Phoebe's newest exploit

Phoebe's always been fond of boys, and this photo documents that she hasn't changed a bit. Meet Fynn - her newest and quite-a-bit-younger exploit -- the son of our Irish/German friends Jean and Ulf.

I must admit they make a handsome couple and they play well together. But Fynn seems to be enjoying his ice cream more than my little Phoebe, which reminds me of a boyfriend I once had who liked shopping for clothes more than he liked having sex with his significant partner. He's divorced now, so I guess it wasn't such a bad decision to end it right then and there. Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference in a relationship.

ugly bug contestant

If I entered the ugly bug contest this would be my pick. It's a meikever, or May bug, and it's got the freakiest look! These guys emerged a few weeks back and we got to see them bumbling around. They're huge -- it's amazing they can even get their big butts off the ground. Can you imagine this thing flying right at YOU?

Gouden Schalebijter

Biking home from the forest yesterday with Alex and Phoebe (Zonieen Woud) I spied this beetle crossing the street and had to stop for a closer look. Turns out it's a Green Beetle (Carabus auratus) in the family Carabidae, also known as ground beetles. It's native to Europe and was introduced into North America to control gypsy moths but is not very common there. This is the second one I've found in Belgium. Needless to say, it made my day.

Check out the metallic green gold color, striate elytra and menacing mouthparts and sideways-facing eyeballs. The girls were as excited as I was, and we tried to get it home so we could show Thijs, Dad, and Oma & Opa who were visiting. But I didn't want to carry it the whole way, not knowing if it would release some foul and irritating chemical (which it did!) or if it might sink its mandibles into my skin. I did pick it up to show the girls, and it left the most disgusting smell! Alex said it smelled like a fahrt, but I think worse. The little guy was feisty and refused to sit quietly in Alex's bicycle basket, so unfortunately we didn't get to bring it home. Hopefully we'll be lucky enough to see another one of these days.

bullfinch

This is James. He's a Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrhula pyrhula), or Goudvink. He's been coming to visit me every day for the last few weeks. He usually drops in just after lunchtime and stays a while. I don't know why, but when I think of the name James it makes me think of people who enjoy eating. And this little fellow is no exception. He sits for 10-15 mins. at a time feasting on sunflower seeds, which might explain his wide girth. James has a big belly! He doesn't talk much though. In all the times we've met, he's never uttered a single word, not even a chip note. All he does is EAT! He has a girlfriend, but he doesn't bring her around very often. She may be nesting or she may have hooked up with another male since James is too busy stuffing his face and not paying attention. At any rate, I'll be sad when it comes time for my friend to go. He's a man of few words. But with his spectacular plumage I guess he doesn't have to say a thing. 

a day off for mom

I just had my first all-bird day in Belgium. I went with Belgian friend Mady and a French bird club to an environ. educ. center & restored wetland near Chimay, BE (town where 1 of the 6 original trappist beers is brewed). Mady and I have birded on several occasions but this was our first grand day out. Mady's studying to become a nature guide and she knows about plants, moss, fungi, etc., including the huge yellow thing growing next to my head. When we watch birds, we usually use four different names (scientific, Dutch, English, French) to make sure we're talking about the same bird, which can be fun but confusing.

The agenda called for a birdwalk in the am and pm, with a pique-nique and aquatic tour midday. Now, if you're like me you're wondering "what the heck is a pique-nique"? Sometimes it seems the obvious is not so obvious. Or my brain capacity is too small or underutilized. Well, it turns out it's just as it sounds ... a picnic! And what do my fellow French birders drink for lunch, but of course Chimay beer! And when they found out I was American they started swearing about Bush and politics. They lightened up, however, when I began speaking Dutch and divulged that "mijn man is Nederlander". After that, Mady and I made a quick exit and got back to the fun stuff, like trying to find reed warblers and buntings.

