Trip to Germany

 It's been quite a while since I had been on a plane - Photonics West in San Francisco in February of 2020 to be exact, and even longer since I had travelled internationally (Seoul in April and Munich in June of 2019). But, after two and a half years worth of pandemic misery and travel restrictions, it looked like case counts were low enough on both sides of the Atlantic to restart - occasional - travel. MKS had acquired Atotech in the summer and it was time to meet my new colleagues in Berlin in 3D.

After a pit-stop on the way in to Gruenstadt to visit my parents - and enjoy some lovely roulades - it was off to Berlin via ICE train, carrying some freshly harvested figs for my sister.

Berlin was a whirlwind tour of talks, discussions, and lab tours, while enjoying my sister's family's generous hospitality in the early mornings and late (sometimes very late) evenings. On Friday evening we even squeezed in a visit to the Brandenburger Tor during the 'festival of lights' as well as some awesome Dosas, before heading back home: again via ICE train to Mannheim, a lovely dinner with my parents and an early flight back to Portland via Vancouver, BC. It's been a full week!

Late summer...

 It's been a while, time for some catching up!

Michaela had gotten me a lovely Lego set for my birthday, which we finally finished in early August:

The Lego collection keeps growing and we finally decided to split it into two rooms. I now have a Lego streetscape in 'my office', too!

Windsurfing season was in full swing and I tried to make it count. I usually take exactly one picture when I arrive and that's it...there is a certain regularity in the theme: 

Note that last picture: unlike the others, which were taken on weekends, this one was on a Friday afternoon, straight from the office, still wearing a shirt. It would be the final session of the year and one of the best - well worth leaving the office early!

At the end of August we revisited Sauvie Island for the first time in way too many years (a decade?!?) - good times were had.

Meanwhile we also got a new roof. Admittedly not terribly exciting, but it needed to get done eventually: