The Germans are coming

Sorry, I am trying to be funny (everybody knows a similar phrase from a poem about the Revolutionary War). 

We were looking forward to it for a while and finally the day was here: my sister Ute, her daughter Maren and friend Gregor were coming. But the day before (Saturday August 30 at 10 am) James and I had to get the rental car since my Toyota was at the body shop. You might remember reading in a previous blog that it was damaged by a valley parker in Washington D.C.

We needed a big car but this one was huge. I felt like I was driving a tank and had to figure out how to climb into it.

I also experimented making individual tomato/cheese pies with my new silicon baking forms. Love those for baking. They make it so easy.

Sunday August 31 James and I went to early service and then went on our way to Washington Dulles Airport. You never know about the traffic on that highway so we allowed plenty of time but of course, if you do that you don't need it.

After having parked the car I took a photo to remember were about it is. 

Then we found were they would be coming out and also found a place to have a little lunch. I always have fun to follow planes on a flight tracker. It is great that you can see were it is and its status.

They had landed on time. Even a little earlier. But it seemed they were stuck in immigration forever. Finally there they were. 

This photo was taken by Maren. I just love it!

My sister Ute of course was going to sleep in our guest room. But the younger visitors are staying with the younger generation. It was Sunday and the boys had several ball games. So we drove first to our house and later I drove Maren and Gregor "over the river". Sarah and Maren are cousins and always had a good time with each other. This photo again is from Maren.

Monday was Labor Day. Sarah and Maren packed a picnic and they all went downtown for a great walk to Bell Island and along the James River, Hollywood Cemetery etc etc. They all had a marvelous time and Maren's beautiful photos showed that.

James, Ute and I were invited for dinner later that day. Yes, Wade grilled hamburgers. Ute and I remembered how much our mother loved those when she visited. 

We also had to play the Left, Right, Center Game. 

In the afternoon I had baked Zwetschgenkuchen for dessert. This is the last badge from fresh Italian plums. The season is over. I didn't have enough good ones and had to fill three of the portions with Granny Smith apples. We offered it as dessert. Needless to say that the boys liked to spray the whipping cream into their mouths the best.

Tuesday of course it was back to work for Wade and Sarah. It was Maren and Gregor's "job" to bring the boys to the school bus stop. They were very impressed to experience in this neighborhood. I picked them up at 9 am. 

The 5 of us had breakfast at our house with soft-boiled eggs from William and Ben's hens. And of course with other things, more like a brunch. The free-range eggs were very appreciated. Thank you so much. I was nervous cooking them but they turned out just right and we had such a good time that we have no photos. 

With our full tummies we climbed into the "tank" and drove to Jamestown. Ute remembered it well to have been there before and wanted to see it again.

James was in a lot of back and left-leg pain that day and I was worried how it would go. When we paid for our entry we were able to also get a motorized scooter which was free and it made all the difference in the world. James was comfortable and the weather could not have been any better. 

There is so much history in that area and we spend a lot of time seeing "the nutshells". It was 3 sailing ships (the Susan Constant, Goodspeed, and discovery) which arrived 1607 with approximately 104 men and boys to establish the first permanent English settlement in North America. Only 2 of the 3 replicas were there this time. The (small) size of the ships and bravery of those people is baffling every time.

And yes, the Titanic came to mind.

Lots of information, experience and shade. And James was getting around so well. We had a lot of fun.

The entry/exit building also includes a very well-done museum. Maren found a painting of Pocahontas which supposedly was the only one which showed her real likeness. We think that was questionable because she must have been much prettier. 

We all had "information overload" and returned the scooter. Maren went into the gift shop. But we were told that the cafeteria would stop selling hot food in 5 minutes. We quickly ordered something because as we had had the big breakfast we did not have lunch. Everybody was very nice to us and we brought fresh coffee for us.

We drove to our house and Maren and Gregor were very happy with the leftover lentil soup. Afterwards they wanted to see the photos from the 1975 Album. The computer was too small so we set it quickly up to see it on the TV. We watch and chatted. Maren had a lot of questions.

It was a school night and the boys were waiting to see them so I drove them "over the river". The next morning they accompanied the twins again to the school bus and at 9 am I picked them up to bring them to the Richmond Airport. They wanted to see NYC. Needless to say by now we have already seen some gorgeous photos. Oh yes, making memories. 

Quick trip to Nashville

It is nice that we can see Helen and William now more often too. 

When William had gone back he asked me to take care of the apple tree. I promised I would but only until we were bringing it to Nashville. He sent texts asking how it was doing. I took a photo for him to see how much it had grown.

Ah, so pretty. I planted it into a patio container. Wished I knew what this plant is. It bloomed all summer. 

