What's been going on in a nutshell

With the advent of Facebook, who ever spends time on a personal blog any more? In any case, I'll try to sum it up here. A lot has happened over the last several years, good and bad. My mother passed away in December, 2013, we all miss her a lot. Alejandro is now 18 and is well on his way. Andre will be a junior next year and works nearly everyday as a life guard at the YMCA.

I have spent the last several years preparing a musical project called WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). It has been a lot of fun and hard work to bring this piece to fruition, but I admit is has been one of the most rewarding endeavors of my life.

I haven't played much tennis in the last year or two. I think my body needed the break. I'm hoping to start playing more this Summer and who knows maybe make another run in 2015. Viewmark is doing well, we continue to work with several long term clients and have several new project in the pipeline.

Colorado Christmas with Mom

Someone once said that Christmas is a time of year when you get homesick - even when you're home. Well, this year my mother came out to Colorado and helped us celebrate the season's yuletide cheer. She spent a little over a week with us and I was able to secure my favorite childhood recipes (fried chicken, beef stoganoff, pork and ham roasts). These were more than meals, they were feasts...as Alice might say.

The Saturday before Christmas, I performed at the Black Crown Piano Lounge while mom nursed a Manhattan. It was nostalgic to reminisce Christmas stories of the past with everyone and I think at one point we broke into the chorus "Almost Heaven...West Virginia". Oriana and Justin came over Christmas Day and we shared presents and got caught up on each others life's.

Strangers on Thanksgiving?

For some people Thanksgiving signifies the start of the shopping season, but for me I'm always reminded to break out the Holiday tunes and get ready for the Christmas festivities. This year I ended up down at my favorite Denver piano bar playing all sorts of fun songs. It's funny, I know it only comes once a year, but by the end of December I'm always ready to put the music away again.

Mike went home to visit mom and they had a traditional West Virginia Thanksgiving. I really missed sitting down with Mom and everyone from our family, but they'll be in Colorado for Christmas this year so I'm sure we'll all get caught up then. Being with strangers on Thanksgiving was a new experience for me, but somehow the seasonal music and all the voices made it really special too.

California Vacation with the Burguns

Every year my friend Patrick comes to the United States from Germany to participate in the Esprit CAD/CAM conference and this year I decided to meet up with him and his wife in California. I've had a couple of residences in California over the years and have always believed that every place has something to offer. I know Los Angeles pretty well and I offered to show them around the area.



Our home for the week was in Manhattan Beach, it is mostly central to the places I wanted to show them and close to the airport. Each day we went to a different area and took in the sites. It's funny how you appreciate things in life more as you get older. Hollywood, Universal Studios, the Queen Mary, the Beaches and all that comes with them. We had a lot of fun, but I found out the my best friend's birthday was on the same day as my late brother, that seemed bitter sweet.

Memorial Day trip to Colorado Springs

Memorial Day typically signifies the official beginning of Summer in Colorado, but this year it seems like Winter has lasted longer than usual. It actually snowed just a few days ago in Vail and the A-basin ski area may be open on July 4th this year. In past years, we've been able to go camping in the mountains on Memorial Day, but this year it was just not possible.



Last year was colder than usual too so we went to Lake Powell in Utah and this year we decided to head down to Colorado Springs. First, we stopped at the Garden of the Gods and then drove to the summit of Pikes Peak. Most people can't imagine driving to the top of a 14teener, but not in America and the Pike's Peak highway is a good example. An old friend from Munich was in town and he joined us as well. Above are some photos.

Getting back into the Denver piano bar scene

I'm playing a lot more piano these days and I'm hoping to get back into Denver's piano bar scene. I like playing all types of music and especially enjoy playing at neighborhood piano bars. It has always been a remedy for whatever problems may be happening around me. It's so much fun to have people join in with their favorite Beatles, Billy Joel, Elton John and James Taylor songs.



I contacted several piano bar owners and they all ask to see an example of my playing on the web. I've been playing my whole life and in the past, I'd always just show up mid-day, play a couple of songs and get on the rotation. So, I guess I need to record a bunch of songs and create a website now.



To start, I dug out some of the old video equipment I used many years ago. First, I wanted to see if it actually still worked. Second, I wanted to see how well it integrated with today's internet world. Here's two initial recordings using a single microphone; at some point, I'll create a link to a bunch of songs.

Dad celebrates his 90th birthday

This year my brothers and I flew into WV to celebrate Dad's 90th birthday. I think we surprised him, I called early in the day from Colorado to wish him happy birthday so he wouldn't have a hint of the surprise. It's funny, how a few hours later we were having dinner together.



I always look forward to spending time with my immediate family. Although we were perhaps a little too competitive early on in our lives; today, we celebrate our unique opinions. Dad was quick to get the spirited conversations going and then sit back and watch us battle it out. I love you dad!