holiday madness

Hey all! We had a great time hosting our annual feuerzangenbowle evening tonight, but we ran out of time to write the blog. Check back again soon (hopefully tomorrow) for a full post. Until then, have a great week!

Christmas, Day 2

Merry Christmas! Even though it's the 26th, it is still Christmas over here. Germany celebrates two days of Christmas as official holidays (25th and 26th), although I'm not entirely sure why. One of the more unexpected results of having two days of Christmas is that grocery stores are not open on either day. And on years when the 27th is a Sunday (like this one) grocery stores aren't open for three full days plus they close around 2:00 PM on the 24th. In past years Brenda and I have been caught off guard and been forced to either go out to eat or go to a market at the main train station to choose from a small selection of "food" (which basically means we survived on a few bags of chips). This year, however, we were prepared, and on the evening of the 23rd we went to the grocery store and stocked up. We're optimistic that our rations will last us until the stores open again on Monday morning.

Drew flew back to the U.S. on the 23rd, and we miss him already. We're going to fill you in on more details of his trip (including pictures!) in a later post. Since we still don't have internet in our apartment (which may take until the end of January or early February to get sorted out), loading pictures to the blog is tricky. We're going to Berlin in a little over a week for a revival of Ariadne auf Naxos, and we should have a good internet connection there. Fortunately, our neighbor's internet signal seems unusually strong today, which is allowing me to write this post and to share a couple of pictures with you...

 Brenda and I went up to the top of a mountain in Kitzbühel to meet Drew for a late lunch during his day of snowboarding.

We only saw Drew snowboard briefly, but he clearly knew what he was doing.

Here's a glimpse of our new apartment. As you can see our pictures are not up yet, but they will be soon. See that mantel behind the tree? It came with the apartment. It is wooden, easily movable, and works well during the Christmas season. We'll see if we have a place for it after the tree comes down.

It's a beautiful day in Frankfurt today, and we're going to get outside and enjoy it. I hope you are all having a very happy holiday season, and we'll talk to you again on Tuesday!

Happy Holidays!

Hey all! We just got back to Frankfurt this evening after a beautiful few days in Austria. We weren't able to find time to write the blog today, but you'll hear from us (or our favorite guest blogger) later this week. Until then, Happy Holidays!

enjoying some family time

Hey all! This is the first blog entry coming to you from our new apartment. Unfortunately, we still don't have internet, but a couple days ago our neighbor was kind enough to give us the password to his router, which is two floors below. The signal isn't strong, but it's better than nothing.

Our holiday season got a lot merrier on Saturday when Brenda's brother, Drew, arrived in Frankfurt. This is his first trip to Germany during the Christmas season while we've lived here, and he and Brenda went over to enjoy the Christmas market today. He left wanting more, so we're planning on heading over again tomorrow. We're also going to see the new Star Wars movie later this week and then spend a few days in Austria beginning this weekend. Drew wants to snowboard down a mountain, and we want to drink hot chocolate and watch him.

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was preparing for a tax exam. Well, I wasn't able to study as much as I wanted to because of our move, but I decided to go ahead and take the test last week anyway. Much to my surprise, I passed, which means I can now apply to become an Enrolled Agent. If my application is accepted, then I'll be able to represent people before the IRS. So if you get audited, let me know, but I'll cross my fingers for you that you don't.

Before I sign off, I thought you'd like to know that Brenda's most recent performance of Lucia di Lammermoor was outstanding. Brenda got a well-deserved standing ovation, which is a rare occurrence in Frankfurt. I wish you all could have been there.

Until next time, have a great week!

baby bump in concert

Hey all! I'm writing to you while sitting on the floor of our former, and now empty, Frankfurt apartment. Our internet provider managed to get us online again at our old place, but we're still waiting to be connected at the new one. Hopefully that will happen tomorrow. The move last week was quite painless thanks to the moving company we hired, but now we're busy unpacking and building some new IKEA furniture. It feels more and more like home with every box we unpack.

 We've made it over to the Christmas Market a few times already to enjoy some of the culinary delights. Here Brenda is getting ready to eat some potato pancakes. 

 And here I am with my first cup of Glühwein of the year.

Brenda had her first performance of Lucia di Lammermoor on Saturday and it was great. If you'd care to see a few pictures taken during one of the recent rehearsals, you can do so here (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Brenda also sang at Oper Frankfurt's annual gala, which, if I heard correctly, raised around 900,000 euro this year.

