16 Again (almost) and My New Squeeze

Ok, so the standing joke for the last 7 years is I work for a car company but I don't drive. I started out driving here but after two years and an extra year's extension my MN license was no longer valid - at the time there was no reciprocal agreement with Germany and pretty much the only way for me to get legal was, horreur, sign myself up at the one of hundreds of Fahrschule in Cologne. For a long time I really resented the fact that I would have to subject myself to the whole process, and on the whole I didn't care enough to get my ass in gear to do the paperwork in the US (I haven't been back to MN since 1999, and I don't have state residency anywhere).
If you care to hear more excuses you can read about the trials and travails of getting a German license here.

So I'm bringing this all up now because I finally did something about it: back in February I decided to take advantage of this last mat leave and to just bite the bullet and get through this process. Literally I left Jochen holding the baby so that I could attend the worthless but required 1.5 hrs of theory...all 14 sessions. I also hunkered down and learned to love the stick shift (not really, but we've made our peace)and did the required 24 hrs or more of on the road driving. Given course schedules, Jochen's availability, 4 vacations, going back to work, I finally took the practical yesterday and passed...thank god because I was really getting fed up with the whole thing. I'm glad I did it, and the order has been placed for the Cologne plant to build my own Fiesta - this lime green color is called "Squeeze". I know it's hit Taiwan and I hope the Americans will also give it a warm welcome.
Jochen of course is grumbling about how we don't need two cars, and in my heart of hearts I know he's right. He also thinks I'm a scatterbrained driver and I've told my boss he may have to pay for a bumper or two. I want to practice but after the winter months maybe I'll give it up again. I know I'll miss my leisurely morning commute and the chance to read my New Yorker or IHT en route, but the time freed up from the commute (ok, I live like 3 miles away from work - my husband thinks it's pathetic I don't bike there in the first place, and he sorta has a point) will allow me to focus on my next challenge. I just registered and Hope has booked the flight to join me already - anyone else interested???

PS - although I have to say the Germans do a very thorough job of training their drivers, the whole Fahrschule industry is one that profits from customers paying around EUR1,200+ to get through the process. John, my cousin who took all of 3 days (aside from driver's ed in high school of course) to get me prepped for the State of Illinois driving exam obviously deserves a big thanks after all these years - how did you make it so easy the first time?!!

Until the Cows Came Home

Our week in the mountains in southern Germany turned out to be a bit of a dud, partly because the weather was drizzly five out of seven days, partly because our plan to offload the kids over the day and go hiking backfired once we realized the baby childcare was only 9am - 12pm everyday. That pretty much cramped any plans to go for longer hikes (rain's not enough of a deterrent), which sort of turned this into a passive beach vacation -except there was no beach, no sun, and no umbrella drinks. The hotel itself was nice enough and had a lot of fun things for the kids, we just wished it worked as well as the other places we'd visited in the past.






Pig enjoyed the menagerie on site. He also enjoyed hamming it up in the two shows they put on. In the first revue he was a frog.

Later in the week the kids had the opportunity to dress up as Bavarian princes and princesses. Instead of a feathered tricorn hat Pig went for the glam instead.
The one stroke of luck we had was this week coincided with the local annual return of the cows from the alpine pastures down into the valley, before the onset of winter. The sound of hundreds and thousands of cows and cowbells was most impressive.

So were the super short lederhosen hotpants, which I suppose is sensible wear given the amount of cow doo-doo the cowherds trample through....




And of course, where would we be without the beer tent?


Ponchi making friends with a native.


Loden hats bought at the fair, destined to become part of our Karneval repetoire.


And, last but not least, we did manage some modest hikes, despite the elements working against us. Sure the pictures don't look too bad, but we weren't exactly whipping out the camera in the rain, either.






Did I mention Monchi is significantly heavier than when she first rode in the backpack at the beginning of summer? We're seriously worried that we'll manage to hoist her for any extended period of time next summer!

