Summerhouse with Simon, Pia and Gustav

We were invited to our friends Simon and Pia's rented summerhouse in the northern part of Denmark (Hals) for a few days in July. We drove our NEW CAR (pictures to follow) and enjoyed a very relaxing couple of days. Thanks, you guys!

Simon and Pia are the proud parents of the very beautiful, Scandanavian prince Gustav and to chocholate lab, Simba. Gustav was interesting to Max, but Simba was prime time all weekend long. When Max woke up from his nap, he'd ask for Simba. When Max went to bed, Simba went to bed. When Max went out to play, Simba followed. When Simba tried to go lay down, exhausted from chasing balls into stinging nettle and muddy ditches, Max tracked her down and tried to convince her to come back out and play. Max talked to Simba: "Oh, there you are!" he'd say, if she'd gone around the corner for a drink of water. If there was ever a doubt that little boys are made of puppy dog tails, here's proof that the two are indeed one. Simbas parents have taught her well, and she is great at the Danish command for drop - "Aflevere", even when given by 2 year olds. Max practiced that command ad nauseum, and Simba obeyed like a good little soldier, as you can see in the film. Simba was our faithful baby sitter for two days straight. We like Simba. But Max LOVES her.

We also had some great time at the beach. The summerhouse backed up to the sea called the Kattegat, which is Old Danish for "The Cat's Back", since it was apperently so dangerous for the viking sailors to get across. But it was incredibly shallow at our end and we could walk a long way into the waves before the water even came up above our knees.

There were lots of crabs, jellyfish and coolest of all, starfish to collect and inspect, as the pictures show. Simba loved chasing sticks in the water and Gustav loved the fresh air. Max got to build "spider man" (he doesn't know The Spiderman - never seen him. But I made a spider once at the beach with seaweed and shells and now we must always make a spiderman when we get to sand) and juleman, which is Santa Claus, in Danish. Don't ask me why - it was his art.

(Pia says in the background in Danish "What are you guys doing?" and when Max replies "making Santa Claus" she says "There sure is a Christmas theme going on here...." which there had been. Max had been giving us gifts all weekend and looking out for Santa Claus in the North Pole, which was apparently located in the shed in the backyard of the summerhouse.)