October 20th, 2012

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Saturday, October 20. The last spasms of a memorable Summer.

Saturday, October 20th, 2012

The wind is blowing from the south, bringing a short respite from the rain and cold Fall weather. I cycled without a coat to my cousin’s home near the Central Station in Amsterdam. The sidewalk terraces were filled. I was early and stopped to have a Heineken on one of the canal bridges. Seats were scarce. Nick, an Englishman, offered me a chair at his table. He was visiting his Dutch fiancee he had met in Nicaragua. They have planned their marriage in the spring. He had been a professional football player, played water polo, surfed and wandered all over the globe, worked as a bouncer in the Caribbean, flight attendant and now is a fireman.  This is the best entertainment I can get and it is free…. Life is good. And Amsterdam, with the trees in the Vondelpark and along the canals displaying their Fall splendor, is a real Dutch Treat.

I have found an excellent spot to work on the boat, to remove the deck. Very close to “de Schinkel”. I can start in the 2nd week of April after the winter stored boats are cleared out of the shed. Now I will need to find a spot to sleep for those two months from early April. Does any body have any suggestions? Lieftst in de buurt van de Bosbaan. Ik heb gekeken voor een antikrakers plekje, maar nog niets gevonden. Liefts ook waar ik mijn avondeten kan koken.

The healing process for the ribs is slow and  the occasional cough is still painful. But I shall survive. This evening I have been invited by my nephew, Dirk Jan and family, in Haarlem. Tomorrow I have coffee with my friend Evelyn,  I have known her since 1956; then dinner with my sister and brother in law.

Sunday morning: the power went out here on Saturday and was unable to send the Saturday post. I had a very nice evening with the De Ruiters. Dirk jan gave me a scenic tour through the surroundings near Haarlem. We stopped in Spaarndam and Dirk jan took the below picture of the colorful Maple trees. Their 12 year old son, Lukas, accompanied his mother, Fransje on the piano playing “Take Five” from Dave Brubeck. Fransje played the soprano Saxophone.

Today is the Amsterdam marathon. The route runs right along the marina, the loudspeakers making the announcements and music are blasting away.