We are surrounded by beauty and wonder

We love to take a walk any day that the weather permits.  This is just down the street and around the corner from the Temple and our apartment.  Notice the high-rise buildings in the background and the  street in the foreground.  We have to be careful when walking along the streets.  If the  stones are red they are meant for bikes and scooters to travel on and you need to move!! The black or gray path is the pedestrian path and whatever is left over is for cars.
Of course there are blacktopped streets in the not so rural areas and there are very efficient and amazing freeways.  Each path has it's own traffic lights and signs and it all works together in an amazingly organized manner.  You learn to wait for your turn and to use your blinkers to let others know your intentions.  The GPS is a great help even in the smallest of towns.

On our day off we like to go to the beach just to get some fresh air and a change of pace.  We were happy to have a nice sunny day.

           The tide is out and Henk is
standing in a pile of seashells that in some areas are piled almost a foot deep.  These are long and skinny, about the width of Henk's fingers and some are up to 8 or 9 inches long.  They are "hinged" together on one side, like clam shells, and look like giant fake fingernails.  The seagulls and other birds find lots of small crabs and other shellfish in the piles.

                                         These are sand dunes that line the  seashore and go a long distance inland           

This bike shop shows some of the typical bikes that are used here.  They are a very common mode of transportation for every age.  The families add seats as needed and often we see mothers or fathers going shopping with two or three kids on the bike with them.  A family outing includes both parents on bikes loaded with smaller children and a few older children riding their own bikes.