Saturday to
participate in the birthday celebration for his mother on Sunday.
He returns to San Jose on Tuesday, Jutta on Friday.For hi-res photos of our environment, updated very frequently click here (USE HIGH SPEED CONNECTION).
Yearend 2006: Diether and Jutta enjoyed an extended yearend break in Reno and it's surroundings. Over Christmas Ruth and Ben visited for as few days. Local friends visited on New Year's eve to enjoy the view of the fireworks at midnight.
December 16&17, 2006: Jutta and Diether spent the weekend in and around Reno.On Saturday they drove to Pershing County. A friend told them, that a snow storm was traversing Reno. They decided to drive back as fast as possible. About 10 miles outside of Sparks the encountered the storm on interstate 80. From there traffic moved on extremely slippery roads at a speed of 20 mph or less. They saw several cars stranded in ditches next to the freeway. They made it home safely, and spent a quiet evening at home. Sunday was sunny, and after church Jutta and Diether walked in the neighborhood, taking some photos of snow covered city and mountains. In the evening Diether returned to San Jose.
December 15, 2006: Diether had a holiday lunch and gift exchange with his group in a restaurant at Santana Row in San Jose. He found exclusive parking in a garage behind an open gate. When they returned, the area was locked tight, and he had to call security to get to the car. In the evening he traveled to Reno.
December 1 to 3, 2006: Friends from the San Francisco area arrived by Amtrak train on Friday afternoon; Diether arrived from an East Coast business trip late on Friday night. On Saturday, they visited Virginia City, two lakes close to Reno, and a piano bar with a selection of martininis in a Reno casino. On Sunday the friends took an Amtrak train back home.
October to December 2006:This time brought several business trips for Diether, Thanksgiving at the house of Ruth's parents, several good dinners with Ben and Ruth, and time in Reno, hiking on Peavine Mountains, and the Humboldt Mountains in Pershing County. There was also a short vacation in and around Reno.
October 7 & 8, 2006: On Saturday morning Diether and Jutta buy a wedding gift, in the evening they participate in the wedding reception in San Francisco of two friends. They return to their San Jose apartment shortly after midnight. On Sunday, they eat lunch at the wharf in Santa Cruz, and then do some work in the apartment.
September 25 to October 6, 2006: On Monday,
Jutta comes to San Jose to prepare for her journey to Europe on
Tuesday. Diether joins her in Europe on Saturday to
participate in the birthday celebration for his mother on Sunday.
He returns to San Jose on Tuesday, Jutta on Friday.
September 23 & 24, 2006: Diether and Jutta walk Reno during the Street Vibrations event on Saturday, and Diether takes many pictures. On Sunday they drive to their trailer to fix a skylight and to talk to the neighbors there. On their way to Reno they stop at their favorite lake for a hike and a swim.
September 14 to 17, 2006: Jutta and Diether are joined by Ben and Ruth for their annual Lake Tahoe weekend on the occasion of Ruth's birthday. On Thursday and Friday it is very cold and rainy for the season, and there is some additional excitement, because the radiator of Ben's car needs to be replaced. On Saturday the four have a good hike and swim on the east shore of the lake. On Sunday, Ben and Ruth spend some additional time at their favorite bwach, and Diether and Jutta return to Reno.
September 9 to 10, 2006: Diether and Jutta are in Reno again to watch the balloon races, swim in the lakes around Reno, and to enjoy the city in the evening. On Sunday they drive to their country retreat close to Lovelock. A distant neighbor helps them to move their trailer away from it's site to make space for a barn. Diether has to return to work, while Jutta cleans the RV trailer on Monday.
August 22 to September 6, 2006: One of
Jutta's cousins from Germany arrives in Reno in the week of
August 21, and drives to the Bay Area with Jutta fora business
appointment. They drive back to Reno on Friday morning, and
Diether joins them by air on Friday night. On Saturday (08/26),
they decide on a tour of Nevada, driving interstate 80 to Battle
Mountain, continuing south to Austin. A motel, they want to stay
at, is booked, therefore they continue home late in the evening
with a dinner stop in Cold Springs on Interstate 50. On Sunday
and Monday, they spend time in the hot desert, and on local lakes
for swimming. On Memorial Day weekend, Diether joined Jutta and
the relative again for a drive to the Kyle hot spring, and a
pre-dinner at the pizzeria at Rye
Patch. On
Sunday they drove to Walker Lake for swimming and sightseeing,
returning via Mono Lake, Bridgeport, and Topaz Lake. On Memorial
Day, they spend the morning warming up in the desert, followed by
lunch at home in Reno, and an afternoon and evening at a lake.On
Wednesday, Jutta's cousin has to return to Europe.
