Today's Mission.

Once again Monday has arrived and I've been delinquent in getting on here.
Saturday we pedalled ourselves into Delden for the usual trip to the Butcher, The Baker, but instead of the candlestick maker, it's just the grocery store, and perhaps the hoity toity "Gall & Gall" wine shop.
They're a little too pricey for my blood, but if you want something like a Masi, they're the only show in town.
Now, somewhere along the way home, something metallic came tumbling off Gabe's bike, and it turns out it was a part of the kick stand. Seems the set screw that was holding the two pieces together had decided to abandon ship, and was no where to be found.
I came really close to ponying up the 10 or so Euros for a new one at a bike shop that afternoon, but I just couldn't do it. All it needed was that one little bolt, and surely I could find something?
I figured I'd go to my favourite store of all, a store in Hengelo called Knoef, and while I realise that their home page is a little goofy, (well really, their entire website is goofy) they seem to have everything in the way of tools, nuts, bolts, what have you.
So in my pitiful Dutch I was quite pleased to be able to get the proper item.
Offered to pay, but the clerk wouldn't take any money for one solitary little screw.

I like this place more every time I visit.


You can see how it was really no big deal....








The additional annoyance of the whole situation is that, I'm sure I have something back home in my vast collection of *stuff* that would have worked just fine but, of course just which bucket of loose bolts does one decide to ship?

So now we're back in business....





The camera takes fabulous close-ups, but that's about all it's good for.

Sunday we decided to head out by car for a couple farther off destinations. We figured we could go here, and then on to Nijmegen, since it's considered to be the oldest town in The Netherlands.
It seems that whenever we go anywhere by car, there is a considerable amount of driving involved with very little reward, but at least the drive through the country side is quite pleasant with very little exception.
Turns out they were running a marathon in the park where you would normally gain access to the palace, so we were kind of stymied on that account, which made having lunch the next best choice on the agenda.
Nijmegen was truly neat, and we wandered about for at least an hour and a half, all the while making sure we could find our way back to the car.
Made a visit to the church that you see in the upper right hand corner of this site and wandered around inside for a half hour or so. Four separate pipe organs, the largest of which has some 3500 pipes.


Here's just one view of the insides, since pictures really don't do it justice. Considering construction started in something like 1275, it's a little difficult to take in all the history in a single visit. Someone had done a pretty good job of condensing information on several laminated pages with references to different parts of the building along with the relevant significance.
They've at least figured out that indeed you do have to have your doors open, and hope that enough people will plonk down a couple Euros on their way in to be able to pay to keep the place open. (unlike the church here in Delden I might add)
I've come across a couple blogs decrying the closure of church after church, but unless they're willing to start running bingo, finances will decided whether they stay open or not.

We had a bit of a downpour this morning as Gabe and I headed in to Delden before later dropping her at work, but the weather has become better and better as the day has wore on, which is a good thing, since our guests have been gone for nearly three hours by now.
After a check on the tire situation, which meant pumping up at least a couple, they peddled their way off to Hengelo.
We'll just hope the world travellers will find their way back. At least they don't have to rely on some goofy airline.
Here are some of the unfortunates being punted off in Glasgow...

So if you're on the hunt for airplane parts, that's aparently the one...