Boating in July...

We only went boating twice in July. The first time was on a beautiful Friday evening with Bob, while Lisa was out of town helping ensure the integrity of elections in Eastern Europe.

I never grow tired of the beauty of Leiden. 

The second time was with Carlin and Ashlynn.

Technically Ashlynn was still in quarantine from her return from Namibia, where she was COVID tested twice before getting on the airplane. Since Carlin had recently moved in with us while waiting for her UK visa to be approved, we really were a family bubble.

We enjoyed showing Ashlynn some of the smaller canals that we had discovered while she was away.

Jimmy had finally perfected his system to keep the beanbag chairs from getting damp.

A few days later, Ashlynn took another official COVID test to release early from quarantine, which came back negative. So she and Jimmy went back to Leiden to go stand up paddleboarding, which they really enjoyed.

 

Hashing in July...

After an unortunate fall-out with some hashers in Amsterdam, we decided to take a break from that kennel and try out the Hague H3 once again. This run starting in Voorburg and heading to Rijswijk was great, although technically the trail went along the outside of the pond instead of across this cool walkway...

...so we took a shortcut. Much to our delight, there was a BBQ at the end of trail, which had veggie burgers and was great fun. 

Two weeks later, it was time for a FILTH Hash in Leiden. Hard to tell from these photos, but it was nighttime—it just takes a long time to get dark in July. Tasty led us on a nice trail from Lemmy’s (a specialty beer bar) in the city center past this cool old building... 

…and the American Pilgrim Museum, in one of the oldest buildings in Leiden.

If you look closely you’ll see the arrows that Opee put on each of these stairs nearly two months earlier for our first physical FILTH Hash in 2021.

Our beer stop was truly unique: Park Matilo located on the remains of a Roman fortress, that had just been declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site earlier that week. 

We then ran across a boardwalk with several breaks to cross creeks by hopping over stones. Eventually we made our way back into the center of Leiden, where we eventually had a fun circle in the dark at the foot of the De Put Windmill. 

 

An Afternoon of Art in The Hague...

Jimmy joined me one afternoon in July to go to the Mauritshuis to see their special exhibit: Fleeting – Scents in Color. It was quite fascinating to experience the ways in which the museum shared how odors were portrayed in 17th century art. I particularly liked View of the Oudezijds Voorburgwal by Jan van der Heyden showing the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam in 1670.

It wasn’t too crowded in the main exhibition so I was able to pose with one of my favorite paintings, Vermeer’s View of Delft, wearing my matching mask and color-coordinated top.

Too bad Jimmy hadn’t brought his mask from the Mauritshuis, a close up of the mouth from Frans Hals’ Laughing Boy.

After seeing incredible 17th century art, it was time to see new urban art. I’m not a big fan of cats, but loved the playfulness of the cats playing pranks along the Achterom near the Passage.

Even a mouse...

…and a snail got into the act.

We found these two lovely murals nearby.

 

Another July Walk...

A few days later, Carlin joined me and Ashlynn for a walk to Leidschendam. We tried a different route than usual, which led us through a lot of brambles before reaching this lovely spot...

…with Belted Galloways in the distance.

We stopped for lunch at Mimi’s next to our local farm. Ashlynn even agreed to have an egg with her avocado toast once she confirmed that the it was from the on-site farm, which we visited afterwards. 

This sign cracked me up as this area was completely fenced in so not sure how any offending dogs could possibly enter.
 

Back to the Dunes...

The following week Terri picked up me and Kati for another walk in the dunes of Wassenaar. We were surprised and excited to spot these Highland cows near the start of our route. 

We were even more excited to see that we could access the antitank wall again.

The scenery had changed a lot after the water company finished their construction projects, which included rearranging the manmade retention ponds. 

We always stop at this pond as it’s the only water stop for Kati. 

The hills were lovely with lots of yellow flowers.

This was the largest group of Highland cows that we’d seen in the dunes for several years. 
 

Long Walk in Wassenaar...

I went on several nice long walks in July, the first being with Carlin and Terri in Wassenaar. We started at the Airbnb house rental that Carlin had been staying in since their house sold. Our first stop was for tea at the outdoor café at the Voorlinden Museum.

We then headed out the back of the museum’s property through a hole under the fence into Meijendel, our region’s largest contiguous dune area. 

We stopped to eat our picnic lunch on a random dune.

We happened upon Waalsdorpervlakte, a World War II Memorial at the location where more than 250 people, including many members of the Dutch Resistance, were executed by the Nazis. 

It was a nice clear day with views down to Scheveningen Beach. 

Terri and I had a vague memory of going to a restaurant several years ago at the beach between Wassenaar and Scheveningen, but somehow didn’t realize that it was next to the nude beach...

…where we spotted this dude daring to enter the cold water.

Much more exciting was spotting this strandbeest (beach beast). For years I’ve known that artist Theo Jansen makes beasts out of PVC pipes that walk down the beach, but had never had the good fortune to see him in action. Unfortunately, I couldn't stick around until this creature went for a walk.

Later we ran into a different kind of creature...

…and a pooper scooper available on loan for those who need it.