The vet, the 4th of July, &.....THE BATH!!!!

YO! Bas here....man oh man, what a month I have had. First, I had to go to the vet...not once , but twice. Then came one of Mom's favorite holidays, the 4th of July, America's independence day and we had to celebrate that. To top everything else off.......I HAD A BATH!!

Ok, first let me tell you I used to think going to the vet was fun. Last time I was there I got to play with my buds and got lots of treats. But something happened this time, something I can't quite explain. For months now Mom and Dad have been whispering about me....from what little I could pick up it had something to do with my prowess with the ladies. Apparently they think I'm in some kind of misery everytime a pretty little girl doggy walks by. They don't understand that I'm just a ladies' man. Well, anyway, one fateful morning they took me to the vet. I was so happy thinking I was going to see my old buddies again then I don't know what happened. Everything went dark and I can't remember a thing. I think someone gave me a little knock out juice or something. I woke up a few hours later and was still a bit too groggy to notice anything had happened. Mom and Dad came and picked me up and I was still a bit out of it, but I had this sinking feeling that I left something back at the vet's office. It was a few days after the pain relievers had wore off that I realized what had happened.....I left my balls back at the vet. Well, I had to get them back and thank goodness Mom realized it. She took me back about a week and half later. But you know what, all they did was poke me with a few needles give me a few treats and sent me home. What the heck??!! Apparently, this was Mom's plan all along...to deprive me off my manliness. She thought I was just too much man for most of the ladies around here. Oh well, I'm still just as sexy as ever and hey at least now we don't have to worry about any little Bas's running around.

Mom did make it up to me a little. She included me in our 4th of July celebration . We invited a few friends over for a little old-fashioned Independence Day BBQ. Mom had gotten a 'care package' from the good ol' US of A and we decided to share. Of course, they shared with me, too. And let me tell you, Mom makes a mean hamburger. It was a really nice night and the garden was nicely decorated with the American flag waving proudly. Mom and Dad seemed to have enjoyed themselves and I was, of course, the perfect host...I greeted everyone who came in . Good food, good friends...almost like the real Independence Day.

Remember I said she made up for it a little....well she almost erased that by giving me ...a BATH! Torture, absolute torture. That horrible, hissing snakelike waterhose spraying it's evil, venomous water all over. Then that stuff that bubbles up and takes away my natural smell. Disgusting, I tell you. But I got my revenge...what happens when you try to wash a 50 kilo dog that doesn't want a bath...you get wet. Mom and Dad were soaked from head to toe. If I'm going down, everybody's going down.

Well, that was my month..catch ya later....and watch out for vets and evil garden hoses. Time for a little snooze back on my beach...notice I used some of the 4th balloons to redecorate..pretty clever, eh?!

Who is America?

As the 4th of July approaches I can't help but get a bit sentimental and homesick. I'm often asked many things regarding the US. The two questions I get asked most often"don't you miss it" and "why does America do this or that" .

I can answer the first question easily, of course, I miss it. I think it would be hard for anyone leaving something they have known for 41 years behind, but that being said I don't have even one single regret about doing it. Why...because I will always be an American no matter where I am and truth be told people are people no matter what country they are from. Deep down we are the same despite differing viewpoints, cultures, etc. Home is where the heart is and mine is here. Sure I miss some things, sadly mostly revolving around food, but in my heart the US will always be there along with my new family.

Now, the second question is a bit of loaded question as we would say back in the US. I think the only way to answer it is to get to the heart of what America is. America is exactly what the world made it to be. Some will say we are aggressive, arrogant, proud and in our own little world...and that may be true, but you have to seriously look at how we got to be that way. I was having a conversation with a Dutch friend last week about a similar subject and it really got me thinking.

The United States of America was created by people who were looking for new lives. They needed freedom. Ever since those eventful days surrounding July 4th, 1776, people have come from other countries looking for freedom or at least new lives. Today, virtually every corner of the world is represented in the USA. Those orginal people, the founding fathers, had to fight for the freedom and lives they wanted and the US has been fighting that battle, one way or another, ever since. Those men fought to be able to live their lives they way saw fit. They wanted to create new lives for themselves, but not have to completely forget their backgrounds. Those founding fathers and the subsequent people that have followed brought their cultures and ideals with them and they fought to have the freedom to maintain those ideals and cultures as well as the right to change them.

