Making Hay While the Sun Shines in Heidiland

We had the good luck to catch several farmers way, way up high on the mountainside above the Walensee in the St. Galen district of Switzerland the other day. The sun was shining and the farmers were rushing to bring in the hay before a storm arrived later that day. Shown are guests Bob and […]

Just for Fun in Switzerland

James Derheim has created Ammon USA LLC to wholesale these handcrafted wooden figures in the United States. The figures come from Bavaria and the Czech Republic. We’ve been selling them in our retail shop in Sarasota, FL the past year and they are among our top selling items. Starting in September, we’ll be marketing these […]

Lunch in Cheb

We scooted across the border on Sunday for lunch in Cheb, the Czech Republic. I’ve driven by this town many times but never had a reason to stop until this time, when things just worked out for us to have lunch in the colorful square of this delightful old town.

Genealogy is impossible without people like this

Where would genealogists be without people who can read the old German script like Erich Scherer? We met Herr Scherer today in the church office of Arzberg, in the Bavarian Forest near the border with the Czech Republic. His name had been given to guide James Derheim by a contact developed by Paula Leitzell, current […]

Schwerin's Magnificent Castle

The castle of Schwerin is something out of a kid’s coloring book. And, it’s gotten more colorful as the years have passed since the reunification of Germany in 1990. When I first saw this castle, it was gray and crumbling. Now it’s shining and beautiful from the outside, although a visit reveals that the interior […]

Tessin's 13th century church

Welcome to our newest guests, Paula and Bob Leitzell from California. On the way into Tessin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the other day, Jim asked her, “How long have you waited to visit this village?” Paula replied, “Well, I first found out about the connection with my family about 12 or 13 years ago. I found you through […]