My Wordless Sunday - #16

Happy Easter to everybody!

There is nothing...

 

There is nothing you can see that is not a flower; there is nothing you can think that is not the moon.

~Basho~

Hi my friends,

ZEN proverbs and flowers are the ideal match - Enjoy!

Thanks again for all the comments.

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

http://tinyurl.com/y8guwqz  http://tinyurl.com/yatdh5x http://susanne49.mygall.net

My Wordless Sunday - #14

Tulip Festival in Orange City, Iowa

Tulips from Amsterdam

Tulip Festivals in Amerika

The Orange City (Iowa) Tulip Festival – an entertaining celebration of the best of small-town America – showcases for 100,000 visitors this thriving community's rich Dutch heritage. Festivities include music and dancing by hundreds of children and adults in intricate authentic costumes, two daily parades featuring top area marching bands, nightly musical theater, a carnival midway, fun ethnic food treats, plus  thousands of tulips and a dozen reproduction windmills throughout a charming village.  

Breng ons een bezoek! Come and visit us!

***

Hi my friends,

We have visited last year Orange City in Iowa, but unfortunately we have missed the legendary beautiful Tulip Festival for some days. We have visited some family members there - of Dutch origin of course! If you get a chance to be in that region, don't miss out that festival, it worth's to see it.

Thank you for all the comments yesterday - the blue color is present also in today's flower of spring, but in a little more abstract version.

See you soon....

Susanne

 

 

check out my new website: http://susanne-van-hulst.artistwebsites.com

Spring is around the corner

Hi my friends,

thanks for ALL your wonderful comments and good wishes from yesterday - I love you all! Dave is at home and he feels fine. We are happy that everything is (almost) back to normal again.

The picture I have posted today is a symbol for spring time, a time of new beginning in everything, everywhere. Spring time is the most beautiful season of the year - for me.

Stay with me, stay tuned - and see you tomorrow.

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

http://tinyurl.com/y8guwqz

http://tinyurl.com/yj9msas

Minds are like flowers...

Minds are like flowers. If you let it sit there without soaking anything up, it will dry up.

~ Ken Hill ~


Thank you all for your wonderful, kind comments, my friends!

Flowers also on Tuesday ;)

Hi my friends,

thank you for the comments to my post yesterday. I'm glad you liked my flowers and I hope you'll like these new ones too :) I hope I'm not getting boring to much....LOL... but I'm also a big flower fan, I like not only palm trees...LOL...

Have a wonderful day and see you tomorrow again - same time, same place :)
Susanne

Flowers on Monday

Flowers in a handbag made with mother natures material - what a pretty idea!

Hi my friends,

I'm late today with posting, I know.... we had a lot to do today and it's hot, we were taking showers two times a day... :)

Many thanks also for all the wonderful comments to my last post and the post a day ago - your words make my day - every day! :)

Stay with me, bear with me and - see you tomorrow!
Susanne

It's Friday...

This "Cat Tales" I have seen by a pond on a RV Park in Silver Springs, Florida

I really don't know the name for this beautiful flower. They reminds me to an Iris or to Glads. I'm sure there exist a right botanical name. Do you know it?

Hi my friends,

I'm overwhelmed with all your kind comments to my last post. You made my day! Thank you so much for that!

We are back at the Space Coast - Oh, my....I guess I told you that already yesterday...LOL... and guess what? We are planning to settle down somewhere here on the mainland or somewhere further out by the beach. We only have to find the RIGHT place to be.

Tomorrow we will start with driving around and "hunting" for that cute, clean, small and still affordable house in a secure, nice region of the Space Coast. If YOU know something like that, let us know.... PLEASE!

My email is: susanne2049(at)gmail.com.

Stay with me, I'll be still posting and update you with all the exciting news to come! But for first this: Happy Friday! :)

Susanne

I love blue eyes...

It's a blue eyed Susan

Hi my friends,

we are still here in pretty Panama City, exploring the real old town of this very photogenic place at Florida's Emerald Coast. I'll show you some photos of that later :)

Thanks for the comments, very much appreciated.

