Our Little Social Butterfly...

Ashlynn has definitely become quite the social butterfly since moving to our new neighborhood. She regularly organizes groups to take Kati for walks and occasionally has her friends around for a junk food feeding frenzy.

 The girls have gotten into doing crafts lately.

Ashlynn and Lucy like to cook together. Often them make cookies or cakes at each other’s houses, but this time Mika and Sophie joined in to make homemade cheddar goldfish at our house, which were delicious.

New High Ropes Course...

Our final half term break in May was spent at home so that Veronica could continue studying for her exams. Ashlynn spent the break hanging out with her school friends in our neighborhood. On Friday Lucy and her mom organized a session at the new Climbing Adventure Park at Vlietland, which was built over a swamp.

Ashlynn and Sophie were among the girls that had no fear. Others were very cautious, but still managed to complete the whole course, just at a slower pace.

While Helen and I stayed on the ground, Jimmy took a half-day off work so he could scamper across the obstacles. He was really impressed with the fancy single carabiner system that ensured that your harness was always connected. We enjoyed getting to meet the park designer.

The girls agreed that this was a great park. It had four levels with the top at 36 feet (11 meters) and 49 elements, the hardest being the tires according to the girls.

Holland’s First Color Run...

After seeing several ads featuring Color Runs, Veronica was determined that as soon as one came to Holland she’d be there. I was given the assignment of registering the whole family as soon as registration was open for the 5K in Amsterdam. I was successful, but unfortunately didn’t get to do the race because Ashlynn was sick that day.

While a few of Veronica’s friends also weren’t able to go at the last minute, Jamie and Nathan did join them. They all started out in white shirts and at each kilometer, they were doused with a different color of non-toxic paint. Check out the video that Jimmy and Veronica made to see how much fun they had.

Doggie Trailers...

When a friend asked if I wanted her dog trailer before she moved, I was quick to say yes. As I knew that she owned only top-notch bikes, it never dawned on me that the trailer would actually not be designed for dogs. I took the old kid trailer, stuck Kati in it and set off to watch Ashlynn’s last hockey game.

Kati was a big hit with Ashlynn’s team members. Perhaps she even brought them good luck because they won. Kati wasn’t happy about getting back into the rickety trailer and kept trying to jump out. Ashlynn ended up cycling home with Kati running alongside. It was just as well, because soon after she got out, the trailer fell over (I don’t think it was due to user error since I was going straight at the time). Needless to say, we got rid of the deathtrap soon after.

A few weeks later, another friend sold me her proper dog trailer which we upgraded with a cushion and special leash that allows Kati to poke her head out of the top. She was very hesitant to get inside, but hopefully she’ll work up to enjoying it.

Our New Teenager...

Ashlynn long awaited her 13th birthday because she would finally get two things:  a Facebook account and her ears pierced.

She was nervous, but got through it without crying. Veronica also wanted to get her ears pierced, but decided it wasn’t worth even the slightest risk of infection during her GCSE exams.

Ashlynn was all smiles when it was over. Then we went out for sushi, her favorite  food. When we got home, Veronica helped Ashlynn set up her Facebook account. Many of her friends lied about their age so they could open an account, but Ashlynn has a mean old mom who made her wait.

AWC Officer Installation...

In mid-May, the AWC held the Installation of Officers at the Chargé d´affair’s residence since there currently isn’t a US Ambassador to the Netherlands. There was a quick ceremony to install the new officers. This photo is of both last year’s and the new board.

In an effort to shrink the size of the board, it was decided that Terri and I should discontinue sharing a board position after four years. It will be very strange being there without her. Who’s going to keep me sane?

Terracotta Warriors in The Hague...

After the AWC Volunteer Luncheon, Anne and I went to a special exhibit at the Babylon, next to Den Haag Centraal Station, to see the Terracotta Warriors. The displays were replicas, which were supposedly sanctioned by UNESCO to ensure they were made of the same materials as the original statues constructed in 210 BC in China.

Apparently there wasn’t a single statue that survived in its entirety; some were in as many as 300 pieces.

Despite being copies, the exhibition was very well done and it was very impressive seeing nearly 100 of the statues set up in the same way they’re displayed in the pits where they were found.

Touring the Royal Theatre...

