tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36884419591018408892024-03-13T16:47:12.714-04:00Windshields and Rear-view MirrorsWhere are we going and where have we been? I use this place to keep in touch with family and friends, tell stories, show pictures, and state opinions. Comments are welcome, but please do not copy any text or images from this blog.familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.comBlogger371125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-86174751699729945022014-05-13T06:00:00.000-04:002014-05-13T06:00:00.862-04:00Traben-Trarbach Mosel-Wein-Nachts-Markt<div style="text-align: center;">
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Believe it or not, there are Christmas Markets that run until after Christmas! I found one that wasn't too far away, and made an overnight reservation for just the two of us to head up for Marshall's birthday weekend. The kids LOVE having a babysitter, so off we went!</div>
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This is a view of the hotel where we stayed- the Hotel Moselschlossen. The Christmas market is in the former wine cellar of this hotel.</div>
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This is the gate on the other side of the river from the hotel.</div>
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Our hotel room was great- 2 levels with a sitting area on the bottom, and a spiral staircase.</div>
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This is the top level, with vaulted ceilings, and nice windows.</div>
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I love this picture I got of the courtyard at dusk!</div>
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We didn't really know what to expect as we headed into this long tunnel underground.</div>
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We came out in a huge room filled with a Christmas market! It was warm, out of the rain, and very cheery walking around inside!</div>
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There were quite a few vendors selling things I had never seen before.</div>
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They even lit up the wine kegs.</div>
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There was an ice skating rink- or what we thought was an ice skating rink. However, when we walked over closer we realized that the floor of the rink was made out of a white waxy material, and wasn't ice at all!</div>
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This was a great way to end our last Christmas season in Germany. :( </div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-2638511382442720682014-05-12T05:00:00.000-04:002014-05-12T05:00:03.764-04:00Bernkastel-Kues Weinachtsmarkt<div style="text-align: center;">
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The first time I went to Bernkastel-Kues was for a wine fest two summers ago. It is a little more than an hour away from us. When I heard they had a Christmas Market, I knew I wanted to go and see the gorgeous town again!</div>
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Beautiful town square!</div>
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Here is the skinny little house known as the "Spitzhause"</div>
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The house on the left is awesome- they turn it into a giant Advent calendar!</div>
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If there's a carousel- they ride it!</div>
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More sweets and treats for sale.</div>
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If there is Glühwein, we drink it!</div>
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If you are making your "must see" list, make sure to put Bernkastel-Kues on it!</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-47637828600136119912014-05-11T09:16:00.001-04:002014-05-11T09:16:23.573-04:00Sankt Wendeler Weihnachtsmarkt<div style="text-align: center;">
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Sankt Wendel is a small city about 30 minutes away from where we live. We heard they had a very nice Christmas Market, so we decided to check it out.</div>
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The Marktplatz had all the traditional stalls with arts and crafts for sale. </div>
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This is the beautiful church, right in the middle of town.</div>
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I love these Christmas pyramids!</div>
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In one section of the market were these little dollhouses, with animated dolls inside. Each house had a different theme, and they were pretty cute!</div>
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This naked lady was getting her back scrubbed!</div>
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In the medieval section of the market they had camels. They use them when they act out the Christmas story.</div>
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A little further down the road was this free play area for children that was advertising sledding on "real snow from the Alps!". It made me laugh to imagine a truck full of snow driving up here!</div>
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Mdx is telling the man her life story.</div>
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So much fun! You bounced off of plastic-wrapped hay bales.</div>
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Looking at these photos you might start to think that it's overcast, rainy, and cold all winter- and you would be right!</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-7815788435049058612014-05-06T05:41:00.000-04:002014-05-06T05:41:00.351-04:00Burg Lichtenberg Medieval Markt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Burg Lichtenberg is a castle that is near Kusel, about 30 minutes from where we live.</div>
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It is partially restored, and has a great restaurant inside.</div>
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This is the courtyard, and the entrance to the restaurant.</div>
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We found these awesome pastries, that are rolled around a wooden cylinder, and then cooked over coals. Then they coat them with butter and cinnamon sugar!</div>
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The kids approved!</div>
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"Hey Mom, take our picture with this flag!"</div>
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This was really cool- these bars each play a different note when you struck them with the rubber mallet. The kids could have played it for hours!</div>
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A Medival man-powered carousel. This poor guy pushed it around ALL DAY!</div>
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Not a bad view from the castle!</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-84001314885431723842014-05-05T02:05:00.001-04:002014-05-06T01:33:52.335-04:00Eight years!<div style="text-align: center;">
Today is our Eighth Wedding Anniversary, so I thought I give you all a few glimpses of the wonderful moments that I have had, with Marshall by my side.</div>
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When we were dating. This was at his brother's wedding at Little Rock AFB, in Arkansas.</div>
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When we got engaged- at Chimney Rock, in NC.</div>
