December 31, 2011 - New Years Eve

Just as last year, we visited downtown and walked around Pioneer Plaza with its caddle drive sculptures. According to Texan lore, they are the largest bronze sculpture in the world. Given that they were done by a single artist, it's hard to imagine how long it took to create them.

December 29th, 2011 - Dallas Museum of Art

We went to the DMA to see the Jean Paul Gaultier exhbition, which was fantastic. His designs are unimaginably creative. Unfortunately, taking photos was not an option. However, Margo and Arno had lots of fun in the sculpture garden as we enjoyed a gorgeous day outside. Much to their liking, we ended the excursion with an Italian icecream.

December 25th, 2011 - Christmas, finally!

So, this was it then. The moment of truth: did Santa take Margo's and Arno's wishlist seriously and did he really get all of their gifts! Both desperately wanted a bicycle from Santa. We had a few discussions on this topic since riding bikes here is not as easy as it would be in Europe. In the end we decided to give Santa the green light and two brand new bikes materialized magically.

December 24, 2011 - Heiligabend in Fort Worth

As every year, we celebrated the German Christmas on the 24th and the American one a day later. For Heiligabend we went to Fort Worth where Mom, Meredith and Margo saw a production of the Nutcracker at the Texas Ballet Theater. Meanwhile Arno and I visited a friend of mine at the downtown Fort Worth Fire Station. We got an extensive tour of the fire engines and saw the 1930s facility up close. What an exciting day!

December 23, 2011 - One Day To Go

Margo and Arno could hardly contain their excitement over Christmas. Both were looking forward to all the presents and celebrations ahead. Naturally, each had submitted a long list of wishes to Santa along with explanations of how, when and why theyhad been extremely good all year long. But of course they had been!

December 22, 2011 - Arriving in Dallas

We finally arrived in Dallas after being delayed by a full day in Germany. My Mom made the journey with ease and it was nice to see that US immigration and customs helped her a lot. At home everyone was extremely exicted to see her here in Dallas for the first time.

December 15, 2011 - Having Fun

We were just goofing off at home and I really wanted to try an old film that has a real 1970s look to it. The results turned out as expected, but it's not something for everyday use.

December 10, 2011 - Goethe Center Christmas

Today was Margo's turn to sing at the Dallas Goethe Center Christmas party. The program was excellent as language students of all ages presented stories and performed songs. Naturally, the highlight was Santa Claus who had a goody bag for everyone.

December 9, 2011 - Mostly Faces

It is time again to take an inventory of the family's best and brightest. Here are our latest portraits ...

December 4, 2011 - Washington DC

I visited Rita and Jerrold in DC for a tour of a few museums. We started the day by walking to the National Gallery of Art, which is rivaled by very  few museums in the world in terms of its breadth and depth of the collection. One needs at least a few days to take everything in. From there we continued to the Smithonian Air and Space Museum, which was equally breathtaking. It's easy to spend a month in DC without ever leaving the Mall or getting bored. We finished the day on the roof of the apartment building with an excellent cigar.

November 26, 2011 - Thanksgiving Weekend

We've had a long weekend with plenty of time to play. Meredith made a fantastic dinner on Thanksgiving Day and we spent the next three days mostly holed-up at home. It was a great time to come together.

October 30, 2011 - Krefeld

On our way to the airport, we surprised my Mom with another visit and were treated to a very nice lunch. It gave everyone another chance to say good-bye before we headed back to Dallas the next morning.

October 29, 2011 - Brussels

Here we were, at the very heart of great food and interesting history. It had taken us as long to drive through Brussels as it had to get here in the first place, but all the hassle was well worth it. Nils and his family had arrived from Oldenburg to join us in the exploration. We got an early start and began in the city center, with is magnificent market place. From there we walked concentric circles until everyone needed a nap. At least until we discovered several traditional chocolate stores ...

October 28, 2011 - Bruges

With a week of my Mom's spoiling and great food behind us, we decided to spend a few days in Belgium. Starting early meant that we drove past Brussels before noon and reached Bruges just in time for the first helping of french fries with the famous majonnaise. The latter was something most in the family missed, but we all saw the beautiful medival town with its sixteenth century houses built around a system of canals.