Immigrants built this country. Brick by brick, railroad to railroad, literally they built the US. Irish, Chinese, Dutch, French, Russian...you name it they built the US and when they did it they created Americans as well. I often smile to myself when I'm told that something from the US has a Dutch background. Truth is, America is completely influenced by the world, but also by ourselves. Just look at some of our most popular cultural attributes, most have a tie to something somewhere else. The American musicals such as, Singin' in the Rain, Hairspray, Chicago, West Side Story, etc...have ties to opera. The hamburger has origins in Germany. The thing is, it's not where the ties came from, but what we did with them. We made them our own. Just like John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson wanted to do with the country itself. They, in essence, took the recipes that created other countries and created their own recipe to make the kind of country they wanted and we, as Americans, have been refining that recipe ever since. Many of the immigrants who came here were looking for a change, but while you may be able to change your circumstance, you can never really change who you are inside. Every immigrant is still Dutch, French, Chinese, etc...at heart, and that's what created America.

One thing that I have noticed that is different is the distinction between immigrants and natural citizens of Europe and the rest of the world. In the US, if you are Irish, once becoming a citizen you are referred to as Irish -American, but you don't hear that anywhere else. Throughout America's history there are clashes between the varying cultures that formed the country. Many of those clashes have come from the need to change old ways of thinking...to expand. In most other countries, it is more accepted to adapt to that country's culture as opposed to creating a new culture. It's the creation of a new culture that often caused these clashes in the US, but it's also what made the US who it is...a combination of everyone...a melting pot created by the world. It's apparent in the very writings of the Declaration of Independence.

So why do we do what we do...because it's part of who we are. We are what the world made us...diverse, complicated, always trying to help the little guy, but looking out for ourselves at the same time. We are the immigrant who wanted a better life, the immigrant looking to get away from a tyrannical state, the immigrant wanting freedom to change. We are what the world made us. We are at times arrogant and aggressive, at others, kind and considerate. We are a combination of what the world has had to offer over the last 235 years...the good and the bad. As for me, I'm 100% American along with my Irish, native American, and whatever else is thrown in there, background....and damn proud of it.

It's About DOGGONE Time!!!

YO, Bas here!! It has finally happened, I now officially have my own beach and it only took about a year to get it. Well, actually about 2 1/2 months since Mom didn't really start on it till March. But I am getting ahead of myself, I need to start at the beginning.

Summer 2010




March 2011

Last year, mom wanted to re-do the backyard. It was so high with weeds I couldn't even see over. Luckily, Dad got one of his buds to come out and he used this freaky machine to remove those weeds and give Mom a clean slate to work with or would that be a dirty slate since it was all dirt. Anyway, Mom didn't get to far last year, it was late in Summer and she really didn't know what she wanted to do with it. Two things she did know was that she wanted me to have my own beach to lay out on and a veggie garden..why veggies I have no idea...yuck. Well, she never got around to the beach and she only managed to get a few veggies going. Needless to say, but the yard was full of holes, leaves, and weeds before she got to it.

April 2011

Spring came around and Mom decided it was time to get busy, only problem was there was a very limited budget. You know what Mom is pretty resourceful. She came up with a plan and then started finding materials, most of which for free. Mom decided she wanted a yard with an old country farm feel to it...maybe just a little reminder of Texas. First thing she did was outline everything..she designated my beach, her veggie garden, and even a few spaces for flowers. Now I know all this sounds like it might be expensive, but if you know where to look it doesn't have to be. Mom already had tiles and she used those to mark off her garden. Next came a fence, apparently she didn't want me to help her in the veggie garden and is under the impression that a fence would stop him..yeah right. But she went ahead with getting the fence. Remember I said she was pretty resourceful, well while we were out walking one day Mom noticed a construction site. They had these wood pallets for moving bricks...Mom thought they were perfect for a fence. With a little help from my master negoiating skills, she got them for free. Then Dad built the fence for her. After that Mom got some grass seed and also utilized some old rocks our neighbor didn't want anymore. She also bought veggie seeds (again yuck) and a few flowers. Altogether, she managed to re-do it for next to nothing excluding alot of hard work, of course.

