Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Donner Kebab

The Donner Kebab - Found all over the world in some form (meat) or other hails orginally from Turkey. In the UK the choice meat is lamb as it was in Turkey. As you can imagine by the pictures below that this could be almost any combination of meat. After all, how do you get a chunk of meet that big anyway. Well here in Germany because everything has a rule there is a rule of what this can be made of. Most notably you can't just throw any combination of meat together. So if it says Chicken it has to be chicken. If it says Lamb, you get it.
The history in Germany goes back to post WWII. As you may know there was a shortage of workforce after the war. Most able bodied individuals were used in the war as foot soldiers. So when building the country back up became a priority they needed workers. They looked to Turkey for that labor force. The Turkish came here and didn't want to leave and, they found they had food people liked to eat. Some dude in Berlin altered the taste to fit the German pallet (made it less spicy) and that's how Donner is sold today.



Today after coach had me run 100 minutes, I decided I was hungry for Donner and so I went to our favorite truck. Yes, the picture below is where I bought it. Can you believe Super Dave is buying his food from a truck. Did I ever step foot outside the RRS buiding as the coach pulled up to sell breakfast? No of course not, but here in Germany why not. This truck actually never leaves its spot. It's always there. The guy behind the counter is super freindly and is always happy to serve.

Most people pay 3.50 for a Donner Kebab. It's a huge sandwich with Donner piled high, lettuce, tomato, sauce (Yogurt sauce) and pepper spice. This below is a Donner Teller. It's a bed of rice with the Donner (Turkey) piled on top, sauce and pepper. A side salad too. Wow did it taste good.

I'm not sure I'm going to miss Donner as much as I miss mexican food here. In fact I know I won't. I do no that one day in September the subject of dinner will come up and Marco will say, I wish we could go get Donner. Mary and I will be with him on that thought.
It's a good life....
Dave


Monday, June 29, 2009

What I won't miss in Germany

Now first let me start with this: I/we really like Germany. I highly suggest if you have a chance to visit here, or live here, do it. It's a great place to live.

Some of this will be your standard ranting.
Some will show up on what I will miss. How can that be? You'll have to read to find out.
Some will be directed at my current employer. adidas is a great company but there are some things that belong on this list so I can't hold back.

I must say that this was not my idea. It first came from Mary in her Blog but she was simply too busy to do it. I'm sure many things here will be similar but it would be great to hear from her too.

Finally I will update this blog daily from now until I land in San Diego on August 11th. The rest of the posts will be what I will miss about Germany. That deserves more time because I'm convinced you need to visit this country or this part of the world. So without further preface, let's get started.

1. Sunday's - I understand Sunday is the day of rest, worship and family but give me a break. Sunday is also a day of business and when I work all week and you close at 8:00pm, Saturday just isn't enough to get things done.

2. Winter Darkness - The opposite will show up in one of my daily posts. During the winter the sun comes up about 8:30am and goes down at 4:30pm.

3. Auto Bahn - Another that will show up on the other side. Don't let them fool you though. For the most part it's full of traffic especially huge slow trucks carrying goods across Europe as well as contruction every 20K in the summer.

4. Pools - There is a reason Germany is not a super power in Swimming. Who wants to swim train in your pools. Excuse me if I feel like I'm getting in your fat, head up breast stroking way. And why paint lines on the bottom of the pool if you aren't going to use them.

5. Smoking at the Finish line - I'm sick of it. It's fine if you can do a 70.3 race and then light up 10 minutes later. I don't want it. Keep the smoke out of my face.

6. Rain - Portland/Seattle people stop right now. I believe the rain here is different. It's miserable especially in the winter.

7. Mudd - See #6.

8. Ticks - What use in the world are ticks? Mike Miller you are not allowed to give me the scientific use. Scout comes home every morning covered. That anti tick company is making bank in this country.

9. Rabbit Hunts - What's the game in this. Your dog scares them and you shoot them with a shot gun. In our back yard no less.

10. Reunification Tax - And all the other crazy taxes, Church, TV, Dog, etc. I already pay huge income tax, isn't that enough?

11. Not having a car - Mary I know you have said over and over that all I have to do is plan and I can have the car. It's not the same as having my own. Don't worry, the bike commute will show up on the daily things I will miss.

12. Dog Rules - Scout is fine off the leash. She is actually more scared of you than you are of her. She can also kick your trained pure bread dog's but in a listening/command contest. She's never been trained and will stop on a Euro if you tell her.

