A Birthday in Vegas

Yesterday was George’s birthday. We celebrated his special day by doing some clothes shopping and getting See’s chocolate, a nice leisurely stroll on the Las Vegas Strip, and a nice dinner at the Bellagio. Most of the preceding week was rather cloudy and filled with chilly and gusty winds. Yesterday the sun decided to come out in full force. And boy, did it warm up quickly. The forecast for next weekend calls for temperature well above 90 degrees. Looks like the desert is once again skipping Spring altogether and heading right into Summer.

Below are some photos we took yesterday on the Strip.

The birthday boy at the atrium of the Wynn Resort on the Las Vegas Vegas Strip.

I call this photo “A Local Among Tourists.” This is me in front of the waterfall next to entrance of the Esplanade at Wynn.

The new Spring display at the Garden Conservatory inside the Bellagio Hotel & Casino.

A fantasy tree inside the Bellagio.

The Bellagio Garden with this year’s Spring display.

Art sprung to life. A “painting” made of real flowers.

George is enjoying the Spring show. We had a nice birthday dinner at the Bellagio shortly after this picture was taken.

One Memorable Fourth

Today would have been my mother’s birthday. I think of her often and I can truly say that she was my best friend. She would have loved George. I’m really sorry that she never got to know him.



George and I are back in the usual swing of things after spending another amazing weekend in Los Angeles. Now that’s how a long 4th of July weekend is spent! With the love of your life next to your side, the most gorgeous weather, visiting with a friend, eating lots of scrumptious food, enjoying the beach, seeing live theater and celebrating Independence Day at one of the most American places there is...Disneyland.



Below are photos from our first day in La-La-Land. More pictures to follow...



Redondo Beach, CA


Most of the lifeguard towers between Manhattan and Redondo Beach were artfully painted in bright colors. Plans are to paint all of them for the 30 miles of coast along Los Angeles. They’re supposed to be done in September


Robert and George at Redondo Beach


My dorky self and Robert, enjoying a nice walk along the Strand of Redondo Beach after a hearty breakfast. June gloom or the Coastal Eddy lasts well into July this year. This typical Southern California weather phenomenon is basically a huge fog bank that lingers along most of the coast and is usually burned off by the sun around 10 or 11 in the morning


See? No more June Gloom. The sun was out for the rest of the day to make this another perfect by the sea. This is the Manhattan Beach Pier


The Pacific was beautiful and the weather couldn't have been more perfect


One of many beautiful old lamp posts along the Manhattan Beach Pier


Later that afternoon we drove to Hollywood to spend some time there before we would go to the theater. Here on Highland Avenue, close to the Hollywood Bowl, is an old apartment building which hides the fire escape stairs in a more elaborate way


The neon marquee of Disney's Soda Fountain & Studio Store on Hollywood Boulevard, next to the beautiful El Capitan theatre, which is one of the remaining movie palaces of a bygone era


Hollywood and Highland


Intricate details of one of many entryways into the El Capitan building, built in 1928


A stack of records. The old Capitol Records tower on Vine Street and label to artists such as the Beatles, Beach Boys, Garth Brooks, Duran Duran, Everclear, Foo Fighters, Judy Garland, Heart...just to name a few


Old neon signage can still be seen all over Hollywood


The marquee of the Pantages on Hollywood Blvd., promoting the musical “In the Heights.” This Tony Award winning production tells of the daily life in the Latino community of New York’s Washington Heights. We were lucky to see Lin-Manuel Miranda reprising his starring role, who not only wrote the story and music but also was the lead in the original conception on Broadway. This musical has an upbeat mix of Latin music, rap, hip hop and ballads. Yes, it's very interesting and quite catchy. We absolutely loved it! And a funny coincidence...part of the story plays out on the 4th of July. One of the characters is telling others to “show some spirit,” chastizing them for displaying flags from their home countries on their balconies rather than Old Glory. I thought that was pretty ironic considering what is currently happening in this country regarding the immigration reform


The foyer inside the Pantages. This art deco-style theater first opened in June 1930 and later fell into despair. The Walt Disney Company bought the theater in the early 1990s and renovated the place to bring back its original splendor, making it the West Coast home for “The Lion King.” Since then we’ve seen many plays and musicals in this spectacular theater

Marching Out

Can you believe this is the last day of March already? Why not simply post some pictures before this month of March 2010 fades into history.

