The Year 2008 in Pictures (part 1)

	We started our year in Ames. A rather cold and long winter we had to endure as well as some newly installed plants around our house.
	Not an unusual view from our house along Brown Court during that winter. It was somewhat fun to look at huge piles of snow on and along the roads after a storm, but it was no fun to drive about 80 miles to Des Moines and back - a commute Margarita had to do every work day.
	And although the temperatures did not rise above 25F for at least eight weeks in a row and snow and ice storms were common events, a winter sunrise like this seeing from our kitchen window was quite beautiful.
	Our first trip was Spring Break in Tampa, FL. - hoping to catch some warmth and break from snow. We stayed in the Sheraton seen in the background, right on a huge white sandy beach. The water in the gulf was cool, but we took full advantage of the pool and hot tab.
	A visit to St. Pete downtown, the pier and the Salvador Dali Museum.
	As often happens when we travel, the weather did not cooperate fully. One day we had dense fog and some rain, but it was still warm.
	In Tampa, we visited Busch Gardens - basically a large animal park with some rides. It rained that day too.
	Then it got so cold that even the furry ones had to huddle.
	The highlight of the trip to Busch Gardens was meeting a hippo up close...
	and seeing him "flying" under water. Quite an interesting sight.
	After having such a cold and long winter, it was difficult to believe that it could be warm, sunny and green again! In May, we packed up and moved to Durham, NC. I am now working at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This was our last day in Ames. The house was on the market and it sold in June - luckily before the big crash.
Durham
	We rented this house in Durham. A tad to big for us, but we did not have much time to look around when we were in the area, house hunting for three days in April.
	Margarita still works for Well Fargo Financial in Des Moines. Now she works from home (no long commutes for her for now)...
	... while I take care of the grazing animals (our fateful furry friends Kira and Tiger, who were excellent travellers when we flew with them from Des Moines to Durham with a layover in Chicago.)
	In June, my parents came to visit from Germany. Although the summer temperatures were already in full swing, we still managed to go for a few nice walks in the parks, including Duke Gardens and Jordan Lake Preserve. Here, we are on a daytrip to Biltmore (Margarita is taking our picture.)
	Biltmore is the largest residential house in the U.S. If you have not visited the place, we highly recommend it. And you are welcome to stay with us.
	Biltmore.
For Part 2 click here.