Zulu Warriors...

After quite a comedy of errors with the buses, hashers were on their way to a variety of run starts. Opee went on the Ballbreaker, which was 26K (16 miles) crossing between Holland, Germany and Belgium. I went on the Medium, which was a 16K (10 miles) portion of the Ballbreaker trail. Thoroughly enjoyed the trail; the weather was perfect, the woods were beautiful and it was fun running with Just Laid from Orlando. We circled up near the point where the three countries meet. Then back to the venue for dinner and dressing up for the Zulu Party. Our costumes are a strange combination of items we bought at the flea market.

I was a little leery when I heard that the same band from the previous three Dutch Nash Hashes was playing because I was worried it would seem repetitive, but Madly had a lot of new material and was truly awesome. Ashlynn didn’t stick around all night, but Veronica was happy to sing and dance for hours;  Jimmy finally escorted her back to the dorm each night at 12:45am.

Eurohash 2011...

Two years after being part of the group that presented the bid in Turkey for Holland to host Eurohash in 2011, the big weekend was finally upon us. I had planned to help with registration, but instead got caught up trying to solve my own problem after finding someone else’s stuff in our room. Luckily, we were able to squeeze an extra bed into a friend’s room in the converted farmhouse across the street. After dinner the first night, there was a pub crawl around the De Berckt Castle, the perfect venue for 700 hashers. Clubs adopted the different bars by putting their own touches on the music, snacks and sometimes even the beer. The Belgians clearly had the best beer and the Americans had the best music. It was great catching up with hashers we’d met at other European hash events and seeing some old San Diego hashers; unfortunately, no one made it out from Raleigh.

The conference room in the attic was the dorm for the seven hash horrors. Little Mermaid was the official nanny, which meant that there was at least an adult around when they stayed up until 3am.

Out and About in Red Dresses...

Since it wasn’t a shopping night (which is on Thursday when the stores stay open until 9pm) nor Koninginnenacht (the night before Queen’s Day), I  was a bit skeptical if it would be a successful run. However, with the weather fully cooperating, the outdoor terraces along the Plein and smaller squares around the city center were full of people, which made for the perfect maximum exposure hash. In fact, Opee felt a bit too exposed and said he’d opt for a less skimpy outfit next year. Unlike Boghole, at least he didn’t run into any colleagues (still can’t figure out how Boghole was recognized in his atrocious wig). The route was a bit different this year, so instead of posing in front of the Queen’s Palace, here we are in front of the Peace Palace.

Ashlynn’s Old Baby Jogger...

We were happy that Jamie and little Sverre were able to join us (even though Sverre wasn’t in a red dress). It was especially fun to see Sverre in Ashlynn’s old baby jogger. We had brought it to Holland in hopes that some of our hash buddies from Raleigh would visit us, but it sat unused for over five years. When Jamie announced that Melanie was pregnant, we knew that the jogger was going to a good family and would finally get lots of use again. 

Another Red Dress Hash in The Hague...

After years of Jimmy complaining that I don’t pick out sexy enough outfits for him, I found him this very skimpy red skirt and halter top in Curacao. He found the perfect wig at a party shop in The Hague. I wasn’t quite as proud of my outfit. Not sure which was worse: that I fit in the dress Marc left behind or that he looked better in it? And I should have been suspicion when Hush Puppy said that rather than loaning me a wig, he insisted that I’d keep it. 

Unfortunately, the turnout was dismal despite the fantastic weather. Before we headed out on trail, we played a game with a toilet plunger and empty toilet paper roll; it was fun, but those photos aren’t fit for including. 

Another Generation of Runners...

Ashlynn was happy that her friends Andrew and Lauren were also running the 5K at the Royal Ten in The Hague. David wasn’t with them because he was seeded and got to start at the very front. I had originally registered for this race, but decided it was much more fun to cheer for the kids than to come dragging in 10+ minutes behind them.Veronica also skipped running after a late night at a slumber party. Much of the race course was cross country through the Haagse Bos, the forest surrounding the Queen’s palace. It was quite windy, but luckily the rains held off. Ashlynn came in 7th woman with a time of 22:21 (7:12/mile pace). Jimmy ran the more popular 10K and was happy with his time of 43:01 (6:55/mile pace).

One, Two, Three...Jump!

 Turns out that there were a few photos of Ashlynn at the adventure camp in the Ardennes up on the telegraph pole getting ready to jump off. Brave girl!