100 Friends and Family : Fuerteventura Edition

Jan-Peter and Christa

Maya's uncle, Jan-Peter, and his wife, Christa, are originally from Germany. They're now retired and, based on a vacation taken long, long ago to the Canary Islands, have settled in permanently. Jan was an architect and engineer and Christa spent time in the theater and as a photographer. They were lovely hosts and we enjoyed staying with them!

Felix on the Sand Dunes near Corralejo

Jan-Peter and Christa at home with Candy

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 10/10

100 Friends and Family: Natasha

Natasha : A colleague and friend : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

This is friend Natasha. We work together at an intergovernmental organization. She's from Russia and speaks four languages flawlessly: Russian, English, French, and Italian. Recently, her mother was visiting from Moscow and they treated us to a traditional Russian meal of borscht, dumplings, and blinis. It was all quite tasty. At the end of the evening, she and her mother played the piano and sang Russian folks songs and we looked through a copy of the book A Day in the Life of the Soviet Union.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

100 Friends: Erik and Christy

Friends Erik and Christy with the newest member of their family, 

a black Russian terrier named Caffrey : Winterthur, CH

On Sunday, we were asked to go with friends Erik and Christy to Winterthur to visit a breeder of black Russian terriers. The breeder is Swiss-German and Erik was worried his military German wouldn't cut muster, so Maya and I went along to act as interpreters. The Russian terrier is a huge--and I mean HUGE--dog, but Erik and Christy wanted a large dog and that's what they're going to get in Caffrey. (They're name for the dog. Personally, I was trying to convince them to go with Attila Langley Tweety--an homage to the dog's size and a place name based on where Erik and Christy use to live.

It came down to two puppies and when this one picked up the roll of 

toilet paper, Erik and Christy knew they'd found their pet! 

Caffrey (aka: Attila Langley Tweety) : Winterthur, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

100 Friends and Family: Dan

Dan : Seattle, WA

I took a few random pictures of folks at the joint birthday celebration. They were your typical friends-at-an-event kind of pictures. This one of friend Dan really stood out, though. I love the colors.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/10

100 Friends: Laurent and Daughters

 Friends Laurent and daughters : Divonne-les-Bains, FR

The other evening, we had to run an errand in Divonne-les-Bains, so we met with friend Denise and her husband, Laurent. Denise is a dual-citizenship American with a French passport (is that American-French?); her husband, Laurent, is French. They have two lovely girls. I took this photo of Laurent and their girls checking out Lake Divonne. Problem is, I can't figure out which shot I like better. What do you think?

Different perspective : Divonne-les-Bains, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

100 Friends: Brigels Edition

Krissy T., friend from California and owner of a hotel and restaurant in Brigels, CH

Getting back to Brigels, Switzerland, here are pictures of four friends who shared Easter with us. The first is my friend from California, Krissy T. She and her husband, Lorenz D., own and opertate the Hotel Kistenpass in Brigels. The Swiss Hotel Association-three-star hotel also features a restaurant, where we dined on some really good food, followed by relaxing evenings playing card games and catching up with Krissy.

Long-time friend, Diana, soaking in the sun on the terrace of the Hotel Kistenpass : Brigels, CH

Diana's husband and good friend, Scott, enjoying the sun with their dogs, Gibby and Dee Dee : Brigels, CH

The other pictures feature long-time friends, Diana and Scott, who live in Basel, Switzerland. They came up for part of the weekend and brought their friend, Carmen, with them. Di and Scott always travel with their dogs, Gibby and Dee Dee. They eventually made friends with Krissy's chihauhua, Isabella. Meanwhile, Carmen was a knitting fiend and, in the course of the weekend, knit two snow caps and a scarf.

Carmen travels everywhere with her knitting and knits one, purls two as we soak up the sun : Brigels, CH

This is also my 100th post on the F-Stops Here.... Combined with my original City Daily Photo blog, D.C. Confidential, this is my 903rd photo blogging post.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

100 Friends and Family: Faith

Life of the Party : Faith's bright eyes and smile say it all : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Continuing my new series, 100 Friends and Family, this is friend Faith. Faith is also my boss. Faith hails from the southern United States and is currently hosting friend Carl. Faith has a fabulous fashion sense, is a wonderful cook, loves to travel and take pictures, and keeps us all in stitches with laughter.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 3/10

100 Friends and Family: Carl

The Perfect Hair Day : Carl at the top of the Basler Münster : Basel, CH

I'm starting a new series here at The F-Stops Here... . In addition to my photos of strangers, I've been taking pictures here and there of friends and family. Every once in a while, with their permission, I'm going to post a photo of someone who is more than just a stranger in my life. I'm launching the series with my friend, Carl. Carl is currently staying in Ferney at the home of my boss. Carl is from Minnesota and is a music teacher. He has a fabulous voice! Every once in a while, he joins us for jaunts around Switzerland and France. I took this photo on a recent trip to Basel. We were up at the very top of the Basler Münster and I noticed that the style of Carl's hair that day matched perfectly with the carving in the sandstone tower. Instant tourist shot!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 3/10