I know, weekend is coming up - don't miss on Sunday my "Wordless Sunday" again!
See you tomorrow,

Susanne

It grows in silence

“See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence;
see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...
we need silence to be able to touch souls.”

~ Mother Teresa ~

Hi my friends,

thank you for all the comments from yesterday!

It's not the best weather today either - no camera weather for me...LOL.... That means, I have to show you some archive photos and I hope not to bore you.... This one is a wild flower from the Cherokee region in North Carolina, isn't she pretty?

Stay tuned with me and see you tomorrow again!
Susanne

The supreme excellence is simplicity

In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

Thanks for all your nice comments and compliments, my friends! :)
T.G.I.F. - enjoy your coming weekend!
Susanne

My Wordless Sunday in North Carolina

They are sunshine....

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful;
they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.
~ Luther Burbank ~

Hi my friends,

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your good wishes to my yesterdays Birthday, you're all so great! :)

We are on the way to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, visiting Asheville and other pretty places up there. I love NC and its beautiful hills!

See you there!
Susanne

After a Light Summer Rain....

One day we were looking out for a night place to stay somewhere in Tennessee. We've found one and it was a very pretty one too. The rain just stopped some minutes ago before we arrived there and I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot some pictures with fog rising over the pond, enjoy!

Mystic in blue, green and purple...

“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain”
~ Author unknown ~

If you click in (all) the picture(s) you'll see this over sized, amazing, pretty flower bigger

Covered with rain drops...

The same flower, another framing...

Hi my friends,

I love the rain! ... what about you...? :)

Thanks for all the many comments to my last post, thanks for taking your time to visit my blog and to read all my "bla bla bla's"....LOL... :))

Stay tuned, there will be more coming :)
Susanne

From Virginia to North Carolina

A last view to the Blue Ridge Mountains

There was an almost endless forest to cross on I-64 East until the Junction to I-95 came up, heading further towards the South

Crossing over the James River, we are still in Virginia

The James River
in the U.S. state of Virginia is a 410-mile (660 km) long river, including its Jackson River source. It drains a catchment comprising 10,432 square miles (27,020 km²). The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people (2000). It is the 12th longest river in the United States that remains entirely within a single state.

Pretty wild flowers by a rest area place, before we entered to the State of North Carolina

Hello my friends,

We spent now 6 days in North Carolina and heading tomorrow down to the Ocean. I'm very excited to see the water again :)

Thanks for all your nice comments, very much appreciated!:)

Have a wonderful time and stay connected with me....
Susanne

My Wordless Sunday in North Carolina

A Nice Afternoon in Amana, Iowa

Twin County Dairy
was built in 1946 by a group of Amish and Mennonite farmers. It was named Twin County Dairy because the 32 members, who formed a co-op, lived in the adjacent counties of Washington and Johnson. They hired Swiss-born John Roetlin, Sr., who had migrated to the United States in 1928. He learned the art of cheese making from his father in Switzerland. Under his direction, the new dairy made its first milk collection and produced its first wheels of Swiss cheese on March 17, 1947. In 1955, the factory changed from making wheels of Swiss to blocks of Swiss, simplifying storage and handling. In 1956 the cooperative incorporated and became the Twin County Dairy, Inc. In 1963 they expanded from producing only Swiss cheese to a diversified manufacturer of cheddar, colby, brick and Swiss. Twin County Dairy, Inc. was acquired by John Roetlin, Sr. and sons in 1967. In 1970, John Roetlin, Sr. retired and his two sons purchased the business. In 1985, John Roetlin, Jr. and his wife, Joanne, became the sole owners. Over the years, Twin County Dairy, Inc. has received many awards in cheese judging contests, including second place in the world.