And for those interested, here's the list of 38 birds we saw, which includes 6 warblers. Some of these birds make spectacular migrations, like European garden warblers which begin their journey in central Africa and fly all of the way across the Sahara and the Mediterranean Sea, returning in a giant circle by way of the Strait of Gibraltar and across the desert again. That's my plug for International Migratory Bird Day, which was celebrated yesterday (mostly in North America I believe, as birders here have never heard of this event). Happy birding!

great crested grebe
mute swan
egyptian goose
canada goose
pochard
tufted duck
mallard
great white heron
coot
black tern
little ringed plover
common sandpiper
barn swallow
purple house martin
pied wagtail
chiffchaff
chaffinch
short-toed creeper
song thrush
long-tailed tit
blue tit
european cuckoo
wood dove
spotted flycatcher
reed bunting
reed warbler
goldcrest
garden warbler
blackcap
willow warbler
redstart
greenfinch
European goldfinch
blackbird
tree sparrow
house sparrow
crow
starling

blue tit chicks

The blue tits took up residence in our nest box about a month ago and hatched their young just last week. The kids have been anxious to take a peek so yesterday we got the ladder and climbed up for a look. If you could zoom in on this photo you'd see tiny little grey heads w huge mouths popping up. Every time we'd pretend to peep like the adults the chicks would crane their necks out and beg like crazy for food. It was pretty sweet.

The other interesting thing about this photo is the green stuff growing on the tree. Because it's so damp in Belgium the algae thrives here and makes everything look like it has a carpet of green stuff growing on it. I'm sure I've seen it before, but it just hasn't caught my attention like the green stuff that proliferates here. I joke with the kids that if they stood still long enough they'd turn green like a martian!

meikevers

As you can see in this photo the kids are having a great time playing with these May bugs (meikever in Dutch), which also go by the names cockchafers or June beetles (Melolontha melolontha)http://www.kendallbioresearch.co.uk/chafer.htm .

They're attracted to porch lights, and in the evening you can hear their huge bodies crashing into the windows as they're quite clumsy flyers. They're big (25-35 mm long) and they have the coolest antennae which flare out w multiple lobes. They make a buzzing sound when they fly which makes the kids scream with delight. We haven't tied string to their legs and witnessed their aireal displays (as they go round and round) but I'm thinking about it as the kids would get such a thrill. Got that idea from former student Rob Adair! See what useful skills I'm learning during my sabbatical?

Phoebe's keeping these 2 adults in her bug bin and checking on them everyday, while mommy is just waiting for one to die so she can pin it and add it to her insect collection. I have to have something to show for all my hard work while staying at home!

back to Kent

Just as my best friend Laura and her family moved away from Kent (to Rochester, NY, just this week!), we will be returning in a few weeks. It's not the same Kent though. The Kent we'll be visiting is a region of England located in the SE part of the country.

We'll stay at this hostel style B&B on a family farm in a rural village in North Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It's ideal for cycling, walking and just checking out the countryside. Less than half an hours cycle ride away are the North Kent Marshes, which are great for birdwatching. Also nearby are historic towns like Canterbury, Rochester! (Is this too funny?) , Chatham, Leeds Castle and many other historic towns. The one big difference is that many of these towns are well over 1000 years old.

Laura, I'll have to send you a postcard from Rochester. And you too, Rochelle, since you'll be moving to Rochester as well. Maybe we can plan a retreat in Kent one of these years!

open your heart

. . . was the theme of our tantra class last week. We used a variety of forms, such as voice, dance, yoga postures and massage, in order to release energy that might be trapped in the heart chakra. The idea behind tantra is to free the energy of the chakras in order to increase awareness and consciousness. It's about getting out of your mind and into your body. At least that was the selling point for me, a born-again mother and recovering academ-oholic.

Well, there we were ... watching a demonstration of a massage we were about to do (in public), which basically involved a figure 8 massage around the breasts. My yoga teacher named Lyrah (www.world-of-bliss.com) was demonstrating the massage on another instructor (Birgitte), who just whipped off her shirt like it was nothing. At first I was thinking there was no way I could go through with it, but as time went on I mustered up the courage. Of course, there was a great deal of respect that was paid, and it was all kept within the context of the session. I must admit it was a liberating experience for an American who's never been topless in public before.