13. Retail stores - It's just not the same as the over-retail of the USA.

14. Food - Can we get some variety here? Living in one of the top food producers in the world (California) has it's benefits. One is the pure variety of food. Fruit I need Fruit. (Apples don't count any more)

15. Wet Smelly dog - See posts 6 & 7.

16. CNN International - Can you just stop repeating the story over and over. There are other things going on in the world. Stop it already.

17. Summer - Today appears to be the first real Summer day this Summer. History tells me that this, with lots of rain in between, will last until August.

18. August Winter - OK so it's not that bad. A good August day in Germany seems to be equal to the worst day in San Diego in November.

19. Charlie De Gaul Airport Paris - I know I buchered the name. It's the worst airport in the world. If you want or have to go to Paris, fly to London and take the train. You'll get there faster.

20. Shudders - Again this will show up in what I'l miss but Shudders have their use. Here in this part of the world they seem to make a statement that says "We want to be left alone, buzz off".

21. The Big Brand - Don't get me wrong I respect adidas and Adi Dassler. I believe that not even he thought everyone should be draped head to toe in adidas. It seems like Big Brands will brand anything. I suggest you all read Lovemarks. You may change your thinking.

22. Arrogance - Funny coming from an American. It's different and it's not just the natives.

23. The Gym at adidas - The largest sports brand in the world and this is what you have. Shame on you.

24. The feeling that athletes cheat here - I'm sorry but if you are 45 years old and are going 4:22 in a 70.3 I'm suspicious. Tim Sheeper a former damn good Pro and my old roomate can't go that fast right now and it's not because he's not trying.

25. Meetings with 7 men in the room talking about the needs and wants of women - Boy is that getting old. Let me elaborate. We need women in the room to have this discussion and when they are in the room we need to listen to them. Further elaboration; my history of working with some increadibly bright and smart women tells me that they ask questions. The ask lots of questions and it's usually because they are smarter than we are and are trying to clarify things. They also don't feel stupid like we do to ask the questions.

26. If a woman can run this country, why can't a woman be in management?

27. Ski Jumping

28. Curling

29. Poker - It's not a sport and I apologize because you get it from the USA.

30. Rally Cars - Folks you protect the environment with great care. Rally cars do not.

31. Stripes - That is not a hamburger you are serving. I should not complain about this because I can choose not to eat there but please many days your options are really horrible.

32. Coffee - I'm not a big time coffee drinker but I have a good idea of what is good. Go to Vienna or Spain and bring it back.

33. Radio - Those songs were bad when they came out in 1985. They are still bad. By the way Pink is good but she's not that good.

I think that covers it. Again, this seems like a super long list and that I hate the experience. Believe me I could come up with a much longer list about San Diego. It's really to get things started and maybe to make you laugh.

It's a good life....

Dave

Sunday, June 28, 2009

My Favorite European City



Berlin Germany





It's not that I don't like Paris, Vienna, Zurich, Munich, Amsterdam, London etc. It's that Berlin is ultra special. Marco and I spent Father's Day weekend touring Berlin. It was my third time in the city and it has yet to dissapoint. Name any other city that was completely leveled by war, split in two. Built back to somewhat original form on one side and constructed for utility on the other. Then it was brought back together again to form a vibrant, young international city.



As you can see by some of the pictures, Marco and I had fun. We always do. He's quite a trooper. In my dreams I didn't dream this kid up. He wil go and go and go. As long as you feed him, he continues on. On our first day alone we easily walked 8 miles and not one single complaint. Just laughs and excitement of the things to see.





Berlin played host to the 1936 Olympics. The stadiums is still in use today. It was here where Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in the face of white supremacy. Etched forever at the top of the results wall is his name. The man of the Olympic games.



Marco is at the stage right now where he doesn't like to smile for the camera. I got him to smile by saying "All happy dogs wag their tails". It worked.





This stadium also played host to the World Cup Final in 2006 where Italy defeated France in the big game. This year it will host the 2009 Track and Field World Championships. The Blue track is beautiful. A fitting place for the World Stage.



















The Wall. It will be forever a part of this city. The people of Berlin proved that no wall is tall enough to keep them apart. Although it stood for 28 years, it came down.























Brandenburg Gate. The French tried to tear it down centuries ago. Hitler used it as a show of power as he marched troops through it. Kennedy stood in front as did Reagan. It stands as the gate to the city and is quite a site.
















