LIFE BACK TO NORMAL

I knew the day was approaching,... back to work tomorrow! School starts again! So everything will go back to normal again as of tomorrow.

I came home from spending 7 weeks in the States yesterday, played at two gigs with the band yesterday evening, went out with a couple of friends afterwards (jetlag didn't really kick in yet), had a busy day today. My folks arrived at Schiphol airport too today.
Unfortunately I had to miss today's corps' rehearsal.

Now I'll have to wait another year before the next USA adventure.
I think I can live with that idea!

I'm looking forward to hopefully a much better and more satisfactory schoolyear than last year. I'm just hoping the students will be a lot more serious in general, more eager to learn. That was one of the most disappointing factors of last schoolyear.



Lessons only start on Tuesday. Tomorrow all students will get their timetables for this schoolyear and meet with their class-teacher. I bet they will be surprised to hear some of the rules that have changed for this year. No more cell phones or any kind of music device allowed in the school! I bet you they will enjoy hearing that!

Enjoy,

HK

NORTHWORST AIRLINES ????

*#&%@$## !!!!!!!!!

So I booked my transatlantic flight with our national pride KLM AIRLINES a long time ago. Their baggage regulations say there is a free allowance of 2 checked bags + the regular carry-on bag.

These flight today from Grand Rapids to Detroit and from Detroit to Amsterdam are operated by Northwest Airlines (a KLM-partner).

When I just checked in they charge me $50 for the 2 bags I wanted to check !!!!
I first thought the guy was kidding me...
Then he tells me he would have to charge me another $50 for the 5 pounds of overweight on one of the bags, unless I moved some stuff to the other bag.

It looks like all airlines are starting to try and make some extra money with these new rules charging money for your luggage. It's like we have known from airlines such ar Easyjet and Ryanair. That's how they can keep their flight fares low.
This KLM flight to the States wasn't low AT ALL! I would have understood better if that was the case. Northwest Airlines is definitely turning into Northworst Airlines.
Before we know it we will be paying for going to the lavatory on the plane!!



I have to write a letter to KLM Customer Service anyway about the awful way they (or their Delta partner which operated my flight here) dealt wit the delay coming into Denver, so that'll be a nice letter of complaint I am sure!

Enjoy,

HK

LAST MEETING BEFORE I LEAVE

It's 10.30 AM on Friday. I am flying home in seven hours. I just got back from having breakfast with my longtime friend Jim Cook and his partner Marcia.

I met Jim back when we were preparing for the first ever JUBAL USA TOUR. He's a great guy! He organized our stay in Michigan to kick off our tour in the USA both times, and definitely gave us the best welcome anyone would only dream off. Everything was organized to perfection!

I met with him this morning and we talked about our plans for the 2011 USA TOUR with the corps. He's already excited about that!

We already know that in order to qualify for the DCI Open Class Championships week we will have to compete in the seeding show in Michigan City on the Monday of Championships week. Well, Michigan City is only 2 hours from here. Jim co-hosts a show in the Kalamazoo area on the Friday night right before that, and the concert event he started with us in Paw Paw on the Saturday. So plenty of opportunities there.

We don't know where the DCI Tour will have us perform first. If that's anywhere in the Chicago area, we might opt for crashing in Michigan to start with for a few days just like we did in 2002 and 2006. It's another two years from now, I know, but it's never too early to get things started.

Enjoy,

HK

WHAT A GREAT FAMILY !!

These three weeks with our relatives in Michigan have been absolutely wonderful!!!
We spent such a great time together.
With my annual trip to the States I get to see them a lot more often than my folks do, but this summer we got a chance to all spend some precious time together.
Too bad we all live so darn far away from each other!

Enjoy,

HK

HOW DO YOU WANT YOUR EGGS?

We went to the Cracker Barrel for lunch the other day... in fact we ordered breakfast. For some strange reason many restaurants in the States serve breakfast 24 hours a day. I just wonder why...
We all love eggs, so that's what we had, some with pancakes, some had bacon, hashbrowns, toast,.. whatever.
I explained to my folks before how they could order their eggs: sunny side up, overeasy, overmedium or scrambled.
Well, I almost fell off my chair laughing when my dad ordered his!
He asked for the eggs in a biscuit special. When the waitress asked him: "How would you like your eggs cooked, sir?", he responded - with a serious look on his face - "OVERSIZED PLEASE!"

Enjoy,

HK

GOT MUSIC??

As if four weeks on tour with the Blue Devils and an intense visit to New Orleans wasn't enough yet,.. we stopped in Nashville Tennessee today.
A different style of music, and maybe not exactly my thing, but did we enjoy the evening!!! What excellent bands!!!

