Gaddy Adventures

Thomas Jazz Recital 2009

2009-02-17T22:05:00.007-05:00

On Sunday Thomas had his winter recital with members of the Levine Jazz Quintet at the Levine School of Music.

Rocky Gap Labor Day 2008

2008-09-04T18:02:00.008-04:00

To revive an old tradition, we went camping at with Kerstin, Charles, Agneta and Andreas. Thomas friend Will also came along. The camp site was just fantastic, and so was the weather. NO rain the whole weekend! Here is our campsite with one tent for Cliff and me and one then for Thomas and Will. Here we could spend time reading and relaxing.

Galax 2008 - The Old Time Fiddlers Convention

2008-08-22T21:52:00.075-04:00

Last year Cliff and I stayed for a few days at Betty and Bill's summer house in Galax, Virginia. We fell in love with the place, especially in the fiddle and bluegrass tradition and in the New River State Park with its 57 mile-long hiker/biker trail. Why not get family and friends to join us for a week at the 2008 Old Fiddlers Convention, we thought. Said and done. We reserved four cabins at the New River Trail Cabins, and so Cliff's parents, his brother Gary and wife Sandy, and Jill, John, and Laura joined our whole family. Some of the pictures below have been taken by Jill and Kristina.

The cabins are really ideally located. They are right on the bike trail and just 5 minutes by bike into Galax and the Fiddlers Convention.

The Convention lasts a full week, with competitions starting on Monday with the kids' competitions.
Then follow three days of individual competitions on all the different bluegrass instruments, fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, autoharp, etc., as well as bands and individual singing. Here is a picture from the top of the stands. The campground is in the background.

And Friday and Saturday the bands compete. Bluegrass and old-time bands take turns.

A lot of the activity, however, takes place on the campground, where thousands and thousands of people camp and jam the whole week long.

This group of jammers was particularly good. Note the woman to the right with a washtub base...

Here you can listen to a group playing. One of the most impressive fiddlers we heard was Adam Larky, a 12-year old who won the kid's competition for bluegrass fiddle. Cliff and I had not heard him during the competition but just happened to hear him jamming with his father at the campground. We were blown away.

Click on the arrow on the above youtube video and you can hear Adam play and if you want more, there are a lot of youtube videos of him playing, including his winning performance at Galax.

We went to the convention every day, and we would sit in the stands or in camping chairs,

or just walk around listening to music or

eat fried potatoes, or

even better, deep-fried Oreos.....

heavenly?

Or maybe some roadkill?

And if we did not hike, bike, swim, or listen to music, we would eat, drink, and hang out around the cabins.

Every late afternoon we had dinners together on the decks. Here is Nez grilling marshmallows,

and here drinking beer with Cliff.

On Friday we had a picnic with all the leftovers. Cliff's sisters Janet and Betty joined us with Tim, Bill, and William. Despite being 17 people now, we could not finish all the leftovers!

Benjamin and Gary awaiting their turn.

Jill collapsing on the floor after a busy day.

Kristina and Thomas also relaxing.

The cabins had wireless Internet, so no need to be disconnected from your friends.

The only activity that has not been documented with these pictures is that some of us also played bluegrass in the afternoons and even gave a small concert on the deck on the last day. But, I have no pictures of that, so I can't prove it. But some of the participants of this group have plans to enter the competitions next year, so I'll make sure we get some pictures then. Stay posted.

Galax 2008 - Swimming/Biking/Hiking

2008-08-17T18:59:00.031-04:00

The cabins are ideally located at the New River Trail State Park, a 57 miles long park that follows an old rail road track which has been converted to a hiker/biker trail. Here are Laura and Kristina on their way to the "swimming hole."

Kristina, Thomas, Laura, and Benjamin.

Jill and I taking a swim at the same place, but another day.

Laura and Jill on the bridge over the New River, about 12 miles from the cabins.

Thomas and Benjamin on the same bridge. They had taken the car to Fries and were going from here to the cabins, about 17 miles.

The next day, Cliff and I set out from the cabins to bike back to Fries to pick up the car. The trail is just so beautiful everywhere.

In Fries you can take a swim in the New River,

which I did (see me out there) before we had lunch at a little deli, and then drove back to the cabins.

Here are Jill and John on another bike trip.

On another day we drove up to Grayson Highlands State Park to attempt to walk up to Mount Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia 5,729 feet (1,746 m) . My record of reaching hiking goals this summer is 0-2. We did not reach the peak, but we had a lovely hike anyway. Next time we just need to start earlier in the day and be prepared for a longer hike.

Here we are starting out. Mt. Rogers 3.8 miles! That should really be nothing for us runners who are training for marathons (26 miles) or half marathons.

After a while we found wild horses, which did not seem very wild at all. At least they were not afraid of humans.

After about an hour and half of hiking it was time to eat our lunch and enjoy the views.

But rather than walk on, we decided to walk back and check out the park and its facilities.

Here we are at the Visitor Center watching a little movie about the park and its wildlife.

Last Evening at Inga's and Björn's (July 11)

2008-08-17T14:44:00.020-04:00

Björn prepars for the farewell party by raising the Swedish flag.

Everybody gathering on the deck.

The most popular person at the family gathering was no doubt Cornelea. She possibly has the biggest eyes I have ever seen on a child!

Here she is with grandfather Arne,

here with uncle Cliff,

and here with second cousin Thomas.

Cousins Eleanor and Fabian.

Ludvig and Maria

Thomas and Alfred playing soccer, as usual.

Monica

Maria

Ludivg

Louise announcing the winners of the obligatory quiz game.

Natalie

The next day Thomas and I flew back --- upgraded to first class!

Random Pictures from Sweden June-July

2008-08-17T08:13:00.029-04:00

On our first evening in Stockholm Birgitta had arranged a dinner.

Arne, Cecilia, Bengt, and Åke.

Helene, Inga and Benjamin, who arrived straight from India. No wonder he is cold, and actually sick as well. Actually, this evening was pretty cold, but in Sweden you eat outside in the summer, no matter how cold it is!

I only went into the city twice, once with Benjamin and once with Malou. Here is the view from Katarinahissen, one of my favorite spots in Stockholm.

On our way to Folkets Kebab we passed Katarina church on Söder.

Old Town
Malou at the Parliament building

Mike at Norrmälarstrand

One fascinating outing was with Thomas to Vällingby Center, where the old center from the 50ties had been updated with the most modern Galleria.

And the prices are as pricey as the place looks - $ 31 for a pair of Björn Borg underwear, but on sale (REA) for just $ 24!

We went on our traditional visit to Drottningholm Castle (the king's residence) with Mike.

Thomas hiding in the labyrinth.

And "fika" at the China Palace.

Dinner at Åke and Helene's.

Eating outside, of course, but this time nice and warm in the evening sun. Grilled lamb and potato salad.

Sigtuna-Barnens Ö (June 28)

2008-08-16T13:09:00.019-04:00

This Saturday morning we (Birgitta, Arne, Bengt, Cecilia, and I) went to pick up Thomas and Alfred, who had spent a week at a soccer camp.

We all went to the little town of Sigtuna, one of the oldest in Sweden. It was actually settled by the Vikings 1000 years ago.

So, of course, the town had a little Viking settlement to amuse the tourists. This Viking is baking some genuine Viking bread for the kids.

And this blue-eyed Viking from Denmark is engraving the Viking horns,

whereas these Russian Vikings sell Viking jewelry.

After the Viking village it was time for lunch at Farbror Blå (Uncle Blue).

Bengt is busy with his cell phone, but we are ready to eat.

I had a lot of good food in Sweden, but this gravad lax (salmon) probably takes the first prize.

Then it was time to drive to Barnens Ö (The Children's Island) where Eleanor was attending a summer theater camp. We were going to see her perform in Romeo and Juliet. In the videos below you can get a taste of the performance. It was a really excellent production, with a somewhat different ending! Romeo and Juliet lived happily ever after.

As one could expect in Sweden, there was ''fika'' (coffee and cookies) after the performance.

At Eva and Bengt's (July 4-8) - 3

2008-08-15T14:11:00.032-04:00

The next morning, Katarina gave us a tour of Östra Vemmerlöv church. This church dates from the 12th century and is famous for its chalk drawings. These drawings were made in the 15th century and depict stories from the bible mixed with stories about the nobility in the area. During the reformation they were covered over with white paint, since the early Lutherans did not want their churches decorated. The drawings were discovered and restored recently.

This close up shows Adam and Eve eating the cursed apples,

and afterwards, when a rich lady beats them....

It was time to say goodbye to Katarina and Killans Bönegård and drive to Glimmingehus, a medieval fort not far from Östra Vemmerlöv.

We took a short tour and walked around the fort and learned a little more about medieval history before we continued our quest for more stones.

This time it was the Kungagraven (the King's Grave) or Kiviksgraven. According to the archaeological establishment (Riksantikvarieämbetet) this is the oldest (3000 years) and biggest grave (75 m in diameter) from the Bronze Age in Scandinavia. And it is supposed to be a grave for some important king. However, according to Bob, it is some kind of cult place and not a grave at all. And indeed, some recent research seems to prove that inside the grave, there is not one person buried, but many.....

and they seem to all be teenagers..... So the new research suggests that it was a place where humans were offered to the gods..... I must say, we were not left with a very high impression of Swedish archaeologists.

Time for lunch in Kivik. We bought wonderful smoked fish (salmon and herring) at Buhre's Fish to eat for lunch and then a lot of pickled herring to eat when we got back to Bengt and Eva's.