Now

Next came my big day, I got the sand for my beach. Now you may be asking yourself..where's the water? Plleaasseeeee...who wants water, water is yucky and it tries to keep me clean. I have a water-free beach and I like it just fine, thank you. I even have my own sign and no bunnies allowed. Now if I can just keep the neighborhood cats and that evil snake like thing that spits out water like poison (waterhose, Mom calls it) away from it, I'll be sitting pretty for the summer holidays. Mom decided I needed my own spot since according to her I was trying to duplicate the Grand Canyon in the yard. She didn't know that was part of my grand plan, make her think I needed my own space when really I just wanted some nice cool sand to lie in.

Veggies

Well, that's our new backyard. Not fancy, but I find it pretty doggone relaxing. For the life of me though, I can't figure out why Mom wants fresh tomatoes, zucchini, squash, brussel sprouts, red bell peppers, watermelon, and 3 different kinds of hot peppers...sounds disgusting to me.

Time for me to hit the beach...I'm such a beach bum!!

Indiana Bas and the Kingdom of the Turquoise Collar

Geez! Where's John Williams when you need him, I could really use some music here. Let's see how does Mom do that Youtube thing...oh, never mind just hum the theme music to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as you read this. Bas here and boy have I had some adventures lately. I've got to be careful because a few of those adventures Mom and Dad weren't too happy about, but ya gotta take the good with bad right?!

My adventures began one evening when the wind blew open the back gate to my yard. I went to investigate and discovered a few amazing scents. Well, I had to find out what these were so I just walked myself right out the gate . Unfortunately, I did this without telling Mom and Dad first, but hey, Mom's always asking me to walk myself anyway. Hmpfh..like 3 walks for a total of 2 1/2 hours a day is a big deal. Anyway, I started my adventure in the back alley, now where it went from here I must keep secret for reasons of Homeland Security...if I tell you then Mom will know and I won't get a cookie for a week. I will tell you though as I was out on my journey, I came across a nice lady who really liked my collar...so as she was looking at it I kindly slipped out of it and let her keep it. I enjoyed Overdinkel for about an hour and a half then Mom came riding up on her bicycle. Well, I had to show Mom all the new things I discovered so I ran straight to her..then right past her..till she called me back. Can you believe it?! She didn't want to go exploring with me. Apparently, neither Mom nor Dad liked the idea of me out by myself too much. They weren't too mad though, in fact, they were so glad to see me they just showered me with hugs and cookies. They didn't even ask where my collar was.

Ahhhh..Spring...and love is in the air. You can't fight it no matter how hard you try. That's what happened on my next little adventure...the search for romance. You see, a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do....and no fence can hold him back. Hey, I'm human...I mean a dog and I have feelings and urges, too. So when this pretty little Chow Chow down the street kept walking past my window well, I had to go for it. I had to find out who she was and where she lived. No obstacle was going to stop me including the gate on the other side that's a bit too short...but just right to jump over. Hey, when you're in love you can leap tall buildings right?! My quest began as I vaulted the gate, but was abruptly ended when Dad found me 10 minutes later. Alas, I didn't find my dream girl, but it was still a fun little adventure.

Now I bet you are wondering where the whole turquoise collar comes into play. Well, since I so kindly gave the nice lady my old one, Dad got me a new one. Nice buffalo leather with little turquoise and pewter studs. Yep, I'm the stylin' stud now.

Since my two little adventures were not approved in advance my further adventures have been confined to the backyard under strict supervision and trust me they are watching me like a hawk. I have, however, made up for my little indescretions and have lent a paw in re-doing the back yard. That's me helping in the pic...I'm flattening the dirt for Mom.

I did get to go to Duivelhof, I led Dad and Mom all over. I gave them the grand tour letting my nose lead the way. You humans don't know what you're missing having your noses up so high. You gotta get down and smell the earth, it tells it's own story. We enjoyed the nice walk, met some frogs although I hurried my peeps away...the frogs needed a little privacy...it's Springtime for frogs, too ya know. Mom tried to get me to go in a little creek....if I was meant to swim I'd have fins and I don't. Met up with a young fella, cute little beagle and we chatted for a sec then we all headed back home.

Well, just telling about all my adventures is wearing me out. So it's time for my nap. Catch a later. Oh, and you can stop humming now.

It's A Texas Thing!