It was quite a drive from New Orleans up to Nashville! Originally we had planned this stop on the wau to Florida, and Memphis on the way back, but we changed plans a little bit.
We only got to Nashville rather late today, so we didn;t have all that much time. But then... what would be going on in a town like this on a quiet Sunday? Not much I guess.



Well,.. the evening definitely proved the heart of the town was as lively as could be. "Broadway", the main street downtown, wasn't crowded, but the bars and clubs that had live music had quite a crowd.

At dinner (smoked ribs for me!) we enjoyed some live Country music and after a stroll along the various bars we ended up in Robert's Western World. What a great bar! Not because the beers were only $2.50, but they had a 4-piece live band playing some wild country music. Unbelievable!


We had a couple of drinks there and enjoyed every minute of it. OK... I preferred the Jazz I heard in New Orleans, but this was just great fun. The violin player showed off some speed technique in some of the songs. Amazing stuff!!

The hotel we're at in on the outskirts of downtown. The dollar exchange rate is still treating us well, for at $44 a night in a room with 2 double beds... I'm not complaining!

Enjoy,

HK

NEW ORLEANS.. WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT!

I just got back to my hotel room from one of the best days of this trip. WOW!
I love New Orleans. BIG TIME!
I am for sure coming back here alright. I think it would make a nice place for my bachelor party... haha... IF I'm ever going to have another one. I might just have had it with the "in sickness and in health,.. to death do us part" stuff. But then,.. you never know!

We took the ferry to Algiers and back to enjoy the view of the skyline (nothing compared to the big city skylines though..), then a walk along the riverfront, checked out some souvenir shops and took a very touristy carriage ride through the French Quarters. I am so glad we did that! With my aunt's foot injury walking too much through the quarter wouldn't really be an option, so this came in handy.
As I said.. it's pretty touristy, but the "driver" treated us to an extended history overview of the quarter and its buildings. Quite a lot of explanation. Beside all the "famous" buildings and balconies, we also got to see the house Brad Pitt bought (as if that interested us,.. but it got my aunt carried away!)

The walk through Royal Street and Bourbon street was an experience itself. Some great brass bands were showing off their talents on various corners of the streets. Amazing musicians!

We went for dinner at Sammy's. The food was pretty good, but nothing exceptional: Rib Eye Steaks.




The rest of the family went back to the hotel before I did. I ended up in the Preservation Hall... THE place to be for original, and traditional old style jazz.
I caught two sets by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and had a great evening! Can these guys play! And improvise. The Preservation Hall is only a small venue, but the atmosphere is fabulous!


I strolled up and down Bourbon Street some more to experience some of the partying going on. This place is definitely boozed up at night. I couldn't believe the number of beautiful women there, most of them with the N.O. famous "Hurricane" cocktail in one hand. And then of course their reactions to the beaded necklaces that were thrown from the balconies. The tradition is they show their boobs first in order to get one of those necklaces. And do they did! NICE! (Well... not all of them of course!)


To conclude the evening I enjoyed a $6.75 draft beer at the "Maison Bourbon", where trumpeter Jamil Sharif and his band were playing. Again,... great music all around! he asked every table where they were from too. Apparently he liked Europe because he talked a lot about the visitors from overseas.

Enjoy,

HK

BLUE DEVIL IN TOWN

Today I met up with one of the Blue Devils baritone/euphonium players (2008/2009) who happens to live only a couple of miles from where we're staying. What are the odds on that?? It's a small world!

Colin Meyer is one of the guys in the corps that has continuously kept making positive comments on my cooking with Devils Food. I kinda got embarrassed when he explained to my parents today what the word was within the corps about my being part of the cooking crew...

When I posted on Facebook that we were on a holiday here at the Destin West Resort in Fort Walton Beach, he immediately responded saying "Hey, I live in Destin!"
So after a few phone calls and voice mail messages (the guy is harder to get a hold of than the President I think!) he picked me up at the condo early afternoon. We had a few drinks at the condo first, I introduced him to the family and I took him to lunch (in fact he took me, but I paid the bill).
We went to McGuire's, an Irish bar/restaurant just across the bridge in Destin. Great place! They brew their own beer.



Colin suggested we should take their special drink/cocktail... Well so much for that suggestion when the waitress carded us. I thought she was kidding, but she explained they officially have to card everyone under 30. Well,... I think I should take that as a compliment then, for I never got that drink, and ended up having Coke with lunch.


