Points to ponder on this winter day...

• I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
• There is great need for a sarcasm font on computers. 
• Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
• I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
• You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
• I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
• I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
• I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
• I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
• Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

It's only 11 months from now...we want you to know!

One can never have events marked on the calendar too soon so here you are....two events for December 2011 (don't shoot the messenger!)...

• Saturday, December 3...this is the date for the Anoka KC spaghetti feed and dance.  Those of us who were there back in December know what a fun evening we had (and Sr. Cordy went home with a bunch of prizes...and she never bought a single ticket!)
• Saturday, December 17...the annual Korkowski Christmas at the Brandon Hall.  With both Christmas and New Year's being on the weekend dates this year, it was deemed best to hold the event a week prior.  Gather at 1 PM, eat at 4 PM. 

Of course, we'll remind you much closer to these dates but at least you have the information for planning ahead.

Will she even have time to celebrate?

With the tax season bearing down on us, today's birthday girl probably won't have a lot of time to celebrate her birthday...Julie (Korkowski) Nelson (#45) may just have to pencil in an hour or two for herself!  Happy birthday, Julie, and find a little time for just yourself!

Some good eating on the calendar....

When it's cold in Minnesota, a favorite winter activity is to eat, and there are a couple of eating events on the calendar to fit the bill...first there is the Brandon Chili Cookoff on Friday February 11 at the Brandon Hall.  Serving from 5-9 PM.  Menu includes chili samples, crackers, and two beverages.  $8 adults, $3 for kids ages 4-9, and kids under 3 are free. 

Then, on Thursday February 17, Free2B has its 6th annual 'Taste of Blaine' with 37 restaurants at the National Sports Center in Blaine.  Tickets are $35 pre-event and $45 at the door.  Serving from 4:30 to 8 PM.  If you're looking for a lot of different foods to try from a variety of the best of the area's restaurants, then you may want to try this event.  Cliff is hoping they reach 1000 ticket sales this year (last year was about 970 people).  It's a fun evening...we promise you will not go home hungry...you can graze all night long!  Let Cliff know if you're interested in tickets (763-717-7817).

So, bring on the pants with the stretchy waists and think 'food'!

YES

How many times can we vote?  What are the options for escape?  Is there some part of the MN state budget that covers this type of thermal therapy? Theresa

I think we're ready to vote...

Final thoughts on Germany

After 16 days of travel, we were headed back to the USA.  No more trains, buses, trams, etc.  And no more autobahn!  A funny little story about that....on our first day with the Wallachers, Deb had asked Bernhard if we were on the autobahn, which we were not.  She asked that he tell us when we were because her dad always wanted to see what autobahn driving was all about.  Well, the next day, as we switched people around in cars, Derald and Theresa were in the car with Bernhard, Cliff and myself.  Theresa and I were in the back seat and after a few minutes of driving, the car picked up speed...and we're not talking just a bit!  As we flew thru the air, she gripped my hand and after a few minutes told Bernhard, "If you were my husband, I'd be yelling at you by now!"  It was after we got back home and she had Derald and Cliff do the conversion that we figured we were going one 'tick' short of 100 MPH.  No one needed to specifically tell Dennis we had been on the autobahn!  And we soon figured out that his driving that fast was not to let us see what it was all about, but simply his love of driving as fast as he could.  Poor Maria, following in the car behind us, apparently kept muttering "I love my husband, but..". 

This was the train station where we boarded our final German train, bound for the airport in Frankfurt...a quaint little RR station in an equally quaint German city.  Hopefully, you've enjoyed this trip thru the 'eyes' of the travelers along with their pictures.  And believe me, we have lots more pictures.  Auf wiedersehen!

A day to celebrate...

How quickly the time flies...today Kent & Susan (Krentz) Roers celebrate their 3rd wedding anniversary.  Enjoy an evening out before that new bambino arrives...congrats and happy anniversary!

The last couple days in Germany...

Remnants of an old castle along the riverbank outside of Heidelberg

Even though we had been gone from our homes for over two weeks (and our own beds were looking really, really good!), we were all saddened a bit to know that our time in Germany with the Wallacher family was coming to an end.  For our last two days, we took the train both days into Heidelberg where we visited a castle, shopped the many blocks of shops, and took a river boat cruise to enjoy the fall colors with sunshine and the last of the fall warmth. 

An old castle restored to a "working" castle

Christella and Stephanie, our "guide" for one day in Heidelberg

One last group shot in Heidelberg

A wine cask not for the average-sized home!

A few things we ate while in Germany....

