This time next week I’ll be back in the States for  three weeks, I
miss my family, I’m going crazy, I need to hear English and see a
friendly face.  I hesitate to say vacation because while I’m there
I figured I might as well get a few of the ‘annuals’ out of the
way.  Since I’ve never heard of anyone planning their vacation
around getting their boobs squashed flat with two cold steamrollers and
their private yum yums poked and prodded, I’m just saying this is my
sanity saver.  Everyday the list of things to do while home
grows.  Thankfully most are just phone calls to companies that
don’t have int’l numbers.  But sometime while I’m there I need to
get my eyes checked, see approx how much furnished apts run, scope out
a few used/new cars,. and do other odds and ends.

Then, I’m going to run from one end of the state to the other to see
friends who thinks it makes more sense for me to go another three or
four hours than for them to get in the car.  Never mind the fact
that I will drive three and a half hours just to get to the Frankfurt
airport and then fly for 7 hours, then sit in Atlanta for a couple
hours before getting on another flight and finally driving another 45
minutes to where my sis lives.  No problem people …  what’s
another 3 hour drive.  Don’t let me interrupt your weekend. 

As you can see I have some ambivalence about going home. 
Sometimes it just seems like a pain in the keister.  Other times I
want to be able to see my daughters so badly that I would go around the
world twice just to be able to look across the room and see their
smile.  While I dread the actual traveling part of the trip, I
can’t wait to be there.  Does this makes any sense?

This is Konigsee in South Eastern Germany just a few miles from the Austrian border.
It is arguably the most pristine lake in Germany, the only way to get
across is by electric launch.  Unless of course you had a Winter
like we did and you have almost 100 cm of ice, then of course you can
just walk across.

Last time we were here we didn’t take the boat to the far end of the
lake, we stopped halfway at St Bartholoma and never got farther. 
This time we went straight to the end so we could have plenty of time
to hike to the far end of the next lake, Obersee.

This is the Obersee the lake that you get to from the Konigssee.

You can’t get to either lake by car.  You can hike or you can ride
the boat but that’s it, its in a protected area.  What we found
out when we hiked clear to the far end, is this, once again we didn’t
know what we were doing.  Turns out that when you get to that
little cabin at the far end of the lake you can hike another 1/2 hour or so, up to Rothbach waterfall 470m or 1542 ft. high.

The problem was the last boat leaves at 6
and if we hiked up we wouldn’t have enough time for my mom to see the
Church or eat.  By this time though my mom had plenty of hiking so when
we did get to the cabin we had freshly churned buttermilk and laid
around a bit and then started back to get some dinner at the lakeside
restaurant and catch the last boat back down the Konigssee to show mom
St. Bartoloma.

These look a whole lot better if you click on them and look at them larger.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lake that was so pristine, it was amazing.

Don’t you love little kids?  Hope you enjoy the tiny virtual tour.

Anyone remember that one from childhood?





 It’s rained pretty much everyday though not the drenching downpour we had on Mon and thankfully not all day long.  It’s a little after 6 am here and the “crew” should be here to start at any time.  It seems like they’ve been getting started earlier and earlier. 8 the first few days then 7:30 then 7am.  It has got to the point now that as soon as my eyes open that’s it, I can’t get back to sleep, in anticipation of the men crawling on the roof for the next 12 hours.
The really great news is my ceiling aren’t raining.  All of my stuff is pretty much dry.  The bad news, the apt building has this funky wet smell.  Notice I said the building?  It’s not just my apt it’s the whole building.  I think everyone is wondering how long that will take to go away.   They had to wait for a semi clear day and pull off the plastic, they got it late Tuesday, they worked until 8 pm that day.  But they were able to get all the joists replaced and the new insulation in, I’m sure that will be appreciated in Dec and Jan.

(See that gorgeous blue sky?  Hope it stays that way)
The first picture was from Tuesday early evening.  This one is from Wednesday about 4 in the afternoon, amazing how fast they can get the job done.  No more plastic all the joists and insulation right where it should be.  Now all they have to do is finish putting up the tile boards and they can start laying some tile.   Bear and I predict that once they are ready to actually lay it, the whole thing will move really fast.  They don’t nail it or fasten it in any way they just hook it on the boards and its own weight holds it there.  

I’m curious now to see if they are going to paint the building.  They scraped some of the paint off, whether by accident or design I don’t know, but it would be great if they did.  I’m not really fond of the color now and heck they have already given me a semi-nervous breakdown might as well finish the job.

 Just before Allie went home we took her to the overgrown pond masquerading as a lake.  I wanted her to see the swans and I’ve been curious to see if they had babies this year.  They had babies alright.
SEVEN!  I hope more of them make it this year  Last year out of the 5 they had, only 2 made it to maturity. 

They raced across the lake ready for a handout, just like normal.  And just like normal I/we was/were unprepared and didn’t have anything to give them.  

When the roofers hit their peak noise production today I’m going to go back down with my book, my ipod and a bag of bread.  That will get me away for a bit.  That’s what I’ve been doing by the way.  As soon as I can’t take anymore pounding, sawing, or stomping I just leave.  Go to the library or post office, anything to get out of the house.  Today I’m planning a little picnic for one.   

 

Here they are, 7:45 AM, later today than yesterday, I won’t be able to concentrate now.  *le sigh*  Time to go anyway.  Hope everyone has a peaceful day.