Whirlwind of Visitors

Man! We had a stretch there of several weeks where we had people coming in and out of Amsterdam. They've been gone now for about a week, so I can get caught up now on what's been going on. Got a real good story to tell that just ended today, but let me touch on all of the visitors that blew through.
First, Barbara came through in early August for a few days on her way to a cruise that she was taking from Copenhagen. Barbara had never been to Amsterdam before, so we walked around the city a little, hitting the touristy spots. We went to Brugge, Belgium and she really enjoyed that (who doesn't really, other than Colin Farrell's character in the movie?). There were a few days between Barbara leaving for her cruise and Radhika's Mom, sister Dolly, and Dolly's husband John (JK) arrival from NY. They went through the usual adjustment period with the 6 hour difference and then were good to go... more or less! This is Dolly and John's 2nd visit to Amsterdam in 4 months, and we are hard pressed to ever get out of the apartment before noon during their visits! But that is the nature of their vacations here, so we're "good to go" when they are! We saw "Mama Mia" because Dolly loves Abba and saw the Broadway show but not the movie yet. They liked it. We returned to Brugge again, because this was Mom's first visit and she has never visited. We all climbed the tower this time, squeezing past the others in the narrow, twisting stairwell like you find in your average Amsterdam apartment building. We ate outside at cafes, walked the streets, went in shops, bought chocolates... the usual Brugge itinerary. Mom, Dolly, and JK went to the Rijk's Museum, and one day we drove to The Hague, as we hadn't even checked that city out since arriving last year. It's definitely worth a repeat visit. One story ends with us getting 2 cool outdoor chairs for our rooftop terrace. We were all walking back to the apartment after yet another great dinner one evening, and the sidewalks had scattered piles of "stuff" that had been formed by resident's for the refuse pick up the next day. JK and I noticed what looked like 2 wooden outdoor chairs on top of a pile. After 30 seconds of inspection, we could find nothing wrong with them so we carried them back. The next day I removed the cloth seating and back from the wooden frame, tossed them in the washer, and they came out looking like new! The next time we need some furniture, we've decided to just hit the streets the night before trash collection. One man's trash IS another man's treasure (or garden terrace chair!). I have noticed that resident's do toss out a lot of stuff that normally Americans would find at a yard or garage sale. There appears to be no Goodwill, Salvation Army, or any other similar organization here. I'm told things of this nature are handled exactly how our situation occurred. In the Netherlands, the low-income family sector is much smaller then it is in the US due to the amount of government assistance. Anyway, one of the most enjoyable things we did was go to a local pub that has a live band playing near Leidseplein. Mom hit the sack, but the 4 of us went out for some drinks and music. The band was quite good, and it happened to be the night where it's an "open mic" situation. Several people came up before different numbers and joined in. There were 2 guitarists who came up for different numbers, and a saxaphonist. We were telling John he should go up to do something with them. He eventually did go up and did the number "Flip, Flop, Fly" by the Blues Brothers. It rocked, and the guys in the band and the crowd really enjoyed it!
So after Radhika's family scoots back to NY, her marathon coach and boyfriend come in for a couple of days before they take part in a triathlon in nearby Almere. Also, at the same time, Barbara comes back from her cruise and spends 2 1/2 days here before she heads back to the US. We go to an area just outside Amsterdam where there are farms to see the "rural" side of Holland, she tours the Ann Frank House, and shops for souvenirs for her friends back home. The apartment was now empty, with the slight possibility that Consuela and Trung (the afore mentioned marathon coach and her boyfriend) might stay a night or 2 after their triathlon and visit to Belgium. But they headed back to the states straight away, and thus ended our own "guest marathon". Now it's back to the normal craziness involving us and the local cast of characters. More on that later.

Just An Update

No big stories to tell or complaints to make. Just a small narrative to go along with the couple of pictures to be added.
We live right near Vondel Park, which is the main green space in Amsterdam. It was a nice sunny day and the sun was hanging low in the sky, so we figured we would take some light food, find a spot, and throw down a sheet on the grass and enjoy the outdoors with many other visitors to the park. People are always in the park on nice days, doing all sorts of things.
We attended the Gay Pride Parade that floats down what's considered the main canal in Amsterdam last Saturday. Words can't express some of the costumes I saw. Needless to say this would NEVER fly in uptight Orlando. People would think the world was ending! I'll let the photo's do the speaking.

