UKATANI

01 September The eye of #Dorian has made a second landfall at 2 pm EDT (1800 UTC) on Great Abaco Island near Marsh Harbour. Maximum sustained winds were 185 mph at the time. This is tied for the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfall on record with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.   Pressure down to 910 mb, gusts to 225 mph and tornadoes reported. Reports of 20 ft surge, downtown MHH flooded Tremendous property damage. Hope everyone safe, are in the eye now. Almost every structure on Abaco and the cays has been damaged or destroyed.  Roofs gone, rain water and surge flooding. Waiting on daylight to assess damages..... Friends houses and businesses gone, either from wind 185~225 mph or surge 18~23 feet.

https://youtu.be/PL0HHScQ0E0 Bicyling in Limburg We haven't been down here yet...... Check out both links, above and below. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/may/07/sculpture-from-the-saddle-a-cycling-and-art-tour-of-belgium

Along the maintained Fietspads in the country are 'rest stops', every few kms...... Sometimes made from ground falls, sometimes picnic benches, etc From rustic to modern. Information and history is provided at important historical spots Most of the fietspads are easements and ROWs across private land, farm fields etc. Some of the church paths have been in use for hundreds of years. and are usually maintained by the old blokes, volunteers from nearby villages In the towns and cities the Fietspads are paved, swept, lighted, point to point bicycle highways to allow fast bike travel and are maintained by the municipalities. There are some designated private rest stops where you can make your own cup of tea or coffee and have a pee. This lady specialized in 'fuschia' flowers.....bushes, hanging baskets, pots....all in flower. Display of collected coffee and tea tingums at a rest stop. You make your own beverage and leave your € in a pot. ...

A major extension to Utrecht’s railway station bike park opens on Monday, making it the biggest underground garage for bikes in the world, with space for 12,656 two-wheelers. The first phase opened in 2017 with space for 6,000 bikes. The completed bike park, over three floors, beats the previous record of 9,400 bikes held by Tokyo. It includes 480 spaces for cargo bikes and other bikes which don’t fit into regular spaces. The first 24 hours is free to park, after that the cost is €1.25 per day. Cyclists can follow electronic signs to the nearest empty spaces. ‘The Netherlands is a very mobile country and the bike plus train are a golden combination,’ junior infrastructure minister Stientje van Veldhoven told the AD. ‘Thanks to this park bike you can cycle practically to the platform. The size of this project shows how many people, primarily commuters, are discovering the bike as a weapon against congestion.’ The government’s coalition agreement included a pledge to invest €100m i...

Here is a link to a few live streaming webcams in NL.  6 hours time difference for US Eastern time zone, 9 hours Pacific time. https://www.webcamtaxi.com/en/netherlands.html

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/extinct-bird-yields-dna-after-2500-years-in-watery-grave/

The Varsseveld Folk Festivals were kicked off with these people and wagons VIDEO AND PHOTOS VARSSEVELD - The start of the Varsseveld Folk Festivals is never just a start.  For some, the allegorical parade is the highlight of the festival.  And don't just let this be a procession: it was the fiftieth edition.  With a route through the center, many could enjoy the anniversary edition with beautifully decorated cars. Editorial staff   Aug. 16, 2019   3 1 Reactie For those who could not be there: Saturday morning at 10.30 am the large cars will depart from the former town hall, where the award ceremony will be held half an hour earlier. The fiftieth Varsseveld Folk Festivals last until Sunday. © Jan Ruland van den Brink © Jan Ruland van den Brink © Jan Ruland van den Brink Titbits..... the history Varsseveld Volksfeesten: 'normal' party with loaded history VIDEO VARSSEVELD - Everyone in Varsseveld has the d...