Splashy New Year!

All the best for the year's to come to you and the ones close to you.

Drawings From The Past

This will be the final post with the last four drawings I made back in 1994 for an exhibition which was going to be held, but never took place. In previous posts I've mentioned the reasons why the exhibition never took place. Because this all took place about 15 years ago, memories can be different from what exactly happened and you get curious about what experienced others , but I lost track of the people who were involved with that project, so I can't check the facts.
Anyway, the top drawing was an interpretation of an typical alley in Leiden, influenced by the work the Dutch illustrator Anton Pieck made. Although you might say that didn't work out.
I also tried to make two drawings of buildings in front of water: always a challenge.

A high level of "Addams Family atmosphere" when I look at them now. The building below is an old part of the city wall, build in the 14th century.

And I'm not sure in what era the buildings of this last drawing were build, but it must be about two hundred years ago. I couldn't find any information about this place, mainly because it's in Rabac, an old village in Croatia.

That's the beauty of an archive: you're surprised when you get a glimps of old work and get curious about when, why and how you've made it.

Going To The Chapel

Back in my hometown there still is a monastery. I made this drawing as part of the exhibition that never took place in 1994. I thought it was a nice building to draw, especially because the village was very expending then. Many houses were build and it looked like the public garden surrounding the place had to make place for a new road and parking places. Luckily that plan never worked out.
During my childhood days I remember seeing nuns walking in our village. My father always used to say: "A nun on the square, brings rain in the air". Of course this was a joke, but sometimes he was right and the day after we saw a nun it started to rain!
Years later my father was frequently asked to play the organ in the monastery's chapel, or, as he sometimes called it: "he had to play with the nuns". A bit naughty, my father isn't he? I remember one day, when I was already adolescent, the organ in the chapel was out of order due to maintenance. My father asked me to help bring in a wooden pipe-organ, owned by a fellow organplayer in our village who was willingly enough to lend out his very expensive pipe-organ for free. All for the good cause, of course. His only demand was that the organ was transported by me. Why, I don't know, I guess because I had a big stationcar at that time. Anyway, everything went well, until we had to bring in the organ into the chapel and my hand got stuck between the organ and the posting of the door. Before I knew it I said something very inappropriate at that time and place and I still can remember the look on the face of the nun who was accompanying us. I'm still very sorry, sister.

Streetview

This weekend we were visiting friends. They have bought a new house (almost two years ago)and finally our diaries matched to see eachother. My friend is captain on the 'Stad Amsterdam', a big ship which is making a world trip right now. The ship has two captain's and every eight weeks they switch, so they can have a sort of familylife with their wife and children. Althought a sailor don't want to stay to long between four walls.
Anyway, as usual it's very hard to think of something original to give as a present for people who moved to a new home. This time I thought it would be nice to make a drawing, frame it and give it as a present. First I wanted to make a drawing of my friend's old town, or ship, but than I thought of Google Streetview. I found out that there were pictures of their little town available on internet. Sadly enough Google didn't have pictures of their street, so I couldn't make a drawing of their new house. But from the other side of the water which flows through their town, Google Streetview had made pictures. I took the angle shown below, although I didn't exactly known which house was theirs. Of course I didn't make a phonecall to check that out.

When we arrived at their place, I suddenly saw that their new home isn't visible from this angle, because of the tree in the foreground, so I didn't draw their house...

Luckily enough they liked the drawing very much and especially the story behind the 'making of'. They had not heard of Google Streetview untill yesterday, but were very surprised and interested in this new tool on the internet.

The Scale Of Things

Most older buildings and houses are much more fun to draw than newer ones. Perhaps because the scale of older buildings are mostly more 'human'. Except maybe in first sight for religious buildings, like cathedrals, churches and The Haya Sofia. But just look at this monastery in Istria. Although it's much bigger than the houses surrounding it, it still has this human-like proportionary in it's arches and squares. Even the tower don't look disproportional. Not that the builders wanted it that way, but purely because it was than technically impossible to build a bigger tower. Perhaps that's a good thought in these uncertain economical times: keep things in proportion, keep a human pace.

Once there was...

