The first day of the tour

First stop was technically Chicago, but only for a few hours.
There I met up with the first of 6 other travelmates, Todd.
He helped me sort out a baggage issue and we shared a brew.

Then we arrived in Munich some 8 hours later. Me? A little worse for the wear.
Passed fields of rapeseed and checked into our hotel and met up with traveler #3, Temo.

There was food.

Posters.

Horse Chestnut in bloom

A beer at the Hofbräuhaus, which was a lot more touristy than I remember.

Munich Frauenkirche

Münchner Stadtmuseum Eingang. (Type reminds me of the new Stedelijk identity)

An orange tiled subway
Munich subway station

And then jet lag got the best of us.
Time for bed, then an early flight to Donetsk in the morning.

Craftwerks

When I walk to my car in the morning, there’s usually someone working in the repair shop across the way. If there’s sun left in the evening, they might be sitting around the alley in lawn chairs, shootin’ the breeze. From what I can tell they’ve got a few things going on over there: pride in their craft, and camaraderie.

Drawing fur

Sketched out this fella after lunch because sometimes doing exactly what you’re not supposed to be doing is the right thing to do. Few digital things bring the reward of feeling ink hit paper. I would imagine drawing is very close to how trancendental meditation might feel.

Spark plug

I am sorry if you own a second generation Ford Explorer and decide to change the spark plugs yourself. Ford engineers decided to tuck these contraptions of combustion all over the enginge bay of the vehicle. Some of ’em were only accessible if you took the wheels off.

(Unless of course you have a special tool and worked at a shop).

Me? I spent the morning vacuuming bits of breakfast foods and beard hair out of my car interior.

I’m calling it a Derby Pie

I’m calling it a Derby Pie, as does everyone else. But technically, a DERBY-PIE® is a registered trademark since 1968. I’m all for enterprising spirits, but at some point, the battle is lost and that word you made up is a genericized trademark. Like: aspirin, butterscotch, escalator, kerosene, yo-yo and zipper.

(Sidenote: If you buy one of these at the grocery they’re called a Kentucky Pie.)

Essentially, think of a pecan pie, then load it up with chocolate and pour bourbon sauce on top and add some whipped cream. It’s delicious and I thank my friend Heather for making it. Along with the grillout, mint juleps, company and weather, it made for an extra-fine Derby celebration.

The colors arrive

Snapped these with the big boy (a Canon 5D Mark II) and I think they’re just fine without editing.
Brought out the full frame camera in hopes to catch a good glimpse of the Supermoon this evening, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Stopped by mom’s garden to pick up some flowers, say howdy, and scored some mint for juleps.

Shots shots shots

This is the first time I’ve seen these needle protectors on syringes.
Just getting some boosters and immunizations.

In related news, I’m just about ready for an upcoming trip.

My goal is to get up to date on the ol’ album here so I can post images along the way.
Otherwise the backlog might drive me bonkers.

Garden of Hope

I suppose having the web and a GPS device on one’s phone is commonplace and not at all like some fantastic future.
But there I was with an hour of extra time and a desire to see the Garden of Hope over in Covington, but no idea
previously how to get up to this chapel overlooking the river, city, and the cut in the hill of I-75.

My parents were married here in 1960.

The chapel holds a dozen people. (Additional family and friends stood outside for the ceremony I’m told.)

The grounds, which house a replica of the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem, have seen better days since built by Rev. Morris H. Coers in 1958.

But the view of the city is nice, a respite from the highways and density.