Today, Jacob and I started training at our karate dojo again. It has been a couple of years since our last training, and it has been a couple of months since my last run. So I really feel the workout now. But that’s good – that’s why we went back. We’ll start practicing regularly again, and I think we’ll be back in shape soon.

Since the dojo has changed affiliations from NKJU to Kuniba Kai, I’ll work with sensei on updating our videos, especially the kata videos. It was nice to see that some of the old crew were still around at the dojo. I am looking forward to getting back into it and learning some new katas.

This weekend I replaced the two front engine mounts on my 1991 Mercedes 300D. The driver side mount was completely destroyed by several biodiesel leaks from the fuel lines that run directly above it. The passenger side mount was probably OK, but I replaced it anyway. I spent about $100 on the parts and another $40 on various drive extensions and a set of metric hex keys. My mechanic’s estimate for this job was $400. These are the tools I used:

• 1.5 ton engine hoist (thanks, Al!)
• 8 mm hex key (plus a 12 inch long pipe for leverage)
• 17 mm ratchet with 10-inch extension bar and a jointed extension
• WD 40 spray
• jack and ramps to get more clearance

Mercedes on ramps with engine hoist

The whole procedure took me about 4-5 hours (2-3 on Sat and 2 on Sunday) incl. taking pictures and replacing a fuel line. Getting the engine hoist connected, the engine lifted and the mounts disconnected took about 2-3 hours. Mostly it took me that long because I had never dealt with an engine hoist and I was very careful. Removing the four bolts was also a bit tough. The top bolt on the driver side was actually loose, but difficult to get to. I ended up removing a fuel line (and replacing it later) to get to it, using a jointed extension and a 10-inch bar extension.

driver side mount from above

The bottom bolt on the passenger side was really tight and I used a piece of pipe with the hex key to get it loose.

passenger side mount from below

After I finally got all 4 bolts out, I removed the old mounts and slipped new one in. I cleaned the bolts with WD40 and threaded them into the new mounts (that took a while – especially with the heat shield). Then I made sure that they were orientated correctly, with the notch at the top in the groove. Then I lowered the engine sloooowly onto the mounts and tightened the bolts. Then I removed the hoist and installed the new fuel line. When I cranked her up, it was so nice – no shake, rattle and roll and more, just a mellow hum from the engine.

More pictures below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Overall, 2012 was a pretty good year, although it also presented some real challenges to us. The most significant development of 2012 is unfolding right now: Dec. 31 was Laura’s last day at her job of 8 years as Executive Director of One World Market in Durham. Jan 2 she will start her new job, working as an independent non-profit consultant. She will work for a UNC professor who has a grant to start a non-profit research-data repository organization called Dryad. It’s quite a change of pace and cultural adjustment for her to go from a small, fair-trade retail store to working in academia. But despite the adjustment and the financial risk, this is also a great opportunity and she just has to take the plunge and see how this works out.

Our trip to Germany (and Austria, Liechtenstein and France) was the most exciting and probably the most memorable event this year. The last time we went was in 2005, so it was definitely time to go back to the old country. Besides visiting family, we also did some touristy stuff this time around. The kids are at a great age to explore cathedrals, castles and historic places. And we also explored German horse culture on our visit, visiting Marbach (the 400-year-old state stable for the Kings of Württemberg and now the state of Baden Württemberg) and Schwaiganger (Bavarian State Stable with a 1000-year-old horse tradition). We also visited a distant relative who makes a living with his team of draft horses.

Growing up in Germany, I had very little to do with horses. So it was really fascinating for me to discover an entire dimension of German culture I did not know much about. My mom’s dad would be thrilled to see this, if he were still alive. He was a real Prussian horse-nut and he was thrilled that I married a woman who is a horse nut. Well, here I am 18 years later, riding Tennessee Walkers and learning all about Black Forest Cold Blood horses – and a bit of a horse nut myself after all.

Speaking of horses … in April we took Wally and Cleo on their first vacation with us in Southern Pines, NC. Our first real road trip with the horses  went well, although Cleo was a bit of a handful because she went into heat as soon as she got off the trailer, and she could smell all the stallions in the neighborhood.

