Julie and Mike gave us their special access passes that enabled us to try Benzinger's best wine, It was certainly worth it. Admittedly, I didn't know much about California wine before, but suffice it to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality.

After our time in Sonoma (where we also celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary), we drove south along Big Sur. It was an epic drive, as anyone who has done it can attest. Although we did the drive in a single day, we were able to stop a number of times and enjoy the journey.

Several stops were along 17 Mile Drive around and through Pebble Beach. If you look closely, you can see the lone cypress in the background.

The coast along the whole route was gorgeous.

Anna caught me trying to get an image of the seal island. It's funny, I recalled stopping at the same place as a kid. Interesting what you remember.

The image I was taking.

There were seals all over! Very cute and playful.

Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park has a dramatic waterfall we stopped to admire (again on Julie/Mike's recommendation). A worthy stop and view.

The same waterfalls.

The other side of the falls' overlook.

A ground squirrel.

Some bi-valves waiting for water to return with the tide.

At the end of our Big Sur drive we came upon a series of beaches with Elephant Seals. These massive animals were fascinating to watch. We spent quite a while admiring these enormous creatures.

These mammals spend 8-10 months a year in the open ocean. The remainder of the time, they can be found in places like this beach.

December to March is the time where males bluster and flight for dominance and ultimately, males and females court and mate.

These animals were also very gassy.

A happy family. There are nearly 15,000 in the area we visited (although we only saw a fraction of that population).

A couple males fighting. These guys can not only spar with ferocity, but also dive to a depth nearly a mile deep and hold their breath for a couple hours. Those are some impressive skills.

A pelican enjoying the benefits of the ground effect.

The sunset was amazing. We were on a bluff overlooking the ocean with Julie and Mike near their home. It was a great afternoon and evening.

The coast bathed in the same sunset light.

That concludes our trip to California. What a great place and we really enjoyed spending more quality time with Julie and Mike. We look forward to seeing them again soon.

Next up will be a couple posts of our time in Washington DC this year. I've selected some images that are my favorites from the last few months here.

Finally, I will add a few more posts of our last trip. We took a "baby-moon" down to Florida with some time in Key West, then a cruise over to central America. But, first, back to Washington...

--Jim

The Golden Gate Bridge made a spectacular appearance for us.

As you might expect, we hopped on the only moving national landmark … the SF trolley.

The hills are as steep as I remember from childhood trips, but there were not nearly as many as I thought.

We also made the obligatory stop on Lombard Avenue to witness one of the curviest roads in the world. Me being me, I ignored the fact that I was sitting in an intersection.

Interesting sign, huh?

Someone was kind enough to take our picture.

This battleship was a majestic foreground to Alcatraz Island.

The Buena Vista bar on Hyde Street had authentic Irish coffees that were delicious. The process was an art form.

As we walked toward Fisherman’s Wharf, we hopped on a small charter boat to tour the bay.

She looks like a lucky lady, but I don’t know if I’d push my luck in a storm with her…

The boat took us out around the old maximum security prison, Alcatraz, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and back to the wharf. The next few images are all of the Golden Gate Bridge and our little craft.

We also had a chance to tour this WWII submarine, the USS Pampanito. It was built in late 1943 and completed 6 combat patrols, including a couple near our old home in Guam.

The red lights kept night vision, and avoided using white light during critical missions.

Anna’s inspecting the map … ensuring we were on the right course.

Torpedo tubes loaded.

We again headed out to Alcatraz Island. This time, we opted to stop and tour the facility. Its infamy lives on today. It began as a military fort in the civil war, then a military prison and was closed as a federal prison in 1963 (it was cost prohibitive). When it became excess land, a group of Native American’s moved out to the island in order to occupy it. Their rationale was that by treaty in 1868, all excess land should be returned to them. However, the government didn’t want to let the island go, and a lengthy dispute ensued. Eventually, the island was turned into a national park. When you visit the island, there are remnants of all phases of the life on the island.

This magazine (one I enjoy reading from time to time) is representative of an inmate's cell in the 1960s.

This is the view of the cell as it looked one night in June 1962. There were four prisoners who attempted to escape the purportedly inescapable Alcatraz. Of those four, three (Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin) were able to get out of their cells and use a homemade life raft to attempt the impossible. The dummy in the bed gave them a little longer head start. The vent in the back is where the men were able to get out. Then, they proceeded into the wall, and eventually off the island.

Here is the back side of the wall where Frank, Clarence and John all worked their way out.

The San Francisco skyline.

Muir woods is the home to some of the world's largest trees, the California Redwood. Not only are these trees massive, but also ancient. Some are thousands of years old. It's humbling to walk among them.

We walked among the giants with our friend Gabriele.

These next images are again of the Golden Gate Bridge ... this time at night.

This is the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland.

That finished our time in San Fran. Next we headed to the wine country in Sonoma County for a couple days, then down Big Sur to meet Julie and Mike in Los Angeles.

Those images and the story of that adventure will be in the next post. Until then...

--Jim

So, here are some images I collected during the fall of 2009 here in the DC area.

Honest Abe is impressive and is prevalent throughout the city. I most appreciated seeing and learning about him in a great exhibition in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. It even included the top hat he wore to Ford's Theater in April 1865. Then, we went to a production of "The Rivalry" in Ford's Theater. If you're not familiar with the show, it's a historical drama of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates in Illinois during the 1858 US senate race and perhaps the most famous political debate. Although Lincoln lost the senate contest, it catapulted him to national fame and enabled him to eventually become the 16th President of the United States of America. It was particularly poignant to see it in Ford's Theater and we highly recommend the show.