But then, something unexpected occurred. It was while Stijn was doing long sweeping figure 8's on my back, which followed "cleaning the wings", an expression used to describe loosening of the shoulder blades, that I had a realization. I'd been reading "Girl with a pearl Earring" by Tracey Chevalier, a story about the fictitious maid of Johannes Vermeer, the wide-eyed girl, who was the subject of one of his most famous paintings. As the story goes, Griet was forced to work as a maid for the Vermeer family when her father lost his trade as a tilemaker. She struggled with the difficulty of living with a new family, which was quite different from hers (Catholic vs. Protestant, for instance), and all the while trying to keep in touch with her old family and not losing touch with herself. She didn't laugh or talk as much and didn't feel like she was herself. Although our lives are very different, I can sympathize with many of Griet's feelings. It's a real struggle having two lives (one with your old family/friends vs. one with your new family/friends). As good as I thought I was doing, this massage/experience showed me that I still had a long way to go. It made me realize how much I really did miss my old family and friends and just feeling at home.

It also made me realize that I have to open my heart. I have to keep trying to make connections with my new family and friends, and all the while, not sacrifice who I am. I realize that it's time to quit looking back over my shoulder to see where I came from, what I did and who I knew. It's time to get moving. It's time to move forward ...

Phoebe's family tree

Kids deserve more credit than we give them. Take this drawing by Phoebe, for example. She was asked to draw a picture of her family at school, and look at this family tree she came up with.

Phoebe and her two siblings are on the bottom. Dad and I are in the middle. I love the long blonde hair and blue eyes she gave me, but Dad's looking a little thin on top and not too happy. But who's the blue-eyed, bushy-haired person who looks like they're sitting on my head?

Turns out it's the great grandmother after whom our little Phoebe was named - the centenarian Mary Phoebe Enders. Even though she's only met Grandma Phoebe a handful of times, she has an image of her in the highest position in our family. Without a single lecture (yeah right, mom!) she's able to understand her roots. Now if we could just get a few birds and bugs in the picture! 

serious bulbs

How many people take the time to look inside a tulip? Maybe that's what the creator of this bulb was thinking, so they splayed out the petals so you'd have no choice! And the result is a set of spectacular organs! 

Keukenhof

Last weekend we visited the Keukenhof, a spectacular display of spring flowers near Amsterdam. Even though it's touristy and requires enduring traffic and lines to get in, I think it was definitely worth the effort. It's unlikely you'll ever see a greater quantity (7 million) or diversity of bulbs. The aroma of the hyacinth was intoxicating, and we could NOT stop smelling the flowers.

The kids still talk about it. Phoebe said she likes flowers more than princesses now -- mission accomplished! Thijs was in his own little world and never stopped running, much to the chagrin of the serious tulip-goer. They liked the windmill and the playground, and the Tom & Jerry's ice cream was a hit.

An hour later by car and we were sitting in the backyard of Stijn's sister Liselotte and family. Isolde had just turned 4 years old, and we stopped by to wish her a happy birthday. The kids had a great time with Isolde and Linde and of course did NOT want to leave. But with 3 more birthdays fast approaching, there's a good chance we'll be seeing them again soon. Come to think of it, are we living TOO close?!

get well Max!

Here's a photo of Max and the kids on our trampoline on Easter day, just before the bicycle accident. It turns out his left arm did require surgery, but it went well. Hang in there Max - we're wishing you a speedy recovery!

P.S. For my birding friends --- the berry bushes in the background have attracted some beautiful birds, including the Eurasian Bullfinch, Goldcrest and Blackcap. 

spring has sprung

Yesterday we heard more bad news. Our nephew Max (Willem and Sandra's son) fell off his bike on his way home from school and broke his arm. The spill was in such a way that it required surgery, which was supposed to happen today. Stijn talked to Max earlier and he was in good spirits. Let's hope this is the end of bad accidents!

On a positive note, spring has arrived in Belgium! The weather is noticeably warmer and the leaves are finally coming out. A beautiful forest flower called the wood anemone bloomed last week, and today I saw my first Egyptian geese chicks.