 Brenda bought a new dress for the gala.

And here's a hint as to why she needed a new one.

My wife is waiting for me at our new apartment, and she's expecting pizza. I'd better not keep her waiting. Until next time, have a great week!

all boxed up

Hey folks! It's moving time. The movers are coming early Thursday morning to schlep all our stuff to our new home. Most of our things are packed up, but there is still in plenty to do between now and then. Brenda has been juggling packing, rehearsals and that whole pregnancy thing with aplomb. Her final dress rehearsal happens the day we move and her first performance is on Saturday.

I'm going to have to keep this post short today because we don't have internet at home anymore so I'm writing all of this on my phone. I made the mistake of calling our internet provider yesterday to tell them about our upcoming move, and they immediately cancelled our service. I asked them to switch it back on but apparently that's not possible without divine intervention. That'll teach me to plan ahead.

Before I let you go, I wanted to thank everyone that sent me their email addresses. I will be making the blog private later this week (or as soon as I can find an internet connection). If you haven't contacted me yet, and you'd like to continue reading our blog, please send your email address to: chadcgraham@gmail.com

Until next time, I hope you have a great week!

on the move

Hey folks! Brenda and I have been back in Frankfurt for a little over a week now, and it's been cold and cloudy every single day. Ah, it's good to be home. Brenda's been busy rehearsing for her upcoming performances of Lucia di Lammermoor while I've been studying and preparing for our move next week. We're meeting our new landlord tomorrow to sign the rental contract, so it looks like this move is really happening. The new apartment is very close to the Main river and just one pedestrian bridge away from the Frankfurt Christmas Market, which, I'm happy to report, opens tomorrow.

Our little plus one (or Knödel as we like to call him), has been quite active lately. Brenda has been feeling him wiggling around in there, but he's too shy to kick whenever my hand is on her belly. One of these days I'll catch him in the act.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we'll be making this blog private so we can feel more comfortable about sharing parts of our lives (e.g. baby pictures) that we don't necessarily want to share with the entire world. To do so, I will need email addresses for everyone who wants to read the blog. Once I put your email address on the list of approved readers, you will receive an email invitation to access the blog. If you want to keep reading the blog (and we hope you do!), please email me at: chadcgraham@gmail.com

One last thing, for those of you who missed Brenda's live-streamed performance of Ariadne auf Naxos in Munich last month, someone was kind enough to post a clip of her aria on YouTube. If you're interested, here's the link.

Until next time, have a great week!

all aboard for motherhood

Hello all! It's the other half of Chenda reporting tonight, althought I'm not sure I constitute just a half anymore. I feel I represent two thirds of our little family for the time being! :-) 

If you remember from last week, Chad had mentioned I was battling a sinus infection. Unfortunately when I woke up on Wednesday it had moved into my chest as well, and I was all around miserable. I sadly had to cancel for Wednesday night, but I know it was the right decision. I was able to sing the last performance on Saturday, which was difficult, but I'm glad I was able to, since our friends Susanne and Stephan were in the audience! 

The curtain call after the show. Not the most flattering costume for a pregnant lady, but what can you do!

With Susanne at dinner after the show. She has also performed the role of Konstanze, but in a rather different fashion! She is part of a marionette theater group (along with her brother Andreas) that performs operas. Chad and I are lucky enough to have seen some, and we plan on going to their newest show in February!

On Sunday we came home to Frankfurt and we are soo happy to be here! Chad previously mentioned we'd be here for almost 2 months (more like a little less than 7 weeks, but who's counting!) and during that time we'll be moving into our new place! We'll be sad to leave this apartment, which is, after 5 years, the longest amount of time we've spent somewhere other than our childhood homes, but it'll be great to have the extra space. 

We went to see our doctor today for a check up on how things are proceeding with the little one, and I'm happy to say that everything looks great! I also got a very important document. We don't have an equivalent to it in the US, which the German doctors find quite baffling. It's called the "Mutterpass" which translates to - you guessed it - Mother Pass. I like to think of it as a passport to the land of motherhood, but really it's just a little booklet in which all my pertinent medical info having to do with the baby is stored. Don't leave home without it! Literally. I'm always supposed to have it on hand. 

