not forgotten

Wow. It's been a while. For so many reasons. When I look back at the last post, I can hardly believe that was only a little over a year ago. Many things have happened and I did not really feel any need to share those 'scraps'. My life is good, my loves are good, and the ups and downs are not news worthy.

One of the 'ups' was really a 'high'- the five of us went to explore Iceland this past summer: for one week we inhaled the fresh air as much as we could, we climbed a bit, hiked a bit, drove a lot, took a million pictures and barely scratched the surface of capturing this island.

Lava, rock formations born under water, craters, mud pots, geysers, a million waterfalls, and a vastness and wideness that is difficult to explain.

We all fell in love with the remote east-fjords. So much exhaling too, in trying to take it all in.

Oh, and, did I mention the glaciers and black sand beaches?

The best part was of course, that we were all together in this adventure. My love and I with these lovely people (sorry, it seems nearly impossible to get a picture of Thijs with his eyes open...)

So, cheers. Wishing everyone good family adventures, whether far away or (close to) at home.

so this happened...

In my head, I've written so many witty, insightful, beautiful, and remarkable scraps these past months. At least once a week, there was something to share. However...here we are, I was too busy with things like mastering the sour dough,

studying for my clinical license, letting 'my' politicians know how I think/feel about things, and other work/hobbies. But. This past week, this happened:

Vera with her BFA (Bachelors in Fine Art) from the School of the Art Institute Chicago 

Emma in Bryant Park, NYC, after walking for her BFA and French

So naturally, celebrations were in order! And thankfully, we could attend both ceremonies, in appropriate birth order. And fortunately, my mom could be there for all of it as well (like last year for Thijs). And when we celebrate, we celebrate in style....

Emma and Thijs enjoying dollar pizza on the streets of NYC...

the crew with beer at Fraunces Tavern 

We also take in other cultural aspects of course, such as the Metropolitan Museum and the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

some reflection on past and future was done

No witty insightful things to share, just joy at the accomplishments of my smart and kind daughters. They worked hard, learned a tremendous amount. They have plans, dreams. Just like the other graduates I'm assuming. 

Vera and proud dad

Next week it is back to the usual, for my love and me, although things are going to be different. A new phase in life for the four of us, one that Thijs started last year.

processing the good byes

Maybe I'll keep you updated, maybe I won't. There will be new places and new paths to explore. Exciting and scary. Here we go.

dragons and unicorns

Already it seems long ago and therefore even more of a dream- our week in Roma, Italia. My love was already in the eternal city for work and I followed to meet up in front of a large round-top wooden door of a 16th century palazzo, now divided into many apartments.

balcony and inner court yard

We enjoyed breakfast and aperitif on the balcony and in between walked the ancient streets, took in all the art and more than we could process, and marveled.

view from Castello San Angelo

The dragons (and some unicorns) are of course symbolic although by now I've seen so many depicted that I am starting to believe that there may have been such creatures roaming (and reading LOTR and HP).

Dragon fountain Villa D'Este, Tivoli

Our apartment was small, a bit too bare, but essentially all we needed (and climbing up the old stone stairs, passing through several heavy wood-with-iron-locks castle doors to arrive added a lot to the charm). It made me rethink -only for a little while- whether I would want to jump on the tiny-house band wagon.

along the Tiber

A bandwagon that I could join is that of the beautiful, delicious, deceptively simple food.  Buffalo mozzarella bought at the supermarket and so tasty that all you need to pair it with is an equally tasty tomato. Grilled artichoke hearts, not otherwise enhanced...'home made' fresh linguine with just a hint of Gorgonzola and pepper... paper-thin pizza crust lightly topped...

church on the Piazza Navonne

Pizza and pasta and house wine every evening, and still not gaining an ounce. That is the miracle of the Mediterranean diet (you do have to walk all day, everywhere, and climb all those stairs to make this happen).

frescoes everywhere

quilt pattern mosaics everywhere

And I got to experience all that with my love.  Now, if only I could figure out how to download the pictures from my phone onto my computer (darn windows 10), I could show you some more dragons and perhaps the one unicorn!

about midlife, rivers, and roads

I'll say this: my personal midlife is excellent. I'm privileged and lucky and I know it.

