We are proud to announce that JA pedalled her bike today. Part of the problem had been that the seat was too low and her knees kept hitting the handle bars. Much better now because of the longer space between pedals and handle bars. Terry took her out to one of the bike paths in the park with light bike and pedestrian traffic. They pedalled up and down several times. After the first time, it just takes, practice, practice, practice. Who knows? Maybe before we leave we'll take a biking tour somewhere in Europe - sleeping in hotels each night, of course.
On another note, the gemeente tore up a good stretch of the bike path from our house up towards ASH. The detour route goes along the other side of the highway which is through a wood and past the Queen's house. I actually like it much better. The ride may take a few minutes longer; scenic views always do. We are looking forward to the new bike path. The old one was constructed from paving stones set in sand. The stones wobbled as we rode on them and slowed us down. We're hoping for new material with a low coefficient of friction and not simply new paving stones set in sand.
The microwave in our combi-oven went out although the oven part will worked. Remember our oven? It's just big enough for a 9 x 13 pan. Our Sieman manual is in three languages none of which is Dutch or English. I did find a manual online for a similar model. It describes how one can program the oven to microwave and hot air cook to cook a single dinner. Too much for me.
Our landlord pulled out the old unit to take it to the shop for repair. He replaced it with a temporary combi-oven. All the labeling is in English but it came with no instruction book. The only brand/model info on it looks like "SWAL." Googling the name brought up nothing related to an appliance. We are operating it by trial and error. We have figured out the microwave part. I understood the oven enough to bake some rolls. I'm going to try cupcakes tomorrow.
New challenge: This oven can fit an angel food tube pan with about an inch around it. Different dimensions than the Sieman because the new oven has the controls on the right side while the other oven had the controls over the top. Only my small pans fit in it, namely, only a pan that bakes 6 cupcakes. Always a challenge. I hope the other oven is fixed fast.
Did you know that the signal from a Wii-mote can bounce off of white walls? ER just did that and knocked down 7 pins while bowling. JA made 3 strikes while reclining on the couch. We brought a Wii back at Easter and a WiiFit at summer. The whole family is enjoying it. ER and the WiiFit are best buds; she unlocked all the exercises.
Before we left for home leave, we filled out the card from the electric company with the readings on our meter. They evaluated the cost of the electricity we had used over the past year. It seems that we used three times the amount they billed us for (bill = 95 euros/month). So, we are paying 330 euros per month for six months to pay off last year's bill. AND, our new monthly bill is around 300 euros. Well, at least at the end of next year it won't be such a big shock. Good thing the euro is just under $1.50.
School supply shopping today. Far few choices then in the States. No sales like 25 cents for 100 sheets of filler paper. Have to watch the binders to get a 2-ring one and not a 23-ring by accident. Came away with just what we needed. No matter where you go to school, buying new school supplies is always fun. ER selected her first school agenda (assignment book) as all her assignment books up till now were provided by the school. She's hit high school big time.
Here's wishing you all a great week!
23 August 2008
20 August 2008
A New School Year Begins
Yes, is is the first day of school again. For the first time in three years, JA and ER are going to be at the same school. Well, they were at the same school technically last year but since the middle school and high school have different wings and principals, it was sort of different schools. This year, they will be at the same assemblies and be on the same schedule. And MA will only have one Parent Advisory Group meeting per month and only check one bulletin board to read a day. It is sad that this is JA's last first day before college.Don't they look awake? They were out of bed by 6:45, had eggs for breakfast and were waiting for the bus at 7:35. Because the other two families in our neighborhood moved, their bus time has been moved up 3 minutes so they are scheduled to be picked up at 7:41 and need to be out there at least 5 minutes before that. They did pretty well today.
While they waited for the bus, ER pointed out the familiar sites. A single then a pair of bicyclists coming down the street, the same ones we saw last year. The delivery trucks coming out of the senior citizens complex near us. However, the most familiar site is....
Zoey in what Terry calls the "forward command post." That's the window in our bedroom that looks out onto the street the bus comes up. We lock Zoey in the bedroom on our way out because sometimes the doors are left open as teens fly down the steps to get to the bus on time. Zoey waits for the bus. When she sees it pull up and then leave, she jumps down and walks to the door waiting for someone to let her out.
