Conditions outlook...?

This morning I went out to check the state of ice here in SWPA. As expected everything that had been climbable now wasn't. All the wonderful ice from the last cold snap fell and everything currently on the wall is new build over the last 48 hrs. The current local forecast is for temps to be below freezing through Monday, then a warm up is predicted through the long term thereafter. Here's a few photos from today.

Gun Club, Pistol Whipped Wall - devastated

Gun Club, Main Wall - devastated

SCII, Overview - Very wet and devastated

SCII, Beast and Grand Central Walls - devastated and rebuilding

Ohiopyle State Park, Youghiogheny River - Up and roaring

Although I didn't take any photos, Meadow Run climbing areas have been wiped out as well, but are very quickly rebuilding. With a few cold days ahead, Monday should prove to be the best day to hit the local ice. Irishtown might have some formations up by then as well. I'd forget Krahlick, Confluence, Layton Falls or Stewarton. Happy hunting if looking for local, climbable ice this weekend... With a miracle the forecast for warm will change to cold and produce epic conditions! Unlikely....but possible

Turtle identification made extremely difficult

Jasmine was barking like crazy at something in the middle of the back yard.



It was a turtle, laying eggs in a not-so-secluded spot.



I shooed the dog away, took a few pictures, and left her to it.



I went out later to try to find the egg site, but couldn't relocate it.

It finally did dawn on me later, that some previous mystery sites (small wet shallow holes) were places where turtles had recently laid eggs. Aha! I felt so smart. I mentioned this to my husband, and he said something along the lines of, "Of course, didn't you know that already?" Well, maybe I just forgot.

Anyway, this happened a few weeks ago. I found the turtle pictures again when moving some photos off the camera's disk. So I set out to identify the turtle.

I found a couple of good ID sites. One is the Turtle Field Guide. But it asked a lot of questions that I didn't have the answers to.

Then there's the Turtle Identification Guide and Checklist. I like that one better, because you don't have to know each answer before moving on to the next question. Plus, there are the drawings, and satisfying little check boxes.

But I'm still not sure which turtle this is. That would have required
1) Washing the turtle off, to try to make out the pattern on her back a bit better, and
2) Turning her over, to examine the pattern on the bottom.

Doing either of those things would fall into the "harassing wildlife" category though, I think.

I checked as many boxes as I could, but still came up with 11 possibilities. I think she may be a Florida Cooter, Pseudemys floridana. Or she could be a slider... Maybe a painted turtle. But I'm leaning towards Cooter.

-----

Submitted to the Friday Ark.

How will climate change affect our National Parks?

The topic of climate change took exceptional relevance here at Mount Rainier after the floods and wind in November of 2006 caused significant damage throughout the park(check out the Mt. Rainier N.P. report documenting the flood's damage), forcing our gates to close. This was not the first storm that hit this park hard, nor will it be the last. There is a high likelihood that future storms will cause similar damage (if not worse) and climate change will have as-of-yet even greater undetermined impacts on the park's resources. The result of this event and uncertainty brings into question the ability of the federal government to sustain long term access to places such as Mount Rainier from an economic and ecological standpoint. Obviously, this issue has implications for us all - recreationalists, admirers, climbers, skiiers, and just anyone living in a town near the park.

How will climate change affect Mount Rainier National Park? Well, this is the question that many are beginning to ask. You can be a part of this discussion on Wednesday, September 3, along with a panel of experts in climate change, outdoor recreation, economics, wildlife and roads and trail construction (among others). The evening's event, co-hosted by the Washington Parks and Forests Coalition, is titled, "The Way In: The Future of Access to Northwest National Parks". Panelists will focus on global climate change and how it will affect our national parks, especially Olympic, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades National Parks. This panel discussion is free and open to the public.

This event is co-hosted by the organizations from the Washington Parks and Forests Coalition, which include National Parks Conservation Association, Washington Trails Association, and the Student Conservation Association. For more information, contact David Graves at dgraves@npca.org or 206.903.1444 x25.

The Apprentice... aka ice skills again

"Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a structured competency based set of skills."











Ice climbing is a subtlesport. At first glance it would seem to be all strength andbravado.



