July 28, 2025

 Monday. Left a little before ten. Blacksmith. Mild, partly cloudy (good clouds), moderate breezes from the north. To the Vecht, on the way to Nederhorst den Berg to ask G, who was there way back when, how N in the late '40s and early '50s could spot things in the landscape that today one could not possibly expect to see. (For example, Kortenhoef church from a first-floor window at the Muiderslot). A quiet Monday morning, but other people able to take advantage of the summer weather. Detour at the Zandpad before Breukelen, and the green along the Nieuweweg was just perfect. At one place what seemed like a few mushrooms (already!). Scheendijk and back to the Vecht. An advantage of the ridiculous new bridge at Vreeland is that car traffic is way down on that section. Coffee in the Blijk, and the answer to the question: back then, and especially during the war, people cut down trees and branches all the time for heating. The landscape was just much more barren than today. G himself had gone out recently to try and get some of N's views, but in vain. On top of that, but not the main reason, you have all the new construction blocking views, ruining vistas. It clouded over, sending us inside just before a few short, intense showers. The roads were still wet (at least the asphalt was) on the way back. Horstermeer with its narrow, gravely bike paths, Herenweg, Kwakel, Emmaweg, Kerkelanden, airfield, Korssesteeg. On the two-track concrete trail toward Groenekan, a fairly unspoiled view of the Dom up ahead for as long as the bushes half-way block the new high rises. Newspaper from Van der Neut. The effort in Taiwan to recall some KMT parliamentarians has failed, and China is pushing back on the deal to sell Chinese interests in some Panamanian ports. Meanwhile, the American president has shortened the time period in which Moscow has to agree to a cease fire, and the EU has decided to capitulate partly to the same leader on trade. It would be nice if we had some meaningful U.S. action against Russia in a week or two; and it would be something if the trade deal actually held, if new threats or demands did not materialize. According to the current U.S. administration, the vital contest is with China. A "deal" there would not necessarily be a bad thing, but it would be worth more if it reinforced the status quo around Taiwan, and if was the result of a shared approach by Washington and its traditional friends around the world.