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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html
Showing posts with label People to People Citizen Ambassador Program. Show all posts
Showing posts with label People to People Citizen Ambassador Program. Show all posts

Friday, December 23, 2022

Precious Gift from Best Friend Ellie—Mouth Blown Glass Nativity


What is this season all about?
The Third Sunday of Advent is coming and all this leads up to CHRISTMAS the birth of our PRINCE OF PEACE.
Like to share with you a display of a beautiful nativity scene.
My dear friend Ellie gave it to me, the year we had our 25th wedding anniversary.
She for years volunteered at a Dutch 'Wereld Winkel' or Fair Trade shop.
Mouth blown glass with strokes of silver to mark hands, wings and halos. 
Baby Jesus in his manger... with an oxen to the left.
This is art work from the Andes.
Mary with her silver lined halo and the angel with silver lined wings and halo, besides their hands and some brush strokes of silver on the garment. Air bubbles are still visible...
I've placed it on a silk brocade tablecloth that Pieter did bring home from China when he went with the People to People Citizen Ambassador Program. 
See more info about the Ambassador Program at: {Silk Embroidered Birds from China Trip}.
That is a treasure of course and even more so, since Pieter got to see how they do make such silk brocade.
It is a handmade tradition of more than 2,000 years and originally only was for the emperor.
Watch this short video → Chinese brocade (Hello China #85)
Silk Brocade; fit for our PRINCE OF PEACE

Monday, June 20, 2022

Back Home from my 67th Trip to Limburg in The Netherlands

 Just to leave a token of being alive and well...
Yes, on Friday, June 17 by 19:30 I got home with our private driver (in our own car) from the Savannah Airport.
I'd flown in at JFK New York on Delta Airlines 49, earlier and then the Delta flight to Savannah, Georgia.
Pieter was happy and so was I!
And of course our kitties...
This sweet note from my Pieter awaited me:
LL—Lieve Lieverd or Dear Sweetheart in English...
Together with these Red Roses... neatly arranged in our Wedgwood Cream Color on Cream Color vase.
Detail...
Two days later I'd arranged them in a different Wedgwood Cream Color on Cream Color compote bowl.
Of course teamed up with our rose linen table cloth...

More about my trip later.
This was the 2nd time that Pieter and I have been separated for some 3 weeks...
When he went in March/April, 1987 to China for People to People Citizen Ambassador Program.
Also then, I went solo to Limburg for being with family and friends.

Related link:

Friday, October 18, 2019

Mushroom Friends in Austria and their Mushroom God Statue

Internationally both of us have met so many mushroom friends, so also in Austria.
On April of 1985, I joined Pieter as we both flew from Düsseldorf, Germany to Zürich, Switzerland and we visited with our Swiss mushroom friends, and went to Austrian mushroom friend Elmar Sohm.
It was on April 2, that this photo got taken by husband Pieter from me standing next to a kind of Pre-Columbian Maya type Mushroom God statue.
Oh, I'm wearing my favorite boots that I got gifted with, for doing my first consulting job in the Venice area of Italy. My embroidered suede boots or 'stivali di camoscio ricamato' in Italian. 
Elmar Sohm had a very unique patented Indoor Composting System where Pieter visited also with his Campbell Soup colleagues.
Here on April 16 of 1987, Pieter's American Campbell colleague is to the left, then Elmar Sohm from Austria (his name is also above their heads...), American Campbell colleague, Mushroom God, husband Pieter, son Dietmar Sohm and another young man.
~
Talking about a crazy schedule...
April 10 - Pieter just had arrived in Amsterdam from Taiwan after his 3-week trip to Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan on his People to People Citizen Ambassador Program.
April 13 - Pieter went early at 5:45 to the airport for flight from Amsterdam to England and got home by 23:30 after dropping his American Campbell Soup colleagues off at their hotel.
April 14 - Pieter went with American Campbell Soup colleagues to a mushroom farm in Boekel, The Netherlands and to Thilot, visiting Jan Thielen's plant where my youngest brother also worked at the time. Next Pieter visited with his American colleagues the Dutch Compost Cooperative...
April 15 - Pieter left at 4:45 to pick up his American colleagues at the hotel for driving to Düsseldorf, Germany for flight at 8:00 to Zürich, Switzerland...
By 9:30 my youngest brother called me that his boss, Jan Thielen, had not yet left for Switzerland where he'd have to deliver an engine at the very Kuhn mushroom plant where Pieter was on his way to...
I made a quick call and offered to be his designated driver and after Jan Thielen picked me up at my Parents', we left at 11:45. For lunch Jan had a beer, after he'd asked if I would drive. Sure I said and so I drove in his B.M.W. to Full in Switzerland. At 18:30 we surprised Jörg Kuhn, his son Hans Jörg and manager August Enzler. Pieter arrived by 19:00 after having been to their mushroom farm first. We went to the Bahnhof hotel and had a delicious meal with the Kuhns, senior and junior and the Americans. 
Bonus was that Pieter and I shared a great down duvet bed together!
April 16 - After breakfast, Jan Thielen and I drove to the mushroom farm in Full and Pieter went to the Sohm mushroom farm in Austria with his American colleagues, see photo above...
I'd driven with Jan Thielen, next to Herrenberg, south of Stutgart in Germany to visit another mushroom grower. We had lunch in a little village and by 14:45 I headed back to Horst, The Netherlands were I arrived around 20:30 after some 600 km and some 170 km/h...
Pieter had arrived only 10 minutes earlier, so flying sure does not beat driving!
April 20 - with Mom and Dad and lots of luggage in Pieter's rental car we all drove back to Amsterdam airport for our flight back to the U.S.A. - Mom & Dad's 1st Flight Ever...

