Pieter Built our Greenhouse

 Never actually showed you how our greenhouse came about...

Of course, husband Pieter built it himself and I helped.

First the foundation got built.

Pieter had built the roof part together and I helped him lifting it on top of the aluminum frame!

Just the two of us... 😉 on Wednesday, November 17, 1993

Good team work!

Thursday, November 18; proud greenhouse builder! Putting the aluminum Alcoa parts together.

This was a gift from Krijn Leendertse, Voskamp.

We had to move to Pennsylvania at that time so now it finally got build!

Monday, November 22nd, Pieter was in a happy mood, doing something that he'd done before, as a young man.

Immediately after the war, Pieter worked for a few months in greenhouse construction, glazing in his area.

Pieter's Dad, after WWII bought two greenhouses in the West of The Netherlands (Westland area) due to urban expansion they had to clear. Pieter and his brother Toon did break them down and carried them to the road. Lots of water ways where no truck could go! Pieter and Toon had to cross a narrow bridge.

They had stuffed wood wool in their jacket, to support their shoulder! Also for carrying the iron rods and ledges.

Final segments...

We're getting there!

We almost got a greenhouse...

Friday, November 26 we have a greenhouse!

First resident for winter...

Inauguration...

Yep, it is DONE!

Plant table is done!

More residents got moved inside...

A Minimum–Maximum thermometer hangs down on the left near planter.

Another wood trail as a walkway towards the greenhouse.

Let the weekend begin!

Only 8 years later, on Tuesday, April 17 of 2001 Pieter did rebuilt the greenhouse with the help of my Dad.

Somewhat bigger this time!

Pieter dug up the entire foundation and built it all new, from scratch.

Mom is watching as Pieter is caulking.

Dad standing in front of the greenhouse, wearing a Campbell cap and one of Pieter's old work shirts.

Did you notice our roses?

We always have had electricity in our greenhouse as well, for our heater in winter time.

Pieter installed it all.

Thursday, April 19, 2001. Being creative... 

I was weeding and did serve some Dutch rusks with chocolate flakes and coffee.

The wheelbarrow with the old greenhouse door on top functioned as a table 😜

So happy for having archived all those photos...

Related link:

{Fall & Winter Preparations} | previous post by me where Pieter added brick patio and addition 

{SHATTERED Winter Dreams...} | previous post by me where addition got shattered...

{New Heater for Greenhouse} | previous post by me

Yard Pro Tiller and Proud Gardener Pieter

 After several years of toiling the soil, adding tons of spent mushroom compost, we developed a very fertile vegetable and fruit garden! Yes, we were getting to see the FRUITS of our labor, after tackling a Mega Task...

Pieter with his Yard Pro Tiller, after a morning of HARD work.A purebred market gardener!Pieter showing the good quality soil, after two turns with the tiller.Still so many roots to be removed and more surprises in the soil, tires that had been dumped there previously by irresponsible people...There are clickable points when viewed on YouTube, showing our grapes, paprikas (bell peppers), egg plants, squash, raspberries, rhubarb and tomatoes...Another treasure found due to archiving our home videos.
Related posts:Our Garden at the Time we had Access to Spent Mushroom Compost | previous post by me

Working with my Kodak Negative and Slide Scanner

 There is now a very handy negative scanner on the market and it also does slides!

Another handy tool for archiving family memories!

Yep, pushing the negatives just through... they're embedded inside a hinged and fitted holder, according to their size.

Found my Kodak Slide N SCAN Film and Slide Scanner on Amazon just click through via link.

WHY does Kodak not provide the necessary SanDisk?

Locally it was not available... so it resulted in waiting till this one got delivered.

The users manual reveals that it ought to be a SD or SDHC SanDisk and ONLY 32 GB

Only having negatives for scanning, I used one of the 3 Film Adapters

SanDisk inserted and all cables (USB and HDMI) plugged in

Connected to my MAC

Ready to go by pressing the OK / bar on top in front

Film Type for additional selection of size

Selecting the 135; 110 or 126 Film size

Or the 50 mm Slide...

You also get to select Color Negative or B&W Negative

If you touch Gallery, it shows the total slides/negatives being scanned

Easy uploading onto my MAC and another Mega Task got done!

Found some treasures, will show them later... 😉

Related links:

Video Capture - Mega Task DONE with Multi-System and Hi8 VCR | previous post about digitalizing things

{UPDATE...} | previous post about scanning photos

{Fighting the Water + Scanning Slides} | previous post about digitalizing slides

Solid Oak Shutters REDONE: Now Professionally Mortise Hinged by Husband Pieter

While living and  working in Indonesia, we had our new home built in Dublin, Georgia after moving all our belongings back from Italy and kept in storage.