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Not long before he left for the Air Force- at my apartment in Cary, NC.</div>
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The day we got married, on the courthouse steps, in San Antonio, TX.</div>
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During his first year in the Air Force- I went to Korea to visit him- I'm 4 months pregnant with Maddox in this picture!<br />
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In a restaurant in Newport News, VA.</div>
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At Maddox's 1st Birthday party, in our backyard in Langley AFB housing, in Virginia.</div>
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At the rehearsal dinner for our friends Michael and Lisa, in Cary, NC.</div>
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On a dinner cruise, somewhere along the James River, in Virginia.</div>
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At a restaurant in the mountains of Virginia, I am about 8 weeks pregnant with Maverick.</div>
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At the Korean American Friendship Dinner, in Seoul, South Korea- during Marshall's second tour there.</div>
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Sitting on the banks of the Mosel River, in Cochem, Germany. We had only been stationed in Germany about 6 months.</div>
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Sitting along the banks of Lake Victoria, in Uganda. I went to visit Marshall during his 5 month deployment there.</div>
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After he got home from his deployment- out to dinner at Burg Lichtenberg.</div>
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In our local Irish pub, in Ramstein, Germany.</div>
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Accepting one of his many awards, at the Officer's Club on Ramstein AB.</div>
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Paris, France.</div>
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Squadron Christmas party 2013- this was shortly after he stole his boss's phone and reprogrammed it with all sorts of inappropriate material.</div>
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In a field a few blocks from our house-photographed by my friend Margaret.</div>
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I'm so lucky to have found you- or you found me- or we found each other. Eight years have flown by, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-33288624021746934192014-05-04T04:52:00.000-04:002014-05-04T04:52:00.179-04:00Markt Der Engel<div style="text-align: center;">
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Last Köln Christmas Market pictures! </div>
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This Market was also beautiful, but it was starting to get dark (and crowded!). This is the Angel Market, and had beautiful stars up in the trees.</div>
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They look like Moravian star, which reminds me of Christmas in Greensboro, and they also remind me of that neighborhood off of Friendly Ave, where every house hangs lit balls in their trees.</div>
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They've never met a carousel they didn't like!</div>
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Maverick chose the motorcycle with stars and stripes. </div>
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This Santa was HUGE, and holding a Weinachtsbaum in his hand. </div>
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You might be hoping that I am done posting Christmas Market pictures, but SORRY! There are many more to come!</div>
familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-92032298017504151392014-05-03T04:15:00.002-04:002014-05-03T04:15:20.142-04:00More Köln Markets<div style="text-align: center;">
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This little train took us to this really cute Christmas Market, about a half mile away from the Dom. This one had a wooden village and gnome theme. It was so cute!</div>
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I'd like to place an order for one of these. However, I know my friend Tamara (who is deathly afraid of MEESE) would be terrified!</div>
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This is the most rickety scary-looking ferris wheel I've ever seen-it was shaking and wobbling the whole time we were there.. I actually let my precious family ride it, while I took pictures from the safety of the ground. </div>
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And of course I enjoyed a Glühwein while I waited.</div>
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This is one of my favorite mugs.</div>
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Can't take him anywhere!</div>
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There was a cook ice skating rink too.</div>
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I'm determined to upload more pictures, but Germany's slow internet is against me. I guess all good things come to those who wait. Which explains why I don't have many.</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-80433882915879434192014-01-28T07:30:00.000-05:002014-01-28T07:30:00.652-05:00Köln Chocolate Museum<div style="text-align: center;">
Everyone said we couldn't go to Cologne without seeing the Chocolate Museum. It has its own Christmas Market as well- with an Ocean/Pirate theme, since it is right on the river.</div>
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This was a glühwein stand in the market.</div>
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Brilliant idea! A children's play tent!</div>
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There were a few of these little pirate ships around for the kids.</div>
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This was a nativity made from chocolate!<br />
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Marshall immediately recognized these African beer bottle caps.<br />
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There are really cool displays from the records of the cocoa farms.<br />
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This shows each ingredient that goes in the different types of chocolate.<br />
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The effect of chocolate on your body!<br />
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You can get free chocolate wafers from this fountain!<br />
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Next we headed into the production area.<br />
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You can see how the chocolates get wrapped.<br />
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The robots take them off the assembly line.<br />
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HUGE chocolate molds hanging from the ceiling!<br />
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The old molds used to be metal.<br />
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This train set mold is cool.<br />
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We HAD to design our own chocolate bar, of course! Here is the lady making it. We ordered marshmellows, rice crispies, and smarties.<br />
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There was a game area on the top floor for kids.<br />
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It's a great museum! Give yourself at least 2 hours to check it out!</div>
familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-62648534983993246472014-01-27T07:30:00.000-05:002014-01-27T07:30:00.027-05:00Köln Dom Weinachtsmarkt<div style="text-align: center;">
Cologne has at least 5 major Christmas markets, and even more little ones spread out along the city. We decided to visit the biggest ones, since there was a little train that we could take to each one. It saved us miles of walking, and with the rain, it helped us stay dry!</div>
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I couldn't believe this little train navigated the narrow streets!</div>
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Best of all, it picked us up right across from the Dom!</div>
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The kids sat in the back, and got a bouncy ride.</div>
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Each market has a theme. The one next to the Dom is a star theme.</div>
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Always ride the carousel!!</div>
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Little booths selling hats, scarves, cookies, candy, Glühwein, Christmas ornaments, etc!</div>
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From the Köln Dom we headed towards the Chocolate Museum....Mmmmmm.</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-41122324066358383512014-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:002014-01-26T06:00:04.432-05:00Köln Thanksgiving!<div style="text-align: center;">
We can't let a 4 day weekend pass without traveling somewhere! For Thanksgiving, we decided to go to Cologne (Köln). It was about 2.5 hours away, and a very easy drive. I found an affordable hotel with a public parking deck close by, walking distance from the Dom. We stayed here: <a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/de/cityinn.en-us.html?sid=724c21d8be6a44cb3c633c32999272e8;dcid=1" target="_blank">Hotel CityInn</a></div>
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We have to get a Quad Room, because hotels in Europe make you pay for the number of people in your room, even children. Our Quad room was all the way on the top floor, and actually ended up being a big room with a double bed, and a smaller attached room with twin beds. It was great!</div>
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The big room.</div>
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The attached room.</div>
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We walked about 5 minutes, and found the Dom. It was so foggy we couldn't see the top!</div>
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They started building this church in 1248, and it has the second tallest spires in Europe!</div>
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It wasn't finished until the 18th C!</div>
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They are doing some cleaning and repairs.</div>
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The pictures don't do it justice. This place is cavernous!</div>
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<a href="http://www.colognecathedral.net/Stained-Glass-of-Cologne-Cathedral.html" target="_blank">Stained glass</a></div>
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There is so much detail in every window!</div>
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There's the organ!</div>
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This is a new window, installed in 2007.</div>
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Every part of this Cathedral is art!</div>
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That gold box is the shrine of the Three Kings, and they say it holds the bones of the Three Wise Men, who visited Baby Jesus.</div>
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This part of the floor shows the footprint of the Dom.</div>
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This was a beautiful little corner for prayer.</div>
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It was hard to get them to stand still long enough for a photo!</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-54233204074874319382014-01-25T04:19:00.001-05:002014-01-25T04:19:10.792-05:00Martinstag<div style="text-align: center;">
There is a holiday here at the beginning of November, called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin's_Day" target="_blank">St. Martin's Day</a>. Each village celebrates with a procession of children carrying lanterns, singing songs, and following St. Martin through the streets, and ending at the church where there is a fire and food. Our school has 4 German immersion classes, and the teachers arranged a celebration at the school for the kids.</div>
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I got the kids some lanterns from Kaufland. They came with battery operated stars that lit up.</div>
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Ready for it to start!</div>
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Herbst means Autumn. The Germans use kites (drachen) as decorations for Fall.</div>
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"Laterne, Laterne, Sonne, Mond und Sterne"</div>
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(Lantern, Lantern, Sun, Moon and Stars)</div>
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The kids walked in while the parents watched</div>
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Each class got to sing a special song in German.</div>
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It's so great to have Host Nation events like this!</div>
familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-1730699724123354402014-01-04T06:00:00.000-05:002014-01-04T06:00:03.202-05:00EMEA conference<div style="text-align: center;">
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When I got the job at the beginning of this year, I decided that I should renew my membership in MENC- that is, the Music Educator's National Conference. At the time, I had no idea that they had changed their name to NAfME (National Association for Music Education). Regardless, one of the great benefits of being on the professional organization is getting to attend professional conferences in your local region, for new ideas, meeting other teachers, and fun! So- I found out when the European Music Educator's conference was going to be, and signed right up!</div>
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After attending North Carolina's Music Educator's conference, and Virginia's as well, I was not prepared for how small Europe's conference was. There were only 2 sessions going on at one time, so the decision of which one to attend was much easier than in the past. However, at this conference there wouldn't be anyone that I knew- so I was going to have to make some friends pretty quickly!</div>
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The first session that I attended talked about using literature in the music classroom. These are just some of the books that were brought for us to discuss and look through.</div>
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I have some of these already (many of the John Lithgow ones), but I made a wish list of many more that I'd like to get over time.</div>
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This is another session where we were getting some fresh ideas for the general music classroom- as you can see, we mostly sat in chairs in a big room, and looked at projected presentations.</div>
