Dutch Letters: If You Invite Them -- They Will Come

For years our Christmas Cards have always included an invitation for folks to visit us if they're nearby. And for years that invitation has been unheeded by most people. However, this month we hit the jackpot with two visits from family and friends.

First, my cousin, Sue, and her husband, Phil, stayed with us for three days. They had just finished a six week sojourn around Germany, Switzerland and Denmark and were on their way home to Seattle. It was nice to host people who weren't fighting jet lag -- no one fell asleep at dinner. We gave then a quick glimpse of The Netherlands -- Den Haag (Mauritshuis, Escher Museum, Binnenhof) and Leiden (Pilgrim's Church, Rembrandt's Home, Windmill Museum). They also biked to the beach for a walk along the shore. I think they felt at home in the rainy, cool Dutch climate. We really enjoyed seeing them.

Sue, Mark & Phil

In front of the Binnenhof, the seat of the Government in Den Haag.

These people look pretty happy considering they're about to eat my cooking.

The canals of Leiden

After they left, Bill and Laura Lee Graber, stayed for three days on their way to Istanbul. Bill and Laura Lee were our neighbors when we lived in Beaumont. Among their other notable accomplishments are a bird sighting list that exceeds 750 species. Unfortunately, we didn't add to that during their visit. Astute blog readers will also notice some familiarity with their last name -- we named our dog after them. They were good sports about it and even acted honored. However, there were a few confusing moments during their visit when we would yell "No, Graber" and Bill and Laura Lee would look a little surprised.

Bill and Laura Lee in front of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The museum is huge, but most of it is closed for renovation so they consolidated all the best stuff into a condensed exhibit. It worked out great. We saw lots of paintings by the Dutch Masters but didn't have to walk forever to do it.