We are having fabulous sunny warm Spring weather. Yesterday I made a short trip north of Amsterdam. A long time business friend, Peter Karreman, also a sailor, reconnected with me through the article I wrote for the April issue of “Zeilen”. We have both worked for the first employer I had in my forest products career, in Amsterdam and till my retirement we did business together. We had lots to catch up on and we visited my friend Astrid at her bakery ” ‘t Spelthuys” www.spelthuys.nl in Enkhuizen. Astrid was the very first friend I made, when making my first landfall from California, on Hiva Oa in May 2005. She was then the first mate on the three mast schooner brig “SØREN LARSEN”.
Today I took the bus into Amsterdam to go to the Saturday market on the Noordermarkt and to meet Henny de Ruijter an old class mate I had last seen in 1954 when we graduated. She immigrated to Canada around the same period I arrived in California. Again lots to reminisce. Amsterdam was at its best. I will miss it more than Amsterdam will miss me, there are a lot more of my kind but there is just one Amsterdam.
Later this afternoon my friend Ernie and his friend Titia and his son Zoe stopped to see me in Haarlem. Ernie was my generous host last spring and summer when I worked on replacing Fleetwood’s deck.
Peter and Astrid at ‘t Spelthuys
1e Egelantiersdwarsstraat and Westertoren
parking at Central Station
Titia, Ernie and Zoe.
