PINEWOOD DERBY
Our church had a Pinewood Derby event up in Darmstadt about 47 km or about 30 miles north of here.   The Bishop invited us to go along.  He told us that Darmstadt means Intestine City.  Wonder how they decided on that name?  This was the first Pinewood Derby they have had and surprisingly there was a big turn out.  We had a fun time.

This is the Bishop Jürgen Broo's entry car named "Chicken Wings".  Day-Ji Broo is next to Jürgen.

Myles and Christy Watson, Jürgen, Steve, Day-Ji.

The set up was very nice with electronic timers and live data to calculate the places of the cars.  Kids caught the cars and shuttled them back to the starting line in plastic boxes.  All very organized.

The track and projection screens with the movie "Cars" going for pre-race entertainment. And a close up live video of the finish line.

Jürgen and Miles

PROJECTS - gloves and yogurt and Family History Book
While it is still pretty cold outside, in the high 20's and windy today, I choose to say indoors.   I'll work on a few projects.   I would like to repair my glove liners that have worn through at the fingertips.  I use these under the gloves I've been using while riding my bike.   I have a polypropylene pair and a silk pair.  I wasn't sure if I could repair them because it looked like the fabric that covers the open areas was gone.  But I like them and really wanted to save them.  With the holes in the fingertips like this, the glove fingers slide way down to my palm when I put on the outer layer glove.  So here is the before and after shots of the gloves.

See how the fabric is gone from the finger tips. 

I wasn't sure if I could fix these.

But hey, not bad.  Not beautiful but functional.  I'm happy.

The silk liners are actually in worse condition.  The fabric is very thin.

more results

Again not beautiful but it should work for while.

Next I'll make some yogurt.  I have such and easy way to do it.  I brought my Donvier yogurt maker from the U.S.  I have to use a big transformer that weighs about 20 lbs but hopefully nothing will blow up, over heat, or make the circuits breakers flip (I've had them flip several times using the transformer).  If you haven't tried making your own yogurt, try it, it is very easy.

Boil the milk until it reaches 185-190F (85-88C).  If you have an instant read thermometer that clips on the pan make sure it isn't touching the bottom.  I don't have one so I am using a meat thermometer propped up by a couple of utensils.

Then cool the milk down to 110-115F (43-46C).  Add a few heaping spoons of live culture plain yogurt, stir well.   Put into yogurt cups in yogurt maker.  Time for about 10 hours.  Store in Frig or put it out on the balcony like I do here in Germany because the frig is so small.  I can eat this plain but I know a lot of people like to add fruits or jams or sugars to make it taste like fancy yogurt from the stores.

Watch the temps.  Stir frequently, don't leave it, it will boil over in a lot of pans.

Poor into yogurt cups. 

Cover with lids. Put the timer on for about 10 hours.  Refrigerate or put out on the balcony like I do here in Germany because the frig is so small.  

FAMILY HISTORY BOOK
My mother made a family history book for me many years ago.  What are the odds, but a few years ago I found the exact same book (blank) in the Salvation Army store not long after telling Christina I would make one for her.  I wasn't looking for it and I wasn't looking for the same book but it was there so I bought it.  I've had it in the cupboard for a fews years now and I'm finally transferring all the data over to her book.  I've worked on this all day and have writers cramp in my hand so time to stop and continue on another day.  The bottom one is the new one for Christina, the top is the one my mom made for me.

