The New Mauritshuis...

After being closed for a two-year expansion and renovation, the Mauritshuis, my favorite art museum in the world, reopened in late June. As a International Friend of the Mauritshuis, I got to go to a sneak preview prior to the official opening.

There were still workers doing finishing touches. I especially liked how this painter perched up in the air to finish the gold work.

The new reception area was built under the road and was a major improvement over the old dark one. Over the summer, I enjoyed visiting the museum multiple times with friends and the AWC. The best visit was during a Friends of the Museum event. While the Dutch members went to a lecture, James and I got to visit the collection with just one other couple; it was magical being alone with Vermeers and Rembrandts. 

Through the Mauristhuis’ new large windows, there is a nice view of the Hofvijver; this crew was putting together a floating stage for a music festival.

Boy Band Fans!

Ashlynn was very excited that Charlotte managed to buy her a ticket to see One Direction, the boy band of the moment, at the Amsterdam Arena.

Luckily Jeni Rose from IMG had warned Ashlynn that model scouts would likely be walking around the crowds of young teens. Ashlynn  wasn’t completely caught off guard when she was approached by one, but it was still awkward in front of her friends.

Ashlynn had a great time, but was exhausted after getting home at 1:30 a.m. on a school night!

Photographing the Y13 Ball...

The Y13 Ball was at the Hilton this year, which wasn’t ideal for photographing SquishPics because the photo studio had to be in the ballroom itself. Ashlynn played lead photographer since Veronica was returning from her trip to the Ardennes and I took candids, as usual.

Veronica surprised us by arriving just in time for dinner, so could help out when the photo shoots started back up.

As is customary, a ladder was needed for some cool shots on the ground.

And a chair was needed to capture some of the larger group shots.

While the space wasn’t ideal, it was big enough to capture the largest group taken in a SquishPic yet.

Preparing for Nepal...

After a night of camping, they took a nice hike and learned some survival skills.

Veronica had a great time.

I was happy to hear that team leaders Marieke and Luc were impressed with how well their team worked together.

Off to the Ardennes...

After school on a Friday in late June, it was time for the Project Nepal team to go on a practice overnight expedition. Here is Veronica with her new backpack and Kelly.

Here is the team minus Lisanne, who lives in Breda and couldn’t get away for the weekend. They took a bus with some other International Award Gold participants to the Ardennes in Belgium.

Veronica captured this cool shot of her tent. They were fortunate because it stayed dry.

Playing Tour Guide in Leiden...

The last time I saw Nicole, she was a five-year-old flower girl in my sister’s wedding in 1992. That same evening, she stopped being my niece as my divorce was finalized from Bill, her uncle. Twenty-two years later, she was passing through Holland and spent one night at our house along with her friend Jill. Both girls were really sweet and I had a great time showing them around Leiden.

After meeting my hash buddy’s parents, who were visiting from Michigan, at the FILTH Hash a few days earlier, I invited them to join us. We had a fun day visiting the windmill museum and De Burcht as well as having a beer on a barge on the main canal.

It was amazing how much Nicole looks like her mother. On our way back to the train station, we stopped to get a herring, a traditional Dutch snack. It’s obvious what Julie thought of it.

Nicole and Jill headed out that evening to catch the ferry to England. It was a short, but sweet visit.

June Full Moon Hash...

With the Dutch playing in the first round of the World Cup that evening, it’s easy to guess why we were all dressed in orange for June’s FILTH Hash in Leiden. We stopped at the Rembrandt statue for a song break.

Opee is posing with Boar Whore, the hare, and Rembrandt. The trail took us through historic Leiden and into the newer neighborhoods to Boar Whore’s apartment, where he hosted a World Cup party. After losing to them in the World Cup final in 2010, it was thrilling to see the Dutch trounce Spain 5 to 1.

Would love to take credit for this lovely photo, but I didn’t have my camera with me. Photos courtesy of Hash Flash Ola.