Artists Spotted in Amsterdam...

In early August we headed up to Bob and Lisa’s to attend a Gay Pride street party. Along the way to their house, I spotted this artist...

 ...painting from the bottom deck of this giant bike parking garage.

It was a bit hard to tell, but I suspect she was painting the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, seen on the right. Oddly, we’ve never visited that church despite how many times we’ve been in the vicinity.

I also loved capturing this moment when a police officer helped a woman get up on a ledge...

 ...so he could take a family photo.

Earlier that day while cycling, I spotted a horse getting into the spirit of Pride.

Another Fond Farewell...

In early August we hosted Gillian and David for a farewell dinner.

 Jimmy made paella for the only time that summer.

While we had a great evening, I was dreading Gillian’s last day in town before moving back to Edinburgh. 

Luckily for Kati and Beauly they had no clue about the significance of their last walk together. We may have been smiling for this photo, but later we couldn’t hide our tears. I was deeply saddened to be losing my walking buddy of over six years and will really miss my dear close friend. 

Horse Market...

For the first time we were actually available in late July to attend the Horse Market in our village. At the far end of the restaurant street, which hosts the weekly farmer’s market, a fellow did demonstrations of replacing horseshoes.

The majority of the street was covered in hay and had horses and ponies tied to temporary posts.

There was also a random pair of donkeys.

There were also some stalls marketing items for horse lovers; while not the normal target audience, we did find these tacky shirts that would be perfect for Dutch Nash Hash.

 Other items spotted that day include this corroded bike...

...and this oversized lawn mower on a rusty barge.

Fond Farewell in Utrecht...

It addition to things along the canal, I spotted some interesting things on the streets, including Dom Tower covered in scaffolding...

...this loud street art...

...this ad for a safecracker, I mean locksmith...

...and this bunny.

Two nights later, Kati and I were back in Utrecht to have a picnic dinner with Steve and Patti on their last night in the Netherlands. Luckily Jimmy was back from England and could join us. We’re going to miss those guys. 

Boating in Utrecht...

For their final ten days in the Netherlands, Steve and Patti rented a really cool AirBnB at the water’s edge on the main canal in downtown Utrecht. As soon as I returned from London, I headed to Utrecht to attend their final FILTH Hash, which Steve hared. 

A few days later, I returned again with Kati for an afternoon of boating.

Only in Holland would there be a sign on a boat like this.

It was a beautiful day to be on the water. Kati clearly had a great time...

...and so did Savannah and Sam.

Under one of the bridges we spotted these newborn coots.

Sisters Reunited in London...

Veronica was thrilled that Ashlynn was able to join her at Ariana’s place for a few days, especially since it was the first time that they’d seen each other in 6.5 months. As these photos show, they ate a lot of good vegan food—Happy Cow announced that London has the greatest number of vegan restaurants in the world...

...and found several cool photo ops. 

Internship at Rubies in the Rubble...

Veronica was very excited to be selected for a six-week paid internship at Rubies in the Rubble, a small UK-based company that specializes in making condiments out of rescued fruits and vegetables from farms that would otherwise go to waste because they aren’t aesthetically acceptable for supermarkets.

She was a bit nervous at first about one of her primary tasks—giving out product samples at grocery stores—but she quickly started to enjoy herself. You might recognize this store: Whole Foods.

She also enjoyed getting to be a model for an afternoon for Rubies during a shoot for their ketchup which is made from rescued tomatoes and pears.

She was happy to be able to work for a company helping to fight food waste and was happy to be back in London for the summer. She was fortunate to be able to stay with my friend Camilla for a few weeks followed by staying with Ariana for the rest of the time.