A Georgia Girl in Germany

The week after Zachary’s Cub Scout Twilight Camp was MacKenzie’s Girl Scout Day Camp. Her weeklong camping experience also culminated in an overnight campout, so six nights after my campout with the boys, I was back out there with her and the Brownies.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX I remember doing many of the same activities when I camped out with Girl Scouts, including making s’mores and performing skits around the campfire. MacKenzie was just excited that I was spending the night out there with her.
Fortunately, the tents were set up in the "enchanted forest" portion of the campground, which helped keep the warmth closer to the ground and shielded us from some of the rain during the night. Per Girl Scout regulations, the girls stayed together in their own tent while the adults stayed in nearby tents. Here MacKenzie and Emma settle in for the night, with about seven other girls. Their tent was a bit crowded, but it worked out well to keep their campout troop together in a single tent.

Labels: Girl Scouts, MacKenzie

Shortly before school resumed, Zachary participated in a Cub Scout Twilight Camp. He went out to the camping area in the late afternoon each day and stayed into the evenings doing traditional scouting activities. The last evening, the Webelos were invited to camp out. MacKenzie had been invited to spend the night with a friend, so it turned into a boys campout for me. Here are Zachary and Benjamin after we got our tent set up.

The boys had to search for their own sticks to roast marshmallows, but they were in abundant supply in the “enchanted forest” area of the campgrounds. Benjamin found one without any help. Notice the foxhole behind him. There is also an abundance of foxholes in this area of the campground as well.
It was chilly outside, even though it was August -- officially still summer. Breakfast included “omelets” boiled in ziplock bags...quite an interesting way to cook the eggs. Benjamin opted, instead, for an orange, but had to keep it away from a few friendly dogs who were interested in helping him devour it. Zachary wasn't as picky about his breakfast, and even helped keep the friendly dogs at bay while Benjamin worked on his orange.


After breakfast, we trekked to the nearby 18th century ruins, which always seems to be a favorite activity with the boys. Since it was light out, they really got to explore the tunnels. Benjamin also enjoyed simply spending time with Zachary. He proclaimed that he’s a boy, so therefore he wants to be a Boy Scout just like Zachary. I doubt it will take much convincing to get him involved in scouts when he’s old enough.

Zachary was good about going through some of the tunnels with him, and keeping an eye out for nettles (a German weed with the same itchy properties as poison ivy).

Benjamin also enjoyed the simple pleasures of being outside and exploring the grasses that were taller than him. I preferred staying in the clearing…just a few feet away, but Benjamin made a beeline for the more overgrown area. After a short exploration, he decided to walk back to the open area where he didn’t have to fight against growth taller than himself. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX When it was time to pack up and head home, Benjamin didn’t want to be left behind, although he definitely enjoyed himself as much as Zachary did.

Labels: Benjamin, Cub Scouts, Zachary

We're all recuperating from Christmas and our Italy trip, although the house isn't quite put back together yet. It's going to take me a while to sort through the 900+ photos I took while there...so I'll continue with the other posts until I get caught up. Hopefully I can keep up with my latest rate of posting. I suppose time will tell. Until then, here's a photo of Benjamin inspecting his supper.


Benjamin definitely has a mind of his own. I especially got a kick out of watching him eat supper this particular evening: detective-style. I suppose he was checking to make sure I hadn't snuck too much meat inside his tortilla.

Labels: Benjamin

We're back from our whirlwind trip to Italy, and are ready for rest and recuperation. As promised, for those of you who need to grade your responses to our holiday quiz, the answers are below. Be sure to keep checking back here to study for next year's quiz. I'm sure you've found amplifying details supporting this year's answers in this site's archives. If not, feel free to brouse!

Answers
Benjamin: a, c, d, e, f
MacKenzie: a, b, d, e, f
Zachary: a, b, c, e
Pam: a, b, c, d, e

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie, Zachary

This year has been a very exciting and fun-filled one for the Cook Clan as we’ve been gallivanting around Europe making the most of our time here in Germany. We're keeping that sprit alive over Christmas and getting ready to head off to spend the holidays in Rome (with stops in Pisa, Pompeii, Naples and Florence as well). We’re not Catholic, but I’m really looking forward to Christmas Eve Mass with the Pope in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Before we depart I figured I'd post our annual holiday quiz. Remember there may be more than one answer for each person. If you need the answer key, I'll post that after we return. Enjoy!

