To You From Failing Hands We Throw The Torch Be Yours To Hold It High

The words above are engraved on one of the walls leading to the cemetery for US soldiers who perished while fighting in the Netherlands, primarily during the failed 'Operation Market Garden'.

Honestly, I've always considered myself to be a World War 2 history buff, but no books, no films, documentaries could ever capture the reality that hits you in the face when you actually visit one of the cemeteries. The magnitude is overwhelming when you look across the virtual sea of more than 8000 crosses.

The first thing you see as you enter the monument is the diagrams and explanations of the battles themselves. The next thing you see are the 1700 names engraved in the stone walls lining both sides. The names are representative of those that were never found to bury. You walk around to the entrance of a tall monument and discover small room for prayer and contemplation. As you exit this room that when the overwhelming magnitude of the cost of war hits you. That's when you see a green lawn leading up to the American flag and on each side of this long field....rows and rows of crosses.

I remember several years ago when I had the good fortune to go to Hawaii, I was so excited that I was finally going to see Pearl Harbor...where everything started for the US. When you enter the Pearl Harbor Memorial on your way to the Arizona, the park rangers and US Sailors escort you first to a theater where you watch a film on the war and specifically its start...the surprise attack by the Japanese. As you watch this film, you slowly realize you're not really watching a film....you're actually watching footage that was shot during the attack. You almost have to look away as you see the ships and sailors in such peril. After the film, they take you by Navy ship to the Arizona itself. You can hear 'Amazing Grace' in the background as the ship docks. You also notice the sailors who guard the memorial as well as the sailors from the ship salute each and every time the ship arrives or exits. A salute that shows what true respect is. As you walk over the platform above the Arizona you start to look over the sides and start to realize what you are seeing. You watch the small oil droplets that are still rising to the top almost 70 years later. That's also when you realize there are men still trapped inside that ship. Overwhelming. You look at the wall with all the names of those resting inside the ship. Overwhelming.

Yesterday, I had that same overwhelming feeling looking across the sea of crosses. People say it makes you appreciate your life when you see something like this...that would be an understatement. It makes you appreciate just being alive to see it and understand it. Not to mention appreciating the liberties and freedoms we have and even more so those who have fought to give them to us. Must admit I swelled with pride and appreciation upon hearing 'God Bless America' being played as we left the cemetery.

Cooking in the Netherlands

Let me just say that I have found cooking to be a bit of challenge. You would think cooking would be one of the simpler things to get used to being in a new country, but nope.

I considered myself to be a decent cook back in the States, here I'm just surviving and learning so far. I often have trouble finding the ingredients I need for certain old favorite meals. Such as my Grandpa's 100 year old Chili recipe....I can't find a jalapeno to save my life. For that matter, any of the actual chile peppers I would normally use. I've tried twice unsucessfully to make it. First time was ok, second time....well, let's just say the Fire Department should've been called. I found some red spanish peppers at the market. Took a bite of one, decided it wasn't that spicy so chopped about .5 kilos up and put them in the chili.....OOOPS!!! Little did I know they get much hotter as they cook. Now I'm used to spicy foods, but even I couldn't handle that. Never in my life have I thrown away leftover chili...until that day.

My Mother taught me some old recipes she called "Po' folks meals"...inexpensive simple meals...my Mom was a teacher and didn't have much time for cooking, etc. This aren't fancy dishes, but simple and oh so good. Even those haven't tasted quite the same. I swear the spices are just slightly different.

On the upside though I am learning to cook a little Nederlands meals like stampot and such. And I've been doing some of my old recipes with, what I call, a Dutch twist. I bought several seeds so I can grow some peppers including my beloved jalapeno plus a few other veggies and herbs so hopefully by the summer I can really make some chili and maybe a few of the other things I miss.

While I love being here I will admit I sure miss my Mexican food (mmmm...fajitas & pico de gallo), Cajun food, BBQ and country fried steak....lol. Have a feeling that by the end of summer, I'll have figured out a way to make it all here.

Editorial Comment by Bas!

Why are small dogs & their bosses so angry? I mean seriously, I need to know. Every little terrier, shih tzu, or other little dude that comes near just seems so angry...all the time. Is this another form of racism...do they hate me cause of my size? Today I was out walking Mom and out of nowhere this little jack russell terrier comes running up yelling at me. Me being the one to take the high road (and not stoop to his level....hehehe...I'm funny) I simply tried to diffuse the situation by calmly giving him a little poke with my nose. Well, that didn't work...he got even angrier...so angry that I thought he was having some kind of seizure or something. So always up to date on the latest life-saving techniques I employed a restraining measure. I put my big old paw right on his head and held him to the ground till his owner arrived to help. This seemed to do the trick...he stopped barking...but, of course, his chin was pinned to the ground. Oddly enough, his owner didn't seem too appreciative of my first aid...even she was angry..about what I have no idea. Maybe it's cause her dog forgot his leash so she didn't have a way to follow him. I always make sure my Mom has a leash, sure wouldn't want to her to get lost or hit by a car. I just don't get these dogs that take their bosses out without a leash. Mom would be lost without hers, she'd never find every tree, bush, rock, twig, or leaf in Overdinkel without me leading her to them.

