A Unique 9th Birthday...

Ashlynn’s birthday this year was definitely different from past years as we flew to Istanbul. We booked a family room in the quaint Apricot Hotel in the historic district of Sultanahmet, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We knew almost nothing about Istanbul before arriving, but were instantly enthralled. The weather was fantastic, the people friendly and the environment entirely different from the rest of Europe. Luckily a friend warned us that Ashlynn’s blonde hair would get a lot of attention (Veronica’s now old enough to make this kind of attention creepy.) Ashlynn was a very good sport as she was approached by a lot of men patting her head, touching her hair or kissing her hand. She wasn’t impressed with the restaurant the hotel recommended for her birthday dinner, but did like having dessert in a courtyard in the shadow of the spectacular Blue Mosque.

International Day in 3rd Grade...

There are over 80 nationalities represented at Ashlynn’s school, so it’s only fitting that there should be a big celebration for International Day. The funny thing is that most of the students don’t actually wear the national costume of their own nation, but choose a random one. Here you see Ashlynn in a native dress that her daddy brought her back from Sandland. And Iyala, who’s Kenyan, but born in London and raised in Holland, is a Spanish flamenco dancer. The day was full of special activities with an international potluck and ended with a parade for the parents. 

Off to the Islands with 6th Grade...

After a late night due to The Young American’s performance, Veronica headed out the next morning on a 4-night school trip with 140 6th graders. First, there was a 3-hour bus trip north. Then, there was a 45-minute ferry ride to the island of Ameland, one of the Netherlands’ most northern islands. Here she is with best buddies Ma’ayan and Kelly.
Once on the island, the first stop was to get beach cruisers for each student so they could cycle 5.5 miles to the youth hostel. Sadly, on the first day, one of the boys fell off his bike and hit his head into an electric fence; he got a free helicopter ride to the hospital and had to miss the rest of the trip, but luckily he’s OK. Veronica had a great time visiting the lighthouse, museum and village, as well as going on a boat ride to seal island, having her team win the sand sculpture contest with their treasure chest, and going to a pirate party and disco on the last day. Definitely a memorable trip.

She’s Our Young American...

When it was announced that The Young Americans would be visiting Veronica’s school again, she quickly signed up for the 2 1/2 day performing arts workshop. We also signed up to host two of the performers for three nights; Whitney was a 19-year-old singer from Oklahoma and Anne was a 21-year-old dancer from Germany. Thankfully, Darlene loaned me her car so I could shuttle them back and forth with their giant suitcases for their summer-long tour through Holland and Germany. It brought tears to my eyes when Veronica surprised us by singing a solo line during the performance with over 200 students and the 48 Young Americans. She was especially excited since she shared the riser with Whitney. Now Ashlynn can’t wait for them to come back next year when she’ll be old enough to participate.

An Air-Raid Shelter at School?

The final portion of 1940’s day was to learn about Anderson Shelters, air-raid shelters made out of corrugated steel that were widely distributed throughout London for use in gardens during WWII. While the real shelters were designed for just 6, we crammed in 22 kids and 4 adults into this one for about 20 minutes. While listening to a tape of planes overhead dropping bombs, we closed our eyes to imagine ourselves in a real shelter. Afterwards, we sang some songs. If you’re wondering, Grace, in the front right, is wearing a real gas mask as her brother collects them.

1940’s Day...

One of the coolest things they do each year at the elementary school is to bring over a group from the UK called History Off the Page, which helps to bring history to life. As part of their 20th century studies, the kids dressed in 1940’s school uniforms (we found
Ashlynn’s dress at a local shop and borrowed the shirt and tie.) They started the morning in a classroom setting using quills and ink then a slate. In the afternoon, I came to help. We looked through suitcases filled with authentic artifacts from a few of the 1 million children that were evacuees from London sent to the countryside during WWII. I loved that I also learned about a part of history I’d never studied before.

Hanging at the Monster Dutch Nash Hash...