But before heading back, our quest for the truth about Ale's Stones was not over. Here we set out to find Heimdall's Stones, which supposedly also had been set up according to astronomical principles directly north of Kivik. We searched and searched, but could only find beautiful flowers....

Or is this it? ... No, I don't think so. So, our quest was in vain, but we did have a wonderful hike along the shore at Verkeån's Nature Preserve.

Back home it was time to try all the different pickled herrings that Bengt had bought at Buhre's Fish.

And a little Skåne of course.

As if we had not had enough of stones, we decided that we had to see a real, undisputed Viking grave from about 500 AD. This one is formed by stones, what else, like a Viking ship and is right outside Genarp where Bengt and Eva live.

At Eva and Bengt's (July 4-8) - 2

2008-08-14T19:25:00.033-04:00

The next day Eva and Bengt's son Jacob joined us for a hike in Stenshuvud National Park. This park is on the eastern coast of Skåne and got its name (Sten's Head) from a giant living in a cave in the 97 meter high hill.

Beside the hill there is a nice beach, but we were ready to search for frogs,

because that is Jacob's specialty. He is an expert on frogs, snakes, and other reptiles. Unfortunately, we did not find any frogs today.

One reason for missing the frogs was that a thunderstorm surprised us! This was basically the only bad weather we had during our whole trip (except the snow storm in Jämtland).

So, we broke off our quest to find frogs or snakes and went to Cafè Annorlunda (Cafe Different). This cafe is an all-you-can-eat cookies establishment. For about 9 dollars you can eat as many cookies and drink as much coffee as you want.

The place is really quaint with old-fashioned furniture and lace tablecloths.

And the cookies were very tasty....

After the cafe it was time for a new attempt to get to the top of Stenshuvud. On the hike up we walked through what I would call a "trollskog" (a troll forest). The trees were in clusters and would be great as climbing trees.

The view was definitely worth the hike. Since this large hill is surrounded by flat land and the Baltic Sea, the view is great in all directions.

After Stenshuvud National Park it was time to rejoin our quest to find out the truth about Ale's Stones. Bob Lind had told us that there was another circle of stones that he had found and that was similar to Ale's Stones but slightly larger. This site was called Stenhed.

After driving around in the countryside for a while, we found this sign which had been set up by Bob. So it has to be here. We left the car to find the stones, and yes, there they were.

They are on the property of a big farm and have been almost covered by sand.

According to Bob, some of the stones have engravings of star constellations. Which one this is, I don't know.
After successfully having found Stenhed, we went to Killans bönegård (The Prayer Community of Killan) where we were going to spend the night. This is a place for retreats, meditation, pilgrimages, and praying organized by a group within the Church of Sweden.

We were the only guests this time. It was Eva's and Bengt's friend Katarina, who had invited us to spend the night there. She is one of the key figures in the activities at Killans, and she had prepared a wonderful vegetarian dinner for us. If you know Swedish and want to know more about Killans, click here. She also led the prayers, which some of us attended.

Killans used to be the pastor's home and has a big garden where we had dinner and breakfast.

At Eva and Bengt's (July 4-8) - 1

2008-08-14T17:23:00.029-04:00

After a couple of hours drive from Landskrona, we arrived in the little town of Genarp to visit our friends Eva and Bengt. They had prepared a whole program for us to see as much as we could of the beautiful southeastern part of Skåne (Scania).

They have a great house and a huge yard filled with vegetables and berries.

Here is Bengt taking care of the garlic harvest.

We started our excursions by visiting Ystad, the home town of the famous fictional detective Kurt Wallander of Henning Mankell's crime novels. We did not take a ''Tour in Wallander's Footsteps,'' but there are many such tours, especially popular among Germans.

Instead we went to the market and visited St. Mary's church. Every city or town we visited had a St. Mary's church, it seems.

But we just stopped briefly in Ystad since we were on a quest to find ''Ales stenar'' - Ale's Stones. Ale's Stones are a Swedish equivalent to Stonehenge and are believed to be from around 600 B.C., although, as I will explain, one researcher claims that they really are from around 3000 B.C., i.e., as old or older than Stonehenge.

We did find them without much trouble, but little did we know that these stones are at the center of huge controversy between an independent researcher Bob G. Lind and the Swedish archaeological and astronomical academic establishment. Bob G. Lind was there in person to greet visitors with information about his theory. He gave us a half-hour lecture in which he explained that these stones do not constitute a grave, which the academic establishment believes, but rather have been set up according to astronomical principles. His explanations sounded VERY persuasive to us, and if you want to inform yourself, read more here. Of course, we did not hear the other side.......
In any case, Ale's Stones are fascinating and the location at the top of the ridge overlooking the Baltic is stunning.

We took a short hike along the coast and marveled at the beauty of the landscape on the southernmost coast of Sweden. Those ancestors were obviously pretty smart.

After inspecting the stones, we went into the little village of Kåseberga, where the big attraction is to eat fried ''strömming'' (Baltic herring) with mashed potatoes.

With a glass of beer, now that is a treat.

Bengt is pretty pleased with his first great idea (to visit Ale's Stones and Kåseberga), and a lot of tourists had the same idea as he did.

We decided to try out the Baltic, but it was too cold for everybody, except Cliff and Thomas.

Staying on the beach was a better idea.

Helsingör and Soccer in Helsingborg

2008-08-05T21:16:00.028-04:00

Actual date: July 3. What a great way to celebrate our anniversary! Beautiful weather and a ferry trip to Helsingör.

This is the ferry we took from Helsingborg (Sweden) to Helsingör (Denmark). It was unfortunate that the trip lasted only twenty minutes: not enough time to enjoy the cafe and the tax free shops, but there was enough time to go up on the deck and take a few pictures.

Soon we got close the the goal of our day trip, Kronborg Castle. This castle was made famous to theater lovers all over the world by Shakespeare. You probably did not know that the play Hamlet - Prince of Denmark is set in Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, which is the English name for Helsingör. So why is Hamlet Danish? Well it seems that Shakespeare's Hamlet is based on an old Norse legend about the Danish prince Amled or Amleth. This legend was then rewritten by Saxo Grammaticus in Latin around 1200 AD, and then Thomas Kyd (1558-1594) wrote an Ur-Hamlet which was played in London during Shakespeare's time. It is fortunate that nobody thought of intellectual property rights back then! The original Amleth is supposed to have lived in the 7th century, and he was, of course, a viking.
This picture is from a performance of The Saga of Amled in Ramsgate.

So, after a short ferry ride and a 15 minute walk, we are ready to take a tour of the castle.

The tour guide told us about the historic importance of Kronborg as a fort to control the entrance to the Baltic Sea. Sweden and Denmark had many wars over the forts on either side of the sound. At one point Sweden conquered the fort and moved a lot of artifacts to Stockholm, which obviously upsets Danes still today.

Here we can see the canons of Kronborg directed at Sweden on the other side of the sound.

After the tour and a swim in the Öresund we went to the city center to eat a late lunch. This is how hungry Alfred was.

Thomas was a bit calmer.

At Kronborg Cliff bought these earrings with a viking ornamentation as an anniversary present.
This is how the Swedes loaded up in Denmark - whole shopping carts with hundreds of beers.

As if the day was not long enough already, we (Thomas, Alfred, Cliff, and I) went to a soccer game. Helsingborg played Gais, a Gothenburg team, and won 1-0. Here is the team star Henke Larsson warming up.

We spent the next night in a hostel in Landskrona, while Birgitta, Arne, Ellinor, Fabian and Alfred went back to Stockholm. Thomas and I toured this citadel in Landskrona, and it was a really interesting tour. The citadel had a long history as Danish fort until Landskrona became Swedish in 1658. Then it was a Swedish fort for a few hundred years. After that it was a prison, and then for the last 100 years or so it was a prison for women. The tour guide gave us so many insights to the individuals who had been prisoners there.
This one is for Benjamin.

Visting Ven

2008-08-01T12:38:00.033-04:00

The following day we decided to visit the island Ven, which is located in Öresund, the sound between Sweden and Denmark. Since 1658 the island has been Swedish. About 300 people live on the island, so there is ferry traffic year round. But the island really comes alive during the summer, when thousands of tourists come to enjoy riding their bikes (hardly any cars on the island), camping, and swimming. The island really is gorgeous.

While we were waiting for the ferry, Thomas, Cliff and the others took a swim.

Still waiting for the ferry, Thomas and Alfred worked on their soccer skills.

The ferry turned out to be an old fishing boat. We took the ferry from Råå, a little village south of Helsingborg. Most of the ferries leave from Landskrona.

Enjoying the 30 minute boat ride.

Arriving in Ven, and eating our picnic lunch in the harbor area.

We were all too tired to walk up to the center of the island, so we took this tractor trolley up the hill.
The central attraction on the island, besides biking and swimming, is the Tycho Brahe museum. Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer who lived between 1546-1601. He is best known for having invented instruments that were used to observe and measure the distances to the stars. Even though he made considerable contributions in the field of astronomy, he seems very overrated as a scientist. Despite the publication and circulation of Copernicus's Commentariolous (1514), which presents the idea that the earth circulates around the sun, a work that Tycho was familiar with, Tycho made his observations of the stars to prove that the earth was at the center of the universe.... Anyway, here he is looking at the stars. Tycho got the whole island of Ven from the Danish king Frederick II, where he then built the castle Uraniborg and the observatory Stjerneborg. The castle does not exists anymore, just the garden, but Stjerneborg exists and can be visited.

