Family Diary

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2008:

December 1 to 31, 2008: In the early part of December, Jutta and Diether carried the banner for the Kiwanis at the Sparks NV Christmas holiday parade, set up their Christmas tree, and the nativity scene from Germany. Jutta also hosted a birthday dinner for a friend, a Kiwani group dinner, and an scientific society event at their house. Combined with a few vacation days, the year-end schedule of Diether's work allowed two full weeks for him in Reno. They used the time for small chores around the house, but especially for hikes in and around town. The desert had a thin snow cover, but not enough to make walking difficult. They walked to several peaks in the rocks north of the Pyramid highway, and they enjoyed walking on the ice of a lake in Churchill County. They celebrated Christmas with excahnging gifts the night before in the German tradition, attending mass in the morning at the university Catholic church, and had a delicious goose for Christmas Day dinner. On the second last day of the year, they booked a room at the Eldorado in Reno, had a drink in the bar and dinner in a steak restaurant there. They then went to a Rock concert in the showroom of the Silver Legacy. Either they are not used to this kind of concert any more -it was extremely loud, and Diether used earplugs- or the music was indeed very bad; they left two thirds into the show. On New Year's eve they went to sleep before midnight, because they city had cancelled the fireworks for economic reasons.

November 1 to 30, 2008: In early November we enjoyed the colorful scenery of Indian summer in the Truckee and Carson river area. Then Jutta travelled to Europe to be with her old parents. Diether took her to the San Francisco airport on a Sunday morning. The following weekend he checked the house in Reno, drove to Fallon to explore the surroundings there, walked in the Peavine Mountain area to get some strenuous exercise (he saw a Coyote walk by), and enjoyed a drink on Saturday evening in the Roxy bar, followed by dinner at Roxy's. On the following Friday, Jutta returned from Europe and Diether picked Jutta up at the San Jose Caltrain station. Early in the next morning they drove to Reno to arrive in time to pick up the accumulated mail. Based on the timing of some business meetings and phone conferences, Diether had the opportunity to spend all of the Thanksgiving holiday week in Reno. He worked there on Monday and Tuesday, follwed by vacation and holiday for the rest of the week. Jutta cooked a great Thanksgiving dinner just for the two this year. During the week and the weekends, they also enjoyed outings to Rye Patch, Fallon, the Lovelock caves area, and other areas close to Reno. On Saturday after Thanksgiving they set up a Christmas tree in the living room, on Sunday morning after church they installed the Christmas lights outside the house. In the evening they walked to town for a drink and dinner. A taxi took them back home to get rest early to prepare for Diether's very early flight back to San Jose.

October 1 to 31, 2008: Diether and Jutta continued to spend most of the weekends in the Reno area, hiking in the colorful rock area near Pyramid lake, trying to soak in the warm water of the Lee hot springs (unsuccessfully because of drought), exploring the Carson Sink, including a historic petroglyph area, and enjoying our house. On a Monday in the middle of the month we travelled to New York for Diether to speak at a biophotonics event at Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA, followed by a rental car drive to Manhattan for a special company event. Diether used his New York driving skills, acquired while driving a rental car into New York city a year earlier. On Friday afternoon we left Manhattan for Reno, taking the train to the Newark airport to avoid Friday afternoon traffic. This year Halloween was on a Friday, and Diether took a vacation day to hand out candy to the Reno neighborhood trick-or-treat crowd.

