Thanksgiving Presents!

What an amazing treat...and just in time for Thanksgiving.

Alessandra Mae was born on November 18th at 12:33 PM in Colorado Springs, CO.

The timing worked out great.  My changed flight from Berlin to Denver arrived 30 minutes early on Tuesday.  Charmy and I spent Wednesday enjoying each other.....I ate Mexican food, which was fantastic and had been on my list of things to do once arriving state side.

Then Thursday came.  I'm lucky and so grateful that I have a healthy wife and baby girl.  I love them both a bunch!  Especially when Alessandra pinches mommy!  If I can't enjoy them for the next year, someone has too!

Just some highlights from the "Hotel".  More to come.  

So much to experience..... I guess now is a good time to start!!

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East and West

For the last 20 years, reunification has been an ongoing process in Germany.  Looking in from the outside I never really understood the challenges that faced the people involved in the process.  After having lived in the old "East Germany" for the past 45 days I have started to see that there are still challenges to overcome.... but that is not really what I want to talk about.

Rather I would like to briefly comment on the resiliency of the German people and the admiration I have for those that stood together for freedom 21 years ago.

In 1989 Leipzig was the center of the peaceful Monday Demonstrations that started on the 4th of September and ran through March of 1990. These protests were a major contributor in the fall of Communism in the East. This movement is now remembered and celebrated on October 9th, which also happens to be near the anniversary of the creation of the DDR (GDR) on October 7th 1949.  Regardless, October 9th is now the day to celebrate those who stood together against communism.

The movement started in the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig, and by 9 October 1989, 70,000 East Germans had joined the demonstrations... the whole time remaining peaceful.  By October 16th the number had swelled to nearly 120,000 people and the following week to 320,000 (Leipzig has a population of roughly 500,000).  All the while the East German army stood on the sidelines waiting for the order to put a stop to the protests.  However, due to the massive size of the movement the military was ordered to stand down and withdraw.  I was fortunate enough this year to attend the 21st anniversary of the Monday Demonstrations, at the Nikolaikirche, with some of those who risked everything in the name of freedom.

It was really a touching thing for me.  As a person raised in the US having never experienced anything other than freedom, I cannot fully appreciate the struggle that the people around me faced 21 years ago.  However, while sitting in the church there was something special happening and it was thick in the air.  There was no cheering or shouts of joy, but rather somber reflection on what used to be, the opportunities that lie ahead and most importantly an understanding of the responsibility that comes with freedom.

It is inspiring for me to see the faces of those who were willing to accept unlimited risk and total uncertainty all in the name of freedom.  I think that Americans have a lot to learn about what it means to be free and the sacrifices that come in the name of Freedom.

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Updating my Photos Page

I have decided to update my photo page.  A couple of pictures of my dogs, while cute, are really not that interesting!


The photos on this page will be my most interesting photos (based on flicker.com) and a little bit about how I took it, what kind of post processing I used etc.  I may add some additional stuff from time to time, but I think this is going to be relatively static.


So without further ado.


#1
    
The Roman Colosseum
  
I took this photo on our most recent trip to Italy in February of 2010.  While we had spent most of our time around Naples, on the island of Ischia, we decided to close our our travels with a couple of days in Rome.  And I'm so glad we did.


It think everyone knows about the Roman Colosseum and how gladiators fought there etc....but I learned a couple things that I hadn't known before.  For instance, during events at the Colosseum, there used to be giant tarps that were hoisted on a cable system to create a roof over the audience.  Pretty neat, an indoor stadium in 80 AD. 


About this shot.  The technical aspects are pretty straight forward.  Of course it was taken on a tripod.  It really is the only way to go!  The one thing that I will change the next time I take this same photo is that I'll make sure to drop the ISO down to 100 or 200.  On the .raw image there is not much noise, but regardless, it would have been better with a lower ISO.


25 Second Exposure
f/13.0  
18mm
ISO 400


It is a pretty typical shot of the Colosseum, but then it has been photographed so many times it is hard to be original.  Where I decided to focus my attention was on capturing the light trails of passing cars right at the base of the structure. I felt that by doing this I kept the image grounded, didn't interfere with a clear look at the building, but also kept a sense of how dynamic and full of life Rome is.  I have both the color and B&W shots.  For some reason people like the B&W better, and honestly I do too.  Had I been in the right place 15 minutes earlier I would have captured the blue hour, but missed it.  Oh well, that is what next time is for!


