STAN'S BLOGS

The Saturday before last, Sinterklaas visited us! He was here last year, as well, but I was in Germany and missed the whole thing. So this was all new for me, and I would have to say another "incredible" Dutch tradition to experience... The tradition of St. Nicholas (our Santa Claus) came to North America via Netherlands Protestant Settlers in New Amsterdam, now New York. It all started back in the 4th Century when a Bishop in Turkey named St. Nicholas became widely known for his good deed with poor children in Europe. His feast day became known as the Celebration of "Sinterklaas" and was held on December 6. St. Nicholas is also known as the patron saint of Amsterdam. I'll let you read more about Sinterklaas on your own, if you want. All I want to add is that Sinterklaas is assisted by many mischievous helpers with black faces and colourful outfits. These helpers are called Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes) in Dutch, and there is nothing like them. According to tradi

Had the strangest dream: I'm standing in the white, graveled driveway of our house in Cedar Grove. Those bright red, double garage doors at my back and our old, dark green, mid-1950's Buick Century in front of me with the hood open, and there's Dad standing right next to it... (If any of you remember, back then the "old Buick" had been set aside when Mom and Dad bought Otto and Lydia Frisk's newer model Chrysler. I got the idea one day, when I was around 17 or 18, that it would be cool if the Buick was my car. Dad said ok, and we spent the better part of an afternoon one summer trying to get it started. The battery was dead, of course, so Dad pushed me in the Buick with his Ford pickup for miles down Mace Road, attempted to push-start the engine. Well it never happened... we ended up having to push the old Buick all the way back home, and there it sat 'til we moved to Placerville.) ...So, back to the dream. There's the old Buick sitting there with the