The visitor's center has a great use for their basement: they have all kinds of information about what happens underground. This includes drawers with rotting rabbits (in various stages of decay), displays of beetles and worms, and a centerpiece of tree roots.

It also has these horns at the bottom of the stairs. When I saw that there are similar horns 3 stories up, and pipes that connect them in strange twisting paths, I guessed that they are telephones: that you can stand at the bottom of the stairs and talk to someone at the top.

We happened across a few pieces of sculpture (this one is titled Everzwijn) before deciding that we'd spend Sunday looking at art.

These little gray Russulas were quite common, but difficult to photograph. I would guess it is a Russula ionochlora (violet-green Russula), but I wouldn't disagree if someone said it was Russula cyanoxantha or Russula parazurea

These little green cups are more likely the remains of insect galls rather than anything fungal, but they look neat.

We stumbled across this animal observation area earlier in the day, and decided to come back around dusk. Apparently everyone else had the same idea. I figured that either the animals here were very used to people, or there was just no way they'd come anywhere close to this giant wiggling box of monkeys.

Then the secret was revealed: a park warden drove up in a truck and scattered food, not far from the viewing area. Now, if this was the practice at a Northwestern campground, the local elk would've jumped the driver, stolen the truck, and managed to break into the storage shed long before this point. The edelhart (local version of elk), though, must have countless generations of selection for fearing humans behind them. The truck had been gone for about 15 minutes before the bull cautiously approached the edge of the clearing. He patrolled for a while before the cows approached, and even then was guarding them nervously. After only 5 minutes or so, he became agitated and ran off toward the woods again, head held high, as though he were set on scaring something away. The cows continued to eat quietly, occasionally looking up when someone in the shelter spoke too loudly or jumped down from the bleachers... or when the box began to hiss like a pit of snakes as everyone tried to shush them.

The next day we set out in search of nearby campgrounds, for future reference. Camping in the Netherlands is generally viewed as something to do with your children, thus the campgrounds tend to have indoor sleeping areas, a swimming pool, a shopping area, and sometimes a petting zoo or pony rides. I suppose it is no surprise then that the fungus we found at the gate was an Agaricus, probably an Agaricus bisporus judging by its thick felty ring and tendency to bruise pink when cut. It could also be an Agaricus silvaticus, although it lacks the fuzzy stalk that silvaticus is supposed to have.

You'd think after living abroad for three years that silly, childish homonymns to English words would not amuse us. You'd be wrong.

Yet another mushroom pair that I suspect of being A. rubescens. There is something about the mystique of an edible Amanita which is compelling.

A. rubescens button.

Next stop: the Kröller-Müller museum.

A walrus skull...

... carved to depict various aspects of Eskimo life. Artist: Luke Airut

The actual sculpture is titled Oceania and isn't terribly interesting. The material, though, is tree fern, which has a wonderful texture.

Another peculiar piece, this is a sort of waterfall on the ceiling made from wish ribbons... but the pond reflecting the hundreds of ceiling ribbons is kind of neat. This piece was part of a larger project commemorating water management in the Veluwe. Artist: Ana Maria Tavares

Now this piece is interesting. I really like the use of just a couple of embedded nuts and bolts to suggest the features of the bird's head, a suggestion of rusted clockworks... It turns out that this piece is a Picasso: Petite chouette - little owl 1951-53..

Clown phobia, anyone? The piece is called Clown before the ruins of Rotterdam and is dated 1941. If you didn't know, Rotterdam was one of the few Dutch cities to be virtually destroyed in the war. Artist: Charley Toorop.

Medusa chooses the sea, also by Charley Toorop.

One of the most famous Dutch pieces, De Kat by Bart van der Leck. If you get up close to this it looks like the paint was applied in thick , even sheets, almost like a collage. The tag says the media are Caseïneverf op eternier. Through the wonders of Wikipedia I figured out that Caseïneverf is milkpaint, a think and rather sturdy paint made from milk protein. I still have no idea what eternier is though. Google translate says it is kidney eaters. Fail.

I had no idea that De Kat was accompanied by De Hond (actually titled Takshond).

La partie de cartes is into English as Soldiers Playing at Cards, but I'm not sure where the soldiers come in on the French version of the name. The painting is by Fernand Lé ger.

A very close look at one of the pipes from the piece.

Another Lé ger: Nus dans la forêt, Nude figures in a wood.

I rather like this piece.

Even if it does have a pointy butt.

The piece is inscribed on the back with FVSIONE ESEGVITA PER LA GALLERIA LAMEDUSA ROMA SETTEMBRE 1972 7/8 FONDERIA FRANCESCO B. Google tells us that its name is Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, by Umberto Boccioni. It was one of a series of four sculptures meant to embody the living object in its dynamic growth; i.e. provide a synthesis of those transformations undergone by an object due to its twin motions, one relative, the other absolute... This has suggested to us the notion of force-lines, which characterize the object and enable us to see it as a whole - it is the essential interpretation of the object, the perception of life itself. Ours is a search for the definitive... Unfortunately, following an exhibition in Milan in 1917, the pieces were stuck in a courtyard for storage and hacked to pieces by workmen who were assigned to clean out that part of the building. (This probably seems unfathomable to most of you, but if you've been to Rome it kind of makes sense. Italy is a strange country.) Two of the four were reassembled by Marinetti and Azari, two other artists, who had a series of bronze casts made from the pieces. This, as you might guess, is number 7/8. (source)