Felicia Visits...

We visited the De Valk Molen Museum and then saw De Put, the other windmill in the center of Leiden.

That evening, we took the train and tram into Scheveningen to meet Jimmy for dinner at the beach.

We had a great time eating mussels and catching up.

A Day in Leiden...

Felicia, one of Jimmy’s childhood friends from Jacksonville, came to the Netherlands to visit her daughter who was doing a semester abroad in Rotterdam. She spent the final night of her trip with us. I’d only met her a few times years ago, but was happy to play tour guide while Jimmy was at work. It was a beautiful day and we cycled into Leiden for lunch and a stroll around. We saw the Rembrandt statue placed near where he was born in 1606.

We walked up to the Burcht to see the view of the Hooglandse Kerk, a large Gothic church built in 1391 that is still an active church today.

 The old port is filled with cool old sailing ships.

Someone has done an amazing job restoring this step-gabled house from 1612.

How to Dissolve Bodies 101...

The head of the school’s science department approached Veronica and asked her to make a video to enter into the COBIS (Council of British International Schools) Young Scientist Film Awards. The aim was to start with an introduction to their school, then to teach something scientific to kids of their own age. Veronica recruited her friend Adelina. They’d been discussing acids in Chemistry and Veronica suggested they make a time-lapse while dissolving things. Adelina then suggested that they try to dissolve a body like in the TV show Breaking Bad.

It was amazing what they managed to create in just a few days, which you can see here (don’t worry, they didn’t use a real body). How exciting to learn that they won for Best Chemistry Film!

Ashlynn’s First Track Meet...

One Saturday in May, Ashlynn and I spent much of the day at a track meet in Leiden. She joined Voorschoten 97 Athletics in September and this was the first time that she’d competed on their behalf in their lovely green and yellow striped uniform.

The Dutch are very strict about how far they will allow each age group to run at track meets. As Ashlynn was still just 13, she was limited to the 1,000-meter individual and the 80-meter relay.

Ashlynn is not a sprinter and was easily overtaken in the 1,000-meter. She really enjoyed running in the relay.

It was pouring much of the day. We took a break between events to head to V&D for soup. Luckily it had stopped raining for the cycle ride home. I finally remembered to take a photo of Ashlynn and her new omafiets (grandma bike).

Fast Kids, Fast Teacher...

Turns out there was a fourth winner from their school as the kids’ Ultimate Frisbee coach Jamie Lowe placed in the 10-miler. Ironically, it was Jamie that first introduced all three kids to running while they were in elementary school.

In addition to their bouquets, they also received a houseplant at this race in the bulb fields.

Three Kids on the Podium...

It has been exciting to see Ashlynn on the podium after each of the three Zorg en Zekerheid Race Circuits that she has competed.

This year she came in 2nd girl 15 or under, which includes a € 75 cash prize. As you can see, she towers over the 1st place girl, who’s actually standing on a higher step.

It was great seeing Andrew back on the podium, coming in 1st for boys 15 and under.

David skipped the circuit last year, but was back this year in 1st place for men 16 to 19. Fantastic way to end his final circuit as next year he’ll be busy studying engineering at Cambridge.

Final Circuit Race...

Jimmy and I cycled to Noordwijkerhout to watch Ashlynn run in the final circuit race of the season. This is a slightly longer route at 5.3K. With a time of 19:51 (only her 3rd race below 20 minutes), she actually ran her fastest with an average of 6:02 minutes per mile. She improved over last year’s time by over two minutes. Look what the incentive of a cash prize can do!