Tot ziens, Netherlands

I'm leaving just as the tulips are coming out and the godwit chicks are starting to hatch.

Made in Friesland

Friesland, Netherlands

Believe it or not, in Friesland you really do see Friesian horses, not to mention members of one of the world's rarest dog breeds.

I don't know much about equestrianism, but I can understand why Friesians are so coveted. They're beautiful.

Unfortunately my hopes of drawing this horse up close were thwarted when it noticed me from a long way off.

Wind country

Here's where I've been for the past three weeks:

Friesland, Netherlands

Mole*

European mole (Friesland, Netherlands)

To put your suspicions to rest: this mole did not, in fact, find its own way to the top of the fence post.

Its days of burrowing little tunnels all over the fields ended tragically two days ago, when it tunneled its way into a mole trap. (It's been on display on the post ever since.)

*Please appreciate that I didn't act on the impulse to title this "Raised mole."