In the garden there is a playground with games that are said to have existed back in the 16th century. If that is the case, these games have stayed with us until today.

In any case, the kids and Arne had a great time trying them out.

But of course, soccer is THE game for Thomas and Alfred, here playing with the Danish, EU, and Swedish flags in the background.
and with Fabian as goalie.

And now it is time to take the boat back to Råå.

After dinner back at the Hostel, Cliff, Thomas, Eleanor, and Fabian decide to take an evening swim.
But I opt to take some pictures of the sunset over Öresund.

Helsingborg - City

2008-07-23T11:30:00.026-04:00

Helsingborg is a very beautiful harbor city. It used to be the main crossing point between Sweden and Denmark with ferries going back and forth every couple of minutes. This is where cars, trains, and trucks loaded onto ferries used to cross. Since the building of the bridge between Malmö and Copenhagen, all trains and most cars and trucks now go across the bridge. Nevertheless, the ferry traffic between Helsingborg and Helsingör (Elsinore) seems to be as profitable and active as ever. Every few minutes there was a ferry full of passengers going over the sound. Why? Because the Swedes go across to buy and bring back huge amounts of beer and wine, which is much cheaper in Denmark. The Seafarers' Godess (Sjöfartsgudinnan) by the sculptor Carl Milles protects the harbor.

Since the trains and trucks do not come here anymore, the old warehouse areas have given way to new construction of condominiums, restaurants, cafes, a boardwalk, and a marina for private boats.
The old city hall.

One of the most famous tourist attractions in Helsingborg is the old fort, Kärnan, also called Helsingborg's Castle. It was built between 1202-1205 and was one of Denmark's most important fortifications. Yes, Helsingborg was a part of Denmark until 1658.

From the top you have a pretty view of the sound and Denmark on the other side.

The beautiful Sankta Maria church was first built in the 11th century and then rebuilt in the 15th century. For a few years around 1657-58 one of my favorite composers, Dietrich Buxtehude, was the organist here.

Dinner at Olsons Skafferi. Waiting for the food

Thomas seems to be happy,

Arne is not so sure,

Publish Post and Eleanor is just looking pretty.

Helsingborg - Vandrarhemmet (Hostel)

2008-07-23T10:55:00.013-04:00

On Tuesday we rented a car and drove down to Helsingborg in southern Sweden. We - that is Cliff, Thomas, and I, and my sister Birgitta, her husband Arne, and their three grandchildren, Fabian, Eleanor and Alfred. We stayed in this hostel, KFUM Nyckelbo, right outside of Helsingborg. It was a fantastic place with an outdoor patio where we could eat breakfast,
a great front yard where the kids could play soccer,

picnic tables where we could eat dinner bought at a nearby store,

and a short walk down to Öresund where those who wanted could swim (here, Fabian, Eleanor, Thomas, and Cliff).

We could also watch the sun set. Denmark is on the other side of the sound.

Jämtland Day 5-6

2008-07-18T07:28:00.016-04:00

The next day the wind was strong and it was raining a lot in the morning. We decided to take it easy and wait for the weather to clear up a bit. And this is what is so fascinating about the weather in the mountains. It can change from sunshine, to rain, to snow, to hail, and back to sunshine within an hour. And that is exactly what happened on the hike we did today. We decided to walk halfway up to Sylarna, which is an 16 km (10 miles) hike round trip.

The wooden planks that someone (who is in charge of that?) had put out on many of the trails were a real help. These planks saved you from walking in deep marsh water.
If you get lost on the way from Storulvån to Sylarna, you can follow the telephone poles (if there isn't a snow storm, of course). These telephone poles were the only reminders of civilization as you can walk for miles and miles without seeing anybody or hearing any noise pollution.
After 8 kilometers we reach a little hut, just in time to avoid a hail storm.
The wind measure showed gusts of 20 meter/second, i.e. almost storm winds.
But here it is dying down, so it is time to hike back.

As we leave other hikers are eager to get inside for their lunch break.
And now we can see blue sky for a while.

Back in the lodge the big event for the evening was to listen to the European soccer cup game between Germany and Turkey. The lodge did not have a TV, so after much searching we found this radio that we were able to hook up to an antenna.
A toast for Germany's 3-2 win.
I wanted to get a picture of the late night sun, but unfortunately it was cloudy. But to show you how light it is at night I took the above picture at 11:30 pm.

The next day it was time to head back to Stockholm. We wished we could have had more time so that we could have completed the triangle, but that will have to wait until another time.
We took the day train from Enafors to Stockholm, which took about 10 hours.

Jämtland Day 4

2008-07-17T14:01:00.023-04:00

As we woke up it was still snowing, which would not have been a problem if the wind had not been gusting at 20-25 m/sek, i.e., almost storm. We were supposed to walk 19 km (almost 12 miles) to the lodge at Sylarna 1035 meter (3400 feet) above sea level.
Harald, who is a very experienced mountaineer, is checking out the situation.
He, and all the other guests at Blåhammaren, realized that it would not be safe to hike to Sylarna since you could not see the trail very well. Therefore, we had two options, either wait at Blåhammaren and walk the following day, or head back to Storulvån. Some people stayed at Blåhammaren, but we decided to walk back to Storulvån for several reasons. 1. We knew the way, and it was only 12 km. 2. We would have the wind at our backs. 3. After about half the way, we would be down at considerably lower altitude, where the weather usually is better. 4. There was nothing to do at Blåhammaren.
So, here we go.

If you think we were wimps, read this link. The article is about two athletes who died last week when they were caught in a snow storm while participating in a race up Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze. The weather there was nice when the race began but turned bad a couple of hours into the run. True, this was a much higher mountain, and they were running, not hiking, but the problem is that you have to have respect for the weather in the mountains at all times.
Another example of this problem the fate of "Armfeldts Karoliner," the army of the Swedish King Karl (Charles) XII. In 1718 Karl came up with the brilliant idea that he could redeem himself from his humiliating defeat by Peter the Great of Russia with a quick conquest of Norway. In August he took his army across the border near Blåhammaren. In October he headed for the Norwegian city of Trondheim. However, after the king himself was shot and killed on November 30, his main general, Armfeldt, tried to make it back to Sweden. As they were crossing the border a sudden snow storm hit. 3000 of 6000 men died. Of this we can learn two things:
1. Don't fight the Norwegians.
2. Don't hike in a snow storm.

The Carolingian Death March is memorialized in a famous painting. A reproduction hangs on the wall of the lodge in Storulvån:
We fared better. As we suspected, after about two hours of hiking down the mountain, the weather cleared up a bit. Snow was replaced with rain and the wind died down considerably.

We reached the 'vindskydd,' the hut half way down, ate our lunch and waited to see if the rain would stop, which in fact it did.
When we came back to Storulvån the weather seemed almost agreeable, at least for the time being.
Now we could relax with a book, take a sauna, play some cards and wait for another delicious meal.

Jämtland Day 3

2008-07-15T22:03:00.025-04:00

Now it is time for the first leg of the hike around the Jämtlandstriangeln. We are setting off for Blåhammaren, a mountain lodge one can only reach by walking or, in the winter, skiing. This first day will be relatively short, only 12 kilometers (7.4 miles), but it is an uphill hike, especially the last half before reaching Blåhammaren , which is located at 1086 meters (3560 feet) above sea level.

The good news is that you do not have to carry any water in the Swedish mountains. There are plenty of streams with clean fresh water to drink.
The weather is beautiful and quite warm.
Picture by Harald

And the views spectacular. There is still a lot of snow left. In the background you can see Sylarna - a mountain range between Sweden and Norway. This is where we are supposed to go tomorrow.
This was the only place we had a bit of a hard time to follow the trail. We had to take off our boots and walk across in the ice cold water. But it was no big deal since we were half way and getting ready to have our lunch at the ''vindskydd,'' a little hut set up for the hikers and skiers.

Inside it was quite cozy, and if you got stuck here, you could light a fire in the fireplace and sleep over.

As you can see from these pictures, it is easy to follow the trail - as long as it is not snowing.

Picture by Harald

Picture by Harald

We are getting higher and higher up the mountain, and the sky seems to get darker and darker.After about five hours, including the lunch break, we reach Blåhammaren. It was not a very strenuous hike. If you are in reasonably good shape you can do it, too.
The view from Blåhammaren is fantastic. On one side the Swedish mountains, on the other the Norwegian mountains.
The view from our bedroom. Sylarna are in the background.

A toast for a successful first day!
After the sauna it was time for the evening meal, a three course meal with smoked reindeer heart as an appetizer, char (a kind of salmon) with shrimp sauce as entree, and a vanilla pannacotta as desert. In addition, there was homemade bread and an assortment of salads.
The chef came out and presented the menu and the waiter presented the wines he had picked out for the meal. Do I have to add that everything was delicious?

However, checking out the window after the dinner, the weather did not look very promising. Not only was it snowing, but the wind was picking up by the hour. Storm winds were to be expected the next day.

It is not possible to see very much anymore!

