Gary Kirkpatrick

Artist and travel blogger.

In a Hopper Cafe

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In a Hopper Cafe, Acrylics on Arches, 57 x 76 cm, 22.5 x 30”

“In A Hopper Cafe” is another in the series echoing the work of American artists Edward Hopper, this one inspired by Hopper’s ‘Chop Suey.  Strong lines contrast with fuzziness in the figures, hard lines with soft, outdoors with the indoors, the comparative focus of the indoor scene with the uncertainty of whatever lies beyond with but a slim barrier of safety.

We are social creatures. Our connections keep us informed. Yet we are also separate. We have to reach across space as well as other barriers, whether the barriers be based in culture, gender or other factors.

Dokkum, crawling under bridges

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August 25, 2019 
 
In 2000 we came to Dokkum, a small town in Friesland, the northeast section of the Nederlands.   It has two thatched roof windmills whose sails are lit at night with a subtle purple light.  

 

 

Viking in Dokkum, water color, 8 x 8″

 

 

Viking in Dokkum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viking in Dokkum

File source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joure,_straatzicht_met_kerk_foto4_2011-04-26_17.19.JPG

File source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dokkum,_straatzicht4_foto1_2009-09-19_13.04.JPG

On the way to Dokkum we stopped in a tiny town called Wijns (wines).  There are 258 residents as of the last official count.  Many were in the small park next to the restaurant, which was booked for lunch and had no reservation space for dinner, although we got in as it turns out there is a section reserved for those without reservations –  who would have thunk it?  Children frolicked in the canal.  Women changed clothes behind trees and sun bathed topless.  Boats loped past.  Sheep plead for dinner, not to be it. 
 

Wijns, a small village near Dokkum, pen and ink, Company, 6″ x 8″ 15 x 21 cm

    
To the southeast there is a route back to Leeuwarden, rather than the route we took to get here.  There are 7 or 8 bridges that are barely high enough to pass under.   We have to come to a complete stop and kneel on the deck as we pass under the bridge.  Many of the bridges are lined with kids who dive or jump into the water on this hot day.   At one bridge two older teens climbed onto our swim platform, talking to us as we proceeded.  It was getting too far for a swim back to the bridge when they saw people coming towards us on a small boat.  They asked for a ride back and were welcomed aboard.  They swam over to the craft.  

 

 

Southeast of Dokkum, barely three inches/8 cm to spare

 

 

We came to a mooring that promised shade for the remainder of the day.  We had just this boat with two people and a gaggle of noisy Canadian geese for neighbors.  Wine and cheese on the deck!  

 

Mooring in the shage

 

 

Waves droves us back

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August 15, 2019   
After a night in Lemmer, on the Ijsselmeer side of the lock, we ventured forth onto the Ijsselmeer with Force 2-3 winds predicted.  It all went well enough in the protected area, with just a slight chop as you would expect from that level of wind.  Once we left the protected area waves began to build and soon we were in 1/2 meter (about 18″) waves.    This is not enough to cause discomfort in our boat.  However after about 30 minutes we were in 1 1/2 meter waves and Force 4 winds.  Our progress slowed dramatically, the bow forced well up to get over the waves, air making the ride very uncomfortable.  We discussed turning around for a few minutes when a bit of flat water appeared so I opened the throttle fully and made the turn as quickly as possible hoping to avoid some severe rocking.  Suddenly it seemed as if the water was flatter and we rode comfortably back to Lemmer. 
 
My concern was only our discomfort but also that the pounding we were getting would stir up dirt in the bottom of the fuel tanks and clog the fuel filter.  Changing filters, especially for the first time for me on this boat, would not have been fun.  I changed the filters about a week later and I am extra glad that I did as it took a few times to get all the air out of the system so the engine would start.  Diesels will not run if there is any air in the fuel as the injectors will not pop the fuel into the cylinders.  It took about 10 minutes of trying to get the motor going, and this was while in a quiet mooring.   In a rough sea with sea sickness a real possibility, it would have been much longer.
 
