Not too shabby, Ralf, and TRUE !! :-)) Dave

And now back to German Life: Hi Dave: Did you ever take the auto route from Tuttlingen (am Donau), down the Donau, then south east over the hump through Bergsteig and Buchheim, and then back down to the banks of the Donau at Beuron. Beuron of course is famous for a beautiful Kloster, along the lines of Ettal in Bavaria. Beuron is also famous for Edith Stein (I believe that was her name) the young Jewish girl who converted to Christianity, became a Nun, and will probably reach sainthood sometime in the future. In any case, that is not the subject of this note, no matter how beautiful Beuron is, and how touristy it has become. Seven years ago was the first time I took that beautiful "strasse" At that time as we were coming down from the "hump" I happened to glance to my right, and saw a small German graveyard, filled with the graves of German soldiers, who were killed during an engagement, shortly before the end of number Two. By whom, I don't know. As you know a German military graveyard has somewhat different grave stones than your or ours have. They are about 2.5 ft square, made out of concrete and shaped in the form of an iron cross. A low brick and mortar wall surrounded the entire thing. This particular small graveyard was run down and grown over with wild shrubs and bushes. A shame. This year, I kept an eye out for it, and saw that someone or group had cleaned up the graves and graveyard as a whole, so that it looked peaceful and presentable. It gave me the impression that these young, men who had apparently been forgotten for years, were now being remembered by their people; and so it should be. Maybe next time I am over there I will take a stroll through, to remember that the young men of both sides suffered. I have an uncle who was killed in the first war two weeks before the armistice. He is buried in the British War Graveyard at Cambrai, France. These British Cemetaries, the product of WW l are dotted all through that area of northern France and Belgium. The local citizens voluntarily keep them manicured and clean. They are sites to behold. It is satisfying to know that those young Germans soldiers who fell are now being treated similarly. Ralf