books

A COLD BIKE RIDE

The morning looked petty nice with some SUN!  Wow I thought I'd better get on my bike and go.  I had planned to go to the bike shop to get a basket to carry groceries from the big store but the bike shop is closed on Wednesdays.  It is also closed for 2 hours in the middle of each day.  But I was going for a ride so all was good.  I didn't go far or for very long.  The clouds came in and the wind from the North picked up and it was so cold.  When I left I think it was maybe 40 degrees F, so I was thinking, WARM.  But out in the open snow fields it was about 31 degrees with wind chill even lower.  I started out going south.  But I could tell the wind was at my back and I was already feeling the cold so I turned around and went North but that made me realize just how cold it was, as my face and hands and feet got colder.  I did try out the hand warmers in my shoes, that did help, these where not expired.  The warmers where soon overpowered by the cold and I didn't feel any warmth from them until I stopped.  So I decided to just go to Real (the big store) , warm up, and buy some spare ribs. I came home and made the sauce and put them in the oven, first step, then I'll put them into the pot for the long slow cook.  This is the Polynesian style rib sauce.  I used to make it in the crock-pot and liked it.  We'll see how it comes out now with the pot in the oven.  Good day to have the oven on in the apartment.

GERMAN LANGUAGE CLASS
My last day of the first German class was last Friday.   I have decided not to sign up for the next one for  awhile.  I didn't like the the teaching method and I think it costs too much plus it was not really a beginning class.  It was more geared for someone who already knows almost all the vocabulary and needs to get the grammar correct.  I will work with the materials I've collected so far and re-enforce what I've learned.  I've ordered another set of CD's and I can always buy the next course book if I need more exercises.  One of the last things we did was to write on 4 pieces of paper in our native language "I" , "want to", "learn", "German" and lay them on the floor.  So here is a sample of some of the languages.  There where about 4 or 5 students absent this day so we didn't get all the languages.

Frau Geronti is in the center in black, she is from Greece.  The rest are students.

Greece, Iraq, Syria, Romania, Poland, Spain, Greece, Poland, Poland, me-U.S.A., Russia?, Thailand, Poland, Montenegro, Philippines.  Absent was India, Georgia, Korea, Turkey, I think that is it. 

What we do when it is too cold to go out and play.

jigsaw puzzle

BIKING IN KAFERTAL WALD PARK

On Saturday Steve and I rode our bikes over to Kafertal Wild Park, about a 20 minute bike ride from the apartment.  This is a big forested park that has a ge-zillion bike trails.  Most of them are dirt though so even tho our intent was to stay on paved paths we ended taking muddy ones too.  Our bikes were covered with mud by the time we got out of the park.  We washed the bikes with buckets of water from the apartment before we brought them back into the building.  We don't have a hose or water spicket to use.  We had a good time and saw a little of the wildlife but the animals where in fenced in areas.  We saw the wild pigs, Bison and goats.  This will be even more fun when the temperatures get higher and the trails dry out a lot more and the vegetation grows back in the spring.  The temperatures where between 35 and 43 degrees.  I dressed in layers and was warm except my feet.  I tried a set of the air activated heat pads in my shoes but this pair must have been expired because there was NO heat from them, I had the package for a very long time.

Kafertal Wild Park and just a portion of it! Showing the bike trails from google maps.

Still a little snow on the ground and the trails are very muddy

Bison

Bison

Wild piglet

Here is my layers for riding a bike when it is about 35 degrees out.  Black silk turtle neck, bike knickers, thick leggings, black silk leggings, yoga pants or crew insulated pants, PV Bike Chicks jersey, PV Bike Chicks arm warmers, down vest, grey rain parka, black knee sox, PV bike chicks sox, bike shoes, glove liners, Steve's big warm gloves, yellow neck scarf that I wrap over my ears under my helmet to keep my ears warm.

I wear all this and it works to keep me warm when it is just above freezing

me with all the stuff on

CHURCH -  Missionary Elder Sleeman left last week for his next city assignment.  We had him and Elder Lyons over for dinner.  Sleeman brought over some extra neck ties for Steve to select from.  Wow now Steve is all set with a nice selection.

BIKING

Steve and I put our bikes together on Saturday morning.  Thanks to John doing a great packaging job, they came through the move in great shape.  My bell is the only thing isn't working but I have a spare someplace.  It is still a bit cold for riding since we are still accustomed to riding in southern California.  The temperatures have been in the low 30's.  But on Sunday night it rained and on Monday it warmed up to between 35 and 40 degrees.  I did want to take my bike into a shop to tighten the pedals, get a tune up and buy some panniers or a basket.  There is a bike shop in the next town.  So I bundled up and rode over to find it.  I eventually found it off of an alley but there was a sign as shown below.

