Everett's first step into a career in photography

When we bought a new point-and-shoot camera before coming out to Europe, we gave our seven-year old, dutiful, and well used Sony Cybershot to Everett. Since then, he has been perfecting his art. He has an eye for the abstract, and he tends to capture things that we would never consider aiming a camera at. On our last trip before Delaine and the boys returned to the States, Everett put his skills to good use. He told us to stop the car and let him take some pictures. Here is what resulted (he took them all, except the one with him standing in front of the car).

Impressive, isn't it? What does your brain see in those salt spots on the tail of this BMW?

Here is the little photographer himself!

This what the car looks at his eye level. Not bad, Everett!

Here is the BMW logo up close and personal, even the slight skew is artistically meaningful.

Nice job, Everett. This one truly captures my driving pleasure. We have rented several cars out here, and each time I wanted the Beamer, only to get denied like five times. It was fun to race around on the Autobahn and on the lazy back roads in Bavaria.

Neuschwanstein Trip: Part 4 - Wrap-Up

Four different blog entries for a single trip might be a little overkill, but we had a blast, and we wanted to account for the details.  Once we were inside the castle, we were confronted with absolute grandeur.  It was beautiful.  There were tapestries, paintings, carvings, and other gaudy baubles.  It turns out that King Ludwig was arrested here, and died shortly thereafter under very strange circumstances.  He was found drowned with the doctor who declared him insane, but he was a great swimmer and the water was only a few feet deep.  His death must have had something to do with his debts and insatiable drive to build castles.  When he died, all building projects were halted, and although the exterior was finished, only a third of the rooms were completed.  It was fascinating, and the ballrooms, throne hall, and personal quarters are unbelievable.  If you are ever in this neck of the woods, it is worth the trip, even though it is a well-known touristy area... we would recommend it anyway!

We weren't technically allowed to take pictures inside the castle, but we couldn't help ourselves! 

Another picture we snapped in secrecy... quite a view, huh?  That is another castle in the right of the picture in Hohenschwangau.

Another view on our way back down the hill. 

All of us posing for a quick shot before the sun went down. 

This time a little closer. 

From the path back to the town.

The powdery snow added a pretty effect. 

The hotel and restaurant on the way down had a tower in the Fachwerk style; the sunset and the snow laden trees added a nice touch.

We walked all the way down to the town, where the car was parked, and by this time, the palace at Hohenschwangau was all lit up, and the waning light made the sky turn dark blue.  Awesome!! 

2011 Return to the Blogosphere... Gingerbread sounds good!

After a several week hiatus, we have decided to post a few things. The first post of the year 2011 is not a treatise on the power of New Year's Resolutions, but rather it is one final yuletide memory: gingerbread house decoration. We found a great kit, and even though most of the frosting didn't make it past Everett's face or Liams belly, we had a killer time!

Everett is a perfectionist as he plasters the seams of the house.

Just imagine the sound coming out of Liam's mouth... Yup, that is the sound, all right.

The boys in the family are building with sweets!

Does this smile look forced?

Day #21

Everett's Kindergarten had an open house day, and the parents were allowed to come and see what the class is up to. We were able to drop Liam off with a babysitter, so that we could both go. Everett was so happy to show us the songs he is learning, and he loved introducing us to his life as a Kindergartner in Austria. He loves his class, and he feels right at home. Steve took half the day off to be there, and it was a huge success. The kids sung songs and showed us their shadow story. It was a wonderful experience. Afterward we all had some cake and treats. All of the parents and teachers were so interested that Steve spoke German, and when he showed the teacher where the Smith family had lived in the US, the entire classroom of parents and children watched. That dispelled most of the rumors that we were from England.

Here is Everett's teacher, Christiana. She has taken a special interest in Everett. She has been teaching Kindergarten for 30 years!

Everett is showing daddy the dance he has been learning at school.

Now it's Mommy's turn.

Here he is dancing with one of his best buddies, Abdul!

Here is Everett sitting around the table during the event.

Day #8

The cool thing about LEGO and PLAYMOBIL, is that they both issue catalogs with all of the selections of the year. Naturally Everett, Liam, and Daddy were giving Santa some ideas as to which toys the elves should start working on in order to be ready for Christmas.

Which are cooler, Knights, Pirates, or Policemen?

The most expensive, large items are always the coolest!!!

Check us out!!

Wild Park Revisited

We recently made another hike up to the Wild Park up on one of the hills in Feldkirch. Here are a few candid shots.

Liam is petting a donkey with Mommy.

This was Everett's favorite little goat. He LOVED feeding it grass!

Everett stepped in some poop, and daddy was banging the shoes to get it off, and this huge buck came to investigate.

Two forces of nature... one rules the Wild Park, the other rules his environment in his own right. They stared each other down for a few minutes. It ended with a draw...

