OK. I see by the date on this letter that it has been 6 months since you've heard from us. The usual opening of these letters is ridden with apologies about why we are late, how we promised to communicate more often, etc. This time I decided, "to hell with that!". They way I figure it, you people are getting about a half-hour's worth of high-quality entertainment (or maybe an hour, if you're a slow reader like me), for absolutely nothing! So I'm not going to apologize for being late. We probably should start charging money for this thing, but... Anyway, at the moment I (David) am writing the general letter, while Liza is writing the Ireland Diary. When both are finished, you will be getting a fat parcel in your mailbox. Actually, if you are reading this, you have already gotten the fat parcel. OK. On with the show, in more or less chronological order.
Since we last wrote the garden has gone through a miraculous spectacle of natural change. I am truly amazed and inspired by what Mother Nature can do with a packet of seeds and a plot of dead grass. As I look upon our empty plot now, it is hard to remember that in just a few short months we pulled a substantial amount of incredible edibles out of the ground. Our harvest consisted of: 2 pumpkins (honeydew size, excellent cooked Chinese-style in the Wok), 3 butternut squash, at least a dozen acorn squash (half of them are still in the basement - our winter stock), bushels of carrots, tomatoes, leeks, and radishes, at least 20 heads of lettuce, about 10 pounds of green beans (all from one plant!), half a dozen eggplants, several pounds of peas, about 10 pounds of broccoli, 6 celeriacs (fist sized), and a few miscellaneous just-for-fun things. The composter is working great and I have emptied it 3 times already into the garden. I think the earth is thanking me by nurturing my veggies. It was really wonderful having all those fresh herbs available in summer and fall to cook with, and now that the annuals have died off and the frost has nipped most of the others into winter dormancy, I'm not sure how I ever lived without them! I can only suggest that if you want to grow anything at all, you should definitely start with herbs. We are making plans now for the spring planting season and with so little ground to garden it makes the decisions very very difficult. Oh well...such is the life of an urban farmer.
This Hallowe'en was pretty much like the last few, except that we almost missed it! We had made plans to go out (to the housing projects on the US Army base in Hanau) on the 31st of October, but accidentally we heard from a neighbor that the Trick-or-Treating was organized for the 29th! (IĘguess that is so the kids don't get to stay out late on a school nite.) We made a mad rush to finish the costumes (those Wassers, always doing everything at the last second) and trudged out in the rain to collect those treats. We were a little late getting out there and the weather was not very conducive to Trick-or-Treating, but the kids made the rounds and they seemed to enjoy it. From our point of view it was mostly just tiring and I think next year we would like to have a party and invite some friends. Anyway, the important stuff: Samantha was dressed as a peeled banana (Liza's most daring effort to date), Nathan was a convincing Robin Hood (with sword and bow), Rebecca was a mermaid (an old costume from Samantha and it looked very sexy on her), Maxx was a bunch of grapes (a verrry old costume from Samantha, one of the original Liza and David soft-sculpture efforts), and Alex was a pumpkin (an old costume, but a favorite of ours, although Liza had to make a new stem "hat" for it. She makes a new "hat" for it every time. Someday when we move, we will look under some piece of furniture and find 13 odd socks and 3 pumpkin stem "hats").
During the Autumn school vacation, I took a few days off and one day we all made a trip to Frankfurt to go museum hopping. We went on a Wednesday, which turned out to be a good thing, as all the museums in Frankfurt are open late and for free on Wednesdays! We will be sure to remember that. We went first to the History museum, which had an interesting children's exhibit (not for children, but about children in Frankfurt around the turn of the century). There was a mocked-up school room, and period clothing and toys and stuff. The kids were completely bored. Next door there was an exhibit called the "Anne Frank" Project (Anne Frank lived in Frankfurt) which was put together in honor of Anne Frank's 65th birthday. A group of kids from Frankfurt schools wrote letters to relatives and friends of the Frank family and interviewed people here in Germany and in America and produced a multi media exhibit about the life of Anne Frank. Our kids were mostly (but not completely) bored. Next we went to the Modern Art museum. Very "modern". Several floors filled with individual rooms, each devoted to an individual artist. Some contained only 1 work or just a few. Most of the art was HUGE. One especially interesting piece was in a long triangular shaped room. It consisted of about 40 or 50 white plaster mannequins dressed in black clothing sitting on benches at a long table covered with a tablecloth. They were all exactly the same. Exactly. It reminded me of the black & white science fiction film Metropolis. Maxx said that it scared her. I had the same reaction (although probably for different reasons, although...maybe not). In another room was a sculpture which consisted of some large metal rods and plates welded together hanging from the ceiling with some brown clay or wood pieces scattered on the floor underneath it. At first I though the floor was scattered with boats of some kind. Alex said "It's poop!". I think his judgment is more accurate. Actually, a lot of what we saw at this museum was "poop", but some of it was really interesting. The kids were definitely not bored. We'll have to go back there again. Last stop was the Struwwelpeter museum. This will take some explaining. Struwwelpeter is a very famous German book for children. It was written in 1845 by Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann, a nerve doctor who could not find any suitable stories for his own children. It is a book of stories (in rhyme) with accompanying pictures which describe in lurid detail what happens to little children who do not comb their hair or cut their fingernails or bathe (Struwwelpeter) and about what happens to children who don't eat their soup (they get thinner and thinner and then after 7 days they die), and about children who suck their thumbs (the Daumenabschneider comes when the Mom isn't home and cuts off their thumbs), etc. The book became extremely popular world-wide and has been translated into zillions of languages. There are several "German dialect" editions (ie: Bavarian, Hessian, etc.) and also many parodies of the book. It has been used often as a source for political cartoonists and Struwwelpeter has developed quite a cult status. Hence the museum. Here you can see examples of the many translations and parodies and other Struwwelpeter memorabilia. Sam and Alex were bored. The rest found it very interesting. I chased Alex around the Roman ruins which are just outside the museum.
