Stalker Haus

The long-awaited house tour is here! There are several things that aren't finished yet, but I figured I should go ahead and post the pictures because who knows when everything will be done?

The front of our house. Driveway is to the right. The car in the foreground belongs to the grandparents of the house owners, who live in the basement apartment. It kind of hampers our ability to do much with the front to make it more welcoming.

View from the other side. You turn onto our street from this direction. We were supposed to have a carport built, but the owners ran out of time. It won't be fun when it starts to snow!

That is our front door. Once you come inside, there is a full bath on the left and a hall locker with tons of storage on the right (obviously opposite in the photo).

Downstairs bathroom.

Shower in downstairs bath. Sort of like a gym shower where the shower floor is level with the outside floor. It's new and clean. But we haven't  used it yet. I'm interested to see if we ever will! When you see our upstairs bath, you'll understand.

Coming in from the front door, past the hall locker, to the left of this table is the kitchen, to the right is the dining room/living room.

Between the downstairs bath (you can see if slightly on the left) and the kitchen, is our closet for cleaning supplies and recycling. We had to take the door off to maximize space. I have a curtain to put up, just haven't done it yet.

The stairs are right behind the hall locker, across from our entry table. The doorway you see is to the office, just to the right of the living room/dining room. Because we have no carport or outdoor shed or anything, our sports equipment is housed under the stairs and in the orange crates next to the bikes. Not ideal, but it works!

This was taken standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Fridge to your left, oven/micro to your right. There is a little island on wheels directly to the right of the oven that holds my cookbooks.

Standing by the sink, looking at the opposite side, you can see through to the front door and hall locker.

To the right of the sink, on the same wall as the oven/micro. The little shelves on the left hold my baking supplies. We bought a bread box, but I don't really notice a difference, and I keep forgetting that I put bread in there, which doesn't help! To the right is the pass through to the living/dining room.

The dining area. You see the pass-through to the kitchen on the right, and through the door you can see the staircase. Among other things, the armoire holds our crates of beer!

Another view of the dining table, which you can see to the right opens up into the tiny "sunroom" area that we use for the kid project station.

There are window/doors on the left and right of this area, but we pulled the exterior shades down on the left side to conceal the orange crates from the outside, plus making it easy to use the left for in and out to the backyard.

Continuing around from the kid station starts the living room. We are currently using our faux wicker patio furniture as living room furniture because we have yet to buy a couch! We know exactly what we are getting, but keep procrastinating since one of us has to go alone to fit the boxes from Ikea into the rear of the 4runner....Dave REFUSES to use the roof rack because he has visions of the cargo flying off while we're on the Autobahn. I'm not holding my breath for the furniture.

Opposite side of the living room. Our turtles are under the window to the left.

Our office/craft room. Wanted to fix this up a little more before the photo, but again, though it might take forever. It's a little cramped, but otherwise nice. The next photo is the utility room, and it's directly next to the little black table in this picture.

Our toolbox is to the left, and then we have a tiny storage rack, and that's it. The mechanicals take up the rest of the space. Our dryer is a ventless one, which I had never heard of. It collects water in a reservoir which you have to dump after each cycle or it will overflow. There is no sensor, which is scary to me. I know there will be a day when I forget!

This is standing at the top of the stairs. Our room is to the right, Jones' straight ahead, Kinley's to the left, and then next to her room the bathroom.

Our bedroom. We have floor to (almost) ceiling windows which open all the way. Usually they are open to get the breeze since the house has no a/c. We took the smallest room so the kids would have space for all their toys and to play on the floor.

 Opposite side of the room. You can see through the landing into the full bath.

Jones' room. To the left of the wardrobe is the door. His bed is to the left, and directly across the room from the tv is his desk.

His little work area, with large window to the right.

His bunk beds, a new addition to his German room. We ordered them in NC and put them straight on the truck with our household goods. He loves them! Kinley comes in for sleepovers sometimes.

Kinley's room, of course. She loves her bed, too! With her tutu bedskirt (thanks Mama!) and her purple feather lamp, she is definitely proud of her room. Kinley has hosted a couple sleepovers for Jones, also.

The wall opposite from her bed where she keeps most of her toys.

You can see her bed reflected in the wardrobe mirrors. She also has one of the big windows in her room. Definitely nice when the temps crest over 100 degrees! Her door is directly to the left of the dollhouse.

