i <3 windmills

i just saw this cool video on the internet. it features windmills, which happen to be one of my favorite things. if you wouldn't mind, i'd like to tell you a little more about them...

(basically) invented by the dutch, windmills were initially used to drain water from the low-lying netherlands, since they set up shop below sea-level. the windmills in amsterdam are furry, making them the ceeyutest windmills you ever did see.

gabe just returned from a whirlwind spanish adventure, where he saw literally millions of old-timey spanish windmills (pictured above). in spain, windmills were used to crush grain. here's an interesting bit of windmill trivia:

"Miguel de Cervantes's book Don Quixote de La Mancha, which helped cement the modern Spanish language and is regarded as one of the greatest works of fiction ever published, features an iconic scene in which Don Quixote attacks windmills that he believes to be ferocious giants. This gave international fame to La Mancha and its windmills, and is the origin of the phrase "tilting at windmills", to describe an act of futility."

modern windmills (or wind turbines) generally used throughout the world to generate electricity, are pretty awesome, too. their ginormous blades range in size from 60-135 feet! they often appear in groups on wind farms, which can be on land or even in the middle of the ocean! did you know that ted kennedy hates windmills?

lastly, i'd like to share one of my fondest windmill memories with you. we celebrated joel's 21sts birthday on a beach in the netherlands, down-wind from some beautiful windmills. look at him go. doesn't it just make your heart soar?

THIS JUST IN:
erin macbeth just submitted a windmill photo from her recent travels through tarifa, spain...those are some good looking 'millz!