I'm extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one these days..

Truly amazing. I have seen a picture of the up-view of this and it looks good as well. I bet the trek wasn't as easy as it looks.

Hi John.
Awesome job. I have a MAME cabinet that broke in a recent move and I've been researching how I can part it out and use the pieces in a new project. I've decided I want to make something like this. The original Centipede cabinet only housed a 19" monitor. Is that a 19" monitor you placed in the unit? Did you have to add any width the cabinet to fit all the buttons for the control panel? What's the inside width? Do you have a design sketch of the CP? Thanks for any feedback and kudos to the many great projects you have posted here. You're an inspiration!

Happened upon your post by accident. What a surpise! I also attended Gelnhausend American School at about the same age as yourself. Although at an earlier time. Of course my father was in the American Army but is German as well, so we lived in the farming village of Vonhausen between G'hausen and Budingen. Thanks for the pics. They have brought back memories. John/

Thanks, Keith! Yes, you're right. I'm very much looking forward to when they are older and we can take them on trips, enjoying the sights for ourselves and also via their fresh eyes.

As they explore their world, I'm sure they'll prove to be beautiful and frequent subjects of my photography.

John

Well that's great news. I kept on looking in, and finding no updates, and began to worry that something had befallen my favourite photobloggers. Well being befallen with twin girls is absolutely wonderful news and really pleased for you both. Hope to see some occasional updates as your family grows. Holidays can still be enjoyed, just in a different way - your gonna love it when a child in a backpack throws up over your neck and all down a display cabinet in a tourist store!

Your pictures from this trip look amazing! Thank you for sharing.

Beautiful pics & your descriptions give the reader a true sense of the area. My favorite is the vertical shot through the bamboo to the sky above...totally awesome. Visiting Hawaii soon, hope we are able to witness some of this beauty.

Hi

I saw your review in Trip Advisor and I love the picutres you took for the whale watching trip.

I am planning to go to Victoria for two days in this summer and I am thinking to join Eagle Wing for whale watching. I would like to know what time slot did you join? 10:00 am or 2:30 pm?

Also, do we need to take medication for sea sick?

Thank you.

Love the pictures. My husband and I were stationed in Gelnhausen 1971-1973. We lived off base-downtown near the Church. I would love to go back and visit as you did. Thanks for sharing your pictures, it was just like a mini vacation.

Hi, I just googled vegan sugar cookies and your blog popped up. What an awesome blog you have. Thank you for the recipe and pics. I'm going to make these today for my co-workers.
Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Would love to have been there .... the scenery (and the hikers!) are beautiful.

Hello John,

Nice pictures of Canon Beach. I plan on visiting Canon Beach, but i was wondering, what month did you visit and how was was it?

Thanks

THAT IS JUST AWESOME! AND AWESOME IS ONE BIG UNDERSTATEMENT. I BET. HOLY...COW! THIS IS TOO COOL

Hi Blimey,

I enjoyed looking through your images on your website as well. I brought two cameras with me into the ATM. A Canon Elph with a Canon-made waterproof case specific to the model (expensive) and an unprotected Canon Rebel XT with 10-22mm lens and lens.

The Rebel DSLR was wrapped in an extra shirt and stuffed into a drysack which the guide placed into his backpack. I used the encased Elph during the wet parts (while swimming through the cave) and was able to use the Rebel on the trail and in the drier parts of the cave. Once you get on top of the steep ledge where most of the artifacts are, the guide will allow you to retrieve your camera from his backpack. He'll carry it again for you on the way back out.

When you go to Belize, definitely don't miss out on the ATM!

John

Hello John and Kristie,

I love all your pictures and we are planning a vacation to Belize this year, but i wanted to ask you how were you able to protect your camera at ATM, so it did not get wet? You advise will be appreciated.

I live in the San Juan Islands and going on cruises is one of the BEST ways to spend your time! I highly recommend checking out "Cruise Control". Robin Watson does personal, romantic dinner and lunch cruises on his 45' yacht off the north shore of Orcas Island. It's a MUST DO next time you're up in this neck of the woods! Great pictures of the whales by the way!

Just want to say what a great blog you got here!
I've been around for quite a lot of time, but finally decided to show my appreciation of your work!

Thumbs up, and keep it going!

Cheers
Christian,

I want to know what happens when the wind doesn't blow. Does the fossil fueled generators kick in to replace that lost generation? Can it do it as fast as the wind stops?

Hi John,

I was cruising around instructables and found the ikea light idea. Very cool btw, your photography is so good I clicked on something that led me to your site which is also really great. I found it interesting seeing that you lived in Germany as an American. I lived in Germany for a few years when my parents worked for the 3rd Armored Division and Army Corps of Engineers '87-'89. That's where I fell in love with photography. My first darkroom set up was bought there.

I started with my dad's old Pentax went to Canon Rebel before the digital switch to Nikon. However I also use the G!0--a really great camera. So compact yet just as good. Nice features on it too. Anyway I haven't read much on your site but your photography is absolutely beautiful--tell me you are working as a photographer!?

Lydia Bridges Kuennen
Coralville, Iowa (Lifestyle Photographer)

Lovely pictures again John and a fun read.

Wow! Guys, since going vegan a year-and-a-half ago, I haven't made sugar cookies (I'm a very, very avid baker). No good recipes! Well, I made these little wonders tonight, and they turned out fantastic! Thank you, THANK YOU for posting this recipe!

It might be useful to add that the margarine (I used earth balance sticks) should be @ room temperature, otherwise the sugar-creaming won't go so well. Also, the cream cheese shouldn't be ice cold.