Rehearsals for my next show in Frankfurt start tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it, since the opera is Lucia di Lammermoor (one of my favorites!) but I'm going to take it pretty easy, since I'm still getting over this pesky virus! Chad has miraculously stayed healthy, so I hope to report the same next week! Until then, hope you're all having a great autumn! 

blue skies in Bavaria

What a beautiful week it's been in Munich. We've had blue skies almost every day with temperatures in the 60s (who needs a coat in November?) and I've been outside enjoying it as much as possible. Unfortunately, while I've been out soaking up the rays, my better half has been stuck indoors fighting a sinus infection. Brenda noticed a runny nose and sore throat on Saturday during her first performance of Die Entführung aus dem Serail (a great show with a great cast!) and since then it's only gotten worse. We don't know yet if she'll sing her second performance tomorrow night. The opera house wants to know by 9 AM tomorrow, so we'll see how she feels in the morning. Ah, the joys of being a singer.

I'm not used to this kind of weather in November in Germany. Here's hoping it continues!

On Sunday I walked by a packed beer garden Brenda and I have frequented. I somehow resisted the urge to buy a giant pretzel.

While Brenda's been working (on singing and getting healthy), I've been studying for my third and final tax exam. I took and passed the first two exams when we were in Berlin last season, and now it's time to take the third. The topic for this exam is business taxation, which, as you might imagine, is rather complicated. I read some sections and think "I have no idea what that means." Luckily, I had that thought a lot during law school and I learned what to do: read it again. If you read a section enough times something usually sticks, or at least that's what I'm hoping.

Brenda and I head home to Frankfurt on Sunday, and we get to stay put for around two months. We're really looking forward to it. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

der Knödel

Greetings, again, from Munich! Brenda and I returned to our home away from home yesterday for her second production of the season at the Bavarian State Opera - Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The nature of Brenda's work has her traveling around a lot, and so far in 2015 Brenda has spent forty-four nights at home in Frankfurt. That number will double by the end of the year, but as of right now we've been in Munich more in 2015 than anywhere else. Good thing we like it so much.

Next year we're going to be home a lot more, and I'm guessing most of you have heard why. Brenda and I are expecting a baby boy in late March, and we couldn't be more excited! We'll be having the baby in Germany, which means we'll have to learn some new German words (e.g. the German word for "baby" is, well, "baby" but trust me when I tell you it gets harder). We'll also have to familiarize ourselves with Germany's laws designed to support and protect pregnant women. One such law says that pregnant women (after the 17th week, I believe) are not allowed to work past 8:00 PM. That could be problematic for a singer who has most of her performances in the evening, but the law allows for women to waive that right. (The show can go on!) My point is that we're going to be learning a lot in the coming weeks and months, and we're thrilled about it. 

Happy Halloween!

In preparation for our little jack-o'-lantern's arrival, I've decided to change our blog from public to private. Since we started this blog in 2008, anyone with the URL has been free to read it. I'm not entirely comfortable, however, with the idea of posting pictures of our child for the whole world to see. So sometime in the next few weeks I'm going to change the blog's settings to limit who can read our posts. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but I'll figure it out and let you know.

Until next time, have a great week!

never a dull moment

Hello all! As many of you know, Brenda had her last performance in Munich on Friday (thank you so much to all of you who tuned in to the live-stream!). We got back to our apartment in Frankfurt on Sunday, and it's good to be home. It's also good for Brenda to have some time to recharge before moving on to her next gig. Which happens to be in Bordeaux, France tomorrow night. (She had to recharge quickly.) Brenda was originally supposed to get eight days off at home before heading back to Munich next week, but as we were riding home from IKEA yesterday Brenda noticed that she had a voicemail on her cell phone. It turns out that a soprano who is supposed to sing a concert of mostly Handel arias tomorrow night is sick, and Brenda was getting the call to jump-in. She received the final word that she was needed for the concert earlier today and was on a plane by three. An added bonus to the gig is that she gets to see some really good friends who live in Bordeaux.

Brenda and I had several friends and family members in town for her performance on Friday. Above, Brenda is pictured with our friends Monika and Michael. 

 One of my former law professors and his wife also came to the performance. They moved to Vienna over the summer so they were able to drive over to Munich (at high speeds, I imagine).

 On Saturday we went to Lake Ammer with Brenda's Uncle Ron and Aunt Marilyn. After two overcast weeks, we were fortunate enough to have gorgeous weather on Saturday (those are the Alps in the distance).

