It's always Sonny in the D

Sonny Elliot

Died at age 91 after 60 years in the broadcasting service.

I loved listening to Sonny on WWJ.

He always made me laugh.

Humor to brighten any gloomy day and a life story that is truly inspirational.  

I'm so glad to have had the good fortune to listen to his weather reports for so many years.  

What a joy!

Who knew the weather report could be this much fun?

A Sonny Guy

Wet, cold and gray.....it's a theme here.....

Kris, Tom, Pam and the boys came to visit. 

First stop, Altenburg Castle and a climb up the tower.

 At the top of the tower

 View of St. Michelsburg from the Schloss (Palace) rose garden

Harvest Fest

It was a lot of fun, a lot of planning and a great event!  

I was glad that student council could put this on and extra glad that it didn't rain!

We hired some guys on stilts to entertain the crowd.  

They ran around doing their thing and the kids loved it.

This one was pretty funny. 

They dressed the toddler as a homeless person and the bottle was in a paper sack.

The same guys running around on stilts, did a fire juggling show to end the evening.

Franconian Winery

We took a little vineyard field trip about 30 min.s from here on a gorgeous fall Saturday.  

Thought you would enjoy the view!

Before Linnea came....

 Because there's a crucifix everywhere you go in Bavaria!

The Magic of a Rainbow Promise

It never gets old or less exciting or less beautiful.....

Always pure joy for me!

Zen Eier

Just in case you were wondering where those eggs come from!

BTW:  Here, you get 10 eggs in a carton or 8, but not a dozen

Mosel River Valley

We went for a visit to the Mosel River Valley
and saw these 2 spectacular castles.
It was a beautiful drive and
I now have another favorite part of Germany.  

The patchwork vineyards were growing all along the mountainside,
as the river wound it's way through the valley.
The towns were nestled on the banks of the river throughout.
Gorgeous!

Cochem Castle

The ruins of Niederburg Castle in Manderscheid

Kaput Navi/ New Navi

This is a face of sheer happiness!  I got a new Navigon.

The long story short:  

I bought one the minute I got here
being worried about getting around Europe.

(which is a LEGITIMATE concern)

 It's never worked. 

I've been driving around with a defunct Navi for 3 years,
then sending it back.  

They'd fix it and I'd try it again
 only to be let down again in the middle of driving. 

Today, we start fresh. *sigh of relief*  Navis are necessary!

Almost Paradise

If only I could spend more time here.....

I did get my fix for the summer though!

Deck Tourism

I've had visits from a few friends

Don't you love his velvety antlers?

Come to find out, he's been showing off at my neighbors house too...

 As I was sitting on the deck, I heard a "mewing" sound, looked up and saw the doe and then a few minutes later, this little guy came running across the road his mamma.  

He nursed for a bit and then they both did some grazing.  

Sorry about the picture quality.  It's super hard to get a clear picture when they are constantly in motion and trying to hide from you!

OK, so I'm back!  The year long hiatus is over.

Rejuvenated by being back home in my little slice of northern Michigan paradise.

Here's 1 dose of my daily oasis.

And I've had encouragement by a few close friends

 (namely Stephanie Pawlak) 

to begin again

So, without further adieu, let the posting begin!

A Great City: Life in the D

I got an e-mail from Chrysler the other day with the slogan, 

"Never Giving Up.  Always Giving Back.  Like only Chrysler can."  

It stems from the Superbowl commercial and they are promoting buying the song from iTunes. 

Since Chrysler has been a part of my family's heritage and Detroit has been my home for so many years, I definitely love the video.  It's a fitting tribute to the Motor City.

Here's the full You Tube video link:

Selected of God Choir-Lose Yourself

Rachel's Legacy

I love this story and was pulled into it the moment I heard it on the news.  It's about a selfless little girl who, at age 5, 

donated her hair to locks of love 

and then went on to celebrate her 9th birthday 

by asking others to donate to charity:water in lieu of presents.  

The organization provides clean water 

to those who don't have access to it in Africa.  

A month later, Rachel was killed in a car accident.

  As word spread of her story, 

she ended up raising 1 million dollars for charity:water.

Her heart of compassion lives on.  

Here's a link to her story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/opinion/rachels-last-fund-raiser.html?_r=1 

I hope that you are moved by her too!

Sunset Beach Charlevoix

We made the annual trek
to one of our favorite beaches
on Lake Michigan

on the windiest day of the summer.  

Turned out to be a great evening!

 The Beaver Island Ferry returning

 And the sunset