Up to Texel

Last Sunday, we decided to do a little exploring, and drove the 90 minutes to where we caught the ferry to the most southern Friesland Island (hope I got that right - I'm not a REAL PAID writer so I can't afford a fact checker yet), Texel - pronounced Tessel for all you foreigners! The website for the ferry said it's a 30 minute trip... try 15 minutes max! For 35 euros round trip it should've been 30!!! We had limited time on the island due to our late start and Brad's need to get back to Amsterdam to pick up Natalia at the airport coming in from Poland. We ate a nice, relaxed lunch. Radhika and I swapped meals after I discovered I had small shrimps in my sandwich (you try to decipher a dutch menu - - sometimes you say to hell with it and ye takes yur chances!). We drove past the nude beaches heading to the north end. The terrain was quite different to what we are used to down in the "big city" which was nice. We drove through some small towns. I believe there are only 7 on the entire island. We walked along the beach for a spell and then had to head back, stopping only after Brad spied an ice cream shop on the side of the road after we took the ferry back to the mainland. We pushed Brad out of the car as we zipped past the airport where we assumed he met up with the birthday girl because we saw her later that week and headed home. I believe we saw a movie that night, but who remembers these things?!??! Oh yeah, it was the second viewing of Kung Fu Panda (Jack Black being funny with just his words and voice).

Rowing Lesson 3

What a beautiful weather day yesterday!!!!!!!!! Don't get to say THAT very often in Amsterdam (from OUR experience here and point of view - living previously in Orlando!). Played some fun, sweaty tennis with Vik and Natalia, then biked it over to the GE office where we met Radhika already mounted on her bike heading to the rowing location which is right near the office. Brad was already there waiting for the rest of the team. Radhika actually sat in the lead position yesterday, this being the first time all 4 of us were in the boat together (Brad missed lesson 1 with injury, Natalia missed lesson 2 being in Poland). It went well. Brad saved my Sweetie's life by not allowing her to step out of the boat by placing her foot on the sliding seat (that's my girlie!!!). I am in his debt and must now save Natalia's life some day, some how. Eva, our coach was celebrating her 23rd birthday and decided to celebrate with us by telling us how much we sucked at rowing! Just kidding (not about her birthday). She gave us good instruction and just enough praise so we didn't toss our oars into the Amstel River out of frustration. Radhika was displaying the start of a few small blisters on her hands afterwards as badges of honor, evidence of the rigors and stress of leading a team of rowers down the dangerous, treacherous waters of the Amstel.

By Popular Demand

Adding a few pictures by request. The first one... I guess some people needed visual evidence that Radhika DOES indeed ride a bike to work - weather permitting. The others that follow are of our place here in Amsterdam. The bedrooms and such are on the floor where you enter the apartment, and the living room, dining room, kitchen, and nook are on the top floor. Sounds backwards, but it is the best way as we're on the top of the building so there are 3 skylights providing natural light and they open up when the weather is nice. The rooftop terrace is a nice area to have for gatherings or reading, and just hanging out (again, weather permitting!). The views from both floors are exceptional and it's relatively quiet considering it's a popular section of the city. Enjoy!

