Thursday, January 11, 2018

Snow in the Lingebos Forest, Vuren, NL


Actually, this is the tail-end of our Christmas-market vacation at the beginning of December, when we went to Maastricht, Aachen (Germany), and the Rolduc Abbey.

We left the house on Friday, 8 December, with snow beginning to fall here in Gorinchem, NL.  All I could think of was "OH NO!  We're going to miss the snow!"  Wrong.  We had it while on our mini-trip south and then on our way back home, Monday, 11 December.

The further north we drove, on our way home, the more it snowed.  And without blinking an eye, we both decided to forget everything, once home (shortly after lunch), and drive out to the nearby Lingebos "artificial" forest in Vuren.

We wanted to WALK IN THE SNOW!

And when Astrid found out that her son Jeroen was let out of work early, because of the snow storm, she invited him and DIL Eva to come join us, if they could.  And they did!

We met up at the entrance of our walk, near where we parked.

It was snowing cats-n-dogs.

The Lingebos is a recreational park of 115 hectares (284 acres) "built" in the late 1960s.

The last time we were there it was the autumn of 2015, at which time we both said,
"If it ever snows again, we HAVE to walk here in the snow!"


Promises made and promises kept!

The snow was wet and gloppy, sticking to the trees.
The blustery wind helped.

Can you tell how much fun we had?

Astrid (red) and I (blue) felt like colorful birds having a heyday.
(The umbrella was to protect the camera lens.)

And because they are special to us, I loved capturing Jeroen and Eva.
After all these years (8+), they are as crazy in love as we are, which we really enjoy seeing.

If ever anyone asks for an example of CARPE DIEM, this is it for us.
We totally seized the day and will hold the memory for years to come....

...until the next time it snows?  We're holding our breath!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

And now another "seize the day" is on our doorstep:  Brother Nelson, the oldest of the 8 kids in my family, arrives here on Sunday for a week's vacation.  He wrote us on 22 December to say he had vacation days to use by the end of January or lose them.  He turns 76 the day he arrives...and yes, he still works!

So I'll be absent from this blog next week while we fill up the days "entertaining" him.  Did I mention that he lives in Holland, Michigan?  It's about time he sees the real Holland, don't you think!


10 comments:

  1. It was great to see your enjoyment of the snow. The inner child came out in all of you. It was memorable for sure!

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    1. I really like the way you put that, Marie, because you nailed it. The inner child, indeed!

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  2. Wonderful! I too LOVE walking in the snow...and unfortunately missed the latest blizzard in MY city. But, it aint bad in 75 degree weather as we work our way through the backyard re-do!

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    1. I'm sure you wish you could have it both ways, Robin, at the drop of a hat! Until then, enjoy the balmy weather.

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  3. Don't postpone till tomorrow if you can do it today and yes seize the day and grab every opportunity with BOTH hands!!!! The walk was fabulous, LOTS of snow and lots of pictures to sink a ship HA... it was fun that Jeroen and Eva could join us. What a day to remember. Now we are waiting for Nelson, another highlight that will be. Great pictures again. IHVJ

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    1. To do this on the heels of returning home after a long weekend gives me confidence that we will always seize the day for such opportunities, Astrid. I'm so glad we were both on the same page that day! Thank you.

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  4. Nothing more magical than being in love and walking together in the snow! What a wonderland.

    I love picturing Nelson with you there and can't wait to hear the details!

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    1. There's something magical about fresh and falling snow, Ruth. It's a rarity here, I've discovered, so when it happens we really do seize the day.

      The time with Nelson should be fabulous. Too bad you can't join us!

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  5. i know what you mean about snow being a really great surprise and delight! when we first moved here, coming from ice box home... we actually missed the snow! which we do NOT miss anymore lol... the year we moved here was the first white Christmas this province had had for 70 odd years... we took my little poodle out and went for a long walk to the park... doggie's tender tootsies got frozen while pouncing around in the park... she was always like that, no thought to the future, just PLAY, and when her feet would freeze she would freeze in place with one foot up out of the snow and wait for me to come and rescue her lol that's a great memory of her that you brought to mind for me... thank you for your love of snow xox

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    1. What a great story, Elaine. Also, the fact that snow is so white when it's fresh is somehow so cleansing, don't you think?! :)

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