Bas here, I have decided to concede the blog to Mom this week. I know I promised to tell you all about my adventures as Indiana Bas, but I think it would be in my best interest to wait till the next blog. You see it's a bit of a sore subject around this household. Apparently, Mom and Dad didn't like the idea of me going on adventures without them. So in order to let the heat on me cool down a bit I've asked Mom to write this week all about Texas...seems there's an important anniversary happening.

Thanks Bas. It is indeed a Texas thing! It is Texas's 175th anniversary this year. On March 2, 1836 Texas declared it's independence from Mexico. Texas did not become part of the United States until 1845. This little fact has always set Texas, and in particular Texans, apart from the rest of the US. Oh, don't get me wrong we are proud Americans, but truthfully we are even prouder Texans. Texans kind of have a different little swagger to their step or maybe a bit of a chip on their shoulder. With the exception of perhaps New Yorkers (from NYC) we are a bit more boastful about our state. You can't drive down a street, go to a sporting event, or do virtually anything without seeing a Texas flag in Texas. I remember watching the World Series and Super Bowl. As the Rangers went through the playoffs and the WS, you could see several Texas flags waving in the stands. Even though no Texas team was in the Super Bowl, it was held in Dallas and once again you saw the flags waving. Not once did I see a New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, or California flag in the stands (not including the mandatory one flying over the stadiums), but you did see the Texas state flag in other state's stadiums...they were all over the Rose Bowl in California when TCU had it's game. Our Texas pride is so high that often times you will hear a Texan say, "I'm a Texan first, American second." Yes, I've said it, too. In fact you may have noticed the cover photo for the blog features the Texas flag not the US flag. The big question is why are we so proud of ourselves. The answer really lies in our history and how we've embraced it.

Most of the history we look to falls back to the years of the Texas Revolution between 1835-1836. Texas has flown the flags of France, Spain, Confederacy, Texas, the US, and Mexico all of which have considered Texas part of their land. Mexico, in particular, was a large controlling faction. In 1824, Mexico declared it's independence from Spain and set up different states within it's holdings, one of which was Texas. After it's war with Spain, Mexico was essentially bankrupt and had very little money for military purposes. This caused a problem because with all the new land they aquired they had also aquired a great many indian tribes. Tribes who were quite hostile and known for raiding whether for self preservation or simply personal gain. Without money for the military to help combat these hostile raids, the Mexican government turned to it's own people to forge militias. In order to form militias in the new lands however they needed settlers. Where do you get new settlers, where else the US. To lure these settlers, Mexico promised levies on taxes, land, and new lives. This worked out great as Mexico gained a large contingent of citizens. Until Mexico realized they were being outnumbered. In 1830, Mexico shut off all immigration from the US and also decided to take away all of their promised tax levies and even land. Well, US citizens who had immigrated were quite accustomed to their old freedoms in the US and weren't exactly happy with the new arrangements. Mexico took a further stance and removed many other rights and promises as well. Texans grew increasingly angry. Texans lost their political, judicial, and religious freedoms. They lost their voice in government when in 1833 as Generalisimo Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna took over as president. He abolished state legislatures, militias, and the constitution of 1824 which granted Texans their freedoms. Enraged the Texans began forming and by the time Mexico had switched from federalism to centralism in 1835, the Texans were in full revolt.

On October 2nd, 1835, Santa Anna sent soldiers to try and squash the building rebellion...in particular to retrieve a cannon that had been left to control indians. The Battle of Gonzales began the revolution as Texans raised a flag over the cannon saying "Come and Take It". Texans won their first battle and more combatants began to join the revolution. Armed with this first small victory and with the Mexican army unaware of their numbers and intentions the Texans managed to take a presidio and an old mission....Goliad and the Alamo..with little resistance. By the end of October, however, Santa Anna had decided it was time to take care of this little rebellion and started readying troops and by December he had amassed 6,000 troops. By the end of December they were marching towards Texas, however, due to supply problems and weather they were continually delayed. Eventually they reached Texas and many settlers evacuated as Santa Anna burned homes and land as he marched through. As Santa Anna marched, the Texians (as they were known then) began to establish their own government and by March 2nd, 1836 that government was in place and Texas had declared it's independence.