Shorebirds are moving through as well. I saw the Little ringed plover and the Common sandpiper, but not until I ran home to get my binoculars. It figures that the birds show up when I go for walks without my bins! Luckily my favorite waterbird pond is just 5 mins. away by bike so I was able to zip back before they flew away. But they weren't the only good finds: Two White wagtails, a Grey wagtail and 2 Lapwings were feeding nearby, and a blackcap was singing it's heart out in a bush just behind me. The birds were happy the sun was out too!

Great crested grebe, Little grebe, Canada goose, Mandarin duck, Mallard, Shoveler, Tufted duck, Pochard, Common shelduck, Mute swan, Coot, and Moorhen rounded out the waterbird list. It was the kind of day where you never wanted to go inside.

a moment to reflect

Yesterday we heard some very sad news about the family of Darryl Jones, a colleague of Stijn's who lives near Cleveland, Ohio. The family was involved in an accident just outside of Youngstown, Ohio (where we used to live) in which his daughter Alexandra and mother-in-law were killed. The particularly painful part of this story is that her 15.5 year old sister was behind the wheel of the minivan. The mother-in-law was visiting from Utah during the spring break.

May you take a moment to reflect on this tragedy and keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Our hearts go out to the Jones family.

Vrolijk Paas!

This year we celebrated Easter with Stijn's brother, Jan Willem, and his family (Sandra, Max and Marlies). They live in Rotterdam, a short 1.5 h drive, and came over for the day. It took all of 2 seconds for the kids to reacquaint themselves, and then they were off racing around the house.

Donned in mudboots and costumes (Marlies as Jasmine, Thijs as Simba, Phoebe as a ballerina, Alex as a streetdancer, and Max as Max!) the kids found the plastic easter eggs filled w/ chocolate in the garden and were buzzing around like bees and bouncing on the trampoline for the next hour. This presented a rare moment for the parents to catch up and enjoy a Leffe or Duvel on the patio. Our typical Belgian weather day was topped off with typical Belgian food . . . frites, krokette, sla - smakelijk! It wasn't your standard Easter fare, but it did the trick and sure tasted good. Hartstikke Leuk as the Dutch would say!

hawks - 0, thong - 1

As part of our stateside visit last week, we hooked up with longtime friends from Ohio at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary near Allentown, PA, an area that's well-known for the spectacular migration of raptors each Fall. Pictured from the right are Arrye, Ethan, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Phoebe, Laura (what's w the face?), Paul, Jackie, Courtenay, Stijn, Thijs, Rochelle, and Alex (John took photo, Trish and Scott not pictured, Tom not present). Notice the crystal clear airways behind us, with no raptors in sight.

Well, we didn't see a single hawk, or other raptor for that matter. However, a few turkey vultures did manage to grace the airways, but the thrill wasn't enough to make the kids go "WOW". There's no doubt that splashing in the pool, jumping on the beds, and eating pizza left more of an impression on them than most any raptor could have. They were easy to please.

As for the adults, apparently I was a source of entertainment as my friends kept pointing out again and again. No, it wasn't my command of the Dutch language or the fabulous Belgian chocolate, although the boxes were opened before I could say "enjoy!". It was my clothes. I was wearing a pair of low waist Levi's I bought in Europe, along with a thong (about all you can wear with jeans that low), and as thongs go, it just would not stay tucked in. When you're the one wearing the thing you don't notice it. But my friends would not let me get through the evening without pointing it out, as if I didn't know. All I have to say is, if it works girls, then try it! Maybe instead of bringing Belgian chocolate next time, I'll bring extralight undies! We'll start our own club and call it onderbroek EL (onderbroek is Dutch for undies, EL=extralight) just so nobody will know what we're talking about. What's the stigma about thongs, anyway?

So what was the end result of our little reunion? It didn't matter that the final bird count was way <10 species or that we were in a remote area that stunk from the farmland manure. In a split second with my friends I was brought back down to earth, and that's exactly what I needed.

God bless oversize check-in

GBA on pizza boxes! Talking overdose - how about the view from our hotel in Fredericksburg, VA- no less than 14 flags (14!) with SEVEN (yes, 7!) on the fast food chain nicknamed by the Swiss "BIG American Tits" (aka McDonalds). Proud to be American, but this is just a little too much. (Can you tell this is Stijn talking?)

