…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.
We went to Tier, Germany, in the rain today. Tier was one of five official Roman residences in the 3rd and 4th centurys, and it was the home of Karl Marx.
Reminded me of Inchy in his younger days.
Das Foot
Karl Marx traffic lights
Roman ruins
Holding up the arch
Tunnels under the baths were used for maintaining the hot water for the baths.
We staoped by the Karl Marx Museum
Hour glasses showing how much time Marx spent in different cities. He lived longest in London and then Trier.
T’was the night before St. Nick’s Day And all through the house All the kitties were hiding Just like a mouse
Why was that? You might ask What was the cause? There was one on the prowl Known as the old Spunkus Klaws
He hunted bad kitties To have them for dinn He was ruthless it seems At rooting out sin
Was he succesful, you ask? Did the kitties get caught? Seems Spunkus finding sinners Washed out, all for naught
As the sun rose on St. Nick’s Day With a sigh of relief, so did the cats To celebrate goodness for this and that While Spunkus Klaws sat down and spat
He growled and he hissed He scratched on the pole On the wall he pissed For missing his goal
With a new pheromone collar Firmly in place Spunkus Klaws was much calmer And ready for peace
As Christmas approaches The household gets ready The birds, and the cats Jake and the roaches
For the mean old Spunkus To become a nice Claws like Santa To purr for love and peace And dance the Kittycabana
Spunkus Klaws: “Aye, pathetic pile of paparazzo puke! I’ll scratch your eyes out and have you for dinn with all the other sorry, schlecht, sinful kitties!”
Spunkus Klaws looks everywhere for sorry, schlecht, sinful kitties.
Gwendolyn: “Ich schwöre, ich war brav!”
“Watcha doin’, Marble?” “Shhhh! I’m hiding from Spunkus Klaws.”
“Pole! Pole! Please unwind, and tell me where I can find… those insolent kitty Katstards!”
Loki: “Ha! Bring it on, Spunkus Klaws!”
“Oh! No! A new phermone collar. I feel myself weakening, and sucumbing to niceness…”
“AAAAaaaarrrrrrrggggg!!!”
Happy to see you back to normal, Spunk!
And then there is Krampus! Tristan, Craig, Shelby, and Sean drove to Munich Sunday morning to see the Krampus Parade and sent us photos. If you don’t know about Krampus, here’s a quick rundown:
Pagan Roots Krampus is thought to originate in pre-Christian pagan traditions, possibly linked to winter spirits or underworld deities. When Christianity spread through the Alps, these older beliefs weren’t erased—they were absorbed and reinterpreted.
Christian Integration By the Middle Ages, Krampus became the dark counterpart to St. Nicholas: St. Nicholas rewards good children
Krampus punishes the bad He’s typically depicted with horns, cloven hooves, chains, and birch rods, sometimes carrying a sack to cart off misbehaving children.
Krampusnacht On December 5 (Krampusnacht, the night before St. Nicholas Day), young men dress as Krampus and roam the streets, rattling chains and frightening onlookers. These events—called Krampusläufe—range from traditional to rowdy public parades.
Suppression and Revival The Church and later governments periodically tried to ban or suppress Krampus as too pagan or disorderly.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Krampus saw a major cultural revival, spreading beyond Europe into global pop culture.
The photos below were taken by Shelby, Sean and Tristan. The videos were shot by Craig.
A large bullsnake was lying in the road. A large pickup truck rolled over it, but luckily it avoided running over the snake with the truck’s tires. I got out of our car, scooped up the bullsnake, and handed it to Laurie. The snake was squirking around, so she rolled down her wind and let it hang its head out the window like a dog. It calmed down a bit as we drove home. After photographing each other with the snake, I let it go in Rebecca’s Black Bamboo.
It seemed most appropriate that I was wearing an Alice Cooper T-shirt while holding the Bullsnake.
Jake and I saw a coyote on our walk at dusk.
Intermission: A photo taken by Laurie of the forest close to Tristan’s house in Germany.
Gwendolyn, the round-eyed devil, was waiting for grass.
Off Center & Not Even 