Before I say goodbye Haarlem, let me talk about bicycles.

The Dutch people ride as if they were born on a bike. They seem to defy safety but yet they endure.  I have seen young children ride propelled by a parents arm, lovers holding hands while riding bikes next to each other,  a father riding with a toddler in the front and an infant in a snugli strapped to him as well as a guy carrying a cactus tree. Rush hour looks like sea of bikes. Many of them are rusted hunks that weigh a ton. 

There are distinct red paved bike paths separated by a curb, separating them from cars & pedestrians. 

The one I used had foot brakes and because of its weight it was difficult for to get on or off. 

Few have gears and because The Netherlands are so flat, one doesn't need them anyway. 

No one, I repeat no one wears a helmet.

Most of the Dutch people I saw were very fit. Obesity seems not exist here.

People do not necessarily ride for fun but as a way of life.

Haarlem eats

The display appeal of product placement in the upscale food shops shows great beauty and high quality. 

For example the Holland equivalent to say Whole Foods is Marqt. These photos were taken there. Striking me most was the green cheese spiked with Pesto and the white asparagus, grown without proper sunlight. 

Shoppers cruise the wide aisles casually marveling at the selections. No one seems in a big hurry. 

Learned at the checkout line that Marqt has policy of not accepting cash, plastic only.   Could this possibly be a new trend?

ADULTS ONLY IN AMSTERDAM

Made it to the new high times Mecca in Amsterdam.  Barney's Farm grows their organic medicine indoors and in soil pots, not hydroponically.  They have a wide variety and some of the worlds most sought after strains. 

Very knowledgeable staff who are more than willing to discuss the distinct properties of each strain whether it be Sativa, Indica or Hybrid.  I was given multiples jars to smell, feel and examine.  Microscopes are available (no kidding).

So feeling emboldened by the cool atmosphere where servers offered Latte's and fresh squeezed orange juice. Knowing it was legal and socially accepted I made my move..  Just Pre organic fun.   Vaporizers provided as needed free of charge. I jumped right in. 

I choose a pure Sativa; rare and difficult to produce. 

This strain is the Legendary "Doctor Grinspoon".  Named after the first American physician to prescribe lithium carbonate for bipolar disorder.  He was a cannabis advocate, recognizing the many benefits of this natural herb http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Grinspoon.  

Not surprisingly it was more expensive than the rest about $15 US. 

Benefits included strong standard Sativa stuff, but it emphasized increased energy bringing out the creative forces.

This stuff is in a class by itself.  After just a few shallow hits in the coffee shop area while sitting in comfortable booths, listening to strange European music with allot of bass playing from the ceiling I slowly melted into the leather seat.  ( see before & after pics). Time passed and a strong urge toook over to walk the mazes around the the Amsterdam canals and streets.  Getting lost, getting found and lost again guided only by the GPS we found our way to Central Station to take the train back to the serenity of Haarlem.   I know sit at my window overlooking manicured Dutch yards composing this entry. 

Come to beautiful Haarlem

Beginning  to settle into this town after about three days. This place has a little bit of everything.  One local here called it a hick town.  Most people we encountered are quite friendly and happy to speak English with an American. 

One guy asked us what we thought of our President.  He said he does not understand why many Americans don't like him.

Yesterday we spent the day walking about three miles to the sea through some wooded paths along a car road.  Made it to the famous North Sea and got to wade in low tide water a bit warmer than I expected it to be.  The cool sea and hot sand combo made my feet feel especially good.

Today we biked along a winding nicely paved dune road back from the sea. Would have been totally lost without a GPS. When the battery quit I saw my favorite landmark- the white horse, who pointed me in the right direction home. 

The Dutch seem to have been born on bicycles as they effortlessly glide on those heavy two wheelers. I find that getting started and getting off them a challenge. Once you get going it's fine.  Stopping is a whole other story. 

Came home safe & sound. Cooked a fine dinner on a hot plate in the little kitchen.

The sun sets slowly in the west as it is still light here at 9:30. 

London Town.

During my few days in London I noticed that although we sort of share the same language there are some quirky differences which I found interesting and humorous.  As well as the words displayed some of the images show how different our cultures can be.

Enclosed are some examples. 