Jake, Vera, Emma

See: privy.  To have the opportunity to tackle another bucket list item with these excellent travel companions. The hiking in RMP (Rocky Mountain National Park) was bonus! We had to cross some rivers and drive many long roads to get there. So very worth it.

Because this is what we came to experience:

The Tallest Man on Earth, and the Head and the Heart, at Red Rocks Amphitheater. And it was as amazing as the rest of the trip.

I guess that once you are over 50 years young, you feel the finite nature of your time on earth a bit more and you start with ticking of the bucket list items. At least, we seem to be doing it, my love and I. Most of our items seem to involve traveling.

my amazingly comfortable camelbak, I've had it for many years and it still looks new

Lucky us then, that we have the amount of days off that Europeans find no longer incredible (starting with 5 or 10 daysoff is just inconceivable for most Dutch people). But there are other advantages of being over 50. Priorities change, and I care less to impress other people.

During the hiking, I often walked alone (being the slow poke and least fit) which suited me in the most excellent way because I am such an introvert. However, another highlight of hiking arrived in the form of my friend Julie, who was kind enough to keep pace with me. Like a true introvert, I do not have many close friends, and it is difficult to describe what I felt: joyful recognition of the meeting of minds/souls...which went way too fast. Telling me that I should make it a point to connect more with those precious few, in my 'old age' (ahem).

And thus, I got a taste of wind-in-my-hair-let-it-all-go, causing me to drive with the windows open and blasting the Head and the Heart singing along out of tune at the top of my lungs this afternoon.

view from our cabin

With everything going on in the world, it is not always easy to forget that others may never have these chances (for too many reasons to count). And I don't actually forget. I just try to make the best of my life in spite of it , and I try to do what I can to alleviate things, and I will vote, with my head and my heart.

our house, is a very very very fine house,

with four cats in the yard, life used to be so hard, now everything is easy cause of...you (adapted from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)- no really, because we are white, highly educated people, who make a decent living- let's be real about this. (all pictures to follow from my phone, will post more later)

evening in Bowmore, Isle of Islay

When we were visiting family in the Netherlands (for two days) last week, we enjoyed connecting with my brother-in-law and his family sitting in their backyard retreat. Our nephews and their girlfriends were all saying how much they would like to visit the USA and how cool they think that will be. They seemed to think we live in a gigantic house and were surprised we do not have a pool in our backyard. If and when they do accept our open invitation, they may be very disappointed to find our home shabbier and less tastefully appointed then their own (albeit larger in size and acreage).

Glasgow Botanic garden

London dock lands view of downtown

We visited my own brother and his family as well- they have been here and know the real deal: it's a very very very fine house. Which we are grateful has not been swept away by floods yet or been a victim of wild fires- watching the devastation in other parts of our country on the news means we feel even more grateful that we are safe and sound right here.

The Prospect of Whitbey, London's oldest pub

another very old pub, owned by sir Ian McKellen- it's  very nice for drinking but the food is atrocious (except for the fries)

Before spending the last days of our trip with immediate family (some highlights included my niece proudly  showing me her school and a Sunday afternoon family gathering for fresh asparagus and delightful company, not to mention I actually had an evening with my 'best' friend), we had the good fortune to explore the UK before Brexit.

a Koran, Islamic art, the Victoria and Albert museum

National Gallery (London), detail, Crivelli

West Minster Abbey, private quarters

London, for a couple of days (pubs, musea). Then the Isle of Islay (pronounced counter-intuitive 'eyelah') for two short days, and an evening in Glasgow. Kind of a whirlwind of a trip- we spend a lot of our time traveling and will not plan any future trips in a similar way, still, we are fortunate to even have been able to experience all the things/places we did.

landscape, Isle of Islay

street view, Isle of Islay

Port Ellen, Isle of Islay

road side view

Upon return, we found a less than fresh offering of maggot-invested chipmunk on our dining room rug, and some 'pissed' on clothes in our closet, and welcoming (four) cats in our very very very fine house.

sunset, Bowmore harbor