Time is flying now!

Time is really starting to fly now.  It's been a couple weeks since I last blogged and I'm amazed at all the things that I could blog about.  So, though I always hope for a short post, that rarely happens.

Watch out, kids!

The weekend after Sarah and Beth left we spent a day celebrating Carlo's 9th birthday.  Carlo is the son of our good friends, Loulou and Renato.  He wanted to spend his birthday with Grace and Henry and his family treated us to a day at Styrassic Park, a dinosaur park whose name plays on our state's name, Styria, and the geological period made famous by the movie, Jurassic Park.  The life-size dinosaurs were impressive and the interpretive signs entertaining (it is hard to translate between German and English).

Carlo shares the "birthday seat" with Grace and Henry.

The obligatory, beautiful church shot!

That Tuesday I headed to Maribor, Slovenia for a day trip.  The University there invited me to give seminars on my two major research areas (warehouse design and the Physical Internet if you don't follow me on Twitter :-)  As I blogged back in the fall, Slovenia has a lot going for it and I'm sure in 20 years, they will be well positioned to have that "European lifestyle" that most people recognize as being a better balance than the US lifestyle of "go, go, go!"  Oh, except for some US politicians that find it a great idea to bash Europeans, but that's another story!

The weekend after that was a nice long weekend (Th-Sun) for the Saint of Corpus Christi.  With four days, we planned a get away to Schladming, Austria.  Schladming is where I went back in March with a couple of colleagues for a working ski trip.  The whole time there I felt guilty Sue and the kids were not there, as the place was so setup for families to have a good time.  So, with the mountains beckoning to be climbed, a 4-day weekend, less than 100 euros to go by train (1st class, no less!), we were all set.

Real life interfered though.  On Wednesday Henry had to go to the doctor and we got the diagnosis:  strep throat.  Highly contagious and yes, by Thursday morning (planned departure day), Grace had a full-blown case as well.  But as Thursday was a national holiday, we couldn't get Grace to the doctor.  We started giving her the medicine, but now Henry wouldn't have enough to last the weekend (and Grace didn't have nearly enough).  So, looking at the calendar, we decided to cancel our trip and spent Friday morning at the doctor's office so that Grace could be properly diagnosed and on the path to recovery quickly.

We love you ÕBB!

Side note:  No questions asked, the train company refunded all but 2 euros per person on our train tickets (we could have used them in the next year for no penalty!).  And the train company is making money while the airlines continue to lose money even though they gouge you every chance they get.  Hmmm ... ever wonder why folks actually *enjoy* train travel and think highly of the companies?

With both kids on the mend with multiple doses of antibiotics in them, we decided to rent a car on Saturday and take them to a water park.  It seems we were not the only ones with that great idea on rainy day -- it was pretty busy.  But even so, we enjoyed our time, with the kids hating to leave so that we could get them home for a normal bedtime routine (they were still technically sick after all).

Lots of Educational Displays and Fun Activities

Sunday was Vatertag (Father's Day) in Austria (one week ahead of the holiday by the same name in the US).  But with a long weekend planned, and then sick kids, we decided to celebrate on the "US Father's Day" weekend.  But anyway, we went to the Children's Museum in Graz and the kids enjoyed showing me around (I didn't go with them the last time they went) and rolling down the cushioned stairs (see video below).  I hear I need to come back on a non-rainy day, as there as some REALLY COOL outdoor exhibits.

This past week I had a trip to Vienna.  I met with the colleague that hosted me a couple of months ago to talk about getting her involved in our Physical Internet Initiative and then the next day gave my Physical Internet seminar at another university in Vienna (this one is more prestigious, but don't quite have the resource level).  The trip was interesting as I went across the Danube River for the first time and saw the "high rises" of Vienna (it's so different than the inner city).  But I also had lunch in one of the many garden districts that were put in place a long time ago to provide a respite for the bad air of an older Vienna.  I didn't have a camera with me and couldn't find a good picture online, but if any image comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, "English Garden," then you can imagine what I'm talking about.  Add to the garden a very small house (that until recently could not have electricity or heat so that you couldn't live it in year round) and you've got the picture.  We ate at a little restaurant in the middle of the district and it was quite lovely.  The other highlight of the trip was the train ride each way -- it is just so beautiful a ride.

Ok, so if you are keeping track, this heads us into the present weekend.  But really, there are quite a few things this weekend to talk about, so, I'll shut this post down for now and post another one soon, I promise!

But a special note to Jerry and Larry -- Happy Father's Day -- we love you!

Russ