Böser Osterhase Osterfest

We went to Sankt Wendel for the Bad Easter Bunny Easter Fesival this morning. The streets were full of people acting like bumper cars in a demolition derby. I’ve been in much denser crowds in Mardrid, Paris and Rome, and people did not bump into each other like they were at the Böser Osterhase Osterfest today. You would think Früling would bring out the best in people.

Atlas: “Oh nein! Nicht ein böser Osterhase!”

Sunrise

Common Chiffchaff

I saw Squirrel Nutkin on our walk this morning.

Eurasian Blue Tit

Carion! My wayward Crow. Where hast you been, and where dost you go?

Red kite

The sign claims the St. Wendeler Easter Festival is the most beautiful spring festival. It brings out a bumber crop of people.

A Red Kite was looking to make a meal of the Böser Osterhase.

Carion the wayward Crow fallowed us to Sankt Wendel.

Carion Crow clocking in.

Plank roasted salmon seems to be a staple at festivals

The Basilica of St. Wendelin

I missed the mice in at the alter of the church, but, fortunately, Tristan got them.

She also noticed a fishy doorknob.

WWI memorial

Stations of the Cross

The City Council building seems appropriately named.

It’s safe to look now, Atlas!

Fungus Amongus!

Freyja and I went on a long walk in the forest this morning.

There was lots of fungus among us. I believe these are called polypores.

There are so many trails, it can drive you nuts!

I could hear birds chirping, woodpeckers pecking, and what sounded like an owl, but I couldn’t find a single bird in the forest full of trees.

Our walk

Freyja was worn out

Atlas was putting on the cute, again

We went to an Irish pub own by a fellow from Romania for St. Patrick’s Day dinner.

Speaking of fungus amongus, the band played “Proud Mary” and “La Bamba” as part of their moldy oldies repertoire.

Paddy on bass. Herr Elton John on drums. Herr Traditionell spielen, singen und auf der Gretsch richtig Gas geben.

What was funny about the band is that it brought back memories of when I played in garage bands in the mid to late 70s. Way back then, we had to know three songs to play in clubs, for weddings, and special events: “Proud Mary”, “Brown-Eyed Girl”, and “La Bamba”. We didn’t stick around long enough to see if they played “Brown-Eyed Girl”.

The menu included Irish stew

Roast in wine sauce and mashed potatoes or

Shepherd’s Pie or Lamb Shank

and Apple Pie

Bis morgen! Tschüss!

Cathedral @ Trier & More

The snowpack on the Rocky Mountains is sparse.

If it weren’t for the clouds, I might have seen Dundee, Scotland. The map on the plane said Dundee was below us at that point.

The mainland. I believe we were starting to fly over the Netherlands.

Restaurant at the castle in Landstuhl

The neighbor’s chickens

Atlas

A tat of a cat named Atlas

The Cutest Chapel

Tristan Pointed out this really cute chapel…

…looking over Landstuhl from the Schlossruine Nanstein Castle

Landstuhl

Atlas thinks the chapel is cool, also!

Knight in the pavers

Fountain with a Camino de Santiago symbol

The oldest houses in Landstuhl are from around the 16th century.

Atlas wants to hire the maid on the van.

On to Ehemalige Festung Homburg

Homburg

With castle ruins comes more tunnels and stairs

A scratching of the 250-million-year-old ichthyosaur remains they found in the limestone in 1968.

The sign says it’s dangerous. I had to check it out. When I stepped on the floor and started to sink in the much, I decide the sign was not kidding.

Another danger sign

Where I would have come out if I have ventured past the muck

Atlas eared me that I was a wimp for not going through the dangerous tunnel.

I came across a wheelbarrow on a landing looking for the restroom at an Asian restaurant. I got confused. It could have been from jet lag, the Dragon Fruit drink, or the pole dancing. It’s hard to say.

Atlas giving me an ear up for getting lost trying to find the restroom at an Asian restaurant.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Clouds relfecting in the twilight

Geese @ twilight

Dawn

I’m flying to Germany tomorrow. Spunk helped me pack.

Spunk posing for Laurie

“What do you mean I can’t go?”

Sunset

Beaver

A beaver swam in the shallows, while cranes were taking a break on their way north.

Beaver stopped in front of us to get a snack. He paid no attention to us.

Dusk

The New Dawn

6:00 am is twilight again

The new dawn

Spunk lost his tail for a few days. I finally found it. It had fallen under the steps into the library. He took it to bed for a nap not long after I put it back into his toy box.

A cat 7 was on the bed when Jake and I got back from our morning walk

Spunk protecting my phone

Uppity Kitty

Worm Moon at Dawn

Cranes flying up north from down south are passing through.

“What’s this uppity women from the Middle Ages stuff? What about uppity middle-aged cats from the here and now? I’m going to go medieval on that paper!”

Sunset

Beaver in the pink

Cranes that flew from down south, on the way north, roosting at 4th of July Point for the night.

Bloody Worm Moon Rising

Dawn

Who might the mistery kitty be?

Beeing like spring

Loki

Mama Taratula finally got here

The Worm Moon rising.

At 4:30 tomorrow morning MDT, there will be a full, bloody eclipse of the moon. If I wake up around 4:00 a.m., I’ll go out and see what I can see of it. The moon will be close to the horizon when it is fully eclipsed at 4:30, so I might not be able to see it through the trees.

The cranes left before the worm moon rose.

Dusk

The Worm Moon melting an alien

Cloud-Like Layers

NIght sky

Cloud-like layers hang in the air
Silence, once jet noise, rings of freedom
To get from here to there in hours’ time
The send from there to here for just a few dimes
Guaranteed delivery by next-day air
Supply chain in the physical cloud
Knights in white satin?
Exhausted to deliver
Us along with the goods
A lifeline for our way of life

Gwendoly working on a load of dirt and leaves

Dusk

Marble hogging the cheese

Cranes reflecting before they fly north