Tulip Festival in Orange City, Iowa

Tulips from Amsterdam

Tulip Festivals in Amerika

The Orange City (Iowa) Tulip Festival – an entertaining celebration of the best of small-town America – showcases for 100,000 visitors this thriving community's rich Dutch heritage. Festivities include music and dancing by hundreds of children and adults in intricate authentic costumes, two daily parades featuring top area marching bands, nightly musical theater, a carnival midway, fun ethnic food treats, plus  thousands of tulips and a dozen reproduction windmills throughout a charming village.  

Breng ons een bezoek! Come and visit us!

***

Hi my friends,

We have visited last year Orange City in Iowa, but unfortunately we have missed the legendary beautiful Tulip Festival for some days. We have visited some family members there - of Dutch origin of course! If you get a chance to be in that region, don't miss out that festival, it worth's to see it.

Thank you for all the comments yesterday - the blue color is present also in today's flower of spring, but in a little more abstract version.

See you soon....

Susanne

 

 

check out my new website: http://susanne-van-hulst.artistwebsites.com

It's pretty and it's blue...

Lets find those pretty blue flowers!

Hi my friends,

Thank you all so much for the great, nice, kind, sweet, funny and wonderful comments to my strawberry post from yesterday. You made me smile :)

This is my gift in reverse for you ALL out there - a pretty blue flower hanging over the wall of a house in Key West.

I wish you a sunny day and I'll see you tomorrow again. It's time for me to get out of the house, it's just to good weather here and nice warm, after all that rain from yesterday....

Take care and see you soon...

Susanne

***

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pep up your office and your house. 

All the photographs are available in prints, framed or stretched on canvas.

It's Strawberry-Time again...!

It's Strawberry - Time!

 Try a wonderful recipe, like the following below. 

It's sooooo delicious!

Strawberry Crêpe with Orange Ragout

Ingredients:

Filling
- powdered sugar
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 vanilla (piece)
- ginger
- 2-3 small pieces cinnamon
- small piece orange zest
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups strawberries
- 1 cup sliced oranges

Dough
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1/3 cup butter

Directions:

Blend flour, salt, eggs, milk and melted butter in a blender til smooth. Rest for 30 minutes. Then bake 4 crepes in a buttered pan. Keep warm in the oven.

Meanwhile prepare the filling. Caramelize the powdered sugar in a pot til light brown. Pour in the orange juice, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon and orange zest and keep simmering about 10 minutes. Take out the spices, melt in a small piece of cold butter. Afterwards put in quartered strawberries and the orange slices to warm up.

Take the crepes from the oven and serve them with the filling on warm plates.

Serves 4 

Hi my friends,

one of the best things of spring are also the Strawberries in the market - I love them over everything! O.k. maybe not everything - hubby is sweeter as they are....*smile*...

I'm going into the cooking business now and I'm posting now a delicious recipe for you -  you should give it a try and you'll not regret, I promise :)

Thanks for all the kind comments yesterday.

See you again, tomorrow or the next day. I have some projects going on, but I hope I can make time to post something.

See you!

Susanne

***

See my NEW website and if you like something, buy it :)

All the photographs there are available in prints, framed or stretched on canvas.

My Wordless Sunday in 2010 - #11

When was the last time...

When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing - just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blowing the tree limbs, or waves rippling on a pond, a flickering candle or children playing in the park?
Ralph Marston

Hi my friends,

I wasn't surprised that so many of you liked that old and beautiful Studebaker car in my last post yesterday. It was indeed the perfect match together with those pastel Florida colors of that old time Motel in New Smyrna Beach. I fell in love too with the subject at the first moment.

I have not to much to say today. It's Saturday and weekend anyway for you. The best thing to say is only: ENJOY your days off, enjoy your life!

Tomorrow is my "Wordless Sunday" again, be there....! ;)

Susanne

***

See my NEW website and if you like something, buy it. 

All the photographs there are available in prints, framed or stretched on canvas

A Visit in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

The beach in New Smyrna Beach - park your car right on the beach

The beach where people are driving their cars out on the sandy beach

View trough the fence

The perfect match: an old Studebaker car and the typical old beach town Motel, 

say "Hello" to Nostalgia.

