I spent a whole day there, gorging on bratwurst and main-lining Glühwein. Heaven?  Close — the Christmas Markets in Cologne. I was there with 847,352 of my closest friends. No kidding. At one point there were so many people pushing against me that if I had hopped up into the air 1 or 2 inches, I would have been carried along by the mass of bodies. Yes, there was lots of shopping to be done, but alas, there were sooo many types of bratwurst and other barbecued meats, all washed down with more Glühwein, that my shopping had to wait. And Glühwein without an added shot of amaretto is like hot chocolate without the hot.

After a morning tour of old-town Cologne, I spent the better part of the afternoon taking in the sights as I moved between bratwurst and Glühwein vendors. So, how many brats can one eat and amaretto-laced Glühwein can one drink?  I am not sure. I was still working on that when it was time to board the bus for the two-hour trip home. I don’t remember the trip home. I lost consciousness shortly after I slid into my seat. (I had an unexpected day off, so I went to Cologne on a USO tour).

This photo of the Cologne Cathedral and Market is from http://personal-shopping-service.com

This photo shows a less crowded part of the market.

Jan Vermeer’s birth/baptism day is October 31, 1632.

Girl with a Pearl Earring c. 1665-1666; Oil on canvas, 44.5 x 39 cm; Royal Cabinet of Paintings Mauritshuis, The Hague

The project is finished. The Rodenbach farmland marked the end of the project. There are 10 images. to see all of them click here.

It’s late Fall in Germany and I wanted to capture a bit of the coor that is left in the trees so I took a few minutes and I went exporing today. I found this farm a little ways north of Kaiserslautern. Conveniently, there was parking nearby so it was a short walk to the field where I stood to draw this. Good scenes = next to parking lots. Great scenes = next to parking lots and a place to sit.

Farmland near Rodenbach (digital, 10x8in, 2011)

No, not Santa Claus. The church. This chruch, St. Nikolaus Catholic Church, is in the village of Ramstein, Germany.

St. Nikolaus Catholic Church (digital, 10x8in., 2011)

Tidepooling at Wind n Sea Beach (ink, 10x6in., ca. 1993)

Enjoying a family day.

For art to exist, for any sort of aesthetic activity to exist, a certain physiological precondition is indispensable: intoxication.
Friedrich Nietzsche