The last one shows how hard it would be for a tresspasser to hop a fence. 

Let me know if you want me to pick up a pack of windsettlers. 

Now in Haarlem in the Eurozone.  More posts to follow.

Quote of the Day

To live a full life one must have a good backbone and a good funny bone. 

Oxford

Had a perfect day visiting with H. at his University.  He is a college friend of our daughter who was kind enough to arrange a date with him. I know that she is jealous that we had this opportunity, but she will get the chance soon.  He treated us to a splendid lunch at a beautiful dining hall that had delicious food.  Even a vegetarian option. Which I most appreciated.  

Here we are in the chapel being joined by golden eagle. 

Oxford has a medieval charm that is said to appear like hogsworth right out of a Harry Potter novel.  Great time.  Much appreciated H.

I commented on the speed of the cars and my difficulty in getting used to them driving on the other side of the street. He replied "yes I know it's terrifying". Could not agree more.  

I. 

Brixton

First day adventures are always difficult as one tries to orient themselves to a place and time they have never been before.   Energized by the rare bit of London sunshine we set forth to explore the community we temporarily reside in. 

During the dawn walk I was struck by the way the sun struck this old building turning the brick fire red.  It is no longer in use for the purpose it was erected for, as it now stands empty.  However it seems to remain as a testimony to the way of old London Town. 

Jet Lag

So wide awake in Brixton at 2am!  I for one has not experienced waking up and not being able to fall asleep before, let me tell you that for those people who do, you have my sympathy.  Most certain that  my rhythm will fall back in time soon.

So nice to have good friends!

Without a doubt the most difficult arrangement of this adventure was to find someone who could care for and love Ranger the way we do.  We are so grateful that our two friends have gracefully stepped in.   Although saying goodbye old friend is so hard,   I have no doubt that he will be more than fine.  Ranger  is now 11 years old and has been a companion through so many of our changes and always weathered them so well.  Hope that he will remember us when we return. 

Thanks again W&J for making this dream come true. We could not have done it without you. 

Flying the Coop!

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Lil DJ.

She bounded into our house with blue painted toenails at 3 months of age arriving by jet from Denver and remained with us for her whole 15 years. DJ was a cute little dog with a dominant personality.
Bossing around her larger dog companions and being totally assertive to her human caretakers she made her presence known to all that came in contact with her.  In her prime she jogged the hills of Western MA like a race horse, then sitting on her throne of the Lazy Boy recliner.  At night she would race to her crate to sleep with the command "Ok DJ get in your box".
She had many pitfalls and quirks.  Like a cat though she had nine lives with a strong will to live.  Surviving several accidents in her youth, a chocolate poisoning in middle age she succumbed in November 2012 to a weakening of her cardiac system causing her to collapse- recover, collapse-recover, collapse- recover and then to breathe her last under the cloud of intentional anesthesia in an Oakland Veterinarians office.
Dj was a part of the heart of our lives
We all will never forget you.

Old Oakland Railroad Station

Had the wonderful opportunity to visit a brief opening to the public of this relic that dates back to the early days of the 20th century when people rode a railroad train across the country to bring them California forever not just a brief vacation. 
This building was referred to as the Ellis Island of West where so many folks transplanted themselves into the far west of this country.
Possessing historical beauty this terminal has gone to seed a bit.  Highlighting this was the requirement to sign a waiver before entering, implying that there was some structural risk inherent in this long ago abandoned terminal. 
Never felt like I was in danger but I would not be inside those marble halls during an earthquake. 

Occupy Oakland CA

I have had a minor preoccupation with the Occupy Movement. As a social movement the odd pairing of both the young and the poor makes for and interesting phenomena.

Looking at the crowd in Ogawa Plaza one sees an odd mix of young political types hangin with the homeless who have migrated there for the safety and additional shelter this encampment has provided.

As these two fringes blend it seems to create a community that has never existed before and perhaps a greater understanding of America today.

Where young people who are burdened with a lower prospect of job opportunities and exorbitant student loans payments are paired with the underclass suffering from an insurmountable amount of poverty.
If this movement continues to grow where it will bring us is anyones guess but I am watching from the street and drawing my own conclusions.