History about New Smyrna Beach

The area was settled in 1768, when Scottish physician Dr. Andrew Turnbull established the colony of "New Smyrna." The colony occupies a notable place in history by being the single largest attempt by a member of the British Crown at colonization in the New World. Turnbull transplanted around 1500 settlers, from Minorca, Majorca, Ibiza, Smyrna, Crete, Mani Peninsula, and Sicily, to grow hemp, sugarcane, indigo, and to produce rum.

The colony suffered major losses due to insect-borne diseases and Native American raids; and tensions grew due to mistreatment by Turnbull. Due to these complications, the remaining colonists marched north to St. Augustine along the Old King's Highway, to claim mistreatment by Turnbull to the Governor of Florida in St. Augustine in 1777; then a British protectorate..

Soon after, St. Augustine was returned to the Spanish, and Turnbull abandoned his colony for life in Charleston, South Carolina.

The St. Photios National Shrine on St. John's Street in St. Augustine, Florida, honors the settlers of New Smyrna, who were the first Greek Orthodox followers in North America. The historical exhibit adjoining the Chapel tells the moving story of their plight in great detail, with accompanying exhibits.


The area was then only sparsely populated due to the frequent raids by Seminole Indians. During the American Civil War in the 1860s the still-standing "Stone Wharf" was shelled by Union gunboats. In 1887, the Town of New Smyrna was incorporated with a population of 150. In 1892, the arrival of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway lead to an increase in the area's population and a boom in its economy, which was based on tourism, citrus, and commercial fishing industries.

During prohibition in the 1920s the city and its river islands were popular sites for moonshine stills and hideouts for rumrunners coming in from the Bahamas through Mosquito Inlet, now Ponce de León Inlet. "New Smyrna" became "New Smyrna Beach" in 1947, when the city annexed the seaside community of Coronado Beach. Today, it is a bustling resort town of over 20,000 permanent residents, with over 1,000,000 visitors annually.

Like its Spanish partner to the north, St. Augustine, New Smyrna has stood under four flags: first the British, then the Spanish, then the American flag in 1845, followed by the Confederate Jack, and finally replaced the Stars and Stripes again.


Hi my friends,
we took a ride to New Smyrna Beach, located close to Daytona Beach - just for fun and to get out of the house for a little bit. It's wonderful warm now, it's really springtime also here. We have visited the beach with all that activities going on. A lot of younger people were there, it must be springbreak-time too.

I hope you'll enjoy the pictures and have a wonderful Friday. Weekend....yeah!
Susanne

Visit my website:

http://susanne-van-hulst.artistwebsites.com

Bring your own Sunshine

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
Anthony J. D'Angelo

Hi my friends,

I'm glad you liked my Dandelion photo from yesterday so much. Thanks for all the comments, you make always my day :)

I wish you all a sunny day and don't forget to "bring your own sunshine" with you!


See you there!
Susanne

See my NEW website and if you like something, buy it. 

All the photographs there are available in prints, framed or stretched on canvas

Dandelion Flower - Sign of Spring

It's springtime - Yeah!

The Medicinal use of the Dandelions

Dandelions, 

flowers, roots and leaves, have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine & medicinal teas, most notably for liver detoxification, as a natural diuretic and for inflammation reduction. Unlike other diuretics, dandelion leaves contain good amounts of potassium, a mineral that is often lost during increased urination. There is also evidence that this property of dandelion leaves may normalize blood sugar.  

Read more about, here

Hi my friends,

Now it's official, it's springtime. I hope it's arrived everywhere you are living, so you can enjoy also the coming warmer days  :)

Thank you for all the wonderful comments to my posts recently. Looking forward to all the new ones coming up....LOL...

I wish you a great day and see you tomorrow, right? :)

Susanne

Visit my new website and if you like something, buy it. 

With your purchase You'll support a starving artist - that's me....*smile*...

My Wordless Sunday in 2010 - #10

There is no abstract art

There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.
Pablo Picasso

Hi my friends,

Thank you for all the comments. I wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Sunshine to you!

Susanne

I have a new website. 

I'm still working on and uploading more photographs every day.

They are all available as a print, framed or even stretched on Canvas. Click and have a look and if you like something, buy it. 

You will make my day. Thanks.

