Spring Is In The Air!

It's a gorgeous day here in Belgium. The sun is out, the temperature is just right, and tractors are hauling around loads of poop. It must be Spring.

Got Milk?

Here is a little something that I picked up over the weekend. It's an antique aluminum milk pail. I've mentioned it before, but I can't resist an object with a history. This one caught my eye immediately, because my Grandparents used to have a dairy farm in Texas. My Dad worked there before and after school for many, many years while growing up. He used to tell us a story about his Dad milking the cows. Kittens used to hang out in the barn, looking for a free handout, and one of them fell into a pail of milk while trying to steal a drink. My Grandpa calmly reached in the pail, fished out the kitten, and proceeded to wring the milk out of it back into the container. Then he put the kitten back on the ground and continued with his work. Waste not, want not. I could never decide if I should be amused or disgusted when I heard this story. In the end, amusement always won. Anyhoo, as soon as I saw this, I knew it was going home with me. Judging by the dented lid and scratched sides, I'm sure it has a few stories of it's own to tell. And I like that.

The purchase paid for itself within minutes of my getting it. Russ offered to hold the tin for me when we stepped into a nearby shop to look at Polish pottery. I had just started to look around when I heard the clerk giggling. I turned around and saw her looking at Russ, who was standing near the door, holding the milk pail and looking like he would rather be anywhere else than in this store full of brightly colored dishes. She asked him where he was going with his milk. We told her that we were looking for a bowl for his cereal.

On The Road Again...

I'm starting to think that maybe we shouldn't travel any more. This picture sums up this past week. Jess got two big gifts for her Birthday: a ticket to the Taylor Swift concert in the Netherlands... and the crud. Can you guess which one she'd like to return? Unfortunately, the crud attacked on the eve of our trip to Germany for an awards dinner. Jess is a trooper, so she curled up in the back seat and we took off to Spang ... 2 hours and 30 minutes away. Then she crawled into her bed in TLF and slept, and sniffed, and coughed, and slept, and coughed some more. Finally, we gave up and took her to the doctor. Which was over an hour away. And then back to TLF again, armed with more medication. Poor Jess. On the positive side, Russ got to drive on the Autobahn. That always makes him smile. (He'd smile even more if he were driving a BMW or Corvette, but such is life.) And we got to see more beautiful scenery, like the locals getting their vineyards ready along the banks of the Moselle River. Spring is in the air. Trust me, we are more than ready for it. We made it back to Spang in time for the awards dinner.Everyone did a fantastic job, and it was a big success. Soon, it was time to head back to Belgie. Once again, Jess curled up in the back seat and dozed, and coughed, and dozed again. She still has the crud. It's some wicked mean stuff, and refuses to leave without a fight. Hopefully she will be well enough tomorrow to return to school, and no one else in the family catches this mess. We don't have any trips planned for the near future, so the odds are in our favor this time.

Taylor Swift in the Netherlands!

For her Birthday this year, Jess asked for tickets to the Taylor Swift concert in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Not a shabby way to spend your 17th Birthday, huh? She and a friend from school took off on a lovely adventure. She said the concert was...amazing. Here are a few pics...

Happy Birthday Jess. And Happy Birthday to Russ, too. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get to stare at Taylor for the evening. There's always next year...

It's Carnaval Time!

Louisiana has Mardi Gras, but in Europe, we have Carnaval! And it makes some people who already enjoy a good party... really come out to play. The parade was led by the mounted police, riding...ostriches? They were lots of fun to watch. They never said a word, and communicated by simply blowing their whistles. (You should have seen them when the two blonds walks by.) There were lots of interesting (and a little creepy...like this doctor!) things to see in the parade. Each float had their own sound system, and the music was cranked! Groups of people in costumes followed behind each float, handing out candy, drinking, dancing, and just enjoying the festivities.

I loved the chick, who popped out of his shell occasionally to check out the festivities, and then ducked back in again.

The Titanic even made an appearance!

A big surprise was this entry. It's the Farm Ville float.... complete with the big red barn, scarecrow and sunflowers! That just goes to show you, even Belgians love their FaceBook games!

Moe from The Simpson's made an appearance and helped serve up some lovely Jupiler beer. He was bit of a rebel, because most of the crowd was drinking Martens. Elvis and his gang made an appearance as well.

There were pirate ships...

and men on stilts.

And even a few witches popped in to stir up some trouble.

The Carnaval Parade was lots of fun, and we really enjoyed ourselves. The locals are still out there living it up, but we called it a night and headed for home. Brandon has tons of candy, bags of chips, and other goodies to hold him over until next year. Happy Carnaval and Tot Ziens for now.

The Unexpected

At first glance, this would appear to just be another Belgian pub. Upon further observation, you will find it to be the home of Super Dog, Guardian of the Universe. (Do you see him to the left of the green sign?)
As we were passing by this pub earlier today, Jess said "There's a dog on that roof!" (That's something you don't hear every day.) Sure enough, there sat Super Dog. He's found a lovely spot to sit, checking out the local scenery and occasionally barking at someone or something that passes by below him. I would have gotten a close up, but immediately after I took this picture, he decided that his shift was over, ducked back under the Martens sign, and disappeared. Just like a super hero.

Hidden Treasures

Unfortunately, responsibilities sometimes get in the way of adventuring, and it was that kind of week. That doesn't mean that it has to be boring. It's just a matter of noticing something wonderful while you are dashing madly from here to there, taking care of everything that you have to do. Try to take a minute to enjoy something beautiful in your town or city while dealing with every day life. You'll be surprised at what jewels might be just around your corner.