Roma-Delissimo!

Atop the second-biggest cuppola in the world - St. Peter - in Rome...

Five-hundred or so steps above the din of the Vatican...the yellow-clad figure on the right is Ronnie, not Big Bird...

A typical, pictoresque Roman street...

View from Vittorio-Emmanuel's monument near the Roman Forum...

Swiss-Images Part II

Raclette Dinner - melted cheese and big smiles...as Jacob's folks, Cindy and Ronnie join us in Uster...

More public transportation, this time to check out Zurich...

Gus riding high on Osi's lap in the Forch Bahn...

Swiss-Images Part I

Taking the train almost anywhere...

Clock tower of Bern, where time was (almost) invented...

Old patrician center of Bern

Bern, a town of wealth, commerce and orderliness...

Happy New Year!

A happy New Year from us to all!

Three little boys, one DVD player, one hour of blissful quiet. Gus and his second cousins, Nik and Len enjoying a bit of Pingu during the New Year festivities

Snapshots from our Swiss vacation...

Naptime...Gus likes to settle down next to Grosspabe...the snoring seems soothing to him...

Jacob is making good friends at the Uster Feuerwehr (fire department) they even pulled a beer our of the department fridge for him...

My brother, Dominic, who will start as firefighting volunteer in mid-January, enjoying the American fire specialist visit...

Gus on the seesaw in front of my parents' house. That's the most action that thing has seen in a decade...

Ski Champ

our first day in Tschiertschen. What can I say? Ski champs beget ski champs...seriously, we were very excited to find out that he liked the speed, didn't mind the equipment, and cared little about the cold...big smiles and good turns...we are in heaven...

Look he was born to ride the magic carpet!

Glamour shot in front of some serious Swiss scenery...

Taking a break on the sled, while Daddy does the heavy pulling...

Weinachten/Christmas

Real candles, real tree, really thrilling, Jacob looked like he was mentally measuring the distance to the kitchen tap...nothing nicer for athmosphere though...

oh look, it's a tractor...almost big enough to help Pap on the farm with...I'm not even going to trz to figure out how to take this thing home in the carry-on luggage...

Assembly with uncle Dominic...Gus is enthralled...

Gus gets another gift...