Lyrical

I guess I must have watched Saturday morning TV even into my teens since these two songs (which I know all the words to) started airing the year I became a teenager - 1973. I bet there's a few of you out there who know them too.

Conjunction Junction, what's your function?
Hooking up words and phrases and clauses.

I'm just a bill.
Yes, I'm only a bill.
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.

When our kids were young, we had a Wee Sing tape with patriotic songs and a song to learn the states in alphabetical order. They loved that tape and we played it all the time.

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas . . .

This land is your land.

This land is my land . . .

When I was a Sigma Kappa at LaTech, part of our pledge requirements was to learn the Greek alphabet. We learned it in a song and although it's been 30+ years since I learned it, I still know every word.

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta . . .

In high school, when I knew every word to every popular song of the week, I didn't give much thought to the meaning of the lyrics. None, really. I just sang along.

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

"I've found out how overwhelming the media is and the way it drills things into your head, it's almost like a mind control. If I could control people's minds, I'd like to put something useful in."

Natalie Merchant

Maybe along with

Dashing thro' the snow, in a one horse open sleigh . . .

we could add, say something like

So this is Christmas and what have you done.

Another year over and a new one just begun.

And maybe along with

O-oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light . . .

we could also try, I don't know, maybe

If you care enough for the living, make a better place for you and for me . . .

or perhaps

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one . . .

"If I could control people's minds, I'd like to put something useful in."

Noordzee

On our way back from Keukenhof and the tulip fields we drove along the coast of the North Sea. This particular area isn't like many commercialized beach areas. There are no hotels, restaurants, or homes along the beach. We stopped in the small town of Noordwijk and walked to the beach which turned out to be a 20 minute hike from the road!

Jim & Winslow - beach to themselves!

Most of the shore was covered with these shells.

future strand

Stonehenge

It's not white sand and blue water,

but beautiful just the same.

"Beach"

My collection.

That big black thing is igneous rock.

We found it on the strand.

And it floats.

And Iceland is not that far away.

zonsondergang

sunset

Winslow made a new friend . . .

and fortunately he also knows a bad thing when he sees it.

He's a genius.

Ana-Maria

. . . is a young mother originally from Romania. She has three young children and is in our Flemish class. She attends class pretty regularly and is learning quickly. She also speaks Romanian, Spanish, and English - that I know of.

She's married and has lived in Belgium for less than one year. Her children are young and the baby less than a year old. Before moving to Belgium they lived in Spain for eight years, but had to move when her husband's work ended. We asked what her husband does and she said he picks fruit. She went on to say he works from 5 am to 8 pm - 7 days a week. She said with regret that he was not off work even on Christmas Day.

She is very open and volunteered that her husband earns 1000 Euro each month. They are able to live on the farm where he picks fruit so they don't have to pay rent. They do have to pay for utilities so she said they try not to use much heat since it is expensive. They also receive public assistance of 400 Euro per month for the children. I'm not certain of the integration rules, but I believe this may be one of the reasons she is in the Flemish class.

She is cheerful, friendly, and always looks her best. I don't know if Belgium will be their home for the next eight years or for only the next year. She indicated they will not return to Romania. I do not know why, but I think despite the end of communism over 20 years ago, things are still not so good there.

I don't know all the challenges Ana-Maria has faced and can't imagine a life as she has already lived. I do know if she is the only Romanian I ever meet, I will describe them as very friendly, sincere, and cheerful. I hope that wherever she and her little family go next to pick fruit, she is as hopeful as she is right now.

Keukenhof

Keukenhof covers 32 hectares (~80 acres) and is open for 8 weeks each Spring. In the Netherlands, it's about a half hour south of Amsterdam and only a 15 minute drive to the sea.

It really is lovely.

Lunch - herring on the left.

He ate it, but he didn't want any more.

Picturesque.

And pristine.

It's been open for 60 years.

And has had more than 44 million visitors.

Many of them were there last Saturday :)

Jim estimated about 400 tour buses and hundreds more cars.

If you look really close you will see lots of people lined up in the distance of this photo. They are waiting for the Bloemencorso. Flower Parade. We knew there was to be one, but there were so many people we didn't see any way we could get there. Turns out it travelled quite a few miles and perhaps we could have seen it if we'd known where to go.

These next pictures are from previous Bloemencorsos.

These are all flowers!

Amazing.

We didn't know what we missed! :(

I'll be there next year!

Tulpen

Indeed!

It's true.

I've seen it for myself.

Tulips by the hectare.

Imagine driving along and . . .

seeing soybeans, cotton, corn growing.

Imagine driving along and . . .

seeing this.

It's true.

They grow just like crops.

It's really spectacular.

These are fields of hyacinth . . .

It looked like snow.

And the smell was unbelievable.

Next weekend?