Mind the gap

When in London riding the tube, this was written on the platform and they always announced it when the doors were closing—MIND THE GAP! It made me laugh every time. The gap meaning the area between the tube car and the platform. I started thinking about minding the gap. So what’s the gap in my life? We carried, drug, and pulled our luggage up and down many steps in the tube, train and ferry. I wish we would have taken half the amount of luggage (i.e. I don’t know if Arlene thinks the same) as it was hard work! The Europeans don’t cater to the heavier folks (i.e. there is very little if any handicap assessable stuff for certain folks (i.e. either you do it or don’t use the public transportation I guess). Joesixpack says--Now there is a new incentive to motivate folks. Such is life.

Mind the gap. We have found the folks soooooooo far to be sooooooooo much fun. The ocean being no gap to mind as of yet! I have talked to many many folks and they really have been nice (i.e. of course using the universal language—smile--helps!). There are good folks in every country and jerks in every country—nothing changes. Different countries have different traditions just like different tribes have different traditions and different folks have different opinions. Men might wear capris and ladies might have hairy legs but they are really the same. JanTheDutchman says—They sell trinkets all over the world. But you know what, I haven’t seen one golf course yet. Such is life.

Chester & Anna Dykema Mellema ancestors (i.e. tribe as they call them in Europe came for Holland/Friesland. We stopped in Amersfoort and I rang the door bell of Samuella Mellema Snell and her husband Jacoues. She is the granddaughter or great granddaughter of our granddad’s brother. They didn’t know we were coming. We had a fun little time. There is also a Mellemastraat so we had to have our picture taken by the sign. What a hoot. In Amersfoort Centrum there was going to be a party for the World Cup that night. They planed on 10,000 partiers all dressed in Orange. I talked to Marens Hoop, a young man who is in the Holland Royal Air Corpse. He has been in Iraq and in Afghanistan (i.e. a very nice young man who really impressed me). We talked about our tribe coming from Holland. ANYWAY I kidded him I was going to buy an orange soccer shirt tomorrow much cheaper that they are today. If they lose they will be even cheaper I said. He said, you still have some Dutch in you! Heppi Holland, they were not! De fans vieren zilver als goud meaning the fans celebrate the silver metal. Marens said that Holland started the 3-D plan in the war and now the U.S. is using it toooooo. So what is the 3-D plan—Defense, Diplomacy and Democracy. MyHistorianKidSisterDoris said that the color orange came from William of Orange during the reformation during the 1500s—what?—Yup, it is so! Maybe that’s why we have Orange City, IA. Do you think so? Mind the gap!

You want to pay straight forward--Pay straightforward means pay before you use the room—mind the gap. I think that is funny too! Ya, ya ya ya. DutchmanPieter says—Gripping about habits women have in traveling is like gripping about the cold whether in Holland during the winter! DutchmanPieter goes on to say—My wife is the Black Widow of our holiday! Ya, ya ya ya!

There was no minding the gap at dinner. Oh no! We ate at De GillendeKeukenmeid. It was a dinner pancake place that was quaint (i.e. the restaurant had a thatched room located on a treed street with a church across the street). It was 6 and the church bells rang for 20 minutes. MariekeTheDutchwoman said—It use to be that 70% of Dutch were Christian but now maybe 35% and most of those are Catholic that go to church 3 times—at birth, at marriage and at death! We asked Ineke van Empel our waitress about the ringing of the bells and she said—that church is Christian, very heavy (i.e. meaning stiff and old traditional). It just added to the experience. The food was just excellent and unique but the service was even better. Ineke was a 38 year old red headed, blue eyed pretty gal who looked like she was 22. She was also was the owner with her husband who we met later. They were the nicest folks (i.e. my kind of folks) and we just had a hoot. No gap in our enjoying each other. Oh no! I asked them what the sign read that was in Dutch by the cash register—It said—If you like it tell us, if you don’t like it tell us; if you like it tell your friends! DutchmanTjitske said--Ya ya ya ya!