A wood duck in the reflecting pool of the National Mall.

Two soldiers of the Old Guard during a changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

You know where this is ... who else would have (for a time) the world's largest phallic symbol? Oh, and the capital.

The World War Two Memorial that opened in 2004. Each small pillar represents a state or territory and the two large pillars represent the theaters of the war, Atlantic and Pacific.

Walking near the National Portrait Gallery.

The metro is fast, efficient and best of all ... clean. The only thing we wish is the trains were more frequent. During rush hour, it's PACKED and at night, waiting 20 minutes seems like an eternity. But, overall we are very satisfied with the DC metro.

Judy Garland's Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz ... now residing in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Thanks to Mike E. for making this image.

The Korean War Monument is one of my favorites in DC. I appreciate the look of fear on the soldier's faces. I believe emotion is present in any conflict and not often reflected in the memorials.

The all important US Air Force Monument.

The Jefferson Memorial is another well done memorial, and the building was completed in 1943 and opened by President Franklin Roosevelt, on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birthday. It was finally completed in 1947 with a 5.8 meter (19') statue of the 3rd president weighing in at 4,300 kg (10 tons).

These soldiers are part of a re-enactment at the Battle of Manassas. For those of you from the North, it's also known as the Battle of Bull Run (1st and 2nd), fought on July 21, 1861 and August 28-30, 1862. If you're confused about the dual name, you're not alone. It comes from the northern tendency to name battles for the nearest land feature (in this case Bull Run Creek) and the southern tendency to name the battle for the nearest city (Manassas, Virginia).

A demonstration of canon cleaning with a little water.

The Henry family took refuge in this house during the battle. In fact, an octogenarian grandmother, Judith Carter Henry, was unwilling to move from her upstairs bedroom. Unfortunately, she didn't survive the battle, along with about 28,000 other people between the two battles.

The First Battle of Manassas (or Bull Run), according to legend, is where General "Stonewall" Jackson famously earned his nickname when Confederate General Bee attempting to rally his faltering troops shouted “there stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!”

The fall colors were stunning.

While I joined the boys at Deer Camp at Moose Lake, Anna hosted Mom M. and Sarah here in DC. Fortunately, I was able to join the girls for a day at the end of their trip.

A few weeks later Mom G. came out for a long weekend just before Christmas. The sights were great all decked out for the holidays. Oh, and this is one house that needs no introduction.

The National Christmas Tree and Washington Monument.

Apropos model train at the base of the tree.

The capital is always beautiful at night.

The next post will have our holiday trip back to the midwest for a week, then a week out in California. It was a great trip and we'll share the pictures soon.

until then.

--Jim

Soon after we got here, we learned there was a little one on the way. Nevertheless, we wanted to make the most of our time in the US, or as the French say we could profiter. So, we headed up to the great American city, New York .. twice. The first was over Columbus Day weekend and again over Martin Luther King Jr weekend. This post is a melange of the images from those trips.

Although this image is from our second trip, the Guggenheim Art Museum is an architectural masterpiece. Designed by a Wisconsin son, Frank Lloyd Wright, it soars out of 5th Avenue. It's my favorite piece by the man who was named best American Architect by the American Institute of Architects.

Central Park is a great place to take a stroll.

Anna snuck up behind me...

We also happened upon a parade during Columbus Day Weekend. These women represented Uruguay.

It takes a lot to control the huge volume of traffic in the city. New York's finest were doing a great job.

Love was in the air ... and on the street.

Radio City is always fun to see.

Times Square always seems to be a-buzz with activity.

On both trips we had the opportunity to meet up with our friends John and Gee. They joined us for a Broadway show and we joined them for a delicious brunch and trendy market. Each meeting is accentuated by great conversation. We look forward to hosting them in France.

John captured this image for us.

After the show (In the Heights ... which, by the way, we HIGHLY recommend) we went to 30 Rockefeller Plaza to check out the skating rink.

The fountains are also pretty nice at 30 Rock.

The Top of the Rock had an amazing view and inspires an Empire State of Mind.

Central Park at night is like a void in the cityscape. The George Washington Bridge in the background.

Times Square was aglow.

No, we didn't go back for another safari. This is in the New York Natural History Museum.

The exhibit on Native American nations was very well done. This canoe was one of my favorites.

The life size blue whale was also unique.

Or a chimp,

I always love seeing gems. Anna ... not quite as much, but doesn't mind receiving them.

A star sapphire.

Another image of the home of the Rockettes.

I had forgotten how amazing the Metropolitan Museum of Art was. We began the visit with some wine, cheese, classical music and finished with a phenomenal collection of art from around the world.

The hall of statues was full of classical and modern masterpieces alike.

The mighty Perseus.

The Guggenheim again.

Rockefeller Plaza was great when shrouded by clouds.

So, that covers our trips to New York City. We really enjoyed our time there and look forward to making it back soon for more show, museums and city life.

Until the next adventure...

--Jim

Now, on to the Wisconsin trip.

We began with Emma and Scott rehearsal.

Getting ready for the real deal.

Anna and Susan at the rehearsal dinner.

My beautiful bride.

Susan also has strength and beauty to match a great smile.

Billy Mitchell (or just Will) was a great ring bearer.

The church seemed like a concert when they dimmed the lights and put a spot light on the happy couple.

The happy couple.

The best part of the ceremony (for them at least!).

Just like in rehearsal.

Dad Miller looking happy and stoic at the same time. He has the amazing ability to do that on a regular basis.

Pat looking beautiful as usual. She identifies with the wicked witch, but I don't get that. :-)

Emma's friend Liz, who is also Pat and Tom's daughter. I loved the way the light caught her eye.

All 6 sisters together.

The lovely bride.

Mom Miller looking great as usual.

Scott with the girls.

I also got to hang out with two gorgeous women.

Maroly and Juan, who Anna and I had a blast hanging out with. Next time we are in Mexico City, we look forward to seeing them.

I recognize that tattoo from somewhere.

Dancing was so much fun.

Mom and Mike were certainly enjoying themselves.

The next morning, we all gathered at the Miller house for the present opening. This image is quintessential Kira.

A classic Emma look.

Will with his big blue eyes.

Sarah was the diligent note taker to keep track of all that stuff...

It was a great opportunity to come home and celebrate a special event with our family and friends. Until the next one...

--Jim

Nevertheless, I've still been making images and decided to finally catch up. To begin, I'll continue with the Greek post.

So, where did I leave off? Ahh yes, Julie and Mike finished their Mediterranean cruise and met us in Athens.

These soldiers are part of the Presidential Guard of the Hellenic Army. Here they are performing a changing of the guard at the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Dress right, dress! Or, the Greek equivalent.

Carrying their M-1 carbines.

I saw this cutie in the crowd, do I had to make her image.

Sometimes it takes laying in the street about to be marched over to find an interesting angle.

This is Hadrian's Arch, juxtaposed with the modern Athens through it.

The other side.

Temple of Hephaestus - Thission. Hephaestus is the god of fire and metal. It's interesting that although this temple was begun before the Parthenon, but not finished until after.

Ahh, the Parthenon. A building that needs very little introduction.

The Porch of the Caryatids on the Erechteum. This sacred sight was built around the time of the The Peloponnesian War, just before 400 B.C.

Anna and I on the acropolis.

Julie and Mike at the same place.

The pediments are glaringly missing on the Parthenon. You may be aware of the controversy surrounding their removal in the early 19th century. Lord Elgin, the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire shipped them back to Britain and they are now on display in the British museum. In the new Acropolis museum, the pediments are explained and shown in detail. If the piece is missing, the museum indicates it's location. The visual impact was profound. Although we really enjoyed seeing the Elgin collection in London, it would have been nice to see them in Athens. But, we'll leave that decision to the courts.

Unfortunately, the Temple of Zeus is nearly completely destroyed. When constructed it held a gigantic statue of its namesake, considered by many as a wonder of the ancient world. Today, very little is left, but with a little imagination, one can still see the mighty god reposing in his temple.

We also stopped by the Theatre of Dionysus, god of wine and fertility (perhaps a contributing factor to Anna's pregnancy??). Although it's not in the best condition, the Greek government recently announced that a partial restoration would commence shortly. Also, most of what is visible is from the time of Roman emperor Nero when gladiator contests were hosted here.

In fact, Julie and Mike were so excited about the gladiators, they could almost see them!

Yet another view back to the Parthenon. A fact we learned from our good friends Dan and Rachael is that Nashville has an exact replica of this building. When we visited Dan and Rachael in Nashville, they drove us to it. and to our surprise ... there it was, right in the middle of the Country Music Capital of the World, (almost) just as the ancient Greeks built it.

We also enjoyed the food, wine and dancing of the culture.

The Five Star Metaxa was also tasty. It's a Greek type of brandy.

Night on the acropolis.

The subway was safe, efficient and fast to take us back to our hotel.

It was a great time and best of all a rare opportunity to hang out with Julie and Mike. We loved the opportunity to tour one of the most historic sights in the world with my sister and brother.

Until the next adventure... (this time I promise to publish faster!)

--Jim

Before I get into the post, we have some BIG NEWS TO SHARE: ANNA IS PREGNANT! We're very excited. We'll post more as things progress, but the baby is due in June, which will be after we move to France. So, we get to experience French health care. :-)

Now back to Greece. It was a great trip and somewhere we'd wanted to go for years. We finally made it for a short visit. We began by exploring Athens and the islands nearby. So, here are the images.

This adorable boat was on the island of Poros. We took a speedy hydrofoil boat to get to these other islands. The hydrofoils are a great way to travel, but we realized that the are bumpier than expected.

Anna by her boat.

The harbor in Poros.

All the cats we saw looked very Egyptian with a smaller head and large ears.

The weather and temperature were perfect.

The whitewashed buildings with blue doors and trim is very Mediterranean. It reminded me of Sidi Bu Said in Tunisia, but I'm not sure which was decorated first.

As usual, we found a flower to take a picture of. :-)

Who wouldn't want to live here??

Next stop for the day was the island of Hydra. There were no cars on the island, and the white and blue adornment wasn't as prevalent. It was a great place to just chill (exactly what we needed for our trip to Greece). We went swimming in the azure waters, had a few meals in outstanding restaurants, then headed back to the Athens metropolis.

This picture isn't terribly unique but I really like the color.

This is our friend Reut, who we met in Athens.

These next images are from our exploration of the museums in Athens. As you might expect, they have a wealth of artifacts and information. It was fascinating.

The guy on the right is Paris from Greek mythology. He is famous for the apple you can see him reaching for (or holding ... depending on how you look at it). Perhaps the most famous role is his elopement with Helen of Troy .... which supposedly started the Trojan War.

Athena, goddess of wisdom and virgin patron of Athens.

OK, that covers the first half of the trip.

Until the next post...

--Jim

Besides cutting my hair off in Paris, I also attended my very last class to receive my undergraduate degree in Humanities. The class was a week long and we spent that week talking about Picasso and asking the question that everyone must ask themselves when faced with modern art…what does a urinal have to do with art?

I also continued to teach yoga. These are a few pictures taken by the base photographer for the newspaper. These weren’t the pictures they ended up publishing, but I liked these best.

In late October, Jim and I got to meet up for the time between his training and his actual deployment to Afghanistan. We took that time to go to Savannah. It was wonderful and a much needed vacation from the reality that we were facing. I won’t go into more detail about the trip because Jim posted the pictures earlier this year. You can check them out here: http://www.jimanna.com/archives/000163.html

For my 29th birthday I said goodbye to my husband for the next 9 months and boarded a plane to take me back to my empty house in Germany. In November, I decided I was going to go snowboarding with a friend. Mind you, I have not been snowboarding since I was about 20. I am not 20 anymore, but I seem to forget that occasionally. I brilliantly decided that I should go off the jumps. If the 12 year old boys could do it, I could do it, right? Apparently that logic had some flaws to it because I did not land my jump quite right and fell back on my arm, acquiring my first ever broken bone.

Ok, so it isn’t the best picture, but without my own personal photographer around, the pictures of my life have been very limited. So please bear with me for the rest of the photos. Some of the photos are mine, and others are from other people, but none are as great as Jim’s. Keep that in mind as you continue to read.

The rest of November and most of December I spent healing up and teaching modified yoga classes. While it is more difficult, yoga can be done with a broken arm. Christmas time came, and I spent it with my family. This Christmas was an unusually snowy time for Wisconsin. So I got to enjoy a very white Christmas and somehow managed to not crash my father’s car into the ditch. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures while I was home, but I’m sure you get the idea. Before I left for Wisconsin, I enjoyed a couple girls nights. Here is some evidence.

The weekend after I broke my wrist, my friend Jessie broke her opposite wrist, doing the same thing I did. Snowboarding is a hazardous sport. We still managed to make it out to the Trier Christmas Market though, along with Doris, who kept us from breaking anything else.

In January, I decided to take a trip to Amsterdam. The teacher who taught my last class in Paris was teaching a class on Van Gogh in Amsterdam. Even though I was done with school, she generously agreed that I could come and hang out with her class. I spent most of my week in Amsterdam by myself, wandering around the museums and entertaining myself with the always colorful people watching. I actually enjoyed myself quite a bit, and learned a little more about Van Gogh in the process.

Notice how this car is as long as the bike the girl is riding on.

As I was taking pictures of the car, the owner came up and got into it. I was so embarrassed, but she didn’t seem to mind and she obligingly let me take her photo.

Only in Amsterdam…

Upon my return to Germany, fate stepped in and united me with my new best friend. Sheena was looking for a new home, and I was looking for someone to talk to. So it became official. I am now a crazy cat lady, and Sheena and I couldn’t be happier.

The rest of January and part of February I spent getting ready for the Prague Half Marathon and also trying not to rub it in that I was meeting up with Jim in South Africa. It was great to be able to have a trip like that to break up the time and reconnect with Jim. Again, he has posted tons of pictures from the trip, so I won’t add extra. I just wanted to add that of all the trips we have taken together, South Africa may have been my favorite. If anyone is considering taking a trip there, do it! They have everything you could possibly want in a vacation, adventure, culture, interesting flora and fauna, as well as lovely warm people.

After my return from S. Africa, I turned my attention back to running. In March I went with some friends to Prague to run a half marathon. All the training paid off, and I ran the half in 2 hours and 2 minutes. It was a great race and all of us had a wonderful time together. Since I was so close to beating the 2 hour mark in Prague, I decided to sign myself up for another race in May. The Luxembourg half marathon was the race I chose to see if I could beat my time. Unfortunately, I did worse in Luxembourg. I won’t put my time on here, but I’ll just say that I still would love to beat my Prague time by 2 minutes. Someday…

After the race, and still smiling.

I will continue April through July on the second half of this post.

Anna :)

Only in Bavaria would your friends be in a traditional style band. They came out to play some songs for the festivities and wish Reinhardt a happy birthday. They were wonderful and some people even got out and did a polka later in the evening.

There was a lot of beer drinking, along with the wonderful food that Christina made.

I finally got to meet the illusive sister, Nina, and her new family.

It was a wonderful weekend away and I had a great time with the Herrmanns as always.

The Mom visit:

The first four days of Mom’s visit we went to see Juan, our family’s exchange student from Spain, and his wife, Sonja, in Barcelona. They showed us all around Barcelona, and had us taste all the delicacies of the area, even pig’s feet. I can’t say they were my favorite, but now I can say I’ve tried them.

Some more photos from the trip.

Our house.

Spring fever.

My friends, Jessie and Ali, and I went to Sardinia, which is an island off the coast of Italy. We just drove around and saw the sights. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t as warm as we were hoping it would be, but we still managed to find some great food and unique experiences.

Sardinian traffic jam.

This island has been inhabited since about 6000 B.C. and the ancient people made these structures that are still standing today. They are called Nuraghi and they are believed to have been used as fortresses. People can just go into them and explore. So that is exactly what we did.

Jessie

In May, my other Mom, Nancy, came to visit and to be my support as I attended my graduation ceremony in Heidelberg. Before we did that, we took a short trip to Switzerland, where I introduced her to my favorite little town in Switzerland, Muerren. As I expected, she fell in love with Muerren, and also the fresh mountain air. The wonderful reception at the B&B we stayed at, Chalet Fontana, helped her come up with a brilliant idea of starting her own B&B in Wisconsin. We had a great couple of days hiking around in the mountains, but alas, eventually we had to come back down. Then it was off to Heidelberg, where I was officially graduated. Although I had really finished my classes in August, it helped me to gain closure from my life as a college student. I was glad I attended the ceremony and also incredibly grateful to have Mom there to support me.

Mmmm, fondue

This is where the brilliant idea to start her own B&B surfaced. It is an idea that is still in the process of coming to fruition, but I know it will be a great B&B as she is quite possibly the best hostess ever.

Back down to Earth and on with the ceremony.

Mother’s Day brunch

A little antique shopping

There is nothing quite like the canola fields in Germany that grow in the beginning of spring. The intensity of yellow is unparalleled.

Later in May I agreed to participate in the first annual Diversity Day held at Spangdahlem Air Base. Diversity Day is an event meant to celebrate all the various backgrounds and cultures that are represented by the military members here and throughout the world. So I was asked to do a yoga demonstration, highlighting the 2,000 year old tradition. I somehow convinced the other yoga teacher on base, Amanda, to join me on stage. Since I didn’t make it to any of the planning meetings, I got to go first for the day. Those of you who know me well know that I am not a person who likes to be center stage, yet there I was, right in the center of the stage doing yoga. Although I was incredibly nervous, I had to pretend like I was completely calm and controlled. Apparently I pulled it off because after people said I looked very zen-like. The biggest thing I was worried about was falling over during my headstand. As I was about to go up into headstand I can’t tell you what was going on in my mind, but I can tell you it was not very zen. Regardless, the 15 minutes of yoga demonstration passed without either Amanda or I messing up, and in the end I did not die of stage fright.

The end of May and early June I decided to go home to spend a little more time with family and to help my sister Emma prepare for her wedding. I am truly grateful I got to be a small part of the preparations and can’t wait for the big day to arrive. In the end of May, Switzerland called me back again, and my friend Deb and I participated in a Frauenlauf, or women’s run. It was a 10K race that took place in Bern. Before that we went to visit Muerren again, and it was gorgeous as always. We had a great time together and actually enjoyed the run. It was a nice change of pace to not have to elbow through sweaty, stinky men during the race. Everyone was very polite, and it was an incredibly civilized and fun run to be a part of. Maybe I can do it again next year. You never know…

My last adventure before Jim’s return, was a trip to Nice to be the support crew for my friend Jessie. She did the Nice Ironman competition (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a full marathon which is 26.2 miles) and completely rocked it. I was so inspired watching all the people push themselves to their absolute physical limits and still survive. It was fun to be a part of the race, but not actually have to do the race myself. Doris, who was the other person on the support crew for Jessie, and I spent the day watching the race and cheering. The rest of our time spent in Nice, we went sightseeing, hung out at the beach, and of course went shopping. It was a wonderful trip to take before Jim’s return, and also I was really glad to be able to support Jessie in her monumental achievement.

Jessie and Michea, the other girl from Spangdahlem doing the race, right before the swim start.

They even had their own cheerleaders. They rotated through different girls and different outfits all day, but there were cheerleaders urging the competitors onward from morning until night.

Chillin at the beach

Doris, Jessie and me.

Riding one of nature’s most fearsome beasts, the squirrel. (I just saw “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”)

The sights

I know I am in danger of being sappy, but as much as I loved all the things I got to do this year, I would have given all of them up if I could have spent the time with Jim. As I could not, these things I did throughout the year more than kept me busy, they helped me reconnect with myself. As I am readying myself for our next step, I think this past year has helped me become a stronger and more self-sufficient woman. Also the lesson has been driven home to me that you have to take care of yourself and love yourself first before you can love others. I know this lesson will help me throughout life, and I hope that you all understand that it is necessity not luxury to take care of yourself. Go ahead, give yourself a hug. ;-)

So to sum up my last year, it was hard and it was fun, but it was just a year in the life…

Anna :)

This boy was very curious to see what we were doing ... inspecting one of our road projects.

As usual, southern Kapisa was a wealth of interesting sites and people.

No, this is not India, but there were cows roaming the market.

This well is very typical of the wells throughout the province. Clean drinking water was a priority, and unfortunately not enough people have access.

Jon took the opportunity while we were speaking to the contractor to speak to this group of kids. He was doing a little education and giving out small tokens (pens and paper) to the kids.

These guys were helping on one of our school projects.

Joel was being forceful with this contractor to ensure he made necessary changes to the school facility.

As usual, the valley was beautiful.

The road we're building here will enable all forms of transportation.

Same on this road.

July was also the time to harvest the winter wheat. As you can see, they collect the wheat by hand (with a sickle), but often have a mechanical thresher.

These kids had never seen a Frisbee before, but once we showed them how to play with it, they were quite excited.

