An eventful couple of weeks. On 16 October, we travelled to Amsterdam where I met with a young man about a legal issue. We arrived Friday night and returned Monday night. Most of our day on Saturday was taken with my meeting in Amersfoort. We then drove back to Amsterdam for a couple of days of exploring. We were looking forward to attending church, but were evidently so tired that we slept too late and missed. Also, as we discovered, Sunday was the annual Amsterdam Marathon—a very big event. Most of the trolley lines were down and the taxi’s had to take very indirect routes (read expensive) to get where you wanted to go. We wanted to visit the Rjkesmuseum.
Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
Can’t pass up a try at wooden shoes
We eventually got there; but in the process, I left my iPhone in the taxi. Of course, I did not have a receipt, the name of the company or anything. I thought my goose was cooked. We had a rendezvous planned with Spencer and Allie Woolcott at 5:30; but were to call them to arrange a location. I did not have his number. So, we went back to the hotel (where I had my computer) and sent desperate emails to Warren, Linda, Tyler and Tanner (who had hooked up with Spencer a month ago). We finally made the connection. Spencer sent out an SMS message to my phone giving his number to whomever might find the phone. An hour later, a call came from my phone to his. With a lot of strangeness about a meeting place, we finally hooked up with a guy claiming to be from Liverpool and I retrieved the phone. Relieved as I was, there was (and still is) a discomfort surrounding it. Why did he call from my phone instead of his own? Did he have to break the passcode to do so? Is my data protected (remembering most of my church emails are quite confidential). And, when I opened photos, about 10 photos were taken of him and his friends, including one with him making an obscene gesture at the camera. What’s he up to? But, the sole comforting thought is, “why did he return it?” In the end, I got the phone back and we had a very enjoyable meal with Spencer and Allie.
Vermeer (one of Kathy’s favorites)
On Monday, we spent the day at the Van Gogh Museum. Remarkable! This was the finishing touch on a commitment we made back in 1972 when there was a Van Gogh show in San Francisco (we were in law school at the time). We agreed if we ever got the chance to see the museum in Amsterdam, we would do it…and we finally did. We were able to get nose to nose with his masterpieces and see those incredible brush strokes. I was impressed with how many self-portraits he did in the final couple of years of his life. It is as though he knew the end was near and, as I was reminded, he took his own life not long after being released from a mental hospital he had checked into himself.
One of my favorites
Upon return, I spent most of my week working with the many legal issues presented by the refugee crises in Europe and, in particular, with how the Church can help. It is very difficult to provide any assistance in some countries that do not want the refugees to receive assistance…they want them gone and prohibit any sort of help that may enable them to extend their unwelcome stay. Laws are changing by the day. So every day, I review a report on all the new refugee updates.
We have mentioned before that the sister missionaries live just across the hall from our flat. Their flat recently sold and the new owners intend to occupy it rather than rent it out…so the sisters needed to move. A few months ago, when we heard this might happen, I told the mission office that if it made sense for the sisters to move into our place, we would look for another place to live. Not that we are unhappy where we are, but it is difficult when we have company with only one bathroom. A couple of weeks ago, the mission said it looked like that plan may need to be implemented and could we start looking for a house. We did and, after some very disappointing viewings, finally found one that looked like it would work. For the next several days, the mission could not give us an answer on timing. But, on Thurs. morning, they called and asked that we be moved out on Friday morning. I think they forgot we are not young missionaries. We have an entire house full of furniture as well as our personal belongings. We were lucky that Kristie was able to find a mover that could react that quickly and at 11:00 AM on Friday, we met the owner at the house, picked up the keys, and moved in. For the first day or two, we were really missing our apartment, but we are now settling in. The house has three bedrooms (one is so small that it can only be used for utility purposes) and three bathrooms. The kitchen is very nice and large but it is also the dining room. We have a garage, but if I park the car in it I will have to spend the night because I cannot get out. So, in cold weather, I will have to develop my ice scraping skills. Here are some pictures.
New House
Step-saver lounge (living room)
New disco kitchen
We went a week without WIFI or Vonage, so we are starving for contact with family. We should be able to hook up tonight–but it is Halloween. We are not prepared so we have been handing out sugar-free Werthers. We will probably get egged later.
Starting to get colder and wetter. Took our first walk in the new hood–still some very beautiful sites.
Signing off for now.