Kats-in-Klompen: November 2011

Friday, November 25, 2011

Photo Friday: Winter is just over the roofline

Winter Is Just Over the Roofline

The Netherlands ~ November 25, 2011

Tops of poplar trees, over the roofs of the houses across the street from my house in the Netherlands, are what I see daily from my attic studio window. Throughout the year, I am fascinated with gorgeous skies, shimmering summer leaves, the bleakness of winter, rain, fog, snow, the simple, the full or the empty, always changing view.

It's often an inspiring and informative view - to me. These trees are consistantly a reliable portent of things to come (better than the weather reports). Today the trees are telling me that winter will soon be upon us. :o)

Judy

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Thursday, November 24, 2011

My Fat-free, Guilt-free, Gluten-Free, Zero Calories, Zero Cholesterol, Possibly Vegan, Easy to Fix, No Worries, Thanksgiving Dinner!

OK, maybe a little air is needed ... heh heh

My "No Worries" Thanksgiving Dinner

November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

to our American friends,

wherever you are in the world!

:o) :o) :o)

Judy and Sacha (the kat-in-klompen)

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

A day at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands

André Volten Sculpture at Kröller-Müller Museum

November 11, 2011 ~ Otterlo, Netherlands

pen & ink with watercolors in small moleskine sketchbook

Last Friday, we spent a day at the Kröller-Müller Museum, which is located in the National Park the Hoge Veluwe in Otterlo. We wanted to enjoy some fall colors in the park before they get blown/rained away, and to check out the refurbished museum.

The day was incredibly beautiful, as you can see by these photos of the walk we took in the museum's sculpture garden. The garden walk is quite huge and meanders through some lovely forested areas. I might add that we only walked part of the garden area and I only managed one drawing in my moleskine dedicated to trips we take within the Netherlands (yes, I like to theme my moleskines) - the day was a bit cold!

Top: Museum Main Entrance ~ Sculpture garden walk

Mid.: l'Air by Aristide Maillo ~ Le Chant des Voyelles by Jacques Lipchitz

Bottom : Floating sculpture by Marta Pan ~ Me drawing the Volten sculpture

Kröller-Müller Museum - Nat'l Park the Hoge Veluwe

Otterlo, Netherlands ~ Nov. 2011

Among other famous paintings and sculptures in the permanent collection, the Kröller-Müller Museum is also home to many paintings by Vincent van Gogh, including one of two paintings he did of "The Potato Eaters". The painting in the Kröller-Müller is an oil study created before the completed painting that is part of the collection of the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The Kröller-Müller collection of van Gogh's paintings is not as large as the collection in the van Gogh Musuem in Amsterdam, but it's still quite impressive in a managable museum amidst the gorgeous surroundings of the national park.

Here's one of my particular favorites, by van Gogh, in the collection ...

Vincent van Gogh

Portrait of Joseph-Michel Ginoux ~ Arles, Dec. 1888

oil on canvas - 65 x 54,5 cm

Kröller-Müller Museum ~ Otterlo, Netherlands

I highly recommend a trip to the Kröller-Müller Museum and the Park Hoge Veluwe, if you're ever in the Netherlands.

tot ziens,

Judy

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Friday, November 11, 2011

Photo Friday: With Respect ~ Armistice Day, Rememberance Day, Veterans Day

photo coyright 2007 Auke Nijholt. all rights resererved

Poppy Field in St. Valery sur Somme, France

June, 2007

Remembering ....

"Veterans Day", "Armistice Day" or "Rememberance Day" is not celebrated in the Netherlands. During WWI, the Netherlands remained neutral.

However, things changed for Holland during the 1930's and the Dutch Day of Rememberance (Dodenherdinking) is held on May 4th every year since the end of WWII, followed by Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag) on May 5th.

with respect,

Judy

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Thursday, November 10, 2011

A Mumuration of Starlings

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This video of a mumuration of starlings (in dutch = spreeuw), filmed in Ireland, has been going around the web ... but I loved it (and I want to look at it again and again), so I'm posting it here with a couple of other sightings I found of other murmurations.

Murmuration by Sophie Windsor Clive

A murmuration in Hoograven, Utrecht in the Netherlands, on March 3, 2011:

Spreeuwenspektakel by tuurhoffmann

A full explanation of just what a murmuration is and why, is in this video shot in the UK in November, 2010:

Video filmed by UK wildlife cameraman, Dylan Winter

For more info on the European Starling see:
Wikipedia entry : European Starling (in english)

And in dutch:
Wikipedia entry: Spreeuw (in nederlands)

Many years ago, when I lived in North Florida, I once saw a small, but sizable, murmuration of starlings occur over an estuary on the Apalachee Bay. Needless to say, I was awestruck and felt blessed to see it!

:o)

Judy

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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Moleskine Drawings from my 2011 October Vacation in the Limousin, France ...

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As promised, my Moleskine drawings from our vacation this past October. Better late, than never... :o)