travels day two: around Holland

Chloe, Andrea and I drove from Amsterdam to two sites that are part of a large-scale planning initiative called "Room for the Rivers." This federal program is based on the assumption that the country can no longer try to just keep water out of settlements-- instead, it needs to allow more room for the river and some temporary flooding.

This project, near Arnhem, is pushing back the existing dike (and some houses) and constructing a sluice to control flood waters-- at times, a large area will be allowed to flood.











On our drive, we saw some surprisingly artful sound barriers next to the highways. Some were covered in vines, some were patterned concrete, and some were translucent.

planted form

We saw some striking planted form on this trip including allees, shelterbelts (windbreaks between farm parcels), and hedges. Many of these are based in traditional agricultural practices, but also appeared in urban situations.

The professor of our planted form class was with us on the trip, and shouted out "PF!" when she saw a notable planting.

travels day one: Amsterdam

We arrived early in the morning in Amsterdam, checked into the Lloyd Hotel, then went to the central station to pick up our bikes. We rode around the neighborhood near our hotel, an area with a lot of very recent residential development. Lunch, then another bike ride around the central city, then a canal tour... nap... food...sleep.

Jones Run Falls

Some photos from a lovely picnic and hike in Shenandoah with John and Jessica.

New River Gorge

The gorge:


We walked the steps down to a lookout:




Beth, Eleanor and I were dirty, but happy!

New River Gorge bridge

After Clifftop, we drove to a pizza place in Fayetteville. We drove up and down the mountains, through the forest, and all of a sudden came out onto a long bridge over a VERY high gorge. I had no idea that there was a landscape like this in West Virginia!










We learned that the bridge is the largest single arch bridge in the world. Wikipedia says that it is the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas, at 876 feet above the New River. And, it is made of corten steel-- the weathering steel that designers (and Richard Serra) love. Every October they hold "Bridge Day" here-- you can imagine all the scary things involved...

Clifftop at night

After dinner we walked the paths by the tents, and ran right into a square dance. This one was young and kind of rock and roll. No photos, no chance to catch my breath!

After the warm up, we moved on to the big dance in the main hall. It is pretty wonderful to spin around all night with laughing, smiling friends and strangers.





After the dance, I rested my sore feet, but others played and danced on...






Some tents were set up for gatherings for towns or a kind of music. This tent held a get-together for musicians and fans from Fayetteville, WV. We spent most of the night at the "Cajun tent," where the music bounced along slowly and sweetly into the early hours.

Clifftop, part 2

First things first-- Beth and I made sure to dive into some apple pie... and then we set up our tents.

Clifftop, part 1

I had a wonderful weekend in Clifftop, West Virginia at the Appalachian String Band Festival. It was about a 3 1/2 hour drive west and into the mountains. We had the only sunny day of the whole week's festival, before the rain returned early Sunday morning. A bit of mud didn't get in the way of a great time! The music and dancing were amazing. This stage held the band and flatfoot competitions.



John Cohen, of the New Lost City Ramblers, played with a Brooklyn band called the Dustbusters (I learned about the tradition of silly names in old time music)! I had seen John Cohen perform in Boston as part of an exhibit of his photos documenting rural Appalachia and mountain communities in South America. The blond young man in this band sang like the ghost of an old mountain man!