August 12 through 20, 2006: Diether and Jutta continue to have their weekend vacations (sometimes Diether adds a vacation day for a long weekend) on lakes of Nevada. On one of the days, they drive an alternate route close to interstate 50 to Lake Tahoe in their Jeep. After it is too late or too dangerous to turn around, they find out, that the road has degraded to a bike trail.
August 4 to 6, 2006: Other friends from Germany (one of Jutta's professors and his wife) vist in Reno, Diether returns from an east coast business trip on Friday night, and drives to Reno on Saturday morning with a relative, who sees Jutta for some business discussions on Saturday, while Diether and the gusts from Germany vist Nevadan lakes for some swimming. On Sunday Diether and the relative return to the Bay Area in his rental car.
July 24 through 30, 2006: Diether dinner with friends from Germany on Tuesday in San Jose, joined by Jutta coming from Reno for a second dinner in Pacifica on Wedensday; on Saturday lunch in downtown Livermore and dinner with friends from Stanford in Pacifica, Sunday on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean.
Weekends of July 15 &22, 2006: Nevada Lakes close to Reno including swimming in Washoe Lake.
July 7 &8, 2006: Diether and Jutta spend the weekend in the SF Bay Area and in Santa Cruz.
June 18 through July 4, 2006: Diether and Jutta spend every weekend in Reno and at the lakes in the area, swimming a lot. On the Independence Day weekend they continued the visits to the lakes, and enjoyed many fireworks (Rye Patch on Saturday, Reno on Sunday and Tuesday, Sparks on Tuesday). They spend the evening of the 4th of July with local friends at their place in Reno. During the weeks Diether was very busy at work either in San Jose or on the East Coast.
June 9 to 11, 2006: Ben and Ruth came for dinner to the appartment on Friday night. On Saturday, we had lunch in San Francisco, followed by a stroll through Chinatown, and a walk on the Pacific beach. On Sunday, we had lunch in Davenport, follwed by a walk on the beach close-by.
June 3&4, 2006: We have never seen Lake Lahontan with that much water, and we continued to admire the Humboldt lake, which Diether had seen from the air on the way to an East Coast business activity. To take photos of the lake from a number of directions, we continued to the Lovelock caves. The next day we returned for taking more photos with the sunlight from the East, and continued across the pass to the Fernley sink, where we had a lunch picnic close to the dry lake bed.
May 27 thry 29, 2006, Memorial Day weekend: On one of the long weekend days, we drove to Monterey for lunch, follwed by a walk in Pacific Grove. On Monday, Diether and Jutta drove to Santa Cruz for a walk. Ben reached Diether by cellphone on the beach, and suggested to join them for lunch. After the joint lunch, they returned in 2 cars. In the evening Diether, Jutta, Ben, Ruth, and her parents had dinner at the house of Ruth's parents.
May 19 to 22, 2006: Diether took 2 vacation
days to have a long weekend in 
Nevada.
On Friday, we left Reno in the morning, stopped in Winnemucca for
lunch and fuel, and continued to Paradise Valley to explore the
area for two days, staying at a bed and breakfast overnight.
After checking ourselves into our room, we drove East on a dirt
road to check out the area, which had a lot of open water from
the rains in winter and spring. On the way back, we stopped at
the only local bar for a drink. We had planned a lot more
explorationof the mountains in the east for Saturday. However,
some tire problems made us change our plans (detailed story
by Jutta). We enjoyed the rest of the long weekend close to
Reno.
Weekends from April 29 to May 15, 2006: We spend all three weekends in the Reno and Pershing County area, enjoying spring with it's green vegetation and residual snow on the mountains. Driving from Reno towards Winnemucca, we were impressed by seeing the Humboldt sink fill with water from the abundant rain in winter and spring.