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There was a band music reading session where they tried out a new method book- Sound Innovations. Here you can see Peter Boonshaft, who was a presenter for the conference. I really like Sound Innovations, and how you can customize your method book, changing the order of new skill introductions, and even deleting certain exercises if you don't want them in your class's book.</div>
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There was a vocal warm up session, that I enjoyed.</div>
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On the second day we traveled into Bad Kissingen, which is a city known for its wellness clinics and spas that offer healing waters. </div>
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This is in the Regentenbau, which is a beautiful old concert hall.</div>
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The walkway along the side of the building.</div>
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Want to come here to recover from your next ailment?</div>
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Not a bad view at all.</div>
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There are many different rooms where concerts can be held.</div>
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This was my favorite room! Every summer there is a classical music festival here.</div>
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This Green room is very cool!</div>
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In the lobby is a beautiful mural on the ceiling.</div>
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This decorative pattern is also found in the Aycock Auditorium at UNCG. I recognized it immediately.</div>
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Outside there are walking paths and gazebos to rest.</div>
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Here you can see the healing waters bubbling up from two different springs.</div>
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This is another area where they hold concerts. That stage rotates to face the lawn outside in the summer, and they hold outdoor concerts.</div>
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What an amazing concert venue!</div>
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Regentenbau.</div>
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We didn't see much else from the town, besides this park.</div>
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After the town they took us to this restaurant and brewery for lunch.</div>
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It is known for this large tower next to it.</div>
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It was a lively lunch, with a few tables singing drinking songs! I like the tree coat hangers.</div>
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I'm really glad that I attended this conference, and made lots of new contacts here in Europe.</div>
<br />familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-34885503705751030092014-01-03T17:00:00.000-05:002014-01-03T17:00:02.976-05:00Legos at Legoland<div style="text-align: center;">
I took a lot of pictures of things made out of Legos at Legoland. Naturally.<br />
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This guy was caught up in the net, next to the boat ride.</div>
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During our boat ride there was a lego seagull.</div>
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Neuschwanstein!</div>
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Really cool and HUGE Lego airport!</div>
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The airplanes really moved down the runway.</div>
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Do you recognize this from our Rhein River Cruise?</div>
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San Marco Square from Venice.</div>
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Rialto Bridge from Venice.</div>
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This wedding scene was cute.</div>
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Holland.</div>
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Lego Darth Vader- and a picture of Mdx taking a picture.</div>
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I had to....I get so irritated when I see other people's kids doing something they shouldn't do, and the parents just ignore them. It seems to happen a lot in Europe. I just wanted to say "GET DOWN!"</div>
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Lego owls...so cute!</div>
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Lego band, they really moved and played music.</div>
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This water fountain was cool- when the kids stepped on the block, it would add that instrument to the song, and make the water come out.</div>
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Good ol' Albert Einstein.</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-29312470091493742612014-01-03T05:00:00.000-05:002014-01-03T06:00:05.369-05:00Legoland Deutschland<div style="text-align: center;">
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We took a USO tour to Legoland, because we won a voucher from a raffle. There was a special for the weekend before Halloween, where they'd have their Halloween area open, and they encouraged kids to wear their costumes. Not many kids actually did wear the costumes, but it was still fun! The bus left around 630am, and it was around a 4 hour (I think?) bus ride.<br />
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You know you are getting close to Legoland when you see this near the highway!</div>
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It was a bright morning, and we beat most of the crowd!<br />
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The first ride was this airplane ride that went around and up and down. The kids loved it!<br />
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Mav patiently waited his turn.<br />
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The next ride was a boat ride, where Mav got to steer while I pushed the gas pedal. We hit every wall along the way, but it was a really cool ride!<br />
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There's a Lego sunbather!<br />
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Mdx wore most of her Minnie Mouse costume.<br />
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This was a cool track where the littlest kids could drive- Mav did pretty well and didn't crash!<br />
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There is a play area with giant Duplo sets.<br />
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There is also a little skyline type ride, that goes really slowly around the park.<br />
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The park is not huge- it's definitely do-able in one day.<br />
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There's my little family in the middle!<br />
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-79864822757872039762014-01-02T07:00:00.000-05:002014-01-02T07:00:01.029-05:00Black Forest Rodelbahn<div style="text-align: center;">
On our way home from the Black Forest, we stopped at a Rodelbahn we had seen along the side of the road. Luckily for us, it was the last weekend they were open for the season!</div>
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This Rodelbahn looked much higher than the one in Salzburg.</div>