Just outside the Paris Las Vegas Resort and Casino, looking towards the new Cosmopolitan Towers which will open later this year

The Eiffel Tower at the Paris Las Vegas Resort is an exact half-size replica

The patio of the Mon Ami Gabi restaurant at the Paris Resort faces the famed Las Vegas “Strip” where diners can also watch the dancing water fountains of the Bellagio across the street

Our friend Margaret, George and I spent a lovely evening at Mon Ami Gabi to celebrate George’s birthday

We enjoyed delectable meals and were served by a very charming and quite handsome French-Canadian waiter. Le vie est belle!

Just me in our kitchen, enjoying another weekend

Happy Birthday, George

Today one year ago we spent George's birthday at one of our favorite places on this planet. What a fun day it was.


Unfortunately, I developed a terrible cold and that kind of puts a damper into our celebration plans for George's birthday today. We'll have his mom and sister over for a nice dinner and we were planning to meet some friends later this evening. I hope I'm up for it. I feel terrible to be sick today of all days.


Nevertheless, Happy Birthday, George. I'm wishing you all the best in the world. And I love you lots.

Oma

Today is my grandmother’s birthday. She would have turned 106 years old. Incredible how time passes.

When my mother and I moved to Munich, Germany in the mid 1960s I was five or six years old at the time. It was supposed to be a temporary stay. My father was in the Air Force then but had to leave for Vietnam and my mother didn’t want us left isolated in the vast farmlands near the stateline of Iowa and Nebraska. So my mother decided to stay with her mother in Germany for the time being until my dad would return.

Life, fate, or whatever one would like to call it, would have it otherwise. Due to numerous unforeseen circumstances my mother and I, and eventually my father as well, would end up staying and living in Munich for the following 25 years or so.

My grandmother, or Oma as I would call her, was a fully integrated part of my life growing up. She helped raising me as both my parents worked full-time. She was a very old-fashioned and simple lady with a traditional mindset, believing that the world was changing too much and too fast. She had her own worldview and little quirks but that made her so much more special.

She was indeed somewhat disconnected from a world that was going too fast. Progress would somehow not include her. And she wouldn’t allow a new evolving society to dictate how she should live her life. She had her own way of doing things and dealing with problems. Which basically meant sticking with old traditions and a way of life which was less affected by consumerism and the mass-movements of the time but being more entwined with self-reliance and common sense.

Oma lived a life reminiscent of simpler times. And it worked. For her and for us. I was heavily influenced by this way of thinking. Show humility and be modest. One can do much better with less but is not less worthy for it. Always be kind and polite, even if others don’t reciprocate. Always be mindful of your surrounding and use common sense. She taught me things without having to explain it with a million words. I learned and just knew...by watching, by listening, by participating.

She always worked hard all her life. She made sure we were all fed, clothed and everything was in its place and order. To leisurely spend a Sunday afternoon or even taking a vacation was unimaginable in her mind. But she would always be there for me. Despite all the household chores, health ailments and other hardships, she would always take time for me and made sure I was taken care of.

I remember her heartfelt and infectious laughter and her big hugs. I remember her making the most amazing Apfelstrudel, Marble Cake or Topfenkuchen, a Bavarian-style Cheesecake, all made from scratch. I still have yet to find anything even remotely delicious as these extraordinary treats.

I remember her amazement being on an airplane for the very first time when she was already over 70 years old. We would took her on a trip along the Eastcoast from New York City down to Florida. It was quite an effort to convince her to finally go on a vacation trip with us. But she enjoyed every single minute immensely.

I also remember that evening when she would leave us forever after a long sickness, standing next to her hospital bed and having to helplessly watch her slowly slip away. But I also knew that she would finally find that well-deserved rest. As devastating this moment was for all of us she was going to a better place.

Today is the birthday of one truly amazing person.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Oma.