It isn't. Knowing the difference between a high volume flow and a low volume flow can not only save your life it might well tell you where the best line on the falls will be or tell you whento climb or not in a snow storm or bright sun light instead.



Having an "eye" to know where the quality of the ice changes and will most effect screwand tool placement is not something you can learn in a day's outing. It is just a start. Most will need seasons, or moving to Canmore to accumulate that education.



Pulling plastic has about as much to do with ice climbing as playing basket ball. Both will get you in shape if done at a high enough level. Neither skill will mean squat when you clip on a pair of crampons.



Ice climbing is alsoextremely gear DEPENDANT. I have said many times any old club will do in place of a decent ice tool if your skills will. That is true. But miss match boots and crampons and having the ability to do a gazillion pull ups won't help you for long.



I know for a fact having good rock climbing and rope skills will make you a better ice climber. For no other reason than it will allow you to manage the rope systems easier and quicker.Basic rock climbing skills on how a rope runs or should run are required on ice just as they are on rock.



But being able to lead 5.12 trad (and few really do) isn't going to help you much on ice if you have never placed a screw. It is simple right up until the point it isn't. Why anyone would ever put in a bad screw is beyond me.Finding poorly placed screws while following simply dumbfounds me. Either the leader is WAY in over his head or they are an idiot. Take the time to learn how to put in perfect screws while on theGROUND. Then never, ever put in a bad one. Learn what it takes to accomplish that. It aint rocket science but then it isn't all that easy either with out some practice. Your first grade 4 pillar is NOT the place to belearning how to place screws.



Just as your first 5.10 hand crack isn't the place to learn how to place your first cam. Hello!



I learned to climb ice with a couple of friends who had also....never climbed water fall ice. The sport was new then. The original screws and ice pitons seldom worked. We learned together as the ice climbing standards became more difficult and the gear better. We paid our own dues. Luckily none were costly. But they easily could have been. I can still honestly stay I have not taken a lead fall on ice. But only through the grace of God.



The skilled ice climbers I am lucky enough to climb with can all generally claim the same. Only "modern mixed" has changed that. Even then a smart man/woman will go to great extremes not to fall with a pair of crampons on. You down climb. You hang on the rope, your umbilicals or a screw. You DO NOT fall off.



Remember, "it is a all fun and games until someone loses and eye." Fall off and it just may be your eye!



These days "ice climbers" seem to be born in a gym. Falling is a way of life.



Don't get me wrong...nothing wrong with falling. I have done my own share learning to lead well enough to put up trad .11s and 12s. Andthere were a lot of falls involved both on a top rope and on lead.



You must learn how to DOWN climb.



Climbing up something you can't easily down climb is tantamount to swimming off shore and well out of sight of land. Better to have a safety net. A big one if you can't down climb easily and quickly what ever you climb up. Sure you'll do leads that you can't easily reverse. But they should be damn few and far between. If you can lead grade 4 ice in comfort, you should be able to easily and quickly down climb grade 3 ice. Grade 5 ice on lead then Grade 4 ice should be an easy down climb.



Picked out climbs make you lazy. Make an effort to get on ice climbs that aren't just "sport ice" and totally picked out with foot steps and pick hooks up big sections of the climb. I like that kind of fun climbing myself, "hook and book". But it is TERRIBLE for the techniques required to climb virgin ice.

Get on new ice when you can. You might find Grade 3 ice is hard enough again to get your attention and still be really fun.



Following? If you can't follow any ice pitch faster than your leader can run it out......you REALLY NEED TO STOP AND ASSESS you own skill level. Reality needs to meet ability. Because one of two things is happening here. You are either attempting to climb way out of your skill level or the leader has skills you are a long ways from attaining yet. Nothing wrong with either......it just makes a hard day (and possibly dangerous day) in the mountains for leader and follower if that difference isn't recognised and understood. Just be honest with yourself and your partners. Always push yourself on a top rope or as a2ndto go faster and climb better. You can bet that is how the otherguy got thatmuch better.



Danger? Yes, ice climbing will get youkilled if you aren't careful. It aint the gym or the local cragging area. Things go to shit quicklyon ice and snow. Lots of pointy things to poke holes in your own personal meat bag that can cause problems. Lots of things falling down for one reason or the other. Climbers at drastically differing skill levels put the responsibility (and the majority of the safety issues) on the more experience and generally faster climber.



