Amsterdam

Many beautiful buildings. We took a canal trip first so thus some of the bottom of the buildings is cut off

cute mural outside our hotel

Strange name for a gay rights monument

interesting shop windows

one of the many canal photos I took This one a block from our hotel

For some reason, Dutch like English word puns

The Rijksmuseum

Lots of alliums The tulips in the same bed are well past their prime

bike path through the Rijks  So many bikes

me

Stedejel museum of modern art I bought this poster

lots of public art

more

at the bloemmarkt These alas are fake

love the shutters

alliums

graffiti and bikes The black bike has a front kid carrier Sometimes kids and groceries are carried in a big bucket in back Nobody wears a helmet, not even babies who need them the most The bikes all are cheap, heavy one speeds. As most people have to store them outside (no 4 car garages for them) they don't want to spend too much on them

The flower market used to be floating barges. Now they are permanent stalls

fancy government building in the city center

interesting shop in the 'negenstraats' area of trendy boutiques

Not too practical. Our cook wore plain wooden clogs insisting they were quite comfortable

Cool art deco theater

After 12 days of travelling, 168 miles of biking and numerous miles walking (though no running) I am back from a very busy vacation although there were some hours spent on the deck of the barge watching the world go by. We had 4 full days in the southern canal district of Amsterdam to explore before going to our barge docked in the main harbor of Amsterdam. This vacation was organized by Vermont Bicycle Tours. They take care of most details; all you do is show up. It is a bit pricey but it is easy. I did like most of the personnel we dealt with. My friend and I managed to find seats together on the plane (though VBT should have done this). An overnight flight. Would I sleep even though I awoke especially early the day before? No. Not even with all my wine (not good) and bloody marys (better). I like getting cute little dinners though I still think the European  (especially Alitalia) airlines do them better.  To get us in the spirit, we watched From Eternity(???), the movie showing Vincent van Gogh's last 3 years of life. Van Gogh again sounds like one is expelling a phlegm ball. Not a pretty language. I can read a newspaper now but with its pronunciation, I can only garble a few words and understand even less when spoken. Still I am glad I learned it.  English is all over the place in most of the big towns (not Bruges though) but not in the tiny towns we would stop in so at least I can read menus and ask for a few things. 

In customs, the agent asked why I was in in the Netherlands. I said, to bike. He then asked to see my license.

 Ha. Funny Dutchman

First hiccup, our driver was not in either of the waiting points for us. Useless time spent searching before we finally called him (I didn't get an international plan this time, fortunately my friend's sister in law did).He did then show up fairly quickly but then told us he had to search for 2 other passengers who came in an hour before we did. We reminded him that we were all told to be at a certain spot and he should stay but no, he was so stubborn and stupid, he took off for the longest time. He justified it staying we couldn't check into the hotel anyway so we shouldn't mind standing in the middle of a busy concourse. Yes but we could drop our luggage off and explore. These other people took a private taxi hours ago when he wasn't where he was supposed to be. This happened to at least half of us so black mark to VBT for hiring him. After a very long time arguing with him, he finally agreed to take us to our hotel 45 minutes away. When I asked why the many bicyclists don't wear helmets, he replied that if the government thought it was necessary, it would require them thus they are not needed. Hmmmm. Not even for babies who I saw as passengers.Bicyclists were all ages, which was cool. Everybody looked very fit. Lots of paths. In theory at intersections pedestrians have the right of way but in practice, no. We were to stay off their paths

Not only are the Dutch very fit, they are tall. I looked short.

