Thursday Inline Skating in Dinther

Thursday, 21-April-2011 - Dinther - Perfect weather for skating. This evening, I rode my bike to Dinther for an evening skate. At the café de Toren, I met Ad, Berry, Gaby, Johanna, Loret, Magda, Margret and Monique. We left shortly after 1900, got back around 2100--the street lights were on. I felt right at home with this group. Fun is an important ingredient in the Dinther skating recipe. Along the way, we took a break at a café terrace, and when we returned to de Toren, we sat outside enjoying each others' company. Nine skaters--good for 24 km. pics (52)

Inline Skating Boekel

Tuesday, 19-April-2011 - Boekel - We've been without rain for a long time, but it was perfect weather for skating. Thirty skaters gathered in Boekel for the weekly Tuesday Evening Skate--good for 21 km. The sun went under on the way home. pics (51)

Fishing with Dale

Tuesday, 19-April-2011 - Veghel - Marij joined me to go fishing today--only 75 meters from our front door! Caught 16 small roach (voorn). pics (48)
tackle box cleanup

First Tuesday Evening Inline Skating in Boekel

Tuesday, 12-April-2011 - Boekel - We had 28 skaters for the first Tuesday evening skate in Boekel. Cool, windy, but lots of fun. pics (44)

Walk Around the Church with Hella

Sunday, 10-April-2011 - Veghel - Marij and I rode our bikes to the Sint Lambertus Church to join Hella van der Wijst, best known for her weekly telvision program de Wandeling (the Walk), and participate in the fund-raising event Rondje om de Kerk to help raise money for the restoration of the church roof. Hella was baptized in this church. We walked the 1 km route with Gerard and Bep. Met another Gerard and Mieke along the way. The route passed through the church cemetery and the beautiful and peaceful gardens of the adjacent convent. These gardens are normally closed for the public. I took a guided tour along the rafters under the roof to see the progress being made. I was too scared to stand up behind the concrete railing to look down at the crowd. When I got back down, Hella and Pastor Smulders were calling out numbers for lottery winners (photo). pics (223), music, under church roof, descending church stairs, lottery

Biological Fun at Honus

Sunday, 27-March-2011 - De Rips - Today, thirty-four skaters and family members came together for the annual Fun-on-Wheels Family Day at the biological dairy farm Honus in De Rips. Farmer Johan van Zelderen was our host. We followed the cows out to pasture. After the tour of the farm, and before Bep and Gerard could surprise us with a treat marking their 50th wedding anniversary, Johan surprised them by serenading Neil Young's Harvest Moon. Great weather, great friends, great day. pics (260) feeding Honus dairy cattle (00:26) clip honus calves running loose (00:43) clip Harvest Moon serenade (05:10)

Cherry Blossoms

Thursday, 17-March-2011 - Veghel - Cherry and forsythia blossoms are for me the first signs of spring. Rode to the AA-Broeken to see if the skating pond was still flooded. Also checked on the drainage of the Juliana Park.
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Tax Time

Tuesday, 15-March-2011 - Veghel - The Ides of March. Outside it was springtime, inside it was tax time. Just got done filing my income tax for both the United States and the Netherlands.

Ant's-eye View

Tuesday, 15-March-2011 - Veghel - Got low to the ground to get an ant's-eye view of the spring flowers around the house.
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Traditional Carnaval Sunday in Veghel

Sunday, 7-March-2011 - Veghel - Carnaval is full of traditions throughout the world. In Kuussegat (as Veghel is called during carnaval) one of these traditions is the Carnavalsmis (carnaval church service) at the Sint Lambertus Church--laced with humor, but reverant and respectful. This years' motto is 't Is un skôn ding! (It's a beautiful thing!) We had perfect sunny weather. In the afternoon, went to see the optocht (carnaval parade). The route was lined thick with people of all ages. Saw these young pink ladies (photo). Also saw our neighbors Tineke and Gert performing with the Stappers. https://picasaweb.google.com/dale.weiss.planet/Carnaval_2011# (350 photos)