European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 31, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sitting in the Middle of the Spessars is the 15th-Century Schuss mesh Lebrunn. Several of its rooms Are open to the Public. The Early morning fug like a Fine Gauze curtain had just started to lilt in Germany s Spessars Region and slowly very slowly things began to happen. They were Little things but they added up. The roads had narrowed. The Mercedes sedans had thinned out and without realizing it the impatient rear bumper hugging Drivers had evaporated in the Mist. Suddenly Green had become the predominate color and lonely villages obscure in name As they had been obscured by Haze became harder to ignore. These Are the roads less travelled. The hamlets unlikely to Ever make the guide books the places they sometimes Torget and leave off maps. Soon it soaks in the quietness. Even the Forest at times can seem unnatural. It comes As no Surprise to learn that the Spessars Germany s largest connected Woodland derives its name from the Woodpecker a spechts Wald or woodpeckers Forest because there Are so Many of the Birds living in the area. People who live Here swear it s often the Only sound that can be heard. On this rather Ordinary morning a Farmer clears his land with a scythe. Another stands on a Hillside knocking apples from a tree while horses Graze in Lush Meadows beneath a thick canopy of leaves. It occurs to the outsider that this is How it has always been. And always will be. The land Here is sacred. Modern Man is the intruder. It is somehow fitting that Aschaffenbur the destination for the Day is known for its Beautiful Parks. Few cities could be Kinder but a City is still a City. Near St. Johannesburg Castle construction machinery growls menacingly. Throughout the City Drivers Hunt for parking spaces As intently As their ancestors once hunted for wild game. Diesel fumes taint the air and strangers crowd one another. No one listens for the Woodpecker s tap but it s comforting to know it s so  Randy Pruitt Farmer clears his Field in the Early morning fog. 12 stripes Magazine october 31, 1991 october 31, 1991 stripes Magazine 12