Mind the gap! These folks here in Netherland understand me--yes they do (i.e. conservative Dutch). That’s a lot for you to understand folks. I understand. Freslanders are noted for their blond/red hair and their tempers and their stubbornness. We heard several Dutchman show us both. We heard a pretty good argument on the bus we took to Amsterdam (i.e. we took our vehicle to a bus stop at the edge of Durgerdam (i.e. the bus stop was on a dike in front of a little house that had 2 sheep and 3 geese in the back yard—rural area of the city). Amsterdam has a lot of old buildings, canals, people, beer, and etc. What more can I say—Amsterdam is Amsterdam. It’s quite different with all those qualities. Amsterdam is a city known all over the world but it is not that large (i.e. about a million). All of Holland is smaller in number that Mexico City. Many Dutchman just love Amsterdam with a passion. When leaving the city and waiting for the bus I had a nice visit with a lady. She worked in mental health (i.e. my sisters said they is why she could understand me)! ANYWAY many folks are not happy in Amsterdam (i.e. lack of jobs, drugs, alcoholic, and tooooooooo many folks in a little area (i.e. they get on each other nerves). She said many young people commit suicide—they jump off buildings and break their bones but they don’t die—they say—oh shit I didn’t get it done! She also said, Holland is missing something, as its history is not a country like that. She said that several times to me. Holland rings their church bells a lot—I guess it’s their history they tell me. Such is live.

We spent some time in Haringen as our great grand father Mellema lived their (i.e. also our mothers tribe Dykema came from this area too I think. It was sorta kinda fun. We stayed in Leeuwarden. I got to ride bike for most of the afternoon all over the town (i.e. most of the time I had no idea where I was). I rode along the canals in the city and on the narrow streets (i.e. really narrow) and just enjoyed all the Dutchman. It was a hoot. I said I wanted to buy an orange tee shirt with Holland on the back if I could find one (i.e. I would only pay 10 euros for it. I saw one in the window of a shop I liked so I went in the store—How much for the shirt—18 euros but on sale for 15 and I’ll sell it to you for 14—I’ll give you 10—okay! Hey I’m in Holdanda and I’m a Dutchman! What more can I say. Ya ya ya ya! Arlene and I ate at an outside restaurant next to our hotel. I had Frisian goat cheese with smoked ham and honey. We had a delightful talk with the guy who was previously sitting at the table we used. He told us that he thinks Holland is quite rich but it is not going the right direction (i.e. I heard that before). We are not as inviting and nice to foreigners as we were in our past history. Is it because of money—no, Europe isn’t so much about money but more about fear of the Islamic folks (i.e. that is what he said folks). Huh, interesting! Mind the gap. After dinner I took Arlene on a bike ride having her sit sidesaddle on the back of my bike. We were trying to figure how to do this so I asked three gals walking by. They were Ytje, Tryntje, and Annette who were from Frislan but two of them now live in Australia. They told us how and said it’s called being dinked—or I’m dinking Arlene. What a hoot! We had sooooooo much fun with those gals. Maybe that’s where the statement – dinking around – came from. Do you know? Such is life.

Oh our hotel was a hoot to! There was sorta kinda a slight mix up with our reservation so they gave us the honeymoon suites. They were nice. When we left for day, I mentioned to them that the knob to the huge massive tub’s sprinkler wasn’t there and I sorta kinda wanted it as there was no shower. When we got back, all our luggage was gone. I asked them it they know what happened to it—they moved us to different room. She said, it’s bigger and nicer. It was something else. But the funny part was Arlene washed some underwear and had it on back of a chair. In our new room, they had the underwear exactly the same on a chair. What a hoot! Went to take a bath in that huge bathtub built up on a platform of maybe 6 steps with mirrors on three sided. It took for every to get some water in there. I was sitting there and wondered what this button was so I pushed it. It started a shower about 9 feet in the ceiling. So I took a shower standing up there—it was a hoot.

One our way to Germany, we stopped at a working windmill at Aalden. Some workers were working on it and I asked it I could go in—yes, of course—I went up the three levels (i.e. very interesting). It was a mill for the wheat. We talked to a dairy farmer in Gees—his name was Tietma and milked 90 cows—the dairy industry has not been good in Holland the last year. A hector of land (i.e. about 2 acres) sells for $40,000 U.S. money. Ya ya ya ya ya

