August

It was a hectic month, but let me try to give you a quick summary.

We did our best to enjoy Iva's last bit of time in Potsdam and the Institute. Part of that meant working really hard at finishing up some math projects and part meant having some fun.

First, the math: Iva put her first relativity paper up on the arXiv! This completes a big change in research focus for her, a process which began in December 2005. She and I each have another project is the polishing stages - look for two more arXiv posts by the end of the year. We hope.

Second, the fun: We took a number of fun bike rides in the area southeast of Potsdam, including a ride on part of the Spargelradweg (Asparagus Bike Route). I'm not making that up. One of the many King Fredricks started an asparagus-growing industry centered at Beelitz, south of Berlin. Spargel season is a big deal here each spring, with every restaurant posting a special Spargelmenu.

In any event, we had a nice ride. It wasn't Spargel season, but we did pass by this nice Windmill.
We also took an extended weekend trip to the Sachische Schweitz, a small mountain range east of Dresden, and did some hiking. The first day we were with some friends we met in Utah earlier (a math guy and his GF); the next two days we were by ourselves.

We stayed at the Grosser Winterberg "Berghotel" and also in the cute town of Hinterhermsdorf. Here are a couple pictures. First, a view of some fun rock formations:

Second is a the village of Hinterhermsdorf:

Finally, we took some time to enjoy the smaller things of life in Potsdam. Here is Iva at the daily produce market:

More pictures/stories to come soon!