Benjamin is a very observant 3½-year-old, who adores his brother & sister—whom he now calls “Wack-a-wee” & “Ke-tsee,” is all boy—except for his frog (jumping) and monkey (climbing) traits, and:
a. enjoys going to school twice a week and is making great strides with his speech therapy...to the point now that he rarely stops talking!
b. is studying to be a gymnast and gets in extra practice running and jumping on the curbs everywhere we go
c. loves visiting various castles throughout Germany, although distinctly remembers riding on Pam’s back as we walked down the mountain from Schloss Neuschwanstein (the model for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle) after we missed the last bus, and now regularly uses the line “my legs hurt” as an excuse to be carried
d. is very smart and can already count to 12 and sing “A-B-C-D-E-F-EEE, next time you sing with me”
e. managed to climb the 768 steps to the top of the tallest Gothic Cathedral in the world all by his “new own self” for a rather windy view of the Swiss Alps from atop the Ulmer Munster in Ulm, Germany
f. is a bowling fanatic who is getting quite good at knocking down pins then showing his excitement by jumping on the ball return after each throw

MacKenzie is an 8½-year-old, Brownie Girl Scout and a 3rd-grader at Patch Elementary School, and:
a. enjoyed visiting the Monet exhibit in downtown Stuttgart after studying him in class, then asked if we owned any of his original artwork
b. loves sampling the ice cream wherever we visit, with her favorite thus far hailing from Venice, Italy
c. is interning with the local veterinarian after school to get a jump on her future career caring for animals
d. was excited when her best friend from Kindergarten, who lives in Belgium, came to visit and spend the night
e. enjoyed cheerleading for the first time, although was still a bit hesitant to yell her cheers very loud
f. was on the lookout for foxes when we went traipsing through World War II foxholes in Belgium near where the Battle of the Bulge took place

Zachary is now 11, a 5th-grader at Patch Elementary School, a Webelos II Cub Scout and:
a. has been on several Cub Scout camping trips, including to the Black Forest and the Bavarian Alps as well as a few local campouts near some 18th century ruins
b. being a Lego aficionado, absolutely reveled in our visit to Legoland Deutschland where he rode several Lego-themed rides and studied the many massive creations in Mini-World
c. built his own computer (and quickly loaded “Sim City 4” on it), prompting several people to comment that he’s destined to be the next Bill Gates
d. is keeping track of our travel excursions by writing a kid-friendly travel book that he plans to publish when we leave Germany
e. enjoyed our Veteran’s Day visit (other than the rain and cold) to the Luxembourg American Cemetery where Gen. George Patton and more than 500 World War II soldiers are buried

Pam is getting used to being a single again, now works in U.S. European Command’s Plans and Operations Center doing Public Affairs for the command’s 92-country area of responsibility, and:
a. nearly doubled the number of countries she’s visited in her lifetime within the past 8 months by adding Scotland, Iceland, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Belgium and Poland to her repertoire
b. tamed NASCAR’s Monster Mile, driving the #36 car several times around the Dover Downs racetrack
c. let her hair down at the Bad Cannstatter Volksfest (Stuttgart's equivalent of Munich's Oktoberfest, and the second-largest fest in the world) by singing, dancing on the benches, and enjoying the German spirits
d. is updating her Girl Scouting skills as one of MacKenzie’s Brownie leaders (but not the “cookie mom!”)
e. dusted off her skiing attire and hit the Austrian Alps to ski the Hintertux Glacier in July

As we enter the New Year, remember that we would gladly welcome all of you if you decide to make a visit this way. We hope you’re all doing well and looking forward to 2007. Take care, and please keep in touch!!

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas, MacKenzie, Zachary

Back in March, we had a special visitor to the elementary school: Michael Stadther, author of the book “A Treasure’s Trove.” Before we moved to Germany, I remember seeing a story done on him by “CBS Sunday Morning.” He wrote and illustrated a book about a woodcarver, his half-elf-half-human wife and their timid, winged half-dog-half-moth "doth" who work together to save 12 forest animals who had been crystallized by an evil spell. To bring his story alive, Stadther then hid jeweled insects around the country for readers to find using the clues in his book.
He joined Zachary’s Cub Scout pack for a special reading and autograph session one evening. Matt had brought Zachary and MacKenzie each a book to have autographed by Stadther, so they patiently waited in line after the reading to get his autograph.

The next day, Stadther visited MacKenzie’s class. He even brought the jeweled grasshopper to show the class. I don’t think they quite understood the significance (and value) of what he was sharing with them, but they enjoyed his visit nonetheless. Each student had also written a short story based on the characters in his book, which their teacher compiled and presented to Stadther as thanks for visiting them. MacKenzie was especially proud that she managed to get his autograph twice in the same book!