September 1 to 30, 2008: Early in the months Diether, Jutta, and their friend Petra contined their vacation in the Reno area. They swam and hiked in the Carson sink area, followed by a trip to Paradise Valley, where they spend two nights in the bed and breakfast place there. On the first day they went to the town's bar, where locals told them about a hot spring. On the follwing day on their way to the Chimey Creek reservoir, they stopped at the hot spring, which they then enjoyed several times in the next two days. As the locals had said, the water in the reservoir was low, but still very cold; it took substantial willpower to enter the water to swim. On their return drive to Reno, they stopped at the very low Rye Patch reservoir for a swim. On the next weekend, they watched the Reno balloon races from the house. The wind carried many balloons into the neighborhood, and several alnded on their street. On one of the next days they drove to the Gold Lake area close to Greagle. They found a dirt road, which took them close to a remote lake. After a short walk, they arrived at the lake and alternated between some swimming and sunbathing. On follwing days, they enjoyed some other lakes, including Lake Tahoe on the day before Diether's return to work. Petra returned from Reno to Germany and on the following weekends, Diether and Jutta continued to enjoy the outdoors in the sunny fall weather of northeastern Nevada. On September 20, they took a long walk on a loop trail below Mt Rose to prepare for the strenuous hike to the top. The last weekend of the month they spent in San Jose, driving to the ocean in Santa Cruz, and acceting a dinner invitation by Ruth and Ben for the parents.

August 1 to 31, 2008: In August we continued to spend all of our weekends in Reno, and using our home there as the base for the exploration of nearby areas, especially lakes and Carson River reservoirs, deep enough to swim in, close to Fallon. We found, that some of the lakes, which showed on our maps, had dried out. Soda Lake was especially interesting, because we were not sure, whether it was to alkaline to swim in. We trusted the information from a local, that it did not hurt the skin, and a weekend later, we brought some pH-paper to measure a pH of approximately 8. We also asked about the legality to swim in a Carson River reservoir, and after an affirmative answer decided to enjoy the cool water with air temperatures in the 90s. On the 3rd weekend of the month we stopped by close to the Rye Patch reservoir to see friends, and to admire their new house. On the first two weekends, we looked at some of the cars from the "Hot August Nights" event. On Sunday of the 2nd weekend, we renewed our yearly State Park Pass on Lake Tahoe, where we went swimming, followed by dinner on the lake. On the 24th Diether and Jutta took a course, and in the afternoon experienced a mini-tornado with a sand-based whiteout in the desert north of Reno. On the evening of that day Petra arrived for a visit. She had some interesting experience during her trip. The Lufthansa plane from Germany to Denver only landed on the 2nd try, because on the 1st it was to fast in calm weather. Her connecting United flight to Reno did not find the gate at the first attempt. On the last weekend of the month, Diether, Jutta, and Petra started a 10 day vacation together. On the first day they enjoyed swimming in several Fallon area lakes. On Sunday after church and lunch, they walked to town. In the late afternoon they went to Roxy's to talk, listen to the music, and to drink one of the many kinds of Martinis. A taxt took them back home.

July 1 to 31, 2008: The month began with a long 4th of July weekend, which we spent in Reno and it's surroundings.We explored the Carson River near Fallon, including the large wildlife refuge. We found out, that we are in a drought year, because even though the Carson river is still running, most of the lakes in the Carson sink are dry. We also drove to a reservoir, which is low, but still has enough water to enjoy for swimming. We watched the 4th of July fireworks in Reno from our backyard. On the weekend, we drove to the top of the Peavine mountain to escape the smoky air from the California wildfires. On the next weekend, on Saturday we explored the Indian Lakes near Fallon, and the Soda Lake; on Sunday we enjoyed a swimming hole on the Carson River near Carson City. We were the only people enjoying the water there until two fishermen showed up around mid-afternoon. On the last two weekends of the month, Diether had to look after the house in Reno, and water the plants in the house and the tadpoles in the pond, because Jutta had gone to Europe to look after her old parents. On one of the weekends he drove, achieving a mileage of 36.7 mi/gal all the way from Reno to San Jose with his Buick Le Sabre.

