Robyn and Joel's Blog: Chronicling our Copenhagen Adventures

Yes, we're that interesting.


Sunday, August 31, 2008

Let There Be Sun!

Despite its well-deserved reputation as "the place where the sun goes to die" (as my brother-in-law aptly put it after visiting last December), Copenhagen does, indeed, enjoy a fair bit of sun (note the intentional ambiguity of "a fair bit"). And when it's sunny, Copenhagen is probably as beautiful a city as you'll find anywhere. Today was one of the those days. Here is proof that the sun does occasionally find its way to Copenhagen:


This last shot has nothing to do with the sun (but it does have to do with the moon. Heeey--o!!!).

This was an eye-catching cover in a children's bookstore we wandered by:


Perhaps it's a Danish take on one of these children's classics:

http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Poops-My-Body-Science/dp/192913214X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220209628&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Gas-We-Pass-Story-Science/dp/1929132158/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220209816&sr=8-3

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Two Birthdays

Happy birthday, Mom (today) and Kelly (tomorrow)!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Robyn and Joel's 2008 Summer Tour Extravaganza: Phase 2

After leaving London, our 2008 Summer Tour Extravaganza made its way to Carlsbad, CA. The first Big Event of our Carlsbad stop was my parents' 40th wedding anniversary celebration. It's not often one gets to celebrate 40 years of (mostly) blissful marriage! Family members flew in from various parts of the country to be part of the celebration. Needless to say, a great time was had by all. Then again, when you throw a bunch of boisterous and sarcastic people into a limo and then take these people on an extended wine-tasting expedition in Temecula, there's sure to be some fun. And fun there was. (Alright, enough with the Yoda-like sentence structures).

The pictures provide their own vivid narrative--much better than any reconstruction I can muster--so I'll simply direct your attention here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/MomAndDadAnniversaryCelebration

Our second Big Event in Carlsbad was another celebration. Robyn and I hosted a cookout at my parents' home in honor of several notable accomplishments, including our friend Matt's proposal to his lovely partner, Ashley, and our friend Garrett's graduation from Purdue with a PhD in organic chemistry.

The highlight of the gathering was a special VIP showing of our friend Courtney's short film, "Cute Couple". Honestly assessing a friend's art is always a dicey affair. Most of us have had friends who earnestly fancied themselves Serious Artists--but whose work, alas, was destined to be the "before" example in a "Ten Steps to Becoming a Better Artist" primer rather than hung on a wall in the Louvre. (I can be a bit snarky here since I include myself in this category, wisely having allowed my artistic pretensions to die a quiet and (somewhat) dignified death with a barely-completed art minor while an undergraduate at UC Davis). Courtney is the real deal, however. Her film has now won two Audience Choice awards at prestigious films festivals in Jackson Hole and Los Angeles, so it's not just her friends saying nice things about her. It will be exciting to see what happens next.

Speaking of visual treats, another highlight was our friend Matt suddenly removing his shirt for no apparent reason while playing Frisbee. Perhaps he simply wanted to remind us all just how lucky Ashley really is.

Mission accomplished, pal.

Pics (including Matt's yoga-toned torso) here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/CarlsbadVisitAugust

Monday, August 11, 2008

Robyn and Joel's 2008 Summer Tour Extravaganza: Phase 1

We're a bit behind on our blogging. Sorry. Don't forget, dear readers: we're busy and important people who lead glamorous and exciting international lives. Sometimes we forget to put down the champagne bottle long enough to get caught up.

So, to get caught up:

Robyn and Joel's Summer Tour Extravaganza 2008 kicked off with a bang in London.

Robyn attended a conference; I tagged along, ever the dutiful husband, intending to roam the streets and explore the city. I did just that. And I enjoyed every minute of it. It was my first chance to really see London (aside from the parts of the airport and the bus terminal I passed through during two previous trips to Oxford). Naturally, I hit the big tourist spots: Big Ben, Parliament, London Bridge, Kew Garden, the Tate Museum of Modern Art, etc. Yes, they were all impressive. And yes, the Tube is face-meltingly hot in the summer (it was unseasonably warm during our visit). Soaking up body odors all and sundry while enjoying the luxuries of public transportation is part of "going local", I suppose. (I'm quite sure I made my own special contribution to this B.O. potpourri). But when I wasn't inhaling local fragrances, my favorite pastime was to simply duck into whichever pub I happened to be strolling by at that moment and grab myself a pint and some grease-laden pub grub. Robyn and I are great fans of Pub Culture. I could eat nothing but fish 'n chips and Shepherd's Pie and die a happy (and probably young) man.

Special thanks goes to our friend Rachel, who graciously allowed us to stay with her in her lovely townhouse during our visit. In addition to the pleasure of her company, this arrangement provided us with a comfortable launching pad from whence we could enact our London adventures.

Pictures here, for the interested:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/LondonTripJuly

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