Spider web on playground equipment 

We found a spider web today at the playground. Enlarge the photo if you have trouble seeing the web. 

Lantern Lighting

Tonight is the Lantern Lighting ceremony in Ala Moana. It was one of my favorite events downtown, and I am sorry that I will not see it again. I was never able to get a great shot of the event, but I can explain it.

The people you see in the canoe are placing biodegradeable lanterns into the water. These lanterns hold the names of people who have died, along with the prayers of the people still on land. The people standing on shore are the ones who have supplied the names, and are watching the ceremony as the lanterns float away with their prayers. It is a Buddist ceremony, but is open to all who care to join. I managed to see it three times, and each time I was left with a sense of peace and of community. This year I think we will head down to the pond and toss a few wildflowers into the water to commemorate the passing of so many loved ones.  

Walking into town. (Amberg) 

Renault Megrane. We rented this for a week. I think we will all be happier walking! 

Amberg

Yesterday we took a trip to a nearby city called Amberg. It was a beautiful day, and we wandered through a church, a toy store, a pottery store, and an open air market. We stopped and had a bit of lunch in a brewpub amd then stopped again and had some ice cream and espresso at an outdoor cafe. It was our last day with a car for the next two weeks, and I think we made the best of it. I will post a picture soon.

Schloderer Braeu House

The view up our block (from the Chinese Restaurant) That is a drugstore on the corner. Our house is near the top of the hill. 

Chinese food from the restaurant at the end of our block. Our house will not be ready for a few weeks, but we figured we needed to check out the local cuisine. So a noodle dish, a chicken dish, and a shrimp dish later and we can honestly say--not bad at all! Better, in fact, than most of the Chinese food we've eaten in the past few years (Ok, that's not saying much!) And it wasn't a price that we will pay weekly, or all that often, but it was not a bank breaker, either. 

My pretty Honu Girl. She decided to pose for me and I actually got a few shots of her before she ran. Such a pretty kitty. 

I really need to remember my camera

I left the house without my camera today. Bad bad thing to do, and I knew it.

First a truck passes me. It is a delivery truck, and written on the side in HUGE letters are the words PROBE FHART. Yes, my inner adolescent had a good giggle.

Then, and much more importantly, we went out to see a house. Which we accepted. But have no pictures of. Ah well. It is in the town of Vilseck near a pharmacy and a Chineese restaurant. It had three bedrooms and two very large rooms in the basement. The top floor has a bedroom, a storage space, and a full bath. The middle floor has two bedrooms, a porch, and a full bath. The ground floor has the livingroom, diningroom, and kitchen, plus a half bath. It is a town house, so neighbors connected on both sides, but an open yard in back. (Each house has it's own space, but they are fenced in together.)

It was built for the US, so it has outlets for 220 and 110, and it has a full kitchen, including a dishwasher. I've been told it is a nice neighborhood, and that it is near an outdoor pool. Oh, and it has a one car garage with space for a second car in front. It should be ready in a few weeks, so we are still looking at mid June as a move in date.

This morning we forgot Wendall's sunglasses upstairs, and I thought nothing of going back up to get them. And the sun is out, so I changed into a sundress. All around, a very nice day!

Pretty Yellow Flowers. I've been told that these are used to make a form of motor oil. They are all over the hills here, and are striking against the green of the other fields. I do not know their name. 

Update: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed It is called rapeseed. Thank you meriluna for the info!

Watch out for Hawaiian men wielding machetes near steaming pits in the ground. Will the next meal be pig, or "long pig"? It's a long time between luaus here! Notice the birch trees in the background. A Bavarian luau, who'da thunk it? 

Hey look, it was a luau, complete with dancers! May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month, so there was a luau on base this afternoon. We had a bizarre, but good time. 

Kimchi, rice, shoyu chicken, and kalua pork. Looks like a luau! 

This is Wendall's rendition of a snail. He did this all by himself. 

This is a snail. He lives near the pond. 

View of the library (on right) from the pond. 

Huge update. Sorry it's been so long!

I’ve posted way too many pictures lately without any description of what is around us. This is an attempt to make things better.


We have now been here for one week, and what a busy week it has been! Ok, busy for one of us, anyway. The boy and I are still trying to get our “groove”. I slept for an extra two hours yesterday, so jet lag may finally be loosening its mighty grip on us. The boy is recovering much faster, and Wendall has no choice, although he does tend to collapse earlier than usual.

When we arrived we were greeted at the airport by Wendall’s coworkers. They are two happy men who went out of their way (8 hours, roundtrip!) to make us feel right at home. They took us to our hotel, made sure we were checked in, and even made a trip or two up the 54 steps to our door.

Our apartment is a furnished three bedroom flat with a full bathroom and kitchen. The dining room is connected to the living room, and the cabinets were stocked with coffee and supplies for the washer and dryer. The only bad thing about the flat is that the landlord has decided that May means spring (silly them!) so they turned off the heat. We’ve purchased a small space heater to put in the boy’s bedroom, and we sleep under 5 blankets.

Just this morning Wendall and I passed our driving exams. Before now, if we had been stopped while driving we would have been subject to hundreds of dollars of fines. The test was nerve-wracking, but it’s done now, and we survived. This weekend we plan to rent a car and see something other than the base!

