London Sites

Tom, Sheila and Christopher at Buckingham Palace. We toured the palace along with the stables and art gallery. The palace was awesome!

Belvoir Castle, the gem of Lincolnshire

Touring Belvoir Castle in England.

The "Kid" grows up..

First day of First Grade!!

Stirling Castle, Scotland..Home of William Wallace

The Juhnke men studying the brochure from Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland.

Springfield, England...not exactly home...

I don't think we're in South Dakota!! Picture was taken in northern England on the way home from Scotland. Pictured from left to right; Linda Juhnke, Arnie Juhnke, Karen Watson, Christopher Juhnke, Sheila Juhnke, Ethel Cooper, and Marlene Luebke.

Olympic Arena

Sheila, Christopher and Tom in front of the Olympic Ski jump in Lillehammer, Norway. Learn about the 1994 Winter Olympics here: 1994 Winter Olympics

Maihaugen Museum

Christopher and Sheila tour some traditional Norwegian homes. Note the sod roofs and the mortarless rock foundations. This is at a park in Lillehammer, Norway. Click for more info.

Old Church and its made of wood!

Stave Church in Lom, Norway. Dating from 1100AD it is one of the oldest Stave church remaining. Learn about it here for more info.

I can handle snow in August..

Christopher and Tom play in the snow near Lom, Norway on August 10th.

Persian Gulf Beach Guidence

I'm not too clear on what a "heavy" meal is, but the drowning guy on the sign gets the message across.

Tom and Vince enjoy the day in St. Kitts at a local fort. Vince is a friend of mine who accompanied us, Arnie, Linda and Wayne (mom, dad and brother), Ray and Scott (friends from St. Louis) on a 7 day Southern Caribbean cruise in February of 2004. We left from San Juan and went to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Grenada, and the Isla Margarita, Venezuela.

Shopping Pals

Friend Scott and Sheila pose with the Queen Mary II in the background after a succesful shopping day in St. Thomas.

Ray Shows the Way in San Juan

Ray has the map to get back to the ship but the ladies press on to do more shopping. (San Juan, 2004)

Christopher at Disneyworld in his umbrella stroller at just 3 years old, the cutoff for free admission to Disney parks. We made up for his free admission with purchases at the food and curio shacks.

Christopher at Disney World 2002. I was in Tampa for work for two weeks and Sheila and Christopher flew down from frigid St. Louis for a weekend of warmth in February. Orlando was nice and quiet and I would recommend that month for a visit.

Bon Homme Bikers

Todd Bloch and I at Deal's Gap, the mecca for bikers who like to carve up the turns. With 158 turns in 12 miles it is a challenge to ride. We met in September of '04 in Tennesee, the half way point between our homes in Clearwater FL, and St. Louis, MO. We had 1.5 days of great riding in the Smokey Mountains of Tennesee and North Carolina. We both have Suzuki Burgman 650 scooters. Learn more at: the Tail of the Dragon. And to purchase your own Burgman see: Burgman Scooters. Photo compliments of Brenda Bloch who accompanied us on this ride.

Tom at Checkpoint Charley

This picture was from May 2005. I couldn't find a can to save my life to fill the koozy in my hand. Apparently they only do plastic bottles in Berlin and have done away with aluminum altogether. In the background you will see some "props for hire" dressed in cold war era uniforms. You can have your picture taken with them for a fee.

Our Schedule for the next year

Our schedule for the next year:
13 Aug - 16 Aug - Tom, Sheila and Christopher to Norway for a long weekend.
17 Aug - 07 Sep - Arnie, Linda and friends to visit us.
11 Sep - 18 Sep - Tom Sheila and Christopher to Garmisch Germany.
24 Sep - 10 Oct - Stan and Judy Thompson to visit us.
15 Oct - 17 Oct - Tom, Sheila and Christopher to Berlin for a long weekend.
18 Nov - 27 Nov - Tom, Sheila and Christopher to vacation in Cape Town and Kruger National Park, South Africa.
07 Apr - 05 May - Arnie and Linda to visit us.
09 Apr - 13 Apr - Arnie, Linda, Tom, Sheila and Christopher to Spain, Italy or Ireland.
05 May - 14 May - Arnie, Linda, Tom, Sheila and Christopher to Germany for the First Annual Juhnke Germany Trip.
27 May - 04 June - Tom, Sheila and Christopher to Athens and the Greek Isles.
14 June - 08 July - Tom, Sheila and Christopher to South Dakota.

