Thursday, July 24 - Friday, July 25, 2014

Thursday - The highlight of today was a walk through the community, cornfields, past the restored windmill, and into the shopping district of Soest Zuid. This mini castle sits next to the pretty, large white farm house just 4 blocks from the house.

While we were walking through the fields, we saw a thrasher? - cutting straw picking the seeds. 

The main goal was to buy some different types of flour from the health store. Linda bought almond and cocoanut flour, lavender honey, and arrowroot. Then I sat at a cafe that sold several types of sweets, one called supervlaai (pronounced superfly) and had my espresso while Linda crossed the main street and shopped at a store Liesbeth had taken her to last year.

Linda returned with no bags. Even though it was warm, there was a coolish breeze blowing, but not in the store. Linda didn't want to try anything on because of the heat in the store. A gentleman sitting at the next table started talking to us about the dunes just down the road and horses and other animals. We knew some of this from our first year, but he told us more. We need to revisit that area. He seemed to want to give us information and practice his English which was very good. But, almost everyone's English is good here.

We tried a different path to start our walk back and after walking around the block in basically a circle, discovered we could have just turned back past the health store and walked straight to the windmill.  Checkout the sky.

On the side of the road was this sports car - I think it was a kit car. Linda liked the color.

On the way back, we encountered the thrasher again.

I was wearing my pedometer and got my 10,000 steps today. Yeah!! 

Here is where I read.

Once home, we finished up the leftover ground beef and lamb roll with broccoli. No TV tonight, just reading.

Friday - We had originally planned to drive to Dordecht to shop for a special one piece outfit for Liz, our niece. But, it was supposed to rain all day and Liesbeth wanted to play the piano with Linda in the afternoon, so we stayed put. 

I helped Linda trim some of the bushes around the walkways in the back of the house before it started raining. 

About 4:00, the girls got together and played for an hour. 

Joke has been sick with the flu and now we read an email from Kees that she has a clot. I called and talked to Joke and then Kees. They had a very bad experience first at Pinnacle Clinic and then at Blake Hospital ER - 7 hours, a lot of it waiting. After tests, they sent them home but wanted them to see a specialist. How does a foreigner find doctors? Fortunately, Niels had a nurse friend who works at Blake and is helping them out. Joke has an appointment on Monday. Terrible way to spend your vacation.

We walked to de Lindenhof for dinner: a very nice pork dish with fancy potatoes, snowpeas, and a fancy salad. Linda had duck with oriental cabbage and a Thai spicy sauce. All very good but too much food.

I read a couple of chapters of "Z" to Linda while she continued with her knitting project.

Linda spent the rest of the evening talking to my sister on Skype. Love these modern connections.