Santa Anna began to slowly split his forces, sending a small group to Agua Dulce. After a small victory there, that same group marched towards GOLIAD. A Texas army had formed at Goliad led by Colonel James Fannin. Upon getting information that the Mexican Army was on the way Fannin was ordered to retreat. His retreat was delayed, however, and the Mexican Army captured all 340 of his men upon Fannin's surrender. Santa Anna made his first significant military mistake. He ordered the execution of Fannin and his troops ...all were put to death and burned. This obscene act drew the fury of not only Texians, but the world and things would start to take a turn for the worse as Santa Anna himself marched towards San Antonio de Bexar...THE ALAMO.

I'm sure during football season you may have heard me say that there are three things that matter in Texas...God, The Alamo, and football...and you don't mess with any of them. The Alamo will always be close to Texans hearts.

The Alamo was an old, crumbling mission originally made to bring religion to the indians, but it had eventually become something of a fortress. The Texians had originally taken control of the Alamo in December 1835, but now a force of almost 4,000 Mexican troops was heading towards the small group of 130 Texians. Colonels William Barret Travis and Jim Bowie commanded the Alamo. The General of the Texian Army, Sam Houston had ordered Travis and Bowie to burn it down so the Mexicans would not be able to use it. Travis and Bowie, however, had other ideas. As Mexico marched on Bexar, Houston's troops were being recruited and trained much farther away. Travis decided to remain at the Alamo and attempt to delay Santa Anna giving Houston more time. Volunteers began to arrive up-ing the number inside the garrison to roughly 182 (actual number unknown). Among these volunteers was a group from Tennessee led by the legendary frontiersman and congressman, David Crockett. On February 23rd, Santa Anna's army began to arrive, catching the Texians off guard and forcing them to rush supplies and men into the garrison. By that afternoon, 1500 Mexican troops were inside Bexar just outside the Alamo. Santa Anna ordered the blood-red flag signaling "no quarter" . Over the next 13 days the Mexican Army fired cannon after cannon into the Alamo as Alamo defenders won small skirmishes along the outer areas. On March 6th, the Mexican Army went on full siege of the Alamo. Bombarded with cannon fire and Mexican troops climbing over the walls the Texians fell in the early morning hours and all were killed, but took 400-600 Mexicans with them. Santa Anna ordered all the bodies as well as the Alamo to be burned. This became the Siege of the Alamo and the rallying cry for the Texians..."REMEMBER THE ALAMO". After the Alamo, Santa Anna split his army in two to chase after the main Texas Army.

General Houston realizing his army was small and untrained, retreated to the US border forcing Santa Anna to chase him and allowing him more time to train and come up with a plan. After a while though, the Texians tired of running and vowing for revenge of the Alamo and Goliad stopped running and headed for Santa Anna. Santa Anna had divided his army and only left himself 1200 troops. On the morning of April 21, 1836, on the San Jacinto river Houston caught Santa Anna off guard and attacked. With "Remember the Alamo" and "Goliad" firing up the Texians they charged ahead. Santa Anna convinced, by his own ego, that the Texians would not attack had ordered his men to stand down that morning. The Texas Army won the Battle of San Jacinto in 18 minutes. Santa Anna retreated and disguised himself as a corporal. He was caught by the Texians who suddenly realized who they had as Santa Anna's captured troops came to attention. Santa Anna was taken before a wounded Sam Houston and forced to sign a treaty giving Texas it's independence.

From 1836 to 1845, Texas was it's own country and even it's own culture..still is today. When it joined the union in 1845 certain privileges were allotted including the right to have the Texas flag raised at the same level as the US flag...all other states must have their flag slightly lower. Texas stands out a bit beyond cowboys, indians, and oil wells..it has a certain mystic. It has benefitted from the influences of various cultures. Then there's just the size...it takes 11 hours to drive from El Paso to the Panhandle, you can have the sea, lakes, canyons, desert, skyscrapers, and sometimes even snow...all in one place. So now the answer to why Texans sometimes set themselves a bit apart...I guess the meer fact that we were once on our own and what we had to do to get it just makes us puff out our chests a bit more. Or maybe it's just a Texas thing.

Reflections of a Year

I decided to get off my butt or maybe that's sit on my butt and get back to the blog I have neglected the last few months. Guess I got carried away with baseball, football, and the holidays. What better way though to return than to reflect on my first year in the Netherlands and share some of my favorite memories.