Leading? Leading isn't a big deal. Falling off and getting injured is. Who do you think will have to haul your sorry ass off the mountain if you take a winger? Better hope your partner is up to the task.



No one has the "right" to lead. You earn that right through experience, patience and skill. You may know how to clip on a pair of crampons. But do you know how to actually fit them? You can buy all the cool gear, read of the books or pump your instructors and partners for infobut if you don't know how it works and most importantly UNDERSTAND the gear/info what good is it when the shit starts to fail?



And all of it will eventually fail, including your partner...



You better have a good plan.



Soloing?



If you want to climb in the alpine fasterand climb more difficultwater icelearn how to be confident soloing in your comfort level of technical skill. In the right conditions WI3 should be casual. The same bullet proof ice in the alpine might well take a belay, the rope and protection. Know the difference. Learn how to simul climb and more importantly...when you should and should not simul climb.



Grades on ice and in the alpine mean very little. Conditions generally mean everything. Think condition, then the technical grade if it is a concern.



You don't yet know what you don't know. Again, nothing wrong with that. But time to open your eyes if you fall into that category and start paying more attention. We all "fall" into that category in case you are still wondering. Including me as well as everyone i climb with. Work harder at going faster, being more aware of your own and your partner's skill setand over all safety. Learn how to down climb among other things. Up your rock climbing skills and over all climbing SPEED in the summer. Better and faster belays, not just your pure climbing speed. It will help your ice climbing and alpine climbing next winter.



Back to the Apprenticeship?



It is asystem oftrainingthe practitioner ina structured competency based set of skills.



To get good and stay safe ice climbing (or alpine climbing) you need to serve a Apprenticeship.



Either get some good professional instruction or find a friend (or a long list of friends) who has/have the ability and desire to pass those skills on to you.



I am still asking questions and learning every trip to the ice. Are you?



Days are long past that I would suggest a few buddies teach themselves how to climb ice....if you want to stay safe while learning our craft.



This post has been called a rant. Fair enough, but IMO more an impassioned plea.But rather a rant to wake some up than stone silence and let them get hurt.

Flying Tigers Babeball Game

We planned to do baseball games as part of our entertainment this summer. Because I have been tied up with other things, that has not happened until this week. I hope we find our way there more often than we've managed so far because it was a lot of fun.







The stadium we visited is the same one that the Detroit Tigers do their spring training at. Which means the Michiganders visit this place. Which means I get to talk to people who have the same "accent" as I do. And I meet people like the guy who was on the school board of the high school I attended.





I also like hanging out with people that like baseball. Not that I'm a huge fan of baseball myself, but I like people that can still be entertained by things like baseball. And I like to see the talented players. Even if I kept asking Nathan if this particular group was 12-16 years old or was I just getting old(er). Seriously they all looked like babies to me. As in same age as "my" baby who is 17.



It was a pretty uneventful game until the end, and then the Flying Tigers made us proud.



This was my favorite moment of the night, when a three year old ran the bases in a race against the mascots:



Living the life in not so sunny right now Florida!

Oh, Dark of Night

A couple of nights ago the dogs decided they had to take a midnight stroll under the moon, actually it was about 3 am. After a few minutes I went to the door to call them in as I won't leave them outside while I am sleeping. As mostly happens they wait until I doze off then bark for me to come let them in.



Having 4 cats in the house I know better than to do more than crack the door so the dogs can come in without a cat getting out. Cats out at night have no chance due to the large coyote population we have which is another reason I don't like to leave the dogs out at night.

Usually the cats are good and don't even try to get out if it is dark out. But this night Wiley, our 'wild child black cat' decided to slip under our shepherd cross, Ziva, as she was coming in. And he was off!

So was I. I knew if I ever let him get away I would never see him again what with coyotes yelping over in the arroyo about a half mile away.

