Big Bird, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

JaymeC


Posted Nov 18, 2008, 10:31 pm
Hello,
My name is Big Bird and until now I've been sitting in Jacob and Chris's toy box, but I decided I want to go out to the world and teach the boys about it! Hopefully I can find some willing hosts. I want to teach them about anything and everything there is to learn. I just found out I'm off to Germany for my first trip...I can't wait to arrive!

Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 4, 2008, 7:18 pm
Hi Mummy,
I arrived in Germany  today. It's really cold here and they have a lot of snow.

I was welcomed by my new host Katja and a some more ToyVoyagers. It seems to be a ToyVoyager hotel here.

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It's funny, they have a basket ball on the working space. Sorry, it is a pomelo, a very large citrus fruit. Have you ever tasted a pomelo?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/3082838418_6bc50e9eee.jpg?v=0

I'm going to play now with the other ToyVoyagers.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 4, 2008, 7:51 pm
Hi Mummy,
I helped Titch to plant some trees. Titch saved some tangerine pits yesterday. He now wants to take care that in twenty years tangerines are still available by planting a whole forrest of tangerine trees. I had to tell him that he had only eleven pits, that means that he could only plant a very small forrest. He seems to be a little bit sad.

Here you can see the hardworking gardeners.

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By the way, the flower pot was suitable for only five seeds.

We covered them with soild and watered them.

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Katja told us that the seeds would need warmth and light now to make them germinate. So we put the flower pot onto the window sill in the living room. Here it will stay warm because of the heating unterneath the window.

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Now we have to wait for the germs to become visible. Maybe in a week or two the little plants will come out of the soil.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 7, 2008, 5:39 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we visited a christmas market in Cologne, in  Stadtgarten (a park area). You could buy nice things there.

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We had raclette to eat. Raclette is melted cheese, served over boiled potatoes or rye bread with black pepper. This delicacy comes from France. The lady on the photo is scraping pieces from the hot cheese.

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One of the town's landmarks is the telecommunication tower which was built in 1981. It's height is 266 m.

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We did not visit the part of Colone where Cologne cathedral is located.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 13, 2008, 7:21 pm
Hi Mummy,
we tasted our pomelo today. It was a lot of work to remove the peel. These fruits seem to consist of only peel.

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It tastes really good.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 13, 2008, 7:38 pm
Hi Mummy,

we baked christmas cookies today! We made nut macaroons.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/3105444334_f230e6a8d8.jpg?v=0

You need
100 g ground hazelnuts
250 g flour
200 g butter
125 g sugar
about 60 hazelnuts

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First we had to mix ground nuts and flour. Then we had to stirr the butter foamily and add sugar. Flour and nut mix had to be worked into butter and sugar.

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From the dough we had to made small balls. Those were put onto a baking tray. As a last step we had to place a nut into the middle of every little dough ball.

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The cookies had to bake for about 20 minutes.

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It's done! The cookies are delicious.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 14, 2008, 8:26 pm
Hi Mummy,
we had fantastic weather today. We already had planned a trip to the most interesting touristic highlights of this region. We wanted to visit Muengsten Bridge and Schloss Burg, a medieval castle with a christmas market.

Here you can see the river Wupper which marks the border between the towns Remscheid and Solingen.

In the background you can see a lookout pavillion. Later we came to another one similar to this one.

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We reached Muengsten Bridge, the  highest railway bridge in Germany. It was completed in March 1897. It is 107 meters high and 465 meters long. It was built with about 5.000 tons of steel (5.000.000 kg). The bridge is overstretching the valley of the river Wupper. A few years ago a theme park was established. There are beautiful playgrounds for children, takeaways, lawns for relaxing, a miniature golf and souvenir shops. Katja told me that every year in summer a big festival is held underneath the bridge with fireworks.

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We found a plate with some facts about Muengsten Bridge.

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From here we walked to Schloss Burg. Along the path you can find artworks. On the surface of this table shaped rock  these impressions of hands are engraved. On other rocks poems are engraved or riddles. Most of them are not so easy to discover because they are partly covered with leafes and dirt from autumn and winter.

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We had to cross the river Wupper here.

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olgamaus


Posted Dec 14, 2008, 8:36 pm
We walked along an old cemetary. It was built here in 1732.

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The tombstones were all made of a special sort of sandstone in a similar style.

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From here we saw Schloss Burg for the first time, located on a hill.

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We reached Solingen-Unterburg then. Here you can see many old houses, covered with schist or half-timbered houses.

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Solingen-Unterburg is located at the river Wupper. Here you can see the chair lift which goes uphill to Schloss Burg. We were not lazy and walked there through the forrest.

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We than reached the lookout pavilion. From here you have a good view across the valley with the river Wupper and Unterburg.

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We reached the castle then. It is the largest reconstructed castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and one of the most popular tourist attraction. Its early history is closely connected to the growth of the Duchy of Berg.

In the beginning of the 12th century (after 1133) count Adolf II von Berg built Schloss Burg on a mountain over the river Wupper.

In 1632 the castle was under siege  by Swedish soldiers. After the Thirty years war, in 1648, Imperial troops destroyed the fortifications of the castle including the keep, walls, and gates. In 1700, the main building was partially reconstructed and thereafter used for administrative purposes. 1849, the castle was sold to be scrapped, decayed, and became a ruin.

Today’s appearance is not exactly the original castle was. The reconstructed castle of today is a major public attraction. It also contains the Museum of the Bergische Land.

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We went inside the castle courtyard to visit the medieval christmas market.

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We had a coffee here.

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On the market you could buy many handcrafted things like jewelry, leather bags, ceramic pots and figurines.

We had to rest here for a while.

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We than had to walk back to the car for at least another hour. We reached the parking lot just in time before it was getting too dark outside.

We are all tired now.

I learned a lot about the Middle Ages today but I'm glad that I live nowadays. I love the heating because it is really cold  here in Germany.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 20, 2008, 12:43 pm
Hi Mummy,

Katja showed me a little bit of the town centre today. Her working place is close to the town hall, so we started here.

This is the water tower. It is standing at the highest point of the town centre. Because the town centre is located on a hill this water tower, the tower of the town hall and two church towers are creating the typical silhouette of Remscheid which you can see from the surrounding towns.

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Here you can see the town hall. On the place in front of it the christmas market is located. The tower is 48 m high. The tower is open for visitors twice a week. We hope that we can manage to go there one day in January.

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This is one of the entrances of the shopping mall Allee-Center.

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This is the theatre ...

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and here you can see the public library.

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There's a statue in front of the building. We had a little rest here.

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Later it started to rain again. We stayed inside for the rest of the day.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 22, 2008, 9:58 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we helped Katja to decorate the christmas tree. Yesterday her son went with his uncle to a farm where you can cut down your christmas tree. He found a really nice little spruce.

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First we had to attach the christmas lights. It's not as easy as it seems.

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Hanging up the christmas  tree ornaments was more fun.

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I had to be careful because the ornaments are made of glass.