Post processing was very minimal.  A little bump in the contrast, Backing off the highlights just a bit and some sharpening were all it took.  It was all done in Digital Photo Professional.  Nice and Easy!


Stay tuned for #2...

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30 Days Down

Well my first 30 days here in Germany are complete!  What a ride it has been.  The first two weeks were full of pretty intense travel where the goal was to show the old man and my brother as much as possible.  The last three weeks have been a blur of school related activity...and today reality hit when I realized it has been a month.

I have been married for 8 years, so a one month anniversary seems a little ridiculous.

"I am in a committed relationship."

"Great!   How long have you been together?"

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you.  It's been 30."

"Shoot, that long!  You don't look that old!"

"Yeah I know, the last 30 days have been good to me!"

What the hell, it is an excuse to get a couple of drinks and some dinner (not that I have needed any excuses so far).  Regardless, one month is still a milestone, a step along the way, and should be celebrated! 

The scary part about the whole thing is that it has only seemed like a week since I got my passport stamped in Berlin.

The old saying holds true, time flies when you are having fun!






The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

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In One Piece

Just so everyone is up to date.  I am alive and all is well in Leipzig!

The last two weeks have been hectic, getting an apartment, registering for school, registering with the city, opening up a bank account, and the myriad of other things that require setting up which are necessary for day to day life.

Outside of all of the required tasks, we (me, Dad and Joel) have had the opportunity to see some of the country.  We have actually spent very little time looking at Leipzig.  I suppose there is always time in the future for me to see all the sights that are close by to where now reside.

A real quick re-cap

1 day Berlin whirlwind - mostly waiting at the airport for Joel to arrive

2 days Leipzig - apartment, bank acct, register (both school and city)

4 days Munich - Beer, castles, churches, driving on the autobahn (only 165 kph), seeing friends from the US, a concentration camp, more beer, more castles!

2 days Leipzig - more school stuff and hooking up light fixtures in the bathroom

2 days Dresden - you can probably guess, beer, castles, churches, and ......well beer!

Here are some quick photo highlights...real quick because I haven't had time to even look through them all yet!

Dresden - Katholische Hofkirche

Dresden - Semperoper

Dachau Concentration Camp

Dachau Concentration Camp

Schloss Linderhof

Munich - Wittelsbach Residenz

Leipzig - Thomaskirche (Bach is buried here!)

I'll try to fill in some detail when I have more time available....until then I hope you enjoy!

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When it Rains...

When it Rains...
Originally uploaded by joneiche
It has obviously been a bit since my last post....life has the interminable ability to do one thing VERY WELL. You guessed it, life is a qualified expert on how to get in the way!

It's been pouring lately. While work has been unbearably slow, summer has not helped slow things down. It seems like every spare moment is spent doing something....surfing the web, taking photos, getting ready for Germany, tending to the garden (which has produced unbelievably) helping my dad hay, and even sometimes getting out for a weekend of camping and climbing.

Never-the-less, writing has been on the back burner. Today I felt it was time to reinvigorate and try to produce a little.  So here is a quick update on the last 45 days.

Moab, Utah...

This is one of my most favorite places on earth!  I'm have a couple of ideas why I love this place so much.

First, very few locations I have visited have such stark, desolate, and still awe-inspiring beauty.   I believe that there is something about how the Utah desert unfolds through the balance of primary things, such as the red earth, the blue sky, and the green vegetation.  I really enjoy living on the edge.  While I don't mind knowing what tomorrow will bring, I really appreciate the uncertainty of not knowing.  This place is not predictable.   Life here really is about survival through balance....as I like to say "everything in moderation."

Secondly, being an avid rock climber, hiker and backpacker, the desert will never leave me without the opportunity for a new adventure.  Hundreds of miles of cliffs and thousands of square miles of wilderness await my exploration.  There really is a lifetime of experience to be had here.

Finally, it really is just a wonderful place to look at.  So many "photo ops" exist here and they are always changing.  From Wingate Sandstone towers to Delicate Arch, to the night sky, everything here is so visually impressive.  Being amongst the rawness of this landscape always reminds me of how insignificant humans really are.

