My wife, Gertrud, and my children Chris and Susi, have long encouraged me to write a book, or at least a family history of our lives abroad. I was further encouraged by friends with whom I have corresponded by email while traveling. The best I could do until now was to keep a few unorganized notes and retain my emails. My son, Chris was the first person to suggest that I write a blog but I procrastinated because I didn't think I was computer savvy enough to master the art of blogging. However the real inspiration for this blog is one written by friends Brooke Hopkins and Peggy Battin on coping with an unexpected tragedy in their lives. (http://brookeandpeggy.blogspot.com). During the 2010 Christmas holidays I finally decided that if Brooke and Peggy could maintain a blog with everything going on in their lives, then so could I. While mine serves a completely different purpose and won't be especially inspirational, I continue to be inspired by theirs.
Addendum: Brooke Hopkins passed away on July 31, 2013. Here is his obituary:
Our journalist friend, Peggy Fletcher Stack, wrote a long series in the Salt Lake Tribune on Brooke and Peggy's odyssey which was also picked up by a writer for the New York Times Magazine (see below):
Our journalist friend, Peggy Fletcher Stack, wrote a long series in the Salt Lake Tribune on Brooke and Peggy's odyssey which was also picked up by a writer for the New York Times Magazine (see below):