George and I visited my grandmother’s grave at the Haidhauser Friedhof (cemetery) in Munich last month. It’s very customary for German gravesites to have an area to keep holy water, usually a bowl-shaped mold carved out of stone. The above photo is a close-up of the cover for the holy water.

Day of Arbeit

The long Labor Day weekend came and went and of course it has been way too short. As usual. But George and I managed to make it a very relaxed and enjoyable one.

We saw one hilarious comedy show with a very potty-mouthed and no-holds-barred Joan Rivers at the Venetian Showroom, met friends for a nice Italian dinner at Brio at Town Square and caught up on movies and specials which we’ve recorded on our DVR over the last few weeks. Good thing too because we ran out of recording space.

In-between we just tinkered around the house and backyard, worked out, took nice walks in our park, bought some groceries for the week and cooked some delicious food.

Needless to say that we’ve packed an additional pound or two on the scale, despite our working out and walks in the park. These holidays, as few and far between as they seem, do come with a price. But it’s a price we’re happy to pay.

And here we’re off again to another work week. But luckily it’s a short one. The next weekend can’t come soon enough.

Some things will never change.

Below are a few random photographic slivers from the last few days. I also took a picture of the birthday cards I’ve received. Can you spot the one you’ve sent me? Once again thanks to all.

Hier nun schnell wieder etwas auf Deutsch. Damit meine Familie und Freunde in Deutschland (...und in Kanada?!) nicht denken daß ich sie total vernachlässige. Gestern feierten die U.S.A. den Labor Day Feiertag, was man in etwa mit dem Tag der Arbeit am jeweiligen 1. Mai vergleichen kann. Natürlich geht es hier weniger politisch ernst zu wie z.B. in Europa. Das wäre nun doch ein wenig zu sozialistisch und daher absolut unamerikanisch. Wo kämen wir da auch sonst hin?! Ich konnte mir an dieser Stelle ein bischen Zynismus einfach nicht verkneifen.

Dafür ist hier an solchen Tagen das Grillen draußen im Garten angesagt. Oder man sieht sich zuhause oder in irgendeiner Bar mit einen Haufen anderen Leuten Footballspiele im Fernsehen an. Oder ärgert sich wieder einmal insbesondere über den alljährlichen Chaos auf den verstopften Autobahnen und überfüllten Flughäfen. Dieser Feiertag kündigt auch gleichzeitig das offizielle Ende der Sommer Saison an und natürlich “freuen” sich alle Kinder das sie wieder zurück in die Schule dürfen.

Wie auch immer, für George und mich war es nur wichtig das wir wieder ein langes Wochenende geniesen konnten. Wir werden hier in den Vereinigten Staaten nicht unbedingt mit freien Tagen überschüttet. Also machen wir aus jeden einzelnen Feiertag das allerbeste daraus.

Wir sahen eine recht ausgelassene und lustige Show mit der bekannten Komödiantin Joan Rivers in einem der vielen Las Vegas Casinos, traffen uns mit Freunden zu einem italienischen Abendessen und sahen uns viele der Spielfilme und Fernsehspecials an, die wir im laufe der letzten Wochen auf unseren Digitalrecoder aufgenohmen hatten. War auch höchste Zeit, da uns mittlerweile der Platz auf dem Recorder ausging.

Zwischendurch pfuschten wir im Haus und im Garten herum, machten Sportübungen und sind viel im unserem Park gelaufen, haben unsere Wocheneinkäufe erledigt und haben viele leckere Gerichte gekocht.

Trotz aller sportlichen Tätigkeiten haben wir es geschafft ein oder zwei zusätzliche Pfunde auf die Waage zu legen. Es scheint als ob man für diese Feiertage, so selten sie auch vorkommen mögen, immer ein Preis zu zahlen ist. Aber mit diesen Preis können wir ohne weiteres leben.

Nun hat uns allerdings der Alltag wieder zurück. Immerhin wird es eine kurze Arbeitswoche werden. Und das ist schließlich auch etwas wert. Aber das nächste Wochenende kann nicht schnell genug kommen.

Einige Dinge, so scheint es, werden sich wohl niemals ändern. Egal, in welchen Land man lebt.