Beach Treasures

Seashells, captured at one of the beaches at the Space Coast, Florida

A seashell, also known as a sea shell, or simply as a shell, is the common name for a hard, protective outer layer, a shell, or in some cases a "test", that was created by a sea creature, a marine organism. The shell is part of the body of a marine animal. In most cases a shell is an exoskeleton, usually that of an animal without a backbone, an invertebrate. Seashells are most often found on beaches.

The word seashell is most often used to mean the shells of marine mollusks, i.e. mollusk shells. It can however also be used to mean the shells of a wide variety of other marine animals from various different phyla. For helpful introductory articles, see marine invertebrates and marine biology.

As well as marine mollusks, many other kinds of sea animals have exoskeletons or even internal shells which sometimes, after death, wash up on the beach and may be picked up by beachcombers. These shells include remains from species in other invertebrate phyla, such as the moulted shells or exuviae of crabs and lobsters, the shells of barnacles, horseshoe crab shells, the tests (endoskeletons) of sea urchins, sand dollars and seastars, brachiopod shells, and the shells of marine annelid worms in the family Serpulidae, which create calcareous tubes cemented onto other surfaces.

Seashells have been admired, studied and used by humans for many different purposes throughout history and pre-history.




Hi my friends,

today we have learned something about seashells. I have copied this text from Wikipedia, it doesn't comes from my brain - I'm not that smart....*smile*....

Thank you for all the kind comments from yesterday. I see, not to many people liked or know the Italian Maestro "Zucchero" and his smoky soft voice. That's not a problem at all, I do love him :))

I wish you all a wonderful day filled with sunshine, everywhere you go!
See you again tomorrow, here on this spot. :)
Susanne

 I have a new website. 

I'm still working on and uploading more photographs every day.

They are all available as a print, framed or even stretched on Canvas. Click and have a look and if you like something, buy it. 

You will make my day. Thanks.

Something different

This is my favorite song for today - Enjoy!

Susanne

Hi my friends,

Thanks for all those wonderful and heartwarming comments from yesterday. You all made my day with your words. I appreciate every single one.

Today I try something different with my posting. I want to share with you some of my favorite pieces of art in music, once per week. I hope you'll enjoy. 

I know, my music taste is probably not every ones taste also - don't mind, this one is mine, you don't have to like it....*smile*....

Have a wonderful day!

Susanne

Visit my new website:

http://tinyurl.com/yatdh5x

Birds have wings...

Birds have wings; they're free; they can fly where they want when they want. 

They have the kind of mobility many people envy.
Roger Tory Peterson  

Hi my friends,

It's me - thanks again for all the kind comments from yesterday.

I had this picture of the flying seagull - made at Cocoa Beach - in my archives since many days and I was always thinking what can I say to this picture? Nothing....I had no ideas - until today, I've found this quote above and I like it. It describes in simple words: The dream of men of being able to fly.

Did you ever have ideas like "just flying away" to places where you never have been before? And what kind of places - where will that be?

Oh, by the way......: Happy St. Patrick's Day to all the Irish out there :)

Come back visiting me anytime, I'm still here, also tomorrow....*smile*....

Susanne

Visit my photography website

Spring is around the corner

Hi my friends,

thanks for ALL your wonderful comments and good wishes from yesterday - I love you all! Dave is at home and he feels fine. We are happy that everything is (almost) back to normal again.

The picture I have posted today is a symbol for spring time, a time of new beginning in everything, everywhere. Spring time is the most beautiful season of the year - for me.

Stay with me, stay tuned - and see you tomorrow.

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

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Last evening lights

Last evening lights at the beach

Hi my friends,

I'm back to posting again.

I had some troubled days, David were in the 

hospital for 2 days with heart problems - but today he can come back home

YEAH...!! :)

I hope everything will be back to normal again pretty soon.

Stay tuned and see you tomorrow.

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

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A pretty face with yellow eyes

Portrait of a big white Heron - captured down in Key West, Florida

Hi my friends,

I don't know to much to say to this photo - just enjoy it, ok?

It's still raining today here in Florida, on and off..... 

it's quiet a boring day, I would say :)

Thank you for ALL the wonderful compliments I got yesterday, my friends. Sunsets are like a magnet, people always love to see it for real or in a photo.

Enjoy your Friday - weekend is around the corner...yeah!

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

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Sunset at the Lake

Yesterdays sunset at Lake Washington

Hi my friends,

We drove out to Lake Washington to see the sunset. 