This year’s Dutch Nash Hash took place near the town of Monster at a beach vacation park. I helped with registration and the raffle, Jimmy helped with the raffle and cooking Sunday’s breakfast, and the girls helped whenever they could. Jimmy also was a hare on Saturday’s run, which was great but too long as he and Sperm Bank can’t judge distance. Ashlynn stayed behind, but Veronica did 12 miles with me. Her highpoint was when she jumped onto a horse buggy with Webfoot. It didn’t take her far, but was cool just the same. For the monster-themed party, we decided to go subtle. Not sure if anyone actually figured out why Veronica was dressed as Sarah Palin (her idea!), Ashlynn was a fan of Hannah Montana, and Jimmy and I were tourists. We may be warped, but we definitely had a fun weekend!

Queen’s Day 2009...

Bill and Nina didn’t know quite what to expect on Queen’s Day, but we made sure they were dressed appropriately. We took them by bus into Leiden for the afternoon. We walked through the free market (a huge yard sale) and bought a bunch of junk (ice skates, red purse, skirt, dvd, game.) Bill got the best deal as he got those great orange sungalsses for free.
We did a quick pilgrim tour, then headed to one of our favorite restaurants, De Grote Beer (The Big Bear.) We sat along the river and were surprised to see a boat with a mini-calliope. We were especially impressed that the captain had the musical controls in one hand and a Heineken in the other. 

What Goes on At the Hash...Stays At the Hash...

...that is unless you have a blog. In that case, anything goes. Actually, this is what we’ve told the girls since they were little. We told them they could sing the songs during the hash, but not anywhere else. They’ve taken this warning very seriously as they’ve stopped me from singing a hash song at home more than once. They might have been confused that the entire world acts this way, so we’ve occasionally had to remind them. Like when their PE coach donned a red dress and came along to his first hash. We told them that they could think of him as their friend at the hash, but had to forget all about it when they’re at school. Or when their classmate’s dad ran with us who’s a lawyer for a major oil company. Or, most importantly, when their daddy pretended that he had muscles. 

Special Moments at the Red Dress Hash...

When on a special dress-up hash, we’re always looking for unique photo ops. This year, we couldn’t pass up taking a photo in front of the Queen’s “working palace” on a ritzy shopping street (this is opposed to her “living palace” which is in the woods near Ashlynn’s school.)  No surprise, but she didn’t invite us in for tea. Jimmy also stopped a group to take a photo under this rainbow flag, not that there’s anything wrong with it. 

Red Dress Hashing Again...

We were so excited that Bill & Nina (aka Webfoot from San Diego and Lily Pad his wife from Freiberg, Germany) arrived in time to join us for the 3rd annual Red Dress Hash. It was a beautiful night as we gathered at the Malieveld for a fun run through the center of The Hague. We started out past the carnival set up for the Queen’s birthday (frankly, I have a hard time picturing her on any of those rides), through the central restaurant area, past public housing and back into the ritzy shopping district. Rather than stopping for a beer break, we gathered by a statue for a traditional orange genever in honor of the Queen. A fun time was had by all! 

Baby Storks at School...

Since the beginning of May, we’ve been happily watching on the Internet the progress of the baby storks that hatched in the nest high above the playground at Ashlynn’s school. Two years ago, the storks built the nest and have returned each year. Last year, thanks to the efforts of Ashlynn’s 2nd grade teacher, the PTA installed a video camera so we could watch the storks on close circuit TV at the school. Then this year, a national bird watching group posted a link on their website so we could watch the video cam live whenever we liked (of course, it’s hard to see in the dark.) This has created a bit of press and when Mr. Taylor was interviewed for a local newspaper, he included Ashlynn for a photo of some of the kids especially interested in the storks. 

Tulip Bike Hash...

The Amsterdam Hash chose a truly beautiful day to host the first Tulip Bike Hash. Jimmy had to scout trail for the Dutch Nash Hash, so unfortunately he couldn’t join me, and I thought it would be too far for the girls, so they went to Sally’s.  I took my bike for the first time on the train to Heemstede where I met about 20 hashers. We rode through the local woods and out into the tulip bulb fields of Hillegom, which were in prime bloom. The traffic around the infamous Keukenhof Gardens was insane and I was very thankful to be on a bike and not in a car. We then made our way out to Sassenheim for a picnic stop and to catch a little of the Bloemencorso (flower parade.) It was funny to see a US-themed float with Thomas Jefferson, Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty. We passed a lot of farm animals on our journey back along a beautiful canal up until the time we had to take a detour due to a traffic accident, which led us onto a major road with no sights. After 35 miles and a quick hash circle at the end, I was back on the train with a big smile on my face.