There is my take on Moab!




Vedauwoo, Wyoming....4th of July

I know, it is Wyoming, and coming from Colorado there is a considerable back and forth about which state is better.  However, Vedauwoo has much to offer, killer climbing, great camping and views like this!  Plus, the best part, almost no one was there.

We camped, climbed a couple of pitches, drank several beers (btw, Oskar Blues Brewery makes great craft beers that come in cans, taste great, and are much easier to pack..) and generally enjoyed ourselves.  I always like my time more when I am outside and active.   What a great weekend!

Other than the two trips, we have been hanging out with friends and taking pictures of their kids, taking care of the garden (eating great too!) and getting ready for the move to Germany.  While I haven't done much of what I had planned for this summer, it has been fun, busy and generally a nice way to say goodbye prior to leaving.

I can only hope that I these last couple of weeks are as pleasurable as the previous couple of months......

And I am going to hike Pikes Peak, no if's about it!

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An Essay on Entrepreneurship - Failure is Key

While applying for grad school, I had the option of going after a scholarship that was granted to future entrepreneurs who created a compelling business plan.   I had created a business plan several years ago and went through the process of starting up the company only to watch my business partner, who just happens to also be my father-in-law, spend the company into insolvency......which is not the point of this.

In applying for this scholarship, I had a horrible time coming up with a "NEW" entrepreneurial idea that I could formulate into a viable business plan.  So instead of being creative, I used the experience garnered by watching the demise of an organization I had spent several years building, and wrote a short 3,000 words on the fundamentals of the failure of enterprise.

The whole essay boiled down to one salient point.  Entrepreneurial experience and knowledge is generated through failure, not success.  Just like in life, business doesn't get better through things that were done "right", but rather, business gets better by fixing things that are broken, and broken means something "failed".

While the failure of my business has been painful and costly, and sometimes I regret ever having gone down that road in the first place, I have a much deeper understanding of some of the pitfalls that enterprises need to be on guard against.

But the real gem of the whole charade is that I haven't lost my entrepreneurial spirit/drive.  I just need to figure out how to break my next great idea!

By the way....the essay paid off!  another 10% off of tuition!

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Grad School in Germany

Well it seems like this little adventure I am planning might actually happen.  I have been accepted to an MBA program in Leipzig and have paid my tuition deposit securing my place. There are still many loose ends to get tied up before leaving, but things are falling into place!

Still my biggest concern, and the only remaining real road block, is funding this journey.  However, some key milestones are being reached that are making things look a bit more secure.  We were able to sell our car, which was a necessity for us to consider heading to Germany for 18 months.    All of our living room furniture has been sold but we are still working on finding a buyer for the bedroom.  The last real big item to sell is our home in Houston.  Good news though, I am in Texas next week with the goal of getting all the necessary ducks in a row to get it sold!  Everyone cross your fingers!

Other than riding ourselves of our remaining possessions, I continue to work on lining up the myriad details of moving our lives to Germany.  While I am pretty skillful at finding economical, short term lodging for our vacations, finding permanent housing is proving to be much more difficult than a holiday rental.  For some reason, finding online apartment listings for Leipzig has been a Google challenge!  But I have found a couple of sites that seem promising.  I think housing should be pretty easy to line up once September gets closer.  It seems like there are plenty of empty apartments hanging out in Leipzig.

The other maze I have been running through is understanding what I need to do to line up proper German residency and work permits.  I think I have most everything figured out...I guess the rest I will have to stumble through when I hit the ground.  The one question that lingers is what and how do I get a residency permit for a newborn??  I suppose it will become obvious when it time to line one up.

Other than all of the unanswered questions I have, I am super excited to get a move on.  Patience Jon, but not too much, I only have 90 days until I start my journey.  My how time flies when you get old!

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Garden Fresh Salad

Food has to be one of my favorite past times.  What can I say, I love to eat.  I would like to consider myself a "foodie", but really, presentation doesn't matter.  Give me a plate full of chunky green slop that is heaven in my mouth, I am only concerned with taste!

