Monday Night, September 30, 2008
The night began about 7pm when we drove over to Pete & Nancy’s house in Mosbach for Peter’s 43rd birthday party. Their daughter is Karina (12) and Peter’s parents Joachin & Heidi. The food was incredible, even though it came from a can. Bratwurst, Leberwurste, Schwartemagen. Cheese, fresh brot (bread), ham, pickled pumpkin, etc..: A very nice assortment! It was absolutely delicious. Sitting around a table with a chicken and a local family and attempting to speak German: priceless!

More pics of Bad Wimpfen.

More Monday, September 29, 2008
After the castle we drove a few kilometers to a village called Bad Wimpfen where we had lunch at a place called Restaurant Picasso. This was a classic small German village. I will let the pics do the talking.

Still Monday, more castle pictures.

Monday, September 29, 2008
The day the stock market went down 777 points. Wow! Maybe that’s what happens when the government steps in. We shall see today and the rest of this week how it reacts. Take what it gives you, my instructor says.
OK. Back to Germany where the weather is absolutely beautiful. Today, which was yesterday, began with a trip to another castle. Weingut Burg Hornberg was built somewhere around 1184. Now that’s old. It’s a restaurant, a working winery, a hotel, and still a castle. Amazing place. It is just across the river from where Rick lives. Took tons of photos, but have only included a few. Many more for those that are interested.

Later we stopped as some of Rick’s friends, Peter & Nancy, and had a great time with the chickens. They brought there chicken out of the cupboard along with a favorite chicken hat. I was offered a cigar, while Nancy smoked a pipe. (I rarely smoke cigars, but one doesn’t want to be rude whilst in a new country, eh?)

Rick took me out to dinner at a local German micro-brewery in Mosbach, the Mosbach Brauhaus, where we sampled the goods. YUM! For dinner I ordered: Chefkoch-Spezial, durchwachsenes Schweinenackensteak mit Knoblauch verfeinert, dazu gibt’s Speckbohnen und knusprige Bratkartoffeln. while Rick ordered a fantastic dish called: Malzerteller, zarte Schweinelendchen mit Kasespatzle und einer feinen Sahnesauce.

Monday, September 29, 2008
A person has to learn German very quickly upon arrival, ‘cause that’s all they speak. (duh, John) It’s like they have a different word for everything. Rick met me at the airport with several good German beers and pretzels. We opened them right in the arrivals area and I enjoyed a bottle of Distelhauser. He said that passengers are allowed to consume beer, so I did. I love this country. Soon we were on the Autobon, cruising at, let’s just say, over 100mph. (and being passed)
On the way to Obrigheim, Rick’s home town, we stopped at an air museum where several of the pics were taken. A very cool pic of two Concorde jets, one French made, the other Russian. How cool is that.
We also stopped at my first castle and had a beir overlooking the Rick’s valley. Absolutely stunning views. The place is a restaurant and hotel where Rick said his family had stayed. Rick knew the owners well. A glass of Radeberger beir was enjoyed.
At Rick’s it was time for a short nap and long shower. Afterwards, Rick said I should come upstairs and meet the landlords, Sebastian and his wife Monique. They had some new-wine they wanted us to sample. The English was slight, mostly German. Very interesting. We were invited back tonight for Sebastians birthday party.

Monday, September 29,2008

Hallo Freunde!

Ich kam sicher in Frankfurt an, wo ein guter Freund, Rick, mich am Flughafen aufnahm und mich zu seiner Heimatstadt von Obreheim trieb. Das Wetter ist prächtig, die Leute sind freundlich, und ich freue mich darauf, die nächsten 9 Tage zu entspannen.

Haben Sie einen guten Tag.

Herr Rosenauf

Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Wow! What a wild week in the stock market. Last week was crazy and this week will be interesting as the government prepares to step in.
With that in mind, I have hired an assistant to help me in this incredibly volatile market. She is calm when others are not. She is quiet, except in the mornings. She has as much if not more knowledge of how to invest than I do. (ok, that’s scary!)
So please welcome her to the Rose$$now team.

September 22, 2008
THE BOTTLE OF WINE
Kathy was driving home from a business trip in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. She stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Kathy tried in vain to make small talk with the woman, but she just sat silently, looking around until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Kathy. 'What in bag?' asked the old woman. Kathy said, 'It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.
'The Navajo woman was silent for a moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: 'Good trade.....'

And now for something completely different: I read this in my meditations last week and decided to include it in my blog. Enjoy!

September 19, 2008
Friends
“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.” Long-running sitcoms like “Cheers” and “Friends” are built around an aching human need—to have friends. God has wired the human spirit for community—it is not good for us to be alone.I Samuel 18:1 says, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. The Lord knew that David, his anointed future king of Israel, was going to have to face bitter years of exile and hardship. One of the ways he helped him was to send him a great and true friend—Prince Jonathan.How are you doing right now? Weary? Confused? Lonely? Look around you today. Some of the faces you see are God’s gifts to you, gifts of friends. Listen to them. Believe their words of affection and concern. Treasure them.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

One week from today, and I fly to Germany. Can't wait! What a week in the stock market. Major volatility! Big changes in buying/selling stocks.

