My sisters in Holland

Today I took Han to my other sister Ger. She lives in the east of Holland, about one and half hour driving from where Han lives. They had not seen each other since I took Han there in June 2025. My family members get along, but were never very close to each other. Bert has struggled a bit with his health during the past four years, even though he was in excellent shape up till his 80th. We got the full explanation of his health situation once we arrived...

 Lunch was very Dutch: sandwiches. It was nice to catch up with them in person again. My two big sisters are getting up there in age, so it is good to have the opportunity to visit them.

Catching up

It is another visit offering opportunities to catch up with family and old friends in Holland. Han's second son Rutger stopped at her birthday, introducing his new girlfriend Angie. It was ten years ago that I saw Rutger during the funeral of my father. In between the social meetings, I tried to keep working on my fitness with walks and some swimming in the nice public pool of Soest.

In Amsterdam I had a long lunch with Aad, one of my colleagues during the 1985-1988 period at Fokker Aircraft. With his economics degree and being an early adaptor of things like spreadsheets, Aad spent many hours with me making a comparison model for my work for the Spanish Iberia airline. We had to compare operational costing models for thee combinations of new aircraft for this airline for their short and medium length European routes (Airbus 320 + Fokker 100, two types of Boeing aircraft, and two types of McDonnell Douglas planes). Aad built with me a multi layered spreadsheet including purchasing prices, maintenance expenses over a 10 year period, as well as various other operational expenses such as spare parts and ongoing training of pilots, cabin staff and maintenance technicians. All of the analysis results were than summarized by me in a fast moving slide presentation of just five minutes to the Board of Directors of Iberia. It got the Fokker team on the negotiation, but in the end it was McDonnell Douglas walking away with the deal. Security staff in our office building worried about the many late evenings they found Aad and me slaving away at the computers, but without all the work Aad did with me, I would never have managed that assignment. I am forever thankful, and it was so nice to have a few hours together again. While having a coffee in downtown Amsterdam, I took a photo of some of the city's little backyards. Lovely chaos.....

In Holland again

I arrived on Wednesday January 28 at the same place where I stayed the last three visits in Holland: at the guest suite of the apartment building where my sister Han lives. The next morning I woke up to a bit of a white world, so I guess I brought a bit of the snow from Canada. No comparison with what we have at the moment in Niagara though. The main reason to come this time of the year is Han turns 80 coming Sunday (Feb 1). Just a short visit of one week, but still room to catch up with others as well...

Tonight 8 of the group of 15 university friends came to Soest for a meal together. We spent a lot of time together during the 1974 - 1981 period, so good laughs about old silliness together, but also good to catch up on current affairs. A few of the others live in other countries and one was on vacation this week plus one had a bad cold these days. Two of these lifelong old friends were best men during the wedding of Mary and me in 1990 + organized a fun party week later in Amsterdam for Dutch friends & family.

Lunch today was fresh fish purchased of the street vendor who visits my sister's building once a week. Opa Vandenboom would have loved this kind of a meal...

In the meantime back in Niagara, Mary visited Fiona who started her new job in early January. She works as a volunteer coordinator for a regional organization assisting new immigrants.

Winter 2026 updates

Hilary is a few weeks in Ontario to visit friends (who all have young babies) and show us the growing baby in her belly. Three more months.... Winter hits again after a few mild spring kind of days...

The puppy dog of Mark & Carly, who is part huskie, is having a riot in the snow. Poncho, who visits us again with Hilary, does not like the snow at all. Can't blame him with his short legs....

Back in Holland my sister Ger and her husband Bert try to stay fit throughout the winter under the instructions of their oldest daughter Monique. Bert had bronchitis, so no fun. I will visit them in early February when my other sister Han celebrates her 80th on Feb 1. Just a short visit this time.

Joe & Marcy are visiting Ecuador while their two older sons Spencer and Parker are still roaming around in South East Asia, leaving their youngest Wil "home alone' in Sarnia. Wil is back at school on his way to get another diploma. Marcy and Joe send us a few pics from Quito in the Andes mountains and the giant turtles at the Galapagos Islands. 

Two months BC

Mark made these two photos on the peaks of the Revelstoke area ski mountains. He felt it was the nicest skiing he has done in his years so far. I wish I could have gone with him, but my body just does have too many aches & pains to do the deep fresh snow skiing. I have to do with my many good memories of the amazing skiing I was able to do in the Alps among them the weeklong tours past huts in the remote areas of those sensational mountain ranges. Glad Mark and the others could enjoy the Revelstoke skiing and Mary and others had fun snowshoeing one of the days...

After the skiing, boarding, snowshoeing and snowmobiling we had a sauna session before one of the dinners. Then it was back to Penticton (four hour drive past some of the beautiful lake areas), where we stayed one more day before flying back to Ontario, leaving Hilary & Shayd back in their regular ritme. Mary and I had two very nice months in BC. One more walk along Okanagen Lake and one more look from up on the mountain in the Crooked Tree apartments. A few more days and it will be 2026...

It is a boy!

On Christmas Eve a cake brought the surprise news that Hilary is pregnant with a boy! An original way to let the family know about the gender of the baby. April will be around the corner even though Hilary might argue differently....

Christmas together in BC

Sue, Ralph and Fiona came over to stay with us in the Crooked Tree apartment for a few days before Christmas. Mark and Carly also came and stayed in the condo of Hilary & Shayd. Marcy, Joe and Wil came a few days later and went straight to Revelstoke to spend the days with all of us during Chirstmas. In Penticton the gang went skiing on Mount Apex and we enjoyed a floating sauna with polar dip.

Revelstoke is one of the prime ski resorts in the Canadian Rockies. The gang had good fun with lots of fresh snow to ski and snowboard. A wonderful way to spend this Christmas together....