At the bike store

Dear customers

Of 28 January to 2 February

is my business because

renovations

closed

We apologize for any inconvenience

Your round Ums wheel team

So I will return to the bike store next week if the weather is good and get things taken care of.  I think I'll see if there are things I can buy at the bike store to help with cold hands and feet.  Those are the things that got cold on this short ride.  The temperature around the lake was around 35 degrees I think, maybe colder.  I had on my knee length bike pants with thermal crew pants over them, two pair of knee sox, one pair of short sox, a under shirt, my PV Bike Chick jersey and arm warmers, a down vest, a yellow knit scarf for my ears, and my rain parka, glove liners and bike gloves.   The next day it warmed up to 45 degrees and all the snow is melted but it is really windy.  I enjoyed getting on my bike.  It has been since September that I last was able to ride it.  It was then packed for the long trip over here.

My bike and the lake by our apartment in the background

I asked  a elderly couple walking by to take my picture.

Me and my bike on the other side of the lake, self timer photo.  The lake is still frozen.

More Snow - no trams
Last night it was raining.  In the morning it was snowing.  Something to do with this kind of weather made all the trams in the area stop running.  Even out of the city from Heidelberg.  No trams.  The snow wasn't very deep so it must have been something to do with the lines freezing.  Steve was able to contact a friend from church who has a car and was able to drive them into work.    I needed to get to class in the afternoon.   I found a special bus was running instead of our tram 7 but it wasn't on a schedule.  I waited about 45 minutes for it along with about 40 other people.  I was smart in that I got on the opposite side of the bus route going on the outbound route so it was pretty empty and was able to get a seat.  The bus only had about 3 stops before returning to the same bus stop that had those 40 people waiting and all had to cram on board.  I had a seat for about 1/2 hour before I gave it to a elderly lady with 2 walking canes that had just come on.   She gave it back later when she got off.  My ride that usually takes 20 minutes on the tram took over an hour because of all the additional stops.  It was really crowded.   But I made it to class about an hour late.  Some of the students didn't make it in.

I thought the snow was pretty on the trees and bushes.

From our apartment window

GERMAN LANGUAGE CLASS
I am taking a beginning German Intensive Language course Monday through Friday from 2pm to 5:15pm.  I started Jan 15.  I missed the first day.  The class is 5 weeks long.  I was hoping it would start out with simple things like the A.B,C's and 1, 2, 3...  but it is more along the lines of "OK. Lets have a conversation."  The instructor only speaks in German.  I am pretty lost a lot of the time.  But I will get better and learn fast I hope.  The people in the class are interesting.  There are about 26 students.  I am the only American.  So far I have found out that we have people from these countries: Korea, Spain, Philippines, Poland, Montenegro, India, Iraq, Romania, Syria, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, and Thailand.  Pretty good melting pot I think.

I have homework everyday.

Here are books we have to help me learn German.  I bought some elementary school books last year and was translating them.

My books and notebook.  The "Schritte plus" is the text for the class.

I have had a week of class so far and feel like I may be getting a bit overwhelmed.   I dreamt last night that I was talking in German but didn't know all the words so I made them up.  People didn't understand me but I kept talking anyway.  Sort of like what happens to me in the elevator when people talk to me in German.  I don't know what they are saying but they tell me about it anyway.

Me dreaming in German

Abendakadamie - This is the building where I take classes.  Abend means evening.

Back to Germany after a visit to the U.S.  We had a great trip and visit with most of our relatives and friends.  The weather in Idaho Falls was the coldest.  California had great weather.  Here in Germany it is mostly grey with temps in the low 30's, some snow but not much stays on the ground.  We walked around the lakes.  There are more swans now.  We counted 12 swans today.

Robin - photo taken by our neighbor

I just love these wood ducks.  There was only one.  I hope there is a mate for it so we can see more in the spring.