Pieter did stay in touch with the advanced mushroom growing countries, for educating Campbell's Mushroom Plants' Staff and doing so in a language other than our mother tongue.  Pieter also was in the process of designing the newest Campbell plant in Hillsboro, TX which would be opened on October 7, 1987 - see post below.

Related links:

Monday, September 16, 2019

Mom & Dad's FIRST Flight EVER - Part in KLM's Business Class

Thanks to Aviodrome in The Netherlands, I did obtain a photo from KLM's Boeing 747-300 as it still was in use over 1987 when Mom & Dad made their FIRST Flight EVER; together with us!
On April 20, 1987 we left together with husband Pieter, who had circled the globe, from Atlanta via Seattle to Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei to Amsterdam for some business in Europe, following his People to People Citizen Ambassador Program; both for Campbell Soup.
During the three weeks that Pieter was in the Far East, I went to Europe.
So togethe we went back to Schiphol Airport in Pieter's rental car and relaxing in the Van Gogh Room (for Business class and Royal class only).
On March 24, while Pieter was in Beijing, China, I had gone to the bank for handing Mom & Dad 1,000 Dutch Guilders, approximately US $ 500.00 as part of the ticket price.
Sister-in-law Wilma, seen on the left, did take care of the tickets on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Photo taken by brother Jan Van den Munckhof.
Pieter would be back in Europe by April 10, on April 20 all four of us flew to Atlanta...
The next day while at home in Dublin, Georgia/USA, Mom & Dad were welcomed over the radio by 'Uncle' Bo Whaley during his talk show!
In previous posts you could read about some of our trips or just Mom & Dad with me, as Pieter had to work for Campbell Soup.
Above photo shows the final evening of Tuesday, May 12, that we sat together at table, with Pieter (who took this photo) before he had to travel to Dallas, Texas next day...
Our final Friday evening together at home... We just had gotten back from visiting some friends and Mom had received a nice hand painted cloth from India, to take back to The Netherlands.
With my KLM Courtesy Card, I got all three of us checked in at the Business Class counter and also access to the Business Class Lounge AND A BUSINESS CLASS SEAT!
Mom & Dad had seat 11A and 11B and I had 11D.
Business Class in the Boeing 747-300 was in the upper deck and also in the lower deck where the 3 of us were seated.
The only disadvantage was that I was in seat 11D, about 'half-a-row' behind their seats 11A+B, contrary to other seat rows in the center and on the right side in this Boeing.
But I happily accepted that, as it gave more leg room and seating space, complete with dinner served on china and so on.
It was a night flight so one ought to sleep as much as possible...
My brother Harry with his wife Elly did pick us up in Amsterdam and I had to do consulting work in Germany the next day...
Dad had insisted towards Pieter, that I'd use their car instead of renting me a car for the 2 weeks of work in the Bremen area, Germany.

On June 3, I did travel back home from Amsterdam, The Netherlands to Atlanta, USA with business friend Jan Thielen from Lottum, The Netherlands who gave me a ride to the airport.
In return for that ride, I could share the privilege of checking in at the business class counter and access to the business class 'Van Gogh' room with my KLM Courtesy Card. Just as we could with Mom & Dad in tow. You were allowed to bring a guest...

Those were the days of classy travel with lots of privileges!
So grateful for having been able to let Mom & Dad share in it.

Related links:
Mushroom Friends in Austria and their Mushroom God Statue | read about our insane schedule before taking Mom & Dad home with us...
St. Augustine, 1st Florida city with Mom & Dad in 1987 | previous post by me

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad with Mom & Dad and again with Pieter

Pieter had gone to China and Taiwan as a People to People Citizen Ambassador and meanwhile I went to The Netherlands.
After three weeks, Pieter briefly got reunited with me in The Netherlands and did some business for Campbell Soup in Europe that included traveling to England,  Switzerland and Austria... (see post below).
We flew back home on April 20, 1987, to Atlanta, USA, with Mom & Dad in tow for their very first flight and visit with us the coming 4 weeks.
On May 16, I would fly back to The Netherlands with Mom & Dad and did consulting work in Germany for 2 weeks before returning to the USA.
Pieter meanwhile was in Australia and in Christchurch, New Zealand for Campbell.