Well, I've said my peace now onto something more positive. The Dierentehuis Oost Twente has several new buddies for you to adopt. The first two are little terriers...don't worry they're not angry...they are Dolly and Rascal. These 2 lovebirds would love a home together. You know how much love one dog can give imagine what happens with two.

Speaking of giving love, is there no better love than a teddy bear?! Meet Oldenzaal's newest teddy bear...he's part Rottweiler , part Bloodhound, and all teddy bear. He's big and ya gotta be strong to handle him, but he'll make it worth your while. Meet Hazes at the Dierentehuis Oost Twente.

That's it for now. Catch ya on the flip side.

Bas

The Texas Rangers and Me

Hey Ya'll,

Had to steal the blog away from Bas for today. Baseball season is fast approaching in the US, for those of you who don't know I am a huge Texas Rangers Baseball fan. I'd love to tell you the story about why. I've always been a fan, but an incident happened about 14 years ago that made me a Rangers fan for life.

My Mother used to take me and my friends in my childhood to the games, she was a big fan, too. Well, after years of misery...the Rangers finally made it to the playoffs for the first time ever in 1996. My Mother had been ill for a while at this point. She had diabetes and had no feeling in her feet and hands, she needed a walker to get around. All this happened after she and I had taken care of my Grandmother with Alzheimers, my Mom had developed kidney issues almost immediately after my Grandmother's passing. My Mom had two things she loved the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers. When the Rangers finally made the playoffs, she was just overwhelmingly excited. I decided that I was going to try to get tickets.

Now I was just a waitress back then, not making much money so the best I could afford were the nosebleed seats....wayyyyyyyy up top. The Ballpark in Arlington where the Rangers play was a brand new stadium that had only been open for 2 years at this point. I told my Mom about the tickets and she was ready to go.

The night of the game we drove to the ballpark...I tried to let her off at the front gate because parking was at least a kilometer away..but she wanted the whole experience and wanted to walk from wherever I had to park the car. Remember, she was using a walker. We parked and walked up to the front gate. Now I hadn't ask for handicapped or special services, keep in mind. The ballpark was crazy with activity...first playoff ever, ballpark employees running all over the place.

That's when everything happened. As we entered the ballpark one of the employees came up, he didn't ask if we needed help....he helped without asking....within 2 minutes of entering the ballpark..someone had arrived with a wheelchair. They proceeded to take myself and my Mom up a special elevator and took us directly to our seats. We didn't ask for the help, they just showed up. More importantly they never forgot about us throughout the game. Periodically they would come and check to see if we needed refreshments, wc breaks, etc. They were doing all of this with 49,000 other people in the ballpark. My Mother, whose eyes were also bad could barely see what was happening on the field...she could see her favorite player though..Rusty Greer. More than anything else though she got very caught up in the excitement of it all. Not to mention the simple fact that the ballpark staff was treating her like a queen. Rangers lost that game and didn't go any further in the playoffs that year, but it didn't matter. At the end, the staff showed back up with the wheelchair and not only took us to the front gate, but also used a clubhouse golfcart to take us to our car.

We never asked for any of this and to this day I will never forget how special they made my Mom feel. She wasn't just the fan up in the nosebleed section, that night they made her feel like the most important fan there. She couldn't hardly see the game and they lost....didn't matter...she had the time of her life that night and she deserved it. And as I far as I'm concerned the Texas Rangers more than deserve my loyalty. I don't care how bad they're playing or if they ever make it to the World Series...they'll always be my favorite baseball team after that night. Now that being said, they make it to their first ever World Series...I'll be watching!!!!!

A Day in my life!!!

Hoi,

Bas here again. Well it seems everyone wants to know how I spend my days. So here's a little sneak peek at my schedule.

Mom gets up usually around 7-8am everyday...gets a coke and sits down at the computer. At this point I am still asleep on my sofa. I know there is no use in getting up yet, cause Mom won't move till she's finished her coke. After about 10 minutes of this I remind her that I have not mastered the toilet and I gotta go.

For the next 30-45 minutes we walk. I stop to check out all the popular news sites in the area and of course, leave my 'mark' on the news as well. Sometimes I take Mom to the park, other times to the woody areas. However, since my run-in with Ninja Bunny I have a few issues with the park. And since we are on the subject, did you know there are Kamikaze Ducks out there, too. They just dive bomb you out of nowhere. I thought moving to a smaller town would be nice, but these cute, little woodland creatures are psycho.

