Roadtrip!

The last time that AC/DC toured Europe back in 2005, Malcolm and I attended, and at that time I promised Duncan that he'd get his chance the next time they came back around.  Sure enough, I spotted some last-minute standing places for Gelsenkirchen, and grabbed them for the three of us.  ROAD TRIP ACCEPTED!

It was a great time, and if anything the performance was even better than back in 2005.  I was never a big AC/DC fan as a teen-ager, but I knew they were pretty good, and of course had a copy of "Back in Black".  However, that all changed in 2003: remember very clearly attending a SARS benefit concert in Toronto that summer with my friends Eric and David, and while we were there to see the 'Stones, primarily, I was shocked and delighted to see the show stolen completely by AC/DC.  Their superb musicianship, and generosity to the audience was unparalleled, and the next day I went out and bought three AC/DC albums, and became a devoted fan.  I cannot help but feel a big grin on my face while watching them play; they really are amazing.  "Rock or Bust" has become our summer car album of choice for 2015...

The boys really enjoyed the concert, as did I, and fortunately we were able to stay over that night in a friend's apartment in Gelsenkirchen.  We got up early the next morning and made our way back home to Bousval.

What else to write about?  We've been cooking a lot out of the Moosewood vegetarian cookbook this summer; it is filled with great recipes for gazpacho, baba banouj, tabouleh, guacamole, hummous and so forth that have become our summer staples.  The kids are enjoying them too.

Around Bousval there are many cultivated fields; the wheat is already nearly ready for harvest...

The light here is quite magical, especially to the south in the evening...

The siamese cat is becoming much less skittish around us and even deigns to allow himself to be petted...

There is much need for splitting of wood for the evening campfires...

And on the hottest days, we had an invitation to go swimming in the neighbour's pool.

Today we are doing laundry, changing sheets, vacuuming, and generally packing up in preparation for our departure tomorrow.  We are expecting guests this late afternoon for dinner and then in the morning, I'll go early to pick up Bruce at the airport in the morning.  He's staying with us for the next couple of weeks, plus we have planned a road trip of our own to Germany, to see a performance of our own Heavy Metal: "Weighty Brass", a la Richard Wagner, at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.

Once Bruce is installed in our apartment I will head back out the airport in the afternoon to pick up Bryan, who returns from holidays in the USA; Kiana and the kids will follow a little later on.

Happy holidays to you from us!