My First Trip to California, Santa Cruz

Pieter did surprise me with a companion ticket to San Francisco, so I could tag along to Santa Cruz, California.
 For a couple of days, Pieter had to do training at the Pescadero farm for Campbell Soup.

And... my Mauzie girl, the little black & tan Dachshund went with us!

My very first PUMPKIN encounter too, this is near Santa Cruz on October 18, 1983
And of course viewing the famous Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz along the rugged San Mateo coast line...

It is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast!

PUMPKINS everywhere around...

BRUSSELS SPROUTS...

As the daughter of a market gardener, this was HEAVEN!

It is quite a windy road along the Pacific coast from San Francisco to Santa Cruz...

Santa Cruz, California's natural surroundings looked so different to me!

Our hotel room had the Pacific Ocean View...

Sunrise at 7:00 AM

On October 19, we had breakfast at the Santa Cruz Fisherman's Wharf

From the hotel I also could walk right onto the wharf...

In the distance, under the big seagull, you can see Hotel Dream Inn where we stayed.

Did enjoy my lunch with yummy scallops at the GREENHOUSE restaurant at the FARM together with the manager's wife, Donna Richards.

Bought some small cactus and seed bread... Would have loved to buy some gorgeous large cactus but how to take them back on the plane?

Did walk around at the wharf and viewed the seals...

Seals and brown pelican on the wharf...

Yes, those seals all sleep on those wooden beams!

After work we all gathered at the home of Don & Donna Richards, the farm manager and went out for dinner at Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola, CA with its very steep cable car! Click for short video of it.

It is one of the most unique restaurants in the West.
Later I would have dinner here with my Dad... that will be featured in another post!

Stay tuned for our next stay in San Francisco...
Thanks for visiting!

Visiting Dutch Mushroom Grower in Marl Cave

Being the Founder/Principal of the Practical Training College, my then boss, now husband Pieter, did take all of us in September of 1970 to the ONLY existing Mushroom Growing Marl Cave.

That was in the deep south of The Netherlands, in Maastricht the capital city of my Province Limburg.

Here we are inside the Marl Cave, of Mount Saint Peter, studying the mushrooms on those ridge beds ― on the floor!

Just imagine, what a toilfully labor it must have been for growing mushrooms inside a cave...

To the left, only her leg is visible, was a 2nd cousin, then 2nd from the left in the red lacquer coat its me... My sister Diny is standing with her face towards the ridge beds. Pieter is next to her and writing on the wall is my late 2nd cousin... Some other colleagues and the gentleman to the right in the back was our guide. 

Writing on the wall was easy, as this limestone is rather soft!

This is also inside Mount Saint Peter, from an old post card that Pieter saved from long time ago.
Those ridge beds on the floor were covered with ground up marl.

Photo by Lahaye, from P. J.C. Vedder's Moderne Champignonteelt, his Dutch publication.
After WWII some people started growing mushrooms in caves in the southern part of The Netherland; a way of growing at that time already quite common in France...

Also in Mount Saint Peter from one of P.J.C. Vedder's publications...

Hill beds in St. Peter's Mountain. The soil is not always flat and the dams to prevent the flow away of water sprayed, through the paths are extra needed. Cream mushrooms. (Photo "The South")

This photo is from the No. 4 - SEPTEMBER 1957 Champignon-cultuur, the Dutch mushroom magazine (click link for full Pdf from ISMS)

This photo is from the No. 4 - SEPTEMBER 1957 Champignon-cultuur, the Dutch mushroom magazine

Mr. Geijtenbeek studies the first tests with new culture technique inside the caves (Photo ENCI)

Fa. Gebr. Pluymackers, Maastricht

This is HISTORY now!
But grateful for having seen this with my own eyes, so did my colleagues after we'd visited first the ENCI (Eerste Nederlandse Cement Industrie or First Dutch Cement Industry) from 1926.
An interesting video about ENCI: bedrijfsfilm 2016 (in Dutch but still good to see how it all gets done). In July of 2018 they stopped with further digging, they still produce cement but haul it from elsewhere.

Related links:
1978 - P.J.C. Vedder's Modern Mushroom Growing Book Published in English | previous post by me
{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me
{Angels engraved on lucky calendar coin of 1969} | previous post by me

The Netherlands - Obsteig, Austria - Montebelluna, Italy

Flying once again to The Netherlands from Atlanta, Georgia/USA for the 37th time.
Our 11th trip to Italy by car, in August of 1993, with Dad's Ford Fiesta...