The burger was great though! Amzingly huge! So were the fries.
Speaking of a small world. I noticed the shirt the guy at the table next to us was wearing. It was a Zildjian shirt. Now, you don't see those shirts all that often, so we get to talk to him an guess what.. he marched Cavaliers in 2001 and 2002!!

Colin warned me for going to the restrooms. I was expecting some crazy stuff going on in this place, but when I got there I didn't notice anything particular,...
Until I took a closer look at the signs on the doors!! I admit,.. I went to the Ladies' room.




Back at the condo my cousins had just come back from the outlet mall and were fixing Piña Coladas. Colin must have had a smooth massage class tonight!

Enjoy,

HK

LIFE SUCKS??

Well, definitely NOT out here!
I'm having an unbelievably good time here in Fort Walton Beach (Florida) with my folks and relatives from Michigan.

And to top this holiday,... my favourite cousins and kids flew in from Michigan yesterday to join us for the rest of the week. How cool is that!
Eventhough the weather might not be as great as we had hoped - though today is the sunniest and hottest day so far - we're all having a wonderful time here.
One more week to go!
It's absurd being on a trip for 7 weeks, I know... but I'm loving it!
Someone reminded me on Facebook that I have to get back to work on the 31st. Bastard!
I don't want to think about work when I'm having a good time. No way!
As I said... I have another week.
We're going to New Orleans yet, and Memphis, or maybe Nashville. We haven't decided on that one yet.
But out here everything is just great. The condo is great, the beach is great, all the pools are great, the company is more than great,... I think I could live here.

You know what... that might be something to think about seriously... but then, being a real family guy, I don't think I would want to miss my family back home.

Enjoy,

HK

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

Maybe I should rephrase that...

I admit,... I was spoilt being on tour and at practice fields surrounded by good-looking well-trained color guard bodies all summer (ok,.. they're all young,.. about half my age) but just looking around now is quite a bummer.
Holy crap,... there's a lot of fat in the country!!

Enjoy,

HK

WHAT DOES HK DO ON A CLOUDY DAY??

Right... he goes SHOPPING!!
I love shopping! I could spend days at shopping malls or factory outlets, or just in town!

Yesterday was one of those days. The aftermath of the Tropical Storm Claudette wasn't all that bad. The impact the storm had here was just a lot of wind and a lot of rain overnight. No real damage fortunately.

So today we went to the Silver Sands Factory Stores, a couple of miles east from here in Destin. This is one of the nation's largest designer outle centers their brochure says. Well over 100 brand-name stores with great offers!

All of us went, but I took my own tempo. Didn't want to go in all the stores the rest of the family wanted to check out.
Bought som nice shirts and pants at Aeropostale and at Calvin Klein.


We had dinner at Chili's. Well that was another experience. Our waiter Jimmy was a great guy, but his assistant Caty (or Katey) definitely was one of the worst waitresses I have ever had at a table.
Main course was brought to the table when we hadn't even finished the apetizer plates, so there was hardly any room on the table.
Her face was that of a kid taking the same History class he doesn't like for the third time. Man... did she like her job!
We had to clear the table to make room for the plates she was bringing.
The food was GREAT though! And a very good deal too! 2 dinners for only $20: a shared apetizer (we had Mexican cheese fries), each our own choice of entree (Half a rack of ribs for me!) and a dessert to share: Chocolate Chip Molton Cake.

Well, that's when I almost called for the manager.
We were all still enjoying the main course when she came and brought the desserts.
Forget about waiting until we were done, or leave alone cleaning the table... I don't know where she learnt about her job, but she was definitely NOT fit for it!
She even took my aunt's plate who wasn't done eating yet. Unbelievable!
Just left us with a full table and put the desserts there.
Jimmy apologized when I told him, but it wasn't his fault.


Oh well,... the food was excellent. Let's stick to that thought...

Enjoy,

HK

STOP WHINING ABOUT GAS PRICES!

America should stop whining about their gas prices. It's ridiculous!
They should come and fill up their tanks in The Netherlands for a change.

We filled up our tank on the way over here at $ 2.399 per gallon.
Now,... in Europe we don't talk gallons. We're on the metric system.
And we don't use dollars. We have euros.

But let me tell you what WE pay for unleaded: 1.48 euros per litre.

1 gallon equals 3.7854 litres
Today 1 EURO equals $ 1.406

So with the euro/dollar exchange rate of today a quick count (3.7854 x 1.48 x 1.406) would tell you that for ONE GALLON we would pay $ 7.88 back home!!
Yes that's SEVEN DOLLARS and EIGHTY-EIGHT CENTS!!!!
(little over 3x as much as in the States!)

Now... are you still complaining??

