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.

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.

A West Virginia Thanksgiving

I headed back East to West Virginia for a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving this year to spend some time with my folks. I can remember so many great times with family and friends during this Holiday and this year was no exception. The weather was a bit of a mixed bag, but it was mostly mild and I took walks nearly every day down the railroad tracks and across the golf course.



Early on, I was able to visit with Craig Clinton and we reminisced the old days. I saw a couple performances of RENT at the Parkersburg Actors Guild since I've always enjoyed the music. It was just the three of us for Thanksgiving. Mom and I dressed the turkey in the afternoon after a visit from Mike McAllister. Later, she made all the fixings and after a short prayer we sat down for an intimate memorable dinner.

Lake Powell, an American adventure

I met Patrick Burgun in Paris nearly 25 years ago and we have been best of friends ever since. Over the years, we've made it a point keep in touch and see each other once or twice a year. He and his wife Marlene have taken me to so many interesting places in Europe and I have watched their two daughters grow up.



We've been to many places in Colorado, so this year I tried to come up with someplace that would be really unique. I've always enjoyed the landscape in Southern Utah and Lake Powell is truly a gem. It's sort of a long drive and the boys got a bit cranky, but after a couple of verses of Kumbayah everything was fine.