All year we did take the horses on frequent day trips all around the area. There are quite a few nice places to go horseback riding. But in the all we got memberships at Hill Forest – a research forest for NC State University that is only a 15-Min drive from our place. For $100 membership you get to explore miles and miles of well-maintained trails there, and there is no other traffic. Since the summer we’ve been out there numerous times and really enjoyed it.

One of the more expensive problems this year also had to do with the horses. On the 4th of July, Cleo cut herself during a ride at Hill Forest and we had to take her to an emergency vet visit to get stitched up. That was bad enough, but it could have been worse. Two weeks later we went back to the vet to have her stitches removed. On the way back, the truck’s transmission died and we were stranded with the horses on the side of the highway. Luckily a friend who has a truck with a goose-neck hitch was able to bail us out. The truck cost over $2000 to fix, though.

The worst thing that happened this year that affected us directly was the news that our good friend Lucy in Togo had a stroke and was in very rough shape for a long time. She was severely paralyzed and her family took her to the Mission Hospital in Adeta. Laura managed to get in touch with the American doctors there and helped the doctors and the family make decisions about Lucy’s care. Lucy is now with family in Kpalime and on a slow path to recovery.

The best thing this year, as every year, is watching our kids grow and explore and develop more and more of their own perspectives on life. Jacob and Julia are both doing well in school, academically as well as socially. Both continue to vigorously pursue their music and their respective instruments. Jacob’s bass teacher lately has had him explore a Jazz piece (Miles Davis’ So What?) and Julia is now 4th viola in her high school orchestra and was invited to join the chamber orchestra as well. Also, last week Laura’s brother John was here. He plays several string instruments and it was nice to see the kids and him talk shop and bond over their music.

What else?

The 2012 Doughman was fun. My team raised bunch of money and we came in 8th place out of 82 teams.

In 2012 I cooked 19 batches of biodiesel. That means I turned 950 gallons (3596 liters) of waste veggie oil (used fryer oil) into fuel for our three vehicles. That includes the truck we use to tow our horse trailer. That’s a reduction of 20.000 lb (10 tons) of carbon emissions. Our trip to Germany (4 flights from RDU via JFK to FRA) produced around 10.000 pounds (5 tons) of carbon emissions. FWIW.

Last fall, Jacob and I got introduced to firearms by some of my friends. We got to shoot some shotguns, a .45 semiautomatic pistol and a couple of .22 long- and hand guns.

And finally, just a week ago, we added emus to our menagerie, which includes now a bunny, 3 cats, a poodle, 2 horses and the 3 emus. Since we can’t tell them apart, and we don’t know what sex they are, we just call them all Bob.

So that’s it for 2012. We’re looking forward to more fun in 2013, especially taking Wally and Cleo to some interesting places. And playing with the Bobs.

Happy 2013 to all of you. Stay healthy and have fun!

Read the rest of this entry »

The sun sets one last time in 2012.

Meet Bob, his brother Bob and his other brother Bob. They are our emus. We got them today from Bull City Farm and they live in our back yard now. More pictures …

Das sind die Geschwister Bob – seit Heute unsere Haus und Hof Emus. Eigentlich sollten die Bobs die Pferdeweide von Insekten befreien (vor allem Zecken und Fliegenlarven). Aber die Emus sind noch zu klein und können einfach durch den Pferdezaun schlüpfen. Deshalb bleiben die jezt ersmal im Hintergarten, bis sie größer sind. Hier sind noch mehr Bilder …

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most insightful comment about the Sandy Hook shooting comes from the mother of a mentally ill 13-year-old:

Today we mourn with the victims’ families. On Monday, though, we do have to ask ourselves what can be done to prevent tragedies like this. Gun control is the obvious focus for that debate but the way this society deals with mental illness needs much more attention. The reality is this: there are millions of guns in circulation in his country, legally and illegally. How do we keep them out of the hands of the mentally ill? And how do we ensure people with mental illness get the treatment they need? Those are the questions we need to address. Tomorrow. Today, we mourn.

Amazing footage from Apollo 16

A couple of days ago my 1991 Mercedes 300D counted Mile # 288888

288888 Meilen hat der Mercedes jetzt auf dem Buckel. Das sind 464920 KM.

And yes, it’s 12/12/12 today. Funny numbers.

