subtle changes in color and texture
create a minimalist feast for spring-starved eyes
***
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 21 March 2017
“WU Blossoms” taken by WurzelDave in Somerset, UK
Posted on the WeatherUnderground App in February 2017
Response to WordPress Daily Prompt: Minimal
It’s Friday and it’s snowing outside. Time for photos that catch my eye before we leave Kinderdijk. In no particular order, here they are, beginning with barge traffic. A reminder that these inland rivers are major highways. Not primarily for the tourist industry, but for transport of goods.
The distant tower isn’t an ancient lookout for detecting the enemy, but a water tower nicely disguised to blend in with the scenery. Up close on this side of the river are wildflowers and an empty dock waiting for another cruise ship to arrive.
Below is a more colorful barge than most. That’s the city of Kinderdijk across the river from the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Note the two automobiles on the back deck of the barge–transportation for barge personnel when docked.
Back to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here’s another set of photos with beautiful colors. The first two are, I think, rental cabins for vacationers. The third is a bench outside a snack bar near the windmills we visited.
Speaking of color, how about these? Don’t miss the little sparrow on the grass. A little sense of proportion there.
Here’s a rare big bird not usually captured in photos! That’s my pocket watch peeking out from my magenta shirt. Note the wires going from my sunshirt pocket to my left ear. It’s my audio tour guide, so I can hear about stuff no matter where the real live guide is standing. I’m probably giving the photographer last-minute instructions too late. The sun was blazing hot, even though the air was comfortably cool.
Time for ducks and other water lovers hanging around the canal.
This roof caught my eye, as did the blooming plants that follow. Ordinary beauty waiting to be noticed.
Hoping all you beauties have a spectacular weekend! It’s still snowing here. Definitely a spectacle after an unusually warm winter.
Elouise ♥
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 10 March 2017
Photo credit: DAF, July 2016 in Kinderdijk
What’s missing from this picture? Wind! Not a breath of it while we were there. Still, the windmills were spectacular.
We sailed all night from Amsterdam, and arrived midmorning at Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was constructed as an outdoor museum, with examples of old windmills. Though they aren’t now used to drain water from low-lying land, they are functional. Citizens apply to live in them, with or without children. It’s considered an honor, and requires daily attention to maintenance and to changing winds to keep super-heavy windmill blades in motion.
Kinderdijk means “children’s dike.” According to legend, it’s all about a cat, a cradle, and a baby who survived a storm thanks to a dike and a cat’s faithful instincts! The site includes a system of 19 windmills and was built around 1740. This is the largest concentration of windmills in the Netherlands today.
It’s 1421. A humongous storm and flood have subsided. Only one polder in the area isn’t flooded. A polder is a piece of low-lying land reclaimed from the river or sea via pumping the water up, out beyond dikes.
A rescuer goes out, walking along the dike to see what might be salvaged. There floating on the water is a wooden cradle! As it gets closer, he sees a cat in the cradle jumping back and forth, keeping it afloat and dry. Then, when it’s closer to the dike, he sees a baby sleeping in the cradle. A survivor, thanks to kitty’s great balancing act!
This story is celebrated in a folktale, “The Cat and the Cradle.” The cradle below commemorates kitty and baby’s successful cruise.
So how about a look at one windmill that allows us to get up close and personal?
Like most windmills on this site, it’s a grondzeiler, or ‘ground sail windmill,’
so called because the sails almost touch the ground as they turn.
First, a view from the outside, looking up.
Can’t help noticing how huge these things are
and how much human-power it takes to move the sails
when the wind changes direction.
Now for the interior of this ‘house.’
Don’t touch anything! Keep moving single file,
keep your head down, and be sure your walky-talky is turned on!
First, the main room. This is it, for all practical purposes.
Tiny, cramped and functional,
with touches of charm here and there.
I was told the short ‘double’ bed is also the lavatory.
Chamber pot conveniently located at the foot of the bed.
Out of sight.
On our way out, we pass by some of the internal workings,
and get a welcome glimpse out the back window.
