Deutsche Börse--Frankfurt, Germany

The funny E stands for Euro

The Deutsche Börse is the German Stock Exchange and I was lucky enough to visit it.

The Deutsche Börse was founded in 1993 with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. This was my first trip to Germany and it was amazing!

While I was there I even got to visit the trading floor!  I got to see all the computers, the big boards. and everything!! It was chaotic and I was afraid I might get caught in all the excitement!

Wow!  That's a big board!

Outside I stared down the bear, because of course, bull markets are always better. I hope the bull knows I am on his side.  I would hate for him to use his big horns to toss me from one side of Frankfurt to the other!

You know, I think they should make a duck market! That would be quackers.

Look out bear the bull and I are coming for ya.

Quack Report:

When I stood next to the bull, I made sure to give a long, loud quack (I wanted to impress 'em). It turned out really fearsome! My quack was so loud the echo is going to give the bear nightmares for at least a month.

I think my quack echo was also pretty great on the exchange room floor! At least it felt like it. It was so crazy I couldn't hear a thing.

Ducks Football: Eugene, Oregon

Here my friend and I are with the Oregon Duck's mascot, Puddles!

The other day I visited some old friends in Eugene, Oregon. We went to an Oregon Ducks football game at Autzen Stadium--it was a blast! I had a soda and four of the best hot dogs I've ever tasted.  I was famished but those hot dogs really satisfied my appetite.

The University of Oregon has seventeen varsity teams but they are best known for their football team. Oregon's main rivalries are the Oregon State Beavers, and the Washington Huskies. However, the game I went to was against Arizona State.  The final score was 41-21--with Oregon for the win! A 20 point win was more than I could have ever hoped for--I cheered and cheered! I even made such a racket, the referee told me I had to quiet down because I was distracting the players. What a shame. Still, I had the most quackarific time!

During half time I got to hear the University of Oregon's marching band. They put on a great field show!  They have a pretty large band--I think I even saw a clarinet.  I wanted to play the clarinet once, but when I put my mouth on the reed my wingtips couldn't even reach the first key.  That memory was a little sad, but the game was rock'n and helped me forget all my troubles.

Quack report:

I decided to test my quack right after the win.  That way I would be cheering and testing my quack's echo at the same time! The place was really big and everyone was going crazy--so it wasn't as loud.  But boy was it long! I think it was my longest yet.

Dreams

While I was traveling I came across this quote and thought it was appropriate for my travels. I liked it so much I wanted to share it on my blog. I hope we all dream big dreams.

Oysters and Angels: San Francisco, California

Me in front of Coit Tower

Last week I visited San Francisco, California and had the pleasure of seeing The Blue Angels (the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squad) fly by Coit Tower. They are currently the oldest flying aerobatic team. Watching them fly was sublime! They flew all across the Bay (From Marin to San Francisco). They even flew under the Golden Gate Bridge!!

Can you see the Blue Angels flying behind me?

The planes go so fast they break the sound barrier--which is incredible to hear. This means I actually saw the planes before I heard the planes. I hope someday I can fly so fast I break the sound barrier and then you could see me before you hear me quack. That would be awe-inspiring.  Don't you think that would be the darnedest thing?

After seeing the Blue Angels I decided to swing by Tomales Bay. It is a coastal estuary about 40 miles from San Francisco. While there, my friend and I bought Hog Island Oysters.

We shucked oysters and ate some fresh right off the shell. We also debearded and scrubbed down some clams and boiled them in a red wine sauce. I learned that you can tell the clams are ready when they open up. They tasted divine! I ate so many I was still full by dinner. I’ve never tasted such good food!!  It was a great day.

Mmmm . . . Oysters!

Quack Report:

While I was at Coit Tower my quack echo didn’t work out as well as I wanted it to. The Blue Angels kept interrupting my echo. But I’ve been doing a lot of flying lately and my wing muscles are getting pretty buff, so watch out Blue Angels, I’m gonna give you a run for your money!

When I visited Tomales Bay I forgot to test my quack echo before I ate and afterwards I was so full I could barely squeak! It was well worth it though. Like I said before, those oysters and clams were very tasty!

Blue Moon Ranch: Woodland, Utah

Here I am on Sophie's back!

The other day I visited the Blue Moon Alpaca Ranch. It is located in Woodland, Utah.

Most alpaca don't like socializing.  They're pretty shy.  But I met an alpaca named Sophie who loved attention.  She even let me ride on her back. I was glad for the ride.  I had a blast!


Unlike some of the other farm animals, Alpaca are very neat and tidy.  In fact they have a communal dung pile!  That means they all pick one place to go to the bathroom--instead of everyone just going wherever all over the farm. I thought the a big pile of dung was disgusting, so I steered clear of it. Though I did manage to get a picture.

Eeewww . . . disgusting!

 Did you know that alpaca make high screeching noises to warn each other of predators? When I was visiting I didn't hear one which was depressing because I really wanted to compare it to my quack echo.

Better keep my balance . . . .

Quack Report:

My quack echo wasn't the best at the farm. I quacked on the fence and the echo didn't work out very well.  In fact, my quack was so forceful I ended up on the ground beside the fence.

The echo was short, very quiet, and screechy--not at all what I am looking for.