Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html
Yep, after working VERY hard for several days to have home and garden looking perfect for the arrival of my youngest brother Jan and his wife Wilma—Pieter plays on his organ "In The Mood" by Glenn Miller.
Memorial Day is on May 29 so it is again important for the young(er) generations to hear first hand stories from people that were deprived from ANY FREEDOM:
If you view this on YouTube you will find clickable links below video from the segments where Pieter is mentioned with photos and where he speaks. Also don't forget to click on 'CC' for seeing English caption...
Both, Pieter and I had a lot to deal with those old fashioned calling cards for making a phone call...
Do you recall any of those?
This MULTIFON was one that we used in México for calling and also for getting on the Internet with our laptop!
A confidential number needed to get 'scratched off', see below on the right of that red arrow.
Any way you used it—phone calls or on the Internet—you had to be FAST as it also did click away FAST... 📞 💻
~
We also have used for years a special AT&T calling card for which you had to use different numbers in different countries—before dialing the number you wanted to reach. That way it got billed to our personal AT&T account here in the USA.
Mom often used to say—our phone bill was not any higher than usual when using their phone...
Of course not—we paid for it!
And then in 2003 came this...
Calling the 1010 987 prior to the number you had to call!
ONLY for 3 US Dollar cents a minute all day, every day!
For the U.S., to Canada and to Western Europe!!!
That was quite a break through.
This was still way before we had our first Blackberry at the time Pieter had his open heart surgery done.
We've also made phone calls using our AmericanExpress card—very expensive rate but in case of an emergency we have done so.
Calling our sweet Sister–In–Love in The Netherlands from Mexico on our American Express card for a rip off of US $ 49.00—while on vacation in Acapulco, México.
We just had to call her—as she was going home from the hospital to be comfortable in her own surroundings during her final weeks with pancreatic cancer...
Over the years we have used our phone a lot and paid our share for communication with Parents and loved ones.
HOW things have changed since!
Now we can do video calls for free from one smart phone to another.
Guess there are at present no hotels that don't offer Free WiFi...
WISH we'd had that when we were first immigrants—for being able to talk with Mom more than our limited calls on Birthdays and special holidays.
It was the weekly letter writing that we kept up.
And oh, how I always saved those Dutch guilders for pushing into the slot for making phone calls at Schiphol airport... calling Mom especially and Pieter his brothers and some more.
On our lay–over on the way to India or Indonesia...
We once more had to fight heavy traffic, coming from the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando. See previous post...
But here we are!
At 15:50 I stepped out on our balcony and made this photo from the Sarasota Bay and to the right you see the Van Wezel performing arts building.
First time EVER that we were at the very front and center of the Hyatt Regency.
Next day on December 30, we went for a walk through the Sarasota Bay area.
This is the front of the hotel and our balcony is hidden behind the 2nd palm tree from center.
We were on the 6th floor (out of 10) in room 614.
Behind the glass sections are glassed in seating areas—no balcony and not open.
We had that in February of 2022.
In February there was a huge fence around here—due to construction. Now there were beach chairs for a beautiful view of the John Ringling Causeway Bridge towards Saint Armands Circle on Lido Key.
Since February also this playground got finished.
The Ibis Playground...
We continued our sunny walk along the Bay towards the Van Wezel performing arts building...
Me standing at the Bay waters with a rather dramatic sky.
It sure was a lovely day with highest 27°C or 80.6°F
Peering over the menu at the Currents Restaurant on our first day we discussed with friendly waiter George several dinner options.
He arranged with the Chef for taking out pork chops for us and having them prepared in a healthy way—for me at least, for the next evening.
On the menu it was ALE BRINED PORK CHOP with cauliflower puree | rainbow chard | black cherry demi
The only thing wrong was that they served mine with mashed potatoes instead of cauliflower puree and I'm not allowed to eat potatoes in any form due to their high potassium levels for my kidneys...
But the pork chop sure was good not being ALE BRINED and so was the black cherry demi—very special taste!
Our New Year's Eve walk.
Pieter standing here at the place where you can slide with your kayak into the water...
Just in jeans and his Burberry shirt—so mild and no more wind.
Love this area called the Mangrove Bayou Walkway
There are many live oaks on the parking lot of the Van Wezel performing arts building and also very tame squirrels!
Once again I had to take a WeFie in the gold reflecting glass door of the Van Wezel building...
Van Wezel with a dramatic sky resulting in dense fog the next morning on New Year's day.
We ended the year 2022 with a bowl of GULF COAST SEAFOOD CHOWDER...
That was delicious with some bread on the side.
On New Year's Day, we once more went for a walk and fed the tame squirrels some nuts.
We also had a great swim in the afternoon. Only on our first afternoon we did lie at the pool, just to relax...
It is said to be heated to 86°F or 30°C but it felt rather cool when getting into the water but with the sun above us, it was great!
Our Hyatt Regency room 614 had the BEST shower/tub we've ever experienced.
Having both had back aches, it was a great massage and warming.
We walked after that...
Doves were sitting on the electrical wiring above us.
Zoomed in on both doves...
They started roosting for the evening, just like the water fowl that we again observed in the Mangrove.
You can see pictures in the links below from previous posts.
This time we did NOT visit any friends like we did during previous stays.
Also for not disrupting their family plans during the holidays and we both enjoyed a truly relaxed stay of four nights here. No driving involved but reading, cross stitching (trying to finish a project started in 2007... and on New Year's Eve we watched the darling movie of The Bear (1988) ←click it) that I'd found on a blog. We had this on video but gifted it to Mom & Dad to play on their Multi system VCR (gifted by us as well as a gifted Multi system TV). Mom LOVED it so much and so did my young nieces and nephews.
Pieter and I watched this fond movie once more.
It is filmed in British Columbia, Canada and such beautiful nature!
What a blissful 4 free nights on Pieter's accumulated Hyatt points these were!
Booked already on October 20...
On Monday, January 2 of 2023 our wonderful Hyatt stay ended as we had to check out.
Driving once again through very heavy traffic jam.
This entire trip was like that—coming and going.
By 6:30 PM we arrived home in the dark and our kitties were oh so happy!!!
It used to be unthinkable to buy a dress for one day. That only happened at court.
Well into the twentieth century many brides married in black.
Even Pieter's late wife Thea did...
In front of the Church—also with hat and gloves in hand...
Don't understand where she left her gorgeous bridal bouquet.
Pieter with the bridal bouquet, full of orchids...
In 1983, when it was the rage to wear such black jackets—Pieter's 19 year old adopted daughter Liz, begged for the jacket of his wedding suit and Pieter gave in...
A handsome groom that stayed with Thea for 27 years—living like brother and sister...
BUT thanks to that, he wrote the mushroom bible and helped thousands to make a better living!
Everything has a reason in life and we both are grateful that God made us meet 53 years ago and we are happily married for a long time.