Oak Grove Campground, Holland MI

Now hear this!

We are locked in at the campground and couldn't leave if we wanted. There are trailers all around us. This view is to the left front where we are to make a left turn.

Marlies is busy with her knitting while I'm fooling around with the computer.

This was a first test picture on my repaired camera. See below for an explanation.

Today is Saturday. Yesterday was not a good day. Marlies had a terrible headache and wound up taking 8 sinus pills. We did not leave the coach until early in the afternoon.

Took a trip to the Dutch attractions around here and then wound up in downtown Holland. It was a very big surpise. It seems like every small town we visit has a decaying downtown where the main businesses are antique shops and wannabee restaurants. Here it was different. Downtown was impressive and reminded one of Naples or other high end tourist towns. I could not take any pictures of the downtown area as my Nikon fell out of the car as I opened one of the rear doors. More on this below.

So we go to where the tulips are in April & May. Right now all of that is shut down and all one can see are empty fields and of course the stores for the tourists.

We do our obligatory shopping and wind up with a wooden shoe for Oma & Opa, our normal purchase of a cup noting the place and some baked goods which reminded us of Oldenburg. It's really much the same there. The folks were surpised that Oma and Opa were also German.

The baked goods had different names but Honigkuchen & Spekulatius tastes the same regardless of name.

Inside the shop were various manufacturing areas including this place where they make wooden shoes with modern equipment. We remember it otherwise. Each shoe was hand made and then got a leather strip in front so the wood wouldn't bother the ankles while walking. Here they make these shoes pretty much for show as souveniers not as actual walking or working shoes.

My phanfare website has more pictures of this place. Now we head for the flower shop.
Marlies picks out a couple of colorful Amaryllis for 3 bucks and I buy on a two for one price of $4.99
(1) a Bigleaf Ligularia or Leopard Plant or Golden Groundsel or Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona' (all names work) but to be officially correct:

Family: Asteraceae (ass-ter-AY-see-ay)
Genus: Ligularia (lig-yoo-LAR-ee-uh)
Species: dentata (den-TAY-tuh)
Cultivar: Desdemona
and
(2) a Rodgersia pinnata 'Chocolate Wing'
Family: Saxifragaceae (saks-ih-frag-AY-see-ay)
Genus: Rodgersia (rod-JER-see-uh)
Species: pinnata
Cultivar: Chocolate Wings

Both are purple or maroon and like moist soil in heavy shade. Something for my shade garden.

Now back to Holland. I dropped the camera and busted the UV filter screwed into the lense pretty badly. I looked around for a camera store but couldn't find anything downtown. Aftre our stop at the Alpenrose Konditorei for Torte I was told to go to Lakewood Photo & Video and given directions. I noted them but figured I'll first give my GPS a chance to take me there. Keyed in Lakewood camera and came up with three such places. I go to the nearest and it had disappeared. I go to the next nearest 20 miles away in Jetison, MI and it too was gone. This had happened to me before. In Elkhart I was looking for a Sherwin-Williams store to get maroon paint for the nick in my coach. Two stores also had gone away before I found one right next to the motel were we had stayed for a week.

Anyway, it was late and I gave up my search. On the way back - there was Lakewood Photo & Video, right on Lakewood Blvd where it belonged. The two girls there treid to help me but really didn't know anything and had me come back the next day to see Tom, the owner. So I was back there today and he removed the bent filter and sold me a new one for $24. All is well and my pictures are OK. There is no damage to the camera.

This is my first blog with pictures. Just wanted to try it out with different size pics.

This is the smallest picture size. Above are large and medium. This shot shows the Oak Grove park before the crowds came for the weekend. The street is not exactly conducive to make turns on. The trailers manage as they can do a greater then 45 degree turn with their trucks.

We'll wait until they have all left on Sunday to go back to work and then maneuver out of here.