About Me

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Antwerp, Belgium
Welcome to the new, and improved version of Heaven in Belgium. I am Jientje. "Jientje", like the boys name Gene, followed by "chu"? "Gene-chu", that's how you pronounce my name. Yes!!!!That's it!! So now you know huh? I am an addicted blogger. I was born and raised and am still living in Belgium. Yeah, the "this-is- Tuesday-so-this-must-be-Brussels" kind of Belgium .. There, you see? Maybe you couldn't find it on the map, but at least I'm trying to change that a little by sharing lots of pictures. I really love to cook and create new things, like this blog for instance. I am a mother,a grandmothe and a wife too! They say I'm a traveler, and a photographer. Well that's just what they say, I love to make pictures, but I am far from professional ... If my English is not perfect, that would be because it's my second language. I do hope you'll forgive me any possible misspellings or strange vocabulary ... Now, as a result of all of the above, I get way too little sleep and my days are always much too short!

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Heaven is in Belgium

Monday, November 2, 2009

Macro Monday

Charlotte Perkins Gilman:

... while we flatter ourselves that things remain the same, they are changing under our very eyes from year to year, from day to day.


We went up to the heart of Washington DC to take a look at the house and the neighborhood where Melli was born into. It was a good feeling to see that her old house was still there . It is a quaint little neighborhood, in huge contrast with the surrounding business and shopping areas like Bloomingdales to name one. Even the cracks in the sidewalk are still there after all those years!
However ...

This is probably not going to be there much longer, that's why I am so happy she took me there and that I was able to take pictures there.
On our way over to the Italian restaurant where we had lunch a little bit later on, we saw this unique bug. I'm really rather curious what kind of bug this is, but to me he looks like his species have been around like for a million years! If the story I heard is correct, he is a stink bug. He has managed to survive instead of going extinct because nobody has the desire to kill this guy.
Because if you do, he will stink so much, you' ll probably remember him forever! LOL!!


Today is going to be a very busy day for me, because I will be saying goodbye to Melli and her family, travel to the west coast and meet other friends. I have warm memories and feelings for them, they really really wore themselves out to make my visit something I will never ever forget. I carry them in my heart. Saying goodbye to them is really going to be hard ...

Time to get my stuff together now!

30 comments:

Loree said...

It looks like s ome type of locust but then again, I am not too up to date with bug nomenclature :)

Bientje said...

Yes sis, saying goodbye over and over again will be the hardest thing on your trip!
Have a safe journey!
Big hug,
Your little sister

Unknown said...

Only you could make a stink bug look so ... photogenic.

Thank you, Melli, for taking care of Jientje so well.

tilden talks... said...

happy trails!

Suki said...

It looks like a locust to me, a somewhat humped locust. Enjoy the rest of your journey!

Nessa said...

That bug looks quite ancient.

Good-byes are always so hard.

Book Review #5 - Merle's Door

Wanda..... said...

The bug looks similar to our wheel bugs that have a more prominent sawblade like wheel on their back. It takes forever to heal from their bites!

moneythoughts said...

That was a lobbyist if you are near Washington, D.C., they just call them Stink Bugs. Great shot. You don't miss much.

Nana said...

How time travels fast... Save journey. xxx

The Retired One said...

YIKES that is one big ugly bug. Too bad you had to come to the USA to photo a bug. h ahaaaaa
Glad you are having a great time here!

Melli said...

ROFLMBO @ The Retired One! THAT is the TRUTH! NO Washington Monuments! NO White Houses! (well... maybe a little one in my neighborhood) NO monuments, memorials, OR museums! Jusssssst STINK bugs! LOL!

Bim said...

He might stink when he gets squashed (and, hey, wouldn't we all?) but he looks cool!

kayerj said...

What an interesting looking fellow. The stink bugs out west are black and round. I'm glad you are having a wonderful time.

James said...

He seems to be watching the world go by. Great picture.

Anonymous said...

You come all this way to get a picture of a grasshopper? pffft. LOL. OMG you have had such a great time and thanks for sharing. Just remember, you are only saying goodbye physically. :) Have a safe rest of your journey. See you Thursday night :)

Barbara H. said...

I'm not fond of bugs, but that is a great close-up shot. I'm glad you had such a great time at Melli's! Saying good-bye will be the hardest part.

Unknown said...

You are so sweet & so are your bloggy friends.
I am so glad you made it there and had a good time.
And hopefully will have more good time to come (which I have no doubt of)
:)

Unknown said...

You are so sweet & so are your bloggy friends.
I am so glad you made it there and had a good time.
And hopefully will have more good time to come (which I have no doubt of)
:)

quilly said...

Hooray! You're getting closer to Hawaii! Oh! I better go get your room ready! We are having a cool, rainy day today, but it is still warm and the sun slips in and out from behind the clouds.

Charlene Amsden said...

Oh! I have killed a stink bug. It was on the porch steps and I accidentally stepped on it. Stink it does. I hosed the step then scrubbed it with dish soap and hosed it again -- same with my shoes. Still couldn't get the stink out of my nose for a couple of days.

jay said...

Is that a stink bug? He's beautiful to me! I love him. And you got a stunning picture of him, too! Well done! :)

You're in Washington DC? Shame you weren't there when we were!

United Studies said...

Yeah, we've had tons of those bugs around...and we can't kill any of them because Emma thinks they are cute. :-)

Dr.John said...

I know from my experience that you will miss her.

Christine said...

That bug looks like it is made of metal. Very cool!

Amanda Moore said...

I am glad to see your enjoying your trip and I am sorry you missed your flight Jientje. I spent time int eh Virginia/DC area and never saw one of these wonderful bugs... you have all the luck!

Melissa said...

Oh how I have missed your blog.

You are astonishing.

Melissa

Mamapippa said...

Een nieuwe blog, en een mooie !
Ik was je even uit het oog verloren, maar via via heb ik je teruggevonden.
Ik zie dat je meedoet met enkele engelstalige 'Photo Memes'. Ik heb het ook al enkele keren aangedurft, maar struikel telkens over de taal. Engels begrijpen is geen groot probleem, maar er een duidelijke tekst in verkrijgen is moeilijker. En die vertaalprogramma's op internet leveren vaak gekke zinnen op ...
Nochtans vind ik die thema's telkens weer een uitdaging(en er zijn er velen te vinden).

Enfin, ben blij je weer gevonden te hebben !
xXx

distresseddamsel said...

That is one nasty looking stink bug. It does look ancient and tough, judging from the color and the thick-looking hyde? exoskeleton? skin? whatever...What I admire is how crisp your photo turned out, so clear and the details are really all there.

Gattina said...

Your photo has a real good quality, but this stinky bug is so ugly !!

Ellie said...

It looks like "wheel bug" I had a post of similar one couple weeks ago. You are right - it is one of the oldest bugs ever existed - one of the "true bugs" the Wikipedia says. Never saw anything like that back home in Europe - they are native of North America.

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