Jämtland - Day 1-2

2008-07-15T21:31:00.037-04:00

On Cliff's birthday we took the night train with Harald and Margareta to Enafors in Jämtland in the northern part of Sweden. Our plans were to hike the so called Jämtlandstriangel [the Jämtland Triangle], a three day hike between three lodges in the Swedish mountains. The total mileage is about 26 miles, a marathon in three days. Shouldn't be too bad.
Since it was Cliff's birthday, Harald brought a bottle of champagne to toast the occasion.
To prepare us for the strenuous life we were about to embark on, Harald also brought some crisp bread and ham and cheese in tubes. This of course was a total joke since the food at the lodges consisted of gourmet meals every day.

After an 11-hour train ride where we slept nicely in our cots, we were ready to move on to ...

... Storulvåns Fjällstation. This beautiful lodge at 725 m (2380 feet) above sea level is very modern with gourmet meals, sauna, and great rooms for reading and relaxing.
The reindeer Erik greets all new guests. (Photo by Margareta)

And the sheep also are curious about the newcomers. (Photo by Margareta)

The view from the lodge is just spectacular.
Cliff on the deck in the back of the lodge.

Now we are ready for our first hike. We will just hike the 'blomstervandring', the flower hike up the nearest mountain.
And we found a lot of flowers. Cliff turned out to be quite a flower photographer.

Once we got up a bit we had a fantastic view of the mountains and the valleys.

But what are mountains without snow? Here we are throwing our first snowballs....
but the snow is not so strong..... so Margareta falls right through. She will need some help to get up.
I was so happy to be in the mountains, I just love the views, the hikes, the flowers, the snow.. . But, as you will see in my next blog, snow is not always this nice.
Cliff thought that the weather was quite warm, why have jackets on?

After the hike we had our first lunch at the lodge. Great fish soup, salads, and
homemade bread that was just fantastic.

After lunch a little nap on the deck can never be wrong.

In the afternoon it was time for another short hike, this time along the river behind the lodge.

This is the direction we walked. (Photo by Harald)

Walking through the birch tree woods was like walking in a ''troll'' forest.

Finally we reached the hanging bridge over the river. It reminded me of the bridge at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

In the evening we took a sauna and then had a fantastic three course meal with some expensive wine. Strangely enough none of us have any pictures........

Midsummer 2008

2008-07-15T10:28:00.029-04:00

This was the 14th annual midsummer party at Ramsen, a small island in the archipelago north of Stockholm. My brother Åke and his wife Helene bought the property 14 years ago and have been hosting a midsummer festivity/family reunion ever since. This year, however, Åke and Helene had delegated the planning to their daughter Maria, son Johan and their cousins. They, in turn, made sure that everyone contributed with food, drinks, and games. Above you can see Åke overseeing the raising of the midsummer pole.
And then he could relax with a beer and just enjoy the weekend.

This is how happy Helene was that she did not have to be in charge.

Our family was very happy to be reunited - Benjamin arrived from India, Kristina and Cliff from Berlin and Kerstin and Thomas came from Washington.

As you can see, the weather was fabulous, the best midsummer weather I have ever experienced. Sunny and warm THE WHOLE TIME! As usual we started with a ''sill'' lunch.

And we were singing ''nubbevisor'' that Johan had collected in the pamphlet Kristina is showing.

After lunch everybody did different things, like playing soccer, participating in the ''tipspromenad,'' swimming, taking a sauna (even though the weather did not call for it), fishing, playing kubb or just hanging out. If you want to see more pictures from these activities, check out Kristina's and Ben's blogs. (Links are above in the right column.)
Here are some of the happy family members, Helene's brother Thomas, Kristina, Cliff and Louise.

Johan and Cornelea.

Björn and Inga.

Bengt and Lars. Behind are the tents used by some of the 30 family members who were there.

Kristina's friend Marybeth who came in from Phoenix, AZ. To make sure she felt at home we made some s'mores.

Peter and Cecilia enjoying their s'mores.

The next day, Kristina made two birthday cakes, one for Cliff and one for Maria.

Benjamin serving the cakes to the birthday celebrants.

And here they are opening presents.

What you now have been presented is, of course, a sanitized version of what a Swedish midsummer is like. If you want to know what it really is like, I suggest you check out this video.

Thomas's Jazz Recital

2008-05-19T09:13:00.008-04:00

On Sunday Thomas had the great fortune to play two songs with members of the Levine Jazz Quintet. Here we see Thomas with Bob Sykes on piano, Pepe Gonzalez on bass and Ian Sikora on drums. This fantastic opportunity had been arranged by Thomas's saxophone teacher Dr. Noah Getz (who is also a member of the Quintet) and the Levine School of Music. Instead of a traditional jury at the end of the semester, the students of the Quintet members had the possibility to play in a real live setting. This was simply a fantastic experience for everyone. I can't count the number of juries we have taken Benjamin, Kristina, and Thomas to over the years, but this was by far the most enjoyable one. The chance to play with real, professional musicians lifted the performance of every participant, and I am sure all of them felt very proud of themselves after the performance. The ''jury'' part consisted mostly of well deserved praise and a few pointers in which areas to improve. In a traditional jury, the poor child is left alone in front of three faculty members who criticize their performance. Thank you to Dr. Getz and the Levine Jazz Quintet for arranging this wonderful Sunday afternoon! In the videos below you can judge for yourself.

In this video, Thomas plays Song For My Father by Horace Silver......

... and in this one Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock.

New York May 2008

2008-05-13T12:47:00.035-04:00

A group of 11 singers and 5 musicians from the Swedish Lutheran Church in Washington DC went up to New York in order to perform the Swedish folk mass I välsignan och fröjd together with the choir of the Swedish Church in New York.
Here you can hear a bit of one of the songs, Kan de va så lätt. But before we got to the performance, a lot of things happened.
Kerstin H and I took a bus to New York on Friday morning and from the bus station we walked over to take the subway to our hostel. No one can tell us that New Yorkers are unfriendly. A nice young man offered to help Kerstin with her bag up some terrible steps. I guess he saw her big instrument, the nyckelharpa, on her back an figured she needed some help. He wished us welcome to New York. And then a nice lady took this picture of us at Times Square subway station.
Here is the hostel where we stayed, Swiss Hostel 1291. It was really in a great location on 55th Street. Walking distance to Times Square, the Swedish Church, the Museum of Modern Art, Central Park and many more sights. Here Anna has joined us and the rain has stopped.

The room was not exactly luxurious but clean and with comfortable beds. The price was right at $ 50 per night per person, including a simple breakfast. As much as we laughed in that room, one could believe we had won millions on a lottery.

Agneta and Anna having a mother-daughter moment on the bunk.

After getting settled in the hostel, we ventured out in the rain to find a New York deli. As always, a treat.

After the deli we went to the Museum of Modern Art also called the MOMA. On Friday afternoon the admission is free between 4-8 pm. That fit us perfect since that was the only time we could have gone anyway. But I have never seen so many people in a museum before. It was literally packed. The first work of art that greets the visitor is Auguste Rodin's Monument to Balzac from 1898.

The collection at the museum is vast. Even though we spent three hours at the museum, we only saw a fraction of the collection and the exhibits. There were many interactive super modern exhibits, such as the one above. This a Kerstin taking a picture of herself against a panorama of colors projected on the walls.

If you like more "traditional" modern art, the 5th floor is for you. There you can find Picasso, van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, Matisse, Mondrian, Klimt, Kandinsky, and Munch just to mention a few. Above is the famous Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Picasso.

After an inspiring visit at the museum, it was time for a relaxing glass of wine and some Cuban food....
and then a visit to an off-Broadway show called The Perfect Crime. This is a murder mystery about a psychiatrist who has killed her husband. A detective is trying to pin the crime on her, but falls in love with her!!! The detective was played by Richard Schoberg, and Kerstin H and Agneta were thrilled to see him, because he has been starring in Law and Order. The Perfect Crime is supposedly the longest running drama in New York, but it is probably time to close it down. Only about 30 people came to see it..... It was fairly entertaining, but I think the actors were trying their best not to show how bored they were with play. Time for something new.

A drink after the show is never wrong. Here is Kerstin with Agneta's friend Grete from Tromsoe. Grete invited us to visit her up there next summer when she has retired from her job with the Norwegian foreign service. We really should go!
Now, here is the real reason we went to New York, the Church of Sweden on 48th Street. Our big rehearsal with the New York choir was on Saturday afternoon.

We were treated to a nice lunch in the church cafeteria. Here are Agneta with her daughter Anna, Kerstin with her daughter Lovisa, but my daughter Kristina could not be with us since she is studying in Berlin. We all missed her soooo much.
After rehearsal it was time for Greenwich village where we ended up at a Happy Hour - drinks and appetizers for $ 4. you can't beat that in New York where everything is really expensive. This is how happy Pelle and Mila were,
but Göran and Sonja were happier,
and Lena and Kerstin were the happiest.
Then we went to a Jazz Club called Smalls . I think the group was called the David Ashkenazy Jazz Band and it was a very good band.
After the jazz club we decided to go and check out Times Square by night. And it was a total circus. So many people....
and they were all standing around looking at something, taking pictures. Of what? It turned out that Will Smith was shooting a music video in the middle of the street, causing traffic jams and people jams. But we saw him, so now you know someone who saw Will Smith for whatever that is worth!
Now it is Sunday morning and time for the final rehearsal before the 11 am service and mass. To summarize, it was a fantastic weekend, and I hope we can do it again next year. Thank you to all the members of the New York church, especially pastor Ib Philblad and music director Kristina Sturk-Steinwall, and thanks to all the singers and musicians from Washington.
If you want to see more of my photos, click here.