I had on a thin nightgown, thin robe, and floppy slippers. And we live on a sand dune. So as soon as I ran out there was sand flipping up into my slippers. The only good the slippers were doing was to keep me from stepping on a sticker. Or some kind of creepy night bug wondering across the driveway. Wiley ran under the Chevy truck, then under the old car, and then over to and under the horse trailer. I ran to the trailer and knelt down to peak under it. I saw two big yellow eyes glaring at me. Wiley is a black cat so only his eyes showed up. "Here, Wiley. Come here, you devil." I kept calling and almost cussing him as he would move around under the trailer and I went round and round it trying to grab him before he could take off for the far places around our property. The trailer is about 3 feet from the fence where the ponies are so I quickly had two ponies coming over to see if they could join the funny game being played in the middle of the night. I think they probably thought it was great to have some entertainment as nothing much happens to get their attention at night. Once Wiley almost made it to the fence but ran into a black pony nose and returned to the trailer.

Not only did I have the ponies watching my antics to catch the cat but the dogs were doing their best to help by chasing him back under the trailer just as I would reach to grab him. And then I noticed there were about 3 cars driving by. At 3 in the morning? We don't hardly get any traffic at that time but we did that night. I don't know that the people in the cars actually saw me but I was sure they did and were about to call the men with the funny jacket that fastens in the back - the one for crazy people.

I guess Wiley decided the game had gone on long enough as he came barely within reach and I got my fingers in his fur at the back of his neck. "Got ya, Cat." He was firmly in my arms and we headed for the house. The amusing sight of the crazy women chasing a black cat in the dark was over.



The next evening we were eating supper on the sun room that over looks the back yard. It was only about 5:30 and still very light. We saw a coyote walk up to the back fence and smell the small hole in the fence that we cut for the quail to use as they don't like to fly over the fence to get to the water we keep out for them. Of course Wiley uses the same hole to get to the several acres of native desert land that is behind us where he hunts for rats, mice, lizards. We do let the cat out some in the day other wise he gets cranky and goes from door to door meowing pitifully while jumping on the other cats picking fights. We were glad he was in the house at the time the coyote came by and he didn't get out again until late the next day even though he did a lot of complaining.











Here are the 3 photos I got of the coyote. First one is by one of our apple trees with the coyote at the fence. If you look close you can see it's nose below the tree leaves. The next photo he turned and looked away from the tree. And the last photo is of him walking along the fence. Sorry, no good photo of it's face.

Happy Thanksgiving

I have been down with strep throat for the past week, so I missed the dinner at the park. Luckily, Ambir invited us all down to her place the weekend after Thanksgiving, so I was able to celebrate still. All the kids, minus Ashleigh, were there. My Mom and my niece and nephew were there. Austin brought Brittany, so the family was able to meet her.



We did our traditional dinner, cooked by my Mom, the first day. The second day we celebrated as true Floridians do. We spent time in the water by spending the day jet skiing.





I was still recovering, so I opted out. Which meant I got to take pictures all day long.



I was very happy with this arrangement!




Ava was not so happy with not being able to jet ski.



Still, she seemed to enjoy being able to watch the action. It kept her and I entertained all day long!










Hoping everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving also! We had much to be thankful for this year, most of which was with us this weekend: our family!

Civil War Ancestor - William Brubaker

William Brubaker was born in Perry county, Ohio, November 20, 1843. His mother was Sarah Foster, daughter of Benjamin and Margaret "Peggy" Myers Foster. His father was John Brubaker, son of Martin and Nancy Neel Brubaker. William's parents were never married to each other. My grandmother's notes state that two girls were pregnant by John Brubaker, Sarah Foster and Catharine Clum. John chose to marry the one that was "more pregnant" and that was Catharine. In 1849 John and Catharine moved to Huntington County, Indiana. They had eleven more children. Even though William was not mentioned in his father's will of 1879 it is thought that he did have a relationship with some of his half-siblings as he is mentioned in the obituary notices for several of them and those still living when he died are mentioned in his obituary. When he enlisted in the 17th Indiana he used the Brubaker surname; he used that name for the rest of his life.

When William was 5 ½ years old, his mother, Sarah Foster, was married to George Parkison and in 1851 the family moved to Whitley County, Indiana. In the 1850 and 1860 census William was listed in the household of George and Sarah Parkison, under the Parkison surname. In the 1870 census he is listed with them as William Brubaker. George Parkison, in his will dated June 10, 1902 stated "It is my will that said William Brubaker, although he is my step-son only, shall take his equal share as hereinbefore and hereinafter set out, the same as if he were my son by blood." William was also made co-executor of George's estate.