Labels: MacKenzie, Zachary

Back in August, the village of Edelweiler, on the edge of the Black Forst, held a memorial ceremony honoring 66 American service members who died in a mid-air collision of two C-119 Flying Boxcar transport aircraft, carrying paratroopers from the 499th Engineering Battalion, over their village 51 years earlier. Over the years, the villagers had recognized and remembered the soldiers and airmen who had died by planting a tree and, last year, placing a stone marker at the exact spot where one aircraft hit the ground. When they placed the stone marker, they had wanted to invite American service members to join them in the ceremony. Unfortunately, they were unable to contact someone in time to make their request before the 50th anniversary. So, instead, they concentrated their efforts on inviting us to the 51st anniversary ceremony…and we turned out in force.
In my typical journalist style, I knew this would make a great story showing partnership and compassion between our two countries, so I volunteered to join the group heading to the village to cover the ceremony. The ceremony was very nicely done, with several village leaders as well as U.S. members speaking to the attendees about the Cold War accident and the individuals lost 51 years earlier.
After the ceremony, we were invited to join our German hosts for dinner. As always, the food was delicious as we sampled the local cuisine. If you’re interested, my article is online at http://www.eucom.mil/english/FullStory.asp?art=1105.

Labels: Germany, Travel

When the kids returned from their summer visit to the states, they were excited about donning their helmets and jumping back on their bicycles to improve their skills…and seemed to pick up right where they had left off. MacKenzie was just starting to get comfortable on her new bike (sans training wheels) before their trek to the states, and was adamant about riding her bike to improve her skills.

Of course, Zachary wasn’t going to be outdone by his younger sister, so quickly followed suit on his bike.


Benjamin rides with me on the back of my bike, so he opted to join them in their outdoor fun on his new scooter (birthday present). He is very cute when he starts scooting around the parking lot. He'll push with one leg for a short while, then lift up that leg and let his momentum help him coast along (while holding that leg to the side like a dog at a fire hydrant). Too funny!


It didn’t take long for Zachary and MacKenzie to really increase their confidence levels, and now they both feel comfortable enough to ride around base on little expeditions. Before it turned cold, we’d all climb aboard our bikes and go for rides. Because of German law, I had to equip our bikes with battery-powered headlights and taillights, bells and extra reflectors on the wheels before we could venture off-base. It’s odd to me that helmets are not mandatory in Germany, but bicycle bells are.


MacKenzie and Benjamin received scooters for their birthdays, and were fairly good about sharing with Zachary while in Texas. But, Zachary still felt excluded a bit, so he soon had his own scooter so he wouldn’t be left out.

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Zachary

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Tonight was hot chocolate night. The kids have been begging nearly every night for hot chocolate, so tonight we pulled out the snow cone hot chocolate mixes and made our creations. The kids had fun simply stirring the mix into the warm milk. Adding marshmallows and chocolate chunks were even more enjoyable!

Zachary and MacKenzie did fairly well at not making much of a mess...on their faces, the countertop or the table. Benjamin, on the other hand, made enough of a mess for all of us...three times over...each. After cleaning up the spills on the counter and the table, he worked on adding the mess to his face, mouth, chin and shirt.

When he was done with his hot chocolate, he removed one of his socks and stretched it over his head to make a “rainbow.” It's difficult to see in this photo because the sock is dark, but...how cute!

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Zachary

After visiting the Salzbergwerk in Berchtesgaden, I headed to another nearby renowned site -- the Kehlsteinhaus, often called the Eagle’s Nest. If you’ve seen the movie, “Band of Brothers,” you may recognize it as Hitler’s Hideout that Easy Company was purported to have secured toward the end of World War II. Hitler used it as a diplomatic retreat on top of the Kehlstein Mountain. On a clear day, you can see a spectacular view of the Austrian and Bavarian Alps. On a not-so-clear day, you can’t. Unfortunately, I was there on one of the latter types of days.
To get to the Eagle’s Nest, we took a bus ride from Obersalzberg-Hintereck up Germany’s highest (and very steep and windy) mountain road, then walked through a tunnel (kinda reminded me of a mini-version of the blast tunnel going into Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs since it’s dug out of the mountain-rock) to get to Hitler’s original brass elevator (through the doors in this domed room) that lifted us to the Eagle’s Nest. If you look closely at the photo below of the tunnel, you can see the Eagle's Nest roof peering over the mountaintop.

