Woody goes to Amsterdam: First Post

Adam and Glenn trim the rough in Ireland

My wife gave me a great wedding anniversary gift; a golf trip to Ireland. What a amazing place to loose expensive golf balls. It didn't matter how ugly our path to the flag when the scenery around was so beautiful. We toured South Western Ireland and even stayed in the famous "Tom Watson" Suite one night. Glenn promptly noted that Tom was the local town drunk who was the first to cash in on his name.

Undoubtedly, the funniest part of the trip was Glenn fancy state-of-the-art golf shoes that he ordered online for this trip. They were very comfortable, but had small rubber nubs for spikes. This seemed harmless until you have to climb rolling grassy hills in search of your golf ball. I just so happen to catch one of these adventures on video. I also just so happened to put it on YouTube. Enjoy the link.

Thanks to Glenn for the great memories and to our wives for letting us go. We shall return to Old Head. Next time via helicopter.

Istanbul is full of surprises

Andrea, Jaclyn, Glenn and I travled to Istanbul to see a totally different style city from the West. It prooved to be a cool as we expected. The soothing sounds of the "call to prayer", the smells of the great cousine and the grand construction of the mosques all added to our great adventure.

That is, until I cut my tendon off at the hotel. What looked like a few stich repair turned into right hand surgery in Istanbul and flying back to Amsterdam the same day. The doctor did a great job and the hospital was like being on a ER set. Top notch.

We may it home safe and feel lucky to have survived the ordeal. A lot of stars had to line up for me to be here and in one piece today. I say thanks to all the stars who helped me repair my only right wrist.

Even though the circumstances could have ended better, we still loved the city and would go back to explore again.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Winter takes a strong grip on Amsterdam

For the past two weeks the temperatures in Amsterdam have been hovering around freezing. We had 3-4 inches last week and its still hanging around today. The past three days have been 33 or less degrees F. Not a ,ot of fun biking into work each day, but no acidents yet.
Woody is the only creature that is loving this weather. The walks to the park get a little bit more exciting when he is slipping and sliding after the ball. With his new lighted ball, he enjoys showing off to the other "hounden" at the park.
Happy New Year

Christmas Market in Cologne

Andrea, Pascha, Tim and I went to Cologne, Germany for a couple of days to check out some famous Christmas festivals held in many downtown cities in Germany throughout December.
The festivals are mainly great authetic food and local crafts. People were packed around small Gilligan's Island looking huts trying to get some Gluevine. It's a local brew of red wine, sugar anf spices. It keeps you warm but can pack a punch.
We tried pretzels, salmon, sausage, mustard, and hot nuts. Lots of goodness. After 4 markets we decided we had seen it all and retired to the hotel. What a great night!

Next week we leave for Portland for the holidays. Can't wait to see all our family and friends. See you soon

Merry Christmas

Zaanse Schans - Tourists Welcome

While exploring around our beautiful countryside the gang found a cute little Dutch town just outside of Amsterdam that knows how to show a foreigner some Dutch traditions. This sleepy little town had everything the Dutch have learned to perfect. Cheese, clogs, windmills and expensive parking! It was a great escape from the busy city life. Follow canals through fields of farm animals with windmills as back drops. If you are planning your trip to Amsterdam, schedule a afternoon to walk around this microcosm of the Netherlands.

Beatrix by bike

With the sun peaking through the clouds we decided to take Paul and Alison out for a nice Sunday ride through the Beatrix Park. It didn't take long to figre out a camera would be handy on this adventure. Both Paul and Ali have been bicycle enthusiasts from a young age and both were quick to admit it had been a while since their last pedal. But the nerves were no where to be seen once the wheels started turning. They displayed cycling instincts that of Lance Armstrong. We had to reel them in after a few laps around the city.

Woody stays with friends while we get away to Brugge, Belgium

With our family from the US in town, we decided to get away from the city and head for a sleepy little town called Brugge. We caught a train to Antwerp, then went North towards the coast of Belgium. It's architecture and landscape throw you back into another time. Some stretches felt like a movie set. Old brick buildings, cathedrals, and canals keep your eyes scannig around each corner. The citizens back then had things figured out, they specialized in making beer and chocolate. We enjoyed the drink at night under the Belfry Tower. Hard to believe we were all in that spot at that moment. Thanks you guys for coming all the way around the planet to see us. Hope you had a great time.

A relaxing bike ride down the canal

When the sun is out in Amsterdam everyone wants outside to realax in the parks, drink in a cafe, or ride a bike down the canals. It's been great weather since we arrived and we have enjoyed every minute.
We wanted to give Woody a chance to enjoy the great weather (other than his rigorous walking schedule). How about a bike ride? Woody could stroll next to the bike while we slowly wander through the cozy little streets of Amsterdam. Sounds lovely no? It was not to be.
Woody sees bikes as machines that takes away parents. When we try to ride he wants to rescue us. As you can see, he's a lot of fun when your off a bicycle.