But on April 28, while Pieter was working for Campbell Soup, I took Mom & Dad to Atlanta for riding the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad with them.
Mom & Dad are standing in the center in front of the train that we rode around Stone Mountain.
Stone Mountain Park Georgia's No 1 tourist attraction:  click the link
Summit Skyride at present time, just click it.
This picture also shows best the Confederate Memorial. You can read more when you click on the pink.
Mom & Dad standing now before the Stone Mountain Rail Road Station and with the Confederate Memorial visible above them as I stepped far enough back.
It is HUGE, the top of the summit is 1,686 feet (514 m) above sea level and 825 feet (251 m) above the surrounding area.
To the right you see Dad pointing out something to Mom...
It was a lovely day!
Was wishing then that Pieter could have joined us...
~
On Saturday, August 8, 1987 the same year, we both went with our friend Griffin to Stone Mountain!
So happy that Pieter got to see it now as well!
So this time Pieter too got to ride the train around Stone Mountain and we hiked the 2.5 km to the summit!
Yep we dared to hike up to the summit!
Pieter wearing his Burberry polo shirt with Ghurka shorts.
What a view!
We made it back down, just in time before a thunder storm!
Pieter in the center, behind that boy...
It sure felt like being on top of the world...
We even stayed for the Laser Show!
Miss those two director chairs that Pieter got from Campbell Soup.
We had them in our front porch and a friend who watered the plants while we were abroad, had used the sprinklers and left them on without removing the chairs; they got ugly rust stains...
At least I got this photo!
Laser Show at Stone Mountain Georgia click for more info...
We spent the night in Atlanta and next day we started with breakfast at 7:30 AM and went to the Cyclorama and to the Zoo in Atlanta... Yes, a city with LOTS to see and do!

Hope you enjoyed these fond memories and thanks for your visit and comment!


Related links:
Taking Husband Pieter back to Knoxville, TN in Mom & Dad's Footsteps | previous post
{Part XVI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Taipei, Taiwan} | previous post by me
{Mom Lived 16 Days Short of Her 91st Birthday} | previous post by me with Mom & Dad's words in guest book

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

{Part XVI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Taipei, Taiwan}

By motorcoach the team did travel from Taichung to Taipei, late evening.
Checking in to their hotel Asiaworld Plaza Hotel now Sunworld Dynasty.
The People to People Citizen Ambassador Program team stayed at the Asiaworld Plaza Hotel Taipei
The Asiaworld Plaza Hotel by night, both images are from a post card.
Asiaworld  Plaza had 27 fine restaurants...
Asiaworld Plaza Hotel changed names into Holiday Inn Asia World and is now Sunworld Dynasty Hotel Taipei.
Funny how they wrote 100 Tun Hwa North Road on the post cards and here it is 100 Dun Hua North Road, Taipei...
On Wednesday, April 8 of 1987, the team did visit the National Palace Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of Chinese art treasures of China's nearly 5,000 year history.
Pieter's ticket to the NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Bone and Ivory carvings...
Gates of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan
The brochure that Pieter got is in German but the above link will give you also information.
The day got rounded off with a great dinner at the Landmark Taipei Fortuna Hotel
Sadly, that hotel is also closed down...
The menu card with gold bow...
TAIPEI FORTUNA HOTEL - FORTUNA GRILL - APRIL 8, 1987
MENU
PATE MAISON - CAULIFLOWER CREAM SOUP - SALAD OF THE SEASON - FILET OF SOLE MEUNIERE - BEEF BUTCHER STYLE ROULADE - CHOCOLATE MOUSSE 'SUCHARD' - COFFEE or TEA

While I was shopping with my sister-in-law and afterward having dinner with Pieter's brother and sister-in-law, my Mom had a phone call from Pieter, letting her know that he would arrive a day early from Taiwan!
Indeed, on Thursday, April 9, at the National Taiwan University with Dr. Chen Sun, Pieter did have a luncheon...
Pieter presented again one of his copies of Modern Mushroom Growing.
That was also the day that Pieter flew from Taipei to Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
We got briefly reunited and Pieter started on Monday a tour with his Campbell colleagues, visiting England, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria...

We flew back home to Atlanta, USA, with Mom & Dad in tow for their very first flight and visit with us the coming 4 weeks.

I did fly back to The Netherlands with Mom & Dad and did consulting work in Germany for 2 weeks before returning to the USA.
Pieter meanwhile was in Australia and in Christchurch, New Zealand for Campbell.

A total of 9 weeks on the go... and very much being apart from each other!