Spring Break in Berlin

2008-04-01T15:22:00.050-04:00

During spring break Benjamin and Kerstin went to visit Kristina who, as everyone probably knows, is studying there. A blog about Berlin must start with us in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Here are Kristina and Benjamin on our first, very rainy walking tour of Berlin. A few days later the sun was shining.
We had reserved an apartment very close to the Hackesche Markt and Alexanderplatz. A perfect location. Below you can see the high rise in the middle with the Alexander Tower to the left.

From our window on the 14th floor we had a great view of the eastern part of the city, former East Berlin. We had every kind of weather. Snow...
rainy and clouds...
and sunshine. We could have had more of that....
Our main attraction in Berlin was of course Kristina. We were invited to her host family for a wonderful dinner, fondue with all kinds of vegetables and lemonade to drink. They had a really interesting apartment in Kreuzberg in the western part of the city. It could probably be called an attic loft. Here we all are, daughter Paula, Kristina, Kerstin, Kristina's friend from UMBC Annie, son Maurius, mother Marlies, and Benjamin taking the picture.
We got a serenade from Kristina and Paula, and later Marius joined them on the piano. We all sang a farewell-song for Marius who was leaving for Israel the next day.
Here is Kristina in her very cute room.
We did not only visit Kristina, but also some of my students from Catholic who were studying in the same program as Kristina. Here they are, Salvatore and Nick. Just like Kristina, they were very happy to be in Berlin, as we can see here.
Of course we did a lot of sight seeing as well. There is so much to see in Berlin, that only a fraction can be covered in a few days. Below is Potsdamer Platz, representing the super modern rebuilding after the reunification of Berlin.
In the picture below, the memories of the old Nazi Berlin meet the memories of the old Communist Berlin. In front you can see the Topography of Terror, an outdoor museum on the grounds of the former Gestapo (the Nazi secret police) headquarters. Here information about all the victims of the Gestapo is displayed. The lives and deaths of resistance fighters and opponents of the Nazi regime --i.e., Jews, communists, socialists, homosexuals, gypsies, Catholics, Protestants, aristocrats, and ordinary Germans -- are documented on the posters . Behind the outdoor exhibit, you can see one of the few sections of the Berlin Wall that still remains.

Otherwise, the only way to see were the wall once stood is to look for these bricks in the streets. Along the stretch where the wall once stood, a line of bricks has been set into the street with plaques like the one above.

The only place where the wall and the death strip have been preserved is at Bernauer Strasse, where there is a tower and a museum. It is an interesting place to visit. Mostly, you see groups of German high school students visiting the museum. It is a bit hard to grasp that they were not even born when the wall came down. For them it is all history. Below, Benjamin is looking over the wall from the tower.

Even though not much of the Berlin Wall can be seen in Berlin anymore, attempts have been made to preserve the history of the wall. On the photo below you can see Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstraße, probably the most famous of the old checkpoints between the old West- and East-Berlin. This is now a big tourist attraction with a museum devoted to illustrate how East Germans tried to cross the wall and flee to West Berlin. The little check point hut certainly looks out of place beside the glass and concrete shopping and office buildings that now line Friedrichstraße.

Not far from there we could see these Trabants, the glorious cars of the former East Germany. People had to wait for 10 years or more to be able to buy one of these cars. Now, most of them have become scrap metal, but some have survived in museums or, like here, can be rented for a little ride around town.

The picture below is another good illustration of how contrasts and history meet in Berlin. In the background to the left is the old Reichstag, now housing the Bundestag (the German Parliament), with its famous super modern glass dome. To the right is the new American embassy complex and in the front in the new Holocaust Memorial. Under the Holocaust Memorial is a museum dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Nazis. This museum just opened and should definitely be visited if you go to Berlin.
One day, actually it must have been a Tuesday, we went to the Turkish Market in Kreuzberg. This is a great market with fantastic prices. Here you can buy anything you want, it seems, food, clothes, household goods, toys, electronics. And then, of course you can buy Kebabs. Here are Kristina and Benjamin waiting for theirs.
Kristina checking out the goods while eating the dried apricots we bought.
Another day we walked Unter den Linden, the major boulevard connecting Alexanderplatz and the Brandenburg Gate. Walking this street is a walk through Berlin's history, a history that dates about 800 years. True, there is not much left of medieval Berlin, only a little city block called Nicolai Viertel, which we did not visit this time. Everywhere you walk on this street, your eyes will catch historic buildings, all full of memories of Berlin's past. Most famous is perhaps the Neue Wache. This neo-classical building was built in 1816 and designed by the amazing architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. In the beginning it was a guard house for the guards of the royal palace, which was located down the street.

Schinkel deserves a blog post devoted just to his architecure. Even though a lot of the buildings he created were destroyed in the war, there are still many that have been restored, such as the church below, the Friedrichswerder church, which now houses a museum devoted to him and his architecture. You can click here, if you are interested in Schinkel and his impact on Berlin.

At one end of Unter den Linden located on the Museum Island is the Cathedral of Berlin, the Berliner Dom, the center of the Lutheran Church in Berlin. This church was almost completely destroyed during the war but has been rebuilt. Benjamin and I attended a Saturday vesper, which featured organ music.

Other buildings along Unter den Linden include the beautiful Zeughaus, which houses the German Historical Museum. It also has a real nice cafe, it you need to rest your feet.

And here is the Humboldt University.
We did not attend an opera at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden this time. Instead we went to the other main opera house, the Deutsche Oper Berlin in the former West Berlin. We saw an amazing performance of Verdi's Rigoletto. One of the best performances I have ever seen.

But the rich German culture is, unfortunately, always interrupted by the horrors of the Nazi period. On Bebel Square, across the street from the Humboldt University is a monument commemorating the events of May 10, 1933 when the Nazis ceremoniously burned books considered ''un-German.'' This included all Jewish authors as well as any other author who was critical of the Nazis or whose works were considered ''degenerate'' or ''un-arian.'' The monument consists of a window through which (under which) you can see a room with empty book shelves. Nearby is a plaque with the prophetic words of the Jewish-German author Heinrich Heine who in 1820 wrote the famous words, ''Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen.'' (There, where books are burned, in the end people will also be burned.)

Another place rich with Berlin's complicated history, is the deconstruction of the Palace of the Republic, which can be viewed below. The Palace of the Republic was the seat of the East German parliament from 1976 to 1990. But it was also included restaurants, auditoriums and a bowling alley and was a well known meeting place for East Berliners. After long debates and discussions after the fall of the wall it was decided that it would be demolished and instead the old city palace -- where the kings of Prussia and later the emperor of Germany resided --will be rebuilt.

As mentioned, we lived very close to the Alexanderplatz. We could see the Alexander Tower from our window.

From being the center of the former communist East Berlin it has now turned into a center of western style consumerism with new malls and shops. The old ''Weltzeituhr'' - world clock, which shows the times around the world, is now surrounded by malls that can compete with the biggest malls in the US,

such as this ultra modern mall in three levels.

For the most part we stayed in the center and eastern part of Berlin. But once we went over to the center of the old West Berlin around Kurfürstendamm, where we visited the Gedächtniskirche. Below is the inside of the new ''box.''
And here is the outside view with the tower of the old, bombed out church and the tower of the new addition. It cannot be called a pretty church, but it is a strong reminder of the destruction that war and agression lead to.

In the middle of our stay, we were surprised to find out that workers running the subway and busses were going to strike. Berlin is otherwise known for its amazing system of public transportation. Anywhere you want to go, there are busses, trams, subways, or commuter trains that can take you there. Below is the brand new main train station.

But, as can be imagined, when the system is down, there will be a bit of a chaos. The only workers who were not included in the strike were those running the commuter trains. Below you can see how crowded those stations became.
Since we had a bit of a hard time to get around in the city, we decided to take a commuter train to Spandau. Spandau is a little town on the out-skirts of Berlin. It has a very interesting fortress, the Spandau citadel that was built in the 16th century.

The town is very different from Berlin because it decided to rebuild the town trying to keep its old medieval character. Below is the Nicolai Church.

The town is full of old houses such this one. Spandau is a place well worth visiting. I would think it would be especially pretty in the spring or summer, when the narrow streets and squares would be full of outdoor cafes. If you want to see more pictures, go to Ben's blog.

Trip to the Grand Canyon Dec. 22-29, 2007

2008-01-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

After being in the planning stages for over a year, finally our much anticipated trip to the Grand Canyon took place. Already over a year in advance our friend Jill had reserved lodging for her family and ours at the Bright Angel Lodge at the south rim of the canyon and at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. Jill's friend Marcy had reserved lodging for an additional 18 people. So in all, our group consisted of 26 people coming from all over the United States.

We all met up at the Holiday Inn Express in Scottsdale (outside Phoenix) where we spent the first night of our trip. Here the Paul-Gaddy families are ready to take the identical rental cars and drive up to the canyon. Unfortunately Chris and Anna were not with us, but we talked to them on the phone on our way up. It is amazing to sit in a car in Arizona and talk to Chris and Anna in Mauritania, Africa!
The first view of the canyon from the south rim is breathtaking. The weather could not have been more perfect. Admittedly it was cold, around 30 degrees F, but the sun was shining from a cloudless sky every day.

Kristina and Thomas standing right outside our rooms at the Bright Angel Lodge. Some of us were lucky enough to have the Buckey suite for a night, with windows facing the canyon!

The views are just so spectacular that it really is impossible to describe. Here you can see that the top of the canyon is covered with snow.