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The Eagle’s Nest itself is rather small, and today is a restaurant. When we went inside for lunch, the waiter directed us to a table by the window because he said it had the best view. Unfortunately, it was so foggy that the window originally appeared to be a smoky-window with no view. It wasn’t until I got right next to the window and peered out that I noticed the brick ledge outside...and nothing more. It was a total white-out! During lunch, there were a few minor breaks in the clouds that allowed us a glimpse of the scenery below...but not much.

After lunch, we walked around, trying to stay warm and dry. My jacket didn’t do much to keep me warm, and my umbrella did even less to keep me dry.

This is one of the better views I had of the mountain behind the Eagle’s Nest...







...and of the nearby drop-off.

This is one of the villages below...again, it was a rare glimpse through the clouds.
Off in the distance, I could see the Gipfelkreuz, the Summit Cross, but it was too cold to venture the short distance to get a closer (and most likely, nonexistent) look at the Kneifelspitze below.

This was the best view I had the entire afternoon of the valley below. I’d like to head back one day (with better weather) for what I expect is a spectacular view of the Alpine National Park below, with its majestic mountains, crystal clear lakes and unspoiled nature reserve, as well as the nearby charming villages dotting the landscape.

Labels: Germany, Travel

While the kids were back in the states, I headed out to Berchtesgaden to visit the Salzbergwerk, or Salt Mine. The mine has been in operation since 1517 when salt was as valuable as gold. I had to take an open train that I sat on like a toboggan down 2,300 feet into the Obersalzberg mountain. From there, the modes of transportation included walking, sliding or rafting to continue our tour (except for the elevator ride back to the top).

Our guide wore a traditional uniform that the miners of previous generations would wear. This is at the top of the first slide inside a huge cavern (almost 55 feet high and encompassing more than 840,000 cubic feet).

It was amazing how much can be made out of salt. This salt rock grotto was dedicated to King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who lived 1846-86. Even the light fixtures above this grotto (not visible in this photo) were made out of salt!
The mine has its own regulations, the most obvious one is that every visitor has to wear a miner’s outfit before heading deep into the mountain. The outfit consists of pants, a jacket and a leather apron. The apron is to keep the friction created while sliding down the wooden rails from becoming unbearable. Yes, that's more salt beside me!

After a short film explaining how salt was obtained from the mountain in the early days of the mine and how that process has changed over the years (well, the process is similar, the equipment is what’s changed dramatically), we came to a large underground salt lake. The very front of our raft is at the right in the photo below. Once we got to the other side, everyone had an opportunity to taste the water as it comes out of these lakes. As expected, it was salty...much like the leftover brine after making a pot of boiled peanuts.


This last photo is the bottom of another wooden slide the miners use to move about inside the mine. We didn’t ride on this one, though.

It was definitely neat (and chilly) to be so far underground. The best part was riding the wooden slides -- kinda like riding an open roller coaster ride...without any safety straps or even the coaster car itself. I guess it could be compared to sliding down an extremely long bannister. At first it was a little unsettling as I gained speed, but by the second slide, it was thrilling!

Labels: Germany, Travel

Benjamin is very ready for Christmas to get here. He asks almost daily if Santa is here yet…usually just before we walk through the door in the evening. I think he’s expecting Santa to stay for a visit like every other visitor we’ve had.

I caught him sitting in front of our tree the other night (we put up the small tree this year since we’re going to be in Rome over Christmas) staring at the presents. I had told him earlier that he could look at the presents with his eyes, but shouldn’t be carrying them around the house (it would be too tempting to hide somewhere and take a peek...or unwrap it completely). He quickly learned to remind me that he was looking with his eyes so I would allow him to “look” at the present in his hands.

This time, as he sat in front of the tree, he would quickly slide one present about six inches out from the stack, let go, lean his head down sideways just inches away from the wrapped temptation, stare for just a few moments, then quickly slide the present back to its original location under the tree. After just a few seconds, he would repeat the process. Then again. Then again. Then again. He had this “looking with his eyes” thing down pat!

Last night, he simply pulled a present out of the stack and set it in front of him to look at it…again “with his eyes.” Too funny!

Last night I also caught him performing his first taunting act. Before going to bed, he and MacKenzie each get a small cup of eggnog. Last night, he finished off the carton before MacKenzie got any, so he walked up to her -- cup in hand -- and said, “na-na-NA-na-na.” Granted, he didn’t quite have the right inflection (he was almost monotone when saying it) or the correct number of “na’s” for the typical kid-taunt, but we both knew what he meant: he had eggnog and she didn’t! Fortunately, there was a new carton waiting for MacKenzie in the fridge, so she didn’t have to go without. What a kid!

Labels: Benjamin, Christmas