Our upstairs bathroom is wonderful! Separate shower with a nice handheld sprayer and great water pressure.

Awesome HUGE tub with handheld sprayer perfect for the kids' bath. And good for grownups, too, I assume. I'm not really a bath person.

Double sinks with storage above. I cannot complain about this bathroom! Which is why we still haven't used the downstairs shower yet.

A little path leading from the driveway around to the backyard. They put lots of random plants into planters, most of them just now growing in. Grass from seed has started to grow, but it's mostly weeds. Looks nice and green, though :)

We have a very narrow backyard. The kids sometimes play on the swing set, but we try to discourage ball kicking or throwing because they often end up over that fence. The green building is actually a city/government building and it's hard to get things back - especially since we don't speak German (yet). You'd never know by the back of it!

This is the left side of our house. You can see the entry to the basement apartment, and then through the back fence our swing set.

That concludes the house tour. Sorry if I was TOO descriptive. I just know that when I got photos it was a little confusing as to where everything was in relationship to the other. Wanted you to have a better idea! We have an attic, but it's jammed full of our extra stuff and things we brought that were 120v that we could have used when we were supposed to be living on post. Thank goodness for that extra space! But I didn't think you needed a photo.

Ridin' Solo

Dave took the kids on post Sunday afternoon at 3pm to see a movie. What to do with my block of free time? Well, I was tasked with hooking up our new printer - boring. Then Dave suggested that I take a bike ride to get some exercise and become a little more familiar with the trails near our house.....ummm, what? That is WAAAAY to scary to do all by myself. I mean, I have that REALLY important job of hooking up the printer. That could take hours! I just can't squeeze in something as carefree as a bike ride! Well, everyone leaves, I start tackling the technical job, and Dave calls, just to remind me that it's a beautiful day for a bike ride. Dude! I thought I made it perfectly clear that I was too busy! Jeez.

Wouldn't you know that about 30min in, I hit a minor brick wall and am unable to continue without some guidance. I can feel my bike staring at me and I'm not liking it. I don't know how to go on a bike ride through Dade City, let alone Breitenguessbach! I go back and forth. I can either be the girl who is always too scared to try things alone, or the girl who says 'the hell with it! let's ride!'... I chose the latter (mostly because I didn't want to have to face Dave and tell him I was chicken - but hey, whatever works). After packing the essentials - cell phone, euro, keys and camera, I am off. Wait, add to that an awkward dance with me and the bike trying to finagle the door and the steps without busting butt, and then I am off!

Head gear secured. I'm ready!

As I pedal through our town, I'm trying to give the appearance that this is something I've done too many times to even count. But I really don't even know what that would look like. Mentally, I'm gearing up for the turn onto a somewhat major road that immediately takes me on an overpass above the train tracks which will require some gear shifting and mad pedaling. Normally I would just take the sidewalks, but it's against the law here unless you are under 12 or a sign directs it. I must also note that while driving this road, Dave and I curse bikers that ride here because it's so dangerous and hard to see and pass. Well, I make it through that stretch in one piece. As I come to the first crossroads with a stoplight, I decide to take my hoodie off, which requires the untangling of headphones and mp3 wires. I finally resettle myself, and find that a couple has come up and pushed the crosswalk button. Oops! They actually work here in Germany, unlike many towns I've lived where you end up waiting forever and eventually doing the dodge and dash to get to the other side. Well, the female pair of this couple thought it was hilarious that I didn't press the button - I shrugged and said "sorry, American." Then I glance up and am getting this major scowl from an older woman who was waiting on the opposite side. I guess she was a little upset that she had waited so long because of my stupidity. Seriously? It's a Sunday afternoon, and nothing is open, and you're on the bike path. I kept thinking about where she could possibly need to be in such a hurry. But thoughts of her dwindled as I started pedaling. The weather was perfect, the trail wasn't crowded, and the views were beautiful!

Tree lined path opens up to...

wheat fields on the left....

corn on the right. That is the main auto road linking the towns. Bike path is just to the left.

This bike path goes over and around this little river. There is car parking also, and a group of people were in inter tubes just enjoying the water when I pedaled past. Stopped to take a picture of them, too, but a man was peeing under the overpass, so I got out of there! Not against the law here as long as your back is to the people - convenient, yes, but as a newcomer, a little shocking!