One more look up from the back of the windmill —
And a quick look at what it takes to drain the polder today.
Stay tuned for more!
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 28 February 2017
Photo credit: DAFraser, July 2016, Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
~~Mom Elouise and Daughter, 1974, Altadena, California on a Sunday morning
Dear Blogging Friends,
I tried to put together a post for Sunday morning. Alas, it went nowhere except in circles! So I’m trying something totally different this week. A personal letter about personal stuff.
Today was our adult daughter’s last full day visiting us. Tomorrow she flies back to the West Coast. I’m teary, lethargic, achy, sad, and already lonely.
I’m also feeling the certainty of death these days. Nothing in particular. Just the awareness that every time I see our daughter it might be for the last time. So what do I want to say to her before she leaves?
I lay awake a bit last night thinking about this. Whatever I say, I don’t want to pretend I’m taking life for granted. As though neither of us is going to die just yet. I also don’t want to say simply, “I love you.” Even though I will and I do!
Here’s what I want her to know.
One more thing. I feel old age coming on. Not like a flood, but with slow certainty, accompanied by a number of health issues that challenge me. I don’t want to give up. I want to be fully alive, and alert enough to enjoy my family and friends as long as I can.
Not so many years ago I was afraid to let my heart show to my family members. I was afraid to let them know how much I’ll miss them if they die before I die. Better to stay cool and calm than show my feelings. That way maybe the pain of loss won’t be so great. But that’s another topic.
Thanks for reading and listening with your hearts.
Elouise ♥
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 18 February 2017
Photo credit: DAFraser, 1974, Altadena, California
There’s nothing so serene as gliding through calm water in the late afternoon and overnight into the early morning. Especially when you know you’re on time. D took the photo above when we got to the Amsterdam harbor on time in early afternoon. He took the two photos below as we left on time in late afternoon. Getting out of the harbor for a two-week cruise is one thing. Then there are more than 60 locks to navigate before completing the cruise. The Rhine, Main and Danube rivers aren’t very wide, and reservations for lock passage are set in concrete two years out. Be in line on time or be sorry! And no butting in.
Serenity
Rounding a corner; campground and village in the distance.
Sunset, taken from the top deck.
Do you see the small campground in the third photo below?
Early the next morning —
Notice the water level and houses with the river dike between.
Also note the walking/biking path along the dike.
Imagine living below the river line
and looking up over the dike from an attic window or rooftop.
Breakfast time!
Note the rising sun reflected in the river.
Until we left Amsterdam, I can’t say I felt very serene. Just exhausted, hungry and in need of downtime for body, soul, mind and emotions. The cruise was a priceless gift. I’ve always been drawn to rivers, oceans, ponds, lakes, creeks and waterfalls. It felt like coming home, even though it wasn’t. Hoping you find some serenity this weekend.
To be continued….
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 10 February 2017
Photo credit: DAFraser, July 2016
she woke early this morning
green thoughts flowing through her veins
This small poem came into my consciousness as I was waking up this morning. I was surprised and heartened, given my state of mind late yesterday when I wrote Intimidation. Something came through my spirit as I slept and wiped the slate clean for today. An ordinary day made extraordinary by this gift and the stunning image that later came up on my screen saver.
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 2 February 2016
Image found at pinterest.com – Kintai Bridge, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Response to WordPress Daily Prompt: Clean
Though I’m not usually an escapist, I feel like escaping to Amsterdam today. D and I were there last July at the front end of a river cruise. We’d just arrived after an overnight flight from Philadelphia. The goal was simple: Stay awake! This means our guide mercilessly kept us moving and on our feet during the afternoon.
So here we are. Note the brilliant blue sky. A perfect backdrop for roof decorations and public art. Unfortunately, I can’t comment on their architectural significance. I’m grateful D took pictures, since I was half asleep on my feet.
The first two show spires on St. Nicholas Basilica;
the third, a gargoyle.
Next we have two business structures
designed for life along the canal before elevators or motorized lifts.
Just below, note the structure protruding beneath
the top roof line. The holes in the base are to accommodate pulleys.
