January started with Anna's performance in the Nutcracker; she had roles in the party scene of Act I and in the Waltz of the Flowers in Act II. Kate had her birthday in late January. Our winter had been relatively warm and snow-free, so Kate had a winter-themed birthday party that included indoor snowmen and an indoor snowball fight. Jack played in a basketball league, and he played indoor soccer; he has decided that likes soccer better. In early March, Jack and Anna played piano in a Sonatina Festival, and Jack was asked to play in the honors recital the next day.
Our big adventure in late March was a trip to Europe. We have friends living in Munich for a year, so Susan, Jack, Anna and Kate all flew to see them. They stayed in Munich for a week, touring nearby - Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles, Salzburg Austria, Dachau, Neuremberg - and seeing Munich. Then Bill flew to Amsterdam from the US while Susan, Jack, Anna and Kate flew to Amsterdam from Munich, and we all spent about a week in the Netherlands. We stayed in Amsterdam, then in Delft. While in Delft, Bill was working at the university, and the rest of us toured around - Haarlem, den Haag, and Leiden. We flew back on April 2nd, but we'll put all the photos from the trip here.
 |
| Anna during finale of Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier on the right) |
 |
| Jack and Kate before the Nutcracker; Jack helped with programs again this year |
 |
| Anna after the performance |
 |
| Polar bear paw print cupcakes |
 |
| Photo booth fun with the snowmen (who are mostly hidden here) |
 |
| Happy Birthday, Kate! |
 |
| Basketball |
 |
| Saturday Morning Astrophysics |
 |
| bikes out in February |
 |
| Kick-in from the sideline |
 |
| Sonatina Festival honors recital |
 |
| at Schiphol Airport before connecting flight to Munich |
 |
| early morning train leaving Munich |
 |
| Neuschwanstein Castle |
 |
| Hohenschwangau Castle |
 |
| Mozart |
 |
| street chess in Salzburg |
 |
| a view of the Eastern Alps |
 |
| view in Neuremberg |
 |
| Albrecht Durer Museum |
 |
| at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam |
 |
| Dutch East India Company (VOC) ship at Het Scheepvaartmuseum |
 |
| at the Anne Frank House |
 |
| canal scene in the Jordaan neighborhood |
 |
| near the Singel canal at Spui |
 |
| walking down Kalverstraat towards Munttoren |
 |
| along the Golden Bend |
 |
| amongst the Nacht Wacht statues at Rembrandtplein |
 |
| more Nacht Wacht statues |
 |
| Keizergracht and Leidesgracht |
 |
| I amsterdam and Rijksmuseum |
 |
| lunch on Museumplein |
 |
| flower fields on the way to Delft |
 |
| big wood shoe |
 |
| more wooden shoes, not as big |
 |
| Delft from the Rose Windmill |
 |
| Selfie in Leiden |
 |
| at the blue heart of Delft |
 |
| famous solar system on a fence in Delft |
 |
| at a stop on bike ride through Haarlemeermerse Bos |
 |
| waiting before departing Schiphol |
 |
| making a connection at CDG in Paris for flight to O'Hare |