Revenge of the Rodent

Okay... back in Amsterdam and finally caught up on the trips to Norway and America. It's been a typical summer here, but even a little cooler then usual from what I understand from locals. I got off the plane from Orlando on June 26th in shorts and a t-shirt and proceeded to shiver. If I recall accurately there was a 30 degree (in fahrenheit) difference between origination (92) and destination (62). There have been a lot of clouds, almost equal amount of precipitation, breezy, with "here and there" sunshine. Last night it was 57 degrees!!! This is July, and my body is wondering where all the missing sweat is! Today the high is 62!
Anyway, as you blog readers should know, there was a rodent rave out in the yard back in Orlando while I was there. Apparently our neighborhood isn't the only affected area, as Windermere is also getting it's share of critter visitors. But I'm beginning to think I was followed back to Amsterdam, and a plot for revenge is in the works! I went into the storage area in the kitchen, and I found a small hole chewed into the ziplock bag that contained my snickers bars with the end of one bar nibbled on!! Now this is enough to cause me to blow up the building to get the varmint (think Bill Murray in Caddyshack). The landlord says it's a little mouse and all places in Amsterdam have them. I still think a rat followed me from O-Town and is plotting to right the wrong I committed on his fellow 17 or so kin. Vincent (our landlord) provided some traps and bait, so that suckers days are numbered. We have since placed all accesible foodstuffs in a large, plastic container. Hope it REALLY enjoyed those tasty mouthfuls of peanuts, nougat, and creamy chocolate because that's all it's getting here!!
I finally got our GE leased car cleaned. It's been really dirty since the day it was turned over to us. I tried to get it serviced before we went to Norway, but it takes weeks to get an appointment so I settled for a date after I came back from Orlando. Well, I went to the Ford dealer Tuesday morning. It wasn't obvious where the service area was but I found it after a spell. They had a 40K kilometer service on the invoice (even though there's only 26K on the car) but no mention of the cleaning. I just sat there for a second or 2 thinking "here we go". I told the guy that the cleaning was at least equally important to the service, as both were reasons for the appointment. So he showed me the invoice and I said that I understood, and could see that it's not listed in the desired work to be done, but it was requested. I told him that the man I had made the appointment with over the phone said they use an outside vendor to clean their serviced cars which he nodded in agreement to, but kept saying it's not on the paperwork. I asked if it could be cleaned today... squeezed into the schedule, and the typical Dutch response of "not possible" shot out of his mouth faster then can be measured with our limited technology of the day! It was like he was sitting there for centuries with the words "not possible" poised between his cheek and gums like some verbal wad of Skoal just eager to spit it out at the first opportunity... and I was the lucky cowboy receiving his chaw on my boot!!! When I asked when I could get it cleaned he reviewed some papers and said August 8th! Then the 11th, as the person who does the cleaning is on holiday for 3 weeks. I wanted to jump across the desk and choke him! But, having worked on my anger management (like Jesse Jackson apparently should), I went on with the service and said I would make another appointment to get it cleaned. He then remarked that I had no car rental on the invoice. I said "No, it's a leased car from GE." I thought about his comment, and asked "Car rental for me? Uh, how long do you plan on keeping the car?" Remember, this was 8:30 in the morning and just getting a preventive maintenance check and probable oil change. He said they usually keep it a day!! That across-the-desk choke slam was getting closer. I told him I am NOT prepared to leave the car. I figured 3 to 4 hours max, so I brought my camera's with me and would walk around the area shooting whatever presents itself until called on the mobile. It would be a pain in the ass to get back home and come back the next day. The guy I made the appointment with did not indicate how long it would take, and I mistakenly assumed the service time would be similar to US times. He looked at the invoice and said they will be able to finish today but could give me no time. So, I left the car, grabbed my stuff and started walking towards the football arena where there were shopping stores a couple of miles away. I made some photos along the way of an industrial area, grabbed a banana and yogurt drink, mulled around in a huge sporting goods store and then noticed a movie theater that is part of our free movie club card. I got my ticket for my 2nd viewing of The Incredible Hulk and sat down. Shortly, 2 guys came to me and said I couldn't be in there with my cameras. I explained they were professional still cameras, but there was still doubt. I offered that they lock them up in an office, but they didn't want responsibility. We left the theater to continue the discussion outside in the lobby. Finally, I offered to give them the batteries and they were okay with that!! So, with my cellphone battery almost exhausted and it being over 2 hours since leaving the car, I turned it off at the start of the movie. Of course I had messages waiting when I turned it back on. They said the car was finished, so I had them pick me up at the theater which was nice as it was sprinkling (of course) and I didn't want to walk 2 miles back with digital cameras in the rain. It was about 4pm when I got to R's office after gassing up (82 euros for a maximum 13 gallon tank - - about $120. That's over $9/gallon for all you $4/gallon whiners. Phil Gramm's words, not mine). Anyway, Thursday I called 1 of the other 2 Ford dealers and they hooked me up with their car cleaner who did an excellent job the next day. I even took the tram home and back so I wasn't stuck somewhere all day. I'll take the car back to them for the next servicing as they were much more helpful and professional.
We saw "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" with Brad and Natalia Friday night. It was very funny and one we all say we'll see again. Saturday, we had them over for dinner, serving Indian dishes. It came out quite well and all seemed to enjoy it. We later went over to their apartment which is really close to our location, as they had invited some people over from Brad's ultimate frisbee team. All night when referring to the movie, Brad called it everything BUT the right title!!! It was hilarious! "Saving Sarah Silverman", "Remembering Private Ryan", "Forgetting Sarah Ferguson" - - you name it, he said it. I think after he sees it again, he won't FORGET the title.

