Maxima

Thursday:

Today is the day we rest our feet from all the walking in Amsterdam. We take a nice drive to Werkendam to see the new house. Much work is going on at the new house. G-J, his dad and friends are doing a marvelous job ripping out the old and updating everything. It was originally two small houses built in 1819. This is going to be one lovely house! On the left, their house is the white one. Jonna’s bedroom(second floor in America, first floor in Europe) is the open window on the right. The new baby’s room is the open window on the left. It could be a girl or it could be a boy.  The world finds out in Januari 08.  Photo on the right is of the ceiling beams in the room which will eventually be the guest bedroom/store room. Below is the kitchen. The big hole is where the dishwasher goes. The refrigerator is the tallest blue cabinet on the right with a freezer on top. In that pic , you are standing in the dining area. Living room is to the right.

Our lunch is an extra large meatball swimming in peanut sauce, salad and french bread. I had a caramel coffee which was only available because we were in a French Restaurant. Fancy coffees are not a Dutch dingetje (thingy).

For dinner Blips and daughter cook for an hour in the kitchen a favorite family receipe of homemade tomato soup. This is nothing like Campbells! It involves cooking certain ingredients, adding a package of herbs and another package of spices, putting everything through a collander/sieve dingetje, adding small meatballs and a bit of thin spaghetti. There is no taste like it in America and I tell you it was delicious. ElsMarStel joined us for a nice family dinner. They then locked us in their backseat (really, with the child safety locks) and took us home with them. As we approached Stellendam, we could see the lights of about 30 sea going vessels lined up to enter the harbor. Friday morning these ships unload 5 days worth of catch at the fish auction. Stellendam has the largest fish auction in all of Holland. Blips, who is not a big fish lover, is grateful that I do not have a bidding number.

ElsMarStel have presents for us. First is a package of edible paper. This gave us all a good laugh, remembering my Christmas cookies that stuck to the cutting board last December. Not a problem now! We also receive a lighthouse wind chime which will look great in the garden. Next is a unique metal fish(Blips favorite kind) that has slits where a tea light shines thorough. Difficult to picture, I know, so you will just have to stop by and we will be delighted to show it to you.