Well, to begin, my language skills aren't quite where I thought they'd be right now, I thought by the end of the year I'd be fluent...hahahahaha...talk about unrealistic. While it may have been unrealistic, I am doing better just taking baby steps I guess. Bear with me, eventually I will get it. I have learned my way around the grocery stores, Overdinkel, Losser, and even a little of Gronau. I'm re-learning how to ride a bicycle..I swear they are different here....so I can get around a little more on my own. So I'm getting there, hopefully next year at this time I'll be doing even better.

Now on to my favorite memories of the year in no particular order.

Dec 25-26, 2009 (I have to include this as part of my year)

After surviving and escaping Tulsa, Oklahoma's first ever blizzard, 4 different airports, and more than 24 hours on planes and in airports I arrived at 15:45 on Dec 26th. The best thing about this...my Joost waiting for me on the other side of that window at Schipol. Waiting with a relieved smile, a teddy bear, hug, and a kiss...it was the most wonderful thing in the world. I was home, safe, and loved.

New family and friends

Meeting all my new family and friends was just as wonderful of an experience. Welcomed with open arms to say the least. Joost's parents are absolutely wonderful, his Mother was this wonderfully strong and welcoming woman, unfortunately I didn't get a chance to know her better as she passed last year. Joost's Father is a character, loveable and cute. When he smiles his eyes light up. I was blessed to get to spend a little time alone with both his parents and even without knowing the language I could tell there was a lifetime of love between them.

Also got to meet Joost's son, Timo, you may have seen him in a blog with Bas. A great young man and a typical teenager. Also had the privilege of meeting his two lovely nieces, Floor and Karlijn. Joost introduced me to many of his friends and we have had the pleasure of their company a few times. Everyone from family to friends have been most welcoming even when the language barrier sometimes intercedes I still know I am always welcome and I am thankful for that.

Bas!!!

How could I possibly review my year and leave out Bas. Bas, is our giant breed, Anatolian Shepherd we adopted from a divorcing couple last year. He's my boy! What else can I say?! He's a Momma's boy, that's for sure, but he has certainly provided us with a great deal of entertainment and alot of unconditional love as well. From his fear of bunnies to just his clumsy size he never fails to entertain. When you come home and you hear that "thump, thump, thump"of his tail you know he's just been dying waiting for you. And I'm sure he let all the neighbors know as well...he tends to howl and whine whenever we're both gone, but only because he loves us.

"Do You Believe It Ranger Fans?!"

"One ball, 2 strikes, 2 outs...6-1 the Rangers lead in the top of the 9th. Feliz, the high set, here comes the pitch....breaking ball...STRIKE 3 CALLED...THE RANGERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!"

Ok, so this didn't happen in the Netherlands, but I was getting up at 2am most of the month of October just to see it. Joost went out and even bought new speakers for the computer for me just so I could hear the games without headphones. And what games they were.

As a Ranger fan you don't see much of the playoffs, usually the Rangers are out before the season is even over. The few times they have been, they lost dreadfully to the evil New York Yankees, in fact, they only won one game out of 13 playoff games. But our time had come. The Rangers won the West Division and went to the first round of playoffs against the Tampa Devil Rays beating them 3 games out of 5 to advance to the American League Championship Series. Who was waiting for them at the ALCS, none other than the Ranger killers themselves, the New York Yankees. Pretty much in baseball if you're not a Yankees fan then you really dislike the Yankees, but if you are a Boston, NY Mets, or a Rangers fan then you just downright hate them. For Ranger fans there is one player in particular we don't like, former Ranger Alex Rodriguez, a player who upon leaving Texas for the evil empire had more that a few insulting things to say about Texas, the ball club, his teammates, and Ranger fans. Needless to say, A-Rod (or A-Hole in Texas) is the for the most part...the most hated man in Texas. So in general...we don't like the Yankees. Facing them for the American League Championship was more than a bit daunting, but this was a different team than the one I watched with my Mom so many years ago. This team was having fun and they had heart...something the Yankees rarely have. But can heart beat the $220 million dollars the Yankees spent on players last year? Can this lowly $55 million team from Rangers even stand inside the same ballpark with them? YEP!!! They faced off with the Yankees winning the ALCS 4 games to 2, and the final out belonged to a rookie pitcher who threw a breaking ball right past rotten ol' A-Rod....how sweet it is!! The Rangers went on to make their first World Series appearance after 38 years in the Metroplex they had finally beaten the Yankees and were in the BIG SHOW! Which they, unfortunately, lost to the San Francisco Giants. What's funny though, if you ask a Rangers fan about losing the World Series, every one of them will smile and say "yea, but we beat the Yankees!" I loved watching every single game, I loved remembering how much my Mom loved the Rangers, and I loved remembering her as I watched. It was raining the night they beat out the Yankees...I think that's because my Mom was up there jumping up and down on the clouds celebrating.