To celebrate the new Dutch King, Jan planned several royal activities for the AWC for May. It was a bummer that she was out of town and missed the tour of the lovely Koninglijke Schouwburg (Royal Theatre) in The Hague. Here’s our group standing on the stage of the theatre originally built in 1804 from what was once a palace built in 1766.

The coolest part of the tour was seeing the costume department and getting to talk to some of the designers. They hire out to other theatres as well as to individuals interested in haute couture.

 It sure would have been fun shopping in the costume storage area.

The wig department was also really cool. Lastly, we got to see the mechanism for the old revolving stage floor. It hasn’t been used since the 60’s, but is now considered an industrial heritage site.

Don’t Forget to Duck...

Boating through Leiden means going under a lot of bridges. Some were drawbridges, some we easily fit under and others were very low and we had to duck.

At first glance, we thought these rats were real.

Boating to Leiden...

On a rare warm and sunny day in early May, Lynnette, Patrick and Fiona invited us to go boating into Leiden. Ashlynn missed out because she was at Vlietland with some friends.

Patrick gave us each a turn at the wheel, although I didn’t last long.

This is the restaurant where the Y11 (10th grade) Prom will be held in late June. It’s an impressive setting, but unfortunately there’s no way that Jimmy can set up to take squish pics there.

Veronica’s Big Exams...

Veronica’s last day of classes was on May 8, which was a non-uniform day. As of that afternoon, she was on study leave. Her first of 18 GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams was on May 13 and her last on June 19. These  Y11 (10th grade) standardized exams are given to students throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

I was so impressed with her dedication to studying. She spent long stretches of time in her bedroom surrounded by flash cards that she made for math, biology, chemistry and physics. To relax, she went on some long runs and watched The Simpsons.

On the back of her door, were important quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies and A View from the Bridge. Along her wall and her cabinet were history timelines of major events in regards to the rise of Hitler and the American Civil Rights Movement. We won’t know if all her hard work paid off until I pick up her scores on August 22 while she’s in California visiting my parents.

Kati Meets the Dutch Lawnmowers...

I’d last seen the Dutch lawnmowers in our neighborhood back in November. As spring finally started to arrive in early May, they were back.

Kati didn’t know what to make of these strange creatures along our normal walking path. I felt pretty stupid to learn afterwards that the fence was electric. Luckily Kati didn’t learn the hard way.

Tulip Bike Hash...

I was happy that the Amsterdam Hash hosted a Tulip Bike Hash again this year. While Jimmy was in Bonn, Germany spending the weekend with Jim, I took the train up to Haarlem with my bike. The weather was perfect for the 45K (28 mile) ride. Here I am with Abbie at a viewpoint. You can see that many of the fields still have no tulips.

The hyacinths were still in full bloom.

This was definitely the best field we saw.

The hashers got in the act after the owner of this car asked me to take a photo of his car, which wasn’t a particularly special model, with the flowers.

Time for Obedience School...

Just two weeks after Kati moved in, it was time to start obedience training. Ashlynn would be the primary trainer, but I tagged along. The class meets twice per week in front of the local fire station for 45 minutes and is taught by brothers. Luckily one of them works directly with Ashlynn in English.

Several of the others are rescue dogs who also missed taking the puppy classes, so Kati isn’t the only one behind in her training.

Kati was quite skittish at first, but was curious when the dogs met each other.

Ashlynn is definitely a proud dog owner. She regularly gathers up a bunch of her friends to take Kati on walks.

High Tea on the SS Rotterdam...

I felt very honored when I received an invitation to attend a 70th birthday celebration for Georgia, a long-term member of the AWC. How exciting that her party was aboard the SS Rotterdam, which was built in Rotterdam and sailed from 1959 through 2000. Georgia actually moved to the Netherlands aboard a ship, but not one this fancy.

During the high tea there were some wonderful speeches from Georgia’s daughter and many of Georgia’s friends from different aspects of her life. No doubt that she’s an amazing woman!

The ship is now permanently moored in Rotterdam and has been converted to a hotel with several restaurants. Johanna and I went exploring, but we didn’t get very far before a security guard told us we’d have to pay for a tour to see the rest.

As Johanna and I were heading to her car, a porter offered to take my photo in front of one of the elevators. The weather was so nice that Johanna popped the top down on her Mini, which made for a great ride home.