Christmas Greetings 2010

Tuin

Zomer Vakantie

My First Lonnng Bike Ride

I just wanted to get out of the house on a gorgeous summer day... I started riding down my beautiful street... and just kept going....riding into the wind most of the time, stopping to take photos here and there... I kept going until I got to Marken and then I turned around and came home by a different route. I could get used to this...

WK 2010 Hup Hup Holland!

I never thought I would watch more than a few minutes of any televised sport, never mind cheering and shouting. I never thought I would voluntarily put myself in the middle of hundreds and thousands of people to watch a huge tv. I never thought I would be wearing the same color as nearly a whole country on purpose. This chapter of moving to the Netherlands revealed a part of me that was surprising... and I had fun! Moreover, I am so impressed, once again, with the collective behavior of the crowds here. Aside from the excessive littering (which there is an argument to made for the safety and efficiency of not having more garbage bins) the crowds that assemble in Amsterdam or the Netherlands are just so peaceful and gezellig. A man standing in front of me turned to me several times to make sure I could see (I qualify as short here) and the wobbly drunk man who kept making his way over and over past our section of the crowd was gently guided back out of the crowd time and again by caring hands. People connect before, during and after the game with smiles, cheers and singing. Upon losing, the disheartened crowd quietly left the event, with murmurings of "Yammer" shared as consolation. A mess of garbage was left behind but no outbreaks of emotion or vandalization except for perhaps a few broken flower pots that accidentally got toppled in the crowds.



My humble opinion is that something like this would probably never happen without incident in NYC... much as I love the Big Apple. I just do not see crowds there behaving in the same way without heavy rules and heavier police presence.


I know I passed through my honeymoon stage of relocating here months and months ago...
but the World Cup experience has just made me fall in love even more
with my new home and the people here.


I am off to ride my bike on this gorgeous day! Dag!

Almost a year later..... but a nice touch to my favorite story of moving here...

Little Things....

There's so many things that we miss in our everyday lives
We're so busy hustling, bustling chasing far away dreams
We forget the little things
Like blue skies, green eyes and our babies growing
Like rainbows, fresh snow and the smell of summer
We forget to live.

Give us eyes like children so we live each day as others
We're so sure we know so much that we forget to listen
Then we wonder fickle things
Like cheap thrills fast fuel and constant consumption
Like TV, CDs and cars that speak our names
We forget to live.

There's so many things that we miss in our everyday lives
We're so busy hustling, bustling chasing far away dreams
We forget the little things
Like blue skies, green eyes and our babies growing
Like rainbows, fresh snow and the smell of summer
We forget to live.

One

Here's a story
Of lover's finding
Union so deep
There is no unwinding
Tender threads exquisitely finding
Two lives together
One soul deep resounding

Love so strong whatever the weather
Even apart our souls are together
It's you and me, babe, forever and ever
Even apart we're dreaming together

One, one

Suddenly all time and space
Loses it's meaning when I see your face
And I'm wrapped up in heaven's grace
Feeling so safe in your sweet embrace

One, one, one, one ...

So I went to Hortus on a rainy day ... and was pleasantly surprised at the way the raindrops on the flowers and plants drew me in. A few hours and a couple hundred photos later I was peaceful and inspired.... nature, quiet, and a good camera do that for me.

More of Hortus

Hortus

Hortus