Being with Good Old Friends

When I was a student in Göttingen as a student in 1964-65 I lived in an independent student housing building.  There were about 30 private rooms on three floors with bathrooms and little kitchens down the halls.  It was a bit of a strange situation.  Residents had to be approved by the people already there and there were occasional get-togethers, but it wasn't anything like a fraternity and not as restrictive as a dormitory. 

Upstairs in a small apartment lived a married couple and before long I found myself invited for Abendbrot ("evening bread") several times a week.  HG would get his doctorate in Chemistry that year and we would become very good friends.  I have visited them maybe five or six times since then.  Over that time HG took an interest in monitor lizards and has since become one of the world's experts on the giant reptiles.  He and his growing family moved out of the town where he was teaching into an old farmhouse so they could keep the monitors in the basement.

Last time we were here I think he had about 30.  In fact, I was able to find his email before this trip through a Monitor Lizard journal.  We have been here a little over 24 hours and so far we haven't gone down to the basement.  I'm saving that.  Maybe this evening.  I think he said he was down to about ten animals now, but there are other creatures that populate the house. 

HG is retired from his chemistry professorship at the university, but he continues to write and research on monitors.  The life he leads would be impossible without his wife I who with incredibly good humor does all the administrative work necessary to run a household - especially one in a 100 year plus old farmhouse - and keep connected with the rest of the world.  Here's a still life she prepared last night. 

It was after nine when we took the dogs out of a walk.  The family is truly lucky to live in crowded Germany in such a beautiful little pocket of green open space. 

This house just feels so comfortable to me. 

Part of the household includes this hedgehog their daughter rescued last winter.  It should be release out into the wild already, but the spring has been so cold that they are waiting a little longer for the insects the hedgehog eats come out. 

Here's HG in his office with these great windows looking out into the woods.  And the view, with the birch trees, reminds me of home. 


We've been discussing everything under the sun from Yiddish folk songs to Muslims in Europe to raising children and, of course, monitor lizards. 

Another member of the household, who keeps checking on me now that I've connected to the internet in the computer room. 

Back in the kitchen for lunch where I has prepared a sort of quiche/pizza combination. 

DC Sunday - Walk to DuPont Circle Part 2, Farmers' Market

We stopped at JoltNBolt for a late breakfast.  Actually, Anchorage time it wasn't so late. 

Prices were surprisingly reasonable.  Four of us ate for $26.  Double click to enlarge any picture.

DC Sunday - Walk to DuPont Circle Part 1

J's building.  The rest doesn't need comment. 

Just a walk in the DuPont Circle neighborhood.

[UPDATE 3:11 DC Time: Here's the video - it's short but gets you more into being there. J's high speed internet makes uploading video so much easier!]

Mt. Roberts Hike

Here's closer trail head - at the east end of 6th Street.  You go up the hill and then up the steps.  Turn right here onto a small dirt path. 

There's a fallen tree that has led hikers to blaze a new, muddy shortcut not far from here.  At this point, there are houses all around. 

About 20 minutes in I got to a small shelter in front of an opening in the trees with this view of Juneau.  Our place is the yellow house in the enlarged insert.  I called J from there and I could see her walk out into the yard, but even with the binoculars, she couldn't see me in the trees.

Here's the view she would have had from our doorway back up.  But I took this picture just now and the hill is in the shade.  But I'm guessing I was somewhere in the oval. 

There were lots of glimpses through the trees of Mt. Juneau and some of Juneau itself.  But mostly I was in in deep shade on this glorious sunny day. 

As I got higher up, it started getting icy on the trail

I saw snow shoe tracks as I was going up and eventually met the person wearing them on his way down.  As I went up, it seemed like a good idea since the trail was well packed.  As it turned out, going down was fine just in my tennies. 

And then I was in snow.  

And eventually I could see the top of the tram.  The sign said it was 2 1/2 miles. 

At first it looked like the trail ended on the back side of the building, but it wound down then back up and around to a big deck where I could sit in the sun and enjoy the warmth and the view.  This is the structure you can see from below in the first picture above.   PM ran up with Apollo and he caught up with me as I got to the tram building.  He took 36 minutes and I took 90.  But I did stop to take pictures and to try to get J to see me at the viewpoint.  (I know, lame excuses.  He's also 15 years younger and training to do the Chilkat in one day this summer.)

Shortly after these two delightful young women showed up and Apollo was very friendly with them.  They both grew up in Juneau and have returned after school Outside. 

PM decided to walk back down with me instead of running.  But Apollo kept us moving at a much faster clip than I would have alone.  The snow and ice were much easier to navigate than I expected. 

I think dogs may be the secret source of energy for the future.  This dog ran up and back carrying this huge stick all the way down the mountain.  Apollo probably did 10 miles to our 2.5 back.  And was still running hard when we dropped him off at his house.  (PM picks up Apollo whenever he goes running or hiking.)