 We walked from Lake Ammer up to Andechs Abbey, which is not as easy of a hike as I remember. The food and refreshments made the effort worthwhile.

Brenda's beer was actually just Apfelschorle, which is no less delicious.

Before I sign off I wanted to give you an update on our apartment search. It looks like we've found a place! It's eighteen square meters bigger than our current apartment, not much more expensive, and even closer to the opera house. We're both excited about it, and we'll fill you in on more of the details in the coming weeks. Oh, and feel free to let us know if you'd like to fly to Frankfurt to help us move. We'd be happy to arrange opera tickets and Frankfurter apple wine as payment.

Until next time, have a great week!

live-streamed opera

Greetings from Munich! It's been very cloudy here in Bavaria's capital, which has kept us indoors for much of the week. Of course, we did venture out a few times for food, Brenda's rehearsals and performances (one of which is tonight), and I went for a couple of jogs through the English Garden, but the rest of the time was spent indoors looking for vitamin D supplements online. Ok, not really, but we did spend a lot of time online searching for apartments in Frankfurt. We've discovered, however, that it's not that easy to find a place from a couple hundred miles away. In spite of the challenge, Brenda managed to make contact with a few landlords, and we'll be seeing at least one apartment when we're back in Frankfurt next week. We've been mentioning up front that Brenda is an opera singer with the hope that we'll find a landlord who is a huge opera fan, and then maybe we could get a discount on the rent. Although, having an opera singer for a tenant could mean more noise since singers tend to be pretty loud when they practice. We're crossing our fingers for a music lover.

Brenda's first performance in Munich on Saturday was excellent. I had never seen this production before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The audience obviously did too. I thought about buying another ticket to see the show again tonight, but it's sold out. In fact, the whole run (i.e. the performance last week in Paris and the three in Munich) is sold out. It's really great to see people enjoying opera so much. And speaking of which, here's my last plug for the live-stream this Friday: you too can see a sold-out performance of this opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, from the comforts of your own home (or wherever you can find an internet connection) by going to the Bavarian State Opera's website this Friday (October 23rd) at 1:00 PM central time. We hope you'll tune in!

Brenda signing autographs by the stage door after the last performance.

Before we leave Munich, we are going to take a day this weekend to be tourists with Brenda's aunt and uncle who are currently vacationing through Europe. I foresee a picture of me with a Munich-sized beer in my hand in next week's blog entry. Until then, I hope you all have a great week!

an American (and her husband) in Paris

Bonjour tout le monde! Brenda and I are currently on the super-speedy TGV train to Munich after spending a couple of nights in Paris. There wasn't much time to sightsee because Brenda was busy rehearsing and performing at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, but I did have a chance to explore Paris on my own for a few hours. What a beautiful city! Even though I've been to Paris before, I was still struck by the gorgeous architecture. I tried to get into the Louvre but the line was ridiculously long (I should have bought my ticket ahead of time!) so I wandered around the city instead and got to see many beautiful sights.

 The Seine

 The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (not to be confused with that bigger Arc de Triomphe down the road).

The Luxor Obelisk. 

According to wikipedia it's over 3000 years old!

Brenda's performance last night was great. The cast, which, except for the tenor, is the same for the three upcoming performances in Munich, was excellent. The Bavarian State Opera Orchestra was superb, and the conductor, Kirill Petrenko, was fantastic. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better presentation of Ariadne auf Naxos. On a related note, Brenda's show-stopping aria during the second half literally stopped the show. The audience went nuts for what felt like minutes, and Brenda took several bows before the performance got underway once again. I always love being in the theater for those moments.

 The front of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.

 The curtain call.

Brenda with tenor Jonas Kaufmann and soprano Amber Wagner after the performance.

This seems like a good time to remind you, dear readers, that you too can see a performance of this opera live-streamed for free (with English subtitles) via the Bavarian State Opera's website on Friday, October 23. The role Brenda sings is one of her favorites, and the one she has performed the most. The live-stream begins at 8:00 PM Germany time, which is 1:00 PM US Central time. We hope you'll tune in!

I thought you might like to see how fast we were going on our speedy train. 313 kilometers per hour equals around 194 miles per hour. So why don't we have an extensive high-speed rail system in the U.S.?

