I am sitting at the kitchen table at Lisa and Harry’s home in Tacoma. The flight from Amsterdam to Chicago was about 60% occupied and I had plenty elbow and leg room in economy class. I took the very last seat, as standby traveller, from Chicago to Seattle and since all overhead bins were stuffed I sat with my knees to my chin over my hand baggage for 4 hours it felt like twice as long as the 9 1/2 hour flight to Chicago.
The 13 days in Holland flew by too fast and I did not get to see many of the friends and family I had hoped to visit. Before I fly back to Greece from Amsterdam on April 11 I hope to have that opportunity for an about three to four week stay in Holland. This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving, my two sons will come up from Portland Oregon and we will have the traditional dinner on Friday at Rose Marie and Donovan’s home near Tacoma. With four of my five children, four of the seven grandchildren plus their partners/friends we will be at least seventeen at the Thanksgiving table.
The below pictures: Monday was another gorgeous bright cold fall day in Amsterdam. I rode a bike to go see my cousin Carol de Vries and his wife Tineke who still live in the 16th century canal home where our grandfather moved his family and mast and block business to in 1928.
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- Taken around 1950, Left street level the store of the mast and block business, office, home and storage on upper floors.
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- Siebold de Vries in shop entrance of the 16th century building on the Singel 2A
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- Carold de Vries, 6th Generation in Singel2A store in the eighties
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- The former store of the mast and block maker, now an upscale bar/bistro
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- The very same set of drawers as in the black/white store picture still being used today
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- Brouwersgracht near Singel, on a beautiful fall afternoon