We paid another 5 Euros to pass through Lemmer’s narrow canal running through the center then headed for an island near Woudsend.  We met friends at a good free mooring at which to wait out the wind.  After a day or two we went to a mooring on the lake.  We fought the wind to moor and just stayed a night.  There is a better mooring close to Joure, so we moved there the next day.  Joure is the home of Douwe Egbert, founded in Joure in 1753 as a general store by Egbert Douwe and Akke Thijssesa,  later moving into coffee, tea and tobacco.   Their son Douwe and his wife Ymke Jacobs took over.  The company is still in the family.   The aroma of coffee permeates the air in the area of the plant, sitting on the outskirts of town.  The original shop is now part of the museum complex.   
 
Joure’s central street is lovely, as you can see in the photo.  While we were there one of the bars had live rock and roll music – the lively group played Jail House Rock while we were there –  with a enthusiastic crowd spilling onto the sidewalk in the sun.  

 

 

Joure’s main street (wiki photo)

 
 
The next day we moved to Sneek, mooring in front of the Waterpoort, the fabulous gorgeous gate facing the canal. 

 

Waterpoort, Sneek, Nederlands pen and ink, Company, 6″ x 8″ 15 x 21 cm

Dating from the 10th century, Sneek (pronounced ‘snake’) was built on a sandy peninsula at a waterway called the Magna Fossa, built when the now extinct Middelzee became silted.   There was a dike at the juncture, reflected in the street layout and names such as “Hemdijk”, “Oude Dijk” and “Oosterdijk”.  While we were there I was also allowed to visit the Gamma, so I could repair the mast clamp which was damaged by the pounding in the Ijsselmeer.  The Gamma is a retailer of bolts, nuts, screws, tools, paint, wood, etc.  I went by bike as its over a mile.  It was a ride made longer by the wind and threats of rain.  
Sneek seems to be a center of entrepreneurial activity.   A major clother CandA was founded in the city in 1867.  There is quite a bit of industry in the city to this day, including a candy factory, steel, rope and machinery production.  

 

Old Burger Weeshuis. Kleine Kerkstraat. wiki

 

 

Waterpoort, Sneek, Nederlands pen and ink drawing

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Sneek is a small city in Friesland, the northeast part of the Nederlands.  It has a gorgeous gate and other architectural gems.  It faces the canal.  We were moored just in front of it.

 

 

Waterpoort, Sneek, Nederlands pen and ink, Company, 6″ x 8″ 15 x 21 cm

Three pen and ink drawings from recent travels in the Nederlands

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August 17, 2019

 

We stayed on an island near Woudseen, from which I drew this scene.  It is  a tranquil spot with room for about 12 boats.  The island has many mice who dig in the sand.  We were there for two nights.  

 

 

 

 
This mooring is on the outskirts of Lelystad,  also a free mooring with room for 3 or 4 boats.  You can get to Lelystad by bike easily.  It’s a pretty ride through the forest part of the way.   There were several groups of rowers while we were there for a few days.  

 

 

On an Island Heeg and Woudsen, near Lelystad, pen and ink, 6″ x 8″ 15 x 21 cm

 
The Batavialand Museum in Lelystad offers a very interesting visit.   The Batavia replica is a major attraction.  The original dates from circa 1628.  It was the flagship of the Dutch East India Company.  The exploitation of the resources of Indonesia was the major contributor to the country’s Golden Age, from which much of its finest architecture and art dates.  The Company made Holland the world’s largest trading nation at the time.  Even today Holland is a major trading nation, the world’s fifth largest according to a guide.   You can walk almost everywhere on the ship.   

 

 

 

 

Sketch of the Batavia, Dutch East India Company, 6″ x 8″ 15 x 21 cm

 

There is a superb tapestry recounting the history of the region created by 27 volunteers, one of whