Archive for the 'Pictures' Category

This afternoon we had a beutiful hail storm that ended up sticking to the ground. It was pretty slushy and took on a snow-like texture. People got all excited and I saw at least 5 families out playing in it and taking pictures. It’s been three hours and there is still some on the ground, but most of it has already melted.

I can see the ocean from my balcony, so this is a really low elevation for something like this to happen at.

Elder Brenders (right) from Lyon, generic France decided to do this. In Heilbronn the chapel is designed in such a way that bees can somehow find their way into the building, order but cannot get back out again. They congregate near the windows frantically flying around until they lose all strength, give up, and die.

In the springtime this is especially troubling because the number of bees that get stuck rises from about 2 per day to somewhere near two thousand! People have to swat them away all during Sacrament Meeting, and the missionaries volunteer to come and sweep up the piles of dead bees before Sunday comes every week.

The choice of the phrase “I Love Bees” is pretty funny considering how much we all hated them after having to clean them up week after week.

One of my favorite rip-offs was this unassuming little fast food grill restaurant in Ludwigsburg. The entire name is “Fried Chicken from Kentucky Land.” Although KFC franchises do exists in Germany, malady the closest one is over two hours away from this place. It is doubtful that most people that eat here even know what Kentucky Fried Chicken is. Maybe the owner just has a sense of humor.

This was on the side of the a buiding on the walk from the S-Bahn to the Stake Center in Stuttgart. CTR is a well known LDS abbreviation for “Choose The Right.” October 2002.

My Dad, my half-brother Matthew, Krissy, and I went to the San Diego Zoo today. I hadn’t been there since I was in grade school. That was when our school got banned from returning because some kids got caught stealing stuff in one of the gift shops. The thing I remember most from that day was spitting from the Skyfari and trying to hit the tiger pen. We were mad that the designers of the tiger’s enclosure had made the most comfortable spot for the tiger to rest as for away from the viewing glass as possible and he was out of view the entire time we were there.

Today was better, although the food was disappointing. It tasted like school cafeteria food, but cost as much as a pretty good restaurant. I know that was imitation cheese, you guys. Why be so cheap?

There were enough interesting things to see that it was worth it. There was the peacock that wasn’t in its cage, the amazing floating trashcan lid, and the monkey that would never stop moving. There were also a couple of huge snakes, but all I could a get a picture of was the glare off the glass on the cage.

If I go again, I’ll bring my own food. It was a lot of fun, and even though it’s a bit pricey at least I know I’m helping to keep the place running. Living so close to attractions like this is great, and I take it for granted too often.

Krissy finally got her new glasses after almost a month of waiting for the factory to get done making the lenses for them.  They are a new type of lens apparently based on technology developed for laser eye surgery.  There is a device that measures the irregularities of your retina and then lenses are made that correct for these unique differences.  The brand name is iZon and there are only a few optometrists around the country that are using this technology.

Of course, troche I know that what you really want to know is, “What does she look like in glasses?”  Well… something like this!

I like it.