This was another one of our projects. We helped refurbish the main traffic circle in the district bazaar. Joel had the good idea to add a welcome sign. We also added another solar light. These lights stay on all night and help provide security to the shop keepers. In addition to this project, we also built a couple public restrooms for people using the bazaar, and refurnished the main mosque. These projects, while not very expensive, will provide a little improvement to the quality of life to the people who live and work in the area. Again, we target projects that are developed and prioritized by the people of the area.

The fruit of Afghanistan is absolutely delicious. Personally, my favorite are pomegranates from TagAb, and second are the Afghan mangoes. The mangoes are a little smaller than traditional mangoes, and yellow. And third, are watermelons like the ones this girl is carrying.

This is another photogenic worker on a school project.

So, that concludes my images from Afghanistan. It was an amazing year, filled with hardship and turmoil. But, also left me with hope for the future. The people, government and construction companies are all working toward a better Afghanistan. There is much work to be done and all aspects of the country need improvement. Nonetheless, I believe that we are on the right track. Development of infrastructure, in concert with improved security by Afghan security forces will spur economic and commercial growth, thereby improving the efficacy of the rule of law. Finally, these things all aid in increasing people's faith in the ability of the government to help them. Once this happens, we as a coalition will be able to pull back and let Afghanistan continue on its path with progressively less international support.

So, my adventure in Afghanistan has come to an end. Now, I get the opportunity to return to Germany and my Anna. I can't wait!

Until the next adventure...

--Jim

Our contractor told us that the water is turned off for a few minutes each week, so that people could gather (not really catch) fish.

Here are the road workers picking out large rocks for the sub-base on the asphalt road. Progress is slow, but mostly steady.

Another view of the water, complete with rainbow.

This is construction of a culvert. The bad news was the quality was bad. The good news was the contractor identified the deficiencies himself and made corrections.

For some of the guys, this was their last mission outside the wire. So, near the end, they were understandably excited.

After we finished our inspection of southern Kapisa, we went to Kabul. While there, I had the opportunity to meet Mitch and Jen. Mitch had just been selected for promotion and had to re-enlist. I was honored that he asked me to perform the ceremony.

It was reminiscent of Guam, when he asked me to perform the same ceremony the last time he was promoted.

Next stop was out to Western Parwan. However, instead of a long drive, it was a short flight.

This is one of the district centers we are building. This complex will house the sub-governor and his staff.

Yeah, I agree, this construction is BAD!

The green valley is a sharp contrast to the austere mountains.

This walled fortress housed one or several families and is known as a qalat.

Next stop for the day was a school. Here you can see our ride and the mountains that surround the school. It was over 9,000 feet, and the altitude was noticeable with all the gear we were carrying.

Although plain, this school will enable two villages to have a building to hold classes in.

You can see we attracted a crowd very quickly.

Our interpreter is ethnically Hazara, as are the people in the area. So, he felt a strong affinity and even gave them a little money out of his own pocket.

The kids loved the pens. This girl immediately tested it on her hand.

This girl had very striking eyes, don't you think?

Perhaps influence from Alexander the Great's army?? I'm not sure, but there seems to be strong evidence of Caucasian influence.

A piece of grass makes fine dental floss.

This is one village I felt very safe in. The people were very appreciative that we built the school and were pleased that we made the trip all the way out to come check on it.

That was my final trip in June, but July marked the arrival of the replacement team and our final month in Afghanistan. Although we are right in the middle of construction season, it was nearly time to pass our projects on to a new team. Before we did that though, there was much work to do.

--Jim

That even means crossing rivers. I *almost* stayed dry. Not surprisingly, this was the first place we went, so I spent the next 8 hours with wet feet. By the time I finally got to change my socks, my feet were a bit pruny.

This road needs lots of work. It's going to be rebuilt as a major road over the next two years.

Hiking along a little trail coming back from a project.

Off to see another site with the guys.

Although it's hard to tell from this image, the building in the back is actually a mosque we refurbished. Although we don't build new mosques, we have rebuilt a number of them. In fact, one of the most requested projects was to repair a major mosque. This is a huge counterinsurgency point for us. The bad guys are not building any new mosques and to repair or build a new mosque flies in the face of the insurgent's claim that the coalition is fighting against Islam. Or, the other argument is that we only build roads to help ourselves. These mosques are unequivocally for Afghans and only for Afghans. Regardless of religious affiliation, support of these devout people's religion, which is such a huge part of their life, is paramount.

Walking through the winter wheat fields.

This little guy came up to each of us and shook our hand. He was very cute.

Walking to another mosque site.

This is a basic health clinic we are building in Kapisa. This clinic will be staffed by Afghan health care providers and provide critical medical care for the region. Since there is no electric grid (yet), the main power is via generator. However, as a backup system for critical equipment and lights, there is a solar array. We have begun focusing on clean and renewable energy sources as a part of all our facility construction.

This is inside the clinic where I am pointing out a few construction deficiencies to the contractor. The quality is mediocre, but we work very hard to increase the capacity of these companies, but still ensure our tax dollars are being spent well and effectively.

This is another road we are building. This asphalt road is the main thoroughfare for the province. Before this construction, on average, 500-600 vehicles traveled on this road each day. One of our measures of effectiveness is to determine if there is any change once we complete the project. We've already seen the travel time cut in half and taxi fares drop 9 times after the first phase of construction finished.