William Brubaker enlisted April 21, 1861 in Company E, 17th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which became known as Wilder's Lightning Brigade after the regiment was mounted in February 1863 and then armed with Spencer repeating-rifles in May 1863. William served three years and two months in the 17th. He took part in all the battles and skirmishes in which the regiment was engaged through October 3, 1863.

One record in his pension file No. 102.087 shows that he was 5 feet 8 ¼ inches tall when he enlisted in 1861 and he had a fair complexion, gray eyes, and brown hair. A surgeon's certificate dated April 17, 1878 shows that he was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 145 pounds and had a dark complexion.

On October 3, 1863 while in the line of duty at Thompsons Cove, Tennessee and engaged with his company in a skirmish with rebel troops he was shot through his right thigh by a musket ball. The next day he was sent to the hospital at McMinville, Tennessee where he remained until January 15, 1864 when he was sent to the hospital at Nashville, Tennessee. He was at Nashville for four days when he went home on furlough with his company. He remained at home until March 20, 1864 when he returned to the field again. He was discharged on June 20, 1864 at Columbia, Tennessee. I would imagine that he went home for further recuperation.

On February 28th 1865 he was "veteranized" and enlisted as a sergeant in Company I, 152nd Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was again honorably discharged at Charlestown, West Virginia on August 30, 1865.

His injury plagued him the rest of his life. He filed for an "invalid" pension on February 1, 1866 stating "He was and still is unable to perform any manual labor of any consequence. He can do some light work and that is all." and was awarded $4.00 per month with a one-half disability. In March of 1891 he applied for a re-rating of his pension and was awarded $6.00 per month.

The pension act of February 6, 1907 apparently based pensions on age rather than just disability. William reapplied for pension on March 5, 1907 when he was 63 years old, which made him eligible to receive $12.00 per month. Veterans over 70 years of age could receive $15 while those 75 and over could receive $20 per month. He received the increase of $12 per month for the rest of his life.

William died on January 26, 1912 aged 68 years, 2 months and 6 days. His widow, Malissa Joslin Brubaker, immediately applied for pension and was awarded $12.00 per month, which she received until her marriage to Jacob Bower on May 18, 1915. He died on March 22, 1929 and just four days later, Malissa reapplied for a widow's pension based on William's service. Malissa had moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana and was living with her granddaughter Hazlette Brubaker Phend and her husband, Vic Phend at 2221 West Brook Drive. Malissa's application was approved and she received a pension of $40.00 per month until her death on September 30, 1937 at Columbia City.

William Brubaker and Malissa Mariah Joslin, daughter of Lydia Robison and Lysander Price Joslin, were married on April 20, 1871 by A. J. Douglas, Minister of the Gospel. (Just as a side note, six years later, A. J. Douglas would become the father of Lloyd C. Douglas, minister and author.)



Photos: The first two were tintypes and are of William Brubaker and Malissa Joslin Brubaker. They were probably taken about the time of their marriage in 1871. The group photo was probably taken around 1890-1891, shown are William (born 1843), Hale (born 1886), Charles (born 1871), and Malissa (born 1849).

From the 1907 History of Whitley County, Indiana we learn that in 1871, William "purchased one hundred and thirty acres of native forest land, bordering Goose Lake, which now, as a result of his earnest labor and successful management, presents a neat and thrifty appearance, being nicely fenced, well drained and thoroughly equipped with a comfortable and substantial residence, barn and other improvements necessary to render farm life pleasant and profitable. In politics he is a Republican, but refuses to serve in public capacity. Mrs. Brubaker is an active member of the Woman's Relief Corp of Columbia City and also takes an interest in religious matters, being a member of the Baptist church. The family is well known and highly respected, taking an active interest in all social and public enterprises."

Two children were born to William and Malissa: Charles Romain was born August 19, 1871 and married Maud Wise (more on them in the future). Maurice Hale, who was born May 17, 1866 and died December 14, 1910 at New York City while attending the law school of Columbia University.