October 27, 2011 - Architecture

We were in the city today, which gave me an opportunity to capture a bit of the turn-of-the-century architecture in Krefeld. Until the late 80s the city had been well-known for its textile manufacturing, which had brougt substantial affluence in the early 20th century already. You can still see it in buildings that had not been destroyed during the war as well as in the grand design of streets and public spaces.

October 26, 2011 - Cologne

It was ime for a bit of cultural activity, so we drove to Cologne to check out the Dom, the Roman museum and to visit Sven, a very good friend.

October 24, 2011 - Hitting the Playgrounds

Everyone clearly needed to blow energy. We went to a large playground in one of the parks close to the house and met an old friend of mine, Lars, and his family. The only way to move Margo and Arno away from the playground again was to have dinner in an old trainstation where they could see vintage trains while feasting on noodles and apple juice. 

October 23, 2011 - The Zoo

Today we went to the zoo with Werner and his wife. We had lots of fun seeing all of the animals. What was most amazing is the fact that the zoo actually charges two Euros to let dogs in. While paying for our troupe, I was wondering what dogs can possibly gain from seeing their kin in cages?

October 22, 2011 - Krefeld

It's been two days since Meredith, Margo and Arno joined me in Germany and we have already had all kinds of adventures. The first two days at my Mom's flew by and we spent a lot of time outside just walking in the park and forrests nearby.

October 20, 2011 - Arriving in Germany

We all met at the Frankfurt airport and had a feisty breakfast before driving to Krefeld to visit my Mom. Before we even arrived, someone rear-ended us on the highway near Cologne and we had to spend seveal hours in the hospital for check-ups. Everyone was shaken but fine. Luckily the accident was not our fault - we had been standing in a traffic jam - and thus we were able to contiue to Krefeld on the same day.

October 17, 2011 - Amsterdam

There was just enough time for a morning walk with my camera, this time to have a closer look at some of the architecture and shops. The city really has been cleaned up since I have been a few years back. Its been gentrified and certainly has become too expensive for many of the seedy places that had been the city's trademarks for so long.

Ocober 16, 2011 - Amsterdam

Just got in after a long flight via Frankfurt. The choice was to lay down for a nap or go out to take a few shots. Well, the latter is was. There are just too many things to see and explore to simply stay in the room.

October 3, 2011 - Arno's Birthday

Arno turned three today and we had almost his entire school class over for the celebration. As we had done for Margo, we brought in an artist who painted  with the children while we served homemade pizza for everyone and wine for the adults. Arno currently is Spiderman's helper. The two of them encounter new adventures every day based on his stories. Most recently they decided that they really need a Spiderdog to complete the team. He thus was in his Spiderman outfit, which proved to be a difficult setup when it came to blowing out the candles on his birthday cake.

October 1, 2011 - Downtown

Here are a couple of shots taken in Dallas. It was a pretty eventful afternoon. I ran into a Free Masons gathering, pumpkin farm and a far-longer-than-necessary discussion with a bunch of idiotic security guards at a skyscraper among other things.

September 25, 2011 - Goethe Center Picnic

Little to report: lazy Sunday, big breakfast and then a bit of painting. Margo also sang at the annual Goethe Center picnic today. We were very proud to see how well she handled the crowd and German songs, which she had heard for the first time only a few days ago.

September 24, 2011 - University of North Texas

I have been teaching  at UNT since 2006 and never managed to take a few photos of the campus or buildings. The Business School just opened a new leadership building and it was thus high time to remedy the situation. The new bulding is truly impressive and an immense imrpovement over the old facilities.

September 23, 2011 - Night

Nothing beats a fast 50mm at night. I had been itching for a while to just shoot without any type of flash or light source. In essence, this lens saw far more than my eyes did, which produced interesting results.

September 17, 2011 - Deep Ellum

Deep Ellum is a very unique place in Dallas. At night there are dozens of clubs and bars that attract mainly young patrons and during the day it is a hangout for art-types and also a place for great food and all kinds of vintage stuff. Needless to say, I haven't been there at night for close to ten years ...

September 10, 2011 - Chicago

Spending the weekend in Chicago was enormous fun. Meredith had a conference before and I had one after so we decided to meet there in-between. It was also a great opportunity to celebrate Meredith's birthday last week. The city is phenomenal and we spent a good deal of time just walking around.