Because I am living in Colorado, planting the summer garden starts later than at lower altitudes.  However, today the annual shoving of seeds into the dirt began!  A bunch of peas, some radishes and two types of lettuce are now on the menu...or rather should soon be on the menu.

I can taste the crunchy goodness already......

Oh evil fortune called germination!!!

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This is why I love Colorado

Red-Tailed Hawk
Originally uploaded by joneiche
Living where I do in rural Colorado has some drawbacks. Namely that getting anywhere is rather inconvenient.

However, when I am able to get close enough to nature to capture shots like this, all the inconveniences become worth it!

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When in Rome!!

 
The Pantheon
Originally uploaded by joneiche
I suppose this is a little cheesy, but what the heck!

When in Rome....
    - Stop to smell the roses (if they are in season).
    - Walk the Spanish Steps.
    - Visit the Trevi Fountain.
    - Drink a bottle of wine and eat some cheese and honey in the Piazza della Rotonda and enjoy the glow of The Pantheon.
    - SeeThe Colosseum at night.....

    - And most importantly, take time to sit back, relax, and live La Dolce Vita

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Study of Black and White

I woke up this morning and before leaving the bedroom, took a moment to glance at the Ansel Adams calendar hanging on my wall. I realized this morning how amazing it is to experience the clarity black and white creates. The complexity, and distraction of color is gone, and all that is left is a simple story with significant impact.

Because of this realization, I have decided to look through all of my photographs, and experiment on not so successful color images to see what turns out when the clutter of the rainbow is stripped away.

Here are some results. Enjoy

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New Summer Goals

I have established my list of summer outdoor goals...

1. Climb Pike's Peak
2. Climb Long's Peak
3. Climb Lone Eagle Peak - Indian Peaks Wilderness Area
4. Climb The Petit Grepon - RMNP
4. Climb Mount Evans
5. Climb Mount Elbert
6. Hike 100 miles of The Colorado Trail

This should keep me pretty busy. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress throughout the summer.

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Grad School in Germany

Well, in case anyone was curious, I have sucessfully applied to several MBA programs.  I am excited to announce that I have decided to get my MBA in Germany.  I have been accepted to the Handelshochchule Leipzig Graduate School of Mangement and will most likely be attending the program in the fall!

This is a big step for me and my family.  First, and most obvious, we are moving to Germany at the end of August.  I can only guess what I need to plan for that I have no idea about.  Yep, I am a blind man trying to find the corner of a round room!  Secondly, I am still apprehensive about financing this whole charade.  I have some scholarship money coming, and am still waiting to hear on another scholarship, but I still need to come up with the bulk of the remaining funds through student loans.  I am pretty sure work will be difficult, if not impossible to come by for either Charmy or me, so loans will need to cover the difference.

I am confident it is all going to work out.  I think that doors of opportunity open and all of the "impossibles" fall into place when something is meant to be.  Not to say that I am not going to try my hardest to make sure this happens, but a certain amount of it is out of my control...why fret over something I have no ability to change.

I'll try to keep updating on this big change...

Oh, a couple of items that need to be taken care of before this whole thing happens:
 
  1.  I need to sell our car.  Its an 04 Corolla in great shape, if you are interested!
  2.  I need to sell our bedroom furniture - $200
  3.  I need to sell our piano - It is an old Edward Healey Player Piano...Best offer goes!
  4.  I need to sell our home in Houston.

If there any takers out there, lets make a deal!

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Politics and Facebook

I wish to preface this whole post by first expressing the following:

1.  I am a very politically aware person...
2.  I am conservative...
3.  I am easily frustrated by others political views

I have come clean.  I sincerely have the best wishes in mind for this country.  I am not some extreme, right winger as some would like to categorize me.  I am educated and intelligent, but none the less, I am most easily classified politically as conservative.  I vote Republican.  I am terrified of Obama's vision for the future of this country. I cannot support collectivism, because I don't believe it is rational.  I absolutely dislike government intervention.  I think that the people in this county who call themselves "progressive" really think like 15th century French Monarchs, which in my mind is not progressive.  I wish to be left to my own devices, left to my own success, and just as importantly, left to my own failures.  These belong to me, and those around me who I choose to share them with.  Some talking head in Washington NEVER knows what is best for me.