We could leave our luggage at the hotel and explore. We opted for a canal tour to get a feel for the city. This I fell asleep on so I missed alot but I was so, so tired after being up for more than 24 hours straight. or some reason, I had a hard time orienting myself to Amsterdam It is built like a wheel with regularly spaced canals but all of them  seem to look alike as do the minimum of 20 letter worded streets. And our hotel was off an alley that even the Uber had trouble finding. We used the Mellow Yellow coffeeshop sign as a guidepost. "Coffeeshop' is code for a marijuana store. I didn't go in and partake but some of my companions did. Real coffee is spelled with a 'k'. We ate at a very cute cafe near our hotel, a healthy 'buddha bowl ' for me. Our tickets for the Anne Frank house were late in the afternoon. As our companions wanted to sleep, we took an uber to get to the Jordaan district which would have been a 20 minute walk if we didn't get lost.. I had read The Diary of Anne Frank as a teenager so the Annex seemed quite familiar. Just a sad reminder what the orange one's supporters would have us do. Walking back along the canal, we stopped for a light supper and beer sitting on the edge. So pretty. Bitterballen for me which are a typical bar snack. Fried meatballs. They are not bitter but are to be eaten with bitters.  Then to sleep. Finally

Tonight I fly to Amsterrdam

my creation for the Mom's group Should have decorated it

Rhubarb custard bars: shortbread crust, rhubarb custard middle, whipped cream/cream cheese top

these smell so good when I am out doing hours of yard work

my two rhubarb plants are huge but I used last years rhubarb frozen for the dessert

rhubarb flower. I think I am supposed to cut them off to make more stalks

I have been trying to get things done before my big trip which starts tonight. Why be typing into a blog when so much needs to be done? Well it is  very early and Steve isn't up yet. Hopefully I will be tired enough to sleep on the plane.

Breukelen. This will be the first town we will sail to on our barge after a 3 night stay in Amsterdam. I asked Steve if he had any idea how it was spelled. To my surprise, he spelled it correctly. The first Dutch settlers sailed from this town and ended up in New York and named their landing place after their town later anglicized to Brooklyn. Growing up, Brooklyn Day was a holiday and he had to learn the origins of his hometown. We will begin our bike riding there and go across a Breukenlen Brug which will be much smaller than the one that connects to Manhattan.

Dutch:  I've been trying to learn it for the past 4 months. I should be able to read it and maybe gargle a few words but understanding it will be tough (Italian was so much easier!) It sounds like a mix of trying to expel mucus and obscenities. Words like vaak, zich, hoor sound really bad. And the grammar! I just did a painful unit on reflexive verbs. They have expanded the concept way beyond the romance languages which I thought were a pain like in French: je m'appelle Sue (I call myself Sue) but at least the reflexive pronouns are always in the same place. Not so in Dutch, all over the place though generally after the verb (instead of in front) zich which sounds like shit is for third person nouns. And they use it way beyond for washing, shaving, combing also for hiding, locating, etc.

Gardening: May is extensive gardening month. Things need clearing, weeding and planting. I at least got my vegetables in. Flowers will have to wait. Hopefully Steve will water things.

Scan anxiety: Miracle of miracles, my mammogram eventually came back clean. First time I didn't have to have things retaken. I have a huge benign seroma that looks like a tumor so they have to line it up perfectly to make sure it hasn't changed. As it seems to hurt more (I have staples still in me that I think cause inflammation) and felt different and I had received some bad news about my cancer chances being significantly increased from what I thought they were, I was nervous. And though my surgery for another set of body part removal had been denied, it seems it is just because I didn't go through the approval process correctly despite trying to do it right. Still a mess to entangle that I will handle upon my return though I remain highly annoyed at my insurance and maybe my doctor.

Seeing a friend for the last time: My friend is on hospice and thought she would die in my absence. However her condition has not seemed to get worse in the past week and in some ways better so she will be still around. She did manage to have enough energy to fix my bangs and think she will cut my hair one last time

Maybe I will read all the guidebooks on my flight tonight if I can't sleep...

