This morning we opened the windows and discovered a glorious day.
Our neighbors were hard at work repairing boats and working in the garden.....
....and the sun was shining on our deck.
We decided to return to Friseland to hunt for Durk Canrinus, the cousin of Kate's father Fred. On the way, we traversed the Afsluitdjik, an 18 mile long dike completed in 1933 which essentially connects the north of the country to the Amsterdam area, and which created the Zuider See and dramatically reduced the flooding that had historically plagued the area. Note in the second of the three photos below that the water level to the left (North Sea) is much higher than it is to the right (inland sea). Some kind of engineers, these Dutch.
We arrived in Sneek, and went to the last known address of Durk Canrinus. Unfortunately, the name on the door wasn't promising and no one was home.
I spotted a neighbor peeking out of her window at us, so we went and knocked on her door. She and her daughter enlisted in our campaign. They knew that Durk had moved away a few years ago and thought they knew about where he now lived -- so they got out their phone book and started calling Canrinuses. The second try was a success.
So, we headed across town in search of Durk. Naturally we got lost. Luckily a nice lady out walking her dog pointed us in the right direction.
We found it!
Durk lives in a really attractive apartment complex for seniors in Sneek.
When he got our call, Durk had called his daughter Hennie, who took the afternoon off from her job as director of the community arts program to come visit with us.
Durk is a very lively, very funny 87-year-old.
We visited with Durk and Hennie for an hour or two in his apartment. Durk knows a lot about Canrinus family history, so Kate hit the jackpot.
Later in the afternoon, they took us into downtown Sneek to show Kate where to buy the quintessential Frisian food product, called drops, at the drop shop. (They're little pieces of licorice).
After bidding a fond farewell to the relatives and inviting them to visit in California, we drove to the neighboring town of Ijlst, where Kate's grandfather was born and where Durk and his five brothers also were born. First we visited the house where Durk was born.
Then we found a local restaurant, "Het Wapen van Ijlst."
Kate asked for a typical Frisian meal, and got sausages with three kinds of potato and rhubarb.
After dinner, we took a walk through the unbelievably charming streets, canals, and gardens of Ijlst.
On the drive back to Edam, we saw a sight unique to the Netherlands. A field of grain with a sail protruding from its midst. You never know when or where you're going to stumble on a canal.
And now to bed.
Our neighbors were hard at work repairing boats and working in the garden.....
....and the sun was shining on our deck.
We decided to return to Friseland to hunt for Durk Canrinus, the cousin of Kate's father Fred. On the way, we traversed the Afsluitdjik, an 18 mile long dike completed in 1933 which essentially connects the north of the country to the Amsterdam area, and which created the Zuider See and dramatically reduced the flooding that had historically plagued the area. Note in the second of the three photos below that the water level to the left (North Sea) is much higher than it is to the right (inland sea). Some kind of engineers, these Dutch.
We arrived in Sneek, and went to the last known address of Durk Canrinus. Unfortunately, the name on the door wasn't promising and no one was home.
I spotted a neighbor peeking out of her window at us, so we went and knocked on her door. She and her daughter enlisted in our campaign. They knew that Durk had moved away a few years ago and thought they knew about where he now lived -- so they got out their phone book and started calling Canrinuses. The second try was a success.
So, we headed across town in search of Durk. Naturally we got lost. Luckily a nice lady out walking her dog pointed us in the right direction.
We found it!
Durk lives in a really attractive apartment complex for seniors in Sneek.
When he got our call, Durk had called his daughter Hennie, who took the afternoon off from her job as director of the community arts program to come visit with us.
Durk is a very lively, very funny 87-year-old.
We visited with Durk and Hennie for an hour or two in his apartment. Durk knows a lot about Canrinus family history, so Kate hit the jackpot.
Later in the afternoon, they took us into downtown Sneek to show Kate where to buy the quintessential Frisian food product, called drops, at the drop shop. (They're little pieces of licorice).
After bidding a fond farewell to the relatives and inviting them to visit in California, we drove to the neighboring town of Ijlst, where Kate's grandfather was born and where Durk and his five brothers also were born. First we visited the house where Durk was born.
Then we found a local restaurant, "Het Wapen van Ijlst."
Kate asked for a typical Frisian meal, and got sausages with three kinds of potato and rhubarb.
After dinner, we took a walk through the unbelievably charming streets, canals, and gardens of Ijlst.
On the drive back to Edam, we saw a sight unique to the Netherlands. A field of grain with a sail protruding from its midst. You never know when or where you're going to stumble on a canal.
And now to bed.
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