Cocktailboat

Our son Jacob (9 years old at the time) asked his American uncle Jan (my dad's younger brother), who was a snowbird in Bonita Springs: "What kind of boat is that? We don't have boats like that in the Netherlands."

Jan was quiet for a moment and in his eyes I could see that he was searching for a funny answer.

'That's a borrelboot, Jacob.'

Borrelboot = Cocktailboat.

Jan passed away last year, but there are some things that remind us of  him. 

Like yesterday, when I made this picture.

Cheers Jan.

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Joe's birthday

THE FULL STORY

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Fran Bliek

Have a look at the wonderful paintings of my dear friend:

FRAN BLIEK

You will definitely recognize the influence of the impressionists in her work.

I'm specially touched by the colors.

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towEL

moslimEL

ELmish

Good morning

THE way to start your day is with a good breakfast.

In the 20+ years that we've been coming to this area I think we tried them all.

The Clock, Cracker Barrel, Mel's Diner, IHOP, Perkins, Skillets, First Watch, Bob Evans......................

Non of them is really bad.

But when you compare prices, I must say that Skillets is a disappointment: meaning too expensive for what you get. ($33,- for eggs, pancakes and coffee).

The Coffee Shop in the Cove Inn is our favourite.

It's like eating in a big kitchen. The pancakes are fantastic! The prices are fair.

Afterwards you can have your exercise - walking around the docks.

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Imported

This is one of the best cheeses Holland produces.

Fortunately the US imports this tasty, very mature Dutch product. 

If you can affort it (this piece costed $10,29) and you like real cheese - I advice you (in Naples) to go to Wynn's or the Fresh Market.

Hey, for that price you can expect an award winning Dutch masterpiece.

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Too late

Every day the same story.

Every day it amazes me.

Every day the same cars with the same people: TOO late for a parking spot.

They throw their stuff out of the car and start driving around in circles.

Stupid!

Who's gonna leave at 10 o'clock in the morning for heavens sake??

So finally they leave Lowdermilk Park and drive 2 miles to park their car.

Every day.

Amish woman anno 2012

Cookout

Nothing beats the hospitality and company of good friends.

*****

SAINTorum

And what about this:

Rick Santorum's invocation of a nightmare of mass murder of the elderly in the Netherlands has provoked a storm of incredulity and criticism in the Western European country, where the local press say his statistics are wildly inflated.

"Rick Santorum Thinks He Knows the Netherlands: Murder of the Elderly on a Grand Scale" is Saturday's headline in the daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad.

"Rick Santorum is an arch conservative. The most conservative of all candidates in the Republican primaries. He loathes abortion and euthanasia. So now he loathes the Netherlands. Because in the Netherlands we kill the elderly like there's no tomorrow," reads the story, according to a translation provided by BuzzFeed's Low Country correspondent, and author of a Dutch blog on American politics, Bertine Moenaff. The story quotes Santorum, before concluding: "This man is really imaginative. It would be a laughing matter, if he weren't in the race for the Republican nomination to take on Barack Obama in the race for the presidency of the most powerful country in the world."

Santorum said in an interview with social conservative leader James Dobson earlier this month that euthanasia makes up "ten percent of all deaths, and half of those people are euthanized involuntarily, because they are old or sick. And so elderly people in the Netherlands don't go into a hospital. They go to other country."

The Dutch public broadcaster Radio 1 described Santorum's remark as "fact-free politics," and the comments have gotten wide play, leading this evening's broadcast of the country's popular current-event's show De Wereld Draait Door and drawing reports all over the national media.

The Dutch sources estimate that legal euthanasia is the cause of what the Christian paper Nederlands Dagblad put at 3.2% fo deaths at the most liberal estimate, and others put around 2%. Public statistics, which have been reported since the practice was legalized in 2002, cite 3,136 reports of euthanasia out of a total of 136,000 in the Netherlands in 2011, a bit more than 2%. 

The Dutch were also flummoxed by Santorum's claim that Dutch elderly wear "Don't Euthanize Me" bracelets.

Other reports label Santorum a "crazy extreme Catholic" with  "a surreal view of the Netherlands." source

*****

Hahaha - yeah, sure! And we all walk on wooden shoes and live in windmills.

Voting for Santorum means returning to 1202 instead of living 2012

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"Next in line, please"

At Bealls it looks like they have Veteran's Day Sales daily.

Old men & their toys

Naples Daily News

President's Day weekend

Pavlova's

What you need:

mixer or kitchenmachine

3 eggwhites

4,4 ounces = 125 grams of white sugar

3 drops of lemonjuice

raspberries, strawberries or whatever fresh fruit you choose

whipped cream (no suger added)

vanilla icecream (optional)

**

Preheat the oven: 248 F. or 120 Celsius

Beat the eggwhites and slowly add the sugar.

Keep beating for 5 minutes.

Finally add 3 drops of fresh lemonjuice and give it a last beat.

Greaseproof paper on a griddlecomes handy. Unless you have a non-sticking baking tray.

Use a piping/pastry bag or just simple two spoons will work - and make meringues.

Let the meringues bake (on the lowest ridge) in the preaheated oven for ONE hour.

Turn of the oven, but let the pavlova's cool down in a closed oven.

You can make lovely combinations with red fruit (if it's sweet - don't add sugar), unsweetend whipped cream and vanilla icecream. But slices of mango and pineapple will work as well.

Just play with the flavours: sweet and sour.

I promise: it's yammie!!

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Another SUNday

To catch a fish

pics

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Royal news

Dutch Prince in Critical Condition After Skiing Accident

Feb. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Friso van Oranje, the second son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, is in critical condition in an Austrian hospital after being buried in an avalanche while skiing, the Dutch Government Information Service said. source

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On vacation

Yeah. Sure.

But a woman's work is never done.

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"He's getting the car"

 

The ultimate moment

In bed with David Letterman and Key Lime Pie.