I like our christmas tree.

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In Germany we are celebrating christmas eve. Katja invited her family. Her parents, her sister with her husband and her son and Katja's aunt will come.

I'm so exited!

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 26, 2008, 5:45 pm
Hi Mummy,
it's christmas eve today. Most people in Germany are celebrating christmas today and the following two days.

Here we were sitting with the christmas presents, watching over them.

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In the afternoon we had coffee and self made cookies.

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Later we were sitting next to the christmas tree. Katja put all the christmas cards onto the dresser.

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For dinner we had a fantastic meal: Savoy cabbage with several sorts of fish and pasta. Katja's daughter had cooked the whole meal on her own.

After dinner the presents were changed. What an exciting day!

Bye
BigBird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 26, 2008, 6:43 pm
Hi Mummy,

after eating too many sweets during the last days we decided to take a long walk today. Katja's daughter had to go to work, her son had planned to visit his Dad and Grandmother so nobody was missing her. The sun was shining although it was really cold.

The following photos were taken in the vicinity of my current home. You can find many old houses here.

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We met Katja's friend Erika, she also likes to take walks through the forrests and surroundings of Remscheid. To meet Erika we had to walk to the district Hasten, one of the oldest districts of Remscheid. We walked through the muncipal park to get there. Here you can find sports fields for soccer and more ball games.

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From here we already could see Hasten.

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In Hasten you can see many old houses.

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This is the church in Hasten.

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These trees in front of the church were decorated by children.

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We than walked to Katja's friend to pick her up. On our way to her we could already see some of the surrounding areas. Here you can see that Remscheid is surrounded by woodland areas although it is an industrial town.

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From here we left the streets and walked into a woodland area.

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I don't want to overwork you two little boys with too much nature so I took a picture of some trucks. Katja told me that her son had an eye only for cars and  trucks when he was a little boy, he was interested in almost nothing else.

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Here you can find grazing land and cropland.

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Later we had a rest on a tree trunk.

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This is also one of the outskirts. Only here you can see overhead lines, usually you have underground cables. (You cannot see the cables on my photo - what a pity!)

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We walked for about three and a  half hour. We had a last rest when the sun already began to go down, catching the last sun rays.

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Greetings from
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Dec 28, 2008, 6:54 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we met Katja's friend Erika again. The ladies had planned to go to Wuppertal by bus. Wuppertal is one of the neighbour towns of Remscheid. But when they reached Wuppertal they spontaneoulsy decided to go to Bochum by train. Erika wanted to visit an exhibition there. Before we went to the train station Katja showed us the concert hall which is a masterpiece of turn-of-the-century architecture.

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From here you have a good overlook across the city centre.

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We than went to Bochum by train. German trains are not so nice.

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olgamaus


Posted Dec 28, 2008, 6:59 pm
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. It is about 45 km apart from Remscheid.

When we reached Bochum the ladies went to the museum first. It was not allowed to take photos there.

They visited an exhibition which is showing original stage settings which are used by Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch company, based in Wuppertal in Germany. Pina Bausch is famous for extraordinary stage settings like a stage completely filled with free standing cloves or a stage filled with soil or lawn. Katja told us that for her the most impressing stage setting was a winterly birch forrest. The whole ground was covered with white sand and birch trunks, about 4 m long, were installed to the ground. You felt as if you were walking through a real forrest. All settings were decorated with photos of those pieces in which the settings were used.

Katja showed us a booklet with informations about the exhibition. It really seemed to be impressive.

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Because our bus came when we left the museum we even could not take any photo of the museum!

We went back to the town centre to go shopping.

Here you can see the town hall with a gigantic bell in front of it.

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This is one of the central places in the town centre.

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We went back by train later. We had to wait at the central station for a while.

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olgamaus


Posted Dec 28, 2008, 7:12 pm
I am celebrating my eighth birthday!

I had eight candles and we were allowed to taste a sip of sparkling wine. Of course SaruMaru took a larger sip.

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We had a lot of fun and went to bed early because the sparkling wine really made us tired.

Bye
Big Bird

olgamaus


Posted Dec 30, 2008, 8:21 pm
Hi Mummy,
the weather is fantastic here. It is cold and the sun is shining. So Katja took us out in her lunch break when she had to do some shopping.

We walked along the Route of tools (Trasse des Werkzeugs). It is a lane for pedestrians and cyclists through the town, made on a closed railway route. It was financed by many local industrial firms, most of them they produce tools. Along the lane you can find signs of those producers and also artwork. You can also see the city arms here.

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This route is about 5 km long and is leading from the central train station to the district Hasten. Today we started somewhere in the middle of the route and walked towards the train station.

On the backside of a supermarket replications of  pictures of a local artist who died in 1988 are installed.

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You can also see abandonded factory buildings.

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These buildings are part of the former slaughterhouse. This complex is under preservation order. Nowadays these buildings are used by different companies.

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Here are more signs showing names and company logos of sponsors.

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We reached the central railway station. Oh dear, the whole railway station is a complete building site.

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We went shopping then. We even bought some firework. We are invited by Katja's sister-in-law to celebrate New Year's Eve.


Happy New Year, Family!

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Jan 1, 2009, 8:00 pm
Hi Mummy,
we were invited to spend New Year's Eve at the home of Katja's sister-in-law and her family. We went there at dinner time.

We had raclette. In Germany raclette usually is not made only with cheese and potatoes but also with several sorts of vegetables like sweet pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, sweet cornand sometimes meat or shrimps  which can be boiled on the of the raclette grill. We also had bread, potatoes and several salads.

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You take your little pan, fill it with vegetables and put chesse over it. Then you put it into the raclette grill and it will be scalloped. It's delicious!

After dinner we played a card game whose rules are similar to Uno. We had a lot of fun.

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Shortly before 12:00 pm.

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Happy New Year!

At midnight we went outside to launch our fireworks.

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We went home at 03:00 am.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Jan 3, 2009, 10:11 pm
Hi Mummy,
although Katja still has a bad cold we took a walk today. The sun was shining but it was really cold. So we went into town because Katja had to exchange something that she had bought. Here she showed us one of the churches in the town centre. In the foreground you can see a funny fountain.

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We walked along the route of tools again. We saw that trees once must have grown  through one of the  bordering walls. They were cut off.

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Back home we were sitting in the kitchen window, looking to the town centre. In the background you can see the water tower and the town hall. Look how beautiful the red sunlight looked.

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Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Jan 6, 2009, 6:09 pm
Hi Mummy,

we went into the town centre with Katja today. It is really cold here, about -9°C. Katja told us that it hasn't been so cold for at least 15 years. We also have snow since Sunday, but not too much.