August 28, 2011 - Dallas Aquarium

Margo and I ventured off to the Dallas Aquarium for a couple of hours to look at all the birds, fish and reptiles. At the same time, it gave me an opportunity to hone my street photography skills a little.

August 27, 2011 - Climbing through Rubble

I took some time off after my lecture in Denton to check out a few uncommon spots such as construction sites or the county jail. It quickly became so hot outside that I had to abandon a black camera and continue solely with a chrome one ... we seem to live in a desert every summer. In any case, the effort paid off in that I found a couple of unusual perspectives.

August 21, 2011 - More Fun

Well, the title says it all. Here are a couple additional shots from the weekend.

August 20, 2011 - Weekend Fun

We had a relaxing weekend with lots of swimming and play. Did I mention that it is great to be back ...?

August 14, 2011 - A Couple of Shots

We took a bunch of photos over the weekends before and after my trip that I could not post. So here are a few ...

August 6, 2011 - Oldenburg

On the way back to Dallas I stopped to visit Nils and his family. I started by walking through the city, which is extremely beautiful with its many old homes. Nils and I had a tremendous time as we drove one of his cars and went fishing on a small, secluded lake. It was my third outing to fish and the second during which I caught absolutely nothing. The only time we saw bites was after I has stepped away to take a few shots. Such is life!

July 25, 2011 - Munich

There really wasn't much time after my business meetings and I had to decide where to go for a few photos. I started at the new BMW delivery center right next to the main factory in Munich and then drove over to the Nymphenburg castle. The latter is truly spectacular. One can only wonder what an awe-inspiring place it must have been in the seventeenth century when it was built.

July 23, 2011 - Carcassone Castle

The weekend, finally! With the jet lag gone and business concluded, I took a few hours off to drive to the castle of Carcassone in the Languedoc. The fortress had been established by Romans around 100 BC and eventually grew into a strategic outpost for Visigoths from the fifth century onward. Today it is mainly besieged by tourists, but still a very impressive sight.

July 20, 2011 - Toulouse

Arriving in France after a long flight via Frankfurt and what semed to be an even longer layover, I decided to take a walk around the old city with my camera before our business meetings on the following two days. It turned out that it was my best chance to grab a few shots of the city.

July 17, 2011 - Farmer's Market

I visited a fresh produce market this morning after dropping Margo and Arno off for their German class at the Goethe Institute. Surprisingly, there were a bunch of interesting shots and people were altogether calm about the camera. They might be seeing a fair amount of tourists here ...

July 16, 2011 - Swimming

It has been a very hot summer so far and we spent another morning playing outside. Margo and Arno were both very quick to learn how to swim and also to jump.

July 12, 2011 - Couple of Shots

Here we go again ... a few more shots that I really like, but could not place under any of the topics. The second shot is arguably the best I have ever made of Margo. Of course, Arno's picture with a Tutu talking into a Lego phone will probably emerge as a classic down the road as well. : )

July 10, 2011 - Ice Cream

After running around all day on Saturday, the most we accomplished today was a trip to the local Italian ice cream parlor ...

July 9, 2011 - In the City

Margo had a German class this morning, which gave me an opportunity to walk across downtown while waiting. At over 100F it wasn't exactly an easy stroll, but I caught a few decent shots to make it worthwhile.

June 19, 2011 - More Black & White Experiments

I've been using film-film aka analog for a while now and am still very much learning the ropes. The shots here were all taken South of Dallas with the intention of creating a "crisp" look right out off the camera rather than in post-production which is easy.

June 14, 2011 - Goofing Around

It was a very animated evening as Margo and Arno played upstairs and it was virtually impossible to stop them. We had lots of laughter and lots of fun as they jumped on each other and raced around.

June 11, 2010 - Milkshakes

The Highland Park Pharmacy has been a fixture on our Saturdays since Margo was two and could barely sit on a barstool. It has been around since 1912 and, until a few years ago, all  of the wait staff probably had already been there on opening day. The great thing is that little has changed since they opened their doors to customers. The recipies for shakes and sandwiches are pretty much unchanged and you still sit at the old bar.