But the sunset yesterday was not that pretty like it was last Sunday, when the sky was colored red, like on fire. Talking about fire.... can you see the smog there in the background on the right side in the picture? I don't know anything about, but it looked like a bush or forest fire or another fire, but bigger sized.

Thank you so much for your comments to my star fish photo, 

it's very much appreciated.

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

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Sea Star - Star of the Sea

Starfish - captured on the beach in Florida

Starfish or sea stars 

are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "starfish" and "sea star" essentially refer to members of the Class Asteroidea. However, common usage frequently finds "starfish" and "sea star" also applied to ophiuroids which are correctly referred to as "brittle stars" or "basket stars".

There are over 1800 species of living species of starfish that occur in all the world's oceans, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian as well as in the Arctic and the Southern Ocean (i.e., Antarctic) regions. Starfish occur across a broad depth range from the intertidal to abyssal depths (>6000 m).

Starfish are among the most familiar of marine animals and possess a number of widely known traits,such as regeneration and feeding on mussels. Starfish possess a wide diversity of body forms and feeding methods. The extent that Asteroidea can regenerate varies with individual species. Broadly speaking, starfish are opportunistic feeders, with several species having specialized feeding behavior, including suspension feeding and specialized predation on specific prey.

The Asteroidea occupy several important roles throughout ecology and biology. Sea stars, such as the Ochre star (Pisaster ochraceus) have become widely known as the example of the keystone species concept in ecology. The tropical Crown of Thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) are voracious predators of coral throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Other starfish, such as members of the Asterinidae are frequently used in developmental biology.

Hi my friends,

thank you again for your numerous visits to my "Hammock Feelings" photo. I'm glad you liked it that much - I very much appreciate all the comments.

See you soon, talk to you later...and come back visiting.

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

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Hammock Feelings

 

The "wish you were here" effect?

Captured yesterday in a private yard on the River at the pretty Space Coast of Florida.

Hi my friends,

Thank you, thank you for all your kind comments yesterday. 

I do appreciate every single one.

The days are getting warmer now and finally, we can go "swarming out" again, like the bees in spring time do...*smile*... enjoying the warm sun on our shoulders - and taking some new pictures of course...*smile*....

See you all, stay tuned and come back.

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

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The Sky is Red as Fire

 

Yesterdays sunset, seen from my front yard.

I just have to share this with you. It was a very special and dramatic sunset!

Hi my friends,

Your so many comments to my "Wordless Sunday" photo from yesterday were nice and  overwhelming, to read all your kind words and thoughts! THANK YOU so much!

It's getting nice and warmer in Florida again, we have already 

temps in the 70's - and that's really smells like spring time now, I love it!

Stay tuned, stay with me and see you soon :)

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas, here 

or here  

  

My Wordless Sunday in 2010 - #9

Have a seat and relax

Captured in Seaside, Florida





Hi my friends,



thanks for all your visits to my last post.

You always made my day with you kind comments :))



It's sunny again here in Florida but a cool and steady wind is blowing.

You need to take a warm enough jacket for a walk on the beach.

btw...Finally, Hubby is getting better, thanks God!



I'll see you coming Sunday again with my "Wordless Sunday" photo online?

Have a good time - until then!

See'ya...!

Susanne







Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas, here

Among the Palms in Florida

Captured at the Space Coast in Florida

In Florida among the palms



Everybody sings of the sunny South

That's the song that clings to the singer's mouth

They ragtime it and boost the climate

Way up to the sky



I

Never cared a lot for the Swanee shore

There's another spot that I'm rooting for

I've been there and I must declare

It can't be praised too high



[Refrain:]

If I had my way, I'd always stay

In Florida among the palms

With its peaceful air of "I don't care"

And lazy atmosphere that calms

My one favorite haunt

Is a palm tree, and all I want

Is someone just to rest in my arms

I'd love to live among the bamboo huts, the coco nuts

There's something in the climate that charms

Heaven's corridor is sunny Florida

Home of the shelt'ring palms



[2nd verse:]

Florida was named very prettily

By the man who claimed its discovery

He spent hours among the flowers

And called it "God's Land"



And

Nature seems to sigh "it's my favorite"

That's the reason why Heaven gave her it

It was born from a diamond worn

Upon an Angel's hand





I hope you'll enjoy the picture - with the lyric.

Thanks for your visit, my friends.

Susanne









Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas, here