Day two in Amsterdam

If you're ever in Amsterdam...

...you just might come across the tulip museum!
The tulip museum is across the street and down from the Anne Frank house...

and if the line's too long for the Anne Frank house and you didn't make reservations on line...
...you just might be inclined to learn a bit more about tulips!

For instance...
Did you know that in 1637 the price of tulips skyrocketed off the charts?
Futures were traded...some bulbs changed hands 10 times in a day.
Not literally...in much the same as today, futures were sold...
basing the prices on what was estimated the bulb could bring in when the season began.
By 1636 tulips became the fourth leading export of the Netherlands, after gin, herring and cheese.
The prices of tulips crashed when apparently no one showed up
at the bulb auctions in Haarlem...ostensibly because the Bubonic plague had reached
it's height in the area.

Enlarge the chart to see where the price of gold was in 1636 as compared to
the price of tulip bulbs!!!

One thing you'll notice when wandering the streets and canals of Amsterdam...
...there is a plethora of bicycles!!!
Apparently, bicycling is the primary mode of transportation!
Everywhere you go there are multitudes of bicycles chained to railings,
and if you're not careful walking, you just might get run over by a cyclist!!!

 

It makes you wonder though...

when you see one that obviously hasn't been ridden in awhile!!!

As you can see, tulips aren't the only flowers we saw!!! 

One of the "must sees" for me was Rembrandt at the Rijks Museum...
...and I couldn't pass up the pink hair!!!

TheChief, on the other hand, had other things in mind...
...apparently one of the guys we were meeting on the ship for our river cruise
went online before we got there and had found the oldest cigar shop in Amsterdam!!!

Since our friend wasn't arriving until the day we boarded the ship,
TheChief promised to search it out and pick up a few for the trip!!!
The Millers were game and we walked a fair amount looking for it!!!

One of the things you'll see walking through Amsterdam are the
shop signs above the doors...well...they're not really signs...
but they do tell you what kind of store is below!!!
If I remember correctly, this interesting gentleman was above a pharmacy!!!

Whew!!!
It's so nice to stop for a cup of coffee at one of the little sidewalk cafes
for a little pick-me-up!!!

Some store windows tell you what's in the store...
...and then...sometimes...you'll find words of wisdom!!!






For more scenic spots around the world...click on the image below!!!

First stop...Amsterdam!!!

Ever see a Viking River Cruise commercial and wonder what they're like???

Come along with me and I'll give you a glimpse!!!

Amsterdam to Budapest...

along the Rhine, the Maine, and the Danube....

Fabulous!!!

We arrived in Amsterdam in late May...

Still a bit gloomy...

I had to test my settings on my camera so took this one out the window of the hotel.

We extended a few days in Amsterdam before the cruise...

First things first...and prepping us for the actual river cruise...

we took a boat tour through the canals of Amsterdam!

Our boat was an open air boat...

The buildings of Amsterdam are amazing...

the houses are narrow and deep because of the tax structure...

Some lean forward...a sort of bragging right...

or in more practical terms to assist in pulling up goods...

The facades can be described as a bell shape, steps, a neck...

And soooo many bridges!!!

...and along the sides of the canals...houseboats!!!

of all shapes and sizes!!! 

Notice the hook?  

That's to pull goods up to the windows...

(and yes...we're talking hundreds of years ago)

Even the birds have houseboats!!!

Some of the houses have settled (a bit crooked) over time...

 

This was originally a warehouse...see the windows in the center of the building?

They were access to the warehouse...using that hook at the apex of the building...

It's so peaceful and lovely to cruise through the canals...

It's Independence Day!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

We Americans may disagree on political issues and 

political leaders...

but we are still one nation united...

May the red, white, and blue wave long and strong!!!

 

I'm B-a-a-ack!!!

Just last weekend we got back from a Viking River Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest...

...and of course I came back with the upper respiratory crap from Hell...

...two rounds of anti-biotics plus a shot of a different one...

...two breathing treatments at the Urgent Care...

...and a whole lot of Mucinex and other OT Meds and supplements...

I'm finally starting to feel human again!!!

Sooo...it's time to download photos...

Ooops!!!

What happened to my Lightroom catalogue?

I'm missing some photos....

...I know there's a way to change catalogues...

Hmmmmm....

It's definitely time to break out the resource books...

...in the meantime...

Please enjoy this little flower interlude I happened on while searching 

for the right catalogue!!!

Our Little Corner of the World...Expanded!!!

Imagine what it would be like to not be able to lock your front door...

because you have no front door, or a door to lock.

Yep...it's that time of year again!!!

You may remember a previous post or two about our yearly project in Mexico...

with Rotary and Corazon!!!

With the help of service clubs and organizations like Rotary,
Corazon.org builds homes in Mexico

for people who otherwise would not be able to afford their own home...

complete with a lock on the front door.

Most of the families that get homes from the Corazon program have come
to the Tijuana or Tecate areas from Central or Southern Mexico.
They are very poor...but have managed to purchase the lot
on which the house will be built.
The families are then required to do many hours of community service,
learning what it means to live in a community, and help one another.
They are also required to take various classes in things
like job skills, how to get and keep jobs,
domestic violence and child abuse prevention,
gardening, nutrition...and many more.

This year we went with the Mammoth Lakes Rotary Club to 

Chula Vista, CA...our "base camp" and on to Tijuana for the build.

That Saturday morning we met at a local grocery as usual...

...at the crack of dawn!!!

The Corazon.org President, 

Tom McMillen started the day off with organization instructions for the 4 builds, 

and how to get where we're going.

 This family was ready for us!!!

Once there, we got a few words of wisdom from Sean Ferragher...

our Lead Builder-Extraordinaire!!!

Then it was time to get to work!!!

The painting crew had to be organized...

...and the walls had to be put together.

 It didn't take long and those walls were

ready to put up!!!

How many Rotarians does it take to hammer a beam to a wall???

Can you believe it???  

The roof was up before noon!!!

 The afternoon was finishing touches...

windows...doors...

...and TheChief's favorite...the roof shingles!!!  

(BTW...the guy standing in front, by TheChief...

that's our Doris' daddy, Sam, 

who came all the way from New Jersey to help out!)

Sometimes you just need to step back and take it all in...

Then there's the addition of a personal touch...

...and a few gifts for the family's housewarming!

 

 

And the most important part of the day...

handing the family the keys to their new home!!!

It was a great day...and a great crew!!!

Mammoth Lakes Rotary has a great reputation for a hard working group
that gets in and gets it done...early!!!
(There's something to be said for that burst of sea level oxygen
after living at 8000 feet altitude where the oxygen levels are a bit scarce!!!)

And then the really hard part of the day...

...getting back across the border at the Tijuana crossing!!!

It took 1/2 hour to get to the border crossing from the build location...

 

...and 3 hours at the border crossing!!!  

(we much prefer the Tecate builds...the Tijuana crossing is always pretty bad)

To visit more little corners of the world...click on the image below!

Practice Makes Perfect!!!

Still getting used to the Fuji XT1...

It's very different than my Nikon d700

The mirrorless mechanism is slower...

and I'm not always sure I got the pic...

But then I guess....practice makes perfect!!!

Click on the images below for more flowers and macros!