PS: that’s 44,000 miles (70.000+ KM) on homebrew biodiesel just for that car.

More records from Larsen’s Sailrocket: yesterday, they smashed the Nautical Mile Record at 55.32 knots and improved their own 500-Meter record from Friday with a 59.38 knot average speed (all subject to ratification by the WSSRC). Sailrocket is on a roll! Just watch – they will crack the 60 knots average. They already hit a 63.98 knot 1-second peak …

On Nov. 16, 2012, Vestas Sailrocket II became the fastest sailboat in  the world, when skipper Paul Larsen raced it along a 500 Meter stretch in Walvis Bay, Namibia, at an average speed of 59.23 knots (109.6 KpH or 68.1 MpH) and top speeds of 63 knots. (Subject to WSSRC ratification) Check out the video:

What a fun weekend! Saturday afternoon we had some friends over, cooked hot dogs and potatoes in a campfire and tapped a keg of Foothills Brewery’s Sexual Chocolate Stout. Sunday, Jacob and I went to check out a friend’s new 10-acre slice-of-heaven in Northern Orange County. A couple of the guys had brought their arsenal of assorted firearms out there to engage in a bit of post-Halloween pumpkin “carving” fun. Ever tried to carve a pumpkin with 12-gauge magnum buckshot shells or .45 ACP? Here are some photos of Jacob shooting for the first time (.22 Revolver and a .410 semi-automatic shotgun)

So viel Spass hatten wir schon lange nicht mehr wie letztes Wochenende. Samstag machten wir ein Faessle auf, und Sonntag waren wir bei Manfred zum rumballern. Mehr hier …

Read the rest of this entry »

… looks like it.

UPDATE: Romney concedes the election

Congratulations to Felix Baumgartner on his amazing skydive yesterday.

Here is a very excellent 1:350 scale re-enactment:

Kitties below the fold!

Read the rest of this entry »

Dies ist die Burg Hohenzollern, einer der definitiven Höhepunkte unserer Reise nach Deutschland im August.  Wir fuhren vom Rheintal in den Schwarzwald nach Hechingen, am Rande der Schwäbische Alb. Wenn man sich der Burg nähert, werden die Straßen schmaler und steiler, bis die Burg direkt üher dem Besucher im Wald aufragt. Dort parkt man das Auto und klettert den letzten Kilometer den Hügel hinauf bis an das Haupttor. Burg Hohenzollern ist der Stammsitz des Hauses Hohenzollern, die Preußen und Rumänien als Könige und das Deutsche Reich als Kaiser regiert. Weitere Fotos:

(zum vergrössern aufs Foto klicken)

Bitte hier weiterlesen …

Read the rest of this entry »

This is Hohenzollern Castle, one of the definite highlights of our trip to Germany earlier this month. We drove from the Rhine valley across the Black Forest to Hechingen, at the edge of the Schwaebische Alb. As you approach the castle, the roads become narrower and steeper, until the castle looms overhead in the forest. There, you get out of the car and climb up the hill for 30 Minutes until you reach the main gate, where you pay admission. Hohenzollern Castle is the ancestral seat of the House of Hohenzollern, which ruled Prussia and Romania as Kings and the German Reich as Emperors.   More photos:

(click on any photo to enlarge and start the slide show)

Another castle with a nice view we visited was Liechtenstein Castle near Honau in Germany, owned by the Dukes or Urach. This is the view from an overlook near the castle. Later that evening we had a very lovely dinner of local trout and local, wild boar at a restaurant in the village below.

Speaking of Liechtenstein, we also visited the more famous Liechtenstein Castle in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Also privately owned, this was the only old castle that had a big “No Trespassing” sign, as it is still the residence of the (very rich) Prince of Liechtenstein. Of course it too, has a very nice view.

None of us had ever been to Liechtenstein, so now we can cross out on our to-do lists: visited all four German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein). Visited the fourth-smallest country in Europe and sixth-smallest country in the world (Only Vatican City, Nauru, Tuvalu, San Marino and Monaco are smaller).

At 2,962 m (9,718 ft), the summit of the Zugspitze was the highest-altitude highlight of our trip, but sadly also the lowest-visibility one.

