My wife and I made a 600-kilometer circuit of the central Netherlands by bicycle a few weeks back; during that wonderful trip, I’ve learned that riding a bicycle is one of the best ways to see a country up close.*

The Dutch countryside, I’ve discovered, is so pretty it looks like a foreign country. Of course, this is more an embarassing symptom of my Amsterdam-centric view of Holland than a new discovery, but still, it was wonderful to ride through the countryside for a week and gape google-eyed at the wondrous sights (not to mention breathe in the wide spectrum of smells wide-nostrilled). Meandering rivers bordered by huge mansions and huger trees; hills and forests and aromatic heather; cute villages and wobbly ferries; roadside produce stands and proud stork nests.It’s amazing how the tract housing, industrial zones, sound screens, and other modern-day uglinesses that make up the scenery around most freeways just aren’t there when you pedal down a country road. After this lovely experience, I can even imagine living in the country some day.

Not.

Writing news:

• What happened while Don was watching the game is with the Weird Tales editors. They rejected Prisoner of war in November; I hope “WhwDwwtg” is sufficiently weirder.
• Both Conversation with a mechanical horse and Meeting the Sculptor are under consideration for the Sony eBook Short Story Program. If they’re accepted, they will become available for the Sony eBook reader at some point in the future.
• I’ve spent some productive time today creating a nifty, user-friendly submission tracker database. (Though admittedly, the line between productive time and procrastination makes the one between love and hate look like the Berlin wall.)

* I’ve also learned that in this country, a “Swine Activity Center” is actually a:
A. pig-specific petting zoo;
B. pork-specific slaughterhouse;
C. artificial insemination station;
D. recreation center for spoiled pet pigs.
Bonus points if you get it right the first time.