Also, made some advances in the garage project. See photos. The garage is now ready for some tape and texture. But the week ended in the emergency room. That's what happens when an engineer plays carpenter. Cutting and hanging drywall should be left to ....... somebody else. Four stitches later and I was back hanging the last 4 pieces. When the anesthesia wore off, the tequila kicked in. If you look closely, Chicken Little is thinking, "What a dumb ........" .

Sunday, September 14, 2008

A brief update on my garage project: it's coming along, slow. Actually this weekend, with the help of my brother Pete, I picked up more drywall and insulation, and began installing it. I decided to properly insulate the walls that will have cabinets and workbenches. Do it right the first time, as some say, and as few do. (myself included) So a couple pics to show you progress or the lack of....

Getting ready for the Packer game at noon today. Heading over to Lynn Farr's place to enjoy the game in her Packer Shrine, aka her basement. Perhaps some pics tomorrow of that.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Yesterday was 'lawn maintenance' day and my buddy Chicken Little wanted to help. Even though she couldn't reach the clutch or the steering wheel, she was helpful. (just being nice)

During the mowing activities we came across an unusual sight. (no pictures, because it's kinda gross) Earlier in the week, I was upstairs in the owner's suite, (my room) and I heard a loud crack and the power went off for a few micro-seconds. (I know, I counted) I went downstairs and outside to check and my neighbor was outside. He asked if I saw what happened. I didn't. He said he was standing outside and saw a bright flash on the power lines that run through my back yard. I didn't think much about it, until I was mowing. Lying under the power lines, was one very dead squirrel. The look on his face was priceless! If I could read squirrel lips, it's last words were: "OH SHIT" Of course I can't read squirrel lips, but you get the point. Most of it's hair was burned off. Hence, no photo. Very Strange! (that was Chicken Little's comment)

My second photo was taken of my garage project helper, again, Chicken Little. Being a safety engineer, I insisted that she wear safety glasses while working with power tools. She did, but I was appalled to see her on the top step of the ladder. A major safety no-no. Sad to say I had to write her up and dock her pay. (chicken feed) Some people just don't get safety.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Officially the garage project begins today. Officially. The last 4 months of talking about it don't count. ok? I shall try to capture the excitement with a special photo journal of this journey. Calm down, readers. It's just a garage.

I must admit that I couldn't do the project alone. I'm going to have some help. I have secretly recruited a chicken. Yep, a chicken. I call her Chicken Little. Very clever, eh? I recently learned that she knows only slightly more than I do about renovating a garage. We should make quite a team. It was her idea to turn the insulation around so that the paper was facing the installer. No, the tools have not been alphabetized, yet. If you look closely, you might see her in some of the garage documentary and for those wondering, she has graciously accepted my invite to explore Germany later this month. Don't tell her she's riding in my suitcase and not first class. Enjoy!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Today was the 2nd annual Fondue Festival in Fond du Lac. Yeah!!! Last year it was the most horrible tasting gruel that I have ever had. Worse than oatmeal! Well, they got the message and didn't use the world record largest fondue pot this year. Thank Goodness! The local culinary academy had the honors of making and serving a great tasting cheese fondue. They also offered a really nice chocolate fondue. Good Job!

Speaking of the culinary school, I have finally signed up for a couple classes happening in October and November. One is a Southern Italian Cooking class and the other is a Soups & Sauces class. Looking forward to them.

The pics above show a creative way to keep the ATM machine dry. The lonely huge stainless steel fondue tank, one of many bands that performed, and my brother Pete negotiating with his two friends, Bob & Karen, regarding some incredible woodwork.

Overall the festival was quite nice, even though they rolled up the streets and sidewalks at 4pm.

September 4, 2008

Hey! It's a business vehicle. So I had to get some signs for it. For those that have asked if I was going public and taking on more clients: "No, I'm not taking on more than 10 clients."

So this week's tip for saving $1.50/day: milk. Of course this is for those that drink milk, like myself. Kwik Trip has 1/2 gallon bags of milk for $1.24. Check what you're paying. Sure this doesn't apply to everybody. Some of you spend a lot on soy milk. That's a choice. So is early retirement.

So is a Cadillac Escalade the 'greenest' vehicle on the planet. Far from it. However, I am driving less, buying less gasoline, and not poluting as much. For those that have vehicles that get 30 mpg but drive 4 times as much, who has the 'greener' vehicle? Just a thought too debate.

I do get a few looks when I go through the McDonalds drive-through. It's one of my soft spots. Maybe once every two weeks and my limit is $1.05.