It's a pity that most local authorities think that they're doing a great job. For instance putting a mall on the place where this magical villa was situated in my hometown village.
When I was a young boy, I was very impressed by this place. I still remember what the weather was like the first time I saw this house: after the rain had fall and the sun was peeking through some clouds. I've tried to capture this in the drawing.
I had to make the drawing by photograph, because the place was destroyed soon after I had seen it for the first time. The local authorities replaced it by a big, white, square building. Because the village lacked a supermarket... And in the whole village could no other place be found to build it! Truth is, that this villa was situated next to the townhouse and there was a need for officespace, which -of course- could be build neatly above that supermarket. So the village had it's first, big supermarket and the civil servants didn't have to walk far when they had to be in the townhouse. Make sense, don't you think?

Not The House Of My Father

Another advantage of cleaning up archives, is the joy of finding drawings which were long time forgotten. For instance the drawing I've made of this cottage in the village I was born. I'm not sure in which year I've made this pendrawing, but it must be around 1994, cause it's made with the same sizes and drawingpaper I used for the drawings I made for the exhibition that never took place (read my previous post).
This cottage stands on the corner of the street where my father was born. His elderly house didn't look a bit of what it looked like when my father lived there, so I choose this house as subject of my artistic needs. The house my father lived in was also in use as a bakery and a little shop. My father started his own bakery when he got married and my uncle inherited the bakery my grandfather started. Over the years the building was reshapen to the demands of modern entrepeneurship and architectural ideas of how a bakeryshop should look like. That is: according to my uncle. That didn't turn out to be a pretty sight, as you might expect.
Luckily my father had some very old sketches in his possession, which were made in the 1930's by his old neighbour. Using these sketches and some old black and white photographs, I've made a coloured pendrawing. This drawing still hangs on the wall above my father's organ, back in my parents house.

Black and white with pen and ink

After I'd made several drawings for the local newspaper, the editor-in-chief told me that the readers were very pleased with my drawings. As a result the publisher used them for greeting cards. People could buy them in a set of six different drawings. The editor-in-chief also told me that his brother knew a gallery where they might wanted to have an exhibition with my drawings. Wow, that sounded great!
I was a bit naive and forgot to ask "who, where, when, why?" and started to make several drawings in pen and ink instead. Below you can see what kind of detail I'd put in it. I soon found out it was hard labor to make these kind of drawings. But it was worth it, I thought. And they sure looked better then the drawings I made for the newspaper!

The location is Istria, where I've been in the summer of 1988. It was part of The Republic of Yugoslavia. With very angry-looking soldiers at the border, checking your passport for a very long time without saying a word. It happened to be a nice holiday, though. I've met friendly people, the weather was splendid and the drinks and food were very low priced. At the end I've treated the whole group of about 25 people on the greatest icecream they've ever had. And still had money left!

I've brought my sketchbook with me and with the help of several photographs I could make this drawing back at home.

Of course the exhibition never took place. Due to several problems with local legislations and other very important management and business terms, the gallery never opened and so my drawings ended somewhere in my archive. Until now, because I now can use my blog to share these drawings with you.

Illustration Friday Music

This week's topic on Illustration Friday is 'Music'. When I think of music, two things come up in my mind: The Blues and on the same level of interest: my saxophone.

One drawing doesn't do right to the wonderful looks of a saxophone. There are so many nice cornerings, valves and other parts that, when they work together, makes such a wonderful sound. So I highlighted a few parts of my saxophone.

This is my second Selmer Bundy II tenor. The first one was stolen after burglars had 'visited' my home. It took me a while (12 years) to get over it and buy another one. Now I have a black epoxy, second hand instrument, but it sounds just as great as the first one I had.

Local drawings

The first drawing which was published in the local newspaper was the old painters academy. The building was build in 1500, but the academy was founded in the 18th century. Between these dates there were several changes made to the original design and lay-out of the building.
The academy was founded by the Dutch painters Frans van Mieris and Carel Moor. Nowadays it's still in use by a painting and drawing society, called 'Ars Aemula Naturae'.
Note the amount of bricks I drew on request of the editor-in-chief. I'm still grateful to his contribution to the art of drawing... Not.
The credits for research goes to Henri van Aggelen, a pensionada. He was banker in Switzerland, but after his retirement he finally had time to study the history of normal day life in the city of Leiden, his hometown. He had a particular good sense of spotting human interest facts in the story behind an old building. Much to the delight of the editor-of-chief, although he didn't quite liked Henri's idea of writing some articles about hidden brothels. After all, it was a Sunday's paper and he was a little afraid that this sort of articles might abuse the advertisers.

