Great Roundup Post of Winter 2008

I have been described as the clinical definition of a slacker with regard to the blog, but rest assured the world has not stood still in the meantime. The camera and the video have been rolling ever onward, so here are some highlights from the last few months.

Don't forget you can always go to recent updates on the Groenquist site for pictures (current up to and including our first snow storm of Winter!).

August found us working feverishly on the fish pond. Liner, rocks, waterfall, pump, you name it; all was in play in the heat of the summer. We were able to get water in the pond for the first time in August, a major milestone if you're building a pond (water is of course a prerequisite for fish that you want to live longer than a moment or two).

Birthdays, international trips, and yes, more pond work, filled our September days and nights. First off, we were finally able to let fish into the pond! We added several hardy goldfish and two baby koi loose. Di and I felt a strong feeling of accomplishment with our efforts thus far. We didn't expect the pond to be as dirty as it was when we first filled it, but over time it really cleaned up (thanks to filters and settling), and by the time I returned from a business trip (see below), it was crystal clear.

I made my first trip to Israel in September, and was able to piggyback a short but fun-filled stopover at Oktoberfest in Munich on the way back (more on that later). The trip to Haifa was one I had been looking forward to for a while. I actually didn't know what to expect from the trip (my first business trip to a country whose language I don't speak). Haifa sits on the easternmost edge of the Mediterranean, and even for late September, we could enjoy a warm sunset on the beach, sipping beer, and discussing work in a social atmosphere that's very open compared to the office. The trip was (in my opinion) a wild success, though the business takeaways were a challenge to get buy-in from management back home. It was wonderful to meet some talented folks from Israel, and they treated us to some a very informative and interestingly good time. More pics here (pics from the 19th through the 26th).

On the tail end of the trip, I worked out a deal (which amazingly was cheaper than a direct flight from PDX to Israel and back) that stopped over in Frankfurt for a few nights. I overnighted to Munich, home of Oktoberfest, where I met up with my dear friend Walter from Graz, Austria (about four hours south of Munich). We got to spend two beautiful days together, enjoying the Oktoberfest party, and the Munich Zoo (who could miss the zoo?). I took a very different tack on this trip compared to my last trip to Germany. Last time (with Eric from QAD back in 2000 before Ethan was born), I was very self-conscious about my German speaking, and I pretty much froze up (I even took Eric to the English Pub in Berlin, the stupid irony but indicative of my low confidence in the language at the time). This trip, however, I was determined to just enjoy it and make mistakes and have fun. Who knows the next time I will have a chance to return? And it was a blast! I spoke more German than I have in decades, and I must have made about ten thousand mistakes, but all the while I realized that people still knew what I meant, and that every small success enboldened me to engage people even more. I did all of the talking, even for Walter, who of course being from Austria was as difficult for the Muenchner's to understand as I was (just kidding, Walter!). On top of it all, I had great weather (though the change from Portland to Haifa to Munich really had my internal thermometer running overtime), and took in a day of sight-seeing in Munich. I even saw Wall-E in German! I am sorry I didn't get to see my old friend Nate (who was moving there from NYC in the next week so we missed each other). See pics here (27th and 28th).

More posts coming for October and November, including Halloween and Owen's fifth birthday. Enjoy the holidays until then.