June 1 to 30, 2008: In June, we spent several weekends in San Jose. On the first weekend, we enjoyed the Pacific coast between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. We also had our yearly family party with many friends from the Bay Area. The weekend of the 14th we spent in the Reno area, enjoying our first swim for the year in Lake Lahontan. On Saturday evening, we were joined by some friends from Diether's work, showed downtown Reno, followed by dinner at home with another friend from Reno. On Sunday we showed Pyramid Lake with a picnic and our first swimming there for the year. The next weekend, we spend in the Bay Area again to celebrate the birthday and housewarming of one of Diether's coworkers. Diether spend the following week on the East Coast. A flight delay on Friday evening made it impossible for him to get to Reno that night. Therefore Jutta and Diether changed plans. He flew into San Jose early on Saturday morning arriving at noon, while Jutta drove from Reno arriving in the early afternoon. This worked out fine, because Diether also had to finish a rush project for work, which was mostly done, when Jutta arrived at the appartment. They relaxed on Sunday at home, and with a walk on the beach. They also stopped by the house of Ben and Ruth for a quick visit.

May 1 to 31, 2008: We spent the first weekend of May in Reno, enjoying warm weather downtown, and snow on the Peavine mountain. On the next weekend, Jutta and Diether had to travel to Europe for a family event. We arrived in Frankfurt on Sunday, and stayed overnight on the Rhine river in Mainz. On Monday, a holiday in Germany, we took the train to Cologne, where we had dinner with some friends. We spent Tuesday morning with a friend in the Cologne area. After lunch Jutta took a train to her parents' house, and Diether travelled to some business contacts. On Thursday evening Diether joined Jutta at her parents' house for dinner. Petra, who was visiting, took him to the train station after dinner, and he took a train to his parents' house. On Saturday, Jutta and Diether participated in the family celebration of his parents' wedding anniversary. Diether returned to the US on Monday, taking the Caltrain and the light rail system from the airport to his appartment. To have some more time with her parents Jutta returned on Thursday. On the last weekend of May, we spent time at the house in Reno, and went to the Lovelock area to paint our shed in the countryside. We also visited Fallon, and enjoyed the downtown in Reno.

April 1 to 30, 2008: Diether had no long-distance travel commitments in April. He caught up on important office projects, and filed an extension for the state and federal tax returns. On weekends Diether and Jutta enjoyed walks in downtown Reno, and hikes and picnics in the mountains and deserts, watching a group of daring mountain goats on one occasion. On the week of April 19, friends from the Bay Area visited Reno, and stopped by for lunch. In the afternoon we then shared some drinks in the bar of Roxy's. From April 25 to 28, Diether and Jutta had a long weekend to explore the area close to Middlegate, Eastgate, and Gabbs with one overnight stay on Friday night. In the Middlegate restaurant they had learned, that Gabbs may have a few motel rooms. They drove there, inquired at the local bar, and were taken to the owner of the coffeshop, who manages a few hotel rooms. They rented a room, and were told, that there was no dinner place in town - because of a state law, which prohibits serving food in bars, which allow smoking. The motel owner told them, there was a spaghetti dinner associated with a fundraising event. They went there, and met some locals. After dinner they had some more conversations in the bar. They rested well in a very clean, quiet room, and had breakfast at the coffeeshop. They then visited and photographed a few mines and desert wildflowers. In the evening, they returned to Reno to spend the rest of the weekend there.

March 1 to 31, 2008: In the first week of March Diether and Jutta travelled to Germany to participate in a scientific event, and to visit some institutes. The scientific course took place in Southern Germany, nad they experienced a lot of pleasant snow-covered landscapes. They also spent a weekend with the parents in the Saar region. On the following weekends, they participated in a conference event in Reno, enjoyed more snowy and spring-like days on the weekends with an excursion to Austin on the last weekend of the month with a discussion about the local situation with an old merchant there.