Goededag

Orioles/oreos

Some of my visitors. I have maybe ten. So far they have consumed two jars of jelly and numerous oranges. A catbird is to the far left. They love fruit too

Pretty. Most of the orioles are Baltimore orioles but yesterday I had the much rarer chestnut colored orchard oriole. He was somewhat smaller Alas no photo

They have been eaten suet too. She is doing battle with a woodpecker

Blurry selfie of us watching All my Sons at the Purple Rose. A fun night

Crouching life sized tiger at the local art studio which had a show this weekend

The parking lot is decorated with lots of statues

including this life sized giraffe

my purchase. I like him even though Steve thinks it is missing a hind end

Josh and his family took me here for Mother's Day

Sadly not my photo as I was too lazy to stop when I saw a tom all puffed up. This tom is about two miles away in a friend's yard

Cute stepping stone from Shanna for Mother's Day

As I was picking up Maya from school last week I told her that we had orioles. Good she said. They are her favorite cookie.

No, the orange birds. They come each May.

They were late this year but soon a flock descended so I spend much time refilling jelly cups.

Scan anxiety redux: I get a mammogram once a year and dread it as it never, never goes smoothly.Usually multiple scans are necessary. Sometimes biopsies  But I was sent home after a minimum of scans the other day with them saying they will call if there is a problem. What? I usually get the appointment that has the radiologist read the results then and there but I messed up or they did so I have to wait. What are the chances I will have to make another trip? About 100% though the tech says the scan was 'good' meaning it lined up perfectly with last year's. I have learned their idea of 'good' is quite a bit different from mine. Good for me is no sign of tumors. Good for them is we see the tumors loud and clear. So I get a long period of anxiety.

And for extra fun, my surgery was not approved by my insurance. My chances of getting a particular lethal kind of cancer in my current condition is 20% versus 1% for the rest of the population. I am appealing as I know it is covered in other states and was mandated in particular by the AHC. 

so lots of running and biking for me. Yesterday I heard the most unusual combination of birds. On one side of the road were the sandhill cranes croaking their prehistoric cry; on the other side peacocks

In 8 days I'm off to Holland. Will I get everything done before then? Will my friend survive until I get back. She fills her days seeing everyone she has ever known. She is at home with hospice visiting regularly. She is so calm about this.

Watching a friend die

cute bunny hanger I have  on a wall that contains other bunny art

A bit of sadness. Nylon threads were hanging from a basket that I have a bird feeder on. I should have cut them off before this sweet guy got tangled up and died

A belated birthday brunch with Josh and Allie on a rare sunny day. We then went to a playground and then on a hike

All kinds of daffodils out now

A early visitor. They live on fruit alone. In a few weeks this tree will be covered with fruit and the cedar waxwings. Now just blossoms

I have two of these trees. So lacy looking

Some recent visitors although we always have the woodpeckers. Back from their winter travels, hummingbirds, grosbeaks, chipping sparrows, orioles crowned sparrows and various swallows. Gone north are the juncos

or

This week has been hard. My friend was recently hospitalized for the 4th time since October this time for having difficulty breathing and extreme weight loss (and she was bony to begin with) Various scans revealed a huge growth that was not there 3 weeks ago when they xrayed her lungs to see if she had pneumonia. This thing, a type of lymphoma unique (and very rare) to transplant patients is pressing on her heart. Extra bonus, breast cancer has returned too but that would not impact her for months whereas this will suffocate her soon. Could they do something about it? Yes, chemo might work, but she has had it. The other day her daughter and I were trying to convince her to at least try but she was adamant that she would not go through any more chemo though the type they would give her is much more mild than what she had to kill all her bone marrow before she had a transplant. She is remarkably calm about this. Usually she is very high strung. Maybe she is in shock or doesn't believe it. She is going through a list while she has some energy of things that have to be done before she dies.  She is trying to go home as she doesn't want to die in the hospital.

I have been bicycling and running a lot. I've done a fraction of the work I need  fix our yard and gardens up. I have harvested my first crop of asparagus.  My spring birds retuned though a few days later than in the past.  was ready it my feeders for  hummingbirds. They are fun to watch. Two male Baltimore orioles showed up today. While biking the other day, I found a tom turkey all puffed up and fanning though it wasn't clear who is audience was. I wish I took his picture I see turkeys often but rarely in this form.

