Vacation at last!

We are done with everything! Time to enjoy it yard for a few hours and then we're off to Yerp!

Christmas Dinner 2017

Home-made pâté de campagne to start.



Followed by butternut squash soup.



By the time of the main course, we were already quite satisfied. But we managed to still find a bit of room in our stomachs for sirloin steak with a red wine reduction.

Christmas dinner accomplished. Time to go back to grading.

Musical Intermezzo: Porchfest

A very Ithaca tradition: Porchfest.



Roads are painted...



... childrens' faces are painted...



... and there is music everywhere.











Ithaca is still awesome!

Spring in Billsburg

Still here

Even though the reproductive organs of the four women have been removed, we did not have to leave them in a cage in PetSmart yet to be adopted.



On a serious note: we will miss them like crazy.

Pretty Flowers and Almost Disaster

Having a yard full of flowers to look at can be very relaxing...














But I have learnt today it is better to stay inside when it is windy.
 

This branch missed our sunroom by about 5 inches, broke our table into tiny pieces,
 

and even hit made a bit of a hole in the ground.

Luckily, that was all. Still, it was enough (OK, maybe my natural laziness helped a bit too) to convince me it was unsafe to ride my bike to go out tonight...

Back in the 'Burg

Last Saturday, A flew and F drove to Washington DC, and from there it was back to the 'Burg. Our house had a few minor surprises in store (a toilet leaking loads of water, a yard full of leaves and a non-functioning heating system), but the biggest surprise was when I arrived at my office today.

I was in fact dreading coming to the department, and I am not looking forward to next semester. But look at this!

 

My students rock!

That Seventies Feel

I bought a new old lens yesterday...



... and have been playing around with it today.



It is at the same time sharp and unsharp...



... which gives these photos that special 70s feel.

The last photo is a photo of my little house in Ithaca this morning.

I think this lens is great fun. Expect more weird pics in the future.

Home Sweet Home, Bonn Edition

Here it is: my temporary home in Bonn. It feels extremely strange to be in someone else's house...

   



I had to get rid of lots of antique dolls that were staring at me from different corners. Now, they are safely hidden in the closet.



The kitchen and bathroom are very very nice.

The bathroom has a full tub under a window, a separate shower, and even a bidet!

The bedroom looks nice (although a bit too romantic for my tastes) too. Hopefully the bed is comfortable.

Anyhoo, so far so good. The only issue I have (and I never thought I would say this, and certainly not in northern Germany) is that the light is really much too bright in here. I am counting on Germany to going back to dark and dreary again soon, because otherwise, this is going to drive me crazy!

Home Sweet Home, Ithaca Revisited Edition

Meet F's new digs!

Featuring cathedral ceilings and a fireplace...

... a kitchen with a gas stove...

... (a kitchen that continues around the corner)...



... a bedroom with a smaller replica of our marital bed...

... and a functioning bathroom. 

And that is the whole (detached) house!