{Our Damage from Tornado spin off of Hurricane Earl, 2003}

• On Thursday morning, March 20 of 2003, we had a terrible Tornado spin off, of Hurricane Earl, that hit right here where we live. 
• Our creek side had been blooming for days with masses of creeping phlox. After the tornado struck, our two bridges were knocked out and the creeping phlox washed away... It looked like this:

• The power of wind and water... this was after the flood.
• On March 24, husband Pieter started to repair the bridge. 
• He actually was working on the construction of our Rose Suite at that time but this needed attention fast as we no longer could reach our wood garden for work.

• On March 26, Pieter had build this new bridge... 
• To the left you still see part of the previous bridge as it was flung high on the land. 
• Too heavy to even move it... Incredible how strong the powers of nature can be!
• To the right you see a few of the remaining creeping phlox, to the left they all had washed away...

• We don't have photos, only video, from how gorgeous it looked before with these pink masses of creeping phlox blooming. 
• Several years of work gone... 

• Pieter did use a crate from Sintra, in which our oak Oisterwijk furniture for the veranda had arrived from Rotterdam by boat.
• Trying to barricade the soil from washing away entirely...
• Azaleas blooming on the other side of the creek.

• March 20th 2003 - a deadly tornadic thunderstorm all the way into central Georgia...

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We did have 2.94 inch or 7.5 cm of rain! 

Info obtained from weather.uga.edu

• Building paradise is not that easy... But we did start all over again.

Related link:
{IMPACT and AFTERMATH of TROPICAL THUNDERSTORMS} | later post by me about our bridges
{2004 Hurricane Francis - Our Garden Before and After} | previous post by me

{Mom's 4th Dialysis Anniversary}

On March 18, 2008 was Mom's 1st day of having her kidney dialysis. She seems to be the oldest patient among the two regional hospitals in my birth area in The Netherlands. Even though the statistics, according to the American Association of Kidney Patients, state that an 80 year old may expect less than five years of additional life from ESRD treatment. ESRD being End-Stage Renal Disease. It truly is a blessing for having her still around at the age of 88 as of February 12, 2012

Life changed drastically with this three times weekly treatment of the dialysis. She did have some problems like fainting and being nauseated after the treatment but for the time being, she has overcome that. Let's hope and pray that she will be granted some more time with us! When we did hug Mom & Dad goodbye in September last year, it was quite emotional, given her condition. Will I ever see her back alive...? But we have peace of mind with our 63 visits back home from the USA to see her. What more can we do besides the weekly calls, after getting home from Church on Sundays.

Mom looking happy upon seeing us back in The Netherlands...

Photo taken by husband Pieter upon our arrival in Horst.

Our Sunday routine, back from Church with a coffee, calling Mom & Dad...

One of our feline girls is on the window sill...

Mom as a little girl between her Dad's knees, next to her younger brother.

How sweet Grandpa is holding their little hands...

Thanks to my 1st Cousin Thea, from the blog: CREA by THEA I have this precious photo of Mom.

She's shown in the center with her older sister to the left. 

Their Mother knitted them some identical sweaters...

A leap in time. 

Mom with 1.5 year old me and she's pregnant with my sister Diny.

Mom at the 60th Wedding Anniversary of her Parents.

She proudly wears a green brocade dress, one of my sewing creations for Mom.

Mom and I, when we just got back from Church together, where Mom sang with the elderly choir 'Levensvreugd' (Life's Joy) for a 40th Wedding Anniversary Mass.

We were flying back to the USA the next day.

Mom wears again a beautiful brocade suit here that we bought the same year in the USA while they were visiting us. 

Mom did visit us in the USA a total of four times. 

While visiting us in the USA, our Thai-American friend Somai did invite them for dinner at their home.

My husband Pieter on the left, Dad, Mom, Somai and me. Somai's husband Bob took the photo.

Mom and I, in The Netherlands during one of our visits for her Birthday...

2009 Februari 27 Dialyse Venray—Moeke opzoeken met Pieter J.C. Vedder ←click link for video

During that visit I obtained the photos from below—very friendly staff!

Jan Mauriks was very helpful.

2

Mom in the hospital during her dialysis. She gets flowers for their 60th wedding anniversary.

A publication about Mom in the Dutch Kidney Foundation's magazine as she was one of the first patients being treated in the other regional hospital. 

On my birthday in 2009, she receives flowers for their 60th wedding anniversary which was the next day.

Mom had a long-time wish for being able to see her birth place and their current place from the air. So all of the children, including me, did present them with a half hour helicopter flight. Last year on February 24 they realized that wish. You can read about it: Helicoptervlucht voor Piet en Gerda

Related articles:

Mother's Day & Pelargonium Childhood Memories | previous post by me

Like to see my own Everlasting Silver ROSE? | previous post by me

{Trupial or Orange Breasted Oriole - National Bird of Curaçao}

While staying at the heavenly Santa Barbara Resort ←(click it) in Curaçao on the Santa Barbara Plantation, we together did stroll around in the beautiful tropical gardens. One day, along the beach of the Hyatt Regency, we did view the Trupial or Orange breasted Oriole, National Bird of Curaçao ←(click it). One of the Hyatt staff members was actually feeding them fruits as to lure them out of their hiding. Also the Iguanas did come out from underneath the rocks. I was however more interested in the Trupial so I stayed behind with my camera and did get some shots of this beautiful bird. 

I had to laugh at the way this Trupial is holding its 'prey' with one foot!

Those colors are incredible, as is the marking around the eye...

Trupial or Orange Breasted Oriole is a proud National Bird of Curaçao!←click it.

Holding on to the chunk of water melon...

Holding a chunk in its beak...

Great pose for more eye and back detail...

Another one perched on top of the rocks where also the Iguana lizards hide.

Zooming in and trying to keep up with those fast moving birds was tough but this still shows its incredible coloring. Look at the eye 'shadow'...

That was my great encounter with the Curaçao Trupial!

As a child I had the 'Wielewaal', Dutch for Oriole, in one of my most prized books that I got from saving Rama, margarine receipts. This very page I had forever on my retina as one of my most favorite birds!

The title of the book: Zo leeft de Hoge Veluwe

So lives the High Veluwe, a special natural park in The Netherlands.

I've passed this book on to my brother Piet Van den Munckhof, who is a Biologist and writer of several nature books. Hope he still has it!

1960 and published by RAMA (margarine company)

Written by A.B. Wigman and illustrated by Frida Holleman and Rien Poortvliet

~~♪♫♫♪~~

Quite a highlight for viewing this Trupial!

For an Iguana lizard photo, click the lower link below.

Related links:
{Hyatt Regency - Santa Barbara Plantation Curaçao} | previous post by me
{Back Home from Curaçao} | previous post by me
{Our Curaçao Vacation} | previous post by me