*

In March, the following year, Pieter received this letter from one of the participants in this People to People Citizen Ambassador Program, from Judge Robert A. Shoff:

'Dear Pieter,
I was very happy to hear from you, your letter brought fond memories of my trip to china. I found you not only the friendliest person, but the most interesting person in the group, maybe the most interesting person I have ever met. You brightened my trip, and made it worth while. My home life hasn't changed, my relationship with my friend has, I am more content with the way things are.'


Such lines are very valuable!


Related links:
{Part XV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Taichung, Taiwan} | previous post by me
{Part XIV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Encore Garden in Taichung, Taiwan} | previous post by me
{Part XIII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Hong Kong} | previous post by me
{Part XII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - By Train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong} | previous post by me
{Part XI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Impressions of Fuzhou, China} | previous post by me
{Part X of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Ming Tombs near Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part IX of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Jinshanling Great Wall of China} | previous post by me
{Part VIII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Countryside North of Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part VII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Lama Temple in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

Sunday, April 10, 2016

{Part XV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Taichung, Taiwan}

On Monday, April 6 of 1987, the team went to Nantou County...
A happy husband Pieter as they got to see by far the best about Mushroom Growing from the entire trip so far!
This is at a big mushroom farm near Taichung in Nantou County.
They got to see the cultivation of Lentinus Edodes or Shiitake on Monday April 6, arranged by Dr. J.T. Peng of the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute.
But I will not bore you with all of the mushroom slides...
Beautiful landscaping around the mushroom houses.
Knowing husband Pieter well enough, he always loves to climb up the hill, for getting an over-view photo!
It also shows the mountains in the distance.
Climbing up even higher.
Beautiful landscaping - worthwhile for anyone NOT interested in the cultivation of exotic mushrooms.
This grower even had his own Bonsai display outside.
Look at these beauties!
Even inside his office one could admire such beautiful Bonsai like this Azalea shrub.
Different angle taken...
Funny entrance in the form of two mushrooms!
The team's bus is parked here...
The day ended with dinner at a Shanghai-style restaurant, featuring prawn, eel and duck dishes.

One side of the insulated growing houses, by letting green vines creep over them!
 Grown here are Flammulina velutipes (Enokitake)
This grower was one that has been a student at Pieter's Practical Training College for Mushroom Growing, in Horst, The Netherlands.
Here he is standing on the other side of buildings, seen in the previous photo above...
Some of the growers...
Both smoking a cigarette!
The person on the right is again wearing such sleeves as seen previously in China.
This is what they are growing inside!
Here you see the fructification of the Flammulina velutipes (Enokitake) and especially my Japanese readers will recognize them.
They are now also being grown in the western world as more and more exotics are on the market.
Enokitake does have lots of health benefits!
When both, Pieter and I, did attend the First International Congress on Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products from 23-26 August 1993, in Hong Kong, it mainly was about those exotics.
Enokitake is grown on a sterilized medium, mainly saw dust.
Near one of the growing rooms Pieter spotted a field with pineapple!
Pieter also did notice the next generation of Taiwanese mushroom growers...
Mechanical harvesting of tea leaves in the Nantou County area near Taichung.
The only land locked county within Taiwan.
Yes, United States is ~ 273 times bigger than Taiwan.
This is being shown on top of my state Georgia, USA...
Husband Pieter did spend 3 nights at Hotel National Taichung Kang Rd. Taichung, Taiwan
Just click the above link. 
From the address on the above post card, only the address seems to have changed a bit...
Now it is No.57, Guanqian Road, West Dist., Taichung City 403, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
From Jin-Torng Peng, Ph.D Pieter did receive his copy of the 'stolen' Chinese version of his book about Modern Mushroom Growing! 
This is the back of Jin-Torng Peng's business card in Chinese...
Pieter received the book at the College of Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University on Monday, April 6.
Dr. Jin-Torng Peng wrote an interesting article: Overview and prospects of edible and medicinal mushrooms: production, consumption and marketing in Taiwan - just click the link.

This was an interesting part of the trip and Pieter enjoyed it thoroughly!
The discussion at the National Chung Hsing University, arranged by Dr. Y. H. Han was also very good.

After Tuesday, April 7th visit to the Enokitake Mushroom farm, the team had a late-evening transfer to Taipei via motorcoach - after dinner!

Will continue with Taipei, Taiwan...



Related links:
{Part XIV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Encore Garden in Taichung, Taiwan} | previous post by me
{Part XIII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Hong Kong} | previous post by me
{Part XII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - By Train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong} | previous post by me
{Part XI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Impressions of Fuzhou, China} | previous post by me
{Part X of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Ming Tombs near Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part IX of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Jinshanling Great Wall of China} | previous post by me
{Part VIII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Countryside North of Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part VII of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Lama Temple in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

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