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Tuesday, September 28, 2004


Haarlem's Grote Market - This is the main market square in the center of old Haarlem. On weekends, during the day the square is filled with vendors hawking everything imaginable - from fish to dog food. The prices at the market are significantly better than in the stores, so it gets very crowded. In the evening, if the weather is good, all of the restaraunts and bars pull their tables out and the square turns into a giant, ad-hoc festival atmosphere. Posted by Hello

Monday, September 20, 2004


North Sea Beach

We finally made it out to Zandvoort last weekend. The town itself comprises a lot of non-descript highrise apartment blocks, although there is a nice old downtown with shops, restaurants, and cafes. The main attraction is of course the sea. There is a large dune that hangs about 15 meters above the broad, flat beach. A wide boardwalk rides on top of the dune, overlooking a line of bars and equipment rental shops nestled between the dune and the water. There is a constant breeze from the sea, making windsports like catamarans, windsurfers, and parasails all very popular.
Posted by Hello

Monday, September 13, 2004



Ancient gates of Haarlem.

The city had a large series of motes, canals, and rivers that protected it from attack and controlled the flow of commerce (taxes). This is the only surviving gate that allowed people and goods through the defenses. It looks kind of odd now because the mote that it sits on is pretty much filled in and no longer functioning....but the gate is still really cool! Posted by Hello

Tuesday, September 07, 2004

Hamster Weken


It's Hamster Weken (Hamster Soak) month at our local grocer...what the hell does that mean?!?!? Do I really want to buy that new special sausage on sale in the deli case? And why is this hamster flipping me off in all the advertisments?

"Ja, ja, ja. Spike is a dirty old bastard!"

Posted by Hello

Thursday, September 02, 2004

Wednesday, September 01, 2004


Doggie Theme Park Posted by Hello

TERRORISTS!!!!!!

Tonight, as Sage and I took our evening stroll through Schoterbos, her favorite park here in Haarlem, Sage was the victim of a vile, premeditated, and perfectly coordinated assault. The only thing that spared her was her ability to cut a 90-degree corner while leaping 3 feet (1 meter) into the air. Osborn, an elderly and somewhat sluggish German Shepard could not make that cut. He was brought down by the attack. The events you are about to read are disturbing, and not for the feint of heart. I only repeat them here so that the rest of you can be warned and keep a vigilant lookout for these evildoers, these haters of freedom, these un-Christian doggie terrorists.

The evening started calmly enough. I let Sage run loose at the designated leash “disembarking” point at the far North West corner of the park. She likes to start out here because the Jan Gijzenvaart Canal gives her a place to drink and gain energy for romping with all of her friends. We then walked down along the community garden area, meeting up with Judy and Eddie, who we stopped and played with for 10-15 minutes. They were headed out, so Sage and I continued on alone to the main field where all of the dogs and owners hang out after dinner. As we rounded the corner it appeared that we were in for a great evening. It was a large crowd. Larger than any gathering we had seen here before. We recognized some of the dogs – Mozart, Pepper…ah, and there was Kye, one of Sage’s favorite friends. But there were also many new fresh faces to meet.

I was still 15 meters behind her as she loped across the field to join in on all the fun. . And then, at the center of the field, the most vulnerable point with no trees, no bushes, no cover, the terrorists struck.

The assailants were two Maltize/Shih-Tzu/Pekinese mixed types. Even you don’t recognize the name of the breed, you know this kind of dog. These are the little foo-foo lap dogs, fully adorned with yellow and red ribbons in their hair, yapping their way across the field toward Sage. They were coming in aggressively fast, shoulder-to-shoulder, nose-to-nose.

Sage stopped and eyed the two curiously. This hesitation seemed to bolster their confidence and they increased their stride. Their stubby little legs worked in perfect unison as if they were one dog, neither outpacing the other.

Sage didn’t like what she saw (and heard) from these two little vermin. She bolted to the left, tail between her legs. They smelled her fear, further fueling their adrenaline and giving them a speed that I’ve never witnessed in these ratty little dogs. They exploited the open field and quickly closed the gap to a single meter between them and their victim. Sage, sensing their closeness, cut right. They cut right. Sage doubled back and did an amazing jumping left twist toward the hedgerow. They made the same cut, in perfect unison, and were able to keep pace with Sages aerobatics.

I looked on in amazement at how these two dogs seemed to share a common brain, a common thought process. It was like nothing I had seen before; almost as if they were one entity, joined by some psychic link that allowed them to think for and with each other.

By this time, the incessant yapping drew the attention of the crowd of dogs and people over at the benches. They had all stopped their conversations and butt sniffing and seemed to be enjoying the spectacle unfolding on the field. Only Osborn, the older German shepherd was oblivious to the rising tension. He started trotting across the field to get a closer perspective on the action.

Sage was closing in on the hedgerow as quickly as the two little terrorists were closing in on her. A final cut to the left and she would reach the relative safety of the laurel bush. Osborn was close now and had distracted Sage’s attention. She stopped briefly to touch noses with him. The two attackers did not stop. At the last possible second, Sage leaped backwards and into to the hedgerow. She covered a full meter in a single bound. The speed at which the two assailants were able to adjust their target was truly impressive. They still had fresh meat in their sights. And that meat was now Osborn. Without breaking stride, one streaking furball went to the left and one went to the right of the large German shepherd, as if to circle and intimidate him. It was a beautifully calculated move. But neither I, nor obviously Osborn anticipated the full extent of this underhanded strategy. It caught us both off guard.

Osborn went down! Thrown to the ground as if his feet were yanked from underneath him. Then I saw the fine, silver chain that connected the two little attack yappers. The chain that brought Ossie down. This synthetic umbilical cord seemed to give them strength and courage not usually found in these little rodents. They puffed up their chests and stood basking in their accomplishment. In their short, nasal panting, you could hear the grunting snickers of Beavis and Butthead. The crowd cheered.