We left on August 4 and spent the night in Obsteig, Austria.

Me walking outside of Hotel Tyrol, now the Aktivhotel Tyrol, Unterstrass 243 in Obsteig 6416 Austria.

Here I am just outside the door of the hotel, ready to continue our journey into Italy!

We enjoyed a wonderful brunch before getting on the road again.

In Bassano, we were waiting till the leather shoe/boots factory opened up...

Taking in our beautiful surroundings!
Yes, we lived in this area and in this very town, our ceramic chandeliers got made. See links below post.
We spent the night at Albergo Gallo in Montebelluna...

On August 6, we visited FUNGHI DEL MONTELLO where we both worked in 1989...
Mushrooms from the mountains when translated into English and you can see why.

On Saturday, August 7, we move to Albergo Hotel Ristorante Tegorzo, Fener, (BL) Italy province of Belluno which is more to the north.
We also had visited Bar Belvedère in Cornuda, that used to be below our apartment and enjoyed a coffee at Daniella's place. We also met our former neighbor and the owner of the super market across from our apartment.
On Sunday, August 8, we went to Mass in Cornuda, our former Church. Next we went to Asolo but there was no antique market that Sunday. We did find an antique crystal jar with silver lid for storing jewelry.

We did drive around in the area and also walked...

Yes, I was wearing my Donna Karan jeans set...

Always hard to leave as part of our heart belongs to that region near Venice, Italy!

Both of us love mountains and nature...
Next day on Monday. August 9, we drove back to The Netherlands and had done more than 2,400 km or 1,491 mi.
That was a trip including three languages... Dutch; German and Italian.

Ciao Italia!

Related links:

{Our White Ceramic Chandeliers from Italy} | previous post by me

Closing the Italian Chapter of our Life with Jan Van den Munckhof and Wilma

Well, due to the earthquake region we were rather 'shocked' to find out that by law you had to put as much money in the ground as above the ground!

Nobody had told us that up front... duh and I did not embrace the fact for having to work till age 65 for all that is in the ground; never to be seen again. Concrete pillars that is!

Also the walls had to be one foot thick and even the roof; a solid bunker.

May 19 of 1990 we drove one final time to Cornuda for the sale of our property and closing our Italian bank account - end of Italian Chapter!

Photo got taken by my youngest brother Jan Van den Munckhof, while we had a break at the Brenner Pass in Austria, crossing the Italian border.

Me, sister-in-law Wilma and Pieter.

Pieter and I at the Brenner Pass through the Alps...

It was great for being with multiple drivers this trip!

Well, Jan had done it on his BMW motorcycle solo, with Wilma in the passenger seat and so did I solo coming back from my 2-weeks consulting in Germany. That took me 17 hours due to a strike at the Brenner border between Austria and Italy.

At the Brenner Pass...
Yes, working at a mushroom farm I always kept my hair long and did braid it as that was a perfect hairstyle. See link to post below.

Wilma was doing the next segment driving the red Opel Kadett into Italy...

On May 22 of 1990 we received our Italian Lire 36,000,000 and also closed our bank account, taking it home with us as US Dollars.

YES, we lived like millionaires back then, everything in Italy was in huge sums!

This was the end of Our Life in Italy...
The romantic creek the Runero, behind our property had been totally closed off now; it ran underground... So much of the original scenery had changed.
Fond memories and that's it!

Related links:
Brother Jan with Wife Wilma Rode his BMW Motorbike for 15 Hours to Visit us in Italy | previous post
Buying Property in Cornuda, Italy below Madonna di Rocca | previous post by me
{Did I loose my strength?... Like in Samson and Delilah?} | previous post by me

Dutch Mushroom Days and Selling My Own Design of Brass Mushrooms

On Wednesday, June 1 in 1988 my Pieter did build a stand for me at the Dutch Mushroom Days, an annual event with exhibition.

Pieter built this for me and I was selling my own design of brass mushrooms, see link below post from previous info about that.

This is a photo taken from both of us during the official opening of the Dutch Mushroom Days

My sales went very well over 3 days.

On Sunday, June 5, Dad did bring us to the airport in Düsseldorf, Germany in our Audi rental car that I'd taken to work in Germany on Sunday May 15. Till my consulting job was over on Saturday May 28...

Dad returned the Audi for us, was within walking distance from his home.

We flew from Düsseldorf to Venice, Italy for buying property...see post below.

