July 2018

The original plan to have Mike and the girls arrive the first of June has not panned out. Mike is still busy getting Mangas prepped for storage in Mexico and the house is not yet packed.

Added to this is the dogs! We have Mia and Milo, our two Airedale Terriers that are also coming. They do not require quarantine here in the Netheralnds, thankfully. We have to get the dogs chipped with a European standard chip and then give the rabies boosters and other shots. Then, 10 days before we travel, and no sooner, we need to have them checked out by the vet and overnight the paperwork to a USDA official in New Mexico who will issue papers allowing them entry to Europe. Luckily, I called the office there to give them a heads up and found out they are out for the month and we need to send to San Francisco office instead. Lucky!!

Now, the second dog issue is that airlines will not fly dogs if the air temperature from the departing airport will exceed 85 degrees that day. This is July. In Phoenix.  We will need to fly Mike, the girls and the dogs out of the closest major airport where we can be sure the temperature will remain below 85. Hello, San Francisco.

Mike will need to rent a van and take two days to drive up to San Francisco to board the 11 hour non-stop to Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, Reid and I are still enjoying the historically warm summer in Loosdrecht.

As Reid launches from the little ramp we had found, I tell him not to be gone to long. His response, “Don’t worry, I have to come back, my shoes and socks are here.” My response, “Uhm, more importantly, your mother is here!”. “Oh, yeah!” Laughter.

It is the driest summer on record here. We will go 9 weeks without any significant rainfall, which is not an image that comes to mind when you think Amsterdam or Netherlands.

Reid and I are also trying to pick up our Dutch, but everyone speaks English and it makes the commitment to learn Dutch that much harder to maintain.

The first of July, our 6 month rental became available here in Loosdrecht, so for the first time since March 30th, I am not living out of a suitcase. Yay!!

I work with Reid to get the rental ready to receive the rest of the family. We hit the IKEA and local furniture stores to get beds for everyone, sheets, towels, plates and silverware.

Finally, on July 16th, the gang arrives at Schiphol Airport.