We just returned from a visit to the states, which included a weekend adventure with long-time friends at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (see Laura's complete writeup http://transition2NY.blogspot.com) and a family reunion in Fredericksburg, VA, centered around the celebration of the 100th birthday of Grandma Phoebe. It was fantastic to see family and friends. I didn't realize how much I missed them and needed to see them again. For the past 8 months I've been trying to settle into a new culture and haven't had time to digest all the changes. But when I saw friends and family, a flood of feelings came rushing back. It's all about the history of experiences, the things we share in common, the familiarity, the language, the history! I cannot deny how difficult it is to be apart from them. It's something I'll have to learn to deal with or else I'll be spending all my time on the blog, which I'm afraid is already the case.

The other realization I had was that I don't miss a life dependent upon automobiles. The dependence on cars creates an incredibly stressful lifestyle. It's not just the traffic jams that are stressful, but also just knowing that you have to get in the car to get anywhere. For instance, from our hotel in Fredericksburg, you couldn't safely walk to the Appleby's across the street. There were no zebra stripes and there were too many lanes of traffic. American cities weren't designed with pedestrians in mind, and it's just getting worse. As we drove through the VA countryside (what's left of it), there was a sign for 17 new developments (yes, 17!) and at every intersection there was a new strip with Target, Lowe's and Kohl's. It makes one wonder where America is headed, and WHAT the leadership is doing about it! Maybe a little more GBA is needed now than ever.

But getting to the point of my story . . . we arrived at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC with 2 h to spare and a mile-long line for international check-in. It was taking folks 1+ h to check bags and 45 mins to clear security, and I was beginning to worry we wouldn't make our flight. While Stijn walked all the way to the back of the line, I remained with the kids at a half-way point and happened to notice another mother with kids doing the same thing. A few minutes later, a curbside check-in clerk brought her luggage tags and passports and checked in her luggage. I quickly approached the curbside clerk to ask how this was possible (after hearing from the clerks outside that it was NOT possible) and he replied, "I'm very busy at the moment, but if it's worth my energy then I can help you". After assuring him that it would be worth his while, he lifted our bags and said that one was oversized and he couldn't help us. However, he directed us to the oversized luggage check-in and told us that if we could pay for the extra weight there, he'd be able to help us afterwards. Turns out the oversized luggage clerk was able to check all our bags, and we then zipped through security and made it to the gate just in the nick of time. In case you never heard of oversize check-in, now you know. Maybe it will save your flight in the future like it saved ours! God bless oversize check-in!

phoebe III turns a hand full!

A week after Grandma Phoebe's birthday (phoebe I), the youngest phoebe in the family celebrated a birthday as well (phoebe III). Today she turned 5 years old. Get it, a hand full of fingers? Thanks to a joke from Oma Els!

Here are two of the phoebes in the family, donned in pink and wearing their birthday headdresses (phoebe II not pictured). The Belgians have a tradition of making birthday crowns (generally for the younger generations) and we couldn't resist. Our Phoebe wore her crown the whole way back to Belgium, and was so happy it had a flower on it. She's infatuated with flowers and can't understand why the neighbors won't let her pick flowers from their garden, which is so manicured you can tell if a mole pokes its nose out of the ground. Now she's on a mission to plant flowers in our garden just so she can pick them. It might help if we had a little warmth and sunshine -- and less rain!

Grandma Phoebe is a centenarian

A small group of family members gathered at Uncle Mac and Aunt Barbara's house to celebrate grandma becoming a centenarian last Tuesday. Her birthday cake was decorated with a 25 y old photo of her (see previous blog), and it was perfectly beautiful. The great grandkids were thrilled to help Grandma blow out her candles and eat a piece of this incredibly unique cake.

As for me, I felt very fortunate to be able to spend time with grandma again and to be a part of this extraordinary event, along with my family. Grandma had a glow about her the entire evening, just like she does in this photo, and I'll always remember her that way.