2005

1. 2005 A Year of New Experiences & Adventures!

2. Christmas in Nova Scotia

3. Leon, Cate and baby Rosa take a walk on a pretty winter’s day

4. What a cutie!

5. Leon’s brother Yvo came over from Holland to join in our Canadian Christmas celebrations

6. He was excited to help shovel when we got our first big snow

7. Dad guides Yvo and Leon as they carve bowls out of maple on the lathe

8. Fun in the snow!!

9. … and on the ice!

10. All enjoy a special Lobster Dinner and bid farewell to Leon & Yvo

11. See you in 5 months…

12. It’s a blizzardly start to 2005 in Nova Scotia

13. And even Holland gets a little dusting

14. Cate’s last term is a busy one, and filled with good times with friends

15. Over in Holland, Leon and Yvo begin their own graphic design company. This is a scene they created.

16. Cate’s walk across the stage on her big day

17. She is lucky to be supported by such wonderful family and friends

18. Grad day also brings another momentous event…

19. BEFORE…

20. DURING…

21. AFTER! Tony Joe

22. The short-haired pair is reunited in Holland in June

23.  While one of Leon’s friends (Lianne) is in the USA, her cute little apartment in Utrecht becomes our first home in Holland. Lianne and Leon 

24. Cate wasted no time in acquiring a bike- the national form of transportation in the Netherlands. This is a folding bike, that can be folded quite small, and therefore can be taken on the train for free!

25. In July we moved to Leon’s Uncle Hans’ house for 2.5 weeks. While they were on vacation, his family asked us to take care of their home and their pets: Tjecka (the huge, but loveable Bernese Mtn. dog), Spikey (the independent, yet sooky cat, who also liked to join in on dog walks), 5 fish and 2 rats. Spikey pretending to not be joining in on the walk Big, slobbery dog kiss

26. Leon joined friends on a trip to Germany to see Mother Meera- a woman who is worshipped as an incarnation of the Divine Mother around the world and who gives blessings to those who come to her. Friend Michael Cousin David

27. The doors were always open for us at Roland Holstlaan #772. We’ve spent quite a bit of time here over the past 6 months- sometimes with Donate and/or Paul, and sometimes with the place to ourselves. The balcony 

28. In July, Yvo moved into his own place in Hilversum (1.5 hrs NE of Delft)

29. Typical houses in Delft

30. During our summer in Delft, we did quite a bit of shopkeeping in Paul’s shop “Lan Ting”. Here we are at an antique market in Delft with some of his items.

31. Meanwhile, a monumental move was happening back in Kingsburg. Can’t wait to see it!

32. VACATION TIME!! In mid-Aug. we took a 9 day trip with our bikes and backpacks. Beer’s Eco Camping The Hobistee Alkmaar Enkhuisen Here’s a map with some of our key stops in green Hilversum Train ---- Ferry ---- Bus ---- Bike ----

33. Tent Sleeping pads Did we ever look funny with our tiny bikes and huge backpacks !! Makeshift cooler Leon’s cousin David’s son Divine

34. Leon’s cousin David and his son Divine zzzzzz Those are some pretty big shoes to fill! Cycling in Alkmaar

35. Learning to make bami goreng with Leon’s uncle Bobbie (the most famous bami chef in the family)

36. Here we are in Enkhuisen, about to have some fish for lunch. This quaint town reminded me a lot of Lunenburg Sailing on Holland’s network of lakes and canals is a popular Dutch activity

37. The large, open air Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuisen

38. A cold and blustery ferry trip across the Ijsselmeer. We were the only ones brave (or crazy) enough to stay on deck for the entire 2 hour crossing!

39. Our first camping stop was at an “agro-eco camping” in Beers. It was a sleepy little organic milk farm. We had a nice place to pitch our tent in an old orchard.

40. The owner, this very friendly older man, was very kind to offer us a ride across the canal in his boat to reduce our biking distance. We had to smile when we saw the “Camping” sign with the missing (but later added) “P”.

41. Flat horizon… smooth trails… into the wind no matter which direction we travelled… Absolutely exhausted, we take a break on the roadside. Minutes later we were saved by a bus which took us to the ferry at Lawersoog. We would never have made that ferry (the last of the day), if it weren’t for that bus! Spectacular, big skies

42. The island of Schiermonnikoog (National Park) White sand beach Vegetated dunes Seedune Campground Pine forest Mudflats Town Farmland Seedune Campground

43. A WWII bunker offers a nice view of the island We ate well throughout our journey- here we’re having fajitas A nasty cold hit Cate on Day 2

44. Lifeguard house & cafe The beach was the largest either of us had ever been to (and we think that’s saying a lot!). It was 300-400m wide in many places!

45. That same lifeguard house & cafe The clouds came and went, but for most of our vacation they hung around (we had rain everyday, and it was unseasonably cold). That didn’t stop us from enjoying this beautiful place!!

46. Salt water is the cure for everything~ sweat, tears & the sea

47. Refreshing, but not daggerish

48. Whisps of sand tingle the feet

49. Endless trails to explore along the beach, over the dunes and through the woods

50. The little town of Schiermonnikoog It’s a car-free islands, so bicycles rule! This is the local grocery store