Life in USA
2017 - 2019 United States of America
Anina's husband, Jeremy had been working in California for almost a year. He frequently returned home to Denton to stay with Anina and his two daughters, Avery and Nina. It was a temporary arrangement, however. The plan was to move to California permanently after Anina graduated. In March, they put the house in Shady Shores on the market, and Anina came to live with us. Several contractors, including roofers, plumbers, and a foundation repair, were scheduled before the final closing. I checked on the workers periodically and helped restore the wood flooring in the living room. The house is now the home of their friends, Jimmy & Bonny Vaughn.
​
In May 2017, after three years of intense studies, Anina graduated from TWU as Dr. of Physical Therapy. We were very proud of her accomplishment. We had a graduation party at our house, and all her classmates and favorite friends showed up. Jeremy rented a truck the following week, and off they drove to Healdsburg, California.
​
In June, I needed cataract surgery in both eyes. Afterward, my vision was 20/20 again. With the implanted multi-focus lenses, I probably never need to wear glasses for the rest of my life. How amazing is that!
In July, we quickly went to California to visit Anina & Jeremy in Healdsburg. Their rented house was on a secluded property about 15 minutes east of Healdsburg in Mill Creek Valley. From the main road, a long driveway winds up through the forest to a clearing with three homes. It's a beautiful location. The property owners, Margaret & Grant, maintain the most fantastic flower & vegetable garden I have ever seen. We rented a VRBO in Monte Rio, went on several hikes and canoeing, and visited wineries together. It was so much fun, and we loved the climate of northern California!
In August, I organized a 5-day hiking trip in the Swiss Alps with my friend John, his daughter Jaimie, and our next-door neighbors Steve & Melody. Also joining us on this hike was our good friend Bernhard. I was slightly worried about it because the rain was in the forecast. However, the weather changed for the better. We had beautiful sunny days with temperatures in the high sixties. The hikes to the Blümlisalp and Gspaltenhorn Huts were challenging but worth it. We were kind of proud to showcase the beauty of the Alps to our American friends.
After the hiking, Ursula and I flew to Iceland for a week. Iceland is on the Arctic Circle but has a milder climate than Greenland due to the Jet Stream. It rains pretty often but never for very long. Iceland was an exciting country with ice-capped mountains and volcanic activity. Hot steam is coming out of the ground in many places. Reykjavik traps that steam and uses it to heat the homes in the city. We stayed at a downtown hotel and went on organized bus tours to explore the countryside. One time called the Golden Circle, took us to an area where Iceland grows vegetables in greenhouses. Then we visited two gigantic waterfalls and an old homestead with earthhouses before walking between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Iceland's population is only 336,000, and they were expecting 2.1 million tourists that year. Quite a challenge! They have 1% unemployment, and crime is almost non-existent. We felt safe everywhere. But Iceland was expensive. A Pizza costs $34. The highlight of this trip was the magical Northern Lights (we were lucky to see them the night before our departure).
After Iceland, we returned to Switzerland, and Ursula spent time with Wally while I hooked up with my senior hiking friends. This time we went to the canton of Graubünden. Our base camp was in Flims, where Hans maintains a trailer home. The weather was rainy, but we went on hikes every day regardless. It was lots of fun, especially on the last day when the weather cleared, and we climbed the 1-hour Pinut rock wall.
In October, Wally came to visit us. We spent almost all of November together on Sanibel Island. His girlfriend Marli flew in from Brazil to spend two weeks with us. Wally then traveled with us to Dallas, where we celebrated Christmas together. His surprise present from us was a NASCAR race package at the Texas Motor Speedway. That was the icing on the cake, and he loved it. He came in second in the last race. We had a great time watching him fly by at 160 Mph.
In March 2018, we went to Lake Tahoe, where we rented a VRBO and spent a skiing week with Anina & Jeremy, and a few of their friends. We skied Heavenly, NorthStar, and Kirkwood. The snow was good and plenty even though it was springtime. Our VRBO, however, was disappointing. It had a rodent problem that prevented us from having a good night's sleep. In the end, the owner issued us a refund.