Holiday

It is always a great time when I can take two weeks off from work and spend it traveling to a place I have never been before. This time we took advantage of our relocation to the West Coast and headed North. Flying to Seattle, renting a car to make the journey. Exploring much of the urban streets on foot as well hiking the trails of the verdant woodlands proved to be a fine experience.

Soaking in the warm BC mineral waters of Harrison Hot Springs was most therepeutic and invorigating. No doubt I wish I could recreate that silk like liquid in my own tub as since returning to this old house I have new aches and pains after completing a chore of staining a decorative wall structure. For that unfortunately Ibuprofen and arnica will have to do.

Urban Chickens

It looks as if we have finally have made the transition from rural to urban farmer. We left our ten acre farm in Western MA to a weedy strip of backyard in Oakland CA. Perplexed as to how we will be able to a limited degree maintain the illusion of self sufficiency, we transformed this dusty path to a pretty decent chicken coop.
We now have a dozen birds who will in the coming months hopefully mature into a nice flock of laying hens.
It brings great peace and joy to let them out in the cool misty mornings of the East Bay as it connects me once again to nature, reminding me once again that all things are possible.

Burial at Sea

May 1 2011 will be a day remembered as the day it was announced that the man who apparently masterminded and ordered the attack on the World Trade Center in NYC ten years ago was killed by the US Military where he was living deep inside Pakistan.
Coincidentally May 1 (1945) is also the same day it was announced that the German dictator Adolph Hitler was also no longer among the living.
Some people serve as political symbols and when they are killed it brings a huge degree of satisfaction. When these larger than life characters are finally brought down it gives us an opportunity to take great joy in their demise. We see this occuring throughout history.
Bin Laden's death of course does not lay to rest the terror that may still us in the future but it does allow the people of US to feel they have gotten revenge for the attack that changed our country forever.
Is this an end of era? Most likely not, but it does make many Americans feel better. If one can feel good about someones death then this is a good news day.

There But For Fortune.

It had been a long time since I have seen his face, heard his voice closely listening to the words.
A long time indeed. Although I lived through the events the distance between the decades have faded the memory but the footage in this film brought them back albeit with diminished clarity.
I seem to remember the demonstration/celebratiion n Central Park when the last of troops returned from Indochina. I was there but man that was a long time ago.
Most of people in the theatre here in Berkeley CA had grey hair, not greying hair but the real thing; full on Granpa hair. We were here though, whisked in by the energy to witness once again those melodies, songs, and chords of fame.
Besides the film this Saturday evening showing was an epic moment for me because my admission for this film was the first time I used the senior discount. I was in good company.

Just Kids

It seems like I always have been a Patti Smith fan. Even before the Filmore, CBGB's or College.

I have forever been a sucker for sentimental charismatic Rock and Roll performers.

I think it began at Palisades Park, during one of the free shows that I went to with my parents on some Summer Sunday afternoons.

I remember it was Mothers Day and Bobby Vinton sang "Roses are Red My Love" and then he walked around the audience and gave all the Mothers a red rose. My mother was really touched and my Dad was beaming. It left a strong impression on my young psyche and I am left forever spellbound by a performer who can hold you in the palm of their hand the moment they walk on stage.

Patti never fails to spend a moment or two peering into the audience, checking us all out. She has a smile on her face that says I am so glad to be here and I would not want to be anywhere else than fronting this rock and roll band on this stage at this moment. That is why most everyone is spellbound riveted during her shows.

I know because to be honest I have seen here countless times. Most recently it was at Golden Gate Park in SF where she gave me chills during her rendition of the Rolling Stones Classic "Playing with Fire"

In going through my record collection I found this early 45 and somehow I don't remember how I got her to autograph it. So cool. Brings back so many dark memories of days gone by.

Community gestures

In the neighborhood where I live one homeowner is establishing a shrub that offers passerbys the opportunity to express themself.

He supplies cardboard, manila labels with strings attached (no pun intended). Even a pen is available.He asks people to write down what they are grateful for & attach the card to the tree.

Occasionally he prunes the bush removing older posts, making room for recent proclamations.

In reviewing them many are quite touching most expressing gratitude for having someone to share life with.

In days of internet communication so prevelent this simple way of self expression for all to see is such a natural throwback to simpler times. I am grateful to have this shrine down the street from me.