Here comes the bus down our narrow street. Last year the municipality put in speed bumps (drempels) on our street to slow down the traffic. This is actually a two way street with room down the middle for only one lane of vehicles when cars are parked on both sides. Fortunately, there's not a lot of traffic so rarely do two cars get caught in the middle facing each other playing chicken as to which one is going to back up first.
Yes, that is a luxury bus that they are getting onto. No yellow school buses here. They have to put their seat belts on. Today's bus was set up as 4 seats around a table, 2 facing forward and 2 backwards.
Wednesday is an early dismissal day at 2:45 pm instead of 3:0 pm. The girls came home with lots of stories to tell. They have returned to a familiar place with known characters (both students and teachers.) It's going to be a good year.
13 August 2008
3200 Kilometer Milestone
Today Terry hit another milestone on his bike...3200 kilometers or 2000 miles. The feat was accomplished this morning as he was passing his office window before entering the compound. And to celebrate this achievement the weather was absolutely wild: the wind is reportedly blowing around 50 or 60 miles per hour off the beach all day and around 7:00 pm this evening the sky opened up and the rain came down in an absolute torrent.
Unfortunately there is no camera to record this event. Maybe later in the week he will get an opportunity to take a picture in order to get a sense of the place.
It is still hard to believe that Terry reached this milestone. Certainly his doctor was very happy to hear the news when Terry had his annual physical in June.
Let's hope we can report 4800 kilometers soon!
Unfortunately there is no camera to record this event. Maybe later in the week he will get an opportunity to take a picture in order to get a sense of the place.
It is still hard to believe that Terry reached this milestone. Certainly his doctor was very happy to hear the news when Terry had his annual physical in June.
Let's hope we can report 4800 kilometers soon!
10 August 2008
Back in the Netherlands
The girls arrived back in The Netherlands on Friday, 8/8/08. Interesting Fact: we arrived last year on 7/7/07. Terry and Zoey were happy to see us again.
Seven weeks of home leave is not a long time. At the beginning, you are aware of the limited amount of time but the end is not really in sight. You fill up your calendar with things to do, with people to see. Still the mundane intrudes: cooking, laundry, driving. Then suddenly, the days drop away. You haven't seen everyone you wanted to see, haven't done everything you want to do. Fortunately with home leave, we know that we will have the opportunity at Christmas to see those who we could not connect during this trip and collect the clothes we left behind.
We took the almost 10 pm flight on Thursday from Dulles airport to Frankfort, Germany. We booked too late so were not able to be on the non-stop from Dulles to Amsterdam. We had one hour between landing and take off on the Lufthansa flight from Frankfort to Amsterdam. Fortunately, we had a tail wind and arrived a half hour ahead of time.
Our friends drove us to the airport which meant that we were dropped off at the departure floor. Rental car shuttles drop off at the ground floor for arrivals. That way we had to figure out how to go up a floor with all our luggage. A later flight meant check in was easier, fewer people. We could not do "self check in" because of transferring planes. We did receive boarding passes for the second leg of our journey. Going through security went well. We walked a ways to the mobile lounge that took us out to our terminal and walked some more to our gate.
Taking a flight four hours later had its advantage. The cabin lighting was subdued to stimulate night. Instead of a snack service, the cabin crew went straight to dinner efficiently served. Outside of "Prince Caspian" (viewed once by ER), no other movies tempted us. We slept a bit. About 1 am Eastern time (7 am Netherlands time) a beeping alarm went off waking many of us. The flight crew searched through the overhead bins for the source. It was finally found to be the Ipod of the woman sitting next to JA. ER slept through it. We enjoyed the breakfast snack of apple croissant and yogurt.
We disembarked in Frankfort in the C section of Terminal 1 and kept walking to find our connecting flight in section A. Our bags were checked through to our destination so we did not have to go through baggage and customs at this time. We walked and walked. Finally reached passport control. The guard cared more about our residency permit then our passports. As a result, we have no stamp of entry into the country.
After passport control, we entered the Frankfort terminal. It felt narrow and windy. Recognizable stores lined the sides as we walked. No frits (french fry) stands though. Since we were in the public area, we needed to go through a security check point to once again have ourselves and our carryon items scanned. This time, both ER and MA had to be wanded because we beeped while walking through the first detector. It was ER's first time. ER's shoes, short boots, had to be put through the scanner. After that, we found our Lufthansa gate with time to spare and waited to be called for boarding.