In April, our Geezer hiking group went to Broken Bow, Oklahoma, and Lake Tacoma. It was another great outing with lots of fun at the planning meeting. We thought we were lost on the last hike, and Jim was a little exhausted, but it all ended well. We are all in our 70s and come from different backgrounds except Chad, a fitness coach who just turned 50 and is Hawaiian. The stories about things in our lives never cease to amaze me.
​
We traveled to Morocco in May with our friends Hans and Farida Vogler from Zürich. Ursula stayed in Marrakesh with Farida, where they explored local Museums and Markets. Meanwhile, Hans and I went on a 5-day hiking trip in the Atlas mountains and attempted to climb Mt. Toubkal. We almost made the peak but had to turn around because of too much snow. We were led by mountain-guide Mustafa and fed by cook Abdul with his mule carrying our gear.
​
We flew to California in July, visiting with Anina & Jeremy for ten days. We took full advantage of the beautiful area around Healdsburg. The weather was great for hiking, and the blackberries were in season. Anina invited us to the CIA restaurant for an unforgettable dinner cooked and served by students. We also took the opportunity to meet up with my friends Julius and Lidia from Sacramento. After returning from California, Ursula underwent shoulder surgery, painful physical therapy, and a long recovery.
In October, I went on another Geezer hike. This time, we headed south to the Hill Country and visited Lost Maples State Park, where we met up with Wolf Brenner and his wife, who were there with their motorhome. Thank you, Shalmir, for preparing a delicious BBQ dinner for us. After dinner, we watched a video I had designed to celebrate this 10th Geezer hike.
We spent another unforgettable time on Sanibel Island in November with Anina & Jeremy, Kurt & Renata, and our Canadian friends Pam & David. The highlight was a cruise to Useppa Island and Ursula's delicious (early) Thanksgiving dinner!
In February 2019, we flew to Mexico and vacationed for a week in San Miguel de Allende. Thank you, Kurt & Heidi, for letting us stay at your cute condo. It is a beautiful area in the mountains at 1,900 meters. San Miguel has a pleasant year-round climate and has many retirement communities of people from the United States. Then we drove in our rental car to Guanajuato for a couple of days before returning home. Something different for a change!
In March, we visited Andreas in San Antonia. He had just recently returned from a trip to Peru. We met his new girlfriend Nicole and her little daughter at the Whitney Museum. Andreas prepared a Fondue at Gwendolyn for us on Sunday. He has plans to travel more and is considering a change in his professional career shortly. Seeing Andreas happy and dedicated to his work at Restaurant Gwendolyn was good!
At the end of March, we had the pleasure of hosting our friend Hans Bernhard for a few days on his stop-over to California. He was always curious about what Texas was like. I created an exciting program for him, including a weekend on a Ranch near Palo Pinto, the Stockyards, and a Segway Tour of downtown Dallas. Hans is an architect and worked for Swissair doing exciting projects worldwide. I met him and his wife Annamarie on the Sahara Trekking trip. They are both avid hikers and bicycle riders.
April 3rd was a sad day. My brother called from Switzerland because our dear Mom had passed away at 93. We agreed to move up the memorial service for a few weeks when Ursula and I were in Switzerland. I'm missing you very much, dear Mom!
We vacationed in Europe. We visited the city of Amsterdam, where the Tulips were in full bloom. Then we took a Rhine River Cruise to Basel, Switzerland. When we arrived there, it started to rain. We visited my sister Elisabeth in Bad-Säckingen and had lunch with her two sons and families before proceeding to Wally in Wängi. On May 1st, we were in the Black Forest region of Germany, where we enjoyed the countryside and a Segway Tour to a beer brewery. Our friend Renata was invited for lunch at a prestigious horse training center to celebrate Ursula & Wally's 70th birthday. Then we joined my family in Uetendorf for the memorial service of our dear Mom. As usual, we spent the evening and night at my brother Herbert's place. He and Annamarie always prepare a delicious dinner for us when we are there. The next day, we started a week-long road trip back to Amsterdam via Alsace, France, Luxembourg, Brussels, and Antwerp.