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"Don't do anything stupid, and you'll be fine. Oh yeah....do this at your own risk"</div>
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Marshall took Mdx, Mason took Mav, Jennie went by herself, and I took pictures!</div>
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There they go, up the hill!</div>
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Way up the hill!</div>
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Marshall and Maddox were going pretty fast by the end!</div>
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Mason and Mav were going a little slower.</div>
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Waiting and looking for Aunt Jennie!</div>
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Jennie was a careful driver! :) </div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-87187989848513467122014-01-01T17:15:00.000-05:002014-01-01T17:15:00.325-05:00Black Forest Museum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After seeing the waterfall, we had lunch and headed over to the Black Forest Museum. It didn't look that impressive from the outside, but the inside was very cool!</div>
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Just one of many clocks in the museum.</div>
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There were a few of these life-sized people- only slightly creepy.</div>
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There were also quite a few pipe organs, or player pianos that you could put a coin into, and they were still working! They got a lot of our coins. </div>
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These one was HUGE! And when it played it was extremely loud!</div>
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This spool of paper (I think it was paper?) was moving really fast, but you could see the holes in it.</div>
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This spool was metal, and had little pins sticking out. You can see the label above it, showing what music note each line is playing.</div>
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Quite an impressive program!</div>
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Clock anyone?</div>
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I don't know many people who could fit a grandfather clock that is THIS BIG in their house!</div>
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"Mommy, do you have any more coins?"</div>
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Made in Leipzig, in 1900.</div>
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After the museum, we had some Black Forest cake in the cafe- it was delicious!</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-1019835342632834262014-01-01T05:30:00.000-05:002014-01-01T05:30:00.028-05:00Mason and Jennie visit!<div style="text-align: center;">
Marshall's brother Mason and his wife Jennie came to visit us in early October. They have some friends at Spangdahlem AB, and spent some time with them before heading down to Ramstein to see us. It was great for the kids to spend time getting to know their Aunt and Uncle- and they were showered with gifts and affection!</div>
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Here is Mav playing with Aunt Jennie before bath time.</div>
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We headed down to the Black Forest one weekend, to check out the Triberg area. It was pretty cloudy that day, and I wasn't sure how much we'd be able to see.</div>
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It was also chilly, and we were very bundled up!</div>
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This is funny- a totem pole with the traditional black forest cherry hat on!!</div>
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This store was cool- the House of 1000 clocks.</div>
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I didn't count them, but I've never seen so many clocks in my life! And they ARE NOT cheap!</div>
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This cookoo clock- 479 Euro!!</div>
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They are handmade, and very unique!</div>
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After looking in the stores, we headed up to the waterfall. The entrance is right at the edge of town.</div>
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The path was very well marked, and easy to walk.</div>
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I think Mason and Jennie were getting a little bit wet here!</div>
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Right after this Mav fell asleep (it was nap time)</div>
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Mdx loved wearing this hat- it was given to me by my Uncle Richard, and is at least 30 years old!</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-37538972760293077552013-12-31T16:00:00.000-05:002013-12-31T16:00:02.525-05:00Last views of Poland<div style="text-align: center;">
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While we were being driven around, I really noticed the old Soviet-era look to the buildings. Although you could see some nicely painted and repaired buildings, I would say the majority of what we saw was older, and sometimes in disrepair.</div>
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We were told this is a mental hospital.</div>
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Apartment building.</div>
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Many concrete buildings look like this- like they just need a good power-washing.</div>
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Or, plaster and paint just falling off.</div>
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This is a railway bridge and viaduct that was originally built in the 1840, but was blown up by the Germans in 1944. They began rebuilding it in 1947.</div>
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We stayed at the <a href="http://www.bluebeetroot.com/" target="_blank">Blue Beetroot </a>hotel, which was charming! Here is my dinner card:</div>
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This is the dining room, which is normally open as a restaurant and bar.</div>
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Polish goulash, and potato pancakes!</div>
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We also took a tour of the city centre of Boleslawiec. This church is 1000 years old.</div>
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These buildings border the market square.</div>
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This is a government building, showing the crest of Boleslawiec.</div>
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These medallions are under a bridge. I wish you could tell just how huge they are!</div>
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This is a memorial to a Russian general, that used to stand in the town square, and then after the war, it was moved to a side street. </div>
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This is a WWII memorial, installed on the old town walls.</div>
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In the city center is a beautiful park, with a lake.</div>
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I'm really grateful that I got a chance to go to Poland, even if I only saw one tiny part of it. I'd love to take a road trip and explore more of the country- especially over to the area of Bialystok/Sidra, where my great-grandmother was from. That part of Poland is way on the Eastern side, so many hours drive from where we were.</div>
familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-72658753679297753232013-12-31T04:00:00.000-05:002013-12-31T04:00:03.435-05:00Zamek Grodziek<div style="text-align: center;">
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Before heading back to Germany, we visited Zamek Grodziec, which is a castle that dates back to 1155. It was hosting a medieval festival that weekend.</div>
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This is the gate entry. We walked up a long winding driveway to get here. Supposedly this castle is on top of a long-extinct volcano.</div>
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Parts of the castle have been restored, and it's really beautiful! There are guest rooms where you can stay for about $15/night!</div>
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Don't try to use this walkway!</div>
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You can see which are the newer stones, and which are original.</div>
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For such an old castle, it has been preserved well!</div>
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The view from the dining room table.</div>
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Some paintings on the wall.</div>
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The dining room.</div>
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Upstairs they have some displays of traditional Polish dress.</div>
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Very very old money!</div>
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They said this was a bedchamber, but it was huge, and I would imagine it was quite cold in the winter!</div>
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We climbed up a few stories, to the room of the castle, to see the view.</div>
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Survey your kingdom.</div>
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Just one beautiful corner of Poland!</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-11053467157134751712013-12-30T16:00:00.000-05:002013-12-30T16:00:00.497-05:00Manufaktura Factory Tour<div style="text-align: center;">
One of my favorite factories, also happened to be the one that took us on a behind the scenes tour. It's called Manufaktura, and was a little bit outside the main area where the other pottery shops were. I love this factories patterns, and their pottery is good quality- nice and thick and heavy.</div>
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Here is the entrance to their shop.</div>
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They have three nice big rooms full of pottery- all neatly organized by pattern, so you could quickly find plates, or bowls, if that's what you were looking for.</div>
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Ah- organization. You are speaking my language.</div>
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This place also sold towels and table linens in similar patterns.</div>
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We were taken in the huge factory building behind the store. We saw this man filling molds with clay. The thick white bowls are the molds, and inside they have the thinner piece of pottery. The pottery is fired while still in the mold.</div>
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Each one of these tools makes a different shape of pottery.</div>
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After the first firing, the pottery pulls away from the mold, and it's not hard to remove it.</div>
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This company takes orders from all over the world, and produces special patterns and sizes for each place, upon request.</div>
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I was so worried I was going to bump into a shelf and break something!</div>
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There was a room filled with painting tables. These women are among the highest paid workers in this area. They are trained here on the companies special patterns, and eventually they are allowed to develop their own artisan patterns. </div>
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Each piece is turned very quickly. They use brushes and stamps.</div>
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The last step before the final firing, was an additional glaze. Although it looks opaque, it dries clear, and the colorful patterns can be seen.</div>
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It was really cool to see how much work goes into these pieces- and it really explains why they cost so much! In the United States, a Polish Pottery plate could cost around $40+, and if you come here to Poland you'll pay about $15 or less for it. I came home with 4 boxes full!</div>
familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-43615683212926646302013-12-30T04:30:00.000-05:002013-12-30T04:30:03.576-05:00Polish Pottery trip<div style="text-align: center;">
I really really REALLY wanted to get to Poland while we are stationed here, and it was looking like it wasn't going to happen. It's a good 9 or 10 hour drive, and what I mainly wanted to do was go pottery shopping. I've heard of groups of friends filling up a car with people and doing a 3 day weekend trip, splitting the cost of gas and hotel- but it just didn't work out for me to do that. So- I signed up for a USO bus tour. We rode overnight Friday night, arrived early Saturday- shopped all day Saturday, then spent the night at the Blue Beetroot hotel. Did a castle and a little more shopping on Sunday, and were home Monday morning around 2am. Although it was hard to get good quality sleep on the bus, since I'm used to traveling with children, I had no problem! No one to feed, no emergency bathroom trips, no one begging for snacks, or toys, etc. I did a little reading, and made some new friends- it was great!</div>
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I first found out about Polish pottery from the folks at The Extra Ingredient, in Greensboro. Since my family is Polish, I was already drawn to it- but I also love the mixtures of patterns and colors. None of what I already have matches, so finding more would be easy. I also studied the stamps on the back of the pottery to figure out which factory it came from, so I could be sure to get similar sized plates, etc. Lastly, I took pictures of everything I had on my phone, and brought them with me to reference.</div>
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They announced we were getting close to the town of Boleslawiec right as the sun was coming up.</div>
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This was our bus- every person got 2 seats, and there were a few open rows.</div>
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This is the first place we went- called Andy's. They are in the process of building a larger showroom and factory, and today only had one room open for shopping. And it was really small!</div>
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We packed a whole bus full of people into a small room! It was overwhelming- and hard to know what was a good deal. I saw a few patterns that I liked, but mainly tried to take note of the prices. After all, I knew we were headed to another 8 (or more!) stores after this one! </div>
