Happy Monday!  Still my most favorite day of the week (since retirement) 🙂  This is our 18th day in Germany.

In the morning, I helped Wolfgang on his latest project.  An old stove (Kessel) that holds a giant pot that tilts.

This old stove (Kessel) was used in the house many, many years ago when Opa & Oma still raised pigs and cows here at the homestead in Sindersdorf.

The ceramic (or some similar material) was broken at the bottom of the stove.  It was Wolfgang’s goal to repair it by replacing the missing pieces so he can set it up to cook a pigs head (Kesselfleisch) sometime in the near future.  Click HERE to learn more about Kesselfleisch.

Here’s the repaired section (below) ready for testing after the fire-proof cement dries.

In the evening, we were invited over to Stefan & Annerose’s house again for a Glühwein abend (evening).  As if we needed another reason to have a get-together 🙂

Stefan set up his fire barrel under the carport cover.  Pretty cool setup… he put a table on a barrel that has been modified as a sort of wood-burning heater, complete with stovepipe.

We finished off the home-made Glühwein early in the evening and switched to other liquid refreshments.  The traditional Christmas hot beverage was a big hit.  Stefan clearly didn’t make enough.  Click HERE for recipe.

We enjoyed the evening with family and friends while we huddled around Stefan’s awesome fire-barrel bar.

Another awesome family gathering.  Stay tuned for more…