I'm fascinated by this energy windmill. Whenever we drive somewhere, we always try to be the first to spot it. We got really close one day, just driving around. What's great is the number of houses with solar panels on the roof. Old houses, new houses, big and small. From what we've seen, I'd say at least 80% have them.

First views of the neighboring town Rattlesdorf. I can't help but think of Harry Potter every time I see a sign for that town.

That sign marks the end of the pedestrian/bike path, which means it was time for me to turn around. I need a little more experience before I go navigating through unmarked territory!

There is our town on the bottom, 4km back. It's pronounced Brighten-goose-bach.

Well, I made it the 4km back. I was so proud of myself! I told Dave about the trip, and he said I should have given the mean lady the finger because "it's universally understood." That gave me a laugh! That's probably the hardest thing about living in another country for me - getting past my fears, and whenever I make a mistake, letting go and moving on quickly! Dwelling is just a waste of time and energy. I'm getting there!

Flowers

Within an easy bike ride from our house is a small field of flowers. We've never taken our bikes there because the kids need to gain some riding confidence and a better understanding of road rules before we venture out on a family ride near traffic. However, we pass it often in the car and I wonder, usually out lout, what it is, exactly. Many times you see people out there picking the flowers. And I guess I should say instead of a "field" it's more like a "plot" with rows of specific flowers. Well, yesterday I figured out how to access the road that led to the flowers, and I stopped with the kids - armed with my German dictionary - to check things out.

Here are the rows of flowers, but the picture just doesn't do it justice. They are beautiful! Tall and brightly colored, swaying in the breeze! I love to pass them.

The sunflowers have sprouted some heads, but there are tons of blooms that will be bursting in the next few days, I'm sure.

I sat here in the car with my dictionary, looking up almost every word. You can tell just by looking that the flowers are priced per stem, you cut them yourself with little utility knives that are left on a wooden table below the sign, and put your money in the slotted box that is right under the gray bar on the sign. How wonderful is that? I'm thrilled and amazed that 1) people actually stop to get these flowers regularly 2) that they pay - I could tell the box had a significant amount of money in it when I dropped my coins in, and 3) that the box was still there!

I came home with five stems. Would have cut SO MANY MORE! But only had a big bill so had to scrounge the car for available change. I was not about to be the one that short-changed the farmer on these absolutely perfect flowers! They brighten the room. I love them. I will be a loyal customer for as long as they are blooming!!! I've been told that many farms do produce this same way.....I can hardly wait to find out!

Feeding the Goats

About three blocks from our house is a park - not with playgrounds, but with paved walking and biking trails. The area used to serve as a NATO depot, with gated spaces built right into the earth for ammunition storage. It's now a wonderful nature area for evening walks and discoveries. We were told by the family that lived in our house before that there are goats down the gravel path immediately to the left when you enter this park, and they fed them daily with scraps from the kitchen. We've discovered they like apples and celery best. It was July 4th when we first went to find and feed the goats. We had seen Toy Story 3 that afternoon on post (highly recommended!) and emerged from the theater to find a literal downpour! When the sky finally cleared, we were all in the mood for a little outside exercise, so the kids hopped on scooters and Dave and I took off on foot.

Kinley is LOVING her "sweet pea" scooter with the streamer handlebars. I usually walk with Kinley in the rear while speedy Jones and Dave take the lead.

Jones is so fast he always doubles back to - in his words - "check on his family."

I just love some of the German signs - the motorcycle looks like a monopoly piece to me. There were over 100 signs in the driver's study book, and 25 of them were on the test! They have signs for everything. Most of them make sense, like this one means no motorcycles or vehicles allowed.

Here's the entrance to the park. The door on the left is always open. I believe that hours are posted on the sandwich board, but we never pay attention to them because it stays light for so late, and there's never anyone around to check...sneaky of us!

 

 This is what you immediately see when you walk through the gate. I've never taken a trail all the way around. It's beautiful, but also a little spooky. Like the set of an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Sometimes it seems like the trees are whispering or I might round a corner and disappear. Totally ridiculous, but I can't help it!

We are unsure who these goats belong to. They are used to being fed, though, because as soon as they see us coming, they run like wildfire and race each other to the gate. There's also a baby that is so tiny and cute. But it appears to still be nursing. No apple cores for that little one yet!

Here is Jones holding one of the snails that come out after a rain. They are huge and EVERYWHERE!