I received this old picture from cousin Pim - thanks dude.

It’s an old picture of the kids on the beach. Must have been ‘79 or ‘80??

We’re at “Strand paal 69″ in Zandvoort, Holland. A slightly odd beach cause it’s a nude beach and that’s where our parents would usually take us. Was it because it was just much less busy than the normal beach, or was it out of a determined liking for nudism?

We seem to have fun posing for the camera and sitting in this hole. If you read the faces correctly, could it be there’s a sense of pride or victory in each of them? This is making me wonder whether we actually dug the hole ourselves or hi-jacked it from other kids.

From left to right it’s got my sis Barbara, cousin Pim, Tom, Kim, and myself.

There’s a couple of nude people in the background - but it’s hard to make out, and you can see the “Pole 69″ standing behind us.

Those nice but rare summer days in Holland!

click on picture for larger version

This is me and my cousin sitting in the cockpit of a KLM Boeing 747 in 1979.

Every boy I knew around this age wanted to be a pilot, and this experience of sitting in the cockpit of a KLM 747 must have been thrilling to both of us. I seem to look slightly proud in this picture, as if saying “he check me out, I’m captain Marc”. Too bad I sat in the co-pilot seat though…
My cousin - slightly younger - is visibly making aircraft noises and trying to drive the thing out onto the tarmac.