Even though the weather was quite nice everywhere else, a stubborn cloud shrouded Germany’s highest alpine summit all day. We took the cable car to the glacier station about 1000 feet lower and we had a much nicer view of some of the surrounding mountains.  Still, for the kids the real highlight of that day was to be able to go sledding. In August.

More Photos:

Our tour through my old stomping grounds – the Baden/Alsace region – yielded several more highlights with a nice view. The castle Haut-Kœnigsbourg (or Hohkönigsburg) in Orschwiler in Alsace features a spectacular view of the Vosges mountains, across the Rhine valley and all the way to the Black Forest. This castle is interesting because it was carefully restored in 1900, and not just rebuilt according to some romanticized idea of the middle ages. So it really gives visitors an pretty good idea what a medieval castle looked and felt like. The German Emperor Wilhelm II had it restored as a monument to the German heritage in Alsace and to claim a link to previous German rulers – the Stauffers and the Habsburgs in particular.
 

From there we proceeded on to Strasbourg, where we visited the Cathedral.

The old city of Strasbourg with its medieval cityscape of timber-framed buildings is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The (mostly) Gothic sandstone Cathedral towers over the old city. At a height of 142 m (466 ft), it’s north tower was the world’s tallest building from 1647 until 1874, eclipsing the Great Pyramid of Giza by just a couple meters. We climbed up to the platform at 66m (217 feet) and enjoyed a great view across the city and the Rhine valley.

More photos:

Finally, the next day on the other side of the Rhine, we visited Freiburg and also climbed up on that city’s  cathedral, the Freiburger Münster (pictured here with the spire in scaffolding).

The minster’s 116m (380ft) tower was completed in 1330 and the choir was consecrated in 1513 – it took over 300 years to complete this church. Only in 1827, did the Freiburg Minster become the seat of a bishop. The oldest bell in the tower dates back to the year 1258 and it is called “Hosanna”. During the bombing raids in 1944, all the buildings around the church were destroyed, but the church remained unscathed. The view from the platform on the tower, right beneath the spire, was fantastic. The Black forest on one side, the Rhine valley was spread out all the way to the Vosges mountains.

More to be posted soon …

(updated 8/22 with more photos) (updated 8/25 with some dates about Freiburg Minster)

On the July 4th holiday, Laura and Julia went horseback riding in the morning. I had hurt my back at work, so I stayed home. They had been gone for a while, when Laura called me and explained that Cleo had a serious cut in her leg and I should call the vet while they load her and haul her over there. Luckily they were only about a 10-Min drive away from the vet hospital. So I called the vet’s on-call emergency number and then I drove out there, too.

Cleo’s cut was pretty bad – a 3-inch (10-12 cm) long gash in her right hind leg, down to the muscle tissue, with blood all over her leg. The vet tranquilized her, cleaned the wound and stitched her leg back up. After that, Cleo had to be on “stall rest” for two weeks, and so we fixed up their run-in shelter as an improvised stall. We had already set up a nice fan in the shelter and Wally and Cleo often spent the hot part of the day next to the fan. So they did not seem to mind too much having to stay in there. Julia spent a lot of time taking care of Cleo, cleaning her wound and walking her.

(truck trouble below …) Read the rest of this entry »

Ghana’s President, John Atta Mills died today at age 68. Mills narrowly won the presidency in 2009 and was reportedly planning to run for a second term in December. According to the BBC, mills died of throat cancer.

John Dramani Mahama, his vice-president, has been sworn in as his replacement in a ceremony in the capital.

Our heartfelt condolences to the people of Ghana.

Today, on the way home, this Google streetview car (on the right) turned into our neighborhood and followed us for a couple of blocks. When we got home, Julia and I ran inside and go a couple of masks and then came back outside to wait for the Streetview car to prank them, but we were too late (I think). Or maybe they did not map the entire neighborhood. I guess we’ll see when they update Streetview.

Today marks the sixth consecutive day (July 3rd – 8th) of 100 degrees or higher here in the Triangle and that sets a new record. The previous record was five consecutive days set last Summer from July 20 to July 24, 2011. Today’s 105 degree temperature also sets a new record for this day (previous was 103 in 1977) and ties the all-time record temperature at RDU airport set on June 30. (source)