Welcome to our life. We would like to share some of what we do and what we see with our family and friends around the world. Enjoy!!! Für unsere deutschen Zuschauer: Wir heißen Euch "Willkommen" und hoffen das die englische Beschreibungssprache nicht zu umständlich ist. .................FredRump at gmail.com.............................
- Army Life (10/1956-10/1959)
A collection of my three years in the army
- Bromeliads in our garden
This is a catalog of my bromeliad collection
- Dokumente aus alter Zeit
Unter meinen väterlichen Vorfahren gibt es die heutige Hämmerer Familie.
Sie erscheinen in Gunzenhausen, Franken als Feldhüter und vorige Wasenmeister u. Scharfrichter aus Löcherholz u. Kupferzell. Dort erscheinen sie als Hemmer u. Hemmerin. Wahrscheinlich wurde irgendwo Hemmerer und Hämmerer benutzt und dieser Name ging dann in die heutige Zeit.
Ich lege diese scans, die mir freundlicher Weise von Andreas Volk vom Gemeindeamt in Kupferzell zugesandt wurden, in diese Seiten um deren korrekte Übersetzung mit Hilfe anderer am besten zu bestätigen.
- Family Portraits in time
Various members of our family at special events of the past
- Great videos
on occasion something really good floats by on the net which needs to be shared and enjoyed by others
- My Garage
The construction of my RV garage was a long and cumbersome process which started with a signed order in August 2005 or better as part and parcel of buying the property in February of 2004. Lots of prep work and various delays in permitting caused a construction start to be delayed until February 2006. Some more clearing and site preparation were done during our time here in the summer of 2005 but then there was nothing except delays. People tell me that this is normal in Naples where a labor and materials shortage along with more work then contractors can handle always causes long delays.
- My Orchids in bloom
Over time I'm cataloging my orchid collection. Basically this is in sequence of bloom. Each plant for which I have proper identification will also have a number so that it can be identified when not in bloom. In the past I've had many flowering orchids but I was too inexperienced to record the name and date. I actually did not take care of these plants and many died on me mostly from rot here during the summer. They are now mostly under cover.
- My Pool
construction of pool from start to finish August 1, 2009 -
- Our homes
where we live and have lived as a family
- Sunroom - Sept. - Oct. - Nov. - Dec. (2008)
construction process of our sunroom
- March
- February
- July
- June
- May
further adventures in Costa Rica
- April
- November
- October
- September
- August
- July
- June
- May
- April
- March
- February
- January
- November
- August
- July
- June
- May
- April
- March
- February
- January
- December
December activities
- November
Various activities during the month of November
- October
happenings
- September
- August
Fl, GA, NC & NJ
- July
we wanted to see what all the commotion was about
- June
- May
monthly happenings
- April
- March
Elaine Hackett sent 56 pics in low res format, ie small pics
- February
- January
January 2007
- December
Garden scenes in the Christmas month of 2006
- September
whatever is going on
- August Happenings
We are in Beverly, NJ
- building a 2nd floor sunroom
We had ordered this room in June, 2005 with an expected completion date before we left for Florida. This did not happen and we then travelled to NJ later in the fall when the contractor again did not show up. I did not think they really believed we actually live in FL and left on their deadline day. After they received a 'nice' letter from me, the president woke and pretty much begged me to fly back for an installation just before Cristmas. They would apy the expenses. The roof and walls were put up in freezing weather but the job was not finished before I left but we kept a window unlocked for the contractor to returm as he found time. Nothing happened and upon our return to Beverly on July 1, 2006 we found terrible leaks had come thru the new roof into our downstairs. We called and called and finally somebody came out to fix the leak and finish the floor. The installer immediately called his supervisor to give him the true picture. He came down right away and decided the job had to be pretty much done over again. He promised me to start work in 2 weeks. That day came and went with many phone calls going nowhere. Now they wanated to delay the job until winter again (when they had nothing else to do). Marlies had fit and they relented to asure us that they would be here Sept 6-11 to finish the job. I think they are serious this time.
- Lastenausgleichsantrag
Einige der 78 Seiten des Lastenausgleichsantrag meines Vaters welcher Prozess von Juli 1953 bis 1968
dauerte. Hier liegen Seiten welche handschriftliche Notizen enthalten die ich nicht gut verstehen/lesen kann.
- July - Happenings
Things as they happened or as we found them. Basically we are here in NJ to take care of a few things and wait for contractors - as usual.