Even though we walked a LOT while on our trip, it's safe to say we ate a LOT too.  The foods were delicious and I think it's safe to say there wasn't a thing we didn't like!  Here are a few shots of things we experienced while in Germany....

"Light" lunch

Gnocchi and salad...that's for one!

Maybe they could make those beers a bit bigger??

There was ALWAYS room for dessert

Out on the North Dakota prairie...

We know there'll be some celebration out in Bismarck ND when Tom Korkowski (#46) celebrates his birthday today.  Maybe it's nothing more than a happy dance that there's no new snow or the temp is above zero!  Throw another log on the fire...wishing you the best of birthdays...happy birthday, Tom!

Like mother, like son

When mom and son have the same birthday, does that mean you just need one birthday cake, or does it mean two little ones?  Birthday wishes today for Rose Mary (#58) and Caleb Peterson (#28) as they share their special day...happy birthday to the two of you!
And good news re: Rose Mary....earlier this week, she was discharged from the hospital feeling a lot better.  New meds and followup appointments will hopefully keep her feeling that way!

A bit about the German folks who hosted us

As mentioned in an earlier post, we spent several days with Bernhard and Maria Wallacher, a cousin on Christella's side of the family.  They were delightful people who were the ultimate host and hostess, making sure we experienced a true German lifestyle in a few short days.  Bernhard is a family physician with a strong interest in travel medicine, helping patients prepare for travel to other countries, making sure they have the proper immunizations, preparations, etc.  Maria works in the practice as well, working more with nutrition and counseling in those areas.  The practice is housed on the street level of their home, and it's comprised of four physicians.  Housecalls are very common, and Bernhard often makes them on his bicycle.  (Can you imagine your doctor doing that?)  Their hours are long in that they start at 7 AM and finish anywhere from 6 or 7 PM.  But, they don't have any travel time as they just climb the stairs back home!

Dr. Wallacher in his office waiting room

Very modern looking front desk in the clinic

And, stairs is the operative word here!  After the seven of us had climbed and walked for 10 days, we probably were all thinking of 'taking it easy' so you can imagine our surprise to drive up to the house and see four stories...and of course, no elevator!  Every level was comprised of two flights of stairs with a landing inbetween the two flights so we're talking a lot of steps each day.  As mentioned, the street level was their medical practice and offices; the 2nd level was an apartment for Bernhard's invalid mother (we never saw her); the 3rd level was their small (by our standards) kitchen, a dining room and a living room with a small half bath.  Then the 4th level was made up of bedrooms and more bathrooms.  Needless to say, we got pretty good at doing stairs over and over and over again!

Today the guys take over...

Today the guys take over the birthday chair(s) as we have Jeff Barsaloux (#33) and Kevin Campbell (Roger and Jan Korkowski Campbell) (#12).  Birthday cake and ice cream all around please...happy birthday, gentlemen!

Kevin Campbell

We've got another birthday

One more birthday to celebrate...today it's Rachel Korkowski (#36) who has the place of honor.  Wishing you the best on your special day...happy birthday, Rachel!

Happy birthday, frau Theresa!

It's time to bring out the cake and ice cream for the birthday girl today, Theresa Krentz (#61).  Maybe there's still a bit of that German wine to celebrate with?  Have a great day...happy birthday!

Freedom for all is hard to come by....

To remember a turbulent time in our history, not all that long ago....

Busted!!

We all know the old adage..."when the cat's away, the mice will play"?  Well, little ones don't need an excuse to get into something and here's proof positive!  Little Courtney Zuidema wanted to get herself lookin' good but perhaps she went a bit overboard in the chapstick application?  At least she's got half of her face protected against the cold dry air!  (Isn't this the same child who got into the vaseline last year at grandpa and grandma's Florida house???)  Do we see makeup artist in her future? 

News on family members...

News about some of the family....Rose Mary was admitted to the hospital on Friday after seeing a doctor at the clinic for some stomach pains.  Blood counts are a bit out of the normal ranges so they're checking things out.  We'll post as we hear more.
Rick & Deize and the girls got to Brazil after some difficulties due to the news-making weather they've been having down there.  As you've seen on the news, Brazil is experiencing torrential rains with massive mudslides.  Rick has "checked in" and says temps are in the low 80s with a little rain every day, at least where Deize's family is located.  Snow or rain?  Rain sounds wonderful about now!

Speaking of birthdays...

