I really like Amsterdam. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I’ve never taken to a city like I have this one. Part of it is just that the city seems to work. The trams run on time and have an easily understood layout. The streets and canals are reasonably clean. The people are all clean and healthy, at least as far as I saw. They are also, by and large, courteous and helpful to the traveler.

Another plus was the weather. We really lucked out—it was sunny, warm, and pleasant the whole time. There were lots of very nice playgrounds, which got the five-year-old-boy vote. And there were small boats for rent on the canals, another bonus for Jackson.

I’ll be out of the office for the next week on a trip to Europe, staying in Amsterdam for a week and then a couple of days in Dublin. This is a family vacation, so I’ll certainly be able to report on the five-year-old-boy perspective when I return.

On top of that, though, the trip will offer a valuable eyewitness look at two critical areas in the eurozone. The Netherlands is one of the core northern countries that’s paying the bills—and becoming increasingly conflicted about continuing to do so. I look forward to seeing how that national conversation looks on the ground.

My family and I spent the holiday weekend in Maine. Unfortunately, it was in the 40s and 50s on Saturday and Sunday, and, unsurprisingly, there weren’t a lot of people at the pool. Fortunately, Jackson, my now five-year-old son, was happy to spend some quality time snuggled up next to Dad watching movies while Dad read. Sometimes, a quiet weekend is just right.

We did get out a bit, including a drive to the nature lodge on the top of Mount Agamenticus, a local mountain with wonderful views from the summit (on a clear day, which this was not) and miles of trails. Jackson and I have hiked up there before, but this time we just wanted to show it to Mom, who was duly impressed. We’ll be heading back later this summer to do some more hiking.

I am in Virginia today and tomorrow, speaking to groups of clients. With no major economic stories going on, I thought I would do a couple of quick hits on various topics.

Recently, I was invited by the CFA Institute to contribute some thoughts to a discussion of investment versus speculation and how you can tell them apart. My commentary was published, and I’ve received some very nice feedback on it. You can read it here.

In the spirit of several previous posts, I’m taking a couple days off to take my son, Jackson, down to visit his grandparents in Florida. Among the many things I’m grateful for are that both my parents and my wife’s are healthy and active, and that Jackson has a chance to spend time with them and get to know them.

I would also like to mention the support and many thoughtful remarks, both in-person and written, I received in response to my family’s loss. One of the wonderful things about what I do—and particularly where I work, Commonwealth Financial Network—is the truly thoughtful, considerate, and wise colleagues and friends I have. These are very smart people who also really care about others and who take the time to show it. I can’t tell you how honored and grateful I am to have people like this as colleagues and friends.

I wrote several months ago about good habits and my efforts to adopt several of them. The one I’d like to focus on today is writing down daily gratitudes, a practice that experts link to increased happiness and success.

This weekend, I found out that there are other benefits as well. At 6:30 on Sunday morning, I had to put my cat, Putter, to sleep. He had been with us for 14 years, after my wife adopted him as a feral cat. He’d been there through several homes, several jobs, our marriage, and our adoption of our son, Jackson. He was part of the family.

Once upon a time, a turkey hatched in the dead of winter. He lived in a nice warm coop, had plentiful corn and seeds to eat, and spent much of his poult-hood playing with all of the other little turkeys. When spring came, he and his friends ventured out into the yard and played some more; they continued to have corn and seeds to eat and shelter from the rain. The summer brought more of the same, along with nice people who regularly cleaned the coop, refilled corn and seed stores after the turkeys gobbled it all up, and chased away scary critters like foxes and cats when they got too near.

I am grateful to be back at work. Grateful, because it means we got through the storm with no damage or even inconvenience. My biggest problems yesterday were shoving the cat off the keyboard and entertaining a four-year-old boy. I am much more fortunate than many others, especially in New York and the Mid-Atlantic states. Here’s hoping that everyone recovers as quickly and with as little aggravation as possible.

The storm yesterday got me thinking about weather, particularly here in Massachusetts. We don’t normally have hurricanes, but we’re not known for our sunshine either, as my California colleagues typically remind me in February. Which brings me to a very interesting conversation I had with some clients a couple of weeks ago.

I have been getting some feedback that, although people like the blog, there is a sense that it is pessimistic. To which I can only say, pessimistic? Me?