Liza's mother, Mary Cameron, arrived in November to visit with us. This was her first trip to Europe. She seemed to enjoy the fact that the kids were all bilingual, and took pleasure in trying out her German at the supermarket and bakery. We think she had fun. More about Grandma Cameron in following paragraphs...
Thanksgiving at our house was very quiet this year. We wanted to invite some friends, but they were busy and couldn't make it. So we ate alone. Grandma Cameron was there, of course. I took the day off and stayed home to cook. We made Chuck and Amy's walnut-chestnut loaf again (very good) with onion gravy, a cold cranberry-orange relish (very tart), and a Greek rice pilaf with pine nuts and currants. Liza baked the usual assortment of yummy pies (Apple, Chocolate-Pecan, Pumpkin). Food was excellent (as usual).
While Mary was here, we wanted to do a few day trips so we could show her a bit of Germany. We didn't want to go too far, but one day we made a trip to Heidelberg. Since I have been in Germany, whenever I mention that I'm an American, German people ask me why it is that all Americans want to go to Heidelberg. I never heard of Heidelberg before I came to Germany, and I've actually been there once and don't really see what all the fuss is about. I don't know what to tell German people about the attraction between Americans and Heidelberg, except for maybe that Mark Twain spent some time there. If anyone knows why all Americans have to see Heidelberg, would you please let me know so that I don't feel like such an idiot next time someone asks me.
Anyway, one day we all took the train to Heidelberg (it is a 1.5 hour train trip from Frankfurt, but since we had to get to Frankfurt first, it took us about 3 hours from Hainstadt). The weather was cold, but clear (it had been raining off and on the whole week). We hiked from the Bahnhof (train station) through the town and stopped for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant in the Hari Krishna Center and on up the hill to see the famous Heidelberg Castle. Actually, the castle is mostly a ruin (destroyed by lightning in 1764) overlooking the Neckar river. The grounds are well maintained and there is a guided tour of the castle grounds (which we did not take). The facade of the main house is restored and is quite impressive. There is a small wine cellar with the world's largest wine cask which the kids enjoyed climbing over. Since we nearly gave Mary a heart attack walking up the hill to the castle, we decided to take the cable car down the hill to the town center. We wandered through the old part of the town and eventually made our way back to the Bahnhof. in the early evening hours. We took the train back to Frankfurt and eventually made it back home, safe and sound, but exhausted. Mary and the kids all held up pretty well, considering that Sergeant Major David is a veritable slave-driver when it comes to walking tours.
Chanukah was the usual chaos this year. The kids' Chanukah lists were filled with wild requests for unobtainable merchandise of dubious value (mostly). They got winter shoes and socks and underwear and toothbrushes (teethbrush?) from Mom and Pop (necessary, proper, unexciting, useful gifts of obvious value). I sent the kids' lists (edited, of course) to my parents and asked them to buy some things in the US for us, due to the great difference in prices. My folks ended up sending 7 boxes to us about 2 or 3 weeks before Chanukah. As usual, when it needs to arrive it never does, and our Chanukah boxes were no exception. They finally showed up weeks after Chanukah had long since passed. The kids got a lot of (sorely needed) clothes, lots of books, and assorted goodies. Mary was here for the first few days of Chanukah and she had her own array of gifts ready. She also left us with several bags and boxes to be doled out after she left. All in all I'd say that the kids did very well and should be grateful that they have wonderful relatives and friends who buy them stuff. Of course, getting them to believe that is probably next to impossible!