To increase the effectiveness of the government, we're building some of the Kapisa ministries a complex to house their staff and equipment. In this case, we have built this complex for the Kapisa Ministry of Education. It will permit them to function more effectively, train teachers, provide tutoring and more efficiently run their department. As you can see, it's nearing completion and ideally, it will be finished in the next week or two.

I was also fortunate to be able to tour Kapisa via helicopter. It afforded not only magnificent views, but also a chance to inspect our projects from the air.

These mountains are the foothills of the spectacular Hindu Kush range.

An aerial view of a typical Afghan Khana G’lee (Farsi for mud house).

More Afghan natural beauty.

This is down in Kabul province (just south of Kapisa). It's interesting that this landscape is so close to the major city of Kabul.

Here is another perspective of the Naghlu Reservoir that you've seen in earlier posts.

The road in the foreground is one of the roads we are building. It began as a rugged trail barely wide enough for our vehicles and will end early next year as a major asphalt highway.

Another valley in Kapisa.

More winter wheat fields.

You can see why irrigation and water in general is so important to the people of Kapisa.

One of my best friends, Jen, came to visit me at Bagram. She was supposed to deploy to Iraq, but got diverted to Afghanistan. Although her mission isn't as exciting, I was glad to catch up with her for a few days before she went to work on the staff at Kabul.

So, that wraps up the first half of June.

Until the next post...

--Jim

Here we are setting up camp. Chief's wide angle does the scene more justice.

Here is Todd negotiating with the contractors for the projects. As with any transaction in Afghanistan, there was much bargaining. We try to always get the best blend of quality and price on any project. So, even a project that was a few thousand dollars, we haggled as much as with a project that is a few million.

OK, so this image may be a little crass, but it's indicative. We had toilets that usually had water. Unfortunately, the toilets were eastern style squat ones. So, the guys fashioned this chair to westernize the experience.

One of the laborers during the morning meeting.

On the compound, we used colored tape to mark who was working each project. It worked pretty well, and there seemed to be quite a bit of camaraderie.

Here are the two docs (ours and Afghan). They invited me for a traditional Afghan lunch. As usual, it was delicious.

Here's Todd, with his desk set up to pay all the workers.

One of our infantry soldiers providing security over watch.

We literally put cash in people's hands. 1000 Afghani is about $20, which is four times the going rate for an unskilled laborer. We knew this would potentially inflate the job market, but felt that getting cash to people was a good stimulus package. Similar to the one in the US, it's long term effect remains to be seen.

More security over watch while out looking at one of our school projects.

These boys were rather intrigued by us (and the Chief's camera in particular). We were the first coalition convoy to go to this area in a couple years, so we got a lot of curious stares.

Chief caught me talking to a contractor and one of the guys communicating via the handheld radio.

We are looking over the map doing some mission planning. The boss is in the center with the operations guy on the right and me on the left. Certainly an ad hoc setup, but much like the chair, it worked.

Exterior painting was one of the projects. Although I wouldn't have chosen that color combination, the people seemed to be pleased. It definitely contrasts with the rest of the buildings in the area.

To my environmentalist friends ... I know. I’m sorry.

Driving our vehicles is a lot like driving a big rig. They weigh about the same too!

One of the Afghan National Policemen who stayed with us alongside one of our interpreters.

Our day-laborers were also a captive audience. So, we used their attention to teach dental hygiene. Then, as re-enforcement, offered some dental supplies as handouts.

Again, the people were fascinated to see their image on the digital display.

More workers with rapt attention.

They were all very serious.

However, these guys had been watching me take pictures for a while and apparently thought I was quite amusing. So, when I came over by them, they were all smiles. Of course, it was also the end of the day and they were about to be paid. But, I'd rather think that it was me.

The chief looking like the rugged photographer that he is.

Another Afghan National Policeman.

We also did a few projects out in the ~1,000 shop bazaar. So, to check on them we took a few walks out and about. This is one of the produce stores. Most normal fruit is available. The green vegetables that look like peas are actually an Afghan pepper. They are served with many dishes and are very tasty. In case you can't tell, I really enjoy the food here.

This is an example of a "jingle" truck ... always colorful, sometimes noisy and ubiquitous on the roads of Afghanistan. We also re-furbished the mayor's office (in the center of the traffic circle in the background).

The jingle trucks also brought in the gravel to place on the dirt roads.

This guys was very happy to have a job with us. Although spreading gravel is easier and better with heavy equipment, it was more beneficial to the people to do it by hand, because it gave many people a job.

This boy's shop is ingenious. He had a small generator and a number charging stations. It's a perfect solution for a place in which most people have mobile phones, but with virtually no regular access to electricity.

Although there aren't many driving rules here ... I don't think this little guy hits the road regularly.

Jon had his promotion ceremony out on site. It was a fitting place to be promoted and witnessed by (nearly) the whole team. I was honored that he asked the Chief and I to pin on his new rank.

Here we all are. It was a very good mission; we connected with the local people, made our presence felt, did a few small projects, and gave me the opportunity to see a number of projects we don't get a chance to see as often as I would like. All in all, it was a success.

So, until the next post...

--Jim

Yet another photogenic and stoic Afghan.

Just checking on the vehicles to make sure they're still there. I hate to get stuck without them!

This is a provincial sub-governor I met with. We discussed development in his district and how that we can best meet the needs of the people.

Discussion over a map.