Anyway, back to my day. After I walk Mom, then it's time for breakfast. I patiently wait in the livingroom doorway peeking around the corner till Mom is done making my food then I wait till she's almost gone before I start.

Next comes the all important naptime. I nap till Dad wakes up, then I try to convince him that Mom hasn't walked me yet. It never seems to work. So I nap again. Occassionally, I'll get up and go watch Mom cook her and Dad's breakfast. Of course, being ever so helpful I'll clean up whatever Mom happens to drop on the floor. She often misses the trash can when she has the end bread pieces, so I gladly take care of it.

Next, I take a nap. After about an hour or so, I start reminding Mom again that I haven't figured out the toilet, yet. Now here comes the problem...she ignores me tells me I have to wait at least an hour. I've tried arguing with her, but is does no good. Finally after they have lunch she takes me for my noontime walk. Now this one's the best usually. We go different places for this one....sometimes woods, sometimes visit the local farms, we even go to Germany ever now and then. Usually it's a nice, long walk...unless its cold,wet, or snowing...Mom's kinda a wimp about being cold and wet.

Next, time for the all important afternoon nap. Mom's usually cleaning things up, while Dad's getting ready for work.

Oh man, I almost left out one of the most important parts of my day. Somewhere between Dad getting up and my breakfast, Mom sometimes goes to the store. Now this is when my protection skills get used. I let the whole town know that my Mom is out there and not to mess with or they'll be talking to me. I do this by howling at the top of my lungs. Sometimes it even wakes up Dad and he'll help me out by whistling loudly and calling my name. That let's everybody know I'm the one on duty. Good to have Dad as backup.

Back to my afternoon, Dad leaves for work. Then the torture begins. For some reason Mom lets this evil machine she calls a vacuum loose in the living room. She tries to control it by holding its neck, but it never works. The darn thing sucks up all my carefully placed hair and tracked dirt I've placed on the floor and then it tries to come after me, but I'm fast and run into the other room. Mom finally recaptures the thing, but as she's putting it up....this thing called a mop escapes and it removes all my footprints. I mean seriously I put those down for a reason, its torture. She finally regains control of it as well and I can finally get the rest of my afternoon nap in.

Later in the afternoon on into the evening, I try to figure out what Mom is doing...sometimes she's putting color on the wall, sometimes she's taking stuff off the walls and counters....I really can't figure what she's doing most of the time. So I just sleep, till it's time to remind Mom that my evening walk is coming up...and again she makes me wait. After pleading with her, we take my evening walk. After this it's my dinner time and once again I stay out of the way till its ready.

After dinner, I stand watch over the kitchen again while Mom makes her and Dad's dinner....I am such a good boy...I'm right there ready to clean up. Next, time for another nap. Sometimes I chill with Mom on her sofa and we watch TV....love Animal Planet.

After a few hours it's time for Mom's bedtime walk, this is usually a quick one to the park and back. Then its bedtime. Mom goes upstairs and I stay in the living room. Mom says I can go upstairs, but if I'm upstairs then who's going to protect her from Ninja Bunnies. I prefer to stand guard downstairs. I sometimes fake sleeping hoping I'll catch one of those Ninja Bunnies.

Well, that's it....my grueling day. I tell ya it's not easy taking all those naps and walks, but some dog's gotta do it.

Dierentehuis Oost Twente got two new cool dudes in you might what to check out. First is Chico, he's golden retriever. He's an expert swimmer and ball retriever. So if you're in need of a lifeguard or someone to play soccer with he's your man.

Next is Boris, a cute little dude. He's a Jack Russell Terrier that will just melt your hearts ladies. With those baby brown eyes, he's just a charmer. Need a little love in your life then meet Boris.

Well, that's it for today. Have a good one.

Bas

Crouching Bunny, Hidden Hond

Hoi,

Bas here, sorry to all my Nederlandse friends, but I have to write this in Engels....my Mom is my editor and her Nederlands is not so good.

Let me introduce myself. I am a 4 1/2 year old, 55kilo, Anatolian Shepherd (Anatolische Herder). Which makes me a tiny dog....lol...I crack myself up. Actually just normally walking my head is all the way up to my Mom's waist and if I stand on Dad's shoulders I can look into his eyes (effective for hypnotizing him into giving me his dinner...sometimes). My hobbies include sleeping, sleeping, stealing food, tap dancing, sleeping, and howling whenever Mom leaves. Oh, and sleeping.

