1. This first photo was taken June 9, 2003 about 8pm - showing the evening sun's effect on lighting in the back garden. Facing west. In foreground see that green beans are about 6" tall - they sprouted a week ago.

2. Dusk on the summer solstice, 10:10pm, June 21, 2003. (See light on in workshop on right wall.) I went to sleep about 12:30am so I could see how long dusk lasted which I estimated to be 12:10am. The sun again rises about 3:15am now. For about a month we will hover in this long daylight - so unless one gets up midnight till 3am we go to bed and rise in daylight. I had a problem with this at first; Stan said just pretend you're taking a nap - that worked.

3. Pictures 3. through 12. were taken in the middle of the day on June 7, 2003. All the flowers are from our front and back gardens. This photo shows the blackberry bush blooming.

4. Baby grapes on garden shed wall in backyard. 6/7/03.

5. Our plum tree is producing good looking fruit. 6/7/03.

6. Right behind the plum tree on the back fence is this honeysuckle vine. 6/7/03.

7. Large marigold in vegie patch. See ant near bottom of bloom. 6/7/03.

8. Violas waiting to be transplanted from front to backyard. 6/7/03.

9. Cosmos in front garden. 6/7/03.

10. A new variety of daisy called "strawberry" from back garden. 6/7/03.

11. A perrenial flower in front garden. I don't know the name. 6/7/03.

12. A bumble bee enjoying the blue Felicia in back garden. 6/7/03.

13. Photos 13 - 20 were taken during a visit by our friend, Aloys, on June 22, 2003. We had lunch in the back garden, then Stan and Aloys went for a bike ride through the dunes to the North Sea a couple of miles south of Castricum. (Aloys rode his bike to our house from downtown Amsterdam.) Then we all had a barbecue and enjoyed watching the bluetit (called pimpelmezen in Dutch) parents go in and out of their nest bringing worms and insects to their babies. See photo collection http://www.susankramer.com/birds.html
Stan and Aloys on back patio, June 22, 2003.

14. Susan and Aloys in garden. June 22, 2003. Blue tit nesting box near top of wall on right side of terrace.

15. Aloys in dunes in front of a field of wildflowers identified below. June 22, 2003.

16. Aloys in foreground walking toward North Sea a couple of miles south of the Castricum beach - low tide. June 22, 2003.

17. View of the rolling dunes just east of the North Sea. June 22, 2003.

18. The lavender flower is an orchid. Aloys said there must have been 150 of them in the field here in the dunes. June 22, 2003.

19. Again in the dunes, these are called ratelaars. June 22, 2003.

20. In the dunes facing the North Sea; these are teunisbloem (originally out of North America) and the slangenkruid family. June 22, 2003.

21. July 26, 2003. Front garden - I sewed the window shears this week. This summer I redid this courtyard first removing 17 pavers each 15"x24" and putting in bushes and annuals - in the center in front of the picture window is a magnolia 'susan' which is winterhardy here.

22. July 26, 2003. We have been enjoying green beans every other day for a week now - 7 weeks from sowing to harvest.

23. July 26, 2003. The grape vines are taking over the wall and more. In the bottom left corner is the herb garden. In the center are the vine crops.

24. July 26, 2003. And here are those vine crops. The pumpkin vines are spreading up the wall and along the ground under the plum tree. We have cucumbers and yellow zucchini; we're just beginning to eat the zucchini which took 8 weeks from sowing till first harvest.

25. July 26, 2003. A view of the 'forest section' looking toward the back of the house. The tomatoes located in the background on the left wall are green but none have ripened. Next year we (I mean Stan) are going to build a mini greenhouse in the spot where the tomatoes  or the pumpkins are and grow the tomatoes in it all season. (I may grow the vine crops against the front wall of our house.) It is too cool at night for the tomatoes to ripen well in our climate. I watched a gardening show on the BBC and they showed a glass greenhouse for tomatoes and peppers in the midst of the vegetable patch. Not a single one of our pepper plants even sprouted from seed. These 5 pixs were taken about 11am. We have daylight till 11:15pm now.

Family and Travels in The Netherlands &
Family in Maryland USA, 2001 http://www.susankramer.com/familypix.html
Family in Chicago 2001  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix2.html
Family and Travels in California 2001   http://www.susankramer.com/familypix3.html
Photos of Paris 2001  http://www.susankramer.com/parisphotos.html
Christmas in The Netherlands, December 2001  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix4.html
Family, Friends & Views in America and Europe  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix5.html
Kröller-Müller Museum sculpture garden, The Netherlands  http://www.susankramer.com/sculptures.html
Dolls & Bunnies  http://www.susankramer.com/dolls.html
Trip to Emmen, The Netherlands  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix6.html
Memories from the Past  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix7.html
May 2002 - Birthdays, Polly and Greg, Chicago and California  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix8.html
May 17-23, 2002, Santa Barbara and Goleta, California  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix9.html
May 17-23, 2002, More Events in California http://www.susankramer.com/familypix10.html
Western Europe and the USA http://www.susankramer.com/ourworld.html
Summer Vacations 2002, Part I  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix11.html
Summer Vacations 2002, Part II  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix12.html
Stan's Family in The Netherlands  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix13.html
House in Castricum  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix14.html
Hoffman and Melocik Family Photos  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix15.html
Christmas in The Netherlands 2002  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix16.html
Christmas (and more) in America 2002  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix17.html
Castricum, March 2003 and Beyond  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix18.html
Castricum, House and Garden, April 2003 http://www.susankramer.com/familypix19.html
Castricum, Gardens, Aloys, June and July 2003 http://www.susankramer.com/familypix20.html
Bluetits - Pimpelmezen  http://www.susankramer.com/birds.html
Rice family visits The Netherlands  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix21.html
Trip to Family in America, September 2003  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix22.html
Garden and Birds in Castricum, November 2003  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix23.html
Christmas in Castricum, December 2003  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix24.html
NewYear's Day Snow, January 1, 2004  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix25.html
Pa's 83rd Birthday, January 23, 2004  http://www.susankramer.com/familypix26.html

email and web site: stan@powertoshare.com--http://www.powertoshare.com
email and web site: susan@susankramer.com--http://www.susankramer.com