Actually one gift that was well received by everyone in the family was the long awaited and sorely needed CD-ROM drive. I finally made my decision to buy one (under intense pressure from family members whose names shall not be mentioned) and ordered a bundle which included a drive, headphones, speakers and 15 CD-ROM disks (World atlas, US atlas, Multimedia encyclopedia, Audobon's bird and mammal guides, etc.). It also showed up weeks after Chanukah was officially over. The computer has since been permanently occupied by at least one family member and there is usually a queue (and/or a waiting list) of impatient would-be users. Alex is especially enchanted and enthralled by the "Living Books" series, which are electronic "books" which can be either read to you (passive) or "played in" (active). In the active mode, the user (in this case Alex or Maxx) uses the mouse to point and click on objects in the story (pictures, words, phrases, etc.). The result is usually animated, musical and hilariously funny! It is hard to imagine how captivating these things really are until you have stayed up 'til midnight playing with them yourself (OK, I admit it, I'm a closet 3-year-old).
During the "Holiday Season", we received a number of "Holiday" cards from family and friends. In my office I got a rather interesting assortment from such far-flung places as Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. At home, I noticed that we received mostly Chanukah cards. Liza stuck them on the door and they made a nice display (besides hiding the fingerprints). One night when I didn't have anything better to do, I examined the Chanukah cards and noticed that not one came from a Jewish person. It was at that moment that a major light bulb lit up inside my head: Jews don't send Chanukah cards! I have never sent any Chanukah cards, but I thought that was because I am socially inept. When I was growing up I don't remember my family ever sending Chanukah cards, only Christmas cards. I have a funny feeling that Hallmark invented Chanukah cards for people who usually send Christmas cards, but don't want to offend their Jewish family and friends. Pretty clever, eh? If anyone has any further thoughts on this topic, drop me a line and share them with me. Perhaps I'll go back to school and write a thesis on the topic...
During December we received an unexpected phone call from TJ, a friend of ours from Brooklyn. Actually, the phone call wasn't really unexpected, just late (he was supposed to call us in November). Actually, we never saw TJ in Brooklyn, we met him a few years ago while he was working here in Germany. We have kept in touch via mail and stuff, but we seem to keep missing each other. He visited Germany while we were in Hong Kong, and then he ended up in Asia after we were already back in Europe. He was finally on his way home to the US after an extended beach-bumming holiday in Southeast Asia, and called from Frankfurt to see if he could spend a day with us during his stopover in Germany. Needless to say, we dropped all our other pressing engagements and invited TJ to crash in our guest room (actually Samantha gave up her bed for the night). We had a heck of a time chatting with TJ 'til all hours and catching up on several years of juicy gossip. TJ had much to say about his travels through Asia and his varied work experience as "Independent Psychology Consultant for Hire". Unfortunately he had a plane to catch, so we had to say our fond farewells much too soon (for all of us, I think). Hopefully we will be able to get together for a longer stretch the next time. Good luck, TJ! We wish you success in whatever you end up doing next!
New Year's Eve is a major celebratory event here in Germany. A few days before the end of the year, the department stores and supermarkets clear entire aisles of toilet tissue and cucumbers and charcoal briquettes away to make room for the massive displays of fireworks that they are legally allowed to sell. Mobs of Deutsche Mark toting Germans create huge traffic jams in the doorways so that I cannot even hope to get in to buy the milk and butter and yogurt that I really need. Gobs of money change hands. Elated customers run out into the streets clutching their newly purchased, ridiculously overpriced, cheaply made, incredibly dangerous implements of destruction. A few intrepid teenagers try out a dozen cherry bombs in the street. I run for the nearest bomb shelter and wait for the nightmare to be over. Actually, we have a few crazy neighbors who shoot off everything (including their mouths) between 23:59 and 00:30 on December 31. Normally the kids want to stay up and see the fireworks. I don't really mind (I mean it ain't Disneyworld, but then again Hainstadt isn't Never Never Land either), so long as they stay inside the house and watch through the big picture window. This year, Liza got so bold as to buy a box of sparklers, and we let them light them early in the evening. After the sparklers were gone, we sat around doing the usual boring stuff and one by one the kids fell asleep. At about 23:30 I went up to bed myself, and by the time the hoopla began we were all fast asleep. The next day our neighbors claimed that they stopped by after midnight to offer drunken congratulations and New Year's greetings, but found the house dark and assumed that we weren't home. We explained that we were all in bed, but they couldn't believe that. "Don't Americans celebrate the New Year?" we were asked. How can I even begin to explain?
We are this year once again disappointed by the near-total lack of fluffy white stuff which (as everyone from New England knows) is the trademark of Winter. How any self-respecting red-blooded season can dare to call itself "Winter" without the requisite delivery of snow is quite beyond the realm of human comprehension! We keep crossing our fingers when the temperature drops (heaven knows we've had enough precipitation), but all we usually get is rain. We have had a few light dustings and twice there was enough snow that the kids were able to build a midget snowperson (of course they had to go all around the neighborhood with the little red wagon, scooping up snow and bringing it back to our yard). Our neighbors were suitably impressed. Of course, the snow (even the minuscule amount that we do get) never lasts long, and the snowpeople inevitably soon melt into a pile of wet clothing with a carrot garnish. Alex kept wanting to go out and see the 'noman, and we just couldn't convince him that the 'noman had melted. Oh, the joy and innocence of youth!
