Arizona sunshine and blue sky

Some adjectives from our first 48 hours in Flagstaff: expansive, vast, dry, blue, sunny, open, overwhelming, prickly, dusty, chill, approachable, breezy, delicious, off-the-grid, groovy.

A good start to our vacation out West, we are reminded what a different space this is from our Washington, DC area bubble. From the moment we landed and were upsold a bigger car  rental to drive "up north" at the airport, we could feel the difference. Driving from Phoenix to Flagstaff through the desert, buttes, hills, and pine forests, our ears crackled with the elevation climb to over 7,000 feet. Our exploration here is decidedly different than out East, even if we just examine our neighborhood with a feed store, gun store, and church side by side by side. The differences are as welcome as the craft beer passport we are trying to earn (1 brewery down), and we hope to squeeze in a daily hike and as many books as possible. Definitely a good start.

What could be more therapeutic than sunshine and blue sky? Almost nothing at all. I feel better already.

Photo Essay: Out with the old in with the new

It was a dazzling finish to 2012 and a bright start to 

2013. Take a look!

Christmas in Aachen 

with my parents and Uli's parents (unpictured) -- forgive me! I was too excited to think about taking pictures. Some memories include the Aachen Christmas market, a great trip to Hoensbruck castle, buying mustard outside of Monschau, delicious food and cozy atmosphere by the candle-lit tree, and my family all around. It was a wonderful, wonderful holiday.

After Christmas on the Rhein

in Rheinfels Castle with my husband. Three days of luxury in a spa hotel complete with a full-body massage (from Uli for Christmas), sauna, and gourmet dinners. It felt good to get outside and hike along the Rhein and to really get away from it all. It felt like the right way to reflect on all the year has brought us --  our joy in new jobs and new friends and also difficult health battles for those we cherish and heart-breaking times for my best childhood friend who passed away in 2012. 

After Christmas Swiss Style

in and around Zurich. We visited Uli's friends from university living in the area and found good company for games, hiking in the snowy mountains and monastery in Einsiedeln,and culinary adventures of cheese fondue, raclette, and Swiss chocolate. We survived the drunken anarchy of the streets of Zurich to see the fireworks show and stayed up all night on NYE playing a new German board game, Village. We adventured in the city and marveled at the streets, stained glass windows by Chagal, Giocometti, and Polke (the latter my favorite), and the price of living in Zurich (making Astana look like a bargain!). I even saw Swiss cows (sans bells, unfortunately).

King for a Day 

because I found the plastic king in the three-kings bread (a Swiss tradition similar to the bread "rosca del reyes" in Mexico). I do feel like a king with so much abundance and so many blessings. It is not a bad way to start 2013, not a bad way at all.

Summertime

...and the livin' is easy...the fish are jumpin'...and the cotton is high...

Bright blue skies, the shining sun, and a few lazy moments in between travels and visits have made the season come alive.

A few summer highlights (as I've been a remiss blogger in the last year):

• Travel fiasco and overnight near the baggage claim in the Colorado Springs airport.
• Pinochle, Wyoming motorcycle rides, silly niece and nephews, long chats with old friends and relatives, quality time with Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister-in-Law, aunts, uncles, Grandma, and Skip, the wonderdog, too.
• Spur-of-the-moment visits to old Baltimore friends and PowerGrid with newer DC friends.
• Swiss cows with bells, spectacular views of Lucerne, new friends, and Swiss cheese.
• Elegant weddings, wanderings, hanging out with in-laws, German cake-time, butterbrot and champagne.
• Climbing the Eiffel Tower, strolling the Seine, visiting sites and taking in the smells and tastes of Paris.

Summertime sure is sweet...

Lucerne

Swiss Cow with Bell

The Eiffel Tower

An American in Paris

Celebrating Mr. Columbus

Whatever the controversial founder may or may not have discovered, I am thankful for the Monday off and took full advantage of a gorgeous, fall weekend here in DC. Here are some highlights of a weekend bike trip up Rock Creek Park and to visit a few sites. The fourteen-mile trail was filled with bikers, walkers, and joggers out enjoying the sunshine and crisp air. We stopped to rest along the way and stopped to see the new Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial, breeze through the Roosevelt Memorial and sit by the Tidal Basin. A perfect day in the Capital--I can't resist sharing the day with all of you!