Artist genes…

Emily’s paper on paper composition below got me to thinking about our family’s artistic streak. B was studying design when we met and has always been very creative. I love photography and, although far from being an artist, have always liked playing with images. See a psychedelic version of some Koi I shot at the Heidelberg Zoo, for instance. Like me when I was his age, Robert absolutely loves to draw. He has his own style, which I love.

However, if art reflects the artist’s perception of the world, Emily’s and Sophia’s drawings below of Homer Simpson and his favorite beverage are at least mildly disturbing. Notice the graceful curvature of the Hefeweizen glass captured beautifully by Sophia. I’ll resist the urge to fawn over the artistry of German beer.

Would love to continue this post but am getting really thirsty…

Christmas Round 2…

As I mentioned in a previous post, B spent a week in Orlando without us. She swears she thought of me each time she whipped out her credit card. I’m much poorer financially but much richer emotionally. Note to Greg: Keep telling yourself that.She took an empty suitcase roughly the size of a walk-in closet with her and filled it mostly with goodies for the kids. I don’t think we’ll need to buy clothes for them until they’re roughly college age. She also managed to bring back a massive addition to their toy collection. Some highlights:

Robert is obsessed with Dr. Seuss, whose estate called to thank B for the unexpected economic shot in the arm (we are still in a recession after all).The girls got one of the hottest toys in the States: robotic hamsters call Zhu-Zhu Pets that have their own Habitrail-like living environment and can squawk like hens when they need to.My favorite gift for the kids were the girls’ blindingly neon All-Stars. If you search for Walldorf on Google Earth, you can see Sophia (or more precisely her shoes) at a park near the ranch.I got some clothes and, of course, a much smaller bank account to worry about. How much more fortunate can one guy get?

The ink well is dusty…

but not completely dry. I think February is the first time I’ve taken a whole month off blogging since I started. After a couple of complaints from my massive readership, I decided to get back into the swing of things. Since I last blogged, probably the biggest news is that B spent a week in Orlando with her Mom, aunt (and godmother), sister and her sister’s friend Johanna. She had a great time and we somehow survived back here at the ranch (although you could see the kids’ ribs when she got back and we had to scrub them down head to toe with turpentine).

The winter has been pretty hard in Germany this year, the region around Heidelberg getting more than its usual share of snow. On Saturday it snowed again, although the sun has since some out. I think all of us are hoping that this is simply Old Man Winter saying goodbye until next year.Emily, ever the pragmatist, figures if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.The lack of outdoors activities has finally gotten to Emily. Is the bucket mask a clever winter diversion or a cry for help?Sophia is using the Wii to help her take the philosophical high road, suppressing attachment to thoughts of Spring weather.Robert takes it all in stride. The copious Disney merchandise his mother brought for them from Orlando helps him overcome the Winter blues.It’s our planned trip to Greece in May that’s keeping me afloat. Due to a death in B’s family, looks like we’ll also go back to Brazil this year (in August). I will desperately need the Wii meditation game when the travel bill for 2010 comes in…