The Holocaust memorial. Too bad you had to be 15 to go inside. We're confident Marco could handle it but we obliged. It sits 200 meters from the Gate.


















The Rreichstag


Congressional building in Berlin. This buiding burned down during the April/May 1945 final stand. It's a beautiful building. The pictures of it in 1945 are sad.














One of the more famous signs in all of Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie. The gate in Berlin between East and West. Ground Zero of the Cold War. At one point there were US Tanks pointing at Soviet Tanks. I'm sure the soldiers who stood guard have great stories about their time here.











The Russian War Memorial

Many people don't see this when they visit Berlin. If they do it's as they drive by on the way to the Holocost Museum or other places of interest. They look and probably don't know what it is. In April and May of 1945 the Russian army laid seige on Berlin. They came with vengance. Although the numbers were probably fuzzy they knew the damage Germany had done to their country (25 million Russians lost their lives). For two months they bombarded Berlin. It is estimated that 20,000 Russians died in those two months. Along with 20,000 German soldiers and 30,000 civilians. By September of that same year this memorial was built. There are 2000 Russian Soldiers burried there. There are also two Russian Tanks and two cannons on the memorial. It's a show of force and of respect for the Russians. What's interesting is they were so fast to build the memorial, they did it before the city was split. This memorial is in former West Berlin. It was closed down for years.

Marco and I had quite a time getting to this memorial. We had to get around a big Bike Race.
Berlin is so much more than the war. It's more about the 70 years since the war. Today you can find and increadibly diverese and open community of people. Former East Berlin with it's huge utilitarian apartment buildings and one of most vibrant underground cultures in the world. Berlin has an openly gay mayor. The Chancellor of the country (Berlin being the capital) is a woman. If I had one city I could go back to it would be Berlin. I'm sure I've only seen a small part of this great city and I'd love to see more.
It's a good life....
Dave















Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I'm a Pro Triathlete

I was having this conversation yesterday with a co-worker. It's been on my mind since I read an article written by Molina on what it takes to be a pro. This is a bit of a rant so hold on.......
I started this sport when it was young. I followed it out to California and it was a dream come true to train with the best athletes in the world. I worked hard but for whatever reason I wasn't as good as they were. What I took from those Pro Triathletes was a work ethic. The successful Pros worked harder than the people who called themselves a pro. That doesn't mean they trained more or smarter they simply worked harder. They raced more than anyone. Lets talk Mark Montgomery for a second. He had talent but he surely wasn't the most talented. He raced everywhere he could. If there was $200 on the line he raced. If there was $10,000 on the line he raced. I don't think he got rich but he made a living off the sport. Now look at the big names, Paula, Greg, ST, Molina, Pigg, Jones, Allen. Did they race so much because they were really good and could win? Did they win because they raced so much? I think they just went out and raced, and fought for victory. They were/are a sponsors dream because they raced all the time. You only remember a guy like Mark or Peter saving themselves for Hawaii. They did that after they won. Before they won they raced as much as they could.

Today I look at people who call themselves a Pro Triathlete and I cringe. Just because you have that Pro Card (and there are a lot of you)doesn't make you a Pro. Turning Pro and improving 6 minutes on your Ironman time doesn't make you a Pro. A Pro makes a living off the sport. A Pro works super hard for sponsors (by the way, just thanking them on your Blog is not enough). Nobody is going to win the Ironman World Championships by racing Ironmans around the world. Nobody has and nobody will. I love the attitude of a guy like Chris Lieto. He is a one man racing and marketing machine. He's done more with less than anyone out there. His attitude is race the best every weekend. The dude hopes to race Macca and Crowie and Potts. He want's to go head to head. He has become the Icon of a shoe brand. Believe, me nobody handed it to him. My point, if you carry a Pro Card, be a Pro. Race your tail off. If it works, make lots of money and enjoy it. If it doesn't that's ok but at least you chased it.

Thanks for reading my rant. This is what happens when the Popcorn Popper wakes you up at 3:15am and you can't go back to sleep. Don't ask!

It's a good life.....
Dave

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Challenge Kraichgau

Let the suffering begin.

My lasting impression is not that of smiles yesterday. Challenge Kraichgau certainly appeared to take its toll on everyone. It was a day to remember.

Morning came with a full sun in a cloudless sky. After 3-4 weeks of cool temperatures and lots of rain, Germany opened up to the hottest day of the year. Sunny and 28 degrees. The 9:00am start had us running in the heat of the day which was a treat.