When there are open days, feel free to plan a trip. Call 011 44 1480 432 933 or email tomjuhnke@btinternet.com for reservations.

War and Peace Show, July 22, 2005

An American surrenders to German troops during a mock Normandy battle. This weekend we attended The War and Peace show in Southern England. It is a gathering of privately owned military vehicles and is the largest gathering of its kind in the world. Reenactors show up as well and dress and live as military units from WWII era. Mock battles are staged each day and are amazingly well done. All the tanks and machine guns fire blanks and preset explosions go off while the battle rages. Learn more at War and Peace Show, Paddock Wood, Kent, UK.

A German Tiger tank rolls onto the battlefield and drives the Allies back to their original lines.

Germans reviewing each others medals.

There are thousands of vendors selling war memorabilia at the War and Peace Show. You could buy anything from swastica flags and armbands to deactivated heavy machine guns and tanks.

Christopher dressed up like a British Commando.

Christopher and I on our "Tank Ride". We also took a helicopter ride which he really enjoyed.

SS regulars plot the German takeover of the world.

Imperial War Museum

Christopher tries the .50 Cal in a restored B-17 at RAF Duxford. Learn more at Imperial War Museum, Duxford, UK. The Imperial War Museum is the UK version of the Air and Space Museum we have in Washington, DC, except for the fact that the Brits don't have a space program so it is like an air museum with an emphasis on WWII. It is only about 25 minutes from our house and they do a fine job giving the US credit for its role in liberating Europe.

Christopher and a P-51 Mustang at RAF Duxford for the V-E Day Anniversary.

Wind Cave National Park

Sheila and Christopher pose nervously as a group of buffalo pass nearby. Wind Cave National Park.

Badlands

During our visit to South Dakota this summer we took some time out to visit the Badlands and Black Hills.

Christopher scrambling around the Badlands.

July 4th Means Fun on the River

2005 July 4, Juhnke Sandbar crew. Every year we gather in Springfield venture to a nearby Missouri River sandbar for relaxation and catching up. I worked on the driftwood benches all week leading up to this big day. Pictured from left to right are: Karen Watson, Irene Reeb, Kim Juhnke, Paula Mectenburg, Steve Juhnke, Shannon Dittman, Celia Dittman, Me, Sheila Juhnke, Gloria Dittman, Bottom row, Barry Juhnke, Nettie Juhnke, Kayla Juhnke, Natalie Juhnke, and the tiny dog. Not pictured but catching frogs are: Paul Juhnke and Christpher Juhnke on the other end of the sandbar. Thanks to Karen for making us take this picture.

Fjord boat trip in Norway.

Above the tree line in central Norway. Warm day for a sweater even at this altitude.

Nice day in Norway. Around that next bend is the Atlantic Ocean.

Sheila....more interested in her book than the Swiss scenery?
We took a three-hour cruise on Lake Luzern in May 2005.

The traditional moving of the cows from the lowlands to the Alps. The cows were wearing ceremonials bells and being herded up into the Alps.

Our Hotel balcony in Muerren Switzerland. We had to take a gondola to get to this town.

More color in the front. Most of these were planted when our friend Scott was here to help.

More color in the garden.

Some of the flowers in my garden (backyard for you common folk)

Christopher playing on a tank in Bastogne, Belgium, where the Battle of the Bulge took place.

Sheila and Christopher in Luzern, Switzerland.

Playing the horns in Luzern, Switzerland.

We did a 3 hour tour on the Lake Luzern in Switzerland. We even got a little sunburned!

One tired boy, the castle and drive thru the Alps was too much for Christopher.

Driving thru the Alps back to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland from the Castle of Chillon.

The gang outside the Castle of Chillon.

Sheila and Christopher at the Castle of Chillon in Montreaux in Switzerland. Notice the shorts!! We haven't worn them in England yet this year.

Christopher getting to play in some snow at the Schilthorn. He was disappointed in England's winter because we hardly got any snow.

We went to the Schilthorn, a 10,000 foot summit. The James Bond movie, On her Majesty's Secret Service, was filmed here.

Burg Eltz castle in Germany.

The view from our hotel in Beilstein, Germany. This is the Mosel River.