Today I was attacked by 3 dogs though only one of them wanted to bite me. I was running on a road  usually I'm not on. With all my yelling, the unapologetic owner came out to retrieve them. It didn't bite but was snarling an jumped on me.

The swallows return to the ranch

This large lithograph graces my hallway now

sunny and dry for our Easter egghunt. We used to separate the boys (older) from the girls. Aside from giving Hannah a head start and an egg finding coach. it was each kid for themselves. Allie can keep up with the older kids. Spent some time the night before stuffing eggs.

My Easter birthday. Shanna made a raspberry pavlova for me 

my bird tile complete with a nest of eggs

My father used to have an enormous amethyst geode worth hundreds. Of course that scoundrel squatter left in house after he died ran off with it along with  a lot else. But I did recently buy a sizeable chunk

lots of birthday/Easter flowers Now the orange vase is full of mums and pink roses too

Even some in my crowded guest bathroom

and more in the kitchen

Second grade concert last night. Her triangle playing companion cracks me up. He looks straight out of my elementary school in the 60s

We sit on the porch in the evening with the barn swallows swooping close to our heads. Yep they are back. They like to nest on top of our front door. Still to return are the hummingbirds. I will make nectar tomorrow in anticipation. The chipping sparrows are back too though not the crowned. Weird birds have been finding our yard: turkeys, cranes and ducks. Yes we are surrounded by wetlands full of them all but they usually don't enter our yard.

A lot of my daffodils are in bloom now and there are tiny leaves on the trees. So much less depressing. I ran in shorts today.

We had nearly a week of rain and strong winds. But all was sunny and calm finally on Easter. I was out on the bike as soon as there was a bit of light. I would have biked for hours but I had to prepare brunch for 12 people. It's your birthday Sue! Do you have to be cooking? Well I am much more efficient at it and no one volunteered. More annoying, I had to do most of the considerable clean up. That I would have liked a reprieve from. But I am blessed with the grandbabies who had fun playing and doing the egghunt. I did go out with some of my friends before and after my birthday so that was nice.

I will have some surgery in a few months that hopefully will save me from something awful. I am not afraid of the surgery as much as the recovery. I do hope that it will go much quicker than the 4 weeks it could take. I will give it two days.

Easter Birthday

This is my sister-in-law's photo of Skagit  Valley in NW Washington. Aside from the daffodils here, there are spectacular fields of tulips too. Would love to see them in person. We will be in Holland too late for them. I do have a few frozen daffodils herein Michigan

A vegetable soufflé I made for the Moms. Should have made a sauce as it was sort of dry

The Moms decorating bibs for two new grandbabies, one who popped out 2 days after this photo. Naomi is here too as we had Maya for the weekend and I asked her to be there while I entertained. How long have I had my Danish modern table? 41 years. I think it is the only piece of furniture from our very first house that we still use. It's a bit newer than the 140 year old marble topped chest adjacent to the far right

a glass pretty to add color to the continuing drab

Although we have had a few warm days, winter still continues. I ran through snow yesterday though at least it didn't stick. Endless rain and wind make it difficult to bicycle although I am in good enough shape for the easy riding coming up in Holland and Belgium. Our snowbirds, juncos, are still here. According to the migration map, our hummingbirds are at the Michigan border. One appeared here April 28th last year. I will be ready.

Having a birthday relatively late in the season, makes for few Easter birthdays, though Naomi born on an Easter has had three already. I did have one when I was four which I remember clearly. It was a warm sunny day, unlike most April days cold and wet that we had in the Finger Lakes region of New York. I wore a new pink puffy dress and my mom made a special lamb cake for me decorated with coconut and colored eggs. As she was quite pregnant with my brother, this must have been an effort. But more than 60 years later, I am having another one, a double Easter as the Orthodox one happens to fall on this day too, usually later. How will I celebrate? I will make an Easter brunch and have an Easter egg hunt for 5 of the grandbabies. Some of my friends are taking me out before and after my birthday.

