Hello everybody,
as I am beginning to write this post I have no idea if it's going to be a longer text or just a short summary of what has been going on during the last 5 months since my last post here on Steemit.
And how can this really be 5 months!!???
I seriously can't believe that it's been such a long time but on the other hand I know exactly what a
whirlwind these months have been.
I also remember that I already wrote 2 full Steemit posts that I wanted to share with you but there was always something that got into the way.
I guess I never shared these "ghost posts" because I always want to share my art here with you but there was so little time to draw.
If you haven't read my previous posts and are now wondering what is that weird "something" that stopped him from doing (and sharing) his art, here's the reason:
The relocation back to Germany.
Packing my studio, our house, almost 4000 sqft. of life and art and moving back to the old country with my wife and our three Greyhounds.
I hate to complain (and almost never do) but this was one of the biggest and most complex challenges in my/ our lives so far; traveling with three big dogs, taking 2 planes, packing the house for 4 days straight, leaving California with 83 Fahrenheit, having a layover in Brooklyn with freezing 26 Fahrenheit and then arriving in Frankfurt, Germany with snowfall.
Not to mention the phase of planning, preparing, organizing stuff in the US and Germany at the same time, scheduling the move, booking flights and shuttles, paperwork and documentation for anything and everything (especially for our dogs to get them over safely!!).
It's been months and months non stop until our departure on March 14.
(It's strange that getting INTO the United States 4 years ago seems so easy today but when I sit down and really think about it, this was a nightmare, too.
Hell, our 2 Greyhounds almost died on the plane with f***ing Lufthansa. But that's a different story that I keep hidden very far away in my mind)
I must say it's quite hard to focus on what to put into this particular post (especially when you haven't posted anything in such a long time) and I really feel that I have to split it up into a couple of post. So, I am trying to get down to the basics in this one:
My wife and I knew that we are going back to Germany since the last two years or so.
We love Palm Springs, our house, the desert and the vibe that inspired us and our art for over 4 years.
But we had various reasons to leave (which would be WAY to complex to write down today) and US immigration law doesn't make it easy for artists to stay permanent if you are self- employed (and even own your own US based company, like we do).
We still own a place in the Palm Springs but found a beautiful house in Germany in 2017.
We saw this house only once, have never been to that city or area before but fell in love with everything right away; pretty similar to when we bought our house in Palm Springs in 2013.
I know our new home will get it's own Steemit post in the near future.
Today is "Karfreitag" in Germany on the Easter Weekend.
It's the most silent day in Germany where you are (by law) not allowed to play loud music, throw a party in your backyard, the clubs are closed and people are spending their day off.
So I am writing all this with no direction to go instead of being happy that my family is still sleeping and settling in our new home and that the move is over.
Here are some pics from our trip; Palm Springs to New York, 1 day off in Brooklyn, New York to Frankfurt.
Leaving the desert with cozy 83 F.
In the middle of nowhere.
More views.
Arriving in New Jersey with snow and ice (this was just between 2 blizzards and we were lucky that we could land the plane that day)
The change of scenarios was kind of unreal. To me it looked like some scene out of a war movie, a burned down, devastated land right after the battle.
Cold day in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
The "Peter Steele" tree, planted in Prospect Park.
Waiting at JFK, NY.
Our new home in Germany.
Last 2 things:
The picture at the top is the last drawing of Marilyn Monroe I was able to create before I had to pack my studio. It's not finished yet but the moving company literally took my desk away from me, unplugged the computers and off they went with two shipping containers full with our lives.
I haven't read a single Steemit post from my friends and other artists since my last entry here.
But I know that my wife Berrit kept telling me that our awesome friends 
Thank you friends for all the love and I'll catch up with you in the next weeks!
That's it for today.
Thanks for reading and cheers,
D