Yesterday, Joe took a half-day holiday. The weather was perfect: 76 degrees F (24 C) and not a cloud in the sky. We wanted to spend it outdoors because the big H on the weather map is drifting south, and that spells the end of Altweibersommer. So we went to the Bostalsee, a lovely little 300-acre lake (120 hectares) in the wooded hills not far from St. Wendel. Sailboats were floating all over it like pretty bath toys.
Yesterday was a real holiday: the Tag der Deutschen Einheit, or Day of German Unity. So the lake was packed with people. Extended families were there, having fun or (in some cases) looking a bit grim, as if the get-together were a mild form of torture. People were walking dogs of every shape and size. My favorite was a cross between a Brittany spaniel and a dachshund. Imagine a floppy-eared, liver-speckled … dachshund. With a big feathery white tail!
When my girls were younger, we brought them here and sent them out on a paddleboat. The girls are grown, but the paddleboats are still here. I love this photo. Dad is doing nothing but holding the steering wheel and thinking about life. Mom and little brother are watching the scenery go by. The little girl–now, she’s working! Paddling for dear life. Getting them home seems to be her job.
You’ll notice people walking along the shore behind this charming sailboat. Well, that’s what Joe and I did: we followed the example of hundreds of our fellows and walked the shore path around the lake. If you’d asked me, “Hey, do you want to walk four miles,” I might have said no. But once you’ve walked halfway around a lake, you don’t have a whole lot of choice, unless you want to take a shortcut and get your feet wet.
He took the shortcut:
Photos taken October, 2011, on the Bostalsee, Germany. Text copyright 2011 by Clare B. Dunkle. Photos copyright 2011 by Joseph R. Dunkle.
What a great way to celebrate the Deutsche Einheit. But I hope you are wrong and the “Altweibersommer” is coming back for a few days later in October :-)