Lately, I have come across a thing that seems to be the newest fad for people who are about to celebrate their 70th birthday: At age 70, do 70 new things that you always wanted to do but never did. It sounds like fun, but I’m not sure about how brilliant the idea really is. […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: Dorothy Wilhelm tells Sound history
If you feel that you have heard all of Puget Sound history and nothing could surprise you anymore – think again! For the other day, I finished reading legendary author and humorist Dorothy Wilhelm’s latest book, “True Tales of Puget Sound”. And I just wish history in school were taught as lively and interspersed with […]
Across the Fence: A tower inspires
What does my hometown, Stuttgart (Germany), have in common with Seattle, WA? A landmark. The one in Seattle has long since been competed with by skyscrapers springing up seemingly overnight, these days only clearly visible from the sea. The one in Stuttgart can be seen for miles on end. I’m talking of the Seattle Space […]
Across the Fence: Soaring sky-high
The other day, I tagged along with my husband to the 36th Annual Northwest Aviation Conference & Trade Show at the Washington State Fair Center in Puyallup. He was going to hold down a booth. I had a book with me in case it became too boring. I was expecting a presentation of aviation products […]
Across the Fence: Snowshoeing the Trail of the Shadows
Have you ever been snowshoeing? I haven’t before I came to Western Washington, and I don’t know how much of a pastime it is in Germany, if so at all. We still don’t have snowshoes of our own, but as we go only once or twice a year, we find it good enough to rent […]
Across the Fence: Jeudi Gras
Everybody knows about Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, as it is celebrated here in the US. So, what is Jeudi Gras? Okay, I have to admit it, I just made up the term, but “Fat Thursday” is what a number of European countries celebrate as an equivalent. The origin is the same, though the weekday in […]
Across the Fence: A Stuttgart Hunting Lodge
Very recently, on Facebook, I came across photos of a German friend of mine, who had walked one of my favorite hikes in my former hometown of Stuttgart, Germany. During weekends it’s usually overcrowded. But choose a weekday morning, especially when it’s cold, and you will find it to be a magic place to refresh […]
Across the Fence: Cape Flattery
Submitted by Susanne Bacon. Have you ever been to the most Northwestern place in the US? I’m not talking as in Alaska, but here in Western Washington. It’s quite a trip to Cape Flattery, in the end takes a walk all in all a bit over one and a half mile’s distance, and culminates in […]
Across the Fence: Football
Why a game in which a ball is mostly carried and thrown is called football, obviously defies any European’s logic. Football over there is definitely always played by your feet respectively legs only, and any involvement of your hands, even involuntarily, earns you a penalty – unless you are the goalie, of course. Also, football […]