July will be remembered as the busiest month for HOA Maintenance projects. I supervised the installation of new motors for the entry gate. I then worked on getting approval from the Fire Department for the strobe-light emergency function. Afterward, I dealt almost non-stop with issues involving the SmartLink sprinkler controllers and the 13-year-old system. After I tackled a project in our backyard, adding extra steps leading up to the swimming pool deck.
We visited Glacier National Park in August with our neighbors Steve and Melody. We rented a VRBO in Columbia Falls and went on day hikes in the Park for nine days. The weather was great, and we had a super time together. We collected wild mushrooms that Ursula "converted" into a delicious dinner. We fed on huckleberries and saw Black bears, Elk, Moose, Rams, Mountain Goats, and Marmots. The nature in this Park was stunning. Upon our return to Dallas, we noticed that a hit-and-run driver had run over our mailbox while we were gone.
In September, we flew to California for ten days to house-sit for Anina & Jeremy, who left on a trip to Vancouver Island. We enjoyed visiting several wineries, including the Tedeschi Winery in Nappa Valley, where we hiked Mount Saint Helena's highest peak. I bought a pair of new hiking shoes for this trip, which felt great. One day we drove to the Gustafson Winery, where Jeremy was helping his landlord Grant construct a building. Gustafson happened to harvest Riesling grapes that day and let us taste the freshly pressed juice right off the press. Jeremy had also just started a new job with Enriched Mobile Electronics. The company converts Mercedes Sprinter Vans into Campers.
I met with my long-time friend Ernesto Rolo in New York in October. We had worked together at Ebel for 14 years. Ernesto, a Cuban immigrant, managed our service facility in Miami with his wife, Melida. Like my good friend Bernhard, Ernesto was a man of integrity and dedicated to running his service facility. He was someone I could always trust and rely on. He is the hardest worker I have ever met and is dedicated to the watchmaking profession. We spent the afternoon in upper Manhattan, where we met for a drink with his wife and daughter and the former Ebel CFO, Zev Friedman. It was very nice to be together after 19 years and talk about old times. The next day we rented a car and went on a road trip to Lake George, where we visited Claude Stehle, Ebel's workshop manager in New York. Then we drove to Vermont to visit our watchmaker friend Hans Schrag. Hans is another dedicated watch professional who used to run the service operations for Tag-Heuer together with his wife, Therese. Claude and Hans have a beautiful home in the country and enjoy their retirement with their friends and family.
Later that month, I went on another Geezer hike with my buddies. This time, we explored the town of Mineral Wells and went on two hikes in Possum Lake State Park. This time, we didn't go out for dinner on Sunday night as usual and had an outdoor BBQ after the always important "Planning Meeting." Lol.
November was spent in our time-share on Sanibel Island, Florida. As always, we drove the 20+ hours in our little Toyota Prius. On the first leg, we usually overnight in Alabama, across the bay from Mobile. Dinner at R Bistro in Fairhope is always a special treat after this long drive. We continue on Interstate 10 east through the Florida panhandle on the second day. Then take 75 south in Lake City and exit Ft. Meyers. The last two miles are always the most impressive and beautiful of the trip, i.e., driving over the Causeway bridge to Sanibel. Our time-share is at Shell Island Beach Club, building 1, unit C. It's a 2-bedroom apartment on the third floor with a balcony overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. It's an extraordinary place, and we love it. Our activities include long walks on the sandy beach, swimming in the sea and pool, bicycle riding, and general island exploring. I signed up for spinning classes four times a week at the Recreation Center this year. Our good friends Pam & Davis Plumb from Canada were there as well. They are on the floor below us. It's always fun to hang out with them. Pam is a nurse and cycling instructor, and David is a financial advisor. They both have pilot licenses and are avid sailors and kayakers.
Christmas 2019 worked out great. We were once again united as a family at our home in Keller. Andreas and Anina both stayed with us from December 22nd to the 25th. On the 23rd, we all went to see the movie Cats. Ursula made the traditional Swiss meat and Cheese Fondue. Everyone commented that the beef tenderloin (from Costco) was delicious and tender this year. We passed on an inheritance to Andreas and Anina, enabling them to look at their financial situations and make critical decisions for the future.
​
​
