Author: Peter Klopp

Two Weeks Apart and so Much Change

/ Peter Klopp / 19 Comments

On January 22, a crisp and bitter-cold winter day, my wife and I, faithful to our daily walking routine and abiding by our iron-clad rule, rain or snow, went down to the Fauquier golf course. Shivering a bit in the extreme cold, we marvelled at the glorious winter scenes.

Within two weeks, the thermometer jumped from -20 C to + 5 C, and moisture-laden clouds also brought lots of rain, washing away the virgin snow and exposing a green spring-like landscape.

Now, let’s have some sunshine, and we will dream about tulips, daffodils, and an early spring.

Walter Panknin (1898 – 1977) and His Family Ch7 Part 18

/ Peter Klopp / 7 Comments

Family Reunion at Lake Ammer

Biene writes:

Our family, including my uncle and aunt, spent the summer of 1963 at Lake Ammer in Bavaria, Southern Germany.  Lake Ammer is the sixth-largest lake in Germany.  Since sailing is a popular sport there, our father equipped our fold boat with sails. Our vessel resembled a lightweight canoe which could be folded up.

From left to right: Uncle Rudi, Walter jr, Aunt Johanna, Mutti and Papa Panknin

My twin brother was excited by the prospect of easy sailing instead of strenuous paddling. Boats of any kind were his passion.  And he was already a very skilled model boat builder. He loved sailboats in particular.  The previous summer, he had learned to sail with a friend on the island of Corsica.

The weather was beautiful that summer at Lake Ammer.   The lake was still and calm, like a mirror under a cloudless sky, for the first few days of our stay.  I enjoyed the wonderful sandy beach. When I was not swimming or sunbathing, I would sit under a shade tree and read the gripping biographical novel  “Lust for Life” by Irving Stone.  A great read which is based on Vincent Van Gogh’s turbulent life. Vincent Van Gogh was and still is my favourite painter.

The Fascinating World of Winter

/ Peter Klopp / 12 Comments

Keen eyes in a seemingly dull and colourless winter landscape will discover the pearls of beauty nature has prepared for us. I am always searching for the things hidden in the microcosmos of a snowy and icy fairyland, too small to see for the casual observer but large enough for the camera to capture.

Here are a few examples from a recent walk with Biene:

It has been a long time …

/ Peter Klopp / 35 Comments

The near end-of-life crisis is finally over for me, and I look forward to blogging again, although on a very limited scale. Like Ann, one of my blogging friends, I have set some new priorities with a focus on family, more time spent with my dear wife Biene, and hobbies that I really like to pursue, such as genealogy, photography, songwriting, gardening, and enjoying the great outdoors. Once in a while, I will publish one of my better photographs or write a post with a light sliver out of the life of an octogenarian.

The image above shows the top part of my wife’s new blog site. She just finished writing her first post yesterday. You might want to peek and see if you find something that interests you. You will find her blog at http://www.bumblebiene.ca.

A BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! LET US HOPE 2024 WILL BRING PEACE AND HAPPINESS TO HUMANITY. WE PRAY FOR THE END OF ALL WARS. LET THE LIGHT PENETRATE THE DARKNESS.

Farewell to my Blogging Friends

/ Peter Klopp / 22 Comments

It is with great sadness and deep regret to announce to all my blogging friends far and near that I will have to take a longer break from my beloved activities in klopp-family.com. During the Easter break, I have come to realize that there are more important and more precious things in life than being part of the dance around the ‘golden calf’. Ultimately, the bond that holds the family together through the loving dedication to each other’s needs is the most important thing. I also discovered that behind the social media lurks the danger of becoming totally addicted, as I have learned about a person very near to my heart.

I say goodbye for now and leave a video of the song ‘Oh Susanna’ that my wife and I played last Sunday on the ukulele.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 12 Comments

Wednesday’s Photo 

Inuksuk and Winter Landscape

Even though our calendar tells us that spring has sprung and many of my blogging friends have published photos of blooming spring flowers, Old Man Winter refuses to leave here at Arrow Lakes country. The picture leaves no doubt that we will have to put up with a few more weeks of winter until all the snow has melted to make room for the colourful harbingers of spring. For me, it was a joyful moment to discover that someone had taken the time to build the inuksuk on one of the log booms resting on our beach.
I will take a short break from blogging to visit our sons and family. When I return after the Easter long weekend, I hope to present more spring-related pictures to you.