Real estate agents have a mantra: “Location! Location! Location!” When choosing where to live it is always important to consider the local amenities. How close is your prospective home to churches, schools, shopping, transit, recreation and a myriad of other options? Each of us shuffles the list into different priorities. I never considered putting the […]

I wish I had brought a stone with me, but I didn’t know. As a small town, Sulzburg has few tourist attractions besides fresh air and hiking trails. However, it is known for its synagogue and Jewish cemetery, both no longer in use. Well, the cemetery is still there. So is the synagogue. It is […]

I wonder how it feels when the academic has no clothes? When their prejudices are revealed to the world and they stand naked, are they embarrassed? Or do they not even notice? The drawback to commenting on current news is that at times events unfold faster than This is the third time I have written […]

Just a reminder for those who disparage meat eaters…   Hey, lighten up – it’s a joke! (Disclaimer: These days it seems there is nothing that someone doesn’t take offence with. If you have been offended, hurt or traumatized by today’s image, send me an email. I can provide the name of a counselor who […]

In North America it is common for retail salespeople to wear name tags. Turns out they do in Germany too, but there’s a big difference. The name tag is so much a part of the uniform that those wearing them often forget they are there. If I see a clerk wearing one I tend to […]

It’s always a delight to discover beauty in an urban environment. Not that Mullheim, the largest town in our area, is that urban – but it seems that way. I found this stream by chance when I was looking for something else. Life is like that some days.  

Today’s post vanished into cyberspace and I can’t recover it. There are days when I am not a fan of computers or smart phones. I’ll give you a quick recap to put these pictures into some context. Yesterday we went to an Advent Market that had been advertised on posters in every village in the area. […]

You’ve probably never heard of Mark Lee, which means you are unlikely to read this book. Hurt Road is for the fans who know that Lee is the founder and guitarist for the rock band Third Day. When I think of Third Day, I think of Mac Powell, whose distinctive voice gives the band their […]

I found these in front of a store just outside the town of Laufen, which is about a half hour walk from home. They are the calling card I guess you could say for a local furniture and woodworking shop. I’m not sure if they are for sale, or just for decoration – I had […]

In Stephen R. Donaldson’s latest novel, there are six “decimates,” supernatural powers that can be used for good or evil. The sorcerers of Amika and Belleger have employed their decimates for centuries in a war that is unending. Both sides are looking for something that will give them an edge, deliver victory and bring peace. […]