June 5, 2011 - Gymnastics

Margo and Arno were invited to a birthday party today and had an enormous amount of fun. The place is huge and allows for a lot of different exercises. It was fun to watch while both bounced, jumped and screamed.

June 4, 2011 - Mostly Faces

Here are a couple of portraits ... taking inventory every now and then.

May 30, 2011 - Memorial Day Weekend

Yet another long weekend with lots of time to play. We found a new playground, had ice cream and went for the first swim of the year. All in all, it was pretty exciting for Arno and Margo.

May 1, 2011 - Margo's Ballet Performance

Margo had her annual ballet school performance at SMU today where her troupe performed a Mexican Hat dance. You may recall that they were Desert Bunnies last year. The hall was, once again, packed and every available seat had been taken. The crowd cheered on while Margo and her friends performed. She did a great job again and made all of us very proud.

April 30, 2011 - Margo's Birthday

Margo definitely grows up too fast for my taste! She is five now and matures quickly. We brought in an artist for her birthday party who gave a painting lesson and worked with clay. Everyone enjoyed it tremendously. Margo's homemade cakes were a hit and quickly consumed.

April 24, 2011 - Easter

Easter is always quaint: a late breakfast of croissants with bacon and egg, iced coffee and, of course, chocolate for those who can find Easter eggs. This year it was a bit too cold to dispatch an extensive search party into the garden. Thus, we had eggs in every room, on every shelf and behind every corner. We also painted the eggs ourselves for the first time. Messy fun!

April 21, 2011 - Fort Worth

We had a long weekend, which provided a perfect opportunity to sneak out for a day and have some fun with my camera. I decided to roam around Ft. Worth downtown, the museums, Japanese gardens and a bunch of other interesting spots, which I hadn't done in a while. The city has a lot of 1920s charm that you usually only find in places like Chicago or New York.

April 16, 2011 - Flying Fish

Flying Fish is one of the most unique and interesting restaurants in Dallas. The place has been entirely decorated with photos of patrons and "real" plastic fish that wiggle and move. When I first started going, less than half the walls had been filled. Today, even the ceilings are completely covered. This is one great way to munch on first-rate seafood while you never run out of things to look at.

April 10, 2011 - A Couple of Shots

Here are, once again, a couple of shots that I really like, but could not fit into any of the previous entries. The first two show artwork, the third Lars and his son Karl, the fourth Flecki savoring an extraordinary Partagas Salomones and the last two show Margo and me or rather my reflection in a window.

April 5, 2011 - Stars Game in Downtown

Meredith gave me a few Stars tickets for my birthday, which was a welcome opportunity to watch some amazing hockey. We had great seats right in front of the goal we attacked twice. For me the game was as much an opportunity to shoot in downtown as it was fun to see the actal hockey.

April 1, 2011 - Techno Classica in Essen

Boy, had I only known that this is the largest classic car show in the world. I figured I'd just drive over and walk in ... well, it took close to two hours to find parking alone. It was crazy-busy. However, it was well worth every bit of hassle. We saw more beautiful classic cars than I could have ever imagined. Just unbelievable!

March 31, 2011 - Mike Kelley

Saw an interesting exhibition at the Lange Museum today. Mike Kelley, the artist, creates cityscapes and illuminated shapes that are refined and also highly unusual. The images are a bit fuzzy because they were all taken in the dark.

March 30, 2011 - Architecture

Mies van der Rohe lived in Krefeld prior to his immigration to America in 1937. He is still very much present as there are numerous homes and factories that he built or designed. His work is as modern today as it was eighty years ago. The first three images below are Mies' architecture while the fourth is very much inspired by him.

March 29, 2011 - Niederrhein

Drove around Krefeld and Duesseldorf today. These are my first experiments with analog film in close to ten years. They turned out better than expected ...

March 28, 2011 - Germany

Just arrived in Krefeld, Germany for a brief vacation and visit to my parents. These are a few shots of the old neighborhood. The warning sign is seasonal in that it tells drivers to slow down for the annual frog migration, which only ocurs over a few weeks each year. It must be a distinctly German trait to have a sign for it though!

