Brandon the Bamberg Baron. This year he is playing corner back on defense and tight end on offense. The team is so small- most of the guys have to play the whole time. He is always exhausted afterward, but he loves it. So far his team has had 2 wins and one loss. Next weekend is his homecoming game against Hanau. Last night they got beat by Ansbach but the week before they won against Sigonella in Sicily. 

Brandon with his good friend Adam before one of the games.  

Our Black Forest Excursion.

There are lots of stores to buy coo coo clocks in the Black Forest. Some are HUGE and very commercial. We found ours in this store. In Triberg there is a store called "House of 1000 Clocks" which is really neat to look around and they had a few we were thinking about but finally settled on one here (and also got a good price!). And no I forgot to take a photo of our coo coo clock before they packed it up for us. It is going to remain packed up until our move is complete.

Inside the big coo coo clock.  

Ann-Marie while hiking. 

This is the world's largest coo coo clock. There is a wooden man who chops wood when it coo coo's and of course the bird comes out for each coo coo. We saw this at noon time which (to me) was the perfect time to see it (more coo cooing going on). The lady who gave us the tour was the daughter in law of the clock maker. He built this house specially for making a clock big enough for people to walk around inside. 

Here was dinner. It is a pork knuckle served with mustard and horseradish dip with this little side salad and a basket of bread. It was pretty darn good and went well with the mug of beer you see in the back. 

Jake at the waterfall in Triberg. 

Big blue eyes in a green forest. 

Our view of nature as we took many hikes on this trip. I think this one was in the Black Forest. (looks pretty green doesn't it?) 

Jake and Amy at Germany's largest waterfall in the Blackforest. Photo taken by Ann-Marie! 

A wax clock maker in the Blackforest Museum. 

Here is Jake in Triberg, Germany. 

Little Red VW

Here is our new red car we just got. Now we have two station wagons. This is a 1997 Volkswagon Polo. Jake is taking the other car to Italy when he leaves and so I will be driving this over the next few months and when I drive us down to Italy in December.

Salt Mine in Berchtesgaden, Germany

Here we are near these salt miner statues. This was after we went to the salt mine. We hiked all over the trails back behind the area there.

Ann-Marie playing with the costumes in the salt mine. That thing that is on her head actually goes on her butt...with the belt like strap going around the waist. We all had to put these on. But we didn't complain. It helped keep us warm! 

Daddy and Ann-Marie with their Miner's clothes on. We noticed a 'no pictures' sign after this photo was taken so this is all we have. But it was cool. The tour takes you down into a salt mine by riding a train that you straddle. There are also several places in which you slide down big slides to go deeper into the cavern. The tour was in German but had bits of English translation. We each got our own free salt to take home at the end. 

This is the view of the Salt Mine area. You pay up the street and to the left and that is where you enter and put on your miner clothes. 

We went to the Gorgeous Lake Konigssee in Berchtesgaden

The boat garages on Lake Konigssee. Only electric or man powered boats are allowed in order to keep it clean and quiet.

This is the boat we took. 

Just some houses (probably a hotel with a biergarten) near the dock when we left on the boatride. 

This is the photo I was hoping to get when I went here! It is very similar to the paintings I have! So, anyway, in order to get here you have to take a boat on Lake Konigssee; considered Germany's cleanest lake. We went in the morning and it was very foggy...we hiked around and then later it cleared up and we were really able to see all the beauty of the area. 

Just hiking some trails around the lake. 

The lake water of Lake Konigssee is extremely clear and green in color. It is very beautiful. 

We hiked along the beach and then into the woods near the mountain at the St. Bartholomew stop. 

Here they are inside the boat (but this was taken as we were leaving). On our way there the fog was so thick that you could not see the straight up mountain walls that surround the lake on 3 sides. As you are on the way to St. Bartholomew they stop the electric boat and so it is very silent and they play a trumpet song and you hear an incredible echo.