extra post: vacation pics

Hey all! Brenda and I made our way to a coffee shop today so we could share a few pictures with you from our recent escapades...

 When I was in Iowa last week, my parents and I went for a walk along the High Trestle Trail to check out the views from the trestle bridge.

 The bridge is about half a mile long.

 Later in the week we had fun playing tennis with my niece and nephews.

Brenda, Drew and I went up to Door County yesterday. We had breakfast, albeit at lunchtime, at one of our favorite Door County restaurants.

 Afterwards we spent some time on the shores of Lake Michigan.

 It can be hard for me to find a hat that fits, but this one was perfect.

Brenda and Drew enjoying the sunset.

Just to give you a heads up, our blog post will probably be a day late next week. This darn vacationing is getting in the way of our blogging! Until next time, have a great weekend!

in Wisconsin

Hey all! There's not much to report this week other than Brenda and I are thoroughly enjoying our time with our families. I spent much of the day today driving to Wisconsin to be with Brenda and her family, and shortly after I arrived I was treated to a delicious home cooked meal. I've got some pictures to share from this past week in Iowa but they'll have to wait until I have a high-speed internet connection (I'm writing this on my phone). Until then, I hope you all have a great week!

stateside

Greetings from Iowa! Brenda and I are back in America and our summer vacation has officially begun. On our first full day back in the U.S. we acclimated to being home by enjoying the quintessential American pastime - baseball. My oldest nephew had his twelfth birthday on Saturday and he invited us to join him and his friends at an Iowa Cubs game. It had been ages since we'd been to a baseball game. We had a lot of fun (and the Cubs won).

 Brenda and Drew watching the game.

My brother and sister-in-law were also there.

Brenda and Drew went up to Wisconsin yesterday while I stayed behind to spend some time with my parents. One of my favorite family activities growing up was golfing, and we still try to play at least once a year. We hit the links today and enjoyed a few good shots and some great weather.

A couple of pros getting ready to take their second shots.

After we finished our round we went to a nearby park that is home to several bison. 

My jet-leg is encouraging me to go to bed so I think I'll call it a night. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

last opera of the season

Hey all! Sorry for the delayed post this week. As I mentioned yesterday, Brenda and I were entertaining last night and we didn't have time to write the blog entry. We've been doing quite a bit of socializing the past few days because we're finally back in Frankfurt and we want to see as many of our friends as possible before we all head out of town for summer vacation. Of course, Brenda's been working too. She had the first performance of her final production of the season on Sunday. In spite of very limited rehearsal, it was a great evening of opera. Her next and final opera performance of the season is tomorrow night, which means her summer vacation begins on Friday. She has definitely earned some time off.

On our last free day in Munich Brenda and I visited the Pinakothek der Moderne, a modern museum not far from where we were staying. We were there for at least a few hours and saw a lot of interesting artwork.

 Brenda with her art appreciation face on.

 Paintings and sculptures comprised most of the artwork in the museum, but there was an exhibition that featured technology. I think I learned how to type on some of these machines.

 More technology.

I mentioned last week that friends of ours came to see Brenda perform in Munich. They were kind enough to send us a photo of all of us at dinner after the performance, which I thought I'd share with you.

Me, Andi, Brenda, Michael, and Monika.

As much as we're enjoying being back in Frankfurt, we can't wait to be back in the U.S. for a while. It's been far too long since we've seen our families. I hope you're able to enjoy some time off this summer with your families, too. Until next time, have a great week!

Tune in tomorrow!

Hey all! We had some friends over this evening and ran out of time to write the blog. I'll write a full post tomorrow so please check back then!

Tegernsee

Greetings once again from Munich! Things are heating up in Bavaria with the high today reaching almost three digits. Brenda and I are trying to keep cool by staying inside and moving as little as possible, but we're not having much success. I keep dreaming of the ubiquitous air conditioning in the U.S. that we'll be enjoying in less than two weeks. Some Germans I've talked to think we Americans overdo it with the AC, but personally I like it when the grocery store is so cold that you have to wear a jacket in the middle of July.

On Sunday Brenda, who is healthy once again, had a performance of Die Schweigsame Frau, the first of two performances this summer as a part of the Bavarian State Opera's summer festival. You already know that I loved it (because I love all of Brenda's performances), but I should mention that the audience really enjoyed it too. Afterwards we went out to dinner with some good friends who came up to Munich to see the show.

Since Brenda has a few days off between performances we're doing a little sightseeing. Yesterday we went with our friend Niki to Tegernsee, a picturesque alpine town that is built next to a lake with the same name. We had a great time getting to know yet another beautiful German town (on land and by sea) and sampling a bit of the local cuisine.

 In line for our boat tour.

 Niki and Brenda at sea.

I'm ready to move there.

How does that saying go again? Oh yeah, three pretzels a day keep the doctor away.

Did I mention I'm ready to move there?

Tomorrow we're planning on going to a museum, Thursday Brenda has a performance, and Friday we head back to Frankfurt. We're both looking forward to being back in our apartment again. Until next time, have a wonderful week!