- June - Happenings
Happenings
- May - my day to day wanderings in the garden and elsewhere
Usually I take a walk through my little park in the morning. When I see something new or wonderful I run back into the house for the camera. I try to save the seasons as they occur as change is daily.
- Various pics for review by others
I'm placing pics here for referral by others to avoid sending lots of email attachments.
- FL-Pelicans at the Buchholz home
The season has come to an end and a final farewell was held at Tim & Connie Buchholz' house on Fred & Marlies' 44th wedding anniversary: 4/30/2006
- April - my day in, day out walks through my garden in pictures
Basically most shots are from the garden. I keep working outside. The grass is still not really green. We've had no rain in months and the sprinkler system is just not the same as water from the sky. I also either put too much fertilizer down or not enough. Some areas are nice and green while others look brown. I usually take a walk around the garden at least once a day. Sometimes I go back in the house to get the camera. You see what I see.
- Trip to the Naples Flower Show at the botanical Gardens
We were there for the plant sale and picked up a car load of things we don't normally find in a local nursery. In the morning I'll get busy and plant what I bought.
- Spring and the awakening garden
Some shots from March as my plants are coming alive again after the big freeze. The blooming orchids are from those I had put into my makeshift greenhouse and had kept a heater in. They survived just fine.
- FL Pelicans State Rally in 2006
Various scenes at the Newmar state rally in Chumukla, FL
We were amazed to realize that there were actually 21 of us attending the rally. Besides George and me, there were Wayne and Charlotte Reed, Tim and Connie Buchholz, Art and Geri Brodeur, Roger and Emily Mercier, Ed and Jerrie Cassetty, Dean and Pat Hartman, Dave and Sammy Temples, Howard and Virginia Sheldon, and our new members, Joe and Lisa Grant. Finally, there was Carol Hussey, traveling alone because Vic was playing in a very important golf tournament. Tim drove the Hussey coach most of the way while Connie practiced driving their own Mountain Aire. Even Carol, under Tim's auspices, drove her Northern Star several legs and is gaining confidence. Go Carol!
- My Gate and Fence
This has been an ongoing project for many months now. I had a wooden fence there along with a farm type gate. From day one I had wanted to replace the fence but I had no idea as to cost or the difficulty in getting it done. First I had to get a permit which involved an architect to draw up what I wanted. Once I had the permit I had to find someone to build it for me. I found a company that does water falls to construct the basic colums and the wall at the gate. Then I had to find a stucco outfit to dress up the job abd finally someone to build and install the gate and fence sections for me. I will do the painting myself and then get someone to install an automatic gate opener which connects to the house via an intercom video or voice. Whatever.
- FL-Pelican Rally - Sarasota Ringling Museum
A day trip to the Ringling Estate in Sarasota. The pictures follow our path but since I didn't bother charging my battery and my spare was left locked in the bus, I have only one shot of the inside of the art museum. The pictures taken in the Tibbal Learning Center of the miniature circus were taken with a small Kyocera camera which I borrowed from Jim O. It too ran out of battery power. All in all, the visit almost requires a re-visit because in those few hours there was simply not enough time to see everything. The last time we had been to the estate was about 25 years ago and things looked like the place would fall appart. THe state was neglecting its gift from John & Mabel Ringling. They have now changed course and everything is in wonderful condition and well worth a second visit.
- Frost in Naples - disaster
The freeze which hit the night of Feb 13-14 pretty much ruined most of my subtropical plants. I'm told this happens every 3 or 4 years but how was I to know the severity of it all? I covered some Impatients and a few other plants and they are fine but I had no idea how much else I should have covered. I have revisited these pictures and added commentary as of may 4th, 2006 as to what happed to the plants after the frost.
I'm hoping that most of the damaged plants will come back. We'll have to see.
- 2007 London Aire - display model
The first public showing of the upcoming London Aire upscale Newmar product was held at Pelican Lake RV Resort. It will truly be a remarkable coach. List price is $925K but that includes all options. :-)
- Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
www.corkscrew.audubon.org is the home page of the private reserve of old growth Cypress and a general preserve of the way things used to be in the Florida Everglades near the coast lines of SW Florida. Here are a few shots taken during a recent visit there. I had wide angle but no telephoto lense with me and will add a few shots taken by Jim Overman who had his telephoto lense with him.
- FL- Pelicans at Rally Park, Seffner, FL
The Pelicans are a group of RVers who hang around SW Florida in the winter and all own coaches manufactured by the Newmar corporation.
This was our 3rd or 4th trip to the Tampa RV Supershow. Yours truly arrived several days early and took a look at Tampa and what it had to offer. (See the Bush Garden and other albums for more details.)