Monday the 18th we got up early and went on our way. We were lucky with the weather. It was a lovely drive. But it was also a very looooong drive. Lunch was a footlong from Subway we shared in a rest stop park.

When we arrived we were also greeted by Theo, a cuddly dog which Helen was taking care of for a couple of days.

I think William took this photo with my camera. It's a strange perspective. 

Helen had taken off work and we worked on sorting the old place out. The new place looks nicer every time we visit. Unfortunately on Friday James was suddenly in a lot of pain. He must have carried something a bit too heavy. I was sure it was what I had a few years ago: Sciatica. Sarah suggested an Urgent Care place and I took him there. They gave him 2 steroid injections but they didn't seem to have helped at all. 

We had wanted to have dinner with William's dad Ben but James just felt he couldn't handle it. So we had a take-out instead. After dinner we had to admire the sundown from the "party deck".  It was a nice evening.

Saturday morning Helen and I got up early. She had a garage sale with all the things she/they didn't need any longer. Making good use of room and not cluttering up is so important. I must say that it was quite a lot of fun. Especially the young couple with the two little boys. All 4 of them kept finding things which gave them joy. The mother found a part of a Ninja kitchen thing which had broken of hers and she was almost giddy that she had found the replacement now. 

In the afternoon James had some good time (thanks to Ibuprofen) and we went to the other townhouse again to have a look and think about whether there was any furniture or things we wanted to keep and what to do with it. We liked these chairs and always found them comfortable. We seriously were thinking to replace ours in Virginia with them. Unfortunately the wood is not a good fit with our other furniture. Sigh. But we measured them so we could think about it. This photo taken for the color.

Sunday morning at 5:30 am we were on the road again. We could sleep longer because of James' pain we were awake early. Strangely enough the drive was not bad because the heated seats were like a miracle to him. 

The obligatory photo at the Virginia Welcome Center. 

I don't very often go into the centers but did this time and enjoyed this display and the explanation of one of the 2 attending older ladies. The E on the right is made from soles of hiking boots as a symbol for hiking. The V paddle stands for canoeing or watersport. The O is a bicycle wheel but she didn't know what the L means. Well, the state slogan is "Virginia is for lovers". 

There were other interesting things but we had to continue to get home. 

The weather was still in our favor. We had thought that the traffic would not be heavy since it was a Sunday and it wasn't on most of the way. But three crashes on different parts of the 600 miles gave us red lines on the GPS and notices of delayes. But it could have been worse.

Now we try to get James fit for Sunday when our visitors from Germany are arriving. So looking forward to it!!!

School starting for one, not for three

William had only a very few days left of summer vacation. 

But it was not time for his cousins yet. We spent more time with them in a few days than all summer long. First event: picking Caleb up from a sleep-away camp of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia where he had been for 2 weeks. It was quite a way to drive but when we were finally at his house the dogs greeted him with enthusiasm. 

 

But then they saw something in the front yard and barked their little hearts out. 

And this is what they saw.

Of course the boys were excited to celebrate their mother's birthday.

Yes, THE season is finally here. Zwetschgen! Called here either Italian plums or prune plums. When I check at the proper time at the Publix supermarket close to our house they will order them for me and call me when they are in.

And whenever there was time I was busy experimenting with my recipe and baking gadgets.

It started out as a sheet cake but the cut portions look so messy when put on a plate. I didn't like the cupcakes. But when I found the silicon mini loaf form I was hooked. Sorry, no photo of the finished "mini loafs".

Other day before school starts. This day we start with breakfast at Kitchen 33. I would say "success".

On the way home I wanted to stop quickly to get more plums. The boys agreed so easily ... no wonder, I learned they each are allowed to select a cookie at the bakery. 

Yes, the day goes better if you have a project. We went to the Dollar Tree store and got these white/cream candles which we decorated with colored markers and German special wax material I got for a church project. Big success. Of course they begged to light them. 

Another day we went to the Botanical Garden. That too was fun.

I really should have a notebook to write down when a meal in a restaurant was really good. Loved the bowls we had ordered at Torchy's Tacos. 

You all know how hot hot hot our summer was. But a few days I tried to do some gardening. This little snake baby was under a small flower pot right next to the front door. It was the size of a really large earthworm. 

Friends, I have come a long way from being a city girl! I welcomed it because it is a "good snake". 

Not so happy about whoever is digging deep holes in our planters. Cleaning up the dirt every so often is really no fun. 

I thought of installing a camera and we even went to Best Buy to get information about it but we run out of time. Here is the photo I took when I tried to figure out a good place "in case" we would buy one.

We run out of time because we were driving to Nashville. We left the very day school started in our area. These three will be busy without us.

Are we not blessed?