Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, CA 1st North American Mushroom Conference

September 23-25, 1979 the 1st North American Mushroom Conference was held at the San Francisco, CA Fairmont Hotel.

Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, CA

Husband Pieter did give his presentation about 'Shelf Plants' P.J.C. Vedder just click link for his publication.
At the time Pieter was still Principal of the Practical Training College for Mushroom Growing in The Netherlands.

Discussions after Pieter delivered his presentation.

A thank you letter from the American Mushroom Institute:
Dear Pieter:
Thank you very much Pieter, for participating in the program of the 1st North American Mushroom Conference. Your presentation was superb, and it was quite obvious we all benefitted from the experience. It was, indeed, our pleasure and very generous of you to help us make the conference the success that it was.
On behalf of the A.M.I. its Board of Directors, and the Conference Committee, I would like to extend  to you our sincere appreciation. I hope that your visit to the United States was enjoyable. We look forward to working with you again in the future.
Best regards.
Sincerely,
Charles J. Ciarrocchi
Conference Chairman
P.S. Enclosed find our check covering travel expenses.

Charles J. Ciarrocchi was a long time mushroom friend, who was the President of Modern Mushroom Farms, Inc. which was founded in 1970. Now it is under Giorgio.
We have been to their farm at Toughkenamon in Pennsylvania.

Pieter was always in his element at such Conferences.
Here he is seen during a coffee break, cup in hand.
To his left is an unknown person, maybe someone could fill that in...
Pieter, Aron Kinrus a longtime Polish-American agronomist, Alex Overstijns who was one of the very first teachers at the practical Training College for Mushroom Growing in Horst, The Netherlands and to the right Paul Rutten a former student of Pieter, who immigrated to North America.

Aron Kinrus, Alex Overstijns, Shyfra Kinrus and Pieter with an unknown person standing behind them.

Husband Pieter to the left, Shyfra Kinrus, unknown person and Alex Overstijns.

Husband Pieter, unknown person, Alex Overstijns, Nick Pora who came from Romania in 1972, with only $ 5.00 in his pocket and build quite a mushroom emporium in Canada, that we managed to visit in person. Aron Kinrus.

Fond memories of happy times spent with mushroom related friends!

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

French Lit-Clos/Dutch Bedstee/Box-bed or Closet-Bed all late medieval Western European Furniture

From my previous post about our visits to Netherlands Open Air Museum with Mom & Dad and American Colleague's Wife, I got an interesting comment

For that reason, I like to come back on the Dutch Bedstee again.

This is the photo that shows the Parlor from Hindeloopen in Friesland.

Notice the steps to the 'Bedstee' (cabinet bed)?

Also called Box-Bed or Closet Bed and in French Lit-Clos

Katie Isabella wrote: A cupboard bed. That is unusual I think outside of your Country?

No it actually was quite common all over Western Europe as late medieval furniture, also in Scandinavia, England, Austria, France and of course The Netherlands as pictured here above.

Rembrandthuis - Main Living and Bedroom with Fireplace and Curtained Box Bed (Photo P. Hunt 2012). This is the actual desk and bedroom from Rembrandt as captured at the Rembrandthuis Museum in Amsterdam!

When Pieter and I did visit the Netherlands Open Air Museum on our own, we were told some rather shocking facts.

Those Box-beds are rather short. One could argue that people some 600 years ago were shorter. True but the main reason was that people in those days slept almost 'seated' because of kidney problems mainly!

They all used wooden barrels for keeping their meat or bacon through the winter period, in layers of salt. So the sodium intake on average was extremely high during that time.

No wonder that seldom a high age was reached...

As a child I too remember Mom keeping the bacon in the cellar salted inside a wooden barrel.

So even post WWII that was still going on. Till in the 60s and 70s we had access to freezers, locally, where you could rent a compartment for storing the fresh meat and such and from the 70s every household had meanwhile a fridge and a freezer. 

But back in late medieval times, there was nothing else to keep meats fresh or to store other things.

Still remember as a girl that also ceramic pots, inside and outside glazed, used for making Sauerkraut.  The salted Sauerkraut got weighted and pressed down inside those crocks. 

