Veronica + Brett Leave the White House Commune

On August 1, Opee hared our final White House Commune Hash. It was short and basic with a blackberry stop. 

Strap Me Down was happy to have brought Kati along. 

We were sad to see them leave, but it was time for Veronica and Brett to get back to Exeter and take care of a bunch of administrative things such as getting ready to move out of their respective flats. Jimmy and I accompanied them to the ferry terminal to be on-hand in case there were problems at passport control since they had overstayed their tourist visas. The officer spoke to them much longer than usual and Veronica pointed us out, but they were allowed to leave without being fined. The million dollar question remains: what happens when they try to come back in the spring?

Veronica was excited about bringing Brett on his first ferry journey. She was also excited that they had decided to live together upon their return to Exeter—clearly a pandemic success story. 
 

Andrew’s 21st at Wassenaar Beach...

On July 31, we were honored to be invited to celebrate Andrew’s 21st birthday, who was supposed to have stayed in Boston through the 4th of July, but like the girls, had to rush back in mid-March. Not only was it Andrew and Hannah’s last night in Holland, but also Veronica and Brett’s. We cycled out to Wassenaar Beach and were shocked to see how much bike parking had been set up. Luckily we could continue to the closer parking since it was already 9 p.m.

Sally kindly provided us with bubbly, snacks and dessert. It was so great to see them after all those months!

It was a beautiful night with a clear view down to Scheveningen.

When the kids stripped to go for a swim, we were surprised to learn that Ashlynn had a new tattoo that she had managed to forget to mention to us. Turns out she and Bjarne had gotten matching tattoos based on the design of a ring she’d bought in Vietnam. She assured us that regardless of what happened with Bjarne, it was a design that signified the magical time she had in Australia and Vietnam. 

The five of them enjoyed a short swim at sunset.

The moon wouldn’t be full for another few nights, but made a nice show as it rose over the dunes...

…and made a great backdrop for what, unbeknownst to us at the time, would be our last family photos of 2020.

With that large moon, the gang convinced me to try cycling back over the dunes without turning on my lights. The idea terrified me, but it turned out that the lines on the bike paths were reflective so it was surprisingly easy to stay on the path. 

Our First Trip on Our Floating Bathtub...

On July 30, just two nights before Veronica and Brett would be leaving, we went out for our first trip since becaming co-owners of Bootjuh, our floating bathtub. There weren’t enough bikes, so Veronica, Brett and I walked across the bridge towards Vlietland to get picked up. 

Luckily Ashlynn had returned from Germany so she could join us. She cycled with Jimmy to the boat and brought it to pick us up. 

The girls enjoyed laying on a beanbag chair...

…while Brett sat on the bench with Jimmy so he could occasionally drive. 

We brought along a picnic dinner. 

The girls clearly enjoyed having a few minutes of sistertime. 

 

Veronica, Brett and Kati...

Here’s some random photos with Kati that were taken over the months. 

She’s never really been into sticks, so it was surprising to see her jump up to try to steal a stick from Veronica. 

Looks like she and Brett were having a serious discussion.

She accompanied Brett and Veronica while they scouted out the site for our Lockdown Puzzle photo shoot. 

She also came to the field with us for a variety of photo shoots. 
 

Blackberries and Flowers...

The field continued to morph all summer long and rewarded us with an incredible supply of blackberries. 

Veronica and Brett really got into picking berries, which we used for muffins and pancakes.

In addition to the blueberries there were many new types of flowers, including these little yellow ones that appealed to this Cinnabar Moth caterpillar...

…these little purple ones with stems that look like spider webs...

…and these pretty pink ones.

In addition, Veronica found a frog, which clearly made her smile.

 

Portraits of a Cute Couple...

After Veronica gave Brett a haircut, he was ready to star in some photos with her...

...in our neighborhood...

…and our usual dog-walking field. 

Here’s a few behind-the-scenes shots. 

 

TIme for Family Portraits...

Just a few days before Veronica and Brett would be going back to Exeter, we headed out towards the field to get some nice photos. 

I’m usually behind the camera, so really appreciated having extra photographers around to capture me and Jimmy...

...me and Veronica...

…and the three of us, or rather the four of us.