Later that evening the moon came up. Because of the clear sky and the full moon it really never got dark. The moon lit up the canyon so that it appeared as if it was a stage lit up by search lights.
After the sun has set and the moon has come up, it is time for everyone to get together in the Buckey suite to get to know each other and to listen to instructions about what will happen the next day. This was especially useful for those of us (our family and 3 others) who were going to hike the canyon for the first time.
The morning of the big adventure starts according to the established traditions of the Paul family - a huge breakfast at 6:30 am at the El Tovar lodge.

After taking a bus along the rim to the trail-head of the South Kaibab trail, here we are all 26 of us getting ready to start the hike. Only happy faces when we started and, although we have no photo showing everyone after arriving to the bottom of the canyon, everyone was just as happy at the end .

The first part of the trail was covered with snow and ice, so we were happy that we had bought yak tracks to put on our hiking boots.
Already at the first resting place it was a lot warmer. The jackets, gloves, hats, and yak tracks could be removed.
Jill and John eating a snack at Cedar Ridge, the perfect spot for looking back at the snow covered slopes and enjoying the sun and views over the canyon.

It was hard to believe that it was Christmas Eve! But these mule riders reminded us. But the people riding the mules up or down did not look very happy. Hiking on your own feet must be soooo much better than shaking back and forth on a mule. Especially when it is cold.

At the next rest stop some fatigue started to set in, and some feet started to get blisters and needed some moleskin.

The first view of the Colorado River! We still have a long way to go.
But now we are down! Thomas at the Black Bridge. Thomas and Kerstin stayed walking buddies and reached the bottom after four hours and forty five minutes. Kristina was the first one of everyone in our group, and she hiked in barely more than three hours. The last persons in our group were down in about seven hours.

Kerstin drinking a well deserved cup of coffee and eating a Snickers after reaching the Phantom Ranch.
The history of the Phantom Ranch dates back to the beginning of last century when hikers started to visit the inner canyon. If you want more information on the ranch, including prices for lodging and meals, see
http://www.allhikers.com/Allhikers/Visitor-Information/Phantom-Ranch/Phantom-Ranch.htm

Most of the people in our group slept in the dorms, with ten people in each dorm, men and women in separate dorms. Here is Jennifer and Aine in one of the dorms.
This is one of the cabins, which can also be rented.
And the real brave ones can camp! This is the group camp site where 11 of our group camped! And they camped without tents! Just under the stars or in this shelter. The temperature at night was in the 20-ties!
In the sunshine during the days it is considerably warmer, and the cottonwood trees are so beautiful.
This is the canteen where breakfast and dinner is served. During the rest of the time it is open and one can buy drinks and snacks and just hang out playing games or reading.
On Christmas Day our whole group gathered outside the canteen to sing Christmas carols and read the Christmas passages from the Bible. Everyone who heard us were very appreciative and thanked us so much for bringing this Christmas spirit to the canyon.
The Chrismas dinner in the canteen was just unbelievably delicious. Turkey, ham, steak, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, a vegetarian dish, vegetables, bread, and ten different deserts. Here Robbie, Laura, John, and Jill are getting ready to start.
Ben giving thumbs up!
There are many day hikes that can be done from Phantom Ranch. On Christmas Day we all hiked to Mindy's and Mark's point, which is on the top of the inner canyon.
Dan at Mindy's and Mark's point.
Aine and Laura resting in the sun.
Ellen and others eating lunch.
No doubt one of the best views of the river.
Ben, Robbie, and Cliff.
What can you do if you don't go for hikes, eat or sleep? Just like Cliff and John, you can read your books that you lugged down.
Or you can hang out in the canteen playing games, drink soft drink or wine and share hiking stories.
Or you can sit outside and play cards and eat snacks that the mules carried down for us.
Unfortunately, everything fun comes to an end. After spending three days and three nights at the bottom it was time to hike out. This time we were hiking the Bright Angel Trail, which is longer than the South Kaibab trail but not so steep. We started the day with an early breakfast at 5:30, and before the sun came up we were on our way. Here are Rachel, Maria, and Laura.
Thomas and Kerstin were again hiking buddies. It was a lot colder hiking out for several reasons. We started before the sun came up. But even when the sun finally came up, it did not help much since we were always in the shade. Coldest of all was Indian Gardens. It was like a refrigerator. We wanted to take a nice break and eat our lunch, but it was too cold to enjoy the break.

On the way we met John and Robbie resting up before the last climb.
And Benjamin at the three mile marker.
It was time to put on the yak tracks on finish the hike out. But a first a photo op with some ice...

Can Thomas make it?

Yes, he can. We made it! After 5 hours and 45 minutes we were back at the rim. Again, our team spread out with the fastest person up in about 4 hours and the slowest in about 9 hours.
But, admittedly, we were a bit tired. Here we are taking a nap in the El Tovar lobby while waiting for our rooms to be ready.

The next day we had to say goodbye to the Grand Canyon for this time. Cliff and Kerstin took a last drive along the south rim and asked a Japanese tourist to take this picture of us. We are certain to come back some time soon. Hiking rim to rim? Or rim to rim to rim?

Most of these pictures were taken with Kerstin's new camera. A few have been borrowed without permission from Kristina G., Laura P., and John H.

If you want to view more pictures, visit
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=761&id=1017655798

Old Rag Mountain and Luray Caverns October 2007

2007-11-03T12:27:00.001-04:00

During Columbus Day (October 7-8) weekend Heinz, Hella, Cliff, and Kerstin went up to the mountains. We were going to hike the Old Rag Mountain, visit Luray Caverns and on the way back visit some Virgina vineyards. Here we have actually already reached the top!
But, we certainly did not start there. We started at the day parking at the bottom of the mountain at about 11 am. We had plenty of water, sandwiches and trail mix. The weather was not exactly October like. It was about 85 degrees and sunny! The leaves had hardly turned into autumn colors at all. The whole hike is about 8 miles and took us a little over 5 hours. I just cannot believe we have never done this hike before. It is stunning! It is challenging! It is fun. It is beautiful!
Here we are at the beginning of the hike, where the trail is fairly easy.

After about an hour and a half the rock scramble starts. It is so hard and so much fun! If you are afraid of higths, don't even think about it!
Once you reach almost to the top, you have a magnificent view over the valley. The blue haze makes you feel like the ''Wanderin über dem Nebelmeer.''
Here is the romantic predecessor ''Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer'' by Caspar David Friedrich!
Here is the photographer himself at the top of the mountain. All of these beautiful pictures from the hike come from his camera.

It was exhausting! Partly because it was so warm. We needed a little power nap before starting the descent.
Ready to go down again. So proud of ourselves!

The next day we took a little drive along the Skyland Drive and stopped at this lookout across from the Old Rag mountain. That is what you see in the background. But before the drive on the Skyland Drive we visited Luray Caverns. We had spent the night at a hotel in Luray, which is not excatly what we wanted. But lodges and bed-and-breakfasts are hard to reserve at this time of the year. The one hour tour of Luray caverns is really worth it. Except maybe that our guide was on the weird side, sounding like a recording that had gone into overdrive. But it is amazing formations there under ground.

On the way back to DC we had to show our German guests that there is wine making in Virginia, too. Here we are sampling wine at "Gray Ghost." This was very good wine. Even Heinz, a true expert on German, French and Italian wines, was positive!!!
The outdoor and indoor facilities were to our liking, as you can see.

We also stopped at Piedmont Vineyards right outside Middleburg. I think we were a bit tired by then. At least we did not think the wine was as good as the Gray Ghost wines.

Germany: Trier, August 12-14

2007-08-18T20:09:00.001-04:00

Back to Germany, to the city of Trier or Treveri as it was called in Roman times. Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded by the Romans in 16 B.C. For 300 years it was the capital of the Northern Roman province of Gallia Belgica. Today, the Roman influence is still strong in the city. The Porta Nigra, the Roman Baths, the Basilika, and the Amphitheater all testify to Treveri -- Trier's impressive Roman past.

This is the Porta Nigra (the Black Gate).

The rest of the city is just as pretty, as all small cities in Germany seem to be. The houses are beautifully restored and the pedestrian mall (Fussgängerzone) is full of shops, restaurants, and cafes. This is the market square, and we lived just around the corner in a youth hostel.

In the background, connected to the Palace, you can see the Basilika, which was built by Emperor Constantine (more on him below) as his grand hall to receive guests, citizens, and dignitaries.

This is the courtyard of the Cathedral of Trier, which also was begun around 300.

When we arrived in Trier, we found out that the city was celebrating the Emperor Constantine -- the first Christian Roman emperor -- who moved his residence to Trier in 306 (and thus made Trier the seat of the Western Roman Empire) and became the ''Augustus'' of Trier in 307. If you want to know more, visit http://www.konstantin-ausstellung/.

It turned out that this weekend was Roman weekend, with a Roman camp built up at the area where the ruins of the Roman baths now are. It was something like a miniature "Renaissance Festival" like they have in Maryland each fall. Same ideas of foods, crafts, bow-and-arrow contests, even jousting.

Thomas was confident of his archery skills after having done this in P.E. at school the past year. Sure enough, he put all three arrows in the deer.

One field was set up to show Roman jousting.

Eating genuine Roman stew in bread bowl (hmm... looks strangely like the bread bowl you get at the Maryland Renaissance Festival).

