The world of my childhood centered on a small farm in the American Midwest where my parents leased out the fields and kept a herd of cattle. We gobbled down all-you-can-eat catfish at small-town diners and overheard farmers discussing crop rotation. I never expected to travel outside the United States—a trip to Florida was exotic enough for me. As for learning a second … [Read more...]
Merci, Belgique
(for the Belgian Wonder, on the occasion of our 19th wedding anniversary)Merci, Belgique,Pour tes bicyclettesHe salvaged tires,A chain, gears,Handlebars,And a frameFrom three different bikes,Maybe more.Piecing it all together,He painted it blackAnd pedaled down canalsFor milesThrough the countrysidePast fields of sugar beetsOr flew downhillRumbling over cobblestonesPast … [Read more...]
A Belated "Au Revoir, Europe!"
I wrote this not long after we got home from our trip, but we got so busy with laundry and birthdays that I forgot to click "Publish." I've been back for a while, but I'll post it anyway. For fun:Several months ago, as we were buying our tickets for the trip, we hesitated purchasing the flight that went to and from Luxembourg, even though it was cheapest. But our in-laws … [Read more...]
A Tarte, a Promenade, a Jog
I like this Belgian "tarte au riz," or "rice pie." I've never tried to make it--only enjoy it while in Belgium--but I found a recipe on line that can give you an idea what it's like. I suppose it's comparable to rice pudding:It's not too sweet. I like it. There's a sugar pie that's delicious, too, and extremely sweet; but I don't have a photo.Here we go to the woods again … [Read more...]
We Continue the Rural Belgium Theme at the Gite and Add Some Family
Here's the view heading from the woods back to the gite.Here is some of our group walking to the woods. Can you see how very tall those trees are? Belgium has been good about preserving green space:Because LLBarkat has inspired me to consider shoes when capturing photos that might be candidates for the blog, I decided to line up American shoes toe-to-toe with European … [Read more...]
Basically a Slide Show with Limited Commentary
When you last heard from this blogger, we were in Charleroi, Belgium, or wandering briefly through France en route to Dinant where we saw the gory citadel scenes set up to depict historical accuracy. We were avoiding swan-attacks and eating frites.Next we stopped by my in-laws' house briefly before heading to what's called a "gite." Gites are a housing concept that's kind … [Read more...]
A Taste of Belgium
We awoke to a breakfast table including this (quick--cover your keyboard to avoid shorting it out from drool):A bowl full of chocolate croissants!I love this country.Also, we were offered some of this Belgian bread:We had some of both, of course, because you know what they say...when in Belgium, eat as the Belgians eat.Shortly after, we saw yet another pleasant … [Read more...]
