Meeting the Parents

You've seen this before from when Astrid and I were in England this past April, taken at Chatsworth House, if that makes any difference...the seat of the Duke of Devonshire. So British. Actually, so English (we were corrected repeatedly). It's my favorite picture of us to date.

But I digress. When I post this today, Astrid and I will have been in Atlanta since Friday evening, visiting for almost 2 weeks while I'm on Herfst (autumn) vacation from school in The Netherlands. I wouldn't be posting today if it weren't for the fact it's my turn again at Vision and Verb, on Meeting the Parents...or When Your Children Have Two Mommies! I don't want you to miss that. It's the first time for my 2 kids and grandson, Nicholas, to meet Astrid, even though I've known her now for over 3+ years.

How it all goes (HA!) is something I'll post about after the fact: taking Nicholas to the same Fair he's been to since he was 2 (he's now 10!), carving pumpkins and roasting pumpkin seeds (an annual tradition), watching college football, going to Outback Steakhouse...our treat for all the birthdays we've missed. During this week (while Amy and Dennis work and Nicholas is in school) Astrid and I will be with recent retirees, Bob and Peggy, friends south of Atlanta, but will come back to be with the kids this coming weekend, up in the North Georgia mountains. That's the plan. Once we're back in Holland after the 27th, I'll work on sharing those posts.

In the meantime, there are two things to catch you up on from a week ago, back home in The Netherlands. First of all, Gorinchem's autumn Fair took place at the same Grote Kerk spot where the Monday market takes place and so many other things throughout the year...just 2 blocks from us. Talk about CLOSE, the things that are at our fingertips.

As fairs go, this one doesn't cover a lot of square feet but it sure packs a wallop. It amazes me how much can fit into such a small space. But then, that's like Europe in general and they're used to it.
(Remember to click on the image to enlarge it and then click again.)

I especially had fun watching the little fellow on the right (above) who reminded me of Nicholas when he was that age. Needless to say, our appetites were totally whetted for the Fair with Nicholas this past Saturday...which gets better every year as he gets older and older (now 10). In fact, he tried the same bungee ride for the first time ever and had a blast. And this time Astrid was his buddy on rides I wouldn't dare attempt. But as I said, that's another post to come.

Secondly, Astrid and I drove a week ago Saturday to nearby Ridderkerk, outside of Rotterdam, to watch Jeroen, Astrid's 22-year-old son, play tennis. It was a gloriously sunny day, cool, and very Fall-like. It so happens Jeroen was what we call "playing up" with a guy 2 levels higher than himself. So it would have been a miracle if he had won. He didn't win but it was still fun to watch him play:

First, the warm-up...

...and then the real deal.
Notice in the bottom left-hand corner (above) how they score the games and sets. The yellow balls indicate who has won what games in this particular set. Thus, the one on the left side of the court is up 4 games to 1 in this set. The red ball indicates he also has already won one set. It's actually pretty cool. At this level/match, there were no umpires, so the players kept track of their own scores...under close scrutiny, of course, of all their friends and relatives!

Tennis is a big deal for both Astrid and Jeroen. Here's a picture I took of them together back in June of 2008 when I watched them play against each other:

Jeroen is Astrid's only child. Like mother like son. Seriously. I adore him and have already spent umpteen times with him and his girlfriend, Eva. In fact, they're watching after our apartment while we're gone. Though it hasn't been easy for Jeroen to experience the break-up of his family, he has graciously received me as his mom's wife. He's become my second son.

Which takes me back to my Vision and Verb post today...and when our children meet the 'other' parents after break-ups and divorces. We all know it's not easy. No, it's NOT easy! And that's why we take any of the joys and happy moments we can get.

So far so good....