In the evning there was a light, dance, and sound spectacular in the underground walkways of the ancient Roman baths. This place would be great for a Halloween Spooktacular, which is what it reminded us of.

A visit to Trier would not be complete without a visit to the Karl Marx museum. Karl Marx was born in this house in Trier in 1818. The museum has a brand new exhibit about the life and influence of Karl Marx, and it also describes the turbulent history of the house itself.
To know more about Karl Marx and the museum, go to http://www.fes.de/marx/index_e.htm

Now we actually have left Trier and are on our way to Frankfurt am Main. We will stay in a hotel right by the airport in order to be ready to fly back the next morning. We took the scenic route, with a ferry over the Rhine river from Ingelheim to Oestrich-Winkel. Here you can see how flooded the river is. They were preparing for a new flooding catastrophe like back in 2005, but fortunately the water level was receding. Thomas has no time looking at such things. He is reading his latest James Bond book, "Dr. No"......

Our last dinner in Germany for this time was at this winery above the Rhine river. The view over the river valley where you can see Frankfurt, Mainz, and Wiesbaden was excellent, as was the wine and the food.

Luxemburg: A Brief Stop on the Way Back to Germany, August 12

2007-08-18T20:08:00.001-04:00

We left Verdun early Sunday morning and within a couple of hours we were in Luxemburg. The best thing about this little country was the price of gas! In Germany, you pay almost $8 a gallon.... In Luxemburg you get gas for the bargain price of $6 a gallon. Needless to say, they had the biggest gas stations we have ever seen right at the border crossings. People come from the surrounding areas in Germany and France just to fill up their cars and to buy coffee, which also was supposed to be a lot cheaper. We filled up, too.

The city itself was very pretty, with a big fort in the middle where the city center was.

On the town square this band of young college-age kids from Lyon, France, was playing. They were very good.

Here we are in front of the palace in which their Grand Duke Henri lives with his Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and their five children. Unfortunately they did not have time to meet us at such a short notice.

We hiked down to the bottom of the ravine that surrounds the fort before driving back to Germany.

France: Verdun, August 10-11

2007-08-18T20:03:00.002-04:00

War, what is it good for?

Even as we talked about this Europe trip before leaving the States, Thomas had asked us again and again if we couldn't drive around Europe and visit as many countries as possible. This was not exactly what we wanted to do, but France and Luxemburg would be an option. Since Thomas's big project for 7th grade is an interdisciplinary project on World War I, what would be more appropriate than visiting Verdun, France. His summer reading assignment was Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, which he finished while we were in Simmern. We had also watched the old black-and-white movie in Germany.

It was rather amazing to start in the morning in Brauneberg, Germany, drive through Luxemburg, and end up in Verdun, France, by lunchtime! Three countries in less than three hours. The EU has really changed Europe. The former border crossings were empty buildings, and so we could just ride right through.

The above picture shows downtown Verdun with the Victory Monument in the background. This section of town is a bit deceiving in that it appears that Verdun is a well maintained city with picturesque houses. Unfortunately, that is true for only a very small section of the downtown area. Most houses and streets were very run down. We were commenting that one could make a film about World War I destruction with these houses as the natural background. The pictures below will give you a sense of that.

After spending the first afternoon walking around in the city, we went out to the memorials, museums, monuments, and cemeteries in the area outside of town where the battle of Verdun took place during 1916. It is truly incomprehensible what happened there. The battle went on from February to November, and during that time 800,000 young men were killed -- 400,000 French soldiers and 400,000 German soldiers. (Somewhere around nine million soldiers were killed in WW I.) Most were killed by artillery shelling -- from the shrapnel or just buried alive in their trenches .

The Battle of Verdun has been called the most meaningless battle of all of the war. The insanity of it all is documented in the museums and especially in the Ossuary of Douaumont, pictured below. The Ossuary contains the bones of 130,000 unknown soldiers, French and German alike. In front of the Ossuary is a National Cemetery where 15, 000 French soldiers are buried.

Here Thomas and Kerstin are looking into the "windows" of the Ossuary, and what did they see?

This! In window after window after window after window after window.......

We also visited some of the trenches. Here is a communication trench, i.e., a trench which was used to send messengers between the different real trenches. It's now all green, with grass and trees. At the time of the battle the entire landscape was completely denuded of all life -- like the moon. The craters remain, but the vegetation has grown in to make it very beautiful.

It must be with very mixed emotions that the people of Verdun deal with what happened here. On the one hand, the city has been named the World Capital of Peace. This would mean that the insanity of the whole war, the meaninglessness of all the death and destruction, would be at the center. This message indeed is conveyed in many places. At the same time, though, there is ample information to show French heroism and the French victory, urging a false sense of French nationalism and patriotism. In addition, tourism to these grisly places is what the city seems to live from. There were a lot of German tourists here.

The Argonne Battlefields are not far from Verdun. This is where most of the American soldiers fought. In this area there is an American Memorial and the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. With 14,246 crosses, this is the biggest American cemetery in Europe. We decided to drive over there. It was a pretty drive through the French country side, and the cemetery itself was beautiful -- if a cemetery can be beautiful.

As we were standing there, looking at the names of all the young men who had died here, Kerstin said, "I wonder if there was any Gaddy who died here." "I was wondering the same," Thomas said. "Look at that cross," Cliff said. And right there was the grave of James R. Gaddy.
How was that possible! More that 14,000 crosses and we should be standing right there? Kerstin is convinced that James talked to us from his grave....

We also stopped briefly at a cemetery for German soldiers. Maybe that is where the classmates of Paul (the main character in Remarque's book) and Paul himself ended up.

Verdun was one of France's most fortified cities before World War I. These forts had been built after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 to stave off another German attack. Today, remnants of these forts can be seen in many places. And they can be used for something good, in this case soccer! This little field was the best for Thomas. It was like indoor soccer, because the ball would always bounce back!

Even though Verdun is laden with a sad history and with sad memories, we were glad to find out that the city also can be "normal." We did not experience that until the end of our trip when we were having dinner on the quay of the Meuse river in the city center. Suddenly, all the outdoor cafes and restaurants were full, and people were walking up and down, talking, laughing and having fun. An outdoor concert was about to start. Winston McAnuff was the big attraction, and he performed a blend of Jamaican reggae and French chansons. We all really enjoyed the concert and the atmosphere. We bought the CD, which we listened to all the way to Luxemburg.

Germany: And On to the Mosel, August 7-9

2007-08-18T20:03:00.001-04:00

It is hard to believe, but the Mosel river is even prettier than the Rhine river. On both sides of the river there are fantastic bike trails that are full of bikers. Most of them seem to be out on longer trips, because they have packed saddle bags and are prepared for all kinds of weather. It is very easy to find B&Bs -- just look for signs that say "Zimmer frei." Needless to say, there are innumerable restaurants that serve anything from breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, and, of course, the local wine.

We were recommended to stay in Brauneberg, in a B&B called Haus Liane. Check out their web page to get more pictures http://www.kriebs-mattes.de/. This recommendation was just fantastic. The Haus Liane is owned by a couple who also are wine growers and producers. Hubert is the vintner and Liane is his wife. Both seemed like wonderful people. Liane -- who runs the B&B (in addition to helping out in the vineyards) -- is almost a parody of a jolly farm wife. When we arrived, the first thing she did was pop open a bottle of wine, sit us down, and treat us to a few glasses. Their wine was the best that we tasted anywhere. And the breakfasts that Liane served up each morning were amazing -- enough to keep you going all day long.

In the evening, all the guests (there were two other couples staying there at the time) would sit together out on the back patio with Hubert and taste his wines and talk about the day's adventures or plans for the next day. He also showed us some great videos about the area and the wine growing industry here.

As usual, we found a place nearby where Thomas could practice his soccer skills.

We had planned to use Brauneberg as the base for some bicycle tours along the Mosel, but neither the weather or other circumstances cooperated. There is a bike rental outlet in Brauneberg, but unfortunately they had a "Ruhetag" (day-of-rest -- watch out for this. A lot of restaurants and other places have random "Ruhetage.") on Wednesday afternoons. So our plans to bike to the nearby town of Bernkastel-Kues further down the Mosel did not work out. Instead, we took the car to this little city 7 km away.

If there is any place on the Mosel where it is crowded, it would be Bernkastel-Kues. A lot of tourists were here, mostly from Holland, Belgium and other parts of Germany. We hardly ever saw any Americans during our trip -- anywhere. Needless to say, this place is unreal -- like a German version of a Disney-World version of a German town. Every house is meticulously restored and painted. Everything is clean and unbelievably pretty.

We just walked around the place and enjoyed the touristy sights.

This is Bernkastel from the Kues side. (The town is a combination of two towns, one on each side of the Mosel.) We did take a short cruise on the river from here.

The next day, Hubert the vintner was going to take a group of children from a children's home on a tour of the wine growing districts on the slopes of the Mosel river. This is the tractor and the covered wagon that he uses for this trip. In the wagon there are seats and a table in the middle.

Unfortunately, the weather was not the best. The view from the top of the mountain over the valley was limited by the fog and mist, but it was still quite beautiful, as you can see.

Thomas got to ride up front in the tractor with Hubert for a while, conversing with him in German.

Here is Hubert serving his guests some wine. The children got juice that he also produces.

Germany: Back Down to the Rhine, August 6-7

2007-08-18T19:22:00.000-04:00

On Monday, with the week of soccer camp over for Thomas, the three of us left Simmern and drove with the rental car back down to Boppard, the little town on the Rhine that Kerstin and Cliff had biked to while Thomas was at camp. We stayed at the same place as before -- the "Shinderhannes and Julchen" B&B. In fact, we got the same room -- with the view of the river.

