Does This Make You Want to Lick Something?

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. This is a real ad for a local Wassenaar company that sells caffeinated popsicles. This is actually the milder of their posters since this fellow is at least clothed. The original one that I saw was in a Leiden bagel restaurant and featured a naked couple shown from behind with strategically placed sticks. Then later that day while walking through an indoor mall (which is rare here despite all the nasty weather we get), a TV ad caught our attention featuring a full profile of this fellow naked except for the stick on a stairclimber. If you dare to see more, the ads and the posters can be seen on their website: Vitalice From the homepage, click on the box on the bottom left that says: Click onze KICK filmpjes. On the right-hand side you can choose to see a variety of ads and the posters (there's enough English that if you're determined, you'll figure it out). Let me know what you think and if you want a popsicle when you come visit.

What a Great Place for a Beer Break...

Was so happy to hear that Sir Walter's Hash got to enjoy the Pinhead Memorial Fountain when good friends Lisa and Randy (and Sugar, too!) had a beer break at the new overlook during their hash on Monday. Their timing was perfect as they enjoyed sunset over the lake and a cold drink (notice the "Do Not Drink" sign is gone since the E. coli scare was over). Sorry we missed it!

Here's to You Kid...In Loving Memory

Many of you know that we were deeply affected by the devasting loss of family friend Kassel "Pinhead" Smit on April 12, 2004. It was this tragic accident that set events in motion that eventually led to our move overseas. We continue to remember, and hope that you will too, that life is short and needs to be lived to the fullest.

In order to help honor Kassel's memory, we worked with Sir Walter's Hash and San Diego Hash to raise funds for a memorial bench. When Jimmy pointed out that Kassel never sat still, he suggested we try to install a drinking fountain instead (Kassel's dad Kevin suggested a Kassel Krapper--a "green" outhouse along the greenway--but the city frowned on the idea). Anyways, we're happy to show that the Kassel A. Smit Memorial Drinking Fountain was dedicated this weekend on the Cary Black Creek Greenway that he ran on almost daily. Ironically, the original dedication date had to be postponed due to flooding of the greenway, but the citywide E. coli scare didn't slow down the rescheduled event. I'm sure this would have made Kassel laugh. On-On!

Special thanks to: Kevin & Theresa Smit, SWH3, SDH3, David Finger of Highwood Properties, Judy Newsome, Doug McRainey, Mary Henderson, and Carolyn Sparano

The 7th-Heaven Festival...

What an interesting concept--seven Utrecht museums stepped outside their walls to transform a former courthouse into a "sultry summer festival." As you can see by this photo, the museums got quite creative. This room was created by the Railway Museum for a much more adult audience than it's usual visitors. It featured four-poster beds where you watched silent films on the ceiling; of course, one featured a damsel tied to the train tracks, but this one was saved by a dog. The Money Museum set up a security system with lasers criss-crossing the room along with a 3-D TV showing treasures. We laid on the ground to watch a movie about the vastness of the universe sponsored by the University Observatory. The girls enjoyed "playing" the grand piano in the Automated Music Machines Museum's room (might sound like a strange theme for a museum, but it's actually very interesting). I really enjoyed the Beatles sing-along. Veronica had so much fun celebrating her birthday, she didn't even complain that we forget to get her a cake.

What Hip Kids We Have...

There's little doubt that our kids will be hipper than we are, although we'll take some credit for taking them to cool places. For Veronica's 9th birthday we trekked to Utrecht to go to The 7th-Heaven Festival after dinner beside the main canal (the restaurants here are actually at the water's edge instead of at street level as in most cities). We ended the evening "silent dancing." As you can see, Veronica's wearing a pair of headphones to hear the DJ's tunes. It was pretty surreal. Everyone was just dancing away, but the room was basically quiet except during songs when folks couldn't resist singing along. Definitely not your average kid's birthday celebration.

Valuable Lessons Learned - Part 4

* If you take canoes out on a windy day, remember that rowing backwards won't get you home. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo after Jimmy and Dave had to flag down a motor boat and beg for a tow home for both canoes. When this photo was taken, Jimmy and Tony intentionally towed the kids into town and back, while Vivynne and I enjoyed a leisurely kid-free bike ride.

* Make sure you have a few extra cold brews in the frig in case you have unexpected visitors such as your rescuers.

Land of Flowers...

While Vivynne and kids were in town, we also visited the Aalsmeer Flower Auction, the largest in the world. Over 22 million flowers and plants are sold daily with annual sales to wholesalers around the world of almost $2 billion. This is a reverse auction with the price falling until someone is willing to pay it. The building itself is almost 1 million square meters, making it the largest 1-story building in the world. Had no idea that the flower biz was so huge, but thankful that prices are very low here so we always have fresh flowers on the table.