Anbei sind ein paar Bilder die wir in den letzten Tagen gemacht haben. Under anderem sieht man einige der Geburtstagskarten die ich bekommen habe. Könnt Ihr Eure Karte erkennen, die Ihr mir geschickt habt? Nochmals nachträglich viele herzlichen Dank.

Birthday Cards...which one is from you?
Geburtstagskarten...welche kam von Dir?

One even came with glittery things
Eine Karte enthielt sogar Glitzerdinger

Labor Day Relaxation
Entspannen am Feiertag

The new Westgate Tower at the Planet Hollywood Resort on the Strip
Der neue Westgate Hotelturm des Planet Hollywood Resorts am Strip

I'm just intrigued by any kind of light reflections and shadow play
Mich fasziniert einfach jegliche Art von Lichtreflektionen oder Schattenspiele

Another California Adventure

George and I spent another wonderful long weekend in Southern California. Everything was perfect, the weather (even though it could have been a little less hot), the food (we tried not to overstuff ourselves even though it was more than tempting) and of course Disneyland Resort (the very definition of perfect!).

Friday was my birthday and we spent the whole day at Disney’s California Adventure, the smaller sister theme park adjacent to the Magic Kingdom itself. We haven’t been to California Adventure in a long while and it was great to be back. Even though this park doesn’t seem to be very popular for whatever reason, George and I love it. We also wanted to see it one more time before Disney is completely tearing up the whole place to re-theme it to give it the look of the 1930’s era Los Angeles, when Walt Disney himself first came to California. Some areas of the park were already big construction sites but most of the rides and shows are up and running. Sometime in 2012, California Adventure will have completed its transformation with individual new or updated attractions opening between now and then. It’ll start with a spectacular aquatic light show next spring and topping it off with a brand new land based on the Disney-Pixar movie “Cars.” We know it will be amazing.

Most of Saturday was spent at the Corona del Mar State Beach, just on the other side of Newport Bay surrounding the Balboa peninsula in Newport Beach. It’s a peculiar little place with whimsical architecture with a hint of a Mediterranean feel. This beach was filled with people, the busiest we’ve ever seen a beach to be in the greater Los Angeles area.

Far in the distance, however, one could see the gigantic plumes of smoke coming from the La Cañada Flintridge wildfires, which now seem to burn out of control and ravaging in all directions. It’s right next to where our friends Rover and Cal live and they too had to evacuate. Luckily, they’re fine and were able to return to their home in the meantime. It’s weird to see people having fun in the ocean waves while just tens of miles away thousands of people are fleeing a destructive blaze consuming hundreds of homes. Tragicly, two firefighters have already lost their lives battling the flames.

Yet life goes on. Despite the constant threats of wildfires during the summer months, mudslides in winter and occasional earthquakes, we understand why people would never leave California. It’s one of the most amazing places on this planet. We would live there if we could.

Later that Saturday we celebrated both George’s brother’s and my birthday with an absolutely scrumptious dinner at the Blue Agave, a Mexican restaurant in Yorba Linda not too far away from the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. This restaurant looks fairly unassuming from the outside but has an inviting and festive atmosphere inside and their food is extraordinary. We ended the evening at Downtown Disney where we strolled around and enjoyed window shopping, people watching and got a glimpse of the nightly firework show at Disneyland.

On Sunday we made our way back home to Las Vegas. The strong winds carried the smoky air from the wildfires over the Mojave Desert and it started to settle in the Las Vegas valley. We can’t even imagine what it’s like being right smack in the middle of this fiery hell. We stopped at the recently opened M Resort & Casino which we’ve never visited before. A very cool and trendy place. We had an early but delectable dinner at the Red Cup Café coffee shop and also ran into some acquaintances. Las Vegas can be such a small town sometimes.

And with that another weekend in the Los Angeles area came to a close. Below are some pictures taken at the California Adventure theme park, Newport Beach, the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda and the M Resort in Las Vegas.



Birthday boy

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, CA

The Army One Helicopter at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

Richard Nixon's birthplace

Corona del Mar Beach in Newport Beach, California

The gigantic clouds of smoke from the wildfires in the distance

George and our host's cat Isis

The new M Resort & Casino at the outskirts of Las Vegas

The pool area of the new M Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV