It is October. Have you noticed? That is Fall. Here in Austin we are still hitting the 90s so I am not convinced yet that this is the month of Halloween and falling leaves. I cannot tell all you people who do not live here how tired I am of the heat. How exhausting it is to still be sweating in jeans and a button-down shirt, and how frustrating it is that Evelina still turns tomato-red while playing in the school's playground. I am sure that next year around this time, when I will be in Belgium in the rain, I will not really remember myself how much not fun it is, the heat. But I will get back to you on that then.
My parents were here and had a good time with Evelina (and us too, presumably). And Evelina had a great time with them. They went to various playgrounds, shopping at Central Market (which Evelina loves as she gets to call out the names of all the produce she knows. She turns quite some heads!) and on a daytrip to Fredericksburg. Here are some shots from all that.
After years of visiting Austin, my parents are pretty comfortable here and very much used to all the little differences between Belgium and Texas. I was more aware of their habits and customs and cravings now because I am about to return to the place of origin of all of those "peculiarities." My mother was really surprised to see several hospital staff in scrubs in a restaurant for lunch. I thought nothing of it. I used to work in a restaurant next to a hospital and I saw them like that all the time. She thought it was completely not the right thing to do. I made the argument that they too have to eat and that cops don't change out of uniform either, but she was right of course to say that working in a hospital is a different matter. Well, yes, I suppose in Belgium this is a big no-no. I am used to it here. But it was interesting that I forgot that this is indeed a difference.
Then there is food. Like my father eating tacos with knife and fork, rather than rolling up the tortilla and eating it from the hands, like us gringos have learned from the Mexicans. One of the major differences that never will be settled is the coffee-culture. My parents like to have their cup of coffee in the early afternoon, especially when we are out together shopping or whatever. At home, when I am out in town with my mother, we walk around, we windowshop, we shop, and then go to a coffee shop (no, not the Amsterdam-kind) to sit and have a cup of coffee and something sweet, a pastry, a waffle, or a crepe (pannekoek -- which is not a pancake.) The coffee is served on a little tray, with three or four types of sugar, with some milk, sometimes with whipcream, or at one place with some pretty strong eggnog, and a cookie or a piece of chocolate. Granted you pay for each cup of coffee you order (no such things as a bottomless cup) but at least you get more than a big ol' mug with drip coffee. That this is just not to be found here seems to be quite difficult to get used to for my parents. So one afternoon while we were shopping I took them to a place where I know you can have coffee and sweets (for the Texans -- I took them to the Cheesecake factory) and they ordered an apple crumble, after having looked through the 20-page menu -- this is after all primarily a restaurant. Good thing I warned them to only get one dessert! They were served a bowl, a huge bowl, of apple crumble and icecream and whip-cream. Good thing there were constant refills on the coffee to wash it all down with. In Texas nothing is dainty, ha.
While they were here, I worked on a masterplan for the house. Since they are in charge of the construction team in Antwerp, it was essential that they know exactly what Robert and I want to happen. So I produced a booklet with all plans, all data, all info, and drawings, that I was aware of for every team-member. So they left with a big list of instructions, which they have been checking off one by one now that they are back. It does feel nice to be able to say that nearly everything has been decided upon. (Yes, we are ultimately putting wood on the floor in the kitchen!) All materials have been chosen, all fixtures, etc. Now all we wait for is for the work to finally begin! I am too tired and exhausted to describe the two recent "problematic issues" we have had to endure, but I hope that we are back on the positive side of things and that all will be OK. Remodeling a house is hard on the nervous system! Let's hope it will all pay off! Since I don't have pictures of anything yet, I will put up this one of Evelina and I pretending to be working in the house while at the Children's Museum.
So now that all is out of our hands on the house in Antwerp, we charge full steam ahead on the Austin house. This place here has to be fully prepped for being put on the market. It needs paint in certain areas, a lot less mess (that is the hard part!) and fixed up here and there. Robert and I have already packed nearly 40 boxes of things that need to be moved and put them in storage. The real-estate person wants the house sparse, so we try to eliminate. We will be selling quite a bit of our stuff now, and then more in January. If we manage to get it all done, we will have it up for sale by the end of this month. Fingers crossed on that one too! The market is at a low and the dollar is lower than ever agains the euro. But we have started this and we are not turning around.
So still no photos of house-improvements. Hopefully soon(ish)! many greetings with love from Texas. And a few more pics to close off. More of Evelina eating, birthday cake (for my father) and melon (with my father, but he is shirtless so I figured it was best to cut him out of the picture, ha), and then Evelina packing up and leaving the story-telling at the museum (I agreed with her, they could not tell a story right. I would have left too!), and one last one with Moeke and Baba at the airport before going back to Belgium.
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