March 26, 2011 - South Dallas and Bishop Arts District

We took a couple of turns today as we tried to find a good place to eat and ended up in an Italian restaurant with square pizzas and crab claws soaked in garlic. Overindulgence was not beyond us at that point. The shots were taken a little bit later, saturated to a large degree, in South Dallas. The area has lots of 1920s architecture and an interesting culture. More Haight-Ashbury than Dallas. I also managed to capture a few downtown views.

March 20, 2011 - Nasher Sculpture Center

We spent a georgeous afternoon walking around Lakewood and stopped at the Nasher for a fresh look at the collection. Located in the heart of downtown, there is a very interesting interplay between the skyscraper surroundings and modern sculptures. This feel is further amplified by the beautiful Renzo Piano building that houses the museum.

March 17, 2011 - A Couple of Shots

I have been rummaging through my files for a while and found a couple of shots, taken at different times, that are good enough to post, yet didn't make it onto the site for various reasons. Hence, this is a collection of "left overs" ...

March 13, 2011 - Nature & Science Museum

The Dallas Nature & Science Museum currently shows a dinosaur exhibition that we couldn't miss at any cost. Arno and Margo got to play paleontologists and now have a thorough grasp of how you unearth a Bronotosaurus with a toothbrush.

March 11, 2011 - Building a Leprechaun Trap

In preparation for St. Patrick's Day, Margo needed to build a Leprechaun trap for her school. Leprechauns are Irish fairies, tiny old men, who joyously partake in any mischief. The trick is to build a trap that fashions enough enticement to catch one: golden coins, glitter, plenty of green color and such. If caught by humans, Leprechauns grant three wishes to their captor in exchange for release. We are fairly certain that Margo went for a guitar and a real car. Her third wish is anyone's guess ... Meredith suggested "no more private school tuition!"

March 5, 2011 - Turtle Creek

It's been sunny and warm, which meant we could have some fun in the park. We went to Turtle Creek and visited Connie & Royd in their gallery afterwards. Most surprising, neither Meredith nor I had an idea that Arno and Margo both know how to use an iPhone. They just took it and flipped through pictures as if they'd been born with it. Truly amazing when you have grown up without any computer ...

February 20, 2011 - Arboretum

We took a stroll through the Dallas Arboretum today. Arno and Margo could not get enough of a series of small, traditional Texas houses where they could play settlers while Meredith and I shot photos all around.

February 18, 2011 - Family Outing

After a week in California, it was really good to come home. I couldn't wait to see everyone and we quickly took off to Mariano's Hacienda, famous for inventing the Margarita machine, for dinner.

February 15, 2011 - San Fran

A few shots of downtown San Francisco ... the last two are an interesting day and night comparison of pretty much the same view taken from my room.

February 12, 2011 - Visiting Georg

We had an incredible evening at Georg's house in San Fran. Lots of meats and lots of outstanding wine ... as always. Georg invited several good friends and we all sat back to enjoy his treat.

February 5, 2011 - Downtown Safari / Part 2

With the Superbowl in town this weekend, there were plenty of tourists around downtown. We managed to get in a couple of nice architectural shots away from all the buzz.

January 30, 2011 - Out and About

We went to the park and had lots of fun on the playground. In fact, Arno and Margo enjoyed it so much that we had to bribe both with ice cream to separate them from all the swings and slides in the end.

January 29, 2011 - Old Dallas

Swiss Avenue was one the best addresses in Dallas after the turn of last century. Originally developed in 1905, the mansions are very spacious and grand. They include some of the finest examples of Prairie style architecture, inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Dallas today.

January 20, 2011 - San Diego

I took a quick trip to Southern California for a business meeting and managed to get in a shot here and there. The weather was perfect, as it is every day, and the Pacific was just magnificent. Can't imagine what it would be like to live here. Will you ever get used to this kind of climate and the Ocean? Lots of people actually go surfing every single day before they work ...

January 9, 2011 - Winter!

It finally hit us. After a mellow Christmas and sunny New Years, we are now in full-swing winter and saw the first snow flakes this morning.

January 2, 2011 - Downtown Safari

Margo and I needed to know. Can you do a photo safari in Dallas downtown? We ended up on Ross, just in front of the DMA, and took a few shots. The museum, by the way, is one of the very few in the world that does not allow photos. Texas or coincidence?