Rat Side Story

So... I look out a side window one day as I have come in from the heat and pressure cleaning when I see what I first thought was a squirrel with a hairless tail. After a millisecond I realized what I saw and after a few moments of disbelief I went outside to find it. Of course it was nowhere in sight, but I told Marc about it and to be on the lookout. The next day I am headed to the side gate and the scurrying sound of a lizard on my left caught my attention. Those of us living in the area are used to seeing small lizards everywhere, so it's no big deal. But, right next to where this lizard came to stop was this furry little varmint, and man were we eyeballing each other!! It's nose and whiskers were twitching, and I swear its eyes were asking me not to harm it. Yeah, for a second I felt bad as I went to grab a board to knock the life out of it. If it were one rat, I may turn my back, but I know there's no such thing as one rat!!! I tried to smack that thing but couldn't get a clean shot, so it bolted from it's hiding place and zipped past me within a foot or 2 so fast I couldn't react. It went to Kevin's yard where I lost it. The next day I'm chasing a rat again, but this is NOT the same one I had seen previously (you see - - no such thing as 1 rat!!!). It was a monster!! More large house cat than rat!!! Reminded me of the dog-sized rat I saw in Chicago one night at 5am a long time ago! I chased it around trying to lay the smack down on it. The bastard climbed a tree and got onto the roof where I soon followed as I had the ladder out for the pressure washing. Couldn't find it on the roof, so as I was coming back down I noticed it in the tree doing the "I'm a branch" impression. I took a Mark McGuire (after steroids) swing and sent that "ratball" straight to the wall. I didn't know I was dealing with a terminator, because it bounced and hit the ground running, sounding like it was laughing as it vanished down the hill. I got off the roof but the beast was nowhere to be found. The rats definitely had the upper hand, but little did they know their fortunes were about to change. The next day Marc is on the same side of the house building a flower garden, and lifts up a railroad tie to use as a border. He pokes his head in the house telling me to come outside; he found "my" rat. Well, he really found the "condo" it had built and was living in. He also discovered a nest with 4, hairless, sightless newborn babies in it (going back to never 1 rat!!!!). Red carpenter ants started to get on them and bite, causing them to scream and wiggle. I wanted them gone, but didn't want them to suffer, so I put on gloves and removed them from the nest and now numerous ants, dipping them in water and pulling the ants off of them. Marc and I felt the most humane way to deal with this was to drown them, which I did. The ants would've slowly and painfully killed them if they were left there, the sun would've slowly killed them if I just tossed them in the field. Too bad I didn't know anyone with a python or similar snake because they would've made a nice snack. So, counting those babies we now knew there had been at least 6 rats in the area. The smaller one I first saw and then big daddy. Later in the day, I was leaning forward to plug in the paint sprayer in one of the outdoor receptacles, and down in this hole against the house and 2 boards I saw these beady eyes looking up at me. It was the rat from hell!!!!! I froze for a second, half not wanting to spook it and half not wanting it to fly up and grab my jugular with it's yellow nasty fangs. I looked around and there was no weapon narrow enough to stick down there to crush this designed-by-the-military monster. I thought about the Smith and Wesson in the house, but then I thought of ricochet at close range, and forever explaining how I lost my left pinkie or the big dent in my forehead. All that was nearby was the pressure cleaner. Hmmmmm... I cranked that beeyotch up and simultaneously stuck it down the hole and pulled the trigger. Not much happened.... at first.... and then it thrust itself up and halfway out of the hole!!!! It was strong like a Sherman Tank!! It looked dead at me, showed it's yellow teeth as it gave me a rat scream. If it could've freed up a paw I'm sure it would've flipped me off! The wand was against its abdomen with the washer stream point blank cutting into it. I pushed it back down into the hole with the wand of the pressure cleaner and put my shoe over most of the hole. A little blood was here and there, most of it from the rat. After what seemed like 10 minutes, I released the trigger and pulled out the wand. Looking into the hole, I couldn't see the rat! Did the damn thing dig out? Have a tunnel to escape through? I jammed a bunch of rocks in the hole to keep it from coming out if it were bale to survive this grisly attack. Marc said he smelled something "bad" in the area the next 2 days but it stopped after that. He asked if I was going to remove it (like how - - stick my hand down there to grab it?), but I figured the odor would keep other rats from moving in and ants would eventually "clean up". I told Kevin the story, and luckily he works for a pest control company and offered me a few traps, which I set in the area. It only took overnight to grab the next "contestant" in my own personal reality show, and I placed the body on a post on the back fence hoping the local Osprey's or Hawks would grab the meal. I think it was the first one I saw because it was smaller. So, I figured that was the end of it... 1 male and 1 female killed with their offspring... until the trap went off again and caught another rat the very next night. In the meantime, Marc found another nest in the same area as the first one with 3 babies in it. So, those 3 did the perpetual backstroke in the water pail and were disposed of. A couple of days later, I'm in the backyard and one goes scurrying down the fence line!!! Jefferson, Marc's pug starts chasing it back and forth just having a good 'ol time. He could've grabbed it on several occasions, but I think he just wanted the thrill of the chase. Well, I did my own chasing, but giving it several well placed whacks on the head and off it went to the back fence post where the other rat had already disappeared from (cat or bird is my guess). This one didn't make it overnight either, but this time ants cleaned off everything but the skeleton. One more death via rattrap a few days later, and there's a bonafide pet cemetery in the backyard now. After several days of "zero kills", we're high fiving and figuring another victory for humanity. But no... I go to move a plastic barrel in the yard used to store some pipes and gutter material, and I look at something looking at me!! But wait; there are another pair of eyes!!! And another!!!! And another!!!! I lost count after 6!!!!!!!!!! That was it! I started filling that barrel up with water as I removed the stored material. Eventually, rats were trying to make a break for it as the water level rose and hiding places disappeared. With a piece of PVC pipe I started playing my own version of the carnival and arcade game "Whack-A-Mole". As they tried to scamper out I thumped 'em good on the head. Eventually they were all dead of head trauma or drowning, but just to make sure I sealed the barrel and left it overnight. What a beautiful odor that came rising out of that barrel when it was opened the next day!!! NEVER have I ever dealt with a stink such as that. Marc and I carried the barrel to the retention pond where we dumped the contents. That was the last time we saw a rat... 18 rats in total!!!!! I had not seen a wild rat in Florida since I was about 5 or 6 when my Dad killed a couple that had gotten into our henhouse.

