Joost!

What a week! School is officially over! One of my students even gave us a really tasty present. We had light days at work as I am choosing to do my preparation for the fall in the fall. As there are so many unknowns and so much collaboration this makes the most sense to me. It was a bit sad saying goodbye to the colleagues who will not be returning next year, but I switched gears into Summer Vacation mode quite quickly.

Cupcakes from Taco.

On Thursday we went go-karting. It was a group of about 20 guys, including our friend Joost from Mali. It was a lot of fun and I came in 5th - not bad. Yesterday Joost was staying with us and we ended up doing a little gardening and heading into the city for a visit to the World Museum. It was nice and the weather was beautiful for pictures.

The World Museum

A sand mandala - one of two existing in the West. Normally they are swept away as soon as the monks finish.

Today is a busy day as we need to tie up lots of loose ends and get some packing done. This morning we were able to get all of our American Heirloom tomatoes in the garden. It was a lot of work clearing out all the weeds. Hopefully they don't come back too quickly!

Erasmus Bridge.

Harbor Museum.

City Hall - even Rotterdam can be beautiful when the sun comes out!

Tomorrow the journey to the USA begins. For me anyway. Naomi and I will travel to Brussels in the morning and spend the day there - which is why I write this blog a day early. My flight leaves from Brussels on Monday, a bit too early to catch a train from Rotterdam. Hopefully I will get to meet up with a friend in New York followed by a night with friends near Ann Arbor. Getting home will take well over 48 hours this time.

Tomato plants - hopefully they will still be alive when we get back!