In November of 1990 we moved in but had to leave again for Indonesia, for a couple more years.

When not there during construction, all sorts of things can go wrong...

So, finally in January of 1995, husband Pieter got to hang anew our solid oak indoor shutters. 

Our contractor had put the mortise hinges in face-mounted and by doing so, they did of course no longer shut...

So they went on by mutilating them even further by sawing the excess on the center (closing) panel off!

The face-mounted hinges resulted in ugly gaps between all panels, causing furniture, rugs, to fade from sunshine and also losing full privacy.

Too bad that such fine craftsmanship by Historic Windows in Virginia got ruined by non-professionals!

When viewing the video on your PC you see at clickable minute 0:30 in text below video, how Pieter painstakingly added narrow strips of wood to the window casing for making the window smaller to fill up the space.

Gaining just a little and then putting the wooden corner strip back on at minute 0:50 and start hanging the shutters anew.

At minute 0:58 Pieter places mortised hinges on correctly instead of face-mounted. Painstakingly chiseling out the space for hinges, precision job... 24 mortise hinges for each window!

At 1:50 hinge is now mortised into the edge of the shutter, thus preventing shutters from 'gaping'.

At 1:59 Pieter is showing how much they actually had CUT off... because they had placed the hinges face-mounted.

At 2:16 showing how Pieter added about 1.5 cm to casing and on other side 0.75 cm to compensate for what they had cut off, then caulking, sanding and painting.

At 3:50 painting in living room with the Dutch World Radio on... flooding in The Netherlands.

Pieter speaks in Dutch as this was our 'spoken' letter for my Parents, back in The Netherlands...

But you still get a very clear idea!

Happy for having those home videos archived!

We selected the CHARLESTON as that is exactly what we got for all doors, except in living room; dining room; kitchen and veranda where we have French doors with 15 glass panels.

Both of us like indoor shutters far better than curtains.

Curtains can become very dusty, and may interfere with certain health issues.

Easy cleaning instead of curtains.

Eco friendly as they insulate very well; both for cooling in summer and heating in winter.

Their historic look is also a big plus.

Too bad that HISTORIC WINDOWS where we got ours for our previous home, after getting rid of all curtains and again for our present home that we moved into in November of 1990, no longer produces...

~

Similar solid wood interior shutters you can find at Colonial Shutters in Mattapoisett, MA 

This also shows you, when professionally hung with mortised hinges, they CLOSE!

This is the Beacon Hill - full length Williamsburg style click link

These shutters are far more insulating then the cheaper plantation version with only slats that are also rather dusty and not maintenance friendly...

Does any of you have indoor shutters?

 

Related link:

{Our 'GREEN' Bedroom} | how husband Pieter installed some clever indoor shutters for French Door

Pieter Also did Paint Kitchen and Bathrooms

 Both of us always have preferred a LIGHT home, as it is a lot more cheerful!

So when we bought our previous home, newly built and us being its first owners, we did not like the dark wood everywhere.

Kitchen cabinets were in a drab and dark wood color...

You notice the Mushroom Family, with baby in the cradle?

This is the kitchen after Pieter painted it white...

Left is the door to the veranda, to the right the door went into the dining room and straight forward was an opening with two steps down into the living room. 

Kind of ODD!

On the right side, you just can see the doorknob that went into the garage...

We put in a new stove, new dishwasher.

Underneath the cabinet you just can see the kitchen's bay window area, with breakfast table and chairs.

Our choice of dishwasher, which was not as noisy as the one that came with the home!

Even the bathrooms had such drab looking dark wooden cabinets.

Those solid oak indoor shutters, Pieter installed himself, in the entire house.

Just like we have in our present home, painted white.

We put new wallpaper and painted the cabinets white.

Those sliding and mirrored tub doors, Pieter also installed.

Brother Harry did put in the floor tiles, for both bathrooms while he was here in 1986 for a 'vacation'. He also helped Pieter install a garage door.

We of course, all four of us, did go in–between to Florida! 

As well as other trips.

Guest bathroom with white cabinets and new tiles.

There was carpet in both bathrooms and for hygiene purposes, that was not our European standard...

Happy for having old photos archived...

After Painter did a LOUSY Job Husband Pieter Painted our Home

 Don't know if it was because we were immigrants, but we sure had a lemon of a painter!

Using thinned paint for the full price...

As you can see in this photo, he did not even bother to take the shutters off the wall, for painting behind them.

