Peter Anthony & Leif in Merkendorf, Germany - August 1978 - Leif age 3 and a half

 
One of the charming towns in Bavaria near where we lived in Sachsen bei Ansbach was Merkendorf. We took a day trip there in August 1978 with the boys and my mother, who was visiting at the time. While we were photographing the quaint half-timbered architecture, they were busy finding something they could mess with. Hands-on is always more fun for a couple of boys.

What they found was this old watering trough and huge pump. The trough handily had water in it that they could get wet with, and the pump handle, while too big for them to manage much did allow manipulation. They were quite busy figuring out how it worked. I got a kick out of Leif's interest, at the age of three. Even then he was fascinated by mechanical things and able to figure them out quite well.

I think the lower picture is just precious, that beautiful little face, so intent!

We visited so many towns and cities in Germany, sometimes on Volksmarches, sometimes on day trips. Each was a special pleasure.

Jerri and Leif in Merkendorf, Germany - August 1978 - Leif age 3

When I look through all the photos, I'm surprised now how few of them show me having fun with my sons, doing those ordinary but wonderful things like reading, hiking, swimming, cooking, playing games. So often, we don't think of taking those "ordinary" photos, but the special occasions like birthdays, Christmas and trips, we do. It's also because a lot of the time I was the one that took those "ordinary" photos so I wasn't in them. That's what makes this photo all the more special to me.

What parent hasn't had their child want them to swing them around in a circle, like I was doing with Leif here? Or swing them up high between two parents, each holding a hand? Isn't this a great action shot that Peter W. took? It's hard to imagine my grown up Leif ever being small enough and light enough for me to swing him like that!

This picture was taken in Merkendorf, a Bavarian town with about 3000 residents which isn't far from Nurnberg/Fuerth where we had lived from the summer of 1977 to the summer of 1978, or from Ansbach and Sachsen bei Ansbach, where we moved the summer of 1978. It's a picturesque place and one of the many towns in the area we visited while living in the vicinity. The boys got to see a lot of German towns either on outings like this or on the many Volksmarches we went on all over Franken and Bavaria.

It was a good time in our lives.
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This photo of Jerri and Leif was taken in Merkendorf, Germany in August 1978. Leif was three-and-a-half years old.