I'll be posting my results on my blog! THANK YOU!

One wonders if the salt inspired the white-wash of the esteemed Peter Jackson's Moria scenes.

I have not tried these yet.. but my NON vegan daughter has been asking for sugar cookies... will be making this this week!

FYI, I keep Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks as a staple for baking... YES! it is vegan... works for me in breads, cakes, cookies, muffins and any other baked items we make. HTH.

Thanks John and Kristie for blessing us with your recipe. Happy New Year to all!

Susan
(1VeganMom, 1VeganTeacher)

I made these yesterday and will make them again soon. Sugar cookies have always been a frustrating experience but these turned out wonderful and since I used smaller cutters had about 80 or more. I think there are 40 or less today since no one can stop eating them. Thank you for sharing!

What great pictures of a wonderful adventure
Here's to a great 2010
Janice

Thanks, Jayson! It's been a very fun and eventful decade. Happy 2010!

John

Love the pics John. Happy New Year too!

The cookies turned out perfect! They are the best tasting too....:)

I am so grateful to have stumbled across your blog! I have found so many great inspirations that I am so thankful for! Not only do my boyfriend and I live in the Seattle area, but we are also vegans, hikers, and photographers.

Please keep all the posts coming! I have already shared your site with many of my friends

Have a great holiday season!

Wow, these are PERFECT VEGAN COOKIES! I am having a Holiday Cookies Exchange and these are what I made using star cut-outs! I cannot believe how easy they are to make. Love how easy it was to put the icing on too! I followed the recipe to a "T". My dough was perfect too. We used all organic ingredients. I used my food processor with a dough blade to blend all the ingredients. Then I rolled the dough out between 2 sheets of wax paper...so much easier! My 4 year old had a blast making these with me.

Just a tip...I have a juicer and rather than use unhealthy food coloring, we juiced spinach to make green icing and juiced a beet to make red icing...you only need 2 tablespoons of the juice to color the icing. I used less soy milk to compensate for the extra liquid from the vegetable juice.

My cookies turned out absolutely beautiful!

THANK YOU JOHN & KRISTIE!

As a fellow vegan and also a Northwesterner I am so pleased to have found your site! I found you by looking for vegan sugar cookies for my kids' homeschool group to make together and have now looked through almost all of your project posts! I'll be back after we're done with the cookies to see what else I can find! Enjoy your vacation...it is pouring here (shocking I know...) Kim

My daughter is severely allergic to milk and eggs. We've tried a ton of different cookie recipes. Today we tried your recipe and completely love the results! We're trying the icing with the next batch. Thank you so much!

Your cookies look amazing! My daughter has a milk protein allergy, so I have been looking for a good vegan recipe.

Hi Simba,

I believe the vegan cream cheese helps to keep the cookies moist, replacing the fat solids typically provided by butter. With the cream cheese, your teeth will sink through layers of slightly tender cookie, rather than snapping through a dense and brittle dough. You won't taste the cream cheese, if that is your concern.

John

Thanks for publishing this recipe. I just wanted to ask why does recipe use cream cheese? I ask because I am not a fan of cream cheese and also, I am unsure this particular brand is available in Canada. Is there something else I may use in lieu of the cream cheese. Please advise. Thanks!!!

love the leather couch in the background..

So far, so good. I will never go back to "normal" sugar cookies.

I made these cookies last year around Christmas and everyone loved them!! They were so surprised to find that they were vegan and one lady I worked with thought they were store bought because they looked so perfect. I will definitely be making these again! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

OH! I love this! I wanted to do a holiday cookie baking party with some of my son's friends and they're all little tykes around 18 months and some have food allergies and I was hoping to find a sugar cookie recipe they could all eat without getting rashes and I find this! These look so adorable and they're SAFE for them to eat! Thank you so much for posting this! Now we're going to have a messy kitchen full of happy toddlers!

Awesome story!

Maybe their version of cowboys and indians?

JUST what I was looking for! Many thanks!

Great looking place and chandelier. :) Just wandered here from Instructable. Keep up the good work!

The BEST cutout cookies ever! My dairy and egg allergic daughter and I make these for EVERY school holiday function and they are loved by all! Just finished a batch of ghosts, bats and pumpkins for Friday's Halloween party. Icing is great as well. I pass this along to everyone I can and my Vegan neighbors appreciate our annual cookie tray at Christmas time as well. THANK YOU!!!

Hi,

I work in the digital agency for Principal-Hayley, a collection of landmark hotels and conference centres:
http://www.principal-hayley.com/

We are currently reviewing relevant links on the web.

The link on your blog to the Hotel Russell currently points to the wrong website (an affiliate commission based company).

I would really appreciate it if you could update this link to:
http://www.principal-hayley.com/hotelrussell

Please could you let me know when this has been done?

Please feel free to drop me a call or an e-mail if you have any questions.

Many thanks,

Katie

Tel #: 020 7284 9702

These are absolutely wonderful. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this with everyone. I cannot wait for more baking adventures from you guys :)

Thanks, Jayson! It was a great trip - hopefully I'll have a chance to finish posting the rest of the photos before 2010...

Congrats on the Wonderland circuit! I hope you're doing well.

John

the last pic is very stylized, very cool. Wonderful shots all around and it sounds like you two had a lot of fun.

Thanks, Michael! I'm sure the castle will still be there, whenever you decide to cross the pond and spend a couple days in Eastern Europe.

There are so many more photos I need to post! Hopefully I'll find some time this weekend to catch up.

John

Wow! That looks like an amazing place. Such history and granduer. Thanks for glimps into Malbork Castle that I will probably never get to see otherwise.