Circus Royal

We went to a Euro-style circus this past week, and it was pretty interesting. It was based in Switzerland, but all of the acrobats were from the Ukraine. As traveling shows and circuses were born in Europe, it was fun to experience an authentic experience. About halfway through, one of the circus people told me that cameras were forbidden, but I still got a few photos. The clowns were scarier than on Dumbo. In fact, Everett was mortified every time they took the stage. One time, Delaine was clapping for them absent-mindedly, and Everett gave her a death stare, and said: "Mommy, we don't clap for THEM!" Each time they took the center stage, Everett would lament: "Oh no, not them again." We had to constantly assure him that their act was almost over. Yeah, they were creepy. But the gymnasts were really cool, and the animals were really pretty cool. Delaine also hated seeing the animals get snapped with the whips, but they were well trained. Liam loved the animals and just pointed and laughed the whole time they performed. It was a fun family experience to say the least. Everett loved the trampoline show. Delaine and Steve thought that the acrobats on the high bars were the coolest.

The camels performing, but if they got out of line, this rigid little woman would whip them into shape.

These guys were the first act, and were also one of Everett's favorites.

Here they are at the very beginning of the show!

This was at the very top of the tent.

Our family waiting for the show to begin!

Bern, the Capital of Switzerland

On our way home from the temple we stopped in the capital city of Bern, which Steve loves. It was wicked cold, and Delaine was FREEZING cold, but it was fun to walk around.

This is the most famous clock in Switzerland die Zyytglocke.

Everett took this picture of Mommy and Daddy.

Daddy couldn't help himself... Hey, you don't see a Porsche GT3 Everyday!!
(Well, maybe you do in Switzerland)

This is where the Swiss Senate/Congress meets

Here is a picture of Everett with some cool buildings in Bern as a backdrop

Fun in Vaduz, Liechtenstein

One of our family's favorite places to go is Vaduz, Liechtenstein. It is the capital of Liechtenstein (where the royal family rules and lives). It is not that big, but it is really modern, hip, and fun. There is a nice little stretch for pedestrians, and the boys LOVE to run around the buildings where the congress/senate of Liechtenstein meet. We have gone here many times, and each time we just love to lazily walk around and look at the statues, buildings, and hundreds of oversized postal stamps (stamp collecting is a big deal, because collectors around the world covet stamps from this tiny country) on the ground that show the storied history of one of the oldest standing monarchies in the world. There are lots of little touristy shops and the like, and it is just a lot of fun.

This is the tourist/welcome center in Vaduz.

This is one of the many statues that caught our attention.
(Don't worry, it is not a girl... I read the inscription, it is supposed to be an African king)

This is Everett running in front of the congress building

There are stairs all over the plaza, and Liam loves every single one!

On our way to Vaduz, we saw this excavator, and had to take a picture
(Both of the boys only know the German word for excavators: Bagger... Awesome!)

Hilti Steve

Steve is working for Hilti (a tool company) if you didn't already know it. He is in the Marketing department, and here he is in his Hilti gear showing his fellow employees how to use rotating lasers and receivers, etc. He is really liking his job, and the tools he gets to play around with are pretty cool.

Daddy loves the Autobahn

You know, I love public transportation, and it struck me this week that it was no longer strange for me to ride on trains and buses all the time. It is just a part of life. I wish that there were a more robust, safe, and reliable public transportation system in the US. Nevertheless, I realized on our recent trip to Legoland, how much I love driving. Furthermore, driving in Europe is so much funner. The grid systems in Cali, AZ, and UT and elsewhere are very predictable. Driving in Boston and New York is enough to give a healthy man a panic attack. Driving in rural New Hampshire is a blast, but there is always the chance that the town sheriff will catch you going 2 miles over the speed limit. I have driven from coast to coast across the fine land of America a total of four times, and highway driving is fun, but again... predictable. There is nothing like the thrill of driving on the Autobahn. You grandmas and grandpas, have no fear that I was putting the lives of my young family at risk on our way to Legoland Deutschland. I was driving a VW Polo with about 25 to 99 horsepower, depending on whether we were going uphill or not. But to drive safely on the Autobahn, you gotta move at least a little bit. It was a little thrilling to have a Maserati blast by me, and I couldn't really count how many Porsches were flying along. Anyway, it is fun to drive in Germany. I love it.

Reines Fahrvergnügen (Pure driving pleasure)

LEGOLAND DEUTSCHLAND IST WUNDERBAR

Well, we had quite a time getting out the door on our way to Legoland Germany. We had already left and were on the road when we realized that we had left our passports at home, so we drove all the way back home to get them. That set us back about 30 minutes, but eventually we found ourselves speeding down the Autobahn with two very excited boys. When we arrived, Everett and Liam were stoked beyond belief. Liam kept telling us that all he wanted to see were the "kids." Everett just wanted to play with the Legos. We will probably have to post a couple of entries to give you all a sense for how cool our trip to Legoland was. Here is the first installment.

This is the boat ride where you can shoot Lego guys and other people.
Everett could actually make it work!

There is Everett and Mommy on a Legoland jungle safari!

Here are the boys about 10 minutes after their arrival in Legoland. Liam was so excited to see Bob. He kept trying to take the tools and facial parts off, though. Thank goodness for superglue!

OK, this was awesome! Everett was controlling one of the street cars in this miniature scale model of Berlin. He could have stayed here ALL DAY! He didn't even want to go on any rides! He just wanted to see all the cool stuff in the cities.

The entrance gates! When Everett and Liam saw this, they were so excited!