Festivals, firepots and fall

I know, I know. It’s still the last day of August for crying out loud. But fall is my favorite season, and just like the long cool dusks of mid-September, I like to draw this season out as much as possible. Now, as I sit in our sunny back garden to write this week’s blog entry, a crisp, salty breeze is pushing in from the North Sea, expressing agreement with me for the change of season.


Seeing this guy out in the dunes on my last bike ride didn’t help matters much. The photo is fuzzy because I was so far zoomed in and couldn’t hold the camera steady (Can we all say buck fever!) Look at that rack! Of all the things that I miss from America, the fall hunting has to top the list. I still debate whether I’d enjoy a wild boar hunt down in Belgium. For me it’s more about the ritual and the camaraderie than the kill. I’m just not sure if I’d get that from a guided hunt.



We wrapped up the last of the summer festivals this weekend with a bike ride up to Ijmuiden for their annual Havenfeest (Port Festival). Ijmuiden is one of the largest trawler ports in North Holland and is known for roughneck dockworkers and fishermen. It’s a great place to come for unpretentious, fresh fish restaurants- the kind with newspaper tablecloths and cold beer. The festival was jammed on a sunny day, but we had a good time wandering around and sampling the local port culture and food (of course).


Dutch women in traditional garb. Also note the funky crane in the background. The guy operating this was a master at his work. He put on several demonstrations where he’d pick up buckets of water, swing them around like a lifeguard with a whistle, then fling them at passing boats. It was really cool to watch this massive arm moving with such suppleness, like a huge Transformer robot.


While not our taste, this one-woman folk opera performance of “The Flying Dutchman” was interesting.


Ride the bull? Not in a Haven’s festival! See the guy controlling the surfboard in the back? He’d let the kids build a little confidence before he’d really try to throw them off. This little girl was incredible. She held on for almost four minutes…better than any of the little tough guys we saw trying to surf.

And after the bike ride home we broke out the firepot for one of those beautiful, cool, long dusks that I mentioned. Somehow the wine always tastes better in front of a firepot.