Both of us did hate the original color, seen where the shutters were... so drab!

The house we moved in, got newly built but we had had no say in the color.

On June 30, Pieter started with this mega job.

Below, was our version after Pieter finished. Shutters in a darker green and the house a kind of off-white.

Pieter also decided to paint the fascia boards green, they did frame the house a lot better.

Photo from January 16, 1988 with snow on the roof... 

October 19, 1988

We left our DUTCH TREAT behind...

Campbell Soup forced us more or less to move to Pennsylvania.

With heavy heart, we did, we had put so much work into our home!

Glad I've archived our old photos.

Flying Over Our Home and Campbell Mushroom Plant that Pieter Designed

Our local pilot Fred Houston, was so kind to fly both of us on September 27, 1986 above our home and on to the Campbell Mushroom Plant, that Pieter designed. See link below post.

Husband Pieter with pilot Fred Houston at our local Dublin Airport.

Yes, we also did arrive at this very airport, on April 23, 1983 with the Learjet from Campbell Soup, coming from Camden, New Jersey. 

Photos can be seen in post from 4th of July Speech, given by my husband Pieter, below this post.

Me with Fred Houston...

Ready to get inside...

Pieter took this photo from me in the back seat and Pieter joined Fred up front...

Take off, from the airport and you immediately saw how green Dublin, Georgia is!

Lots and lots of trees.

Homes almost completely hidden, between the trees.

The local airport was not far from our home...

The tall water tower, from Springdale Park, is visible and in-between the big pond to the bottom is the Claxton Dairy Road

Right corner is the Claxton Dairy Road, and to the left is Brookwood Drive and center (left and right from wing support)  shows the ponds of the Brookington Apartments

Approaching the area where we lived...

Coming closer into our subdivision...

Our home is just in that curve of the side road, which you see to the left...

Above Brookhaven Drive now, and to the right you can see the creek that flows under bridge.

Regency Circle ends into Broohaven Drive and to the left you see the beginning of Fairmont Road.

Here the plane is right in front of our home; seen in the center of photo!

Even better visible here in the center...

Still visible in the center but we are already pulling away...

Brookhaven Drive is seen to the right and Fairmont Road was off Regency Circle

Just one of the several subdivisions within the city limits.

Here our home is invisible in the center as we pull away.

Our neighbors had a pool, that is visible below our 'hidden' home.

Earlier I mentioned the bridge over the creek that was flowing underneath Brookhaven Drive.

To the left at the top, it is still visible here and the rest is just a kind of low and wet area where no homes got build.

Pulling out towards Highway 80. The big spot on the center is a parking lot and shops.

Buildings from the Veterans Administration Hospital become visible to the left and also the local hospital in the back, left from center.

Now you see the compound of the Veterans Administration Hospital and in the back Fairview Hospital

Here we're now past the local Fairview Hospital, where at present time lots of other medical office buildings have been added!

Now we fly near Interstate 16, which runs past Dublin with several exits.

From the coast in Savannah, it crosses through Macon and then bends into Interstate 75 North towards Atlanta. 

Interstate 75 South, runs South into Florida.

Now we approach the site where you see the Campbell Mushroom Plant, that Pieter designed for them. 

You can read more about that in my previous writing, see below this post.

Turning in a bit closer... 

There were 21 growing rooms, seen behind the water tower.

Here you clearly see the enormous stock on wheat straw, being used for making compost.

A water tower as usual, that is very unique for the USA.

This angle gives an even better view of all the wheat straw stock.

Yes, this mushroom farm purchased all the wheat straw available between Dublin and Savannah, a stretch of 2 hours driving distance on Interstate 16!

The compost slab is in the center and then the pasteurization tunnels, red roof more to the left and in the end the growing rooms, all the way to the left.

This location was very close to Interstate 16, so transport by the large, cooled trucks was easy!

Back to the airport and almost at touch down...

Both of us were very grateful to this kind pilot for showing us, from above where we lived.

It was now a more complete picture for family and friends in The Netherlands, to see and better understand where we lived and worked in the New World!

Has any of you seen the location where you reside, from above?

Just now, October 13, 2022, Fred Houston—Dublin veteran earns 50 years of flying award: Congratulations Fred—so well earned!

Related link:

Husband Pieter's Design for the Campbell Mushroom Plants in Dublin, GA and Hillsboro, TX | previous post by me

{4th of July Speech given by my husband Pieter} | previous post by me with photo from Campbell Learjet with which we landed at the W.H. 'Bud' Barron Airport in Dublin, Georgia

Husband Pieter's 1994, 4th of July Speech | video of Pieter's speech