The fall colors are in full effect in Munich's beautiful English Garden, and Brenda and I plan on enjoying them in the coming days. I hope you are all enjoying the changing of the seasons as much as we are, and until next time, have a great week!

false alarm

Hey all! Chenda is back in Germany once again. Our time in New York flew by, and now we're in Munich fighting jet-lag and getting settled in our home for the next few weeks. Truth be told, we wish this Munich apartment could become our new apartment in Frankfurt because we're looking to upgrade and it's really comfortable. After living in a one bedroom apartment for over seven years, we've decided to see what living in a two bedroom (or bigger) apartment would be like. The trick, however, is in finding a new apartment - especially when we're not in Frankfurt that often. Wish us luck!

The apartment we usually stay in when we visit New York has an excellent view of Manhattan and the Hudson River. One day last week we looked out the window and saw what appeared to be a boat in distress on the river. There were several ferries circling the ship while smaller boats zoomed up to it. We searched the internet looking for news stories regarding an accident on the Hudson but couldn't find any. Later that afternoon we finally found something. Clint Eastwood was filming part of his next movie on the river, which is about the plane that made an emergency landing there several years ago. Tom Hanks plays the pilot, but unfortunately I wasn't able to see Clint or Tom in this pic...

Brenda's first performance in Munich isn't until next week, but she has a concert performance of the opera with the same cast (mostly) on Monday in Paris. We're looking forward to heading over to France again even though we'll only be there for a couple of nights.

I hope you have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

time for a vocal tune-up

Greetings from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts! Brenda and I flew to New York yesterday so she could have a few voice lessons before we head back to Germany, and now I'm hanging out in the library while she sings at Juilliard. We're excited to get back to our apartment in Frankfurt so we can enjoy a little time at home, but when I say a little time, I mean it. The day after we arrive we'll be heading to Munich for Brenda's next gig. Speaking of which, one of those performances will be live-streamed over the internet for free on October 23rd. For more information check out the Bavarian State Opera's website. 

Our past couple of weeks in Wisconsin were great. Brenda's performances in Milwaukee and Madison went really well, and we got to spend a lot of time with family and friends, many of whom we don't get to see very often.

As I mentioned last week, Brenda had well over a hundred people come to see her perform in Milwaukee. Pictured above are several of Brenda's relatives from Illinois.

 Many of my friends and family also made the trip including my cousins Derek and Jessica and several of my parents' close friends from college.

Here Brenda is posing with two of her very proud teachers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

A poster advertising Brenda's concert in Madison.

 While in Madison Brenda also gave her first college-level masterclass.

 She posed for a picture with the students after the masterclass.

Did I mention they're performers?

Brenda rehearsing with the UW Symphony Orchestra.

While Brenda was rehearsing on Saturday, I drove down to Iowa for my cousin Laura's wedding. I'm really glad that the timing worked out for me to be there. It was a beautiful event, and I enjoyed seeing so many of my extended relatives.

So that's what we've been up to. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

a Così weekend in Milwaukee

Hey all! After two wonderful performances in Milwaukee this past weekend, Brenda and I are currently visiting her parents for a few days before heading off to Madison for her next gig. I know that several of our readers were at the show in Milwaukee, and we can't thank you enough for coming. It always makes a performance more special when there are friends and family there, and we had well over a hundred!

I'm going to keep this short because I'm writing it on my phone, but I should have some pictures and a little more about the weekend up by the end of the week. Until then, have a great week!

Atlanta

Hey folks! It's almost showtime in Milwaukee. Brenda and her fellow castmates have their final dress rehearsal tomorrow night for Mozart's Così fan tutte with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. They've managed to put together an entirely new staging of the opera in a little over two weeks, which is pretty darn quick. Brenda and I are very excited to see all you who will be coming to the performance! If you'd like a sneak peek behind the scenes, here's a short video of the crew putting up the set.

This past weekend I flew down to Atlanta to see one of our best friends, Dan, who is a recent transplant to the city. Brenda and I haven't been able to see Dan and his wife Whitney nearly as much as we would like in recent years, but since we're in the same country for a change, I thought I'd pop down to see how he is liking his new stomping ground. 

Even though Dan has only been there a short time, he has already scouted out some excellent restaurants. I had fun trying a few different cuisines including some traditional southern dishes (e.g. grits, fried okra, and collard greens), Indian street food, and an excellent Japanese meal which was homemade by my talented host. We also made our way over to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum where we learned a little more about our 39th president.