World War II

Why is one of my favorite memories WW2? I am a history buff, in particular, World War II. I've read as much history as I can get my hands on, watched countless tv shows, movies, and documentaries, and I've even been to Pearl Harbor, but being here where so much more of it took place just takes my breath away. We went to the American cemetary in Margraten and visited the memorials. There's both a sadness and a pride that swells up when you see something like this. Sad to see that so many had to die, but proud of what they accomplished. After seeing something like this, I almost feel it is my duty to feel proud to be an American...because so many died to make sure we could. As we drove through the Limburg area last April, I couldn't help, but look out through the trees and just imagine everything that took place there so many years ago. I saw soldiers from both sides, resistance, bravery, and even fear. It was a frightening time and time we must always remember. We tend to push those events to the back of our minds except when a memorial holiday comes around, but in truth, we must always remember. It is both wonderful and sobering to see the places I've only read about. It's even more real when you see the schrapnel holes in the side of church or meet someone who lived through it. The best part is there is so much more for me to see and hopefully get an understanding off. Perhaps then I won't put it to back of my mind and only remember on holidays.

Well, those are my most favorite memories of 2009-2010, but not all of them. Honestly, there are too many to even post here, but they are all certainly memories I will always cherish.

Don't miss the next blog..Indiana Bas and the Woods Crusade!

Edited to fix spelling error...Margraten.

Thanksgiving...I'm in!!!!

Finally!!! I can get back to my blog. Bas here, Mom has been hogging the computer for the last month all because of baseball. For a solid month she's been screaming and yelling for those so called Texas Rangers. Apparently they made it to the World Series for the first time ever. I don't get it, if it's the World Series why aren't countries other than the US playing. Mom explained that it represents players from all over the world and really it's just a title that helps to let you know it's different from the colleges....whatever. Of course, she's also been yelling about this football thing, too. I think I may as well give up on Mom till after February when football's over. Since I've trying to keep up with Mom and her craziness, I've been exploring some of the American traditions....baseball, football, Christmas, and I happened to discover one tradition that's right up my alley..Thanksgiving. A day to give thanks and a day filled with FOOD....I am so in!!!

Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for all you have been blessed with for the year...family, friends, dogs, bones, etc. It´s also to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Now I agree with appreciating what I´ve been blessed with family, friends, and bones..but the harvest thing, well frankly, I don´t like veggies anyway. Apparently, way, way back in the old days settlers in America decided to celebrate the great harvest with their indian (Native American) friends. To celebrate they threw a great big feast. And Americans have been celebrating ever since. Nowadays, they celebrate with family and friends. Everyone gathers cause everybody´s off since it´s a national holiday and everyone eats till they bust. I´M IN!!! Then they watch parades and football all day, while nibbling on leftovers for the next 3 or 4 days. Like there will be leftovers with me around.

Mom says it´s one of her favorite holidays and she has lots to be thankful for like Dad and me, of course. She´s also thankful for all her new family, friends and new adventures. I think Mom is planning a Thanksgiving Dinner here..apparently you can have turkey, ham, chicken, duck, pork...just about anything on Thanksgiving. Plus a stuffing, sweet potatoes and lots of yummy desserts. I can´t wait to see what Mom makes...and I know I´ll get a plate, too. If I don´t, well let´s just say they´d better keep an eye on their plates or something might just end up missing. I´m not saying I´m a thief...I´m a Master Thief...just asked Dad how many broodjes he´s lost.

Well, time for me to go and I´ll let you know more about this dinner as time gets closer. Man, I´m drooling already...well ok, I´m normally drooling.