Random Kitty Picture

  

Best Boy Ever

We went to the library two days ago. The boy dove into the box of paperbacks and "read" two of them while I browsed.


  

Into the past in Dresden

  

These people wander through the streets of Dresden, waiting for people to take their photo. It was a bit of a shock for te boy at first, but then he ran over and was very happy to pose!

Spring is HERE!

 


And we are home from Dresden. I will write more later, after I've recovered from the trip. 

Frankfurt

Last week we decided to make a run to Frankfurt to see Skyring and to meet some real live Bookcrossers. Zanla and I have held our own meetups at the breakfast table every morning, but have not talked to another Bookcrosser (TargetCat(the boy) does NOT count) in almost a year. So I booked a room, reserved seats on the train, and we were off.

Thanks to the Christian contingent of the world, Zanla had Friday off, so we arrived in Frankfurt in time for lunch. We hailed a taxi and headed for our hotel, which was on the other side of the city. It was, however, less than a block from the zoo and a Pizza Hut, so we were happy.

The not so good thing about our hotel was the size of our room. There were three beds in a room about 10 feet by 12 feet. This photo shows the dear boy asleep in the middle bed. The other two touched this one, but went the other way. Oh, and the ceiling slant began halfway into the room. It was fine, but we spent as little time as possible there. Yay for an included breakfast, though!



So for lunch we found a small bar which served putenschnitzle (turkey schnitzle, TargetCat's favorite meal) , and a few unknown dishes, including cevapcici, along with a glass of ebbelwei (applewine). After lunch we all took a nap and readied ourselves for dinner.



We walked to dinner, wandering into a playground so that the boy could burn off a bit of energy, and then stopped to take in the Old Jewish Cemetary.


There is no way to escape discussions of the war here, and we tend not to shy away from difficult discussions, so we spent the next few blocks trying to explain death and war to a four year old.



Dinner was at the Steinernes Haus, where we met Skyring along with a group of German Bookcrossers. The dinner was so much fun and was filled with good food, a pile of books, and camera flashes every few moments. Photos of the meetup are HERE, in case you haven't seen them yet. For dinner I happily listened to elhamisabel and ordered Grüne Soße (Green Sauce), which was light and lovely. I only wish it was something I could order near home, but I think it might be something I'll try to make at home.



After a quick taxi ride back to the hotel, we were ready to sleep and be ready for the zoo the next day.

The zoo was a bunch of fun. There were very few cages, which allowed us clear views into the habitats. The trip was punctuated by the toilet habits of the animals, including an orangatan who amused himself (and his audience) by aiming a perfect stream of urine onto the glass which separated him from us. The boy was quite impressed, and the parents were quite happy for the glass!

After a quick lunch at Pizza Hut, we headed back towards the train station. We took our time, stopping for coffee and a quick trip to the market for food for the trip. We made it home before dark, and have spent the majority of today getting ready for tomorrow, when we head to Dresden for a few days. I can't be sure of an internet connection for the following week, so I will have a bunch of catching up to do then. Have a great week!

Handsome Boy

  

Pretend friend?

The boy has a pretend friend who occompanies us on some trips. I have a feeling I may have snapped a shot of him on our way to Frankfurt yesterday.

  

Thank you Harry Taylor

Thank you!

“In my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of my leadership in Washington,” Taylor told the president. “And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself.”

The End of an Era

Empty Thomas Tracks
Originally uploaded by allysther.

I hereby declare that the Era of Thomas the Tank Engine is over. The tracks have been dismantled, the trains are put away. A part of the boy's childhood is behind him.

You were a very useful train, Thomas!

Thanks, Everyone!

A huge thank you to everyone who wished me a happy day. I had a wonderful time today, an ended my festivities with an Entenmann's Chocolate Cake. I could not have asked for better!

 


Some more photos from the day:

(He's not really bored, just mugging for the camera!)

Birthday goodies from my folks






 

Red

I went outside to gather the boy's sleds and found this:

 

His sled is in the background. It has been rainy today, and we sat (in the car on the side of the road) through a few moments of hail, but the temperature made it up to 60 degrees, so we are starting to believe that gorgeous days are on the way.