German gardens, and cats and such...

I love the small German gardens. People take such care of these small yards. And they are lovely, even when the winter wind blows cold.

Decorative grasses

Rose hips

A few vines (one variegated) trailing from a small home garden, Amberg

This huge tree was a way-marker for us on our regular walks before we found the many staired short-cut.

Frost covered trees in Amberg

A small window box in Rothenburg was still bright with color.

I saw this from a distance as we were looking for an entry to the walls in Rothenburg. Could it be "old man's beard"? It may not be the exact variety we have in Texas (clematis drummondii0, but it is definitely a relative.

A somewhat closer view of the seeds of a wild clematis in Rothenburg

I heard these birds - almost a chortle - as I walked the walls of Rothenberg

A dovecote

Moss on a railing, Rothenberg

 

I loved this rough old house seen from the walls of Rothenburg. I wondered what creature might use the hole in the masonry. Of course, I half-expected a squirrel to stick its head out, but no luck today.

Lichen and moss on a boulder (also dusted with frost) near Pottenstein.

Fern and icicles outside the Devil's Cave near Pottenstein

Closeup of fern, Pottenstein

Moss covered boulders at the exit to the Devil's Cave near Pottenstein

We hiked in a number of "natural areas" including hills around Pottenstein where I saw this poster identifying wildflowers. Sorry, wrong season.

Orchard near Pottenstein

More icicles near Pottenstein

Wild thing (wait, that's DH) exiting the Devil's Cave near Pottenstein.

Ferns and moss, Pottenstein

Moss covered stone at the Documentary Center, Nuremberg

A paddling of  ducks (and a couple of stray pigeons) greeted us the morning we went to the river in Amberg - our plan was to photograph the "spectacles."

Paddling of ducks - I recognized some mallards.

This pigeon  posed. The other moved.

 And we saw a few cats...they always seem to wander around, even in snowy weather. We saw a number of felines, but these guys posed.

MC calls this one-eyed flee bag "Lucky." This cat and another from the neighborhood regularly come visit.

This girl made friends with MC in moments at the Auto and Technik Museum, Sinshein

 Sheep graze in the orchard behind MC's house.

This one watched me for a good while. The others couldn't be bothered.

And we did see deer (2 red deer) on one drive, but they crossed the road and were gone almost before we could register that we had seen them.