Woody's Train Ride

Woody hopped on the metro this week to Schripol Airport. Andrea was coming home from a work trip in Germany. We wanted to surprise her at the airport. I purchased my ticket and Woody had to purchase his own because the operator said he was such a "big"dog. That meant 3 more euro for me but worth far more to Woody's ego.
While waiting at the airport, Woody charmed some bartenders at the Juggle Juice Bar into a water bowl and a Ice Cold Heineken for daddy. Gotta love that! Our server told us that several other famous animal celebrities frequented this bar. The Taco Bell dog, Spuds Mckenzie, and even the lizard from GEICO were a few she mentioned. This was all very exciting for the little pup from North East Porltand.

Woody's favorite places to go in Amsterdam

Here are some of Woody's favorite places to walk. The park, the canals, and his street. His instints to chase birds and ducks will inevitably lead to him going into the standing merky water. We can only hope to contain him.

He enjoys his current apartment on the fifth floor. His view over the street allows him to see every passer by. On June 4th or 5th he will be moving to his new condo in Ouid Zuid (Old South). But for now, he'll soak up this viw and the fun rides up and down the elevator.

13 Hours in a Kennel

He took off from Portland in the afternoon. He had been at the dog park all day prior. On the day of the flight, Pam and I had strategically ran him along the beach of the Columbia in hopes of knocking some energy out of him. Then we gave him a dog treat laced with a some sleeping pills. Just to take the edge off the anxious little guy. Followed by more running around the park. Capped off with a treat into the kennel hidden in back of the Acura. Sped away straigh to the airport to deliver the precious cargo. Everything seemed to be going according to plan.
When we arrived at the airport, Woody seemd content with a wimper or two. All things considered, he was handling it pretty well. Then a North West agent informed us that Woody needed to come out of the kennel so they could scan it for Osama Bin Ladin. Coincidentally, that's just what Woody wanted to hear. "Let me out and I'll be good" Woody cried. As soon as the door opened, he transformation had occured. Wagging and wiggling beyond belief. His tail going so fast it stung your leg as he went by. His excitment soon turned to axiety when he realized our plan. He wanted to let us know just how he felt about that taxi ride to the airport. He put up a good fight, winning the first two rounds. It took everything Paul and I had to finally stuff him back into the kennel. After quite a scene, we all wanted to begin his journey to be over as quick as possible.
When he arrived in Amsterdam Woody was just fine. The same lovable dog came wiggling out. He immedietly christened the arrival sidewalk and curb. It was then I knew his new life in Amsterdam had begun. Until next time. Cheers

February Snow in Amsterdam

Dutch beach time!

Woody enjoys the Dutch beaches

Sophie, Andrea, Bos and Woody

Woody relaxes and tries to order a Red Bull Vodka.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

First Post

Woody goes to Amsterdam

Paul at "The Wall" in Amsterdam

Woody on the train to the airport

Adam and Glenn trim the rough in Ireland

Glenn's new golf shoes for Ireland trip.

Adam at the first tee of Lahinch

Glenn and the mini sized flag

Old Head Golf Links, Ireland

The coolest golf course in the world

Old Head

Watch out for the hazard areas

What a tee box.

Woody enjoys a little run through Vondul Park

Construction on the sewer line shows whats under the street.

Andrea's Chocolate Birthday Cake

Andrea's top birthday wishes

The sun shines

Outback in the freezing cold taking care of business

Woody and Bos get comfortable

Ozzy Swick prepares for his first Christmas

Woody plays in the backyard snow

Hello, I'm the poster child for chill labradors

Woody eyes Adam's pumkin pie

Woody enjoys the last glimpse of the sun until March 2011

All fired up for some snow time!

Check Out Woody's latest YouTube postings

Winter Hits Amsterdam

Woody loves the snow

A snowy Amsterdam

Paul visits Woody in Amsterdam

Paul's European Vacation

Amsterdam South

A bike ride to Vondul Park

Pancake House serves up sweet goodness

Paul prepares for the train to Paris

Heinekin Brewery Tour

Rijksmuseum with Paul and a few friends

A trip to Brussels Belgium

Delirium Bar in Brussels, Belgium

Istanbul is full of surprises

Blue Mosque at sunset

Spice Market

Turkish Delight

Turkish man shines a good shoe

Cooking Class in Istanbul

Andrea and Glenn peel the fried eggplant

Jaclyn gets fired up to make the "Sultants Surprise"

Adam steals a kiss

On the way to the Grand Market

Blue Mosque, Istanbul

A tennis players nightmare

Welcome to the medical part of the tour

World Cup Final - Netherlands vs Spain

Museumplein Square and about 180,000 fans

Our World Cup Final Videos - YouTube Links

She has a whole outfit of orange

Choppers dropped confetti on us before the game

Adam and Andrea take a seat before the start

This lady must have been drinking!

They ran out of ground space

Thanks For Coming Scotty!!!

Woody YouTube Links

Scotty Comes to Europe

I AM SCOTTY

Bike Parking in Amsterdam

Time to get some quality food from a wall

Just put in 2 Euros and you get.....

Scott and Woody are instant friends

Center Court at Roland Garros

Roland Garros

Panorama of the Louvre park

The Arc with 8 circles of death arond it

The Dutch can do BBQ's as well