We got up, feeling refreshed on Monday, ate a satisfying breakfast at the hotel and started our journey out into the countryside.

Before we got on the road, we stopped at a bank's ATM machine for cash and a local grocery store to purchase water and fruit (most meals here consist of bread, meat and cheese, and I miss my veggies and fruit).

Then we headed out to a village on the water where we rented some bikes for the day.

Ferrys go out to the islangs that dot the North Sea. The islands are a popular vacation spot for the Dutch and this time of year is when the Dutch are on vacation, so we saw waves and waves of people heading for the ferry terminals.

We rode around the village and surrounding countryside for a couple of hours. These small Dutch villages are so charming.

We then headed to Tzum, the very small village where one of Mark's great grandfathers lived before he immigrated to the United States.

We stayed at a Bed & Breakfast that was in an old farmhouse just on the outskirts of Tzum and while there we were so lucky to find a piece of the puzzle that was missing from Mark's grandfather's history.

Mark's great grandfather had been orphaned at an early age and eventually wound up in Tzum. His grandfather referred to his home there as an orphanage, but no-one could find a history or any records of the orphanage.

Staying at the farmhouse was a stroke of luck because the proprieter of the Bed & Breakfast was familiar with some of the local history and was interested in Mark's grandfather's story. That evening he discussed the story with a friend of his who had a book that described the "orphanage" where Mark's grandfather lived (I'll post more about that in another blog entry).

That evening we headed to Franaker for dinner. Franaker is a village that is about 2 miles from Tzum.

We walked around Franaker that evening and I thought these geraniums planted along the buildings was quite beautiful.

  

We arrived in the Netherlands around 7:30 am local time (1:30 am ET) after having flown all night. My hopes of sleep while on the plane did not materialize.

Mark really believes the best way to overcome jet lag is by staying up as long as possible (at least until about 7:00 pm local time), so after we picked up the car at the rental agency, we drove to a popular tourist spot and walked around for a few hours.

After we'd seen the various demonstrations there (making cheese and wooden shoes) and after touring one of the working windmills we drove to the hotel where we had a delicious lunch. Then we walked around some more until we were finally able to check-in to our room. As soon as we got there, I had to take a 4 hour nap (despite Mark's warnings that I would regret it the next day). Mark was a trooper and stayed up until about 7:00 pm.

  

  

  

For planning purposes, the next few Pulitzer Prize winning books and meeting dates are:

07/11/10:  “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker
08/22/10:  “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
10/03/10:  “Tinkers” by Paul Harding (the 2010 winner)

The Epilogue Book Club meets every six weeks to discuss Pulitzer Prizing winning books. 

  

I spent most of the day at the Hydrangea Festival.  The Douglas County Chamber Singers sang at O’Neal Plaza this morning and then I ambled down to the Old Courthouse to see the Marketplace.  Then I attended a lecture by Erica Glasener, Horticulturist, Author and Host of HGTV’s “A Gardener’s Diary.”   After the lecture was concluded, I went to the Flower Show.

  

I got downtown around 7:00 am to make copies of the Final Exam for my class.  Today is the last day of class for me and then I’ll be entirely focused on grading. 

It is a lovely spring morning and at this time of day the streets and sidewalks are practically vacant.  I love walking through the Fairlie Poplar district (which is where I snapped this picture).

  

  

  

  

The church sanctuary was full and about one-third of the balcony was filled. We had fun tonight.