Here you also see dried meats hanging from the ceiling, just to let them cure.

We also kept a Curing Cabinet for hams and other meats. 

That's how we used to survive... and of course eating eggs as they were available year long!

Please click for some interesting photos from: French Lit-Clos/Dutch Bedstee/Box-bed or Closet-Bed late medieval Western European Furniture on my Pinterest board.

It is quite interesting to go back in time for getting an idea of how our ancestors survived!

Thanks for your vist and comment.

Netherlands Open Air Museum with Mom & Dad and American Colleague's Wife | previous post by me

Netherlands Open Air Museum with Mom & Dad and American Colleague's Wife

For a business trip to The Netherlands, with several of Pieter's colleagues from Campbell Soup, I also took care of the wife of his colleague.

We all went to the Dutch Mushroom Days on the day before and sealed it off with a dinner at the famous Turfhoeve, in Sevenum, The Netherlands.

Pieter's American 'boss' could not end the day and thus we landed in bed by 2:35 AM!

Again, rising early after a few hours and I dropped Pieter off at the Experimental Station where the excursion started (his boss remained in bed...).

Then, I continued with Mom & Dad and Mary-Jo, the wife of his Campbell Soup colleague from the USA.

We were going to visit the Open Air Museum in Arnhem, The Netherlands on May 30 of 1986...

Well, I'd been here before and this photo shows me in October of 1971, when we went with all colleagues from the Practical Training College for Mushroom Growing together as a day's outing!

On one of the old bridges, with a windmill in the back.

Wearing my own sewing creation, dress made from a Burda pattern in a rayon fabric.
Standing on a Double Drawbridge, you will see later in more detail.

Two of my colleagues and me on the right...
Beautiful home and windmill from the Zaan region, North Holland in the back behind the canal.

Husband Pieter made this photo for his photo club, before we immigrated.
Open Air Museum Arnhem had homes from centuries old from most Provinces.

Some of the very special Dutch gavel homes from the Zaan region, North Holland...

Don't really know what this is...
Probably Willy from De tante van Tjorven would know!

And this... It might have to do something with Suriname, Curaçao or other Dutch Caribbean Island or any of the former Indonesian colonial buildings.

Typical Dutch Double Drawbridge from the Zaan region as we have so many over the canals...

Thatched roof homes and a water well in front.

This Open Air Museum is so realistic, all the way! This is a typical Dutch landscape with its black and white cows.

One could stroll around for hours... and probably for days!

Yes, complete with authentic gardens!

Interior with tiled walls...

The following are from slides by G. J. Derksen who also published books about Open Air Museum Arnhem.
It is the Living Room Farmhouse from Budel, North Brabant.

Interior Farmhouse from Staphorst, Overijssel

Interior Farmhouse from Zeijen, Drenthe

Parlor from Hindeloopen in Friesland
Notice the steps to the 'Bedstee' (cabinet bed)?
Also called Box–Bed or Closet-Bed (cupboard bed) and in French Lit–Clos...

Kitchen Farmhouse from Midlum in Friesland

Parlor Farmhouse from Midlum in Friesland

Two Mills from Huizen and Delft in North Holland, picture by F. van Heetkamp

Drainage Mill from Noordlaren in Groningen by F. van de Heetkamp

Sheepcote from Daarle, Overijsel by F. van de Heetkamp

Veluwse Farmhouse from Vierhouten, Gelderland by F. van de Heetkamp
Husband Pieter is born in such a 17th Century home!
Sadly it got destroyed during WWII...
Above photo is also from the Province where Pieter is born!
Interior Fisherman's Cottage from Marken, North Holland by G. J. Derksen

Fisherman's Cottage from Marken, North Holland by F. van de Heetkamp
With Mom & Dad and our American guest we drove back via a bakery in Wanssum for some typical Limburgse 'vlaai' a special pie.
Back home at Mom & Dad's place also Pieter joined us for a farewell coffee with pie...
Mom & Dad enjoyed the American lady and they had so much in common, same size family and same religion.
It was a special day for ALL!

Thank you for your visit and comment

Related link:
{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me where you can see my 1st photo...