Boarding the plane was an adventure again. We waited to go in with the second call. We walked through the door next to the gate, down stairs and into a bus. We waited in the bus as it filled with more passengers. The bus drove us through the tarmack to our plane, a 737. We climbed stairs into the plane. We were seated in the emergency exit row which means more leg room but no under seat items. The bins near our seats were full. The flight attendant found space in a bin further back.
The hour flight from Frankfort to Amsterdam was uneventful. Our snacks must have been favorite German ones nicely packaged in cellophane with a small bottle of water. We saved most of the snack for later since we planned to have frits for lunch. Upon landing, we were almost the last ones that disembarked as we had to wait to get our carryons until those behind us had exited.
We arrived at Amsterdam at the same time as several other planes from across Europe. Since we had entered the European Union at Frankfort, we did not have to go through Passport Control here. All four luggage belts were going with people stacked around waiting. Our luggage came off of belt 1. ER collected 5 of our 6 bags while JA found a luggage cart. (For international flights on United, each person can still take 2 bags weighing less then 50 pounds for no charge.) We waited for the 6th bag to arrive but it never did. Oh yes, 1 of the 5 bags had the "TSA opened for inspection" card inside.
MA had brought her Dutch cell phone along so was able to call Terry and let him know the situation. JA and ER waited with the luggage while MA filed a claim. Actually, with the hour window between the two flights in such a large airport, we felt blessed that we only missed 1 bag instead of more. Several people were in the same predicament. It was good to know that we were not alone. We were given a file number, website to check and a phone number to call if we had heard nothing in 48 hours. Once the bag was found, we would be called to set up an appointment time for delivery.
Terry greeted us outside the luggage area and bought us frits for lunch. He and JA had it with sate (peanut) sauce. ER and MA had them without. They were delicious. We took the train to Den Haag Centraal Station then a taxi home. We were able to stay up most of the rest of the day. JA and ER were early birds; MA slept till Noon on Saturday.
We heard nothing on Friday. JA regularly visited the website and saw that the bag was still being tracked. This bag contained our WiiFit which was hard enough to find in the first place. Finally early Saturday evening we received a call that they had our bag and could deliver it the next day between 2 pm to 6 pm. The bag arrived today, Sunday, at 2:30 pm, all intact, not even TSA inspected.
We are glad to be back with Terry and Zoey. It has been a long month with the family separated by the Atlantic Ocean. The girls have been in contact with come of their friends who are already back. School starts on August 20 so there's plenty of time to adapt to the time zone changes. MA and JA will help with new family orientation for the high school this Tuesday. We heard there are 6 new seniors and 29 new freshmen!
We haven't exhausted all the tales of living in Holland. And there will be more new adventures. ER has entered the 9th grade in high school and was accepted in the ASH Jazz Band. JA is a senior with all the exciting and terrifying events of the next 10 months. At the beginning of this new school year, MA resolves to post on a more regular basis since she's sure there still will be something new and exciting happening each week. Plus there's still last year's trips to blog about.
Best to all as you finish your summer. For those on the Fairfax County Modified Secondary School calendar who start school August 18th, we feel your pain. For those not on the modified school schedule, enjoy your last weeks by the pool, the beach and sleeping in. Labor day comes early this year.
Seven weeks of home leave is not a long time. At the beginning, you are aware of the limited amount of time but the end is not really in sight. You fill up your calendar with things to do, with people to see. Still the mundane intrudes: cooking, laundry, driving. Then suddenly, the days drop away. You haven't seen everyone you wanted to see, haven't done everything you want to do. Fortunately with home leave, we know that we will have the opportunity at Christmas to see those who we could not connect during this trip and collect the clothes we left behind.
We took the almost 10 pm flight on Thursday from Dulles airport to Frankfort, Germany. We booked too late so were not able to be on the non-stop from Dulles to Amsterdam. We had one hour between landing and take off on the Lufthansa flight from Frankfort to Amsterdam. Fortunately, we had a tail wind and arrived a half hour ahead of time.
Our friends drove us to the airport which meant that we were dropped off at the departure floor. Rental car shuttles drop off at the ground floor for arrivals. That way we had to figure out how to go up a floor with all our luggage. A later flight meant check in was easier, fewer people. We could not do "self check in" because of transferring planes. We did receive boarding passes for the second leg of our journey. Going through security went well. We walked a ways to the mobile lounge that took us out to our terminal and walked some more to our gate.
