SPRING 2007 - Central Germany
is winding down its burst into bloom, which was rather dramatic for
someone who hasn't been here this time of year in almost a decade. The
weather has been absolutely top-notch for the past six weeks, with no
rain to scatter the flowers about the ground. The perpetual blue skies
have given me a chance to get some things into order, but I have quickly
grown tired of the hours perched atop the Little Red Tractor That Could
(or would). If anyone has a line on a couple of inexpensive and
undernourished goats, by all means let me know.
Awahni has not been much help outside, which was our agreement. Rather
than pull weeds or haul rocks, she mostly spends the day sprawled out in
the sun, taking the occasional dip in the pond to cool off. On occasion
she winds up in the water unintentionally, as was the case when she
launched an unsuccessful sneak attack on two Egyptian geese that had
made a noisy stop-over. The trespassing wildfowl avoided her clutches
and she skidded off the bank and into the water in a rather hilarious
display of rusty hunting skills. Afterwards all there was to do was
clean herself up.
Thankfully it wasn't long before the two nomads ventured off on their
route to wherever it is they are spending the summer. It might not have
been so bad to have them as guests - I'm sure the resident wood ducks
don't mind putting up with them for a spell - if the two hadn't insisted
on hanging out on the roof, right above the bedroom. Every morning at
6am we were awoken by what sounded like a grown man square dancing atop
the house, which didn't really make for the best start to the day.
Oh, and I simply couldn't resist this photo of my friend Todd's new
little one, Coco, who is so hilariously adorable it almost hurts. Don
King has nothing on this cat.
And of course don't forget about Scout's fascination with water:
Many thanks to my friends who have stopped by to visit, if even for
a few days, and a warm welcome awaits those of you who have yet to make
it. I'll try and update this thing as often as I can muster, but as
always email is the best way to reach me. - Eric
SUMMER 2006:
Could someone please throw the brakes on time? It seems there is
hardly a moment to catch a breath for all of the projects going on. The
garden is in, for the most part, and doing well. I finally got around to
laying the brick patio around the fire pit and it has proven to be a
smashing success with the locals. May saw the end of the spring semester
at Iowa State, which is right down the street, and the usual
dumpster-diving that ensued yielded an impressive trove of items, not
limited to but including a football down marker, several lamps, a 5-foot
tall animatronic dancing Santa Clause, and all the lumber I could
possibly use this summer. I have already built a garden cart, two tables
and a sturdy wooden frame for our compost pile, and I have an inordinate
amount of wood yet to put a saw through. Projects! Projects! Just what I
need - more projects! In more satisfying news we did indeed again take
first place for the second year in our category at the 2006 Midwest IHC
Classic in Burlington, where we were treated to an
amazing storm front that Awahni was oblivious to.
In June Laura and I traveled with heavy hearts back to Effingham County
to attend the funeral of my grandfather, Louis Anthony Herboth (* 13 October 1920
+ 17 June 2006), who had passed away suddenly from a bout with
pneumonia. He was a great man and will be sorely missed.
SPRING 2006: Although I have tried, I have not yet made it back to
Europe. A trip is planned - perhaps during the World Cup? - but no dates
have solidified as of yet. Laura and I are both keeping busy with work
and home projects, which for me has included a new round of printmaking.
I printed up a variety of different posters for an upcoming TEAM
AV showcase weekend, including one set of rather large prints
depicting fish underwater. They are a bit awkward to scan,
unfortunately. I will also be producing a line of shirts and canvas tote
bags for the summer, so be on the lookout for those. We will be heading
to the Midwest IHC Classic again in May and hope to take home another
first place. Anything less would be uncivilized!
WINTER 2005: Time continues to fly with little time afforded to the
updating of websites. Laura and I both spent part of November at home in
Germany doing some much-needed updating. For the most part our bedroom
is now clean and comfortable; the next time we return we will continue
working on the rest of the house. Not long after we return from Germany
it will be time for Laura to head off to Puerto Rico and Hawaii for
winter nursery. I know, it is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
SUMMER 2005: It
is hard to believe, but we are already halfway through the first decade
of the 21st century. Amazing. Laura and I are keeping ourselves busy, as
per usual, but we are making an effort to visit as many old friends as
possible this summer. Congratulations are in order for our friends Nick
and Kristianna, who will be formally tying the proverbial knot on their
farm in South Dakota this summer, as well as our friend Yvonne who is
finally settling down and getting married. Cudos! Also of note is our
first ever entry at a Scout event, and we are happy to report that we took
first
place in our category at the 2005 Midwest IHC Classic!
WINTER 2004:
Mexico was excellent. I had never been. Baja was great. Dolphin pods, manta rays jumping 5 feet out of the water, 6 foot swells. I went snorkeling for the first time ever and it blew my mind. Scorpion fish, puffer fish, king angelfish, cortez angelfish, fine spotted morays, broomtail and sawtail groupers, parrotfish, giant
hawkfish, socorro spiny lobsters. And tons of birds: Ospreys, blue footed boobies, double breasted cormorants, British heron, eared
greeb, magnificent frigatebirds, herons, vultures.
It was excellent. We went up in the mountains to the 1700s Mision San
Javier. Along the way I watched the van driver come perilously close to
knocking the van off the jack while replacing a tire for the first time.
That was before he lost the keys to the van... in his pants pocket. Once
there, it was worth the drive. We even saw a 300 year old olive tree.
Next Laura is off to Hawaii and then I'm off to Germany. Until then,
adios!
---
In 2004 we moved from California to Ames, Iowa. We purchased a
lovely house that needed some
lovely work done, so we've been extremely busy with hammering, digging,
leveling, shoring up, building, cleaning, renovating and all sorts of
other things that end in ing.
Big news is that we have a new family member, Awahni,
who is getting along rather well with our old fella Scout.
Updates come as time allows, which is not as often as I would like. Until
then, drop us a line!