I believe that freedom is not easy, nor should it be.  I think that individual responsibility, accountability and the determination to succeed are the core traits necessary to explore what freedom really is.  Freedom is scary, uncertain and probably the most rewarding experience we will ever know.  I believe that people are inherently self interested, and that it should be that way (Darwin thought so too).  I know that Capitalism isn't moral, nor should it be.  Capitalism allocates the limited resources of this world most efficiently.  It rewards hard work.  It rewards those who are independent, responsible, accountable, and most importantly, dedicated to personal success.  It reward those who are willing to risk everything they have in the name of individual prosperity and freedom.  I believe that government intervention is THE LEAST successful method of creating a moral, responsible, and selfless population, because government is inherently none of these things.

I am generally very vocal about all of this.  I have no problem, no shame, and no difficulty wearing all of this on my sleeve.

HOWEVER.... I use Facebook to keep in touch with my FRIENDS!!!  I don't want to get into some sort of online discussion over gay rights, healthcare, fiscal responsibility or the full host of other hot-button political catch phrases of the moment on Facebook, with people who are my friends, who I know disagree with me.  That is something best served in person.  It is nearly impossible to express exactly what you wish to express inside of the context of a website serving up platters full of "lol, byob, OMG" and other nonsensical acronyms, misspelled words, and ridiculous photos that you really wish would just disappear!

In the end, all we end up doing is alienating the people we choose to like....this seems silly to me.  There are plenty of people I really don't want to, or need to like...and the people who are my friends on Facebook aren't those people

To that end, lets all agree to keep Politics Off of Facebook.  In the famous words of Rodney King, "Can't we all get along?"

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A Trip to Italy...Part 2

Il Latini, is quite an experience.  On no less than 20 occasions and by no fewer than 10 people were we told to "Eat dinner at Il Latini....and make sure to get a reservation!"  Well true to form, we ate at Il Latini and had no reservation.  The short story goes something like this....

We arrive at the doors to the restaurant at 6:30.  So do 250 of our closest friends.  Il Latini opens for their first seating at 7:00.  All of those with reservations for the 7 pm seating are called, enter the restaurant and are seated.  I finally push my way to the door, where the host asks me if I have a reservation, and I don't, at which point he wants to know how many in my party.  I'm not quite sure how to answer, do I count a baby as a full person?

"6 and 1/2."

I get a strange look, and the host continues to call out names on the list.  He is about to close the door, looks back at me and says "6 and 1/2, right?"  I say "yes", he says "follow me".  Overall, pretty easy.

It is hard to remember all of the detail of the next 5 hours.  As is evident in the pictures, wine flowed freely that night.  One liter per person (obviously the "1/2" didn't consume any).  We weren't sure what to eat, so we asked the waiter to bring us what he thought was good.  Sure enough, we ate EVERYTHING on the menu!!

So after 5 hours of indulging ourselves with every item on the menu (might I offer that you compare the size of the meat plate to the surrounding dishes) 6 liters of wine, 2 rounds of lemon-cello, a bottle of vin santo with biscotti, a bottle of asti, a round of grappa, two bottles of table wine to take home as gifts, and multiple apologies for seating us by the door, we ask for our check.  We are prepared for trouble.  6 adults eating all that we ate and drinking all that we drank could easily break the bank (that was  not meant to rhyme, but apparently it does).  The waiter leaves our table and walks over the owner and whispers something in his ear.  The owner open his notebook, takes a long look at our table, scratches his head for a moment, and then proceeds to write us our bill.  I am sweating bullets, expecting that we have accumulated a thousand dollar debt.  With palms sweating, I cordially accept the check from our waiter and prepare to choke....and I did!  There must be a mistake.  How did all of this food only cost 250 Euro?

Needless to say, the remainder of our trip was just as random, just as exciting, and just as welcoming as we experienced at Il Latini. It was most uniquely Italian.  From crazy taxi rides, to trains not showing up, to conversations with Italian grandmothers where you understand each other by "talking more and using your hands" (that is what I think she was saying), to appreciate travel, you need to let it consume you.  Don't try to control your experience, let the form by exploring where you are at.   Having been to Italy a couple of times now, there really is something to be said to relax and allow Italy to force you into living La Dolce Vita.

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