We had to walk only a few steps from Katja's  working place to reach the shopping mall. We took a few pictures here.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/3174074520_b9562d6f8a.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3173239825_512d121051.jpg?v=0

Again the town hall.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1187/3173240185_75ab371081.jpg?v=0

We went home then. The next photo is taken in the vicinity of my current home.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1342/3174075596_eee8b1fbf8.jpg?v=0

Back home we went to the attic to have a look out of the roof light at the snowy roofs of the neighbour houses. You can also see the water tower and the town hall's tower. The moon is also visible.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/3174076084_c05a026d80.jpg?v=0

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1043/3174075710_7b6ae4b09f.jpg?v=0

We also took a look out of the living room window at the front side of the house.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1026/3173241771_0317bd312c.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/3174076446_8a95d40541.jpg?v=0

When Katja's daughter returned from work we took a walk to the muncipal park. It is only a few minutes to walk from here to get there.

There is a pond with ducks and turtles. It's frozen up.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/3174499850_88e01730cb.jpg?v=0

In the background you can see the outskirts of Remscheid and Wuppertal, the neighbour town.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/3173664427_452feee4e5.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/3174493598_7d0e3fbf4d.jpg?v=0

We enjoyed the last sunrays on a bench.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/3173655721_85c638837a.jpg?v=0

Suddenly Theodore became a little bit nervous. What happened?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/3173657261_944020f755.jpg?v=0

There was another chipmunk! It seemed to be interested in Theodore. It followed us through our walk through the muncipal park.

It was so cold that we were glad to be home again.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Jan 11, 2009, 8:21 pm
Hi Mummy,
the weather is still fantastic here, so we took a walk in the outskirts of the neighbour town Solingen.

We parked the car in Solingen-Unterburg and walked along the river Wupper. Everything is snowy and looks beautiful.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3187979875_6e8f4a8a84.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3187971557_c28c4a0e65.jpg?v=0

On the next photo you can see a pump which was used at Sengbach dam, a drinking water dam in the vicinity,

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3187972937_5b639b9ab7.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/3188815794_8799c274bc.jpg?v=0

We saw an old building with a water wheel.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3411/3187980063_447dc8c5e9.jpg?v=0

We reached the hamlet Balkhausen. Here we saw nice old houses.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3187980265_feb072f2ea.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/3188823282_20cc42e1ee.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3463/3188823420_0f376e5cda.jpg?v=0

We walked into woodland again and came along farmland.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3303/3187980935_4b585fab59.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/3187981149_30f1d938a9.jpg?v=0

Our path followed the river Wupper, we reached a point which is called Wupperhof.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3422/3188824088_febfc15434.jpg?v=0

We walked further and reached the parts of the town which are at the border to Leichlingen, another town which is adjoining to Solingen.

Here we saw old industrial buildings, one of them is now a tenement.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3362/3187981567_bd0b7d0d51.jpg?v=0

Here we rested on the axis of a large water wheel or another ancient machine for a while. This Alsation dog accompanied us.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3187973631_5412dfcdfc.jpg?v=0

Here we had the possibility to cross the river Wupper and walk back to the car.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/3188824506_b7de048171.jpg?v=0

Here is our last picture, we were sitting at the banks of the river Wupper and had wet bums afterwards. But this beautiful photo was worth it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3517/3187974047_5b9e9cc610.jpg?v=0

Later in the evening, back home, Katja showed us in Google Earth where we had walked. We saw that we walked about 17 or 18 km.

Bye
Big Bird 
olgamaus


Posted Jan 11, 2009, 8:44 pm
Hi Mummy,
in the evening we helped Katja to make snowballs. No, not outside but in the kitchen.

Katja had promised her sister-in-law to bake a cake for her. She was celebrating her birthday a few days ago and will need two cakes tomorrow to celebrate her birthday at her working place in a elementary school.

So Katja decided to bake snowballs.

But how can you bake snowballs?

By the way, two new ToyVoyagers, Germania and Tiger Lilly, also helped to make snowballs. Germania and Tiger Lilly will start their journey soon.

First you have to bake a sponge cake, or you could buy one.

Then you prepare a cream containing curd cheese, creme fraiche, whipped cream, some sugar and amaretto. Here are the ingredients:

250 g curd cheese
150 g creme fraiche
125 ml amaretto
50 g sugar
1 package vanilla sugar
400 ml whipped cream
2 packets Sahnesteif (a white powder which keeps the whipped creme tight)
200 g desiccated coconut


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3187974423_90ef13ebcb.jpg?v=0

First you mix curd cheese, creme fraiche, sugar and amaretto. Then you have to make whipped cream and stir it to the other ingredients.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3091/3187974597_5de0442542.jpg?v=0

Now you have to rip the sponge cake into small pieces. Put the crumbs into the prepared cream and mingle both.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3354/3188840868_4617a986bb.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3400/3188817338_b2ab990855.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/3187998135_7462ce3d03.jpg?v=0

Put the desiccated coconut into a larger box. Then you have to form little balls with wet hands and to roll them into coconut.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/3187998297_8831900fce.jpg?v=0

We put the snowballs into paper muffin cups. Ready!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3405/3188841646_51ebc316b9.jpg?v=0

They are delicious!

I already learned to say a few words in German.

snow = Schnee
snowball = Schneeball
whipped cream = Schlagsahne
forrest - Wald
car = Auto
pet rat = Farbratte

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Jan 27, 2009, 7:47 am
Hello Mummy, hello kids,
we had delicious fruits in the evening. Katja said we all should lose some weight, so we had fruits instead of a real dinner.

We had banana, a golden kiwi, an apple, physalis and honeydew melon.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/3228344643_3861a83754.jpg?v=0

We helped to cut all fruits into pieces.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/3229195096_bdb80dd6e6.jpg?v=0

We watched "Hundkatzemaus" on TV. That's a tv show about pets. In English the name would be "dogcatmouse". You can learn a lot about pets.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3092/3228345047_777317732f.jpg?v=0

We enjoyed it.

Later Elston and I tried the socks on that Katja is knitting for the toddler of a friend.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3230565829_ce3b115878.jpg?v=0


Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Jan 27, 2009, 12:17 pm
Hi Mummy, hi kids,

today Katja and her friend Erika took a long walk with us in the forrest. They have a lot of forrests here, we were walking in a district that I did not see until today.

The first photo that we took is showing a pillar in a small park in front of the police station with the engraved coat of arms of Remscheid and the names of the twin towns.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3387/3229183116_08116c58f2.jpg?v=0

This is the view from the town centre to the south of Remscheid,

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/3229183948_642738a1cf.jpg?v=0

We walked along the industrial ruin of a former brewery, Kipper Brauerei.  Here you can see how it looked like before the buildings were demolished.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/3229203676_c53897705a.jpg?v=0

We rested a little bit on one of the remaining walls.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3482/3229184672_b20d35d5ba.jpg?v=0

From here we walked into the forrest.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3431/3228334261_6afb13c70c.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/3229185052_51564e9d07.jpg?v=0

This sign says that this forrest is a nature reserve.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/3229185298_078531721f.jpg?v=0

A creek is running through the forrest here. It is carrying a lot of water now because we had lots of rain this week.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/3229192062_4ed50c725a.jpg?v=0

Our last break on a tree trunk ...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3351/3228341941_06d5cc4540.jpg?v=0

No, it wasn't our last break, but at the least the last one in the forrest. The two ladies were hungry and had to go to .... I think you know where they had to go after walking two hours through the cold.

