Summer Trip to the US

Like many expats, we took some vacation in the US during the summer, giving us a chance to see relatives and get Kate moved into her apartment.  Grant led the first wave of the invasion, flying to Des Moines to stay with Don and Joan for a week of fishing, eating cookies and general spoiling.  Kate and I flew to New Jersey a week later then drove out to Des Moines to join him.  Like most people driving across the eastern half of the US we learned that Pennsylvania is a long state. 

It was a beautiful day to fish.  Unfortunately, the fish were not too keen on being caught. 

A true fisherman. 

Don and Joan with two of their ten grandchildren.  

We met Joy, Amanda and their families for lunch in Ames, where Lori & I went to college at Iowa State.  We ate at Hickory Park, a BBQ restaurant that was popular when we went to school and has only become more so in the 28 years since we graduated.  We took a short drive around the campus, but didn't take any strolls due to the 100+ degree temperatures.  Quite a change from Holland.   

Another highlight of the Des Moines area is seeing cousins Joy and Amanda, along with their kids.  It's always more difficult to get a good picture when kids are involved.....I just didn't expect Amanda to be the problem. 

Don and Joan with four of their ten grandchildren. 

The ISU Memorial Union.  It hasn't changed much on the outside.  The Engineering buildings have all been upgraded or rebuilt since we left. 

Grant in front of the Campanile.  The campus tradition is that you're not a true Iowa Stater until you've been kissed under the Campanile at the stroke of midnight. 

My Mother's ISU sorority house -- Chi Omega.

At the Des Moines Science Museum.  Kate and Grant were manipulating a stream of water with blocks to see how much electricity they could produce through a turbine.  They must have played here for half an hour. 

On our way from Des Moines to Moline, we stopped at Pella, Iowa, a town with a strong Dutch heritage (astute blog readers will recall that all US towns with a Dutch heritage have a tulip festival; Pella is no exception).  It's a beautiful town with a real town square and best of all, a world-class bakery, Jaarsma's.  As described on their website, www.jaarsmabakery.com,

The Jaarsma Bakery in Pella, Iowa has been offering delicious "Dutch Treats" since 1898, when it was founded by Harmon Jaarsma who used recipes he brought over as an immigrant from Holland.
A hundred years ago, Harmon had two brick ovens in the bakery that were fired with wood. After the ashes were brushed out, the bread was put in to bake, followed by the buns, Dutch Letters, cookies, and finally rusks as the ovens slowly cooled down before re-firing. The bakery also served as a coffee shop and living quarters for the family.

Back then everyone's favorite treat, the Dutch Letters, were made only as a special treat for Sinterklaas Day (the Dutch Santa Claus Day), December 6th. They are typically shaped into an "S" for "Sinterklaas".

The infamous Jaarsma's Bakery Dutch Letter, almond paste wrapped in sweet pastry dough.  Jaarsma's makes 1,500 -2,000 of these every day.  You can mail order them if you like.  During Tulip Festival Days, they make 25,000 every day for two weeks (no mail order available at that time).  They are delicious.   

Jaarsma's also sells items from Holland, which we can verify are authentic.  The Lotus Speculoos Pasta in the left-center (brown with red lid) is delicious.  It's made of those little airplane cookies ground into a paste. 

A Dutch favorite is chocolate sprinkles on bread.  Go figure. 

No town with a Dutch heritage would be complete without a windmill.  This one's authentic; it was imported from the Fatherland. 

You've heard of the saying "big shoes to fill"

Next we spent time in Moline visiting my family and celebrating my Mom's 80th birthday.  As with most of our travels, food was a highlight. 

Tom took us to a new (to us anyway) restaurant with a little lighter fare than the typical Midwest cuisine.  It was delicious. 

The lunch menu was pretty healthy, but Grant still managed for find a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. 

We spent some time at the family farm.  Kate and Grant picked apples -- it wasn't like the dwarf trees in NJ. 

Teamwork.

The whole reason to pick apples was to get Grandma to make applesauce. 

Tom tending to his tomato plants.  For those of you who don't know him, he's 6'4" tall so these are some tall tomato plants. 

Smeltzly's brought down some sweet corn....15 bags of it.  We ate it every meal; what a treat. 

Earlier that month, President Obama had eaten at the Ross Family restaurant across the Mississippi River in Bettendorf, IA.  I had driven by it for 10 years when I was younger, but never knew it was there.  Needless to say, it's on the map now, so of course we had to go there also.  I ate their trademark dish, The Volcano (which the President ordered as well). It's Texas Toast, topped with spiced ground beef, french fries, cheese and chili. Some people top it off with snow (chopped onions) but I was already pushing the gastronomic envelope.  

I don't know if it was the Presidential afterglow or what, but it was a very friendly place.  As we went in a departing customer noticed our NJ license plates.  It turns out she was raised in NJ near our home in Colts Neck.  Our waitress had recently moved to the Quad Cities from Baton Rouge, LA where we lived for 14 years, so that was another conversation.  When the owner heard we were from out of town, he brought the guest book by for us to sign.  We almost felt presidential.  

