A Birthday in Bruges

Alex took me to Bruges for my birthday in May. I'd been wanting to visit, particularly after having seen the film, In Bruges. It is a very picturesque city and the weather was perfect for such a visit. I also got a new zoom lens for my camera so experimented with that, too.

I have been very busy getting up-to-speed with my new responsibilities as the AWC President - a learning curve to be sure, but I'm starting to feel comfortable in the role. A bit of time off, though, is really what I need.

I am preparing for my upcoming trip to the States and very much looking forward to seeing my family and friends, particularly our niece and nephews.

Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium

I'm getting behind in the blogging, I know...


Here's the second part of our day-trip to Brussels, where we visited the Royal Greenhouses (the film says May but it was the end of April - and I've not time to change the film at the moment).

For those who read the blog entry about my friend Denise, she has made tremendous progress and has actually been discharged and is resting and recovering at home now. She still has a challenging road ahead. Thanks to all of you for your prayers for Denise and her family.



Next is our trip to Bruges...

For Denise

A few days ago I found out that my friend Denise, also a colleague of mine at Lumigent, has had a bone marrow transplant. She was diagnosed with MDS see http://www.mdstreatment.org/about-mds/), a pre-cancerous blood condition. She is being treated in Boston by Dana Farber. Since finding out about her situation, I have been closely following her progress on a special website that her daughters and sister have created.

Denise is an amazing woman, and she is bravely getting through a very tough treatment process. To bring awareness to the disease and as a special shout out to her, today's blog is for Denise and her family.

Many of you know that, for many reasons, Denise's story touches a place in my heart that makes me want everyone I know to root for her recovery.

Blayney, if you're reading this, I'll ask that you say a few extra prayers for my dear friend.

Margaritas in Dordrecht

This past weekend we were invited to a Margarita party at the home of my friend Rachel, her husband Barry - and their dog bordeau, Ruby. Dordrecht is a lovely town near Rotterdam, and also the home of my friend Elizabeth and her husband Wim. Dordrecht is also the oldest town in Holland (this is where you need to understand the difference between Holland and the Netherlands) and Rachel and Barry live in a gorgeous home right in the center, with the Rhine on one side, and a canal which serves as a marine to some pretty nice looking boats on the other. They've renovated this property (and it has since been listed as a historic building) and it is quite different than most of the traditional-style buildings in Wassenaar.


I didn't get any shots of the city (although we plan to return to explore a bit further so I'll get them then) as we had to get to our party, and the weather when we arrived was a bit blah. Imagine just a lovely European village with cobblestones and canals, and very well-maintained homes on either side of the canals, and along the Rhine.

We had a lovely afternoon of Margaritas, great food and great company.

It's Official

On Thursday of this week the incoming 2009-2010 Executive Board was installed in a formal ceremony, including the passing of the gavel from the outgoing President to the new. The event was hosted by Martha Gallagher, wife of the U.S. Charge d'Affairs at their beautiful home in The Hague.

This year's visit to Keukenhof

Wow - tough to keep up!

Many of you will remember that I visited Keukenhof twice last year. This year the in-laws were here during tulip season and a visit to Keukenhof was just a must. Although we were there just a few days later than last year, a number of the flowers had already peaked so some areas of tulips had already been headed, but it was still just gorgeous.

If you want more details, see last year's entry for more explanation about the place (or visit http://www.keukenhof.nl/). Enjoy!

The Royal Greenhouses in Belgium

Last month I took a day-trip with the AWC to Brussels. The first part of our day was a visit to the Royal Greenhouses which are open to the public for about three weeks each year when most of the flowers are in full bloom.

'nough said, really - enjoy!

Subsequent to this visit, we had a chance to spend a bit of time in Brussels proper at the Grand Place -- I'll be publishing pics/film about this and our recent visit back to Keukenhof with my in-laws soon!