His obituary, published January 27, 1912 in the Columbia City Post, in part, stated: "William Brubaker, an old veteran and one of the kindliest of men, entered into the long sleep at his home on North Elm street Friday forenoon about ten o'clock. He had been unconscious since Wednesday and his passing was peaceful and quiet. The last illness dates from a week ago Monday, but Mr. Brubaker had been feeling badly for the past six weeks, during which time he had not been off the premises. It was four years ago that his health began to fail, and the sad and untimely death of his son, Hale, which occurred December 14th, 1910, was an affliction which bore heavily upon him and burdened him with grief. Heart trouble and such complications as follow diseases of that organ undermined his strength and when Bright's disease set in his powers of resistance were almost exhausted."

On Saturday, April 28th, William Brubaker, my 2nd great grandfather, was inducted into the "charter class" of the Society of Civil War Families of Indiana, a project sponsored by the Indiana Genealogical Society.

Indian Bread

The first photo is of a horno or oven that the Pueblo Native Americans bake their oven bread in. This day I didn't get the oven bread but got the fry bread which is a dough that they work out into a circle sort of like pizza dough. Then they fry it in a cast iron kettle full of hot oil that is on a wood fire usually of mesquite wood which gives it a really good taste. Some people like to sprinkle powered sugar or put honey on it but we prefer it just plain. It's best while still hot but still good even hours later when room temperature. We bought some and ate about half of it, then saved the rest for our picnic in the mountains. We had the left over bread with a boiled egg, some canned fruit cocktail.

How We Ride

To the delight of some and eye-rolling of others, during the first year or two of this blog I referred to riding a bike recreationally as "sporty cycling." What a funny term. Why not just call it roadcycling? Well, because it's not! Roadcycling evokes associations that I felt were not appropriate to the kind of riding I did at the time - or in fact to the kind of riding most people who just want to ride a bike for exercise are drawn to. Roadcycling is its own world, with what I consider to be pretty rigid parameters. There are assumptions about equipment, positioning on the bike, speed, and even style, that are pretty much unspoken pre-requisites no matter how friendly and open the people are. Whether described as "social rides" or "training rides," it is still a fairly specific type of riding that assumes performance-optimised equipment, advanced handling skills, and the ability to maintain what most would consider a high minimum speed. And there is nothing wrong with any of this. Except that not everyone wants, or needs to ride like that. To ultimately be on a bike with dropbars, keeping up with the local roadies, need not be an end goal. Some might truly enjoy riding an upright bike at their own pace, without feeling the need to "advance to the next level." The very idea of advancing - of cycling in order to get faster, stronger - is part of the roadcycling discourse and& need not influence those outside of it.



In May , just a couple of months after I touched a bike for the first time in 13 years, I rode my first 50 miles. I was living in Vienna at the time and riding around on an upright hybrid rental, up and down a short stretch of the Danube bicycle path outside of town after work. Then one Saturday, I just kept going and before I knew it I did 85km - which I hadn't even realised until I looked at the map of the area I covered later; I just knew it felt like "a lot." How fast did I go? No idea. What was my nutritional plan? None. What did I wear? A cotton tunic, leggings and sneakers. Did I look like a complete dork, puffing away on my inefficient hybrid with suspension fork, saddle too low and handlebars too high, my loose sweat-stained top billowing in the wind? To a roadcyclist, maybe. But to a regular person? I just looked like a person doing a long bike ride.





I do not know why, over the years, I have grown attracted to roadcycling and do in fact now want to get faster, stronger, to "advance." I enjoy it and do not regret the transition. But at the same time, I maintain that it is absolutely not necessary to ride a bike in this manner. Last October I was back in Vienna and did a 100 mile ride along the same route I rode in . Again, on an upright bike in regular clothing, with no training in the weeks leading up to it and no nutritional plan. I thought that maybe that kind of ride would be boring for me at this stage, but it wasn't at all. It was just different. A different frame of mind, a different style of riding. I went slowly and didn't worry. It was not about performance or timing. I was just a person, going kind of far on a bike.