A Kong

Pig was playing on the floor two weeks ago when he casually said, "there's A-Kong," meaning my dad. He was pointing to the advertising laying in a pile, ready for recycling. Both Jochen and I took a look and just died laughing. The giggles lasted the entire night.


The ad was for a healthcare plan, and showed the unlikely fantasy of "A-Kong" doing yoga. More probably here he is earlier this year sharing a drink with Pig at the Gaffel Brauhaus.

Pig is a big fan of A-Kong!

20 Years

Of countless new addresses, job moves (Aimee), boyfriend changes (Hope), shared vacations/visits, and dog years of phone time but the threesome is still going strong. The reunion last weekend was beyond expectation on every level, particularly because there was minimal reminiscing and maximum catch-up on what's happening today. Also nice because someone new was thrown in the mix: I finally got to meet Aimee's Rob and, among other fine attributes, I'm overwhelmed by his manly lack of words, hehe. What, he's just like Jochen...what? Because I talk almost as much as Aim? I guess you think you're on to something there, you smarty pants!


The weather was absolutely gorgeous - so hot, in fact, the men were shielding their beers from the deadly rays.


Here we are in front of Burg Eltz.


And although she looks her cheery self here, Ponchi was whiny the entire weekend. She also broke out in little red dots all up and down her body, making me fearful that the house guests were going to leave with some transmittable souvenir of Cologne.

But Sunday morning Hope gleefully discovered 2 little teeth poking through Monchi's lower gums (and when I said I couldn't see them she told me to get reading glasses. That's 20 years of friendship for you!) Good grief, they took their sweet time to appear, and certainly will take more patience than I can muster to get a shot of them....


Finally, a guest appearance by Tiger Pig, who is pacing behind the new gate we installed to keep Monchi from tumbling head down on the granite stairs.

Endless Summer

I'm happy to admit I didn't have the guts a few months ago to BELIEVE that this summer wouldn't disappoint...but so far it has performed above and beyond my very modest expectations. We've been thoroughly enjoying every moment of it outdoors.

Here we are at the German Wakeboarding Championships - well, let's just say it's a developing sport here.Monchi donned a helmet for the first time this past week and is now part of the local biker gang.
On lazy Sunday afternoons we sometimes make our way to one or the other beach clubs in the city for a pretend getaway.

Pig training for Venice Beach.


Check out the palms

Jochen soon discovered Monchi is a babe magnet. Several girls under 20 (I have no idea how old they are, they're just still young and hot) came up to coo over Monchi as her father watched on, grinning like an idiot. The guys generally stood to the side and tried not to look bored as their girlfriends fussed over the baby....Girls, I can only say, take your time, cuz no amount of chill out music will give you your cool back once that bundle of joy arrives...

Love getting nekkid!

Les Cousins

Our extended family in Chicago includes my aunt and uncle and their daughter Jean's family. It now seems eons ago since our annual tradition as kids to visit Jean and John for the weekend at their grad student apartment in Hyde Park. I remember the yellow VW Beetle, Mollie the cat, the outings to the museums, and always one nice meal out at a restaurant we'd pick for its favorable review in the Chicago Magazine. Back in 1983 splashing out meant a restaurant bill of $35 for four people. I think I had my first green tea ice cream on such a memorable occasion - at that age I could not imagine anything more inventive...

Years and years and years later, the restaurants visits are now at places with a few more stars, and the outings include the next generation of cousins. Because Pig is completely besotted with Jean's younger boy, the switch finally flicked on and after 4 years of understanding English but hardly trying a word, he's now attempting a fluent pidgen (I want not milk. Give me no excooses).

The two of them are adorable together.

Waiting to start a "cooking course" on how to make guacamole.


Pretend play area in the Children's Museum at Navy Pier.


Dinosaur dig.


Real men hold hands.


Laurie save this pic for the montage. These guys are a dying breed: they have a more than a fair chance of going gold.