Mind the gap! We are now in Germany. I read in my devotions that morning before going down for a good old German breakfast (i.e. I really enjoyed it)--Dietrich Bonhoeffer said—It’s very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison with what we owe others. In other words, reality breeds humility. I talked to two local German ladies (i.e. 74) who were having lunch. They went through the war as young girls and talked about it some. They are tired of talking about the past of Germany and want to go forward. Since the war, their lives did nothing but got better. They said they lived in a very good time. Now things are not going the right direction. Our pensions are okay but the future generations’ are questionable. That is what they said folks. I talked to some of the nicest folks in Rothenburg. I wanted to talk to folks who lived there and learn about their feelings, especially older folks who went through the war. The first two guys couldn’t speak English. I talked to Ric Badal who was sooooooooo knowledgeable (i.e. he was a book writer and a photographer) as we were in front of the most photographed house in the world (i.e. I didn’t know that but Ric did). Here is a short story of Germany from Ric’s thinking—in the 30s Germans where not happy and Hitler came along and promised them much which he did for a while—in 1936 started attacking the Jews (i.e. start of the downfall)—used his power to take Czechoslovakia, Poland and started plans to take France—attached London and then England bombed Germany—people were not happy but could not get out—they didn’t see the big picture during this time as they were getting what they wanted (i.e. good economy—it’s all about money folks-- mainly by propaganda)—Ric says the U.S. is sorta kinda that way now (i.e. not seeing the big picture)—then the Americans got in the war and it was all over--Older Germans really like Americans as they helped them rebuild the country (i.e. very grateful and appreciative)—the younger folks are some what anti-American ‘cause of the Viet Nam war era. Germany got hurt economically again in 1989 when the wall came down—the eastern side was under Communist rule and was very poor compared to the western side—Arlene and I told him that we really like Germany and Europe as they seem to be more laid back—Ric said, yes they are more held back, go slower and are more reserved until you get to know them—he said, how can you not like it here—it’s beautiful. Then there was an old guy sitting on a bench with his cane—I asked him if he could speak English—no English—how old are you—shock his head as he didn’t understand—another guy came by and interrupted for me—he was 78 and his name was Kare Kronbach—the guy who stopped was Erhard Baasch 69 and his daughter Linda age 15 (i.e. a very pretty, sweet girl—Linda has to take English in school as there primary language—We talked a long time and had the most fun—they told us that older Germans really like Americans, his age like Americans too and Linda said Americans are her friends (i.e. she wants to come to America and shop)—we invited them to come—Erhard said (i.e. my opinion) Europe likes Obama, he’s good for the world. They were the nicest folks—my kind of folks with good heart and real. No minding the gap here folks. Such is life. One more thing Ric told me—Rothenbug was not suppose to be bombed as the Germans and U.S. had a treaty but when the Americans came the Germans did not hold up their end of the treaty and would not leave so it was bombed three times. Ouchy ouchy!

My brother-in-law Larry was disappointed at breakfast in Rothenburg. He calibrated his speed on the Autobahn from the day before and was going 99.48 mph or 160 kilometers per hour—He wanted to go 100 mph. And some of you guys wonder if God answers prayer—I was in the back of our van praying for safety! We wee going near 100 and they were flying by us. I have no idea what speed we will drive tomorrow. I could be praying again tomorrow or…in my pants (i.e. probably both)! Mind the gap! I asked the hotel clerk Andrea who was maybe 21 or so how fast she drives on the autobahn—usually 160 km—my car will only go 190 km and that is down hill—many cars can go 220 km. That’s smoking folks. Dankeschoen!

At our hotel German breakfast yesterday, there was a young Japanese couple that came in and were going to eat. They got their food and sat at a table rather close to us. I noticed she put her hands together as a symbol of thanks before eating. As I was leaving, they were standing by me and I asked her if she was a Buddhist—kinda sorda of but not really—so why do you do that thanks expression with your hands then—tradition/habit only, her husband said he doesn’t do it. I told them I was a Christian and give thanks to God by folding my hands in humility—no response. Mind the gap!

We toured Dachau—a good example of propaganda, fear of death, and the stripping of self worth. ! I kept thinking of Schindler’s List where the guards were in the tower shooting at the feet of a Jew (i.e. just intimating them) crossing the yard. He could have killed the Jew (i.e. the Jew was at his mercy). The guy in charge said to the guard—You are a big person when you have the power to kill someone and decide not to (i.e. something like that). We spent the night in Munich. There are a lot of Islamic folks here and many cultures. I asked an acquaintance about all the Islamic being here—she said they come to shop (i.e. have a lot of money but very demanding and look down on the Germans)—so the Germans like the Americans to come—yes, they are happy and fun. Mind the gap

My sisters and I had long time of reminiscing the past of our home life growing up, talk about our parents, and old stories. It was really fun as we all had somewhat different emotions and tales to tall. I really miss Chester and Anna—In fact I told my sisters that I wish I could tell my parents how much I loved them—I regret not telling them (i.e. my father died when I was 17 and my mom died 6 years later both at the age of 56. I sorta kinda got a little emotional when I told my sisters that. It was a good emotional feeling. Mind the gap.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

KR’s thought of the day—Stop worrying about the problem and start looking for the reason.
TheProfessor’sPithySaying—My neighbor is my mirror!