Warning: Those things that look like professional firework cannisters with caution tape around them are just that. My surprise came with the first wave and the cannon type blast just over my right shoulder. My body was shuddering for a good couple minutes after that.

Swim Start - I really like racing in Europe. Swim starts are easy here. For the 2nd race in a row, I did not get touched in the swim. Not once. Nobody tried to swim over me. Nobody smacked my head with their wild right arm. Just a clear open shot to the first turn. Lets talk about that first turn. It took forever to get there. That big yellow thing floating in the water didn't seem to get closer for a longgggg time. Once around it though the others went by fast. Sighting on the finish was just a bit difficult. Direct sun and no flags or finish banner made it tough. For most of the swim I was in open water. Rarely did I have anyone around me. I found a tempo that felt hard yet comfortable and just picked the straightest line.
Time: 30:59

Bike - First notice of the day was wind. Not super heavy but enough to feel in the face and on the cross. Seems like the big section where we were hidden from the wind was the section that would have been a tailwind. No complaining though. I can't say there was anything special for me on the ride. My fueling was good. I had plenty to drink and held a steady pace. The ride was definately hillier than most races. In fact it may have been the most hills in any race I've done. These were not the typical short super steep hills of most of Germany, they were 4-5 minutes of climbing at 8% or so. Then their were the hills that were flat enough to not look like hills but long enough to work you. The only way I really new I was climbing was that I caught all the guys that would pass me on the flying downhills. Challenge Krichgau is part of the ever growing Challenge series of races. Not quite all the pomp that the Ironman name has Challenge brings unique things to the events. One thing heavily adverised is the Hot Spots. Their goal is to get crazy, beer drinking fans in the places where riding is slow. One such place I can only call one thing, The Wall. As is with every screaming down hill entering a village there is a 90 degree turn at the bottom. It's becoming predictable. This one however threw a big surprise at the turn. In the 53-12 at the turn I was faced with a Wall rising at an estimated 14% right at the go. This wall continued for 400-600 meters and was jam packed with fans screaming in your ears. It was a treat to have all those fans watch as I switched from that 53-12 to a 39-24 in a flash. Try it sometime on 14%. The bike doesn't like it. One thing quite interesting happened on my ride (note to wife, it may not be safe). About 20K into the ride my index shifting went away. It came back for a short time but for most of the 90K I was old school shifting by feel. Wow, I can't believe I used to have to do that all the time. Like the swim, the ride was a complete solo effort. No group no riders on the exact same pace just a wide open affair. I was happy to see the 80K mark but new there was one big hill left. That hill was roughly 4K long with a super steep middle section (hot spot) thrown in. The last 5K was rolling and seemed to take forever. Even though I passed the most people of the entire ride in that last 5K it didn't feel all that fast.
Time: 2:45:33

Run - Generally when I'm coming off the bike I'm excited. Ready to hit the run. This time I had an strange feeling. That bike was hard and oh my gosh, it's really hot in this transition area. Quick transition and I was out running. The run course was a 3 lap affair with roughly 2 minutes of shade on each lap. The rest of the run was in direct sun light with the hottest part running through the windless village. The run profile on the website didn't match the course. That doesn't mean they had the wrong profile or that they fooled us. It simply means that hills are not always as advertised on the profile. In fact this run course was quite hilly. As in the past I used the first loop to get comfortable and fuel up. Dread set in a bit when I realized I had 3 laps of this heat and these hills. No worries though I felt good (not great) and I was moving along. After a conservative first lap I opened up the pace on the second lap. Or at least I thought I did. Results show that my first lap was the fastest. Things don't always appear as they seem. I didn't feel terribly bad just not fresh. Things like, fueling were becomind difficult. I didn't really want it anymore. Nothing hurt but nothing felt great either. With 2K to go I sucked it up and began to push the pace. 8 minutes of running and this thing is over. Ouch that long hill hurts but there is an equally long downhill just after, keep pushing. Coming up with 600 meters to go, what's that someone is pacing off me. I can feel him. Through the last aid station neither of us take anything. Now he's moving up on my shoulder. Come on buddy, you are hurting just like me, lets not race this thing in. Sure enough at the 90 degree turn up hill on grass with 100 meters to go, he tries to surge past me. I find one last 1/2 gear of energy and then, silence. He cracked. Cross the finishline, check the time and think That Hurt. My happy smiling family are right there at the finish to greet me. Marco with my Recovery drink in hand. Mary with a happy birthday smile on her face and Scout wagging her tail. A welcome sight for sure.
Run Time: 1:37:01
Total Time: 4:57:25
Place Overall: 129
Pace Agegroup: 17

