| Volume 14 Issue 5 |
5/24/2022 |
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In this issue
Store Hours
Follow Us
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Letters From Ralph
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Tulip Festival Well we have just finished the busiest week of my year. Three days getting the Straatwinkel set up, three days selling and then one day taking it all down. The more we sell the less work it is to take it down. It was a good year again this year. The weather wasn't perfect, but it was good. We had all six parades, which makes it a success already. Thursday was pretty warm and Friday and Saturday were pretty cool, but the crowds were good and they loved buying Dutch souvenirs, especially wooden shoes. It is kind of fun trying to figure out what people will like each year. This year I bought a ton of key chains with little wooden shoes on them. It took me quite awhile to get them all priced, but I sold everyone with the shoes on. The only key chains I had left were one with a big heavyset Dutchmen and I think that was because they were $6.00 each instead of $2.00 or $3.00. We sold several of the nice art prints that the city had for sale and a lot of wooden shoes, both the city's and Jubon Juweelen's. All in all I think it was a very successful Tulip Festival. What made it especially nice for me is that all three of my uncles attended. My uncle from Florida also brought his two daughters along from the east coast and we had some nice family time together. I'm always sorry I don't have more time during the festival to spend with them, but several of the family stayed through Sunday and that gave us some time to visit. I hadn't seen them since before Covid.
Disc Golf 2022 Tour Several people stopped at the Straatwinkle asking about Juliana this year. Juliana is back on tour. After playing in some smaller tournaments closer to Sacramento, Jim and Juliana are on the road again. She just finished the OTB Open in Stockton, CA and came out a nice clean 3rd. She was actually tied for first on the first day for several holes and then she got into out of bounds troubles and ended up tied for 14th at the end of the day. The second day she worked her way back up to 6th with the 2nd best round of the day (out of 47 women) and the third day she again had the 2nd best round which was enough to move her up to 3rd place. This is her first podium finish in an elite DGPT event. On May 27 she will play in an A-tier event called the SeaTac Takeoff in Washington state. For the first time since his open heart surgery, her finance, Jim Oates, will also be playing. He will be competing in the MP60 (pro masters 60+). The following week Juliana will be playing in her second DGPT elite series event in Portland at the Portland Open with 52 other women. Following that she and Jim will both be competing in the Beaver State Fling in Estacada, Oregon (just south of Portland). The Beaver State event is played at Milo McIver, a stunnly beautiful course that both Jim and Juliana love playing. On June 24 (date of our next newsletter) she will play in the Preserve Championship in Clearwater, Minnesota. The Preserve will be her 3rd DGPT elite series event.
Book Reviews
Before I Say Good-Bye by Mary Higgins Clark.
Mary Higgins Clark is a prolific writer and is called the Queen of Suspense. I enjoyed this New York Times best selling book very much. It took place in New York City around the present time. Its copyright date is 2000 and the book has almost 400 pages. It was a suspense novel with lots or twists and turns.
A Cry in the Night by Mary Higgins Clark.
I enjoyed reading the first book so much that I chose another book by her to tell you about next. This one was written in 1982 and I didn't enjoy it as much because it was not a good book to read just before you try to sleep for the night. I actually thought it was kind of scary. The majority of the book took place on an isolated farm in Minnesota. It is the story of an artist who marries a girl who worked in a New York art gallery. The girl looked so much like his mother, who died tragically, that it was love at first site. The events that took place after were not very relaxing to read about. I believe the book has been made into a movie.
The Fallon Pride by Robert Jordan writing as Reagan O'Neal.
I love the 3rd book. It is historical fiction, which is one of my favorites. It starts in the year 1799 and (I'm not quite finished with it yet) right now it is into the War of 1812. Most of the action takes place in Charleston, South Carolina, but there are chapters that take place in North Africa, Ireland, New Orleans, etc. It has pirates, early politics, duals, sailing and I look forward every evening to reading another chapter or two.
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