During our stay with Bernhard & Maria, we were invited to the 30th birthday party of Stephanie's (their oldest daughter) boyfriend Christian.  This was a big deal!  It was held in the hall of the church Stephanie attends and unlike many such places here in the US, there was no problem with alcohol being served...and there was a lot of it...everything from wine and beer to the much stronger variety.  The 'star' of the bar was an extremely large bottle of none other than Jack Daniels!  There was a room full of family and friends with an overflowing buffet table.  There were the customary cheeses and breads but on this day, two 'special' German foods were there....onion pie/cake which is very much like our quiches and was delicious, and then there were these little round buns which are baked with a layer of coarse salt on the bottom.  Then when they're served, you had a choice of either a vanilla cream sauce or a wine sauce to dip them into.  You may think that doesn't sound real appealing, but let me tell you, they were soooooooo good!  Both of these dishes are a seasonal type of thing so we were lucky to be there during the time the bakeries have these things on hand. 

Derald Krentz and Maria's brother, Peter Goering

Bernhard Wallacher and Cliff Korkowski

Theresa Krentz, Bev Korkowski, and Sybille Wallacher

The birthday boy, Christian, and girlfriend Stephanie

Maria and Hanne

Peter Goering and Cliff Korkowski

I'm back....!

Hip, hip, hooray!  My computer is back home and has recovered nicely...the old girl is really quite zippy after a good tuneup.  Lots of extra unneeded software eliminated, a virus removed, and we're good to go.  "Normal" blog entries resume tomorrow...stay tuned!

Time out for computer repairs and updates...

My laptop has had a serious case of the blahs, and on Thursday morning, it simply refused to work at all.  So, using Cliff's laptop for a day or two for just the basics, there will be no further blog entries until mine returns from the "doctor's office".  Let's just hope it's not the "funeral home" that wants it.....Bev

Street performers and mimes

Speyer Germany performer

Whether in France or Germany, it was fairly easy to find street performers or mimes on any given day.  Christella soon found out that when you take their pictures, they expect...and tell you so...that payment will be forthcoming.  Hey, it's a job!

Sprayed in gold and standing absolutely still!

Don't want gold?  How about all white?

Little French performer

Meanwhile, back to Germany....

We will be "going back to Germany" on days when we don't have birthdays, anniversaries, or other items to post until we have completed our travelogue of what was a trip full of great memories...hope you'll enjoy reading as we relive those days.
On one of the days we spent sightseeing with Bernhard & Maria, they took us to see the Speyer Cathedral, located of course in Speyer Germany; it is dedicated to Sts. Mary & Stephen.  The cathedral is the largest Romanesque church in Germany and is currently undergoing a fundamental renovation which is going to last until around 2015.  Cost will be around 26 million euros (or $33.6 million in US dollars).  When Cliff asked how all these churches funded these massive restorations, he found out from Bernhard that it is really very simple....in Germany, when you file your yearly taxes, you pay a mandatory surtax based on your tax return, and you name the church which will be its benefactor! 
Can you imagine trying that in the US?  No separation of church and state for the Germans in that respect. 

Interior of the Speyer Cathedral

Another inside view of the cathedral

Votive candles glowing on many levels

Simple beauty and homage to St. Mary

Two guys share the limelight today...

Two more birthdays for today....Kent Roers (#33) and Roger Campbell (#44)...call for a bit of celebration, especially on this rather fun 'numbers' day...1/11/11.   Happy birthday, gentlemen....you're the "king" for the day!

Kent Roers

Roger Campbell

A day all for him....

Today's your day Mike Dupont...happy birthday (#43)!  Wishing you a great day and many more to come.

...and the remainder of the Fargo Christmas celebrants!

Here are the rest of the family members from the Fargo party...

Kevin, Andrew, Erik, Lauren and Julie (Korkowski) Nelson

Cory, Kelsey, Jennae (Korkowski), Benton & Triston Stadsvold

Joe, Sue, Emily, Kristen & Erin Korkowski

Jackie (Korkowski), Colby and Chad Hanson

Anyone else have Christmas pictures from their families they want to share?  If so, send them my way and we'll post quickly.



Then there was a big holiday celebration in Fargo North Dakota....

While parties were going on in Minnesota and Florida, there was another big family celebration in the plains of North Dakota at Chad and Jackie (Korkowski) Hanson's house where they hosted family members. 

Jim and Judi Korkowski w/all the grandkids

Sisters/in-laws: (Front row): Jan Campbell, Sue Korkowski, Jill Korkowski, Julie Nelson, and Jean Pfeifer

(Back row): Jackie Hanson and Jennae Stadsvold

Grandsons Erik and Andrew Nelson provided music

Jim, Jill and Judi Korkowski

Seth, Jean, Emma and Mya Pfeifer (Emma's not happy!)

Craig, Roger, Jan, Diane and Kevin Campbell

More pictures from the North Dakota party to follow tomorrow........