Road Trip ...

I have finally wrested control of my blog back from Mummy.  Just in time to document my own travels.  I took Mum and Dad to Kansas City to see Jeff, Mollie, and Scout.  We all had a pretty good time. 

While Scout and I held down the homefront, everyone else went to see the National World War I museum and Liberty Memorial

The Liberty Memorial  is dedicated to the to the memory of the soldiers who died in World War I.  The memorial was dedicated November 11, 1926. 

The National World War I Museum recounts the Great War from 1914 through the 1918 Armistice and the 1919 Paris Peace Conference.  The entrance consists of a glass bridge above a field of red poppies representing the dead of WWI .  The first part of the museum focuses on the beginning of WWI prior to the US involvement, and the second part focuses on the United States' military involvement in the war.

More on the construction effort ...

At the last construction update, we had rough-in plumbing.  When we returned to the construction site just a few days later, the concrete floor of the basement has been poured.

Here's the basement on June 30.

And just a couple of days later (July 3), the framing has begun.  This perspective is from the garage ... note the aggregate and reinforcing steel that has been placed.  The framing will be the rear exterior wall of the basement.

This the garage floor, prior to the concrete placement.

Jeff and Cluny are standing at the rear elevation. 

When I went to the site on July 12, it looks like we are really making progress. The steel I-beam that will support the structure is in place and the floor joists are going in.  Notice the square hole straight up from the ladder ... pretty soon, that will be the basement stairs. 

In the foreground of the second picture, the concrete for the garage floor has been poured.

   

This picture was taken through the basement 'window'.  

Monday, May 14 ... a fond farewell

This is our last day in Germany and we are making the most of it.

First we head to Willich to see friends of Mom and Pa .. Thorsen and Ute Liesenberg and their son Jesco.  We had a wonderful brunch prepared by Ute.  

Jesco becomes my best friend when he proffers about half a dozen KinderEggs.  For the unenlightened, a KinderEgg is a chocolate egg that contains a plastic egg with a pretty swell toy. JB loved these chocolates as a wee lad... and Jesco gave me the rest of the eggs to take home with me. I couldn't wait to give them to JB.


Left to Right .. Tobi Winkelmann, Mom, Thorsen Liesenberg, Pa, Ute Liesenberg, Jeff and Me

Jesco and Thorsen

After breakfast, we return to Gelsenkirchen and have a little celebratory birthday cake in honor of Dietmar's birthday. 

Left to Right ... Mom, Pa, Dietrmar, Amalie, Tobi, Yves, Emilia, Jeff, Me, and Sina .. Hanne and Lenia are the official photographers so they aren't in the picture :(

All good things must come to an end and we have to saddle up and head for the airport ... our European excursion is coming to an end.  We depart from the Dusseldorf Airport, enroute to Heathrow; then early the next morning we head for home.  

Sunday, May 13 ... Horst Castle

Hanne and Dietmar too us to Horst Castle for a renaissance festival.  Horst is a Germanic word meaning "eagle's nest".

The castle was built between 1555 and 1573 as a seat for the nobleman Rütger von der Horst.  Despite  best efforts, the building gradually fell into dis-repair.   To mark the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the charter conferring Horst township status the castle has undergone restoration.
Standing in front of Horst Castle ... Hanne, Mom, Diermar, Andi, and Jeff.

The rear of the building gives you a peek at the original structure.

We were there to see the renaissance festival.  I had to compliment Hanne.   You see, I have been trying to get Jeff to attend a festival like this for about 20 years ... and Hanne got him here in a mere three days.  Hanne is influential, to say the least!

First up, was the horsemanship display.  The riders, dressed in full regalia, dazzled us with their riding and jousting skills.

At the conclusion of the horsemanship, we walked through the market place.  There was lots to see.  We encountered this guy carrying his hawk. 

Many of the people in attendance were in costume.  Mom gravitated to the guy in the kilt ....

And the full suit of armor.

The owl was truly fascinating.  They way he turned his head and his piercing eyes.



This is the band that was accompanying the dance troupe. 

And what's the best way to end the day ... we had some honey beer.  Prost !

Feuerwehr Gelsenkirchen

The boys took a field trip to the Gelsenkirchen fire department.  

The fire service has some of the most state of the art equipment they have ever seen.  Here's Tobi and Jeff in the passenger compartment of an engine.

Their trucks work on a container system.  So, depending on the type of call, the firemen will load the appropriate container ... a water rescue container has different equipment than the one they would take when responding to a structure fire or a hazardous material call.  

This crane loads the various containers in just a couple of minutes .. and it's operated by one person!

Here's an ambulance.

Pa made fast friends with the Battalion Chief Klaus Jacob.  One could say they had a few things in common.

Saturday, May 12 ... Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Holland, is 120 miles away from Gelsenkirchen.   All ten of us, hopped into three cars and made the two hour drive. 

In 1928, Amsterdam hosted the summer Olympics, and would like to host again in 2028, marking 100 years since they previously hosted.   Our first stop was the arena.

As parking in the city is pretty tricky, we parked the cars at the garage and took the train into the city.

Coffee shops in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities.  Walking the streets was aromatic, to say the least.

The Church of St Nicholas, the pre-eminent Catholic church in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is called the Venice of the North for its more than one hundred kilometers of canals and 1,500 bridges.  The three main canals are Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht.  Dating back to the 17th century, the canals form concentric belts around the city.

To see the city, we opted for a canal ride.  Here we are waiting to board our boat.

Canal cruises in Amsterdam are now the most popular tourist attraction in the country, with over 3 million passengers a year. For good reason, the city was built to be seen from that perspective.

The Nemo Museum.

The shipping port.  During the Dutch Golden Age, this port was one of Europe's main ports of entry.

An alternative to a canal boat sight seeing tour, is the rolling tour.  These pedal operated vehicles are powered by the patrons ... the pedaling was accompanied by a lot of beer and some pretty boisterous singing.  It looked like fun, just not ... my kind of fun.

We found these bronze lizards in park.

We also stopped by the Anne Frank House and Museum.

The Anne Frank Memorial (standing with Pa are Amalie Schmidt, Mom, and Tobi Winkelmann).

The Royal Palace.  Today, this building has been re-purposed as city hall.

Thursday, May 10 ... Gelsenkirchen

We rolled into Gelsenkirchen, Germany, to meet up with dear friends of Ma and Pa, the Winkelmann's. 

We decided to return the rental car, but first we needed to fill up.  We stopped at the Shell station that was two doors down from the rental car place .. Imagine our surprise to find Mathias Froelich wearing this t-shirt.

God was looking out for the weary travelers ...

We were able to connect with Pa's firefighter friend, Tobi.  Here's Pa with a few members of the Gelsenkirchen Fire Department.   That's Tobi Winkelmann in the white jacket on the left