Enjoy,

HK

CLAUDETTE COMING OUR WAY

What are the odds?
We get to Florida and Hurricane season starts.
There's two major hurricanes starting on the Atlantic Ocean: Ana and Bill.
Now... Claudette (a tropical storm) is hitting shore here tonight!
I can't believe it!
We spent a few hours at the beautiful white sandy beach. Even had our own reserved beach chairs and umbrella. Saw a dolphin near the coastline!
Afterwards some time in the pool, when dark clouds were coming our way. It certainly looked like rain!! But the clouds passed and it looks fine now.
The Weather Channel says it's a tropical storm, but the impact will not be as bad. It should be coming on land tonight. They do expect floods in some areas.
Fixed dinner for all of us tonight. Tasted great.
Was like being on Devils Food (only had to cook for less than 3% from what we cooked for on tour!!!!)
Feel like taking a nap. I think I will go ahead and do that,... but I will probably sleep until the morning!

Enjoy,

HK

PURE TORTURE !!

We have a spectacular view from the balcony here in Fort Walton Beach/Destin (Florida) at the condo we rented for the week.
We just arrived after a day and half of driving straight south on Interstate 65. It was a good ride over. Stopped about every two hours.
The condominium is great. Lots of space! 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, a massive livingroom/kitchen, balcony, a bunch of pools outside, a lazy river, a pool with a bar (I LIKE THAT ONE!) and the beach at about 50 metres from here.
This week is going to be pure torture! I know it. It'll be an awful week!
I'm off to bed.

Enjoy,

HK

OK,... WE COULDN'T RESIST

Normally I try to avoid McDonalds whenever I go to the States. First of all, because we have these restaurants back home as well.
And i don't think the food is all that good.
BUT,... they are serving Chicken Wraps, and they're pretty good actually!
And any size soda for only $1 isn't bad either.

We're en route to Destin in Florida for a relaxing week at a far too luxurious beach resort with all sorts of pools, jaccuzis and stuff.
As I wrote the other day we were leaving for this trip with some delay.
Today we took my aunt to the hospital for a check-up on her injuries.
Things fortunately look good. She's doingmuch better.
So we skipped our visit to Nashville which was planned for today and will go straight to Florida.

We've just checked into a hotel in Franklin, Kentucky. A few miles from here is the Tennessee state border, and Nashville is the first big city we'll pass tomorrow.
We got a bite before we checked into the hotel... right... at McDonalds.
Yeah... sundae caramel with chopped peanuts for dessert.

Enjoy,

HK

MY BUDDY VIV

When on tour it's always a treat running into my long-time friend Viv Whittaker from England. I think I have known him from way back when, when he was still with the Buccaneers in DCUK.

Viv has been touring with Glassmen for a great many year and is a great fan of our corps Jubal as well. You all know him,.. he's the guy that's waving the Union Jack at the beginning of Glassmen's show shouting "YOHOOOOOOO,..... Are you ready?".He's been doing that too at Jubal performances.
Now at Quarterfinals and Semifinals he was hooting "JU-BALLL", supporting our tuba player Marcel in the corps.

I love this guy! So much fun! And always interested in how I am doing, what I am up to and especially how Jubal is doing.
Thanks for being a great friend Viv!!!

Enjoy,

HK

TUBING & S'MORES

My little cousin (second cousin to be precise) has NO FEAR!
It's amazing that a 4-year-old is having this much of a blast when she's being bumped around on a tube at high speed, pulled behind a speedboat.

I know it would have freaked out my niece (who is her age), but then we might not be as much exposed to open water as these kids here. (I know,... we have plenty of water in The Netherlands...)

Unfortunately we also had a little mishap today when my aunt was out on the deck, ready to get on the boat we rented and the boat bounced on the waves right onto the very end of the deck and pretty much chipped one of her toes right off.
At least, that's what it looked like at first.
She spent some time at the emergency room in a nearby hospital and had X-rays taken. The bone in her toe is completely crushed, but surprisingly it took only 4 stitches to get her toe back together.

She has to come back to the hospital on Friday, so we'll have to postpone our trip to Nashville and Florida. That is... IF the doctor will let her go.
With this kind of wound there is a high risk of infection. We're hoping for the best. The funny part was that my aunt's biggest concern was that she thought she had ruined our day...


We had some "s'mores" at the neighbour's bonfire later that evening. They taste really good!! A s'more is a traditional campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada, consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate (HERSHEY!!!) sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. YUMMIE!!!
S'mores got their name from the phrase: "Gimme some more!"

