Last Days in Bremen

It had to come to an end sometime.

Of course there was food at the end, and that eaten outside on the terrace, of course.  Leftovers.  ALL the leftovers.  A very strange meal it was, so strange I cannot remember it anymore, but it was some of this and some of that and a little of whatever.  We shared, that was the big thing.  It is so hard to say good bye and to end our special adventure.

Werner was called on the stage that last night, too - the (in)famous chicken-laying-an-egg imitation which is of course inimitable.  Hunter just needs a bit more practice - I know he can do it, too!




And a few last pictures.  When they arrived, Hannah was the first to notice the pillows that I'd made for them, but it took all this time to get a picture!  They did sleep with them most nights but unfortunately, the pillow itself had to be left behind - not enough room in the suitcases!  But the cover - that went along!

Then we had to pack and clean and strip the beds and water the plants and collect it all into the suitcases!! What a lot of things to take on the overnight train to Paris.  Not an easy task but it was done pretty well. And off to Paris and - perhaps just as important - meeting up with moms and dads. 

Two weeks later up in the bedroom - after the Paris adventure -  I found one pair of socks, one holey t-shirt, a number of snack wrappers and more than a few bands for the braces.

The "guest" room has already seen another guest - Amina was here for a week - but still it is a bit, well, quiet around here.

We hope you keep a suitcase full of memories of Camp MeeMaw (and Werner) 2010 and go through your memories now and again and enjoy it all once more.

Independence Day

Where's the fireworks?  Where's the parade?  Sorry, but it's just another Sunday in July, kids.

But we did some US of A stuff:  stars and stripes hung on the pole, stars and stripes on the table, a big American breakfast.  Hannah and Kenley said the Pledge to the flag.  Then they settled into a movie, In America.  Oops.  It was rated "for children over 12" but it must be one of those cultural things .... over 12 here is not so over 12 there.  So that got nixed after about 20 minutes and we were off to Men in Black II.  Fine. 

By then we were ready to M O V E and got on the bikes and headed to the Storchenstation.  Last year we took this route with Hunter and Hannah when we went to the beach, and they recognized spots along the way.  There was a breeze and it was more comfortable than the days before had been.

It was so full at the Storchenstation - of storks!  Wow, I'd never seen so many parents and nestlings.  In the treetops, in all the nests.  The director said they were only given 100 tags to put on the birds this year and they could have used more.   We ate our picnic, looked through the binoculars, signed the guest book, and naturally took a few pictures.

Since we started rather late, Werner and I made and executive decision to take the train back, so we headed for the river and the ferry, but got waylaid by thirst and an ice cream attack.  Lucky for us there is a camping site at the river with a little store so we got drinks and snacks and discovered the playground there.  Playgrounds are always fun.

Hannah fell off her bike once and of course into the stinging nettles.  Water took care of most of it, ice cream the rest.  Then at home she decided to jump down the last four steps of the stairs and did a "Michelle" - she didn't figure on the door jam in her head.  THAT was a thunk!  And she's got a bump to prove it.  We'll try to keep her in one piece till you arrive.

 And I keep collecting money back from them on the Improve Your English Project.  So far, Hannah's waaay ahead of Hunter and Kenley - she's already lost half of her money, Kenley somewhat less.  Hunter has been - like - really careful.

Story time.  Bed time. Lights out.  Pass out.

Universum one day, Football the next

It was sooooo hot Friday and I was sooooooo tired that there was no post.  So today it's two for one. 

Friday was Universum day.   It is a very neat place, a hands-on science museum with heaps of interesting things to do and see and examine and experience, divided into three realms: space, earth, man.  We actually got them up to shower and eat and get going so we could take the 10:25 train to town with our bikes.  And before we got even started good, Kenley had a boo boo on the bike, but Puffy made it better.

It doesn't take long to bike from the main station to the Universum.  We went through "Central Park" (the Bürgerpark) and noted the horse trails and the bridges and the expansive lawns for playing and sunning.  People sit on the benches or lounge on the grass and read books or newspapers or sunbathe - I always think I would like to do that, but somehow it never happens ........

There's the plus and the not plus to this visit.  We know what's there, so it is a bit predictable.  We really like the ice room, the earthquake couch is always a hit and the simple physics of things are always amazing (bouncing balls, wind, water).  Outside it was tiring, just because of the heat, though there were water wheels and the screws of Archimedes and the Camera Obscura to experience.

They've become used to taking sandwiches and such which I like a lot. We had our take along with some drinks and sweets in the little snack bar between the inside and outside activities.  Then when the Universum was done, I took the girls to Ursel's for bead making and Werner and Hunter went off to play mini-golf.  Since I have the camera, there's only the score card to evidence Werner and Hunter's adventure (guess who won 87 to 62?), but the girls and I have pictures!