Taking a flight four hours later had its advantage. The cabin lighting was subdued to stimulate night. Instead of a snack service, the cabin crew went straight to dinner efficiently served. Outside of "Prince Caspian" (viewed once by ER), no other movies tempted us. We slept a bit. About 1 am Eastern time (7 am Netherlands time) a beeping alarm went off waking many of us. The flight crew searched through the overhead bins for the source. It was finally found to be the Ipod of the woman sitting next to JA. ER slept through it. We enjoyed the breakfast snack of apple croissant and yogurt.
We disembarked in Frankfort in the C section of Terminal 1 and kept walking to find our connecting flight in section A. Our bags were checked through to our destination so we did not have to go through baggage and customs at this time. We walked and walked. Finally reached passport control. The guard cared more about our residency permit then our passports. As a result, we have no stamp of entry into the country.
After passport control, we entered the Frankfort terminal. It felt narrow and windy. Recognizable stores lined the sides as we walked. No frits (french fry) stands though. Since we were in the public area, we needed to go through a security check point to once again have ourselves and our carryon items scanned. This time, both ER and MA had to be wanded because we beeped while walking through the first detector. It was ER's first time. ER's shoes, short boots, had to be put through the scanner. After that, we found our Lufthansa gate with time to spare and waited to be called for boarding.
Boarding the plane was an adventure again. We waited to go in with the second call. We walked through the door next to the gate, down stairs and into a bus. We waited in the bus as it filled with more passengers. The bus drove us through the tarmack to our plane, a 737. We climbed stairs into the plane. We were seated in the emergency exit row which means more leg room but no under seat items. The bins near our seats were full. The flight attendant found space in a bin further back.
The hour flight from Frankfort to Amsterdam was uneventful. Our snacks must have been favorite German ones nicely packaged in cellophane with a small bottle of water. We saved most of the snack for later since we planned to have frits for lunch. Upon landing, we were almost the last ones that disembarked as we had to wait to get our carryons until those behind us had exited.
We arrived at Amsterdam at the same time as several other planes from across Europe. Since we had entered the European Union at Frankfort, we did not have to go through Passport Control here. All four luggage belts were going with people stacked around waiting. Our luggage came off of belt 1. ER collected 5 of our 6 bags while JA found a luggage cart. (For international flights on United, each person can still take 2 bags weighing less then 50 pounds for no charge.) We waited for the 6th bag to arrive but it never did. Oh yes, 1 of the 5 bags had the "TSA opened for inspection" card inside.
MA had brought her Dutch cell phone along so was able to call Terry and let him know the situation. JA and ER waited with the luggage while MA filed a claim. Actually, with the hour window between the two flights in such a large airport, we felt blessed that we only missed 1 bag instead of more. Several people were in the same predicament. It was good to know that we were not alone. We were given a file number, website to check and a phone number to call if we had heard nothing in 48 hours. Once the bag was found, we would be called to set up an appointment time for delivery.
Terry greeted us outside the luggage area and bought us frits for lunch. He and JA had it with sate (peanut) sauce. ER and MA had them without. They were delicious. We took the train to Den Haag Centraal Station then a taxi home. We were able to stay up most of the rest of the day. JA and ER were early birds; MA slept till Noon on Saturday.
We heard nothing on Friday. JA regularly visited the website and saw that the bag was still being tracked. This bag contained our WiiFit which was hard enough to find in the first place. Finally early Saturday evening we received a call that they had our bag and could deliver it the next day between 2 pm to 6 pm. The bag arrived today, Sunday, at 2:30 pm, all intact, not even TSA inspected.
We are glad to be back with Terry and Zoey. It has been a long month with the family separated by the Atlantic Ocean. The girls have been in contact with come of their friends who are already back. School starts on August 20 so there's plenty of time to adapt to the time zone changes. MA and JA will help with new family orientation for the high school this Tuesday. We heard there are 6 new seniors and 29 new freshmen!
We haven't exhausted all the tales of living in Holland. And there will be more new adventures. ER has entered the 9th grade in high school and was accepted in the ASH Jazz Band. JA is a senior with all the exciting and terrifying events of the next 10 months. At the beginning of this new school year, MA resolves to post on a more regular basis since she's sure there still will be something new and exciting happening each week. Plus there's still last year's trips to blog about.
Best to all as you finish your summer. For those on the Fairfax County Modified Secondary School calendar who start school August 18th, we feel your pain. For those not on the modified school schedule, enjoy your last weeks by the pool, the beach and sleeping in. Labor day comes early this year.