Back In Orlando, part 2

Once back in Orlando, it was time to paint. I had purchased the paint (15 gallons) and paint sprayer when I bought the sealant. I had actually done a little painting before leaving for NY, as I had rented an extension ladder for 2 days to get to the high 2nd story section in the back. I pressure cleaned in the morning, it was dry by early afternoon so I applied sealant and that was dry by the end of the day. The next morning I let the sun dry off any remaining moisture and put the first coat on the high places. Later in the day I applied the 2nd coat and was done in the places I needed the extension ladder and took it back the next morning. The other high places I could reach with my 2 ladders, getting on the roof, standing on the pool screen frame, or hanging upside down from the roof. Of course, at the end of one day after a full days worth of work on the extension ladder, I was painting high up and hadn't noticed the nozzle had come loose on the spray gun. My safety glasses were filthy so I wasn't wearing them, and a blob of paint came out of the gun, hit the wall, and splashed into my right eye. So here I go down the ladder with one eye stinging and shut, burying my head in the swimming pool. It flushed out the paint really well, but you know this dufus went to Lowe's that evening and bought another pair of safety glasses! So over several days, the painting was accomplished (but not before I forgot to paint the mailbox out front and was scraping paint molecules out of the empty cans to finish that!). I bought 2 gallons of the trim paint and started on that. Almost finished before I went to Tallahassee to visit my sister and nephew from the 19th to the 22nd. I hadn't visited up there in years and found myself in the middle of renovations. Seems like everyone is working on the homes! Helen is replacing floor boards, and Lee is doing a lot of the work with their friend, Phil. It's looking good. I finally met friends of there's I had heard about over the years at dinner out one night. Lee and I went to the movies to see "Iron Man". We went to another one of Helen's friends house for her young son's birthday party which was nice. Oh, don't let me forget my nephew running his mouth about dominating me in a game of basketball. 21 - 0. Ouch!!! I believe it is an adults duty to slap down an adolescent when they don't know their place. His scars will heal... one day. He wanted to quit when it was 2 - 0!! Oh the simple joys in life!

I was able to finish up the painting after my trip to Tallahassee, and most of the things on my list. I played a few more (free) games of tennis, visited some (but not all) friends in Daytona, had sushi with Carla, Karin, and Bill, hung out with B, enjoyed that shimmering swimming pool and the sultry summer sun only central Florida can provide. R couldn't believe how dark I was when she saw me at the airport. I had cast off that pasty shade of cream that Amsterdam had inflicted upon me. But soon I will be back to my European paleness, semi-blending in with the ghosts and undead. I do miss "home" at times, but enjoying the opportunity of "living where we're living" and making the most of it. back to adventures of the European style! I'll get on those pictures of our place here in Amsterdam for those of you who have expressed an interest, and get them on the blog soon! Later!