 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 a very nice weekend with a bite of decent food and excellent company 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 a quiet weekend 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 and was well-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 6x7 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 an outside brunch 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 adventure  in style with 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's for lunch after 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.