Walking around the finish area, everyone had the same look on their face. Not many smiles only relief. A big thanks the the Challenge group for putting the cold pools at the finish. 5 minutes in the pool felt great. The big tale tell sign that it was an effort was cramping in my feet. I got out of the pool and my right foot was in a solid cramp. I couldn't move my toes and they were spread out as far as they could go. Luckily the recovery drink kicked in, cramps gone. A quick shower, quick transition to normal guy and we were off towards home.

Final thoughts: This wasn't as fast as I planned but I'm really happy. It was a tough day and I managed it well. I can tell by the quick recovery. Sure I can feel the race in my body but nothing hurts and I could run today if I had to. I will say that this is the second time under 5 hours so I can take that home. This ends my spring racing campaign. Rest and recharging is what I need to tackle the real goals in the Fall. More on that in future posts.

Big, huge thanks to Mary, Marco and Scout. You make it all fun. Thanks again to coach Gordo and all the folks and Endurance Corner. Thanks to my running shoes again. My feet don't hurt.

It's a good life.....
Dave

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Game on Part 2



Sunday marks the 2nd part of the spring track to my performance goal. I'm racing in the Challenge Kraichau 1/2 ironman. It's part of the ever expanding Challenge series of races that started with the world famous (in triathlon) Challenge Roth. I'm excited to experience something new. Recently the only races I've done are part of the Ironman family and although I like them they have a pattern to them that is too normal to me now.

Some details about the race as I know it. 9:00 am start. You just have to love Europe. No chance in hell you see a 9:00am start in the US. This will cause all of us to be running in the heat of the day but who cares. It's not 7:00am. The bike course looks good and challenging. I count 5 big hills that run 300 - 400 feet in elevation. It also looks like another bike course with no rest. You are either going up or going down. It seems like going down would be rest but generally here down is quite technical and you have to be on your guard. The run (13.1 miles) is a three lap affair and it looks to be flat.

My race plan is much like the last race only faster. I think I can swim 2 minutes faster. On the bike due to it's big climbing, I'll be happy with an even split to the last time. Remember I put those climbing gears on so I should be faster going up but there is a great deal more up on this course. Finally on the run I'm going to try to go faster. Last race there were two laps. The first to set up the second. This time there are three laps. Coach has me do my long runs as a Poker Pace. This mean's run the first 1/3 conservative, up the pace on the 2nd 1/3 and then hold pace through the end. That's my plan. Run the first lap to get used to running and blast the next two. My plan is to collapse at the finish.

The picture above is from Sunday at Rock im Park. I'm posting all the pictures on my Facebook page soon. I just love the Rainbow shot and maybe it will help me out come Sunday.

It's a good life....

Dave

Sunday, June 7, 2009

3 Day Rock and Roll Festival vs. 70.3 distance race

Where's my Fire Starter - The Prodigy

Marco and I braved the 3 day Rock Im Park music festival this past weekend. It was a big effort and I thought I'd do a little comparison to the 70.3 race I have coming up this weekend.

Cost - Both events are roughly the same. Entry fee to a 70,3 is 195 euros and then there is usually food and hotel involved. Tickets for the festival were 135 e each. Parking was not going to happen anywhere close so Marco and I parked outside the city and took the metro in each of the 3 days. Roughly 25 e a day here. The festival didn't allow you to bring your own beverage. Well not exactly. If you were willing to make a sling out of tape (preferably duct tape) attach a juice box at the end, you could bring in your own drink. What's up with that, I can't bring in a bottle of water but they can bring in a Juice box filled with vodka. As long as it was outside your body no top and carried like a purse you were o.k. So no water meant we had to buy water inside. 3.60 e each. Yes that's right Beer and Water were the same price at 3.60. Food on the otherhand was good and cheap. Marco and I had a full Asian meal for 12e and it was excellant.
Post festival music. If you are going to a music festival you might as well see someone you've never seen or heard. You take the risk of seeing utter crap (All American Rejects) or you see utter brilliance (Kettcar). When I see brilliance I go home and buy. My estimation is I'll spend at least 50e on new music due to the festival.
Verdict: Wash on cost.

