Husband Pieter Doing it ALL

Yes, over the years that we built our nests, husband Pieter had done the lion share himself.

We planned on adding a patio for privacy and for having lunch, coffee/tea outside.

So, on Tuesday, May 14 of 1985, Pieter started his VACATION...

Tiles had been shipped over from The Netherlands.

Pieter had taken the day off on May 6, for bringing the Dutch tiles from Nedimex, Venray home. With the help of the fork lift, at the Campbell mushroom farm, using the Toyota truck from AEM.

Both of us have unloaded the 1,600 pounds with our bare hands...

In Europe we are using a lot more tile floors, here it is finally getting more popular the last decennia.

Pieter started with our new patio...

Just for seeing him in action... 27 seconds on silent movie

Dutch: Tegelzetter Pieter maakt terras

English: Tiler Pieter makes terrace

All hand work

Cutting the tiles by hand; using a chisel...

Making progress!

Yep, that is my Red Ford Escort with the Rebel Tag in the front...

Guess I've been a Rebel With a Cause.

Pieter's boss, the Campbell Soup CEO shook his head when Pieter picked him up one day, when he'd landed at our local airport. 'No Pieter, you cannot do that', he said.

But it was MY car, the Buick was at the garage for a tune up...

Not having it done for $ 1.00 per tile; but for sweat!

Sunday lunch on our new patio, with guests/mushroom friends from Switzerland...

Kuhn mushrooms' manager Enzler and Hans Jörg Kuhn with Pieter.

Mauzie our Dachshund is seen bottom right.

On May 27, beginning with the wall...

Yep, Pieter became a carpenter and now working on the roof.

On May 30, with the roof on, it starts looking good! Now the painting...

Voilà, our new patio with privacy and a nice place for lunch, coffee/tea.

On the wall is the antique brass and copper ship's pump, mounted on an oak plank.

Stepping a bit more back, so you can see the Zinnias blooming on the side of the patio.

It sure was a great extension to our previous home.

Do you see that duct in the center of the roof?

One evening, while Pieter was traveling for Campbell Soup to one of their mushroom plants, we had quite a storm.

Turned out that the duct was flapping and making an awful noise.

So I got on a ladder and went up the roof and stamped it shut.

Pieter later on fastened it more secure so it won't flap ever again.

Treasures from archiving our photo albums...

Our Rock Garden

Yes, we did create a Rock Garden with all the BIG rocks we collected on our property and in the area.

We have toted them home, tied to a spade, dragging behind us.

Happy me with the first blossoms on the cactus and succulents that Pieter did bring home from California.

Mauzie with me on April 24, 1985 near cactus bloom.

Our 1st home was build on a slope, just like our 2nd home.
This very spot I've often had to shovel up the topsoil with sentipede grass seed, after it got washed out once again by a heavy tropical rain.
Pieter often was gone, so I had to take care of home and garden.

Immigrants that Move from Stamp-sized Yard to BIG size

Yes, that is so TRUE!

Having lived in The Netherlands, one of the world's most densely populated countries, with small property sizes in general, we moved from a Stamp-size Yard to a BIG size.

Our late friend Roy Chappell, also a Rotarian, dropped off this special tow behind spike aerator with lawn roller for behind our John Deere.
It was February 23, 1985 when spring soon would start.

You also see that husband Pieter is wearing his semi wooden clogs!

Pieter's clogs are in the center.

To the left were mine, when I was 3 years old I wore them and there used to be a leather strap for keeping them fit snug.

To the right are tourist clogs, a gift from Pieter's Mom, that we had hung on the wall on our patio.

 Those black ones were leather upper with wood bottom.

Pieter also loved to wear those when traveling to the different mushroom farms, for keeping his feet dry when walking on the compost yard.

Here you see such wooden clogs with leather (or man made) upper: Oase PU Klompen Dichte Hiel 232 just click link.
One early morning, after Pieter had left home for driving the good two hours to the airport, for such a farm review for Campbell Soup, I noticed his wooden clogs in their plastic tote.
I was in nightgown, so what I did, was put on my morning robe and grabbed his tote and RACED in my Ford Escort behind him...
That was SPEEDING, as I had to catch up with him!
Flashing my lights, when I saw his Buick in the distance, Pieter thinking, what idiot is coming behind me in the early morning?

Then, I drove on the left lane beside him, while holding up the plastic tote, and Pieter grinned.
Soon he pulled over into the roadside, and I quickly handed him his 'forgotten' tote with wooden clogs!
Pieter was happy; a quick kiss, and he only shook his head as I swiftly made a U-turn through the median, and went back home, now no need for speeding!

Lucky me for not encountering any Sheriff or State Patrol... 😉

Related links:

{Saint Nicholas | Sinterklaas} | previous post where you see my little wooden shoes

{SAINT NICHOLAS - SINTERKLAAS 2013} | previous post with my tiny wooden shoes