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:
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.
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.
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.
Twenty years had passed after their memorable vacation on the River Danube in 1939. With financial security secured, they could think again of a major travel adventure. In the early 1960s, tourism in southern Europe was still in its infancy. Many people of West Germany, tired of rained-out summers, were looking for warmth and sunshine and found inexpensive places in Spain, France and Italy. So the Panknin family went to a lovely vacation spot in northern Italy at the beautiful Lake Garda.
In the following year, in 1962, they ventured out a bit farther and visited the Island of Corsica. There, they experienced the beauty of the wild and mostly untouched land- and seascapes. The only fly in the ointment was Papa’s snoring. Biene reports it was so loud that the thin cabin walls did not prevent the annoying sound from disturbing the entire vacation community in the adjoining bungalows.
For the history buff Papa, the French island offered many research opportunities to explore the remnants of the Roman civilizations on the island where Emperor Napoleon was born. The highlight for the twins Gertrud (Biene) and Walter Jr. was spending time at the beach and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea’s warm waters.
This would have been a beautiful sight at the beginning of December when people dreamed of a white Christmas, skiing or frolicking in the snow. We had another heavy snowfall only two days ago while our blogging friend Steve was photographing floral carpets in Texas. As President Carter once stated, “Nothing is fair in life.” Yet, I am not depressed when I see a beautiful landscape under a blue sky.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 