Now and again I get emails from readers who are genuinely upset because they can't seem to transition from an upright step-through or mixte to a roadbike with drop bars. The local cycling clubs only cater to the latter. Their spouse rides a roadbike. They feel left out. But the more I think about it, the more I realise it just doesn't make sense to give up the sort of bike you are perfectly happy with because of some misguided notion that you "should" be riding a roadbike if you're serious about cycling. I do wish there were more bicycle clubs that catered to casual cycling, where people on hybrids and upright 3-speeds and mixtes could feel at home and within their comfort zone. I also think there is a difference between casual cycling and casual cyclists. You can be a serious, committed cyclist and ride casually. This distinction is not often acknowledged.



Roadcycling is not the only valid form of recreational or sporty cycling. There are so many ways to ride a bike, and there is no right or wrong way as far as I am concerned. How we ride depends on us alone.

Lunch in Amsterdam Oud-West with the boys and a reminder about customer service in the Netherlands

It has been almost a year since Herr Philippe and I met up for dinner at Trouw Restaurantin Amsterdam. I can still recall the lovely dinner we had where I ordered this raw vegetable plate with glorious anchovies sauce on the side. That was sooooooooo good, I can still remember vividly how it tasted.







Anyway, it was time to meet up again so we decided to have lunch, together with his friend who just arrived from Orlando, USA. Let’s call him Mr. Orlando.



Café Bax Lunch



We had lunch at Café Bax in Amsterdam Oud-West, nearby where Herr Philippe lives. They both ordered the typically Dutch sandwich meal—Uitsmijter which reminds me of the Francesinha sandwich in Porto except that the uitsmijter is not swimming in tomato and beer sauce. I went for the goat’s cheese salad which was divine.









My goat cheese salad. 4 stars out of 5.







The Dutch uitsmijter - sandwich bread with ham or bacon and sunny side up eggs and melted Gouda cheese on top.









The cool painted toilet doors. Orlando kept telling us that he felt like someone is watching him. Yes my dear, Prince Claus and Queen Bea are watching you! And the bar man as well, so behave =)







Customer service you say?



Honestly, I did not expect for the food to be good here but it was pretty good! Mr. Orlando and Her Philippe on the other hand complained about their egg yolks. They want it fully cooked and Philippe even had to remind the waiter that it should be well cooked (in Dutch: gaar, doorgekookt which I even repeated to the waiter as well), but still, the eggs came back half cooked, which most people I understand prefer them this way. Well I do anyway.



So the eggs were returned to the kitchen... and when they came back for the second time around they were still soft and watery????



I told Mr. Orlando that I have given up the customer service fight in the Netherlands. The Dutch, and let me just generalise—Europeans, have a different idea of customer service. It really has nothing to do with how customer service is observed in America, in Asia and in other parts of the globe. Our idea of customer service does not exist here.



In Europe, you do not demand from a waiter or ask favours, you just order. OK? Because if you do, you will just end up frustrated, and life is too short and lovely to nitpick about this (at least in my opinion).



This is also the reason why gratuities are not very popular here. The waiters do not work for tips, they are paid with a salary, just like you and me working for a company, and with benefits as well.



Coffee, tea and moi



After lunch we went back to Philippe’s flat for some strong espresso, cappuccino and tea. And more chatting.









They are leaving for Italy (Pisa – Florence – Cinque Terre – Portovenere – Santa Margherita Ligure – Portofino) and Philippe wanted to know if I can help him with tips about this trip since I have been there several years ago. Well, I drafted for them the itinerary I just mentioned =)



The boys are now in Bella Italia and are enjoying much the Ligurian coast!



A lovely lunch again in Amsterdam, with lovely friends.



Visit Period: April

Destination: Amsterdam Oud-West, The Netherlands

Mom :: Before she was Mom

My Mother would have been 83 years old today. I thought that I had seen all of the pictures of her through the years, but amongst her things we found the picture below. I don't know whether it is her or not but it was in the same drawer as her marriage license and certificate.





Whoever it is, she is a cutie! Below are some (okay, a lot of) confirmed photos of Mom. What do you think? Is the above photo my Mother? As always, double-click to view a larger version of the photos.



1928 and 1934

1936 and 1937

1941 and 1942

1943 – fifteen years old – yes, 15!

1944 – sixteen years old

1945 (Junior Prom) and 1946

In May .., for her 80th birthday, I posted some photos of her in her later years.