Days with Desmond

No, the photo to the left is not of Desmond. It is my beautiful wife, preparing for said Desmond's arrival. Fortunately, by Monday Liesbeth was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (strictly a metaphor). There was no saying her nay; her days of being "sentenced" to the couch were certainly finished. That morning and early afternoon we made a few final preparations to make Desmond's stay with us as comfortable as possible.

These last few days, Liesbeth and I have enjoyed Desmond's company. He arrived in Schiphol on Monday afternoon. (I was quite pleased with myself that I managed to drive to and from without losing the way.) It's taken some time to learn how to get around on the highways. Like in the USA, the highway signs help drivers navigate by giving the names of the cities that lie ahead. If you don't know all the city names, they don't prove very helpful. (And I find the signs to be much smaller and less well lit, but I'll stop complaining.) I'm finally becoming acquainted with the lay of the cities about the land, so driving isn't so difficult as it once was.

It's been a lot of fun to have a guest from home. It's gratifying to share some of the local sights with a friend. Liesbeth is really enjoying his sense of humor, too. Yesterday, we (Desmond and I) visited Gouda together using the quintessentially Dutch mode of transportation: the bicycle. I think one such cultural experience will suffice for Desmond. He was quite happy that when we traveled to Rotterdam today, we took the train. In Rotterdam, we visited an art museum and some shops (namely, a book store). Desmond wanted to cook a meal for us, so he purchased a cookbook and tomorrow we will happily surrender the kitchen to him and our palates will await the delights he'll serve. Flavors don't post so deliciously, but perhaps I'll be able to post some photos of our meal together.