"I have now been almost 50 years in Switzerland, of which 30 years have been as a naturalized citizen, and I believe that I am a good Swiss citizen. However, in my reflections I can still see the landscape and scenery around Laupheim, which was where I had the finest experiences of nature and art.”  (Feb 3, 1987)

“Of course I think a lot about Laupheim and its surroundings in the past. Does the “Schneckengrub” (snail hole) still exist at Achstetter Straße, which belonged to merchant Stumpp, where there were so many violets in early spring? Or the small birch forest at Buehler Straße which was the only place where you could find real cowslips. When passing the village of Bronnen in direction to Schnürpflingen there was the only beech forest around where you could smell daphne flowers already from far. Similarly, there was a place at Bastel wood (translator’s note: small forest on the eastern edge of Laupheim) where lupines grew, a flower that was largely unknown at that time, and later they grew it as forage crop. And are there still harriers to be seen in the air? I remember these pretty birds of prey silently flying over the equally silent woods. I could write a book about all these things. Today, nobody can imagine how Laupheim was like before World War One.” (April 12, 1982)

It was on a day like February 15th, which is the date you were writing me, an extremely warm and windy day in 1921 when we went for a walk to the Stoffelberg (translator’s note: hill near the town of Ehingen on the edge of the Swabian Alb mountains) crossing Ehingen and then back. The big pine wood on the hill could be seen from afar, and when we arrived on the top of the hill the meadows were covered with pasque flowers and we could see Laupheim stretched out in the sun and all the mountains on the horizon. The next morning, everything was covered with snow. These, dear Mr Schäll, are the things you'll never forget." (Feb 25, 1981) 

“You can hardly imagine how happy I am about the Watzenried guide (translator’s note: natural reserve near Laupheim). I’ve not only used it once, but read it repeatedly, and learned many things I did not know in the past, although we went there every year, always around the longest day, in the early morning at 2 or 3 am for watching the birds.  I can also remember the many crab claws that were lying along the banks of the Dürnach stream. Back then, people said that it was the cats.” (June 7, 1981)

“In my youth, we used to go on a May excursion every year, most of the times heading towards Brandenburg at the river of Iller, crossing Weihungszell, and of course, all by foot. We started at 4 am, in the Bastel wood we could hear the birds waking up, then on crossing the Rot valley and along the Holzstöcke (translator’s note: densely forested mountain range North-east of Laupheim). I still have a little oil painting by Klara Kolb from Ulm that shows the little valley near the village of Weihungszell, and probably the river of Weihung where people fished a lot.” (May 8, 1988)

“Another question: Is there still the habit of making trails of bark mulch on the eve of May 1st for the young men and women who’d become a couple if only they could? It happened to me once, and it was in 1920 and I strongly suspected the Volz family behind this (Oct. 28, 1980)