I'm sailing away

While I wish i could have spent the Easter Weekend with my family, the distance just didn't allow. The alternative was spectacular. A friend, Froukje, invited me to hang out with her family in Friesland. I was honored and excited to see the real Friesland where so many Sioux County-ites seem to trace there heritage to. It was a, like the Netherlands in general, very flat, green place with small farms and canals everywhere - I loved it. Froukje's family was extremely hospitable and almost as crazy as my own so I fit right in...well, apart from speaking Dutch...but I'm learning :)
I'll spare you the daily report, but a few days were spent sailing. Having never been on a sail boat before, sitting in a vehicle powered solely by windpower was fantastic. I imagined myself standing on the bow with arms spread, wind in my hair, and dolphins swimming below. I don't have hair and there are no dolphins in Fries lakes, but sailing was still amazing. I learned how to judge the wind, move the sails, and navigate the water; however it is still confusing.
One other exciting event was eating stone-grilled food. Froukje's mother and brother prepared all types of meat from shrimp to sausage to steak bits along with vegetables. In the center of the table were small stones heated by electric coils. The meal consisted of everyone taking meat and grilling his or her own portions throughout the meal - it was oodles of fun, scrumptious, and better than the bread, peanut butter, cheap-veggie ration i've been on