Later at home we went OUT FOR DINNER!  Wow - our first purchased-in-a-restaurant meal.  We were all really impressed that "our" waiter remembered us all (he's now the owner!) and we all loved our food.  Hunter ate a whole cheese pizza AND a serving of noodles with Alfredo sauce, the girls each ate a pizza, and Werner and I shared pizza and calamares.  Ice cream naturally for dessert and a little walk home. 

Waaaayyy too hot to sleep upstairs.  We made up the couch for Kenley, Hunter brought down his pallet and Hannah made it 15 minutes before she came upstairs to join us.  (She still asks us most nights that all the windows are closed and the doors are locked! )


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Saturday - Kids sleep late.  What a surprise.  While Werner did the marketing, I made the cake to take to René and Rima's. When the kids got moving, we cleaned up and breakfasted and tried to make a pretty icing on the cake.  Not so much.  The "red" food coloring is so weak - the whole tube just makes it pink! Then we messed up the German flag - it's not gold, black, red - it's black, red, gold !!  Too late - the cake will taste like cake and we'll go with the colors we have.

On the way over I almost finished reading Zach's Lie to the kids -  it was really exciting at the end - though Werner had to take over reading the last couple of pages at the salon because MeeMaw needed a haircut.  I'd put off calling my hairdresser, so we put in a request to René.  It's my first from the master hairdresser and I'm really pleased.  Short and spiffy!  The chairs and mirrors inspired the kids to pretend a little....


And the get together wasn't at René and Rima's - it was at Monika and Lex's with a lot of folks and friends for the quarter final Germany v. Argentina.  We brought the vuvuzelas. Monika had decorated the house and herself, then we got decorated a bit too.  And what a game.  Kenley was especially impressed by all the raucous cheering after the first goal.  It's not American football, but it's still a football crowd.

But it's a village, too, and the kids were a tad disappointed that there weren't cars and horns and such running around like here in Bremen.  (Though that can be a risky activity - an article in the paper yesterday about several accidents after the previous win.)  It took a while for Amina to warm up - as usual - but at the end she didn't want us to go - as usual.  Rima said next time we need to come and spend the night! 


René fired up the grill and then there were ribs and Brats and potato salad and slaw - enough to get us home and late - once more - in bed.  





 

Slow Day

Sort of.

After breakfast (French toast and strawberries) we headed to the library to pick out some videos and then do the market shopping.  Unfortunately for me, the kids opted for MeeMaw's world famous parmesan crusted chicken, not the simplest meal to put together.  But OK.  We bought some of the last asparagus of the season to put into a salad, more beans, more tomatoes.

And I got each of them a roll of 10 cent coins (40 coins) that they can keep, but every time "like"  like, you know, shows up in their like conversation, I get 10 cents back.  I already have like 50 cents and they weren't even here half the day and then Werner declared time out at dinner!!  I think I'll have several euros before the weekend is up.

We had the afternoon off!  Alisa invited them and a friend to yet another pool here in the area, newly renovated with a 3 meter and 5 meter diving platform. They had a great time, they said.  The girls made use of the 3-meter plaform and Hunter was proud that he'd jumped off the big one.  I think I'm glad I didn't see that.    


The biggest event of the day however was getting a splinter out of Hannah's foot.  Did we have to do that last year?  Don't remember.  I've reminded them a number of times to put shoes on when they're on the deck.  Maybe I won't have to do it again.  Hannah was a trooper, the splinter is out, soothed by chocolate ice cream.


NO PICTURES TODAY!  Tomorrow is the Universum and necklace-making with Ursel.  Then there will be pictures.

Family Day

There are certain "traditions" that belong to our Germany visits with Hunter and Hannah, and visiting family is one.  I am always amazed at how we people treasure and seek family ties and how even tenuous family ties bring people together.  The kids just jump right into it, no questions, no qualms.  Kenley joined in like one of the family.  And she is.

First there was a very short visit to say "hi" to Werner's mom.  She's getting so feeble! It seems every visit I notice it more, but regardless, she is so up beat and loves saying hello to the kids and complimenting their growth and asking what is up with them.  Little pleasures mean so much.  Christoph has decorated the whole place in German colors for the World Cup - flags and banners and lights and garlands.  He's a real football fan!

Then off to Affinghausen.  The kids are always a bit shy with each other at first but it really doesn't take long before they are simply having fun.  It's great too that there is so much SPACE and PLACE for the kids there in Affinghausen - a little paradise for kids, as Werner says.  They can run and squeal and scream and just play.  At our place, they have to be so considerate of neighbors and noise and such.  In Affinghausen, they can just let go!