It was the red Swiss Flag that was catching my eyes first - no wonder, as a Swiss my self...LOL.. :)

After visiting the cheese factory we drove to Amana and visited there the still working "Amana Woolen Mill"

The SULZER weaving machines are also an export product of Switzerland

The red wool spool belongs to the red cloth in the machine above

It was very interesting to see the weaving machines working

Ancestors of the Amana people came together in Germany in the 1700’s as a religious sect known as inspirationists. Through the years, religious persecution forced them to seek shelter on large estates. A few of the inspirationists were particularly skilled in managing the production of woolen goods. In 1832, a woolen mill was established on the Armenburg estate and in 1838 on the Herrnhaag estate. Their enterprises helped to support the community and ultimately to finance the move from Germany to the United States. As the group continued to pursue religious freedom, they purchased land near Buffalo, New York. They moved to America in 1842 and established the community of Ebenezer. There they chose to live communally. A large portion of the woolen mill machinery was shipped to America and a mill was established in 1846.

As the growth of Buffalo encroached on their lifestyle, they looked west. In 1855, they began their move to the Iowa River valley in Iowa and named their community Amana (which means to remain faithful). Again, mill equipment was moved and construction of a woolen mill in Amana was begun in 1857. The mill not only produced goods for the community’s use, but gained a reputation nationally for their goods.

The Amana Woolen Mill has had a colorful history, surviving fires, floods and wind storms. Through it all, the mill’s attention to quality has remained steadfast.

When you own an Amana blanket, you can feel proud that it was made in the heartland of the USA and represents a legacy handed down for generations.

A lot of pretty and useful products in the mill internal store are offered to buy

A colorful rug

We have visited also the Amana Colonies Visitors Center

A cute decoration in front of the "Schnitzelbank" store

The Heritage Design, a house for quilting and needlework

Colorful detail

The Chocolate Haus
Part of the world famous, historic Amana Colonies, The Chocolate Haus endures to preserve the fine art of preparing chocolate sweets for chocolate lovers everywhere. Tourists from across the globe have watched as we create chocolate delights, hand-dip strawberries and fashion our mouth-watering fudge. Our charming brick exterior and warm store welcome over one million visitors a year.

The Meat Shop. I had to shoppe in this shop here! :)

The history of the Amana Meat Shop dates to 1855 when the Amana community was founded. German-American settlers established the seven villages of Amana on 26,000 acres in the Iowa River Valley. They lived communally until 1932, embracing a simple way of life. Each village had a meat shop and smokehouse where ham, bacon and sausage were cured in the old world way with long held recipes and a commitment to quality.

The tradition of the Amana Meat Shop and Smokehouse, which began when families enjoyed meals together in roomy kitchen houses, continues today. The same quality meats are available to Amana visitors. In fact, thousands of visitors stop by the meat shop each year and purchase delectable food offerings, while many others also order from their online store at amanameatshop.com.

Condiments like relishes, mustards and specialty mayonnaise are popular here as is their line of jams and jellies. An assortment of cheeses and fresh, smoked, and specialty meats (pickled ham, dried beef, jerky, smoked turkey, breaded pork tenderloin) are also popular favorites. In addition to condiments the famous Amana hams, steaks and chops, another favorite is the array of smoked sausages offered including a spicy Andouille sausage.

Let’s eat! One of the attractions of the Seven Villages of Amana is the great food found here! When you visit this July for the Summer Rally, be sure to stop in at the Amana Meat Shop and Smokehouse.

Hi my friends,

We spent today a very nice afternoon in Amana Clonies Village and I made again a lot of photos - of course! We eat also in a German Restaurant so called authentic German food, that was recommended to us from more than one person as VERY good - but I guess, we were expecting probably to much and their kitchen doesn't meet our expectations.

Thank you for all the kind comments again to my last post, very much appreciated :)

Tomorrow we want go on towards to the "Field of Dreams" - or maybe we will be also just shopping in the nearby mall - I need some new shoes :) we will see....

Stay with me and see you soon!
Susanne and David

My Wordless Sunday in Kalona,Iowa

My Wordless Sunday in Iowa