the day after

Black Friday. The day after the o-my-gosh-did-I-really-eat-that-much day. Day two in a much needed four day weekend. Call it what you will, but today is the day after Thanksgiving.

Although I could not be with my extended family, I was blessed to have my husband and children around my table. The turkey was moist, the potatoes smooth, the onion rings on the green bean casserole crunchy. All was perfect. Then we topped it off with pumpkin pie and coffee. A perfect end to a perfect meal.

Once again, 'tis the Season.

So as Christmas approaches, let all of us remember the good times and resist the commercialism and stress that seems to get injected into this time.  Let it be instead a time of Joy, a time to remember family and friends, a time to reflect on the God who made all this possible, a time to continue the attitude of thanksgiving we enjoyed yesterday, being thankful for all we have been given and all we are able to give to others.

Tree at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ

Blessings to you all!

Finding things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

These are just some of the things that I am thankful for that would like to share with each of you. There are of course friends and family - all of whom I am very thankful for, but in the interest of privacy I will not post their pictures. I will keep this list to more universal things, such as:

Beaches

Mountains

Freedom

Puppies

Blue skies

Bicycles

Town squares

Palace

Carriages

 
May you remember always the things that have blessed your life today and throughout the rest of the year. Enjoy the beauty around you.

Deutsches Museum in Munich

I love museums. It doesn't matter to me what kind of museum it is; I just have a love of learning. In Munich there is the German National Museum and it is a must see for anyone like me who loves museums.

The day we went it was raining, the line was very long, and there was construction, but well worth it!

Inside there were many interesting areas from maritime history (including a full size submarine) to science to transportation.

Take that, Smart car!

The many levels let you look at things from above too.

I am an avid astronomy buff, so the entire two level room devoted to the art and science was of particular interest to me.

Telescopes look like artwork.

More telescopes!

There was also a section devoted to the digital age which wouldn't be complete without a nod to Intel.

I only use computers with Intel chips, including my beloved Apple.

We took time at the museums cafe to rest our feet, enjoy sinfully good hot chocolate, and look out the window at the rain.  Everything was so close by that we walked everywhere, rain or shine.

The rain swollen Isar river behind my red umbrella.

As we were leaving, I was amused to find this exhibit with my homeland's Grand Canyon:

Memories of home across the globe!

This is a must see destination, if you are ever in Munich. The price was very reasonable and there is also a very large gift shop that can be found online. There are a couple of other sites that are part of the museum, but we didn't go to them. More information can be found here.

Hudba, Zene, Musik

In any language, music is sweet to the ear. On my travels this past summer to Europe I saw many musical sights and heard many musical pieces. Here is a montage of my findings.

Two young flautists playing classical music in Vienna.

A harpist!

In Salzburg.

Vienna - a tribute to Mozart.

Close up of Mozart's statue.

Everywhere there were references to Mozart!

I enjoyed listening to music on street corners and in restaurants. I found everything from classical to pop to jazz. I think it is because I had such a great time listening that I failed to shoot very many pictures. It was like the audio overshadowed the visual.

One place I went to that tantalized not only the visual and audio, but also the tactile. It was the Haus der Musik in Austria. This fabulous hands-on museum covered not only the history and sounds of major composers, it taught about the very act of hearing. Various rooms and displays were set up so that you could learn the biology of sound. This is a must see for anyone traveling to Vienna. It is near the famous St. Stephen's Cathedral.