Life on the Vine

In just a few short days it will officially be Summer so I thought it would be nice to reflect a bit on Spring.  Springtime in southern Germany is beautiful.  The trees in bloom and the flower fields just make you feel good.  I've been taking random photos over the past few months.  Some were taken around the house or while traveling; others were taken with my low res camera phone on morning walks.  Figured I'd also give you a peek into our everyday lives with some random photos. View from our front balcony - I love these trees. On a drive through the countryside - these yellow fields are spectacular. Corn is in the ground and off to a good start. Private garden plots near one of the trails I walk a lot. Really cool wooded path near our house. One of my few companions on morning walks. The cherry tree in our backyard in bloom. Some of our cherry tree's fruits that I picked yesterday. Bear admiring beautiful tulips that my friend Ally brought me.

Originally Tom and I had made no plans for Memorial Day weekend.  It was a long weekend for me but we were under the assumption that he'd be recovering from a second surgery that weekend so we had made no plans.  When we discovered the day before the long weekend that we'd gotten his surgery date wrong, we quickly looked at some options to get out of town and enjoy the weekend.   We looked at airline tickets and train prices but ultimately settled on driving less than two hours from the house and visiting Rothenberg in Bavaria.  It is a medieval walled city and has been on my list of places to visit. During the Middle Ages, Rothenburg ob der Tauber was a Free Imperial City, while other more well known cities - Frankfurt and Munich - were just 'wide spots on the road.'  Its name means "Red Fortress above the Tauber" as the city is on a plateau that overlooks the Tauber River.  The city's hayday was between 1150 to 1400 -- serving as a strategic stop on th