February 2 to 29, 2008: As usual Diether and Jutta spent their weekends at or close to home in Reno. During the week Diether worked in San Jose or was on business travel. During this time period our outdoor activities were slowed somewhat, because Reno received snow from several snowstorms. The moisture from the snow left many trails muddy; therefore we skipped our otherwise frequent walks to downtown. In the first week of the months, Jutta came down with a serious cold on the weekend; it hit Diether in the following week, and forced him to stay in bed for about a day and a half. Despite the storms, we managed to visit the Walker Lake area on the 9th, to have a picnic in the desert on the 16th, and to enjoy a short hike in the desert on the morning of the 23rd, just before another snow storm moved in to bring much needed water to the area. On several occassions Reno received about a foot of snow from a strom, but subsequent warm weather melted most of the snow in a one day, leaving roads dry again. On the 25th Jutta came to San Jose, and we saw Ruth and Ben over dinner at Il Postale in Sunnyvale.

January 21 to 28, 2008: During the week Jutta had to work at a conference in the Bay Area, and Diether went on a business trip to the East Coast. Because of storms in the Sierra Nevada, Jutta decided not to drive back to Reno on Friday as originally planned, but to wait until Saturday morning to drive with Diether. This was a good choice, because they had sunny weather all the way from San Jose to Reno in one of the 10 hour breaks in the month's winter storms. They used snow-free hours during the weekend for walking and shopping. On Sunday morning the area was covered with snow, which melted in a warm wind by the mid afternoon. During the food shopping outing on Sunday Diether's and Jutta's car's battery lost all it's charge (old age), and they had to get road service to bring and install a new battery in their car, before they could drive home. The storm turned more intense on Sunday afternoon and many flights in and out of Reno had to be cancelled. It snowed during Sunday night and it turned cold. Reno's streets accumulated a layer of snow by morning. Based on his Monday schedule, Diether decided to work from home (a few hours of phone conferences and a some more catching up on writing and reading), and returned to San Jose in decent weather on Monday night.

January 19 & 20, 2008: We spend our annual Pismo Beach weekend as always with Ben and Ruth. We had sunny weather, and the rain front only arrived, when we were on the way back to San Jose early on Monday morning.

January 12 &13, 2008: Diether and Jutta spend another winter weekend in Reno. On one of the weekend days they drove to Hawthorne to visit the surroundings of Walker Lake. There was a lot of fog on the way, but around noon the fog cleared, and the sun came out. They returned to Reno in the evening. Driving was very hard, because of dense fog, and icy drizzle. Diether had to drive slowly, and they made it home safely.

January 5 & 6, 2008: Diether took the Friday night flight into Reno despite a major storm on the West coast. The Southwest agent mentioned, that the flightmight be cancelled because of weather in Reno. United Airlines had cancelled all of it's flight into and out of Reno for the day. There was some turbulence in areas, when the pane traversed areas of very dense snow. Fortunately the wind had slowed down and the snowing had almost stopped, whenh the pane landed smoothly in Reno. Jutta picked Diether up with the 4WD Wrangler. It took more than half an hour to get home on slippery roads, and we passed many stranded cars on the side of road. Jutta had bought plenty of groceries. Therefore we did not have to drive out during the weekend, except for Sunday morning church service. We relaxed at home, got a lot of exercise from keeping the driveway free of snow (a snow shovel full of wet stuff is very heavy), and walked during sunny times to enjoy the winter wonderland. We also had a snowball throwing contest in the backyard, and Diether tested the strength of the ice in the pond, getting his foot and leg wet. The storm stopped on Sunday, and Diether's return flight to San Jose was very smooth.

January 1, 2008, New Year's Day: Jutta and Diether attended the New Year's mass, celebrated by the new parish priest. After lunch in Fernley, they explored the area of the Sheckler's reservoir near Fallon. Then they had a good dinner at home.

(For the other parts of the family news click: (present, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, July-Dec 2002, Jan-Jun2002, Jul-Dec2001,Jan-Jun2001,Oct-Dec2000, Jul-Sep 2000, Jan-Jun 2000, 1999, 1998)

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