The first drawing

As I was searching through my things last week, I did not only found drawings I made for an exhibition which never took place, but also a set of drawings I made as a presentation for the local newspaper. The intention was to make one drawing a week of a place of interest, along with a short story about the history of that place. The editor-in-chief wasn't totally against my proposal, but he found the drawing a bit to much Charles Dickens-like. He thought a line drawing was more appropiate for a newspaper. I also remember a phrase of him: "Bricks, I want to see more bricks! You drawing people always suggest there are bricks, but never draw them! You're just to lazy to draw bricks! I want to see bricks!" So I drew the same object much more in his taste and got the assignment:

When I look back now, I think I should have stayed more to the original style, which is somewhat warmer in a way. And less bricks to be drawn...

Anyway, I've learned a lot back then. And not only about the history of the town, I must say. One specific lesson I've learned, is that you can't expect that the reader of a newspaper (or any other medium) knows what you mean with your drawing, painting or photo. There has to be a context in which it fits.

Study in black and white

It's been a while since I've posted, but this week I saw this drawing of Terry Banderas. He made a study of Eucalypthus trees and besides it's a very good piece, it also inspired me to pick up my pencil.
I made a study in black and white, which was taught me by Michael Warr in his marvelous book Capturing Texture. Best is to draw the same subject three or four times, so I'll keep you people informed what progress I make in this technique/subject. It's for sure a big difference regarding to the drawings I made 15 years ago for an exhibition which never took place. But that's a totally different story.

Holy Chair

With Autumn slowly sneaking in into our weather system, it's time to clean up the garden. Sadly enough that also means our relax chairs are going into their wintersleep in our little shed. These chairs are my favourites, I call them my Holy Chair. It's so nice to sit and relax in them after a hard days work. Enjoying the evening sun and reading a book or listen to some music.
With Autumn knocking on our door it's about time to do some paintwork outside and inside our house. So I guess I won't be posting a while, or on a very low pace, due to other urgent matters during my spare time.

Illustration Friday Strong

During the past summer we've spend a lot of time in our garden. There we can sit on our bench or, which I prefer, our relaxing garden chairs. They're quite strong. We're let them standing outside during the summermonths and although we are using them now for about seven years, the fabric still looks good. The only thing we have to renew every other year are the rubber bands. Strangely enough the bands useally break when we're having visitors. A bit abarrassing, I'm not pointing any finger, but let's just say that the chairs are used to our load...
Ink and watercolor on a summer's day in the garden.

Holy Mother

There are many ways in which Maria as Holy Mother makes her appearances. Some are painted, others are sculpted and some are a combination of both. There are also different types of clothing possible, but I prefer the basic version as you can see on the drawing above. It's a sculpted and handpainted version, glued on a piece of painted wood. Probably made in China.
This one was a birthday gift by close friends of ours, one out of a set of three: Maria, Joseph and the happy couple with the Holy Child. These three pieces also found their way to our toilet's Wall of Fame and Other Religious Artifacts. According to some people it's becoming a real must-see when visiting our house.

Illustration Friday - Caution

As we all know: knives are sharp! Funny enough, when I made this drawing I pointed my pen into my finger while cleaning it...
Ink and watercolor, 10 x 15 cm

Holy Water

It's one of the hottest days this year so far, at least in our part of the world. Therefore it's also quite hot in house and around my sketchingtable. So I don't draw that much these days.
This is the second piece regarding our toilet. This is a very cute sculpture to pour Holy Water in. In these kind of temperatures water is a very much wanted good.
So, from behind a sweaty keyboard I give you all my best blessings and now I'm of to our little inflatable swimming pool!
Ink and (not so holy) watercolor, 10 x 15 cm.

Holy Smoke

My wife has a certain habit: she collects Catholic paterfernalia to lighten up our toilet. For instance several religious candles. I drew one just to let you see in what kind of environment we are doing our "you-know-what" thing.
Apart from the somewhat unique setting our toilet is also a great place to get inspired about what to draw when I am really having an illustrator's block. Over the years I've made several sketches of the objects in our toilet and I've planned to work some of those sketches out.

Neuveville, part two

The sketch with watercolor I posted yesterday looks somehow a bit "weak". After adding lines in ink the whole sketch looks much more powerfull to me. Perhaps because I'm more familiar to this style of drawing: good old ink and watercolor and occasionally a pen drawing. That's the thing for me.

Neuveville, Switzerland

Neuveville is a quite, little town on the shores of Lake Biel in Switzerland. I made this quick watercolor sketch of the city gate, while I spend a day there waiting for some better weather to paraglide in the hills closeby.

