I am so lucky to have a group of friends here in Groningen who amaze me daily with their talent and hilariousness. Most of them are in a theatre group called Stranger Things Have Happened, and an important part of the group's performances is their English-language improv. It's the perfect blend of perverse references, pop culture indulgence, prat falls and general nerdy wonderfulness. Luckily, I got the chance to put together their promotional materials (including a video) for this season, which was just as fun to make as it looks. If you're ever in Groningen, find them and be amused.

Eight lovely people on an seven-foot-wide, sixty-nine-foot-long English narrowboat, plus eight umbrellas and seven pairs of rainboots (the only actual Englishman opted for Chucks instead), plus a lot of beers and cards games and Steven Spielburg movies, equals one cozy week. And math that doesn't add up.

The one way ticket led me here, and this is what I've seen so far through the lens of being indescribably happy (and the windows of our apartment).

Tomorrow, I'm leaving the United States, relatively indefinitely. The past two weeks have been spent with my crazy, warm, hilarious, spastic family, which has been a wonderful gift of time to have before heading to Holland more permanently. Throughout my life we have tried every summer to make it to Wilson's Creek, near Morganton in North Carolina - it's nothing but trees and steep hills and baking rocks, and clear water lined with smooth stones. The last time we were there, three years ago, my sister found out she was pregnant with my beautiful niece.  I brought a disposable underwater camera with me on this trip, but I wanted to include one of my favorite photos I have ever taken from that trip, of my sister and her boyfriend, carefully holding hands and making their way toward a steep but beautiful journey. Three years later, my own journey is looking beautiful from here, too.

Just counted it. This trip makes my 12th time crossing the Atlantic in the name of the tiny flat country that I love. This past week was chock full of holidays: Queens Day, Remembrance Day and Liberation Day. Plus, it was my personal holiday. That counts, too. The sky was the clearest it has ever been as we landed and took off, so I was especially pleased with my window seat. 

We have bypassed spring altogether, after going from sporadic flurries last week to mid-80s temperatures today. For once, I am just genuinely happy for the warmer weather. Winter has just been toying with my emotions all year, teasing with the prospect of snow when I wanted it and then incapacitating me when I was praying it would stay away. So hooray spring!

Devin Diver closes her eyes as she hula hoops in the warm weather on Monday afternoon, where she and a couple of other friends enjoyed the sunshine with music and hooping.

No Boy George, sorry. 

On Saturday night, JMU hosted their annual MONTAGE program with performances by international student organizations. I actually went to this show as a spectator first and a photographer second - usually the order is reversed - but my camera came along with me, because I knew I wouldn't be able to control the urge to snap at least a couple of shots of what promised to be a colorful event. So, from my seat in the middle of the auditorium, this is what I managed. 

Bollywood!

Dancers strike a final pose for the Latin dance performance.

The hosts exchange witty and totally natural banter as a stage hand with an EXCELLENT beard prepares for the next act.

One-fourth of a jazz quartet solos.

More Bollywood sassiness. 

The bearded man stands alone among mic stands before an a cappella performance.

Bill Kirios, the owner of Schoolfield Lunch, a nearly 100-year-old icon in the Schoolfield mill neighborhood, counts the till at one of the registers on the final day of business for the lunch counter on Friday, Jan. 29.


This photo story was one of the last I did in Danville, and is still one of the most meaningful. Bill is a true character, ingratiating himself to all the ladies and providing a listening ear and strong opinion for all the men, and home cooked plates for everyone. The diner finally closed in January of 2010, much to the dismay of the handful of regulars in town who continued to have lunch with Bill long after the Schoolfield mill closed and took with it hundreds of customers. 

Bill Kirios, the owner of Schoolfield Lunch, a nearly 100-year-old icon in the Schoolfield mill neighborhood, buses one of the counters on the final day of business for the restaurant.

The Kirios family has owned and operated the diner for most of the 20th century, during which the peak of Danville came and went, but customers remained loyal to the end.

A lunch menu with updated prices is wedged between the cracked keys of a cash register behind the counter.

Surrounded by sweet tea urns and still stocked shelves, Bill pauses for a moment.

One of the final customers to ever visit Schoolfield Lunch exits through the front door.

Bill tears up after removing his glasses as he finally takes a seat at his own lunch counter.