Yes! My favourite break  :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3429/3228342117_7c3598186a.jpg?v=0

From here we got home by bus.

Bye
Big Bird
olgamaus


Posted Jan 28, 2009, 12:26 pm
Hi kids, hi Mummy,
I'm on my way to Austria now. I don't think that this journey will last very long.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3339/3233201847_2fa347e762.jpg?v=0

Katja told me that they speak German in Austria. So I can show my next host that I already learned a little bit German.

Did you receive the photos I sent to you about two weeks ago?

Bye
Big Bird
Greycat


Posted Feb 1, 2009, 4:46 pm
Hi Mum!
On friday I finally arrived in Vienna and there was someone else in the post with me, her name is Nintje, also Lucky Duck arrived just some days before us. It's great not to be the only one who's new  :rolleyes: Everyone is really nice, my hosts, by guest brothers and sisters and also Micky, the cat (I'll try to get a pic of her some day!).  I hope you like the "welcome" pics we took :)

A big hug from Vienna,
Big Bird
Greycat


Posted Feb 2, 2009, 2:33 pm
Hallo!
Today I went to the Prater to see the GIANTWHEEL of Vienna, but it was really,really cold outside! Greetings from my hosts, with love your BB :p
Greycat


Posted Feb 12, 2009, 6:56 pm
Today I´ve seen the Stephansdom - the big cathedral in the center of Vienna, you know? And then I walked through the famous Kärntnerstraße to the Opera. There will be the world famous Viennese Opernball next week, on thursday. Pictures of this event are shown all over the world...and my host will be part of it. She gives her ´debut`, that means it´s her first time to visit this famous ( and normally really expensive) ball and this young couples "start" the ball with their dancing. They have to prove their abilities in vienna waltz and were selected, because they were good! So, pay attention, perhaps you will see her ;)?
Greycat


Posted Feb 25, 2009, 8:59 am
Hi Mum!

Friday we had to say "good bye" to Mr. Lemony, he's continuing his travel, it was quite a sad evening. But yesterday we celebrated carnival, how do you like my costume? :)

Love ,
Big Bird
pegger


Posted Mar 27, 2009, 2:34 pm
Hey!!!
I have arrived some days ago but my new hostess was on vacation...
Unfortunately I came a little bit to late for going with to Slovenia, but my hostess has told a lot about the trip and shows me pictures.

http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/peggertv/Big%20Bird/BILD0159.jpg

Unfortunately, the weather is not great. But I was told that the weather will be better in next few days. So I hope I can go outside then. The view from the window is not bad.

http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/peggertv/Big%20Bird/BILD0155.jpg
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/peggertv/Big%20Bird/BILD0153.jpg

This is not boring me, I have helped with the housework.

In front of the washing machine I had the feeling like in a carousel
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/peggertv/Big%20Bird/BILD0160.jpg
It was funny in the clothes peg bucket
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/peggertv/Big%20Bird/BILD0161.jpg
It was very exhausting to hang the towels on the clothesline.
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/peggertv/Big%20Bird/BILD0162.jpg

Hopefully soon, though I've seen something interesting.
pegger


Posted Apr 19, 2009, 1:26 pm

http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/djmbwt.jpg
Hei!
Now I have found time to write to you again. I'm really sorry but everything is okay with me.

I was at a Kiessee as you can see and there were many geese and ducks, but unfortunately I could not make photos of them.

http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/l9ufp9.jpg

The weather is now much, much better and now I can make a lot of experiences.

http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/7reiaz.jpg
We will see us later again!
Bye your BigBird!
pegger


Posted Apr 19, 2009, 1:37 pm
Here I am again!
Today I have fed rabbits. It was fun!
I had to be a little bit careful that the two rabbits do not eat me, but they were nice.
http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/ujjjkr.jpg
On the black rabbit, I could even ride shortly. that was very funny.
http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/9psipb.jpg

Bye Bye!
pegger


Posted Apr 19, 2009, 1:49 pm
Hey!
Today I took a walk. While I have seen many fields and pastures I was told that in this region just about this time a lot of asparagus is harvested.

Here can you have a look asparagus field. It is typically covered with a foil, so that the rods grow better.
http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/mff6i1.jpg

Many potatoes are also grown here because of the weather are also under a foil.

http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/qsgp6.jpg

By the end of the 90s was in the shaft Lower Saxony on the southern edge of the community potash encouraged. The remaining overburden dump, which Kaliberg is widely visible.
http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/ztinnt.jpg  http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/rwpvv.jpg

pegger


Posted Apr 19, 2009, 2:04 pm
Heia!
In recent days I have taught some words in different languages.

At first I was taught a little bit german.
http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/yc3xj.jpg

The paper says: I am BigBird and I am from Japan. At the moment I learn a  little bit german, norwigian, french and finish! It´s fun!

http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/dzbp.jpg

Jeg heter BigBird. Jeg kommer fra Japan og jeg er på ferie her i tyskland.
That\s the text in norwegian and it means: my name is BigBird. I\m coming from Norway and I make holidays here in Germany.

Here I learn the same sentences in finish.
http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/aqkgfe.jpg

and here in french:
http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/19.04.09/29yfqq.jpg

But that´s not everything I have learnd. I was taught the same sentences in swedish and danish.

Mitt namn är bigbird. Jag kommer från Japan och jag är på semester i Tyskland.

Mit navn er bigbird. Jeg kommer fra Japan og jeg er på ferie i Tyskland.


So, now it was everything from me now. Hope everything is allright with you!
Ha det bra (take care) BigBird!
pegger


Posted May 3, 2009, 9:43 pm
Hello!
Today a new TV has arrived. Pegger was surprised about that. But Atta is very nice.
http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/03.05.09/zsr2qu.jpg
You can see me on the picture with the envelope.

http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/03.05.09/9su86.jpg
On this picture I help Atta to become free.



But Atta was to tired from the trip to get a long with me to entertain, but we will be sure find time the next day.