It was a sunny day, people were having fun at the shores of the lake: sailing, walking, cycling, roller skating. Just having a good time on their day off at Ascension Day. Too bad I didn't fly on that day!

Col de Peyresourde

One of the most hard to climb mountains on your bicycle is the Peyresourde in the French Pyrenees, some people told me. Somehow that's always a big motivation for me to try out something. A couple of old cyclists told me the night before I've planned the trip terrifying stories of guys who didn't made it and had to stop on the so called "Field of Death", stranded just with the pass in sight. Well, as you can imagine, that aren't the stories you like to hear before what is supposed to be a nice ride through the countryside!
Anyway, I must admit I was a bit scared the more I reached the "Field of Death" only to find out it's a nice green field and I was almost whistling when I drove by. So far, so good. The climb turned out to be a long, but manageable one. Although I was a bit worn out when I reached the top. It's just a pity that this years edition of the Tour de France don't pass this pass...

Tourmalet

One of the prettiest climbs I've ever made, was the climb to the top of Col du Tourmalet back in the summer of '96. It was the last day of our stay in the French Pyrenees and the weather was just perfect: sunny, no wind and nice temperatures. Although I'm not a great climber on the bike and will never be, I enjoyed every bit of it. I can even remember a great part of that day. For instance the paragliders who've started on one of the slopes near the top. That was the first time I saw paragliders and I felt immediately for that sport. Or the fellow cyclists I spoke during the climb. There were even Americans from California, trying to ride the famous mountains of the Tour de France: Peyresourde, Col du Menton, Aubisque, Tourmalet, Portillon and so on and so on. A bit to much, I guess, but that's what Americans are known for ;-). At least they were cycling their way to the top. Unless the numerous guys that passed by in cars with their bikes on the roof, only just to make the descent. Cheaters!

Illustration Friday Unfold

I find it always one of the greatest rewards about reaching the top after climbing a mountain, by foot or by bicycle. The view you get when you're almost completely exhausted: a landscape which unfolds to a breathtaking panorama. That is: if the weather cooperates. Mostly the top of the mountain is hidden in clouds, so you're lucky when you get to see the tip of your nose through the fog. And it's so freezing cold that you're only thinking about one thing: the quickest way to get down into the warm weather in the valley below.
Once I climbed the Col d' Aspin in the French Pyrenees, by bicycle. One thing I remembered about that climb was the great amount of campers passing by on my way to the top, leaving me behind in their exhaust fumes. Struggling to reach the pass and for some fresh air. So the drawing is a bit more romantic than reality was: no campers in sight, only a clear blue sky!

Col d'Aubisque

As I was looking through some old sketches and photographs, I found a set of photographs I took in 1996 while touring the French Pyrenees by bike. As a sort of reward after a long and hot climb upwards, I made photographs of the signs that are standing on the highest points.
We were riding through the Pyrenees on our bikes and tried to climb all the famous cols the riders of the Tour de France have to take. Of course we weren't as fast as the professional cyclists ride, but I'm sure we had much more fun during our "Tour de Force"!
Just a few weeks and then the Tour de France starts again. I can hardly wait.

Essential equipment

First rule of paragliding is: safety. So before I go out for a flight, I check every detail of my flying gear. It's very important to have your equipment checked, at least the night before, so you don't get surprised the next day at the last moment when you're about to take of on some mountaintop and realise that there's something not working.
It's also very important to take care for another big issue when you're about to fly: water. I once forgot my waterbottle and landed far from the landingspot. So, finally, more than two hours later on a hot summerday (we always fly at hot days because of the thermals) I arrived at a little village closest to the place I landed just to find out that every store was closed because of the middaybreak. Luckily there was a fountain at the villagesquare...
So, from that day on I always look after a sufficient watersupply along with my flying gear. Two waterbottles, just in case one get's broken.

New work

May has been a very busy month. Not only started my wife at her new job, which meant a big break with the schedule of working days she had at her old job, but it was also the month that I had a short holiday-break on my own. That is: without wife and kids. That's something I experienced the last time for about seven years ago. Besides that the workload at the office reached a new hight, so you can imagine that I, sadly enough, didn't have much spare-time left for drawing.

Unlike my son who made a special drawing for me because he missed me during my short break. So, instead of some poor drawing of my own, let's enjoy this wonderful piece (out-of-his-head!) of daddy ready for taking off at paragliding.