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Boleslawiec is known for its pottery, because of the clay soil that is in this region. It is so pure and strong once it is baked into pottery. Here is another little shop that was down the street- take note of the interesting power pole. It was made out of cinder block material.</div>
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Each store offers things a little differently. You have to carefully check the pieces for their Quality number- which is on a stamp or sticker. The best, and most expensive are qualities 1, which are essentially perfect in shape and painting. Quality 2 is close to perfect, but normally has one tiny flaw in the painting- you can still cook in it and use it- and many of the flaws are impossible to find.. Anything 3 or lower you wouldn't want to cook in, because it has some sort of structural or shape flaw, and could crack. But if it's a decorative piece, it may not matter to you. I stuck with all 1 and 2s, because a lot of what I was getting was a gift, and I would hate for someone's gift to crack when they use it!</div>
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When we left the store to head to the glass factory, we passed this cemetery. It was really beautifully landscaped, and every grave was raised up and decorated. It looks so different than an American cemetery, that I just had to take a picture.</div>
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This is the sign for Borowski, glass blowing factory. They ship their creations all over the world.</div>
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We got a tour, and could see the workers. They move so fast! </div>
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It was amazing to me that there were so many people working so close together, and so quickly. I wonder if anyone gets burned by accident?</div>
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Here is their showroom. The smaller pieces were around $100, and the larger ones close to $1000!</div>
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These huge lamps are over $1000! And gorgeous!</div>
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At least we got to the factory I was waiting for- Ceramika Artystyczna. Most of the pottery I have comes from this factory, because that is where The Extra Ingredient gets theirs from. It's really high quality, so one of the more expensive factories- but I could immediately see the difference.</div>
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Their shop is one big long room, and the pottery was stacked from floor to ceiling. It was so hard to walk around, and in order to shop you had to pick up pottery and move it. My arms were tired after 30 minutes of shopping! But- I got plates and bowls of the same size and shape that we already had, in some new patterns. I'm so happy!</div>
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This factory made a pattern specifically to be presented to Pope John Paul II.</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-63175927261271178362013-12-29T17:00:00.000-05:002013-12-29T17:00:02.848-05:00Idar-Oberstein<div style="text-align: center;">
A few weeks into the school year, Marshall convinced me to take a day off work and go to a place close by, called Idar-Oberstein. There is a church built into the side of a mountain there, and we heard the town was cute. Totally worth playing "hooky".</div>
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When you look at the church it really seems like most of it is inside the mountain! The legend is that the castle above the town had two brothers. They fell in love with the same woman, without knowing it. When one of the brothers discovered his brother also loved the same woman, he threw him off the cliff. The woman apparently never forgave him. He felt regret and asked the local abbot how he could get forgiven for his crime. The abbot told him to build this church in the rock- that was in 1482.</div>
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You walk through the town to get to the path up the hill. We ate lunch in one of these little huts.</div>
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The church is called the Felsenkirche.</div>
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We collect these squished pennies, and normally the kids argue over who gets to turn the lever. Marshall was happy to have it all to himself!</div>
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The path has a lot of stairs, and is not for the out-of-shape, or those with bad knees.</div>
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This is the entrance to the church.</div>
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Where you climb more stairs!</div>
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It's a small church, but beautiful, and has great acoustics!</div>
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Beautiful paintings, and carvings.</div>
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This is the altar.</div>
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There are huge windows to let in natural light.</div>
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You can climb through the mountain up to the top of the church, where the bells are.</div>
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After the church we followed a path through the woods to see the castle ruins.</div>
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This appears to be a memorial for something, from the Franco-Prussian War.</div>
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This stone bridge was beautiful.</div>
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They are currently working on rebuilding some of the castle.</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-580258738970277022013-12-29T05:00:00.000-05:002013-12-29T05:00:05.811-05:00Kinderdijk Windmills<div style="text-align: center;">
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Just wanted to throw this one in there- we saw bikes like this all over Amsterdam- and the buckets would carry a kid or two! They seem like they'd be so heavy and hard to steer, but people were getting around just fine!</div>
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On our way out of Amsterdam</div>
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Of course, The Netherlands is famous for its windmills- which are used to pump the water back out to see, among other things. On our way home we traveled from Amsterdam to a UNESCO World Heritage site, called <a href="https://www.kinderdijk.com/" target="_blank">Kinderdijk</a>, which was maybe 1.5 hrs by car from Amsterdam. The GPS led us astray, driving down a farm road into some fields, but we turned around and found the right place.</div>
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There was a short walk from the parking lot to the windmills.</div>
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It wasn't too cold, just windy.</div>
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Aren't they gorgeous?</div>
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There is one windmill that is open to go into. They have it set up the way they traditionally were. It was very loud inside!</div>
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This is the living/sleeping room. The bed was tiny!</div>
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They block off the area close to the blades, but it was still scary (to me).</div>
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We stopped at a restaurant for lunch. I understand Diverse on this sign, and that's about it!</div>