Related posts:
Buying Property in Cornuda, Italy below Madonna di Rocca | previous post
{My Own Design of Brass Mushrooms} | previous post about my sales at the ISMS Congress

213 Countries Visited - Welcome Sint Maarten and my Pinterest + Yucca Lily

On April 15, my humble blog got visited by the 113th country - Sint Maarten

According to the World Factbook, Sint Maarten is situated in Central America.

It has been Dutch but in a 2000 referendum, the citizens of Sint Maarten voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
~

During this LOCKDOWN, it is obvious that a lot of people are reading more...
Not that I'm very active on my Pinterest but there are a LOT of viewers every month.

Another rise...
Our Variegated Yucca Lily is blooming again!

A dreary, cloudy day...

Last time it bloomed in the rain, see link below.

Our big Magnolias are also blooming...

Such exotic beauties!
Glad husband Pieter captured these photos on May 8.

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Related link:
212 Countries Visited - Welcome American Samoa + UPDATE Fairmont Château Lake Louise | previous post by me
Variegated Yucca Lily Blooming | previous post by me

Artistic Chromolythographs on 23 Kt Gold Leaf from Friend Gerard Derks in Italy

While living in Cornuda, Italy, we invited our friends Gerard and Pauline Derks over for dinner at our apartment.

Gerard gifted us with a set of three Artistic Chromolythographs made by hand press on 23 Kt Gold Leaf.

Such precious work in miniature... all with artist signature as well.

Living in Italy, you know that you are in a world with medieval buildings all around you...

Such medieval arches you can find everywhere...

With each having a certificate on its back about the chromolythography made with hand press on 23kt gold leaf from Jewellery store Pasa

Gold Engraving in Italy by Gioielleria Pasa, Via Piave, 14 32026 Lentiai - Borgo Valbelluna (BL) click through to their FB Page as they still do exist! Look at their masterwork here...

LOVE the Italian skills!

We read in the 1995-5 English Mushroom Journal, courtesy of Gerard Derks about the passing of our long time friend Bruno Sartor and co-founder of Funghi del Montello, the company we worked for in Italy. Click the uploaded ISMS link.
Bruno and his brother Valentino Sartor used to be wood traders.
Through contacts in Canada, they got to see how they constructed mushroom houses from wooden planks. That's how they too started in the mushroom business.
Valentino Sartor established in 1977 ITALSPAWN ITALIA, for use on their own mushroom plants, also selling it all over Europe as well as to Korea and Israel.

The Mushroom Journal 1979-1 click link to ISMS pdf. Gerard Derks is shown to the left.

The International Society for Mushroom Science (ISMS) has now uploaded most of the issues.

In The Mushroom Journal 1984-2 the MGA conference lecture by Gerard Derks has been published.

Maybe his sons would love to read it... And another article about Mushrooms in Mexico by Gerard Derks I found in the 1993-8 just click. 

~

1991-6 The Mushroom Journal 

1991-7 The Mushroom Journal click to open links to ISMS Pdf.

Gerard Derks also became te recipient of the prestigious Sinden Award from the English MGA (Mushroom Growers Association) in 1991. Well deserved!

The Funghi del Montello mushroom operation published in 1992-1 The Mushroom Journal click to ISMS Pdf.

The Sinden Lecture Part 1 by Gerard Derks

Published by ISMS in Pdf format 1992-5 The Mushroom Journal click link

The Sinden Lecture Part 2 by Gerard Derks

Published by ISMS in Pdf format 1992-6 The Mushroom Journal click link

Once again, courtesy of Gerard Derks, a TRUE GENTLEMAN!

Uploaded now by ISMS in 2001-4 The Mushroom Journal

~

Sadly in 2002, when we visited Italy with our best friends from Dublin, Georgia, we made a stop at the hospital in Feltre, in the Province Belluno on June 6, for seeing Gerard one last time... he died of pancreatic cancer.

2003-12 The Mushroom Journal published this ten months after his death; click for ISMS uploaded link.

~

Gerard was a very active man in the Mushroom Industry, son of the school principal of Overasselt, The Netherlands

We did rightfully mention him in this post and in our book on page 219, which you find an image of in link below:

Pieter Co-Speaker at ISMS in Amsterdam-Wageningen 

Related link:

Visiting A.G. Linfield Mushroom Compost Facility in England | Showing Mr. Jan Thielen from the above obituary, courtesy of Gerard Derks