Here’s a row of merchant shops on the canal, each with a pulley at the top.
Suppose you want to move a large container
or piece of machinery into the building.
No problem. Just pull it up and swing it through a window.
Does anyone know what the hooks below are for?
I’m guessing they might have something to do with snow.
This seems to be an old house.
Flags on the Amsterdam Port Building near the harbor.
Note the walkway around the castle-like tower.
A lookout up and down the river?
A Viking crusader below?
He’s scarcely visible within all those symbols of power.
Definitely designed to impress and commemorate.
Note the intricate brickwork and crowns.
Finally, a down-on-the-street scene
on a welcome pedestrian walkway with shops and restaurants.
No bike lanes or speeding bikers.
Actually, it leads into the red light district.
Here’s the building at the end of the pedestrian walkway above.
McDonald’s burgers on gluten-free bread!
And last but not least, a beautiful outdoor café across the canal.
We got back to the cruise ship late, just in time for dinner and about an hour before we sailed from Amsterdam.
More photos later….
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 24 January 2017
Photo credit: DAFraser, July 2016 in Amsterdam
Huddled ranks
Soar toward heaven
Stand guard
in ice-plumed headdress
before spiked doorway
Distant turrets beckon
Enter
if you dare
***
My first thought when I saw this photo was Narnia, under the spell of the Wicked Witch — who, of course, was eager to entice at least one vulnerable earth boy to her icy palace, deep within her icy world. Have you read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis? If not, get hooked and read the entire series. At least twice! Enter, if you dare….
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 17 January 2017
Photo of ice formations taken by walcek on 16 Jan 2017
in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, USA
Photo found on the Weather Underground App
Response to WordPress Daily Prompt: Invitation
Busy! Sensory overload! Unplanned chaos. Tourist magnet. Not for all the right reasons, I’m sorry to say. This post is just a taste of what kept us awake the afternoon we arrived in Amsterdam. Our guide kept us moving, and we did our best to keep up with him.
The top photo captures the reality of modernity (big bold red public buses), and of time-honored tradition (bikes — the subject of my last Amsterdam post). Pedestrians beware!
Here’s what we saw when we left the cruise ship with our trusty guide.
What do you notice?
I love the guys fishing on the pier
right in the middle of it all.
Our first landmark was a huge, modern transportation center.
I’m glad I didn’t have to figure out which way to go.
Note traffic lanes for various types of transportation
including pedestrians.
Here we’re in the belly of the building.
Note directional signs.
Sorry you can’t hear the sound effects. Think noise. Lots of it.
When we came out the other side,
we began our tour near the red light district.
Not a comforting sight.
Note the cathedral tower on the right side of the photo.
We’re looking at the back side of the district.
The next three photos give a better perspective —
without so many people in the way.
Notice the water level that’s steadily rising,
sagging architecture and uneven walls on many old buildings,
boats ready for nighttime cruises by windows
that showcase women for commercial sex,
and the cathedral tower in the background.
Here’s one last look at one of the buildings on the canal.
It’s visible in the first photo of the red light district.
You can see why it caught my eye.
Wednesday of this week, January 11, was
*International Human Trafficking Awareness Day, a day to raise awareness
and honor those who offer alternatives to
women, children and men exploited for commercial sex.
I couldn’t help thinking about these photos.
Here we are, moving on behind our trusty guide.
Do you like my backpack?
Don’t miss the clutter of bikes just to our right
and the bikers ahead of us on the sidewalk.
Being a pedestrian isn’t for sissies!
We’re headed to an area that draws hoards of tourists and shoppers.
Here’s a taste what’s coming in the next exciting installment.
To be continued….
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 12 January 2017
Photo credit: DAFraser, Amsterdam, July 2016
*To find out more about human trafficking, click here.
rising moon
reflects warm glow
through tangled limbs
***
midwinter sign of hope
discovered this morning on my iPad
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 12 January 2017
Photo taken in Soldotna, Alaska USA by wildernessgrl, 12 Jan 2017,
found on the Weather Underground App
Telling the Truth 