Time - In the 70.3 you only count the actual time on the race but come on it's a great deal more than that. There's the packet pick up, bike check etc. the day before. Super early wake up call that starts your day, the race itself and the post race recovery. Race Day is easily a 9 hour day. Let's not forget the time it takes to prepare for the race. That's a bit crazy don't you think (don't answer that Mary)? For the festival you've got 3 days and you can really manage your own time. If you want to spend 10 hours a day, you can or you can spend 2-3 hours. Marco and I managed about 4 hours each day. I will say this, with either one there is a lack of sleep. The festival makes for late nights. The race makes for early mornings.
Verdict: Festival - there is no training.

Event Effort - Lets face it, the 70.3 is hard. It's 5, 6 or 7 hours of steay effort. By the last hour it becomes just down right hard. Your feet hurt, your legs quiver, your fully drained of energy. The music festival is more like a slow burn. Especially if it's pouring down rain (like this weekend) or standing room only. Being on your feet for 6 hours at a crack for 3 days is fully draining. Your feet ache, your legs quiver.
Verdict: Wash

Entertainment - This is a tough one. The 70.3 is quite entertaining. You are generally reaching for a goal which is the purpose in the first place. Even though the effort is really hard there is fun just being part of it. People are nice on the course. Food is free and handed to you. Sometimes you get see some of the craziest outfits. Here in Europe you're going to see at each race a man or woman in a competition swim suit (Generic Speedo for the men) with knee high compression socks. This takes the sport to an entirely new level of WTF. The music festival is all about entertaining. That's the point. The big difference I think is at the festival you are passivly watching while in the 70.3 you are doing.
Verdict: Wash

This was a stupid attempt to keep the blog on the triathlon side of things. Marco and I spent the weekend playing at a music festival. He was by far the youngest attendee. By at least 6 years. He made lots of friends who were wildly impressed that he was rocking out. They were all drunk off their rockers but that doesn't matter, they were still impressed. They were either thinking I was crazy for taking him or wildly impressed that I introduced him a such a young age (wishing they had such a cool dad when they were younger). We had a great time and would do it again. As he gets older if he lets me go, we'll move our way towards the front of the stage. Not going to do that with a 10 year old but that's where the real fun is. I definately think the enjoyment experience with The Prodigy is much different at the back. At the back you just listen and they aren't impressive. At the front you feel and go wild and I think walking away you'd buy all their music because they are a great deal of fun. My short but sweet review of the bands follows:

Friday
All American Rejects - They sucked.
Totome - German band very impressive.
Ryan, Paul and John - Get a day job.
Kettcar - German Band (bought all thier music yesterday)
Chris Cornell - An absolute pleasure. Grammy winners are just plain good. They are far above anyone else.

Saturday
Papa Roach - Very entertaining.
Placebo - Huge. Great. Worth the price of admission. Buy their music and listen hard.
The Killers - Buy their music if you like it, don't pay to see them. Studio band only.

Sunday
Volbeat - Dutch band singing in English. I'm guessing their studio music is polished and good. Big crowd. They had so much bass it was difficult to make out the music. I give them a worth a second look.
Madness - You just have to go see Madness. They are pure fun.
Duf McKagen (former Guns and Roses Guitar man) - That's the only reason you go see him. Essentially they are an overpriced cover band. They should be playing the local street fair at best.
The Prodigy - As mentioned a wildly different experienc if you are drunk and up front. The only way they did what they did was either being really drunk or on a drug of choice. They were wild. Go see them if you are willing to get up front. Don't go see them to try to enjoy the music.

Rock Im Park - As festivals go it's way up there. I liked it because the international music. I could have done without all the rain but hey this is Germany. A good bet you'll get wet if it involves 3 seperate days.

It's a good life.....Rock On!

Dave

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Crossroads....

I am standing at the crossroads.........try to flag a ride. Eric Clapton


This is where I sit right now, at the Crossroads. It's absolutely crazy here in the center, there are too many rides to choose from. I can't stand at the side because the best ride may pass me by. I also can't sit in the center too long because I'll end up choosing any old ride and it may not be the right one.

It's a good life.....

Dave

Monday, June 1, 2009

The Beautiful City

Nurnberg Germany

I am often asked about where we live. Today Mary and I spent a number of hours walking around the great city close to home. These pictures were all taken from my cell phone so the quality isn't the greatest.

I hope you enjoy them.

It's a good life....
Dave