Speaking of the base, it is small and well laid out. The stores are about 10 minutes from our flat, and Wendall’s office is only 5 minutes away. His office is actually visible from the window in the boy’s bedroom. The library is lovely, and has a very nice adult’s selection, although the children’s collection needs work. I guess we might actually have to convince the boy to try some of the books on his shelves! Story time is still at 10am on Wednesdays, and we look forward to continuing our Wednesday morning routine.

Preschool is a part time program here, but is quite affordable. We look forward to having the boy enrolled as soon as possible. There is a huge turnover happening here, so jobs are plentiful, and I am considering going back to work, as long as we can work out the childcare.

We are planning to move into a house at the beginning of June. We are 90% sure that we already have the house picked out--off base but just a few minutes away by car. I will let you know more about that as we go. Be assured, though, that if you visit, you will NOT have to go through the guard gates if you do not want to do so! Especially good here, as the guards are connected to a database and give you stern looks if you have not been added!

Other than that, not much is happening on a day to day basis. You have our contact information should you need it, and I will update this as we go. Our tans are fading fast, and our memories of Hawaii are not keeping us warm, but we have a new (old) world to explore, and we are ready!

Thank goodness for kitty cats. They keep us warm, they purr, they love us. 

MMmmm, milk.  

Nolo watches the wash spin. In other weird cat behaviour, Nolo is entranced by the washing machine. It takes about an hour to go through one wash, and she had a lovely time sitting and watching it go! 

This is the building next to ours. The flats are huge! Our building looks a bit different (it is 4 stories high), but similar. We do not have a balcony. 

How weird is this? Wendall on playground equipment wearing a wool sweater. The high was around 60 degrees today. 

We made it

All of us did well on the trip. The cats have adjusted, the boy is doing well, and we are exhausted but happy. We are living in a three bedroom apt for a few weeks (on base) until we find something permanent.

It is really cold here, but so beautiful. Very quiet (except that they are practicing with mortars a mile or so away) and so nice. We will be happy here. I will post pictures soon.

Wendall reacts to Honu's suggestion that she share his bath. She agreed to wait until he got out, and then she took a bath herself, purring happily and playing with the water. I've brrn told it's our fault for naming her Honu, which means Turtle. 

First Sunset in Germany. 

Home is Where Your Heart Opens

Mahalo, Hawaii.

In 24 Hours I will be heading for the runway. I wanted to write this ahead of time, as a love letter to what has become my spititual home.

When I arrived in Hawaii I had no idea what his place would hold. I had never put much thought into these islands, other than what my brother had told me--it was one of his favorite places on earth. I knew it was beautiful. I knew it had an amazing history. I knew it would be a place that I could grow to love. I knew nothing.

I live in the center of the island, at the base of a mountain. I live far from the beaches and rainforests that are so amply covered by photographers worlwide. Still there has not been one day that the beauty of the view from my front door has not touched me. Every single day, rain or shine, someting will catch my eye and my heart. I carry a camera with me everywhere, not just for photos of the boy, but also for photos of the paradise which surrounds me.


The people here are a complex group of travellers. From the ancient Polynesian voyagers who landed here 2000 years ago to the missionaries who arrived just 200 years ago to the hopeful family who are landing as my plane departs, this place attracts those who seek. Whether they seek beauty, or turth, or riches, or joy, it can be found on these islands, far from everything else.

I came because I was told to come. Our small family has very little choice as to where we are sent, but I will say that the idea of Hawaii tickled us. We had asked, oddly enough, for a position in Germany, but we were sent here instead. Now it is time for us to go, but I know that I will spend the rest of my life making my way back to this place.

It was not the first year, but sometime in the second year that I fell in love with Hawaii. watching the subtleties of the change of seasons, having my family join me in exploring my surroundings, watching my son thrive in a place where every adult wanted only to celebrate his existance in thie world. Something about this place grabbed my heart and made me realize that this is "home".

Thank you, Hawaii. Thank you for being.


Home

And I thank you
For bringing me here
For showing me home
For singing these tears
Finally I`ve found
That I belong
Here.

Martin L. Gore

All pau

The movers have finished. They left yesterday at 4:30, carrying all 10,000 pounds of our lives. We handled it well, and spent the night sleeping on foam mattresses lent by Oliver. The cats seem to have forgiven us (just wait until Tuesday!)and I was able to sleep for 8 hours. Hallelujah!!!!!

Last night our neighbors took us to Sam Choy's. The beer was delicious, the service was awful, and the company was delightful. So nice to be able to sit around a huge table, eat good food, laugh a lot, and not think about moving!

A Road

A Road. 


This is a picture I have wanted to take since our arrival here. This random road happens to be the first (A) road that you cross when driving in through the main gate of Schofield. All of the other signs for this road say "Road A", but this one has made me giggle every time I pass.

A picture of me with my lei. I wore them again today, as it was Lei Day here. Honestly, I felt like a queen for a day. Can't really explain it, but it was wonderful! 

A wonderful Day

Today we woke way too early and drove downtown to hear one of my favorite authors speak. Christopher Moore is a witty, inteligent writer, and amazingly is a witty, intelligent person as well. Lamb is one of my all time favorite books, and the others that I've read of his are just truly wonderful. We were able to get a picture with him and he signed a book that my friend fanclub had purchased for me to keep. Such a sweetie!

A second friend sent me two seperate lei to wear today. I felt like royalty, truly I did.

And I had a catch!
http://bookcrossing.com/journal/2609121/
I need more days like this!