That´s why Atta only says "Thanks" to me!
http://www.pic-upload.de/thumb/03.05.09/i3m6i.jpg


Ha det bra!
babyamy


Posted May 26, 2009, 9:21 pm
Hey mum,

today I arrived at my new host's house. Katrin loves to read so I decided to have a look at all the books at her window shelf.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4666.jpg
babyamy


Posted May 28, 2009, 9:23 pm
Today we helped Katrin to prepare some books for bookcrossing. We, that's Darth Vader, Mortimer_ and me. Katrin had already registered the books on the internet, but today she finally got the stickers on which we could wrote the BCID (it reminded me of the number of my tag ;) ).
Here we are with all the books and stickers:
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4668.jpg

Then we did real team work: Mortimer_ and I looked for the numbers Katrin had written into the books and Darth Vader wrote them on the stickers.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4669.jpg

Finally we put the stickers on the books.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4671.jpg

Maybe I can see how some of the books are going to be released...
babyamy


Posted Jun 3, 2009, 9:06 pm
Katrin took me with her to Hamburg to her university. It is called HAW which is short for "Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften" which is University of Applied Sciences in English.
Well, we are at the library and Katrin would like to go on reading the book "Train Man" which takes place in Tokyo, but...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4673.jpg

...she has to work through these books about online-marketing and viral marketing first. :(
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4672.jpg

I decided to have a look around the room. Here are the stacks with the magazines.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4676.jpg

This is the best view you can get from this room. Just go behind the rolling stacks and you have a wonderful view over Hamburg and the river Alster.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4675.jpg

The view Katrin has from her working place:
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4674.jpg

Later she asked me whether I could help her with her database excercise, but this looked to weired to me...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4677.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 4, 2009, 12:22 pm
The sun is shining outside very warm and we decided to use some sun lotion instead of risking a sunburn.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4698.jpg

While Katrin was working on her essay, Darth Vader, Mortimer_ and I enjoyed the sun.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4705.jpg

Later we went to town because wanted to drop of some letters at the post office. Darth Vader decided to stay to home: "The sun is burning too hot on my black body."
The post office is a counter in this clothes store. Since the "real" office has been closed a few years ago, the owner of this store now is the "Post".
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4699.jpg

Katrin also wanted to buy some postcards from Kellinghusen for postcrossing and we took the chance to took some more photos downtown.
The building with the tower ist town hall of Kellinghusen.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4700.jpg

The church and with a chapel in front. The chapel is there in honour to all those who died during WW1 and WW2.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4701.jpg

Our last stop was the "Tellerturm", the dishtower, in the middle of the market place. It is the symbol for the popular pottery which is produced in Kellinghusen. Every August there is a big pottery fair in town.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4702.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 4, 2009, 7:07 pm
Today was Darth Vader's last day in Germany, he is travelling back home to England now. Mortimer_ and I hugged him goodbye before he climbed into his envelope.

http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4706.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 4, 2009, 8:56 pm
Today is the day of saying goodbye :(
Katrin told told us that Mortimer_'s journey has to go on and she will drop me off at the mailbox tomorrow.
Goodbye Mortimer_, it was nice to meet you!
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4721.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 9, 2009, 8:54 pm
Today was election day for the European Union in Germany and Katrin worked as electoral staff. She said is was not too much fun to get up early on a Sunday morning but in the end it was very interesting when they had to count all the ballot papers. The one for this election was very special, because it was the longest one ever! It was 94 cm long and you could chose between 31 parties.
This is me with the ballot paper:
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4723.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 9, 2009, 8:55 pm
A new TV arrived, I'm not longer alone here at Katrin's house. I gave a big hug to Synapse.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4724.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 8:35 pm
Katrin has found a new addiction: creating and sending friendship book to her pen pals or via swap-bot.com.
Well, it looks like a lot of fun but isn't it more important to finish some things for university first?!
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4725.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 17, 2009, 8:27 pm
Our life is a bit boring these days. Katrin is busy all the time, there are about four weeks left until her semester is over. Now she spends most of her freetime writing essays or preparing presentations. But she promised us that she will take us with her to Hamburg during the next weekend.
Today she finished her last marketing essay. We helped her to re-read the text and to find mis-spelled words. It wasn't easy because the text was written in German, but we did the best we could.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4733.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 21, 2009, 7:19 pm
It's a busy evening! Tomorrow Katrin has to go to Hamburg to the youth library and explain Bookcrossing to the teens who are interested. Tonight she will make a poster which shows where the already released books have been travelled. She had a map from Germany, small prints from the bookcovers and a lot of printed bookcrossing logos.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4734.jpg

I helped Katrin to color the map. I point with my crayon on the point of the map where I am right now. Synapse was more interested in the cities on the map. We learned that there are 16 states in Germany and three of them are special. Hamburg, Berlin and Bremen are a state and a city at the same time.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4735.jpg

Later Synapse checkes on the internet which book has travelled to which city while Katrin and I put a string of yarn on the map and fixed it with a needle.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4737.jpg

Here we are about 30 minutes later with the finished map. Now it's time to cath some sleep because we'll have to get up early tomorrow.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4738.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 21, 2009, 7:25 pm
Hey mum,

look what I've discovered on Katrin's night table: She is reading a book about me!
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4736.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 22, 2009, 8:45 pm
It's early in the morning and we are in Wrist at the train station, waiting for our train to Hamburg.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4739.jpg

It's 20 minutes later and we changed in Pinneberg from the train to the "S-Bahn", a train like a subway. We even got our own seat because the train was pretty empty.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4740.jpg
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4741.jpg

Here we are finally in Altona, a part of Hamburg. Today there is a huge street fair and many organisations and clubs and political parties were preparing their information desks. It was very interesting to look at them later the day.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4742.jpg

When we arrived at the youth library everyone was busy to prepare their projects and Synapse and I took a rest at the dragon's egg.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4766.jpg

Later we checked out the information desk...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4761.jpg

...and of course Katrin's Bookcrossing shelf. It was very successful, in the evening there were just 15 books from about 80 books left.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4765.jpg

But the best part of the library was this corner where all the classmates were playing Rock Band on X-Box. Katrin also tried to play the guitar, than changed to the bass, but she was not very talented. After playing "Spirit in the sky for the third time", she didn't want to hear this song anymore (it was the easiest song from the list she know ;) ).
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4764.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jun 25, 2009, 8:11 pm
Today the weather was great and Katrin was back home early. We decided to have a look around the garden. Our first stop were the roses, which were beautiful in flowers.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4806.jpg

Then we walked over to the red currants. There were some red fruits left and we decided to pick them to eat them for breakfast i,with cereals tomorrow.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4810.jpg

The blackberries were still green, they will be part of the breakfast later this year. ;)
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4809.jpg

These apple trees were planted last year and they already have the first apples. They are a special kind of apple tree, because the apples grow at the tree trunk!
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4808.jpg

Finally we decided to enjoy the sun. We sat on this bank until Katrin picked us up and put us into the shade. We shouldn't get a sunburn. ;)
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4807.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 5, 2009, 8:44 pm
Finally another update, but it's not very interesting...
Katrin has her final weeks at university before her summer break and she is quite busy finishing all her essays and presentations. Today she took us with her to the PC lab at university. These are Macs and she don't really like them...but the "normal" lab wasn't open and she needed to work on this database presentation.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4811.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 6, 2009, 8:50 pm
This weekend was great because Katrin took us with her on a trip to Schwerin, the capital of the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It's the state in the north-east of Germany. Katrin's boyfriend lives here and the four of us explored the town today.

