Random Articles

• Mussels in Brussels: Friture René Visiting Belgium and not enjoying a big pot of mussels just isn’t worth the jet lag. So, last night, Jen and I walked down the street from our hosts’ house for dinner at Friture René a small, traditional, steak, mussels, and fries place. Yes, that’s all they serve: steak and mussels. Maybe 5 or 6 variations
• Big Thanks to the City of Big Shoulders We’re heading back north in the morning after a few days in Chicago. Huge thanks to the Dihiansan’s for a very enjoyable backyard dinner earlier in the week and the Smith’s this evening. On both counts it’s great to see kids older than Cooper, where they’re at as people and how Cooper interacts with them.
• A Weekend in the Northwoods  Jen and I headed up to Bayfield this weekend for an enjoyable, off-season Northwoods weekend. The moment we merged onto Highway 2 in Wisconsin, our mobile phones declared ‘No Network’. It took a moment for ‘No Network’ to sink in: No using the phone’s bluetooth as a dial-up modem. No calling people you’re meeting to say,
• Sinterklaas en Zwarte Piet Yesterday, we celebrated St. Nicolas Day. Five kids (15 months to 7 yrs) loaded up on chocolate, gingerbread, and taai-taai while awaiting the odd, rumbling noises (well-time washing machine) indicating Sinterklaas and his mischievous helpers, the Zwarte Piet, left presents somewhere in the house. Instead of chocolate, Cooper finished off the carrot we left for
• Heading for the Mountains - Where Else? Later this month, Jen and I are taking a quick road trip west to break in the PT Cruiser. We’ll be getting as far as Boulder, CO and swinging through Kansas City, KS on the return trip. I’m itching to see some mountains, and I’ve heard great things about both Boulder and Denver. Outside of