Inline skates

Well, it looks like it won't be freezing for a while so I've changed my speedskates to inline skates. I usually do that for some strange reason when Spring has allready arrived, at the end of April or -like now- in the first days of May.
Last year I didn't skate much because of my weak left ankle, so let's see how this year develop. When everything goes smoothly you can see some drawings ahead which I usually make during my outings on skate or bike. Ink and watercolor, 4" x 6".

Illustration Friday Theater

This week's topic on Illustration Friday, Theater, swept me back into memory lane. I remembered the drawing I made for a local sundaypaper, back in the nineties.
Every week, for about two years, I made a drawing of a building or site in the city of Leiden. An editor gave me the subjects, because he had to write a short and interesting story about the history of the building or the site.
For instance the restauration of the 300 year old theater in Leiden: the Leidse Schouwburg. A beautifull restorated building and it's a pity that you can't see the inside of the theater on this drawing. When you ever have the opportunity to visit Holland, try to stop by at this theater. Most artists do also like this theater and its atmosphere very much. And that's the greatest recommendation, I think.

Hard work

Last week I was very busy with maintaining jobs in and around our house and garden. Spring is coming, I guess you know what I mean by that. So there wasn't very much time left to make my usual amount of drawings.
In the very rare spare moments I had during the nights, I've been busy sketching a new piece for my homepage. I had that "splendid" idea to make a drawing that linked on the drawing which can be seen for the past two years on my homepage. I actually didn't believe it was already two years ago I opened my website. Time flies when you'r having fun, so to say.
Anyway, to make a long story short, the sketch became a bit of a pain in the ass, because somehow halfway the first sketch something about the perspective angle didn't feel right. So I made another sketch, and another sketch, and another one, only to end up at the first sketch again. Then I realised that the small mistake I made just gives this drawing its character. Now I only have to make a few typographical adjustments and ink and color it. I'll keep you informed about the progress on this one.

Swiss Knife

The Chinese are known and respected for many things. One of their activities is to make products which look very similar to the originals which are their inspiration for making, but due to very low labourcosts the Chinese are able to produce a product at a much lower (or consumerfriendly) price. For instance: they even have artists making pictures which look like the famous Dutch landscape painters of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, but at a fraction of the original price!
So why not make a copy of the worldfamous Swiss Knife? Ceci nést pas un Victorinox.

Multitool

I think that stainless steel is one of the most difficult surfaces to draw. For this drawing it took me a while (and several colorsketches) to make it look like stainless steel. It would have been easier to draw my Swiss knife. Perhaps a nice subject for another drawing.
Nevertheless multitools are very handy. When you're camping, hiking, cycling are even at home, sometimes you can make great use of them. I think the governement should give them for free!
Ink and watercolor, 4" x 6".

Illustration Friday Talisman

It took me a while to find "the model" for this week's topic on Illustration Friday. A few years ago a fellow paraglider gave me an Italian talisman for paragliders: the "Madonna del buon volo". That's Italian for: "The Holy Mother Of The Good Flights". It says nothing about safe landings...
Because I'm not at all superstituous I've put it away and never thought of it again (and still made some pretty good flights, by the way). Until I read the topic of this week on the site of Illustration Friday and remembered that talisman. I've searched everywhere, until I discovered it hung right before my eyes: on the statue of the Madonna and holy child in our toilet. You probably wonder why that statue is placed in our toilet, but that's quite a long story and far off this week's topic on the Illustration Friday challenge.

Tax return

It's one of my most unwanted activities: sorting out the bills, payments and taxes for the annual tax return. Luckily I now have a good advisor to help me with that repelling job which has to be done.
Several years ago I asked him for advise, because I had that faint feeling that I didn't get enough money returned. Call it instinct, but after he filled in the forms my feeling proved to be right. Since then he helps me every year to get a substantial sum back. More than my collegue (a financial controller) did before him. Twice as much, to be correct. And you know what those accountants say: "You can never be correct enough with taxes".
Ink and watercolor, 4" x 6".

Junk Food Moment

Since a few years it turned into a tradition: after each holiday we stop at dinner time at the yellow arches to have our big junk-food-moment. The kids know it and they love it. We usually eat every time the same items: I, for instance, always order the big guy you can see above. I know, it's unhealthy, but I think everybody has a right to have a few weaknesses in life.
Ink and watercolor (sketch on a napkin) on 120 grams drawing paper, 4"x6".