Our group typically assembles like clockwork for the afternoon refreshment session.
- Bush Gardens - Tampa
Marlies and I took a few days to visit Bush Gardens while camped at Rally Park in Seffner, FL for the 2006 RV Supershow and FL Pelican Rally
What you see here is a selection of pictures from three leisurely visits to the park. We did not take any of the many hell-raising rollercoaster rides. I was game but wifee would rather not. So we walked a lot, saw all the shows and took the various slow rides around and through the park. Particularly interesting were the horticultural layouts of which I included only the intricate designs but very few other plants. I did take many ideas with me.
We also spent the better part of a day at the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry but left the camera at home: http://www.mosi.org/
- Cape Canaveral
We had invited our son and family to our home for Christmas and included a trip to Disney as our present to the kids. Somehow we wound up in cape Canaveral too. We didn't get there until after 2:30 PM. It was tough to maneuver the clan into an earlier departures. Here are some shots of that trip.
I might mention that we had to catch the last bus to see the exhibit hall and subsequently got on the last bus back to the parking lot. Then we had the misfortune of having that bus catch on fire on our way back. We exited without panic and then watched all the commotion and fire engines from the outside before another bus picked us up to continue our exit.
- FL-Pelicans Christmas Party
The annual Christmas party was held at the Ft Myers Yacht Club
- FL-Pelicans at Welcome Back Rally
The annual first group get-together was held at Silver Lakes RV Resort here in Naples. Some of the events are shown here.
- Hurricane Wilma - the aftermath
Hurricane Wilma blew into Naples on October 24th, 2005. We were at our home in Beverly, NJ at the time.
I was glued to the internet to try to find out what happened at our Florida house. There wasn't much information available as most of the media was down. Within a day or two of the storm a friend drove over and sent me a picture from behind the gate. It looked like a mess but we had to see it in person to believe it.
We arrived in the late evening of October 31. Early the next morning I took pictures to memorialize the event. Then about two weeks of clean up followed. We had mountains of branches several times out by the street. FEMA paid for the removal in three pickup phases. The pictures still don't do it justice. The work crews came from all over the country.
- Family
Various shots taken around Halloween 2005
- My Gazebo is being built
After many hassles getting a permit for the proper building it finally happened according to the proper rules.
- New driveway pavers
I layed out where I wanted pavers and it all came to pass
- December
- Last Day of the year at Disneyworld
It was a hectic day
- Tombstone, AZ
Helldorado Days
the third week of every - What started out as the town’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1929 has turned into its oldest tradition. Activities: Reenactments, parade on Sunday, fashion shows, carnival, live music, beard contest & street entertainment. Here you see it all.
- On the way to Tombstone
We visit some old mines and stay at Zane Grey RV Park
4500 E. Hwy 260 Camp Verde, AZ 86322
- Kruse Pictures from Dec 2001
- 2001
- A wedding in Minneapolis
- September
- a new pool for the Nadeaus
In the summer of 2000 Rick and our daughter Angie decided they needed a pool behind their house and it did not take long before it arrived. We include a few other shots from September 2000.
- Monica's first pre-school day
- Museumsdorf Cloppenburg
Some pictures sent by Joe Tiemann from his trip to Cloppenburg.
"I hope these come through okay. I did not want to reduce them as they would lose the resolution. What a fine museum. One of the photos shows the meat in a sack hanging over the fire being smoked."
- April
- March
- PL and picking up our LA
We left NJ for Minneapolis to attend the wedding of the daughter of our long term SPUG friend, Gary Zywatko and then head 'home' to Pelican Lake in Naples, FL. via Ohio, NJ and South Carolina with a quick stop in DeLand, FL where we used to have a software development lab.
- 1999
Pictures taken during this year
- 1970s
various shots to start a sort
- 1958
I was in the US Army stationed in Schweinfurt, Niederfranken in Germany for most of my three years in the service.
- 1956
I graduate from highschool near the top 5% of 1110 seniors in June. I join the US Army in October.
- 1954
My parents bought their first home at 4357 N 4th St. In Phila. I was into cars by now and convinced my mom to sign for me to buy a car. I drove it home sans license and she walked.
- 1953
By now I had learned to speak the language and started at Northeast Catholic High School for Boys in Philadelphia as a Sophomore in September.
- 1952
On March 4th we departed Hamburg on the USS Gen. Sturgis to emigrate to America. It was a horribly stormy voyage which took us until the 15th to dock in NY City. I don't have much from this time period but will add here as I can find things.
- 1930
some shots from my youth