Before we left the house, we had a look from the balcony. At first the tower of the cathedral cought our eyes...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4812.jpg

...and of course the neighbouring house. ;) Well when you look through the trees you can see the top of the theater.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4813.jpg

Now we are finally downtown, a look at the "Fußgängerzone", the main street where a lot of shops are.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4816.jpg

This is the side of the small lake called "Pfaffenteich" (priest's pond). The white ship is a farry which goes around the lake and has four stops on the tour. Katrin likes the art in the lake because it is new. An artist had put more statues like this on several places in town, maybe we discover more...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4814.jpg
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4818.jpg

The cathedral from another point of view.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4819.jpg

The contrast of old and new is very obvious on this picture. We were told that during the last years many houses in Schwerin have been re-coloured to look nice and neat. But there are still some houses left which have a typical grey GDR (German Democratic Republic or DDR in German) color (I know it's a cliché, sorry).
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4820.jpg

Another church, this one is called "Schelfkirche"
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4821.jpg

Then we arrived at the "Schweinemarkt" (pig market). There are some places in Schwerin which are named after what has been sold there about one hundred years ago. This was the place for the pigs and for me it was time for a funny photo shooting:
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4822.jpg
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4824.jpg
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4825.jpg

Our next stop was this funny sculpture thing on the ground. I have no idea what this is supposed to be.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4826.jpg

Look at this, in front of the cathedral there are more colorful statues.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4827.jpg

This one can be used as a carousel, can you see me? ;)
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4828.jpg
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4828b.jpg

Our last stop was the harbour, can you see the towers of the castle in the background? Unfortunately there was no more time to go there. :(
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4831.jpg

But there was some time to take a photo with this colorful rhinoceros, the mascot of the Schwerin Zoo. There are many colorful rhinoceroses all over the city.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4829.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 12, 2009, 8:11 pm
The sun was more or less shining and we decided to discover some parts of the area. We left Kellinghusen...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4846.jpg

...and walked on until we came to this traffic circle. Maybe you can see the pottery on it, it shows examples of the kind of pottery which Kellinghusen is known for.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4845.jpg

But instead of walking along this road we discovered a path and decided to follow it.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4843.jpg

We passed by a paddock...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4844.jpg

...and after walking through a little forrest we arrived at a playground. Playing time!!!
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4832.jpg

Then I tried the slide...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4834.jpg
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4835.jpg

...and the swing...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4837.jpg
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4839.jpg

...and ended at here.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4842.jpg

That was a fun day, let's find out where we'll go next...
babyamy


Posted Jul 15, 2009, 8:13 pm
Something is going on... I discovered that Katrin grabbed a lot of stuff and put it on her bed before she looked for a suitcase. Seems like I'l be on a journey soon. :)
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4849.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 21, 2009, 7:45 pm
It's quite early in the morning and we are already at Hamburg central station. Katrin hasn't told us yet, where we will go, I just know that it'll take another four hours by train until we arrive at our destination.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4852.jpg

Since we have about 30 minutes left until our train leaves, we bought our tickets at the Deutsche Bahn shop...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4851.jpg

and decided then, to spend some time outside in the sun. Can you see all the cabs standing here?
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4853.jpg

And what's this? Fog in front of the theater?
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4854.jpg

Oh, here is our train, let's hurry to get a seat. Although it's Thursday, it'll be crowded. The summer vacations have started and many people will go on vacations now.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4855.jpg

The train ride was really boring... This is what I saw before I fell asleep:
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4856.jpg
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4857.jpg
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4858.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 21, 2009, 8:03 pm
I am in Stralsund! It's a town in the east of Germany, right in front of the island Rügen.
We took a walk along the harbour of Stralsund. The first interesting building we passed by was the old port authority building.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4859.jpg

Nearly opposite of it is the Ozeaneum, a huge aquarium, which has opened last year. It just shows fish from the oceans and is popular for showing real whale skeletons.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4860.jpg

Our next stop was the ship "Gorch Fock". It has been a school ship but know it stays in the harbour amd you can rent it for wedding parties or other big events.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4861.jpg

Then we walked along the mole. This is the view back to the city:
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4864.jpg

On the right you can the new bridge to Rügen. There is still the old one which you can pass walking, but the new one is just open for cars.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4865.jpg

And now, finally, Rügen. It looks very close from here. Can you see the little village on the right. That's Altefähr, which is right opposite of Stralsund.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4866.jpg

On the way back to our home we passed by this building. This is one of the oldest quayside bars in Europe.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4871.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 21, 2009, 8:18 pm
Today's mission: walking over the old Rügen bridge to the village Altefähr. You remember, I saw it yesterday from the harbour.
But before we start, here is another photo, the view from the staircase:
In the background you can see the new bridge to Rügen (the one just for cars) and the blue building is the Volkswerft, a dockyard.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4875.jpg

Twenty minutes later we are on our way, this is the beginning of the old bridge. Thie sign in the middle says "Welcome to Rügen!"
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4876.jpg

Another twenty minutes later we finally arrive at Rügen and have time to look back. The old and the new bridge are next to each other.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4878.jpg

Finally, one hour after the start, we arrive at Altefähr. Now I'm enjoying the sun at the harbour before it's time to walk all the way back...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4884.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 21, 2009, 8:26 pm
A surprise package arrived today! Katrin had to laugh when she saw it because it arrived a bit late. It's called "Studi-Paket", a package for students. It contains all the things a student will need at university. This is funny because the summer break has just started yesterday.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4900.jpg

And what's inside? A lot of useful things: paper, pen, flashlight, a light, a map of Germany, the German constitution and some glue stuff...
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4901.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 28, 2009, 9:38 pm
My life here is not very exciting these days. Katrin decided to make a list with all gluten and dairy free recipes she has in her recipe books.

I tried to help her as good as I can with my small knowledge of the German language.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4903.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 28, 2009, 9:47 pm
There is a nice smell in the air...something is going on in the kitchen.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4905.jpg

There is a bread in the oven and now it's finished. It's buckwheat bread. Katrin boyfriend's family likes to joke about this bread. They say it's perfect for librarians. The German word for buckwheat is Buchweizen and Buch is the German word for book. Do you see the joke?
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4906.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 28, 2009, 9:50 pm
It's time to say goodbye. Synapse is going to travel to Spain now. We had a lot of exciting adventures together, I hope we'll meet again one day.
Have a save trip!
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4908.jpg
babyamy


Posted Jul 30, 2009, 6:47 pm
Synapse is just gone and a today a new guest arrived. This is Schweinchen, a little pig, and she came all the way from Canada back to Germany. She was happy to be back in her home country and told me about the ship on the post card which she has seen before she left.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4909.jpg
babyamy


Posted Aug 1, 2009, 7:04 pm
Have you ever heard of Wacken? When you look it up at a map, you'll find out that Wacken is a small village in Schleswig-Holstein, the state in the north of Germany. But the people in the area where I am now have something else in mind when they hear the word Wacken. They think of people dressed in black, loud music liters of bear and a village in the state of emergency.
Why?
Well, every first weekend in August about 70.000 people come to Wacken to visit the world's largest Heavy Metal festival, the Wacken Open Air. It started 20 years ago with 6 bands and 800 visitors on a paddock outside of Wacken. Today the people come from all over the world and the tickets for the festival next year are already nearly sold out now.

