Da Keiki Blog

A prehistoric deer in Styrassic Park. Leilani’s photos are recently cropped to “get out disturbing things” – I do the actual cropping, but she tells me how. For now we maintain a printable ratio, but she really tried to get the sign out and keep the legs…

Pumpkin with shadow. (uncropped)

Oma’s salt lamp (uncropped)

This one was included on Leilani’s special request, heavily cropped

Sabletoothcat at the Styrassic Park.

I didn’t want to include pictures of Inge but this one needs to go on, except for the smile it is actually pretty accurate, especially on the eyelashes and the necklace and the shoes…

Leilani wrote: “Aunt Inge with beautiful necklace” on the back

A drawing of my dad. The 2 strange things on the right are cigarette box and ashtray

She wrote: “Opa lies in the bed with wheels.”

The nicest part of our trip to Austria were Leilani’s riding lessions. Technically they were not riding lessons, the actual thing she is learning is equestrian vaulting. I put a link in there as is seems to be something completely unknown in the US.

Twice a week we visited Inka and Tante Alex, who very patiently helped Leilani to learn the basics.

I include a few bad photos here (and a LOT of good ones :-) mainly because I want to document what Leilani did, still in the hope of finding a way to continue her riding experience in sue-happy California before she is 6 years old…

That is called “Ritter Kunibert” – because of the old Austrian drinking song, that claims Ritter Kunibert’s long sword hindered his riding, so he sat on the horse backwards…

We actually saw one of the rare up rainbows while Leilani was riding. Of course it was Leilani who spotted it first…

It’s not about riding alone, hooves need to be cleaned…

…and coats brushed.

Catch the dice!

Inka is walking the wrong direction…

On a few ocasions Leilani was allowed to hold the reins herself.

Leilani loved to go trail riding out in the forest. Too bad my flash did not work.

We went to Austria to say goodbye to my dad. While it is always sad to say goodbye, the circumstances there were even more disturbing.

We still managed to take some photos

We went to visit the Styrassic park – but the non-extinct animals were cuter…

…and the slides and circus very exciting…

But we also looked at the dinosaurs – and we learned to spot the speakers before they went off and scared Leilani…

We visited Thomas, Maria, Laureen and Linda

And their cats!

Leilani loves her cousins

The last photo of my dad. His 3rd caretaker in as many weeks had just been fired, and I helped him into the wheelchair and out of the house for the last time so he could enjoy sun and fresh air.

Helmut

Camels at the Circus

Birgit’s son Jakob at the circus

Ein Maennlein steht im Walde…

Gerd

You need to press this button… (with Edith)

Leilani was really good at the funeral (it only lasted 5 minutes and there was no speech… no music either…)

Edith and Ingo

We went for a hike on the Kulm mountain

Our friend Walter has a really cool vehicle… one of the reasons I really like technology. Actually, if I go back to programming or to engineering I want to work on one of these.

I am still pondering whether to put the details on the blog. I told most of my friends what was going on, and I don’t care about others and this is also my diary… but it is still too painfull…

We barely had time to unpack between Kauai and Austria… but while Leilani was at a play night at the little gym we squeezed in a short hike on Sweeny Ridge with a beautiful sunset (Andy style, sunset at destination, hike out FAST.)

We could clearly see the Faralon Islands at a distance

Looking North, SF and Mt Tam in the distance

Leilani and Isabella at a playdate (if you look closely you’ll see Sydney too…)

Andy and Leilani went to San Francisco, they visited the Golden Gate Bridge and a playground in the Golden Gate Park

Who says only Leilani can do photo art? Andy’s art is almost as good…

Leilani’s art now

I have to catch the wave…

Caught it…

Leilani is way up in the net…