The photo in the header section of this blog was kindly donated by James Cramer, a Mechanical engineering student at IPFW (Indiana Uni – Purdue Uni, Fort Wayne). I came across it on his Flickr Stream.
For the purpose of this blog I had to crop the original but you can see it here in all its glory. These are pencils that a German teacher used to give out as special rewards in class a few years before the picture was taken. When James rediscovered those they were still in perfect condition, never once sharpened.
Great shot and thanks for sharing it with us, James.
Photo courtesy of James Cramer
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? 
Hello – here is the said German teacher from Fort Wayne, Indiana, now living in Germany. It’s nice to see how a give can keep on giving. – Herr Kallmeye
You’re living in Germany now? Excellent! Definitely the best way to practise your skills. Right now I am keeping so busy I haven’t had time to add more to this blog but yes, I am still around.