April 22 & 23, 2006: After some shopping,
banking, and mailing on Saturday morning, Diether and Jutta hiked
the Alumn Rock Park close to San Jose for 
the first time.
On Sunday, they had lunch at the Santa Cruz wharf, shopped at
Trader Joe's in Santa Cruz, and returned home to prepare for a
dinner with friends and to update the website.
April 15 to 18, 2006: We spend the Easter weekend at our home in Reno, hike the deserts, attend Easter service as part of the UNR catholic community, and have a delicious Easter dinner and good conversation with local friends.
April 8 & 9, 2006: Diether and Jutta complete the unpacking work, enjoy some hours in Santa Cruz, and have an early Easter time dinner with Ruth and Ben at the San Jose apartment.
March 30 to April 7, 2006: Diether makes an extended business trip to the East Coast, while Jutta works in Reno. During the weekend, he hikes some short stretches of the US Atlantic coastline. He also uses the opportunity to have dinner with two friends, he had not seen in a very long time.
Weekends of March 18 & 25, 2006: Diether and Jutta spend the weekend together at their now principal home in Reno, and explore more of the mountains, lakes, and rivers - including the south side of the Carson River.
March 4, 2006: After having breakfast together, and taking a heavy shelf to goodwill on Ben's truck, Ben takes Diether to the SFO airport for extended overseas business travel. Jutta picks him up, when he returns in the morning of March 15.
March 2, 2006: Diether takes Jutta to the SFO airport for a flight to Germany to attend her father's birthday party in the following week. She returns on March 13.
February 18 to 20, 2006: The house in Cupertino is rented out, an apartment in San Jose very close to Diether's workplace and the airport is rented. With help from Ruth and Ben, we finish the preparations for the move. A moving company moves most of the belongings, we have decided to keep, to the new workplace home on Monday. On Monday evening Diether and Jutta stay at the new workplace residence; but many boxes remain to be unpacked. On Tuesday morning, Diether enjoys his 1.0 mile commute to work for the first time.
February 11&12, 2006: With our guest from Europe, we visit Santa Cruz and Pescadero on Saturday, and the Rodin Gardens and the Memorial Church in Stanford on Sunday. On Sunday evening our guest helps Ben with some work on his old car. On Monday Diether has to leave for a business trip to the East Coast. Jutta and their guest drive to Reno.
February 3 to 5, 2006: On Friday evening
Diether returns to Reno from his business trip to join Jutta and
a student from Germany, who is visiting them 
from a stay in Canada. Diether returns to San Jose
on Sunday night, where Ben picks him up at the airport, and
drives him to Cupertino.
January 27 to 30, 2005: On Friday Jutta and Diether take the late flight to Reno to spend the weekend there. Diether takes Monday of for a long weekend, and starts a business trip to the East Coast on Tuesday from Reno.
January 21 & 22, 2005: With a conference in San Jose for Jutta, Diether and Jutta spend the weekend in the SF Bay Area, and show San Francisco to visitors from Europe.
January 14 to 16, 2006: Jutta, Diether, Ben, and Ruth resume a family tradition to spend time together for Ben's birthday in a hotel in Pismo Beach. Even though cold weather and rain had been predicted, they have a good relatively dry weekend with time together over meals, and many long walks on the beach.
January 7 & 8, 2006: Diether comes back to Reno, and Jutta and he have a nice weekend with outings to the desert and Pyramid Lake.
January 2, 2006: In the morning the first snow for the new year starts to fall. Jutta and Diether discuss, if he should take a taxi to the airport, but then they decide, that they can drive. Diether returns to Cupertino in the evening, while Jutta stays in Reno.
January 1, 2006: The heavy rains in Reno stops, and the floods retreat. The New Year's fireworks had been rescheduled for today, but they were cancelled again.
(For the other parts of the family news click: (present, 2005, 2004, 2003, July-Dec 2002, Jan-Jun2002, Jul-Dec2001,Jan-Jun2001,Oct-Dec2000, Jul-Sep 2000, Jan-Jun 2000, 1999, 1998)