School's in session!

Hey everyone! It's Back-to-school again for a number of us and we want to with everyone the best of luck and lets get those good grades! Richard is in the 3rd year of his bachelor program Bedrijfskundige Infomatica, Mom is back to school after raising a few kids, Coleman is back after a little pause, Trev is still at it, Dave is almost a flippin' law graduate, and it's serious business for me to finally get my NT2 (Nederlands als tweede taal.. Dutch as a second language) courses finished and taking the state exam. One busy year for us all and especially for Manda and Erin as the boys rapidly approach the terrible 2s!

In the mean time, Richard and I have had some more fun weekends visiting some pretty places here in Holland. First we went to Texel which is an island the most north and west part of the country. Then we went to Kennemerduinen outside of Haarlem.

One of our favorite shows has started again too and it is torture waiting each week to see it again haha. It's "So You Think You Can Dance?" Nederland/België! http://www.rtl.nl/shows/soyouthinkyoucandance/home/

Anyway... all is going great here! Enjoy the pics!

Here is part of Texel. It's a lot of pastures and little country homes, and a few towns here and there. You can bike there for a day or two and camp as well if you want. It is a really fun and quiet little place.

A little haven on the Island

Here is some more of the scenery. Lots of sheep (not in this picture, but there were a lot), pretty green grass, and a beautiful blue sky.

I have been into taking pictures of my/our shadows lately...
There were A TON of jelly-fish in the water when we docked (on the way back).

Here is the TESO ferry that we took to and from the island, Texel.

there was a really pretty little spot with these purple flowers and a nice little forest along the bike trek. It was the only place like this that we saw that day.

Here is the big church in Haarlem Centrum.

A parking garage for bikes (because everyone and their grandma's dog has atleast 1 bike here!)

I felt like climbing a tree when we went walking in the Kennemerduinen. It was beautiful there and one of the only places you will go in Holland with such beautiful nature and no skyline in sight!

Looking back at the little lake in the duinen (dunes).

Richard walking along the lake.

Holland has a really beautiful sky. When it is sunny there are almost always beautiful clouds hanging in the sky. Here I am toward the beginning of our adventure in the dunes, just in front of the little water hole/lake thingy.

A little while back I got the assignement from a good friend to go take pictures of Rotterdam on my day off, and post them. So, I took my ipod and camera, parked downtown and walked around for a couple hours taking pictures. Here are a few of them.

Here next to the Beurs World Trade Center is a building with our last name on it in neon lights.

This is a picture of the cube-houses(yellow) and Rotterdam Blaak train station with it's bike stalls just in front. The street is Blaak.

Old school row houses with modern architecture behind it (skyscraper)

The Maas river and the cool bridges that cross it. I love Rotterdam because it reminds me of Portland a little bit with the bridges and the river running through it. It is also cool because there is a lot of great modern architecture and you can still see some of the original houses and a couple buildings that were saved from the destruction in WWII.

Typically Dutch. Here you have your bike road. They have their own stoplights and everything!

Behind me are the bridges and the city center. Our house is in this direction.

Well that's all for now! Here is a video of our tandem adventure in Texel.

Tot volgende keer allemaal!