Potato Bread

Last week we went skiing in Austria. One of the many things I like about Austria, apart of the oudoor activities which can be practiced all year round in the wonderful Alps, is the wide variety of bread. One of my pleasures during our holidays is going out early in the morning to buy bread (after all I'm a son of a baker) and the morning newspaper (because I work for a publishing house).
As far as bread is concerned my big favourite is potato bread or as the Austrians called it themselves: "Kartoffelbrot". The last few days I've searced the internet to find recipes to make potato bread myself and discovered that there are quite many different recipes to bake one. So I guess I just start with one recipe and see what it brings. If it doesn't suit me I just try another recipe. And so on, and so on, and so on. I'll keep you informed about the progress I'll make!

Illustration Friday Instinct

Unlike birds we humans don't have an instinct for measuring heights in free air. That's why for instance paraglider- and hanggliderpilots use a so called variometer. With this device you can get a confirmation if your flying in a weak thermal or that you're sinking less faster then a few moments before.
Most important, of course, is that you try to look as less as possible to that little green screen and try to enjoy as much as you can your free flight. But that goes without saying.

Bald, again

About two weeks ago our kids said they didn't want to have a bald father anymore. So what do you do? You decide to let your hair grow.
But after two weeks it started to itch and some colleagues weren't very kind either. Mainly they told me that I did look a couple of years older than before. Ouch, that hurts!
So, what do you do? Yes, shave!
The kids weren't pleased, but my ego is. Sometimes a man got to do what a man got to do. And, after all, I do have to look like my self-portrait, don't I?

Ice-skating

At the beginning of this year we had some luck: we were having several days off from our work, the children had their schoolholiday and it was freezing. Time for ice-skating!
But first we had to buy ice-skates for our kids. We thought it would be best to buy one set of ice-skates with the possibility to adjust them in size. So one kid at the time could learn how to skate. But it turn out that the kids had more fun gliding with sledges on the ice than they were eager to learn how to skate!
Well, maybe next year, again on the frozen canals or in the ice-skating hall. After all, the skates are adjustable and it will take a few years before they outgrow the skates.

New Years Eve, part II

It is quite a challenge to have a big frying pan filled with oil and trying to heat it on a little camping heater. As you can imagine that isn't easy.
As I told before we celebrated New Years Eve at our friend's house and I was baking fritters in their garage. What I didn't tell you was that the garage door was slightly opened to let the smell of the baking fritters get out. But on the other hand the freezing cold came in and the garage wasn't heated. So, although I was facing a very hot frying pan, my fingers and toes were stone cold. Furthermore, boys from around the block already started early that evening to shoot of some heavy firework in front of the garage, with that door opened! That didn't work out very well for my nerves, I must admit. Luckily no fire-crackers or rockets have entered the building. But I was very relieved when I finished baking the fritters in that garage!

Illustration Friday Time

As a result of this week's topic on Illustration Friday, I drew my watch. It's a very nice watch to wear and to look at. There's only one thing about this watch: it seems that there's always less time left at the end of an hour than I've expected!
To make more time for myself, and my favourite hobby, I usually put it out of sight. So I don't have to look at it all the time and somehow this works out quite well. When I finished what I planned to do, for example this drawing, I've spend less time then expected. Lesson learned: draw without knowledge of time.

New Years Eve

We've spend New Years Eve with friends. I usually make the Dutch New Years Eve treat: the 'oliebol', in English I think you call them 'fritter'. Because you have to make them in boiling oil, your house will be smelling for a few days that typical New Years Eve smell. Including your clothes and coats. But this year we didn't want our friends to bother with that smell, so I suggested I'd bake the fritters in their garage. No problem, only they didn't have a stove in their garage. Who hasn't? So, with a little improvisation, I've baked them on their gasoline camping heater. Fortunately that worked out well. The friends and family said that the fritters tasted excellent. Maybe because I've put a whole bottle of beer in the dough?

Climbing

The German boot factory Hanwag is known for its excellent mountaineering boots. I'm glad that I have a pair of them, as you can see above, for about nine years now. The colourscheme is a bit different then what you usually expect for these kind of shoes. That's mainly because these boots aren't made for climbing, but for use by paragliding pilots. Look for example at the hight for better protection of the heels. Furthermore paragliding pilots are a bit different then ordinary mountaineers, so that's why Hanwag made the different colourscheme. Which luckily didn't really became a trend.