mein schwarzwald

After two years and one month in Germany, Karl and I are moving back the the US at the end of them moth.

We had hoped to make our home here, which started out as a temporary 6 month assignment for his job, into a permanent home, but things haven't worked out as we hoped. And now we're returning.

The decision has made us sad because this is so much our Home. This place has affected us in many ways for the better. There is so much we are going to miss about living in Germany. One of which is the view out my window of the Black Forest. Every day we've lived here I've been amazed that I'm so lucky. Often those thoughts come when I look out our bedroom window at the beautiful green forested mountains with its castle ruins.

I've been trying to soak in that view as much as possible this past week since we've learned we're going to be returning to the States at the end of the month. Unfortunately, it's been a rainy and foggy week and there hasn't been much to see out my window...

But I've taken many shots of our view over the past two years, I love it so much. So, in farewell to my beautiful view, here's my little bit of the Black Forest for you to enjoy, too...

...*sigh*....I'm sure going to miss this place.

fall in the forest

In the past couple of weeks, the autumn season has hit the Black Forest in full force and it is beautiful!

This past Saturday Karl and I went up into the Forest mountains with our cameras and our friends, Thomas and Denise, to enjoy the colors...

Denise tries her luck...

a day worth the sunburn

On Saturday I had another race day!

I spent a sunny day at the horse races enjoying all the hats and horses. This time I wore my own race day hat I got just for the occasion...



Here are some of my favorite photos of the day! (Click on any photo for a larger view.)





All you need to enjoy a day at the races: a hat, some shade, and some bubbly!



First of all: cute parasol! Second: hot dress, mom!



This horse was a beautiful white/grey color...when he was wet with sweat after the race he turned pink!



I got this shot as this jocky was thrown from his horse...



Jockey groupies!

"and so the two walked..."

When I spent the afternoon at the Karlsruhe Palace last week, I went looking for a pretty sclupture hidden in the trees that I found the first time I went to the palace gardens. I know nothing about the sculpture other than it has a date of 1866 on it and there is a beautiful inscription on the pillar between the couple that reads, "Also gingen die zwei entgegen der sinkenden Sonne" - "And so the two walked against the setting sun." I climbed up the stones it stands on and braved the broken beer bottles, cigarette butts and graffiti and got some detail photos of the pair.

And so the two walked...

chandeliers of meersburg

I loved all the chandeliers that we found hanging from the ceilings of the rooms of the Old Castle in Meersburg. Each one was so unique from the last and each seems to have been added in a different century.