Meanwhile back in Milwaukee, Brenda was busy working, although she did get to go to a concert on Saturday night (Rufus Wainwright performing with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) and an apple orchard on Sunday.

 I'm not sure what's more fun: picking the apples or going for a ride on the tractor.

 Brenda picked a lot of great looking apples. If only we had an oven in our hotel room to bake an apple pie!

Dan looking presidential in the recreated Oval Office at the Jimmy Carter Museum. You've got my vote, Dan.

So that's what we've been up to. I hope you all have a wonderful week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

Milwaukee

Hey all! Brenda and I are currently in the great state of Wisconsin where my better half has been busy rehearsing for two upcoming performances of Mozart's Così fan tutte with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. It's great that Brenda is working so close to home for many reasons, but we're most excited about so many of our family and friends coming to the show next week. By the way, for any of you who will be there, the performance is going to be like a normal evening at the opera. That is to say that the singers will be in costume and wandering around on a set. (Sometimes operas are performed with the singers just standing in formalwear at the edge of the stage with the orchestra behind them, which I expected in this case.) There will also be supertitles in English just in case your Italian is a little rusty. If you'd like to learn more about Così fan tutte before the performance, you can do so here.

Besides a trip to the airport, I've never spent much time in Milwaukee. I've always heard good things, though, and so far I really like it. Our hotel is downtown and close to where Brenda is rehearsing so, with the exception of the grocery store, we've been walking everywhere. There are a lot of beautiful old buildings downtown and the lakefront is easily within walking distance from our hotel. We're planning on a long walk by the lake one these days.

We haven't been good about taking pictures this week, but we do have this picture from last week that features our adorable niece, Beatrice.

I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

on Wisconsin

And we're back in the Midwest! Brenda's recital in Austria last Wednesday went really well. She performed all 23 songs from memory (19 of them were totally new to her), and the audience seemed to love every minute of it. After the recital we had dinner with our friend Andi and his family at an excellent restaurant not far from the concert hall. We had a great time catching up with them.

Brenda and pianist Wolfram Rieger during the recital.

The quaint restaurant we dined at after the recital.

Andi and me at dinner.

We've been hanging out at my parents' house since arriving in the U.S. on Sunday, but we head to Milwaukee tomorrow for Brenda's next engagement. We're really excited that she gets to work in her home state for the next few weeks.

Until next time, have a great week!

a week abroad

Greetings from Austria! After a wonderful and relaxing vacation in the U.S., Brenda has started rehearsals for her next engagement which, by the way, is tomorrow. The Schubertiade, a world-renowned Schubert festival, kindly asked Brenda to perform a solo recital of Schubert songs this summer at their beautiful recital hall in Schwarzenberg, Austria. Brenda appeared with the festival two summers ago as a part of a clarinet and piano recital, and she jumped at the chance to return again this year.

We were able to enjoy almost twenty hours in our apartment in Frankfurt before we had to leave again. Brenda snapped this picture of our balcony early Sunday morning after her jet-lag woke her up.

Schwarzenberg is nestled in the mountains in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. According to Wikipedia the population is around 1,850 people. Brenda took this picture of me yesterday shortly after we visited the town's new grocery store.

Horses grazing in the middle of town.

While I went home with the groceries, Brenda headed off to rehearsal.

We're looking forward to spending a few days in Frankfurt after we head home on Thursday. As it turns out Brenda's second engagement of the season is with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra so we'll soon be flying back to the midwest. We're trying not to get too accustomed to the German time zone.

Until next time, have a great week!

vacation recap

Hey All! Brenda and I are back in Iowa visiting my family and enjoying the last few days of our vacation. We took many pictures during our time in the U.S. Here are a few of the highlights:

 Brenda is very focused when playing pirate-themed mini-golf. She has a very convincing pirate voice, too.

 We always enjoy seeing the double feature at the drive-in movie theater in Door County.

 We canoed for a couple hours one afternoon and managed to stay dry. We weren't so lucky on one of our previous canoeing trips.

 The room at our bed and breakfast in Door County.

We even got a little beach time.

 Our first night in Santa Fe we tailgated before the performance as is customary at the Santa Fe Opera.

 We also took a hike on the Aspen Vista Trail, although we took it easy because we weren't completely acclimated to the high elevation.

This time next week Brenda will be back at work in Austria. I'll fill you in on that gig next time. Until then, have a great week!