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We headed home after lunch- it was about a 5 hour drive back to our house, but an easy drive!</div>
familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-33615868497761391992013-12-28T17:30:00.000-05:002013-12-28T17:30:00.037-05:00Van Gogh and Anne Frank House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We found this landmark...do you see Mdx?</div>
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One of the things that was recommended to us many times, was to visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. From what I read online, you could get tickets in advance, to avoid a wait-and spend a good hour or two inside. It was also billed as being (big) kid-friendly, with a few things for kids to do. There is a little park next to the museum, so Marshall took Mav there to play, so Mdx and I could take our time inside....really, 3 year olds don't care that much about art.</div>
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We arrived right when they opened, and went straight to customer service, to get our audio tour guides, and Maddox asked the scavenger hunt. The woman was very friendly, explaining to Maddox what she should look for, and how to fill it out. She also told her there was a prize at the end, if Maddox returned it completed (jackpot!!). Most of the questions had clues about paintings to find, and little stories about Van Gogh's life.</div>
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The key to getting my talker to STOP TALKING in a museum is an audio guide. Maddox spent a lot of time listening about this painting, called "The Potato Eaters". Then she filled out little conversation bubbles in her scavenger hunt, imagining what the people were saying to each other.</div>
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One of many self-portraits.</div>
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Our plan to avoid crowds is simple: Get there right when they open!</div>
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Mdx thought Van Gogh's room was interesting.</div>
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Not too crowded, and no rush to keep walking!</div>
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Marshall and Maverick discovered this little gem right down the street from the museum- it's Luigi from the Cars movies! Mav stood and talked to him through the gate.</div>
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The morning was spent at the Van Gogh museum, and we had a reserved tour time at the Anne Frank house that was around 2pm (bad timing on our part...that's naptime, but it was all they had). So we headed to that neighborhood and walked around with Maverick on my back so he could get a little nap.<br />
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We ate lunch at this restaurant, famous for their huge pancakes. It is right down the street from the Anne Frank House.<br />
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The kids' pancakes came with a toy!<br />
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This is the entrance to the building where Anne and her family hid.</div>
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There is an optional 30 minute presentation- it costs extra and is only available a few times a day in English, but for me it was well worth it. It got our minds focused on the importance of the house, the family, and their story. </div>
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This is the map of the building. The family hid in the top levels of the building on the right, which wasn't visible from the street.</div>
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This is a child with a Nazi Schultüte- a tradition still followed today (and that we have celebrated with Mdx while we've been here). They are given to children on the first day of school.</div>
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This is the ad that Anne's father placed in the paper after the war was over, to try out what happened to his daughters.</div>
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Anne covered every surface of the book, and even taped in little pieces of paper to make more space. Her devotion to her little journal is so admirable.</div>
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This is Otto Frank at the Memorial of his daughters, at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. They were buried in a mass grave there.</div>
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The tour through the house itself was very crowded, dark, and quiet. People were very patient, and respectful. I didn't take any pictures (you aren't supposed to)- but I believe that the Anne Frank Museum should be a bucket list item for anyone traveling through Europe. It is the most meaningful thing I've ever seen as a tourist.</div>
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3688441959101840889.post-20059959911222979012013-12-28T07:00:00.000-05:002013-12-28T07:00:04.148-05:00First day in Amsterdam<div style="text-align: center;">
I wish I had taken more pictures of the apartment that we rented- it was great! The location was outside of the city center area, but just a short tram ride away. It had a great open living room where the kids could play, two bedrooms, and a huge bathroom. <br />
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Maddox made herself at home.</div>
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There was a beautiful balcony out back, with a view of the gardens in between the buildings.<br />
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The view out the front windows was of a busy street, and the tram stop was right across the street.<br />
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We hopped on the tram to head into town and take a canal cruise.<br />
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Maddox is quite comfortable on public transport now.<br />
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I bought the canal cruise tickets ahead of time, to save a few Euro (and time)- because one of the things I've learned traveling with children is that we need to save time where we can- and standing in line for tickets is WASTED TIME. The kids are always excited for a boat ride.<br />
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Mav always has a car handy!<br />
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This building was close to the main train station in Amsterdam.<br />
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A three story bike parking deck!<br />
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There are so many amazing houseboats along the canals!<br />
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Some of the houseboats are available for rent to tourists!<br />
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Here is a houseboat, and some of the classic Amsterdam building styles.<br />
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I love those rooftops!<br />
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That's one way to do a garden.<br />
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It was a cool experience, and at times, peaceful.<br />
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This cow was on the dock, next to the canal cruise. Maddox couldn't resist.<br />
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familyofmgmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967700510535437887noreply@blogger.com0