They played football, jumped on the trampoline, took a bike ride, picked wildflowers, ate Bratwurst and other goodies from the grill and Hunter, at least, found it exhausting!  The "odd" pictures are of a farm nearby where we stopped to buy their home-made sheep cheese, sheep oil soap and hand made pottery from a Berlin artist.  On the way home, the girls laughed, poking a bit of fun at Hunter, but he never knew - he was OUT. 

Back in Vegesack, they showered and got ready for bed and silly me thought they would be asleep a bit earlier than the last few nights.  Noooo - it was 11 again before the newest chapter was read and the lights were out.  The last picture is most of the little toys they've collected from the "Überraschungseier" - the chocolate eggs that have little toys inside.  There's only one egg left for each of them. If they want more, it's now up to them to buy them!

Whew. Another full day.  Tomorrow it's market and another visit to a different pool to celebrate Alisa's birthday. 

Town Again

Everyone had more shopping they wanted to do, so town was the logical choice.  Besides, there were things they'd seen and wanted to see again or buy, so off we went.

But not early.  Goodness, I guess we wore them out.  Kenley was first up at 9:45, Hannah soon after and then we had to wake up Hunter.  After pancakes for breakfast - with the last of the KILO of fresh strawberries we'd bought the day before - we headed to the market to get more strawberries along with food for dinner and etc.  There's a lot of etc. in our diet.

It was warm again today, but a tad cooler than yesterday.  There were the usual stops - ice cream (glacée if you want to prepare yourself for France) French fries (pommes frites), and ubiquitous Bratwurst (no translation).  We came upon a street artist had done a pastel on the pavement of Gesche Gottfried, the notorious woman of the spitting stone.  Cool.

I forget sometimes to notice the pretty details in town.  We finished our ice cream at this fountain and rinsed our hands in the cool water.  

Afterwards we went into the Church of Our Lady and enjoyed the quiet and cool of the interior and the kids learned a little something about Gothic architecture (Hunter wanted to know why it was gothic since it wasn't dark and black.  Different Goth.) 
 
They were all happy with their shopping and visiting other little sites as well.  Here they are outside the shop that sells the wooden figures from the Erzgeberge.   

Hunter purchased something from the paper model shop and got a freebie of one of our German lighthouses.  He worked on that while the girls worked on potato stamps and I worked on dinner.

Food all over the table for dinner.  Parmesan crusted chicken with mushroom sauce (rosa and chanterelle), green beans, roasted potatoes, tomatoes with basil or mint, strawberries.  Kenley loved the mushrooms and I have to admit to a bit of disappointment that H+H preferred their chicken with ketchup (ughh) but they loved it and fought over seconds.  (Don't be surprised if they ask for MeeMaw's world famous chicken when they get home; I told them you have the recipe.)  No leftovers! But that was not enough!!! They finished off the ice cream, adding sprinkles and chocolate.


When the table was cleared off we took a little walk in the cemetery and admired the flowers and plants and enjoyed the cool evening air.  What a relief from the heat of the day.  A round of 31 and more bedtime reading and off to sleep.  It's only 11.  Not too bad.  


Affinghausen tomorrow.

Watt, Water, Tacos

What are we doing today MeeMaw?  Well, Watt.  What? Time to take a walk in the mud and muck of the North Sea.  Kenley was concerned about the tides, as was I, since high tide was about 3PM.  So the plan was to get up and get going rather early.  A simple breakfast of cereal and fruit and leave, real quick.  I think it was 11.  We are not very quick, it seems.

But we got to the Watt and I discovered that I didn't have much juice in my battery!  Oh horror!  I keep intending to upload pictures from Kenley but it's always 11:30 when I think of it.  But there are a few pics. 


Hannah provided the usual screaming and squealing and O M G and that sort of thing. They're funny!  


We'd brought the kites and a frisbee and badminton racquets and a soccer ball along, but it was TOO HOT to play (by the way, forget the jacket request from Hunter) to spend time in the sun.  We drove over to Bad Bederkesa and looked at the little castle there and used the playground a bit, but it was Monday so all the buildings were closed. 


Back to Vegesack and a short visit to the pool.  Wouldn't you know it - they thought the water was too cold!  But they ran into Alisa and after a bit of pol time we went home together and invited her to have tacos with us.  She was quite impressed with the tacos - a new experience for her -  and Hannah declared it the best food yet.  (I am such a cook. Frankly I thought the chicken was better.)

A few rounds of 31 and then off to bed and story time.  It's just getting interesting and I think I have to take it with us now in the car and read on the road.  We all want to know what's going to happen next!