The President holding one of their famous cinnamon rolls that "are as big as your head". 

  If you think I look dazed in this picture you should have seen me after I ate the Volcano. 

Tom and Grant share a cinnamon roll. 

We did more than eat.  This is the cemetary for Confederate POW's that were incarcerated on Arsenal Island during the Civil War.  Over 2,000 soldiers are buried there. 

The cousins gather around a teeter-totter that my father built.

Ellie, Kate & Amy

Grant was the hide-and-seek champion.  He hid inside this very prickly blue spruce bush; we looked for over 30 minutes but never found him. 

Grant, Tom and Kate in front of a tree that I planed as a Senior in High School. 

Tim weighs Margaret on the old farm scale. 

The white and blue striped shirt gang.

The soybean fields were never this clean when we walked them as kids.  The wonders of Monsanto. 

The family cider press.  It's been out of action for several years.

Grandpa Ryerkerk gave Grant a shotgun and he finally got a chance to shoot it at the farm. 

Checking the barrel.

We didn't have any clay pigeons (or real ones for that matter) so we had to use a target. 

Grant gives his sister a safety briefing before she locks and loads. 

Dave takes aim.

At my Mom's birthday we also celebrated graduations -- Catherine from 8th grade and Kate from college. 

Mom & the gang

On the drive back to NJ we stopped at Fredericktown, Ohio.  This small town is famous for being where Luke Perry (of Beverly Hills 90210 fame) was raised and was the local high school mascot.  It's also the home of the blue courdory Future Farmers of America Jacket.  More important, it's the home of my cousin, Colleen, and her husband, John, who were kind enough to host us for an evening.  It was like staying in a bed and breakfast.  They've done a beautiful restoration on an old farmhouse.  They live on a small farm with a stocked pond, several barns, a garden and best of all, a collection of cats.  And the food was outstanding. 

The left side is a screened porch.  The wrap-around porch overlooks the pond. 

Grant's favorite cat Fred goes to the edge of the pond each evening to eat grass.  Otherwise he stays indoors and doesn't do much of anything (Fred, not Grant). 

John & Collen with Kate & Grant. 

The gardening shed that John built for Colleen.  The two turned posts were in my grandfather's barn for years.  It's good to see them put to use. 

The author modeling his FFA jacket.  Either we wore clothes tighter back then or it shrunk in the closet. 

We eventually made it back to Colts Neck, NJ, where we spent the week packing, moving and unpacking Kate.  We also found time to visit our favorite haunts like Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Delicious Orchards, Game Stop and Taco Bell (you should be able to tell which place goes with which child).   Lori's sister, Carol, and her husband, Ray, were kind enough to let us stay with them for two weeks.  They are also Kate's family support while we're in the Netherlands. 

These three fawns were nursing in the back yard.

Mom decided lunch time was over.

Picking peaches from a dwarf tree was much easier than picking apples from a tractor bucket. 

The peach orchards are about 2 miles from their home.

Kate in her apartment.  Recognize the lamp, Joan?

It was easy to furnish Kate's apartment.  She just picked from all the furniture that we left in NJ. 

Lori and Grant kayaking on the reservoir

Kate with her adopted US parents, Carol and Ray. 

  

The state newspaper uses local citizens to conduct roving restaurant reviews.  They travel via the Munchmobile which we spotted in Red Bank, NJ. 

While Kate was at medical school orientation, Lori, Grant & I went to Hershey, Pennsylvania, "The Sweetest Place on Earth".  It's amazing what Milton Hershey did in building a company and a company town.   He started the company in 1900 in the middle of dairy country so he would have ready access to fresh milk.  By 1905 he had the world's largest chocolate factory and was the first to market chocolate nationally.  The town was a model for company towns with employee owned housing, good schools and recreational facilities -- one of which eventually became HersheyPark -- the ultimate reason for our visit. 

As most of you probably know, HersheyPark is an amusement park with most of the amusement coming from roller coasters.  As you may also know, roller coasters and I do not always get along.  However, I managed to go on every coaster except two.  My stomach behaved itself and there were no visits from the "great vacuum from outer space". 

Hamming it up on the log flume ride

The roller coaster professionals before take-off

Lori and Grant in the front car.

Lori looking calm before take-off on Stormrunner.  From the HersheyPark website, "This one-of-a-kind coaster will launch you from 0-72 mph in 2 seconds flat. 18 stories straight up, straight down. And that's just the beginning. You'll fly through a 135 foot cobra loop, barrel rolls, and a dramatic flying snake dive so fast, you won't know which way is west. Experience STORM RUNNER, only at HERSHEYPARK, the first hydraulic launch coaster to feature inversions. "  She and Grant rode it about five times.  I rode it twice.

This ride brings back memories (bad ones) from the Rock Island County Fair many years ago. 

It looked so fun when Lori and Grant rode the swings that I decided to ride next time.  Big mistake.  I had to sit down for several minutes afterward. 

One morning we were the first ones to ride the Great Bear and we chose the front seats.  The seats hang below the track so there's nothing in front of you as you plunge 10 stories at 60 mph.  As you can see, Grant loved it.