In the three years that I have been in Germany, my computer has suffered three major meltdowns. This has resulted in the loss of many of the pictures I have taken while in Koeln. Today, however, I found an old memory stick which held some long-forgotten photos of a friend.

Although he has never come to believe, as I do, that the source of all true meaning and friendship is God, Thomas Neumann has been a vibrant example of what a good friend should be, becoming one of my closest companions here. I met him my very first week in Germany at an English Conversation meeting. Drowning in clouds of smoke at the Shamrock Pub, we began what was to become an almost unbroken conversation that encompassed every topic imaginable.

Last summer we decided to take a photo tour of the industrial district (arguably the poorest part of the city and where I lived at the time) . Thomas is an accomplished photographer and can show incredible patience and determination in getting just the right shot. Here it was necessary to climb over a very tall fence to gain access to the yard of this abandoned warehouse complex. Thomas clasped his hands together and hoisted me up to a position where I could then help pull him over. For the next several hours we took rolls of color and b&w photographs. I've posted a few of mine here.