Now I do enjoy my long walks as well. Speaking of which I gotta tell you about what happened the other night. I had just woken up for my nap and Mom said it was time for our walk before bed. We headed out to the park like we do every evening. Well, everything was going great and I was just relaxing thinking about going to sleep...again...when all of a sudden I was attacked by NINJA BUNNY. I poked my nose into a bush and suddenly this horrifying bunny came flying out and even karate kicked me in the nose. I was so worried about protecting Mom from the Ninja Bunny that I ran hoping the bunny would follow me and spare her life. Wouldn't you know it, I couldn't get far enough away so I jumped behind Mom so I could make sure it didn't attack her from behind. Eventually, things settled down, but on this morning's walk I made sure I took Mom the long way around that bush.

You know Mom goes over to this place in Oldenzaal for a few hours every week. She plays with other dogs and even cats, which is great for me I get to catch up on all the animal news every time she returns. There's this great older dog named Lady, she's about 12 years old, but she's still got alot of spunk.


Then there's Dipper, an Australian Cattle Dog...hey, he's a herder, too and he's a great football player...he's been at the shelter for 3 years honing his soccer skills. Mom even told me about Tonny, the black and white cat that loves to snuggle especially when Mom cleans the cat house. Check out these and a few other friends at http://www.dierentehuisoosttwente.nl/ .

YAAWWWWNNNNN......well, I haven't slept in almost 30 minutes so it's time for my nap. Next time I'll tell you all about my new favorite sport, tennis.

TOT ZIENS!

Howdy Ya'll!!!!

Okay, Texans do not actually say "Howdy", but we do say "ya'll". This is a little introduction to this blog and me ... and of course, Bas.

I'm originally from Fort Worth, Texas ( "Where The West Begins ")... just about 30 minutes from Dallas (remember the TV show). Lived most my life there. I moved a little throughout Texas in the last few years also went over the border to Oklahoma (what was I thinking-Texans and Okies do not like each other) for the last few months. I worked for many years as a corporate trainer, training bartenders, servers, and cooks for the Olive Garden while bartending and serving myself. Olive Garden is a 700 + restaurant chain in the U.S., but I left it and everything else behind. Through a dear friend I met a wonderful Dutch man, fell in love, and decided to uproot myself and move to the Netherlands.

My route here was quite the adventure on its own. I decided to fly out Christmas Day from Tulsa, Oklahoma ... wouldn't ya know it .... it was Tulsa's first ever Christmas Eve blizzard. After spending most of the early morning hours trying to get a taxi to the airport I finally arrived. I got checked in, called Joost to let him know I got to the airport, then sat down with my laptop for a few moments. I could not help but notice the U.S. flag waving proudly outside the very window of the terminal. It was at that moment that everything really hit me. I was leaving my country and everything I knew behind. Everything I had was packed into 2 suitcases and one small briefcase. I admit the tears started a little, but I felt better when I remembered I was starting a whole new life. Well, wouldn't you know it the first flight was delayed 20 minutes ... cleaning the runways. Finally got on board, then another 30 minute delay .. the copilot could not find his bag. Got into the air and arrived in Chicago, ran to the next terminal to head to Philadelphia .. only to discover it was delayed. Left Chicago got to Philadelphia late ... again ... ran to the Amsterdam flight only to find out it was already gone ... wonderful. As I started back to the ticket counter to find out what to do ... a lady stopped me at the terminal desk. After a few moments, she handed me a ticket and get on the flight said "over there now". Which prompted me to ask .. "where am I going?" I'm going to Spain ..... my next question ... and how to I get to Amsterdam from there?! Anyway, without even finding out about my luggage or anything really I boarded the plane for Spain. I called from the plane (my cell was already dead by now) and let Joost know what was happening and that I'd be late. By the way, do not use those airline phones ... 20 euros for a minute. Got to Spain, found my way to the terminal for Amsterdam on ... got it .. and finally was actually heading to the Netherlands. I arrived at 14:45, supposed to be there at 8:05. Went to the luggage pickup ... and found my wonderful Joost looking through the window as I waited for my bags. Bags? Ummmm .... still in Philadelphia, I think .... waited, no luggage (finally got them almost 3 weeks later). Gave up and just left the arrival center, but all was good cause my Joost was there with a teddy bear, a smile, a kiss, and hug ... I was home.

First of all let me say, Overdinkel is very charming and quaint, but everything is so small here. The streets, houses, kitchens, .. everything, but hey, less to keep clean. I've been slowly learning my way around Overdinkel, Losser, and even a bit of Enschede. I'm volunteering a few hours a week at a local animal shelter ... something I used to do in the States. I'm slowly adapting to my new environment and the purpose of this blog is to chronicle my adventures. Joost and I got a new dog, he's a 4 1/2 year old named Karabash, named Bas. He is the biggest, most loveable Goofball I've ever seen. He'll be telling you about his adventures on this blog as well.

Well, that's all for now. Next time I'll tell you about my adventures in cooking, Texas, Southern food with a Dutch twist ... lol.