Carlin’s Birthday...

That evening we went over to Carlin and Kent’s to celebrate Carlin’s 60th birthday. Here is Veronica helping with one of our gifts: a rain poncho decorated in sheep that I bought in Glasgow last summer. 

It was clearly a hit with Carlin.

Honestly, I had purchased it thinking it would be a farewell gift as she and Kent had intended to move to the UK earlier in the year. Their original plans to purchase a business and move had fallen through and turned out to be a blessing in disguise when they learned in late February that Mark, their 27-year-old son, had germ cell cancer after a malignant mass was detected in his chest. His very aggressive schedule of intense chemo required six hospital stays for five days at a time followed by two weeks of rest so his body could recuperate enough before the next assault of chemo. 

This was the first time that Brett and Mark had met, both having had the pleasure of dating Veronica (although Mark and Veronica had only dated for a very short time about five years ago). It was a beautiful day and they played bocce ball with Sam (Mark’s girlfriend) and Kent in the backyard.  

 

Vabedo Lake...

Our destination was Vabedo Lake so Inga could go for a nice long swim. Since I’m not much of a swimmer plus was nervous about being able to get back into the boat from the water, Jimmy suggested that Reinhardt drop us off so we could go for a walk. Strangely enough, that was easier said than done since there were no public docks along the lake. He dropped us off at a Scout Sailing Center after getting permission from someone on the dock. 

A short walk later, we came to this area called Munnikkenpolder. There was a sandy beach on the lake that was popular with families and this small pond that was popular with birds and bird watchers. 

We walked over to this windmill, which happened to be a polder mill. The Meerburgermolen was built in 1684 to help drain the polder, reclaimed land from the seabed. It was decommissioned in 1972, moved to its current location in 2013 and put back into use in 2014. 

After getting told off by someone for meeting Reinhardt at another dock at the Scouts Sailing Center, Jimmy went for a short swim with the two of them before we headed back into Leiden. 

Along the way we passed the Munnikkenmolen, a hollow post mill. Dating from 1890, this mill was relocated here in 2010. Reinhardt’s efforts worked as he successfully convinced us to make the leap into becoming co-owners. 

 

Boating to Leiderdorp...

The following day, Jimmy and I were back out on the water in Leiden, but this time we were with Reinhardt and Inga on his boat. He picked a beautiful day to tempt us into buying in as co-owners of his floating bathtub as the other co-owners never used the boat and wanted to be bought out. 

One of my hesitations was that while boating around Leiden was fun, it would grow wary after awhile. So I was thrilled that we quickly left the canal ring of Leiden and headed towards Leiderdorp. Along the way, we spotted an inflatable unicorn...

…a boat with a toilet...

…this beautiful boat...

…and a tiger.

Most fascinating, we crossed over a highway! The Limes Aqueduct opened in 2014 so the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine River) could cross over the A4 highway. 

It was named after the former Roman border that ran along the river.

 

Incredible Drone Shots...

I just love these shots that Veronica captured with the drone. 

And here’s the video. She said landing the drone on the boat was one of the two most nerve-wracking landings she’d ever done, but that it was worth it to get this footage. 
 

Drone Time at Vlietland...

Here’s proof that Ashlynn helped drive the boat. 

As usual, I got cute couple photos of both girls, but forgot to ask them to take any of me and Jimmy. 

After leaving Leiden, we had one major activity to complete: drone flying. We pulled into the lake at Vlietland and stopped the boat for take-off. 

Bjarne was willing to try to catch the drone...

…but it was Brett that actually did. 

 

Kati Loves Boating...

There’s no doubt that Kati loves boating. 

Between Veronica and I, we captured a lot of nice shots of her. 

 

Spotted in Leiden...

Among the many things we spotted in Leiden that day were these crumpled metal sculptures...

...an old factory with industrial parts used as sculpture... 

…the back of a pool hall...

…the back of the water tower where we did a Rembrandt-themed escape room a few years back...

…the Leiden University Old Observatory from 1633, the oldest remaining university observatory in the world...

…and the Academiegebouw Leiden (Academy Building), built as a monastery in the 15th century and annexed into Leiden University in 1581. As the oldest building in the university, it is still used regularly for graduation ceremonies. 

I only captured a few reflections, in both the water...

…and in windows.