I set all these tasks for myself for the cold winter months when I can't exercise for so long or garden. Sadly not much has been done. I have spent much time learning Dutch. I have run errands for my sick friend. She is ending a relationship with her boyfriend, her principal caretaker so she will need much more help in the future. I went to my cancer survivor cooking class, an emphasis on one pan 'easy' meals. Still lots of slicing and dicing. The local hospital has a farm and hot houses, which generally donates vegetables for us to take home. This month we got bags of fresh spinach, which I later put among other vegetables, in my soufflé for the Moms that I cooked several days later. As it is artichoke season (not here in the tundra)I made the Moms artichokes too. I also experimented with making drinks with elderflower syrup, much more popular abroad than here. It has such a subtle flavor that most additions drown out the flavor. I had fun experimenting at least.

Two of the moms are having grandbabies: a girl and a boy so we decorated presents for them. It was fun.

Tomorrow I go see a doctor finally to deal with lessening my health risks. Ugh. This was a box I wish I had not opened.

Grandpa blue

A belated birthday for Tessa She and her siblings all wear glasses now

We took a walk along the river in Dexter. The boardwalk goes over wetlands. You can see the peepers' airsacs inflate just below us. In the spring here, there is a constant drone of peepers in wet areas. Song sparrows were merrily singing. Finally spring

the town, now a city I see, has numerous sculptures around

another one

it's just water under the bridge

With the app that came with our new car, I can track down where it is.

A warm Sunday. We took this one to the park

my Easter wreathe

A few months back, I went out car shopping with Josh. He wanted last year's model, which would save him about $3K. He could only find two left;  a silver one and a blue one with their plusses  and minuses. When he was explaining to his wife the choices, she said Oh no, is it Grandpa Blue? Apparently this dusky bluish gray only appeals to people of a certain age. And indeed it does. Shortly after a good friend ( a grandma) bought the same color. And Steve upon seeing it said was the best color by far.

We were down to one car, a situation I found intolerable as we are out in the country. Steve thought we could hold out until the fall (when presumably prices fall and the model we wanted would be improved) I feel insecure relying on a 9 year old car. And although Steve doesn't have a heavy schedule, we managed to need the car at the same time last week. So he had to drop me off and later come pick me up. About twenty extra miles of driving. And I like to travel particularly in the summer but I really can't leave him stranded. In a 6 week period, Naomi managed to total 2 cars, not her fault. She had purchased Josh's not so old car, a considerable upgrade for her. And she could give him more than the dealer would so win-win. Until some lady ran a red light into her The insurance did pay her more than she had paid for the car but what could she buy? We sold her one of our cars, a car that we had sort of promised to sell to  her ex husband in the fall leaving us down to one car.

I really didn't want to wait so last week, we went car shopping. Not difficult as we get a considerable discount at my son's company so there is no negotiation.. As no one wants sedans anymore (do they think gas is always going to be cheap?), they are discounted still. We were left to decide between a hybrid and a traditional engine and colors. We could get a silver traditional engine (not desirable by us at a deeper discount0 or get a hybrid in any color we wanted. So Grandpa Blue it is . The hybrid will take 4-5 years of driving to make up the cost difference but at least we are polluting a bit less. And if gas goes sky high, we'll make up the difference even quicker.

I continue to learn Dutch, which is becoming more difficult. Crazy, crazy grammar. In 6 weeks I will be biking in the Netherlands. And it is it is warm outside. So bicycling is easy (except for a day I went out in 30 mph gusts, not fun) and more running. Some of my flowers are out. We can sit outside in the evening with wine. Hope winter is gone for good.