Enjoy,

HK

RELATIVES

It's always great to see my relatives in Michigan again. It's too bad we all live so far away from each other.
I am fortunate to get to see them preety much every summer, mostly after my tour with DCI.
Last year I spent two weeks with them, this year THREE weeks.
And even nicer,.. my parents flew here too last Friday, so it's a real family reunion.
My uncle and aunt moved here from the Netherlands back in 1968.
We are spending some time at my cousin's cottage on a lake, rented a boat today, took a ride on the neighbour's speedboat, had an excellent grill dinner and had a good couple of drinks.
Life is great!

Enjoy,

HK

A CHAMPION IS FOREVER

A Champion is forever a Champion
All the teams you did defeat
You aced all your tests
NOT ONE TIME did you get beat

Others may not notice the change
And the Champion may feel the same
But, over the years, with laughter and tears
This coloured your view of life's game

You and your teammates paid the price
Fought through heat, cold, and rain
Learned how to endure
Learned how to live with pain

You are not the boy you were back then
But as you grow old - Ravaged by age
You'll wear a smile, knowing
You've seen your name at the top of the page

Enjoy,

HK

HK STARTED HIS HOLIDAY IN MICHIGAN

TIME TO SIT DOWN AND RELAX !!

Tour is over,... it's HOLIDAY-time now. No seriously... just spent 4 weeks on tour with the Blue Devils, but now the relaxing starts!
Scott Allen, a friend of a friend, was so kind to give me a ride from Indy to Michigan. On the way to Kalamazoo we found out we have a lot more people we know in common. The Drumcorps activity again proves to be a very small world!

In Kalamazoo we had something to eat at Burdick's where my uncle and dad picked me up. My folks flew in too last Friday. Now the next three weeks we'll all be vacationing here.

One of my cousins and her family have rented a house on a lake for the week, so the whole family had dinner there. Excellent steaks from the grill. I love it!!!

Today I'll go swimming and tonight we'll have another cook-out at my uncle and aunt's house.

Enjoy,

HK

NEED I SAY MORE??

Well done everyone! Another title!

Enjoy,

HK

IS THIS HIGH ENOUGH FOR YOU??

Here I am... Lucas Oil Stadium, chatting with my friend John Christensen in the scoreboard/jumboscreen booth way up high in the stadium. This is the Press Box level, about 8 feet from the ceiling of the stadium!
John did the blue Devils DVD production the last few years. He used a lot of my photos in the 5.1 recording segment. Fun guy to hang out with too. Visited quie a few bars last summer.

I just saw Blue Devils B take the 2009 Open Class title.

I have a meeting in a few minutes aboyt Jubal's USA Tour in 2011 and then off to Jim (JUBALLLLLS!) Tailgate party across the street.
Might end up at the party where Joey Pero is playing this afternoon. We'll see.
in the meantime I'm leaving you with a view from the "nosebleed-section".

Pretty unbelievable huh?

Enjoy,

HK

FUN AT AGE-OUT CEREMONY

I always take a photo of the Blue Devils age-outs during the DCI age-out ceremony.
this year the photo turned out just a little different with an orange touch added to the colour spread.

Enjoy,

HK

WHAT A GREAT NIGHT OF DRUMCORPS!!

Last night's quarter finals were one of the better ones I have ever seen! My gosh, these corps were on fire! Eventhough I am touring with Blue Devils and might be a little prejudiced, I absolutely LOVE the Cadets' show! Man are they playing great stuff!
Lucas Oil Stadium is a gigantic stadium. Unbelievable! Unfortunately ticket sales were a little down this year so the crowd was smaller than expected.
The stadium has big black curtains covering the back stands, which makes it almost theatrical. It does take away some of the light for taking pictures though.
The scores were very high, and the spread between first and second was bigger than most had expected (or hoped).
Cavaliers dropped back to fourth place (95.85), Cadets had to settle for third (96.05) but very very close behind Carolina Crown that took second with 96.10 points. Then Blue Devils took top honours with an impressive score of 97.95 points. First place in most (sub)captions, but only third in brass and second in visual performance.
So that means even more room to grow. The drumline kicked butt! Color guard did too! They might just get that perfect TEN tomorrow or Saturday. Same goes for the drumline!
It was nice to see the Troopers back in good shape! They managed to make it back in the top 12. Cool show!
My prediction for Saturday is Blue Devils taking the title, Cadets placing second, Crown in third, Cavaliers in fifth, Vanguard in sixth.
Too bad Phantom Regiment are not having their greatest year this year.
Both Erik and Marcel must be having a blast! Both making Finals, with Erik in a very good and secure top-3 position.

Enjoy,

HK