Here is a photo from the whole festival area, in the upper left corner you can see the village Wacken:
Wacken

The local newspaper published a special about "Wacken" and we decided to read it. You can see the German Rockstar Doro Pesch who is singing the official festival hymn "We are the metalheads".

http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4910.jpg

Katrin has never been to the festival, but knows a lot of people who are there nearly every year. She prefers reading the articles in the newspaper. ;)


babyamy


Posted Aug 4, 2009, 12:25 pm
Today is my last day here in Germany, but before I leave, Schweinchen and I decided to spend some time in the garden. At first we had a look at the blackberries and Katrin decided that she has to pick the black ones later today and freeze them. When she has enough, she will turn them into nice marmelade.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4931.jpg

Then we walked over to the apple tree. But instead of apples we discovered a new TV. Mr Bananas had already arrived yesterday, but he has decided to spend the night in the apple tree. He told us about his adventures in Canada.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4932.jpg

Then it was finally time to say goodbye. I've been here for quite a while  and now it's time to go home and tell everyone about my adventures in Europe.
http://i414.photobucket.com/albums/pp226/kawie88/103_4933.jpg
JaymeC


Posted Aug 13, 2009, 11:40 pm
Whew! I'm safely home to tell my family about my adventures. Thank you for everyone who hosted me!
SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Nov 28, 2009, 3:53 pm
Hello Mom!

I arrived in Pennsylvania at just the right time! When I got out of my travel bag in my new host's house, it smelled wonderful! I met a new friend named Ebba and learned that it was November 25th - the day before Thanksgiving. The lovely smell was the dessert my new host Sam and Ebba were baking for Thanksgiving dinner the next day. Sam hosted the dinner at her home, and Ebba and I were invited. I'm very thankful for my new friends and that I arrived in time to celebrate the holiday!

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/BigBirdEbbaThanks-1.jpg

Before dinner, Sam's Mom and Step-Father came to visit and play Nintendo Wii with Sam and her husband.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/EbbaBigBirdThanksgivingWii.jpg

The most important part of the dinner was the turkey. It cooked all day in a smoker. When it was done it looked a little burned, but thats just because the smoke darkened the skin. It was really yummy! I'm glad they eat turkeys and not Big Birds!

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/BigBirdThanksgiving2-1.jpg

We had lots of food! Sam made the turkey for the main dish of course, but there were also mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, broccoli, crescent rolls, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/EbbaBigBirdThanksgiving-1.jpg

The food was all so good!

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/BigBirdTHanksgivingPlate.jpg

Dessert was my favorite part! Sam and Ebba baked a homemade pumpkin swirl cheesecake with graham cracker crust.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/BigBirdThanksgivingCheesecake.jpg

When the day was over, we were all stuffed! We spent the rest of the evening relaxing. It was a very fun day, and I think I'm going to enjoy my time here in Pennsylvania!
SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Nov 28, 2009, 4:02 pm
*Yawn* Good morning!

My host and her husband work me up very early this morning. In fact, we were awake by 3 am! I was confused, but she explained to me that the day after Thanksgiving is a BIG shopping day known as Black Friday. A lot of stores have really big sales, and they open really early. Lots of shoppers go out today to buy gifts for their loved ones for Christmas. For Sam, its a tradition to go out shopping with her family today.

We managed to leave at about 4 am. Sorry this picture is a bit blurry. The camera didn't want to work very well in the dark.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/BigBirdBlackFriday.jpg

I think we drove for about an hour to get where we were going. I decided to take a little nap. When we arrived, Sam told me that our first stop was Walmart. Their sale started at 5 AM, and we arrived just moments before. The parking lot was so full we could hardly find a place to park! Once we got inside we ran around and got what we needed to get. There was no time for pictures until we were waiting in line to check out.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/BigBirdEbbaBlackFriday-1.jpg

We waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity. The lines were so long it was difficult to even walk through the front half of the store. Eventually we got checked out, and we moved on to a few other stores before going out to eat for breakfast.

SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Dec 3, 2009, 8:05 pm
Hello!

I was out with my host and her husband, and we came upon some beautiful Christmas decorations! They put up TONS of lights outside of a group children's home. It was so pretty.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/BigBirdChristmasLightsBradford.jpg

My host also helped me take a video of all the lights. Check it out!
SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Dec 5, 2009, 8:59 pm
What an exciting day! I got to see a lot of new places with my host and her family. First we went to see The Avenue of 444 Flags. This is the largest display of flags in the world! The flags were originally flown in honor of the Americans who were held hostage for 444 days in Iran from 1979 to 1980. The flags have flown year round ever since. It really is a beautiful and awe-inspiring sight!

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdAveof144Flags1.jpg

These plaques list the names of many American soldiers from Pennsylvania who have passed away.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdAveof144Flags3.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdAveof144Flags2.jpg

The plaque and statue in these photos serve to commemorate the Avenue of Flags as a memorial of the 444 days the hostages were held.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdandEbbaAveof144Flags.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdAveof144Flags4.jpg
SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Dec 5, 2009, 9:39 pm
Hello Again!

After the Avenue of Flags, we went to a store called Kraynak's. Every year Kraynak's has a HUGE display of Christmas decorations called Santa's Christmasland. When we walked into Christmasland, the first thing I saw was another (much bigger!) Big Bird! He and the rest of the gang from Sesame Street were all ready for Christmas!

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdKraynaks1.jpg

I got to see a lot of trees and other Christmas decorations with my friend Ebba. There were a lot of people, so we posed for quite a few pictures together.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdKraynaks3.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4EbbaandBigBirdKraynaks.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4EbbaandBigBirdKraynaks2.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4EbbaandBigBirdKraynaks5.jpg

I even got to meet Santa, Rudolph, and the Grinch!

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdKraynaks2.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4EbbaandBigBirdKraynaks3.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4EbbaandBigBirdKraynaks4.jpg

They even had a very pretty life sized Nativity Scene.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4EbbaandBigBirdKraynaks6.jpg

I had never seen so many different decorations in my life! I'm really feeling in the Christmas spirit now!
SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Dec 5, 2009, 10:12 pm
Our last stop of the day was at Daffin's candy store. It is considered to be one of the world's largest candy stores! They make their own candy right here in Pennsylvania. Their factory is located just a few miles from the store we visited in Sharon. Unfortunately the factory only does large group tours, so we couldn't go see the chocolate being made.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4EbbaandBigBirdDaffins.jpg

At the candy store, we visited the Chocolate Kingdom. The Chocolate Kingdom features some GIANT animals made entirely of chocolate including a turtle that weighs over 400 pounds! There is also a smaller chocolate village, train, and castle. The room smelled soooo yummy because of all the chocolate! We even got to enjoy a free sample.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdDaffins.jpg

And of course... what fun would a trip to the candy store be if we didn't buy lots of goodies???