Samantha has gotten involved in some after-school activities. She is doing acrobatics after school and has become quite involved in the Drama Club. She is also taking Judo lessons, and since she is now almost as tall as her parents, I think that maybe we should consider taking Judo lessons too (as a measure of self-defense). During the Christmas vacation Sam spent a few days with some friends who live in northern Germany, near Holland. They go together with some other families to a youth hostel for New Year's Eve. Sam went with them this time and she had a good time. At least she saw some snow!
Nathan has been fairly busy outside of school. He is taking Judo lessons twice a week and he still is very active in the chess club. Every so often he goes with the chess club on a weekend chess tournament trip. His play is improving and there isn't anyone in the house who stands a chance with him anymore. Recently, Nathan went with one of his friends to the Spessart (nearby mountains) after a minor snowstorm armed with his sled. Naturally there is more snow in the mountains than down here where we live. He returned that night after a day of sledding down the mountains, expounding about how "awesome" it was. I don't remember ever seeing him so animated. I'm sorry that I didn't go with him, it sounded like great fun! It really bugs me that we don't get any decent snow here.
Well, let's see...the major catastrophe in the last 6 months is that Rebecca broke her two front teeth. Yes, the permanent ones. Yes, she did a pretty good job. No, nobody really understands exactly how she did it. It seems that she tripped and fell in the classroom at school and her face was the first part of her body to hit the floor. This seems to be a common occurrence with Rebecca, her face is usually the first part to come in contact with the ground, the wall and other people. Liza rushed her to the dentist, along with the broken bits which one of her classmates kindly picked up off the floor. No, they couldn't be reattached, however the dentist did a very good job of building up reasonable facsimiles of her teeth with some epoxy type stuff. When I finally saw her, I didn't even notice anything different. She'll have to live with the built-up jobs until the rest of her permanent teeth come in and her jaw stops growing. At that time she will probably get a proper set of caps. Oh, well...it could have been worse!
Speaking of Rebecca, she has been taking part in weekly "Turnen" sessions, a combination dance, gymnastics and acrobatics event. During the club's Christmas party each of the groups put on a little exhibition. Rebecca took part in 2 acrobatic/dance numbers. The first was a cute little dance accompanied by the B52's rendition of the "Flintstones" theme song (from the movie). The other number was an entertaining rendition of "Singin' in the Rain". We were very pleased by Rebecca's performance. She was one of the more animated dancers and seemed to know exactly what she was doing. OK, Gene Kelly she ain't, but who is? Regrettably, the performance was not anything like what we have come to expect from these recitals. We were absolutely spoiled while we lived in North Carolina when the kids all took dancing lessons from "Miss Melody". Her annual recitals were better organized and better choreographed than Michael Jackson's Pepsi commercials! Miss Melody, we miss you! Your students don't know how good they have it!
Maxx has been doing the usual stuff. She is in her last year of Kindergarten and is getting ready to enter school in the fall. She has also been tumbling on the mats at "Turnen" occasionally. We do have a cute Maxx story though: One night Nathan, Rebecca and I were talking about digestion (mouths, throats, esophagi, etc.) when Maxx suggested that I had an "Addams Family" in my throat!
Alex has been talking and growing like there is no tomorrow. He usually goes with Liza to take Maxx to Kindergarten in the morning. He is very excited that he will finally be going to Kindergarten himself in the fall. Liza can hardly wait! Alex has also been caught regularly using the telephone. One day Liza asked him what he was doing and he casually replied "calling Australia" (a quote from a book).
I have had several letters from people which ask the popular question, "What's your email address?". At the moment, I'm embarrassed to say, I don't have one. This will change in the very near future. One of the reasons that this letter has been delayed is that I'd hoped to have my email address before I sent the letter out. Getting connected is not nearly as easy in Germany as it is in the US, so it has taken some time to figure out the various alternative connection methods and weighing the pros and cons (mostly price). I've decided on the type of connection that I want and am hunting for the best (read: cheapest) way to organize it. It appears that it isn't going to happen as quickly as I'd hoped, so this letter will have to go out before I have established my connection, and therefore my email address. However, in the very near future, I will have an address in Cyberspace and we will be connected to the Internet. I'm sure that this will make us more easily accessible to at least some of you letter readers out there, and that means that you'll have no more excuses not to drop us a line!
Well, that's the news from Hainstadt, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and most of the people they write to never write back.
Last updated: 20-June-96