Our BB was right behind these buildings.

On the afternoon of our arrival we rented bikes and biked along the river. We found this rowing club. (So next time Benjamin can come along and and row on the river.) Not exactly sure how anyone can actually row on this part of the Rhine, though. The current on the river is VERY strong. Rowing upstream must be like on a treadmill. Downstream -- well, you'd soon end up in Rotterdam....

Here's an innovative use of an old single scull:

Our bike tour took us on the "Sesselbahn" (chair lift), which takes you up the mountain right outside Boppard. The view is spectaular when you get up.

At the top, we walked to the Vier Seen Blick -- a restaurant with a view that because of the twists and turns makes the Rhine look like four lakes.

I think Thomas saw a fly in his coke....... or his mother killing a wasp....

The next day the weather was awful. Biking or hiking just was not possible. So we decided to take the car on a ferry over to the other side of the Rhine and go to Marksburg, one of the most impressive castles on the Rhine.

The river was quite rough -- looks like being on the high seas. But high water on the Rhine is no joke. The river has flooded down here on many occasions over the centuries, pushing up to the second story of buildings a couple of streets away from the embankment.

Marksburg is one of the oldest castles on the Rhine and it is impressive mostly because it has never been conquered or destroyed.

Here we are waiting in the rain to go on a guided tour.

The rain just continued, so a tour with the car down the Rhine to Koblenz seemed to be the right thing to do. Koblenz is where the Rhine and the Mosel rivers flow together. At their intersection there is a monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I and the unity of Germany in the 1800s. This is a view from the monument towards the river intersection -- the Deutsches Eck [the German Corner].

Always time for a good German Bratwurst....

Germany: Soccer Camp Ends, August 5

2007-08-06T03:45:00.000-04:00

Saturday, August 4, was Heinz's birthday. Heinz and Hella had worked all day to make some home made gnocchi, which was served with roast and vegetables. Excellent. Here we are drinking sekt (German champagne) before dinner. Joachim, Mathias, Lena, Hella, Susanne, Kerstin, Cliff and Heinz.

Heinz and Hella were the perfect hosts, not only letting us stay in their apartment for many days, but also serving us meal after meal. But occasionally we actually did help out. Here's proof:

This, by the way, is the setting for our stay with Heinz and Hella -- the pretty little town of Simmern.

Up on Sunday morning after the birthday party, Kerstin and Heinz decided to relive their youth and take a motorcycle ride to a rock music festival in the countryside nearby. "Nature One" it was called -- a weekend gathering of 50,000 German "techno-freaks."

Just kidding.

But they did take the bike to drive to the airport where Kerstin was going to pick up the rental car we were going to use for the rest of our trip around this part of Europe.

With the rental Cliff and Kerstin drove back to the town of Lütz where Thomas had his soccer camp. Time to pick him up at the end of the week. Mom's worries proved totally uncalled for: Thomas had had a wonderful time.

He had made friends immediately. He had played a lot of soccer, of course -- very tough training. And the entire camp had gone to see a top-level professional soccer game in Mainz featuring the defending Bundesliga champions.

Thomas said that the level of play of the boys at this camp was higher than for boys the same age that he has played with in the US or Sweden. If your German is good and you want to have a day-by-day description of his camp, visit http://www.fv-rheinland.de/html/aktuelles_hunsruck-mosel.php?cs=4745

Here are our pictures. Look at this incredible setting, at the foot of the mountains.

Thomas himself did really well. There were a total of 56 boys in the camp. In the campwide skills contest -- passing, dribbling, shooting, etc. -- he came in number 2. That ensured that he was selected to the all-star team that played against the camp counsellors on the last day of camp.

The All-Stars waiting for the game to start.

Thomas almost scored.....

and was very happy after the game.

Sunday evening, after we returned to Simmern from the camp, was our last with Heinz and Hella. We went to a romantic little village on the Rhine river, Ober-Wesel, where we had some traditional German food and wine from the region, of course.

On the hill above Ober-Wesel this old castle could be seen in the sun set. We decided to drive up and insepct the castle and the view from the top.

Germany: Jazz Concert at Palace on the Rhine, August 3

2007-08-04T06:18:00.000-04:00

Schloß Engers! In the meantime Heinz and Hella decided to take us to their summer palace, the Engers castle on the Rhine. There we really got the VIP treatment.

First we were greeted with a glass (or two or three or four) of champagne.

Then a full buffet dinner with a fantastic selection of German foods and wines.

And the evening was complete with an outdoor concert on the palace courtyard with the famous Norwegian saxophone player Jan Garbarek. Here he's playing on his soprano sax. He switched between the soprano and tenor.

Germany: Bike Tour to the Rhine, August 1-3

2007-08-04T06:11:00.000-04:00

After Thomas went to camp, we (Cliff and Kerstin) rented bicycles and set out on a three-day trip from Simmern to Boppard, which is an idyllic little town on the Rhine. On the first day, we biked 38 km (25 miles) from Simmern to Emmelshausen. The trail we went used to be an old railroad track that has now been converted into a great hiker-biker trail which goes through small villages, fields, and forests. And... this being Germany, there is a Biergarten about every 10 km or so. We stopped off at this one every chance we got - they've converted some old train cars into hostel-like accomodations for the bikers. We just took the beer.

Once we arrived in Emmelshausen, we took the real train straight down the mountain to Boppard. Here we are waiting for the train at the Emmelshausen station. The first and last cars on the train were reserved for bicycles.

Before we left Simmern, Kerstin had reserved a room for us at a hotel in Boppard. It was called "Shinderhannes and Julchen." Schinderhannes is a character from early in the 1800s, apparently a dashing brigand a la Billy the Kid or Jesse James, who went around robbing people (and apparently killing a few). Julchen was his wife. Don't know exactly why he's supposed to be a romantic figure - maybe because this part of the country was under French occupation at the time and his bad deeds were their worry - but he's good for the tourist industry. In fact, the rail-to-trail route we took from Simmern to Emmelshausen is named for this guy, too. But it was a very nice hotel. Our room even had a view of the Rhine.

Here are some views of the city (town) of Boppard from the city museum's tower.

Nice just to sit at one of the riverside cafes and have a glass of beer or wine.

In a more energetic mood, we went on an afternoon bike ride on the wine slopes. It was really great biking there with beautiful views of the river and the valley.

This bench has a truly nice view, but if you have a tendency of acrophobia (höjdskräck), don't bother.

Germany: Thomas Begins Soccer Camp, July 31

2007-08-04T05:54:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, July 31 we drove Thomas to Lütz, a small town close to the Mosel River. Here he will spend six days in a soccer camp with 56 other boys.

They all live in tents and Thomas was fortunate to share a big tent with Eric. They sleep in one of the "rooms" and have their things in the other. In the middle they have chairs where they can relax after their games and work outs.

Germany: Hike in the Mosel Valley Wineyards, July 30

2007-08-04T05:29:00.000-04:00

On Monday Hella and Heinz took us down to the Mosel Valley, home of some of the finest white wines in Germany. The grapes are grown on the steep slopes on both sides of the river. With this location the grapes get the maximum amount of sun. That, along with the special soil here, gives the Mosel wines their special character.
There are special hiking trails along these mountains. Very steep, but with the help of special ladders, metal steps, and ropes even an unexperienced hiker can accomplish what otherwise would require real mountain climbing skill. We hiked the Calmont Trail along the slopes.
Here are a few pictures that give just a hint of the spectacular views you get up there.

Germany: First Weekend, July 28-29

2007-08-04T04:47:00.001-04:00

We (Kerstin, Cliff, and Thomas) are spending three weeks in Germany (and maybe a few other countries in Old Europe) in late July and early August. We began by staying with our friends, Heinz and Hella, in the little town of Simmern in western Germany between the Mosel and Rhine rivers.
On one of the first days we drove down to the Rhine to the city of Mainz to see other friends, Lena and Matthias. Here we are at a so-called "agro-restaurant,'' where students studying to become everything from farmers to chefs all work to create a fancy restaurant in an old estate outside Mainz.

On Sunday (July 29), following the service in Simmern's main church (from the Middle Ages), the organist and music director of the church, Joachim -- a friend of Heinz & Hella's - gave us a tour of the church and showed us the organ. It is the best preserved organ made by the famous organ-producer, Stumm, from the late 1700s and in close to original condition. Here, Thomas is being instructed by Joachim on how the keyboard and registers work. (The feet actually operate a completely separate keyboard....) It sounded wonderful - Thomas did a little improvisation for us.

Today is Cliff's Birthday

2007-06-21T21:31:00.000-04:00

We had a very small celebration for Cliff today. Since Thomas and Benjamin are celebrating Midsummer festivities at Åke's and Helene's summer paradise, Kristina and I did what we could to make this a nice birthday. Cliff wanted to cook for us, so he made some unbelievably good stuffed peppers. We drank some beer from new beer glasses that Kristina had bought. Kristina made the most moist and chocolaty chocolate cake anybody has ever eaten. And now Cliff and Kristina are working on sewing liners for our sleeping bags! We bought sheets at IKEA for $ 2.99.

Cliff's Birthday!

2007-06-21T19:42:00.000-04:00

The anniversary of Cliff's birth and the birth of the blog occur on the same day!