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/MrsMittelmeier/Dec4BigBirdDaffins2.jpg

SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Dec 15, 2009, 11:11 pm
Hi Mom!

I'm having a great time helping my host family get ready for Christmas. It seems like there is so much to do. I have been doing my best to help as much as I can. In fact, I helped Sam wrap some Christmas gifts for her family and pets. Here I am with the gifts before we wrapped them up.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/4774/bigbirdwrappingpresents.jpg

I'm good at holding the paper down so it stays in place until it gets taped down!

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/4774/bigbirdwrappingpresents.jpg

And here I am with some of the wrapped gifts. There is still more wrapping to do and a lot of other things. I don't know how we will finish it all in time for Christmas!

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4774/bigbirdwrappingpresents.jpg
SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Dec 15, 2009, 11:25 pm
Guess what? I learned that my host family enjoys lots of different holiday cartoons. I got to watch one of the classics a few days ago. We watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Its really fun and relaxing to watch all the holiday specials! I hope I have a chance to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" also. I've heard its really good!

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/3526/bigbirdcharliebrown.jpg
SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Jan 7, 2010, 4:07 pm
Hello!

My host said to let you know that we are very sorry that this update is being posted so late! We were very busy enjoying Christmas with my host and her husband's families!

Anyway, a few days before the big day we went for a drive into town to look at Christmas lights. We saw all the ones that won prizes and honorable mentions for the town's holiday spirit contest.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/3875/christmaslightsbigbird3.jpg

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/8597/christmaslightsbigbird2.jpg

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6084/christmaslightsbigbird1.jpg
SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Jan 7, 2010, 4:18 pm
Good Morning! Its Christmas! Last night we spent Christmas Eve with my host's husband's family, but we didn't get to take pictures. Sam was afraid that with all the chaos and excitement we might get lost.

First off, this is the Christmas tree at my host's house. She would like to put up a much larger tree, but unfortunately her cats will not leave a Christmas tree alone, so she can only have a small one that is anchored to the wall.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5452/christmastreebigbird.jpg

My host and her husband spent Christmas morning opening their gifts from each other and from some other family members and friends. Look at all the goodies!

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/2448/christmasgiftsbigbird.jpg

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/5817/christmaseveebbaandbigb.jpg

Afterward, we all went to Sam's mom and step-dad's house for a wonderful Christmas breakfast. Yum!

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/9338/109m.jpg

All in all, I had a very nice Christmas!
SamanthaMittelmeier


Posted Jan 19, 2010, 2:09 am
Hi Mom!

I've had a good time in Pennsylvania, but its time for me to be on my way. I'm headed out tomorrow morning to visit Wisconsin. I can't wait to meet my new host!
freshwater


Posted Jan 24, 2010, 6:40 pm
I've arrived in Milwaukee!  It's cold and overcast, but these other TV's gave me a warm welcome.  Purple Bun is visiting from England, and Albus and Odie belong to my mentor.  Albus leaves tomorrow to visit Panama, and Odie is still waiting for an invitation.

I'll check in again soon!
freshwater


Posted Jan 28, 2010, 5:40 am
I've visited several different places in the last few days.  Along with Purple Bun, I visited the Barton Roller Mill.  Long ago it ground grain into flour, but now it has offices and shops. 

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It was night when we visited, so we could not take a photo of the outside.  But you can see the mill in this framed photo.

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This is one of the big stones that used to grind the grain into flour.

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This is the wheat roller mill.

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When the mill was renovated, large beams from old barns were used as supports.

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The fieldstone walls in the lower level by the river are about 18 inches thick!

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Then we stopped by our host's favorite bookstore: Fireside Books in West Bend.  We are thinking about reading "Driftless" which is a novel set in rural Wisconsin. 

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Yesterday we visited my host's classroom.  She calls this her "magic machine",  but everyone else calls it a document camera. Can you see us under the camera and on the big screen?  I feel famous!

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Tonight we joined another book group.  "Wrack and Ruin" is an amusing and quirky farce set in a small town in California. 

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This weekend we may go to the theater!





freshwater


Posted Jan 31, 2010, 7:35 pm
On Saturday morning we had a light snow shower so we went out to collect snowflakes on our tongues.

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Saturday evening we joined our host and her friend for shepherd's pie at Slim McGinn's Irish Pub. 

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Then we went to the Skylight Opera for The Marriage of Figaro.  The singing was excellent, but we really enjoyed the comic parts and the lovely little theater.

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It was a fun night and we slept late this morning.  We'll check in again soon!

freshwater


Posted Feb 21, 2010, 8:46 pm
I'm so sorry to have been so long in updating again, but my host is a teacher and the end of January was all about grades and reports to parents and testing.  Then, she was moved to a different school!  That is a good thing, but it took  a lot of time. 

But, we have been busy.  Purple Bun and I visited my host's school to do a special project with her students.  They are 9 years old and are learning to write a descriptive paragraph.  Each group took one of us, and we were kept secret from the other group.  The challenge was to write a description that "made a picture in the reader's mind". 

JaJuan, Joseph and Brenda , with help from Ms. Stephanie, wrote a description of me.

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Here's what they said:  "It looks like Big Bird, but it is little.  It has pink and blue by his eyes.  His legs are pink and yellow stripes.  He has two wings.  His tail is a triangle.  He has beads in his butt so he can sit."

My host is a big Harry Potter fan, so when the weather has been cold and snowy, we have snuggled up in a chair to watch Harry Potter movies and eat popcorn!  Can you see the Quidditch player on the screen?

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We joined a friend for a concert at a Starbucks coffee shop.  The two older guys --singer on guitar and one on drums-- are called "Grey and Grayer".  They write their own songs in a folk or rhythm and blues style.  It was fun!

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Yesterday my host drove her son up to their former hometown, West Bend, to visit his old friends.  We stopped to see the newest modern art installed out in front of the local art museum.

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And we stopped to visit with my host's favorite sculpture in town, the 3 Musical Frogs.  In summer they wear straw hats....we think that they should have knitted scarves for the winter!

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We also stopped in at the library which is just across the street. 

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That's all for now! 
freshwater


Posted Mar 15, 2010, 1:03 am
We are sorry for the lack of updates!  My host loaned her camera to a friend for the day....two weeks ago.  We hope to post again soon!
freshwater


Posted May 19, 2010, 4:14 pm
Spring came in like a lamb....Several of the TV's visiting with freshwater went along on a letterboxing trip with a couple of her friends.  Whenever we located a letterbox, we stamped the box image into our collection journals, and then stamped our personal, hand-carved image into the box's notebook. We found 5 boxes, all with a military and historical theme.  The weather was lovely and we saw many spring wildflowers, such as Jack in the Pulpit and Trillium.

A few days later we visited our host's school.  Space is at a premium, so her desk is in the back of a third grade classroom.  The third grade teacher is a bit messy (!) but he uses a lot of technology in his instruction.  He also has large images of superheroes such as Batman, Superman and the Incredible Hulk to remind his students that they haved the power to make good choices in their lives.

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