Brigitte and Ulrich have been married 10 years and moved to The Woodlands from Oakton. Ulrich was born in Bulgaria and grew up in the German part of Switzerland. Brigitte was born in Switzerland and had a career as a schoolteacher, then social worker working with the blind. They met at a party in St. Gallen when Ulrich, a widower, was visiting his brother.
Ulrich worked for a company that made and installed printing presses for newspapers. He speaks Bulgarian, Swiss, German, Spanish, Russian and Italian. As an outgoing and energetic young man, he was the installing/engineering supervisor for newspaper printing presses in many countries. From installing printing presses in Moscow for Pravda to Buenos Aires, and instructing the operators how to use them, he traveled the globe. The company eventually installed him as a Manager in the USA branch.
Ulrich and his wife moved into Oakton in 1978 and established themselves in the community. Buying out the company, he successfully built a new printing supply company. Talking to him, I’d never thought about printing presses having used lead plates for printing in different languages, especially before offset plates were used and are still used for newspaper printing. Did you ever think about how Armstrong linoleum patterns are made? Ulrich’s company had the contracts for printing press color controls with many companies until he retired.
Brigitte still has a rental flat in Switzerland, where she lived and worked close to the family. Ulrich and Brigette had a favorite apartment in sunny Spain where they could see the beach and the mountains from the balcony, and they have cruised the world twice, both eastward and westward. The two of them speak German when together. Brigitte speaks with her sister weekly and other friends in Switzerland. Comfortable with computers, texts, and email, she rarely uses her excellent English. She orders our current best sellers in German.
Now that their Oakton house is sold, they have time to think about their new lifestyle at The Woodlands. They wanted a neighborhood feel that was similar to their single-family home neighborhood in Oakland. They particularly liked that their apartment, which has beautiful park-like views from every window, and activities and eating area are together in one building. When they are not participating in activities with their friendly neighbors at The Woodlands, Brigitte and Ulrich enjoy the sunshine and beach at their condo In Pompano Beach, Florida in addition to trips home to Switzerland.
