Piet turns 64

A wooden house ... not typically Dutch

A marvelous birthday adventure for Piet! Ad and Corry took us to Arnhem to the Open-Air Museum (Openluchtmuseum). Ad had never been there, so it was a special treat all around. There are many working exhibits, with a farmer’s wife making soup and coffee and tea in the kitchen that you could sit at her table and partake of the fare. There were actually two of these … one was a poor farmer and one was rich. The soup in the rich farmer’s kitchen had meat in it!

My favourite exhibit was the paper mill. The paper maker had quite a production going with the museum’s watermark on each sheet of rag paper.

Corry liked the old farm houses that were built into the backs of the barns so that you lived in the same room as your animals. We learned how to make brooms so that we could sweep the cobble and dirt floor.

Piet liked the windmills best. Each of them served a different purpose, including a sawmill, a watermill, a pulp mill and a grist mill. The gears and workings of each were entirely different and very ingenious! It was truly amazing to see how each of them operated using the power of the huge vanes turning in the wind.

Ad really loved the old General Store. It carried old toys, candy, flour, clothing … everything the people of the village might need. It really was quite unique, packed to the rafters with goods … a lot of them made on-site at the museum.

Canadian Maples in Holland!

On the way home from the museum, Ad decided to drive through the countryside for us. The tour was truly the best gift of the day. We drove along roads that were even narrower than normal, passing bikers and hikers along the way. I was convinced that we were on a one-way road … until we met a car coming the other way. This road from Tiel wound along the top of the dyke that was built to keep the River Waal inside its floodplain. Most of the time it works, but last year the water breached the top and flooded the beautiful homes and orchards. It’s so hard to imagine. The yards and fields are lush and manicured with neat, orderly rows of crops and trees; sheep and cows in pastures; and tidy fences marching across the landscape, and it was all under water!

The Bringers of Babies have their own!

The wildlife gods decided to treat us as well. We saw a pair of storks on their nest, ducks with their new little puffballs bobbing on the water behind them, and baby lambs of all colors. The storks must be good luck or something, because the farmers build tall nest racks for them. Most were empty, but this one is definitely occupied!

Bart, Ad, Riet, Linda, Corry, Piet

For his birthday dinner, we went out to Stad Parijs, a restaurant just 1km from our little house. They served us a delicious meal and the company of Ad, Corry, Riet & Bart was the best we could have had. For a change, Piet and I didn't have typical Dutch fare ... he had scampi and I a wonderful rare steak. They really know how to cook steak over here. I think some of our restaurants could learn something from a Dutch cook. Tomorrow I will attempt White Asparagus Soup with Passham and boiled egg. Yummm.