The always beautiful lakehouse. Every time I see it, I think of Europe. Apparently, that's what the King wanted. He built it modeled on the lakehouses of Europe.

These ANA soldiers joined us on a mission and were well armed (as you can see). The ANA is a very well respected organization in Afghanistan (as it should be). So we try to enlist their help and support as much as possible.

This is on a different patrol, in Parwan Province. As you can see, it's a little more developed.

Another view of Parwan. It's a very beautiful province, and relatively safe.

Typical houses of the region.

Some ANA and ANP who we joined for the evening.

This little boy was so adorable. He was very proud of his suit. His father looked quite proud as well.

Afghanistan has so much amazing natural beauty that contrasts sharply with the rugged living conditions. It really motivates me to help give the people a chance for success in the future with our infrastructure projects.

So, I know I haven't included many construction images. Normally, that's because the subject matter isn't that interesting. I kinda like the texture here, so I'm adding it. This is standard Afghan brick and mortar work. Let's just say, it leaves much to be desired. Fortunately, the brick walls are not normally load bearing, so they don't have to be super strong. Nonetheless, I always try to have the contractors do quality work.

This is a partially completed District Center. This building will house the provincial sub-governor and a number of other district staff members.

The spring is a beautiful time in Afghanistan.

One of the nice things about the Army, is that they can fly parts in anywhere you need them.

The guys.

More natural beauty, and the traffic jam we caused in the village. But, when the vehicle can't move, and the road isn't wide enough to pass, there is no other option.

As a small token for their help, I gave these kids a few school supplies. To make it interesting though, I decided to play a trivia game (with the help of an interpreter, of course). So, I asked the kids questions on a variety of subjects. They really impressed me with their knowledge. Then, they asked me some questions to quiz me and got me on one! Who was the first person in space and what date was the flight? I got Yuri Gagarin, but missed the date (12 April 1961). Once my supplies ran out, I went out to the village and continued the game there. Eventually, I had quite a crowd gathered. It was interesting to see the sentiment of the people change from irritated that they had to wait for us to fix the vehicle to friendly because of the interaction.

Here we are back near southern Kapisa. The mountains are quite dramatic here as well.

One of our MRAP silhouetted in the tunnel.

Here are the guys (and girl) who were with me on the mission. The team is a great group of people.

Here is one of the roads we're building. Although it's not quite as straight as I would like, the road is already significantly improved. I can't wait to see what it's like once the asphalt is finished.

These next two images are of the Kuchi people in Kapisa. Although not a separate ethnicity, they are most often Pashtun and pastoral nomads who spend the winter in the south of Afghanistan and migrate with the season to the north.

Their camps dotted the valleys in Kapisa for several weeks.

These girls are a great image to represent the mixed emotion many people feel toward us. Overall, we are seen as helpful, but without a delicate touch, we will most certainly wear out our welcome in the country. If that happens, it would be a great loss for everyone, and things would devolve rapidly. I hope that doesn't happen, so we work very hard to build positive relations with the people and ensure the government is legitimate and connected with the people. To that end, I believe we have been successful, but there is always more we can do. I will spend the remainder of my time here working toward that goal.

So, until the next post.

--Jim

The Afghan government representatives often join us when we go to the sites. For example, here the provincial line director for Rural Rehabilitation and Development joined us to inspect a compacted dirt road. This road is concurrently being paved with asphalt by another contract. Thanks to the chief for capturing this scene.

Here we are inspecting a deep well (>100 meters). Unfortunately, the quality isn't quite what I hoped. So, the minister and I offered some suggestions to the contractor. With the chief's fish-eye lens, you can see the whole scene.

As you can see, mobile phone technology has pervaded the market. Before 2001, there were no mobile phone carriers. Now, there are four with almost good coverage.

Answering some of the many questions from the people.

The people in this area (especially the children) loved to have their picture taken. In particular, the digital display was fascinating.

If you notice, this is the same man who was intently using his mobile phone.

These boys were a bit apprehensive at first, but warmed up to us (at least that's what it appeared).

Doesn't this boy have amazing eyes? Also, many children's heads are shaved for the Afghan New Year (Mar 21). I was told they do that to help it grow back better in the future.

These next few images are of the people in the area.

The flowers were in bloom. As a good husband, he picked a bouquet for his wife.

These flowers poked out in one of the HESCO barriers on the forward operating base we stayed at.

These kids were collecting water for their family from the river.

It was still a bit chilly on this trip.

The view from the inside of our vehicle.

As much as I enjoy getting out to our projects, this room is where I spend a lot of time. Here we are meeting with the government officials to help us select a contractor. Once that contractor is chosen, we meet often to discuss everything from the design to execution of the project.

Here are a couple contract proposals. We've worked extensively to train companies (~200) on how to submit an adequate proposal. As a result, we've seen a huge leap in the quality of proposals submitted for our projects.

Here we are back out in another part of the province.

This is one of the many bazaars in the main population centers of Kapisa.

It seems I have a lot of pictures of old men. I don't intend to, but they are often very photogenic and animated.

This kinda reminded me of what I expect a town in the west of the US looked like in the mid-nineteenth century. Sort of an Afghan Wild West (or east in this case).

To continue with the antiquity theme.

This pensive man was part of a discussion about development. The people need to help bring security. Then, we follow with development projects. The two are inextricably tied.

So, that covers my time up until mid-April. So, until the next post...

--Jim