Collections

Lest ya’ll think we are all just about figurines and beer steins, over the years we have acquired a few nick-knacks or collectibles from our various travels (not all limited to Germany).

• Hummels
• Lladro
• Wood carvings
• Beer mugs/steins
• Volksmarch medals/plates/trophies
• Wine tasting glasses
• Wine/Beer labels (have a book of various vintages/vinyards)
• Coasters
• Match books
• Mardis Gras beads/Pat O'Brien Glasses
• Clocks (from Germany)
• Walking sticks with shields
• Quilts
• Power Rangers (son)
• Beanie Babies (son)
• 5k running shirts

Long ago, back in the days before kids, we had something really rare:  Spare time and Disposable income.  We used to fritter away our money on silly little things like trips to the Nuremberg Christmas Market or the Heidelberg Castle or touring the wine country along the Rhine River and Mosel River valley.  We would collect stuff from these trips as souvenirs or memorabilia. We've now reached that stage where it has become clutter or crap you pass down to your children.  If we had just a few more Hummels or beer steins, we might qualify for a Horder's episode. 

Each of the nick-knacks has a story.  Some saga or information we will recall many years from now when we are in the nursing home.  

To answer everyone's burning question about my hunting mug:  It is a trick mug constructed in a fashion that only the owner is able to drink out of it without spilling the liquid over himself.  There's a secret/trick to drinking out of it and it will cost you a beer for me to share it with you.  I may be easy, but I'm not cheap.  The other version designed for the married hunter has a couple dancing (ballroom style) etched into the bottom, but I never got that one.  Methinks my version was a bit more popular.

ShadowRun300, I am still amazed we might have shared some the same ground in Deutschland back in the 80s.  I'd love to share more about some of your in country stories.  Small world.  I have probably said this ad nauseum on many older postings, but we lived in southern Germany from early 1980 until late 1984.  We wound up serving served during the first Reagan term.  Stationed in a little Infantry post in Boeblingen Germany (south of Stuttgart), we spend 4+ really great years.  Many wild stories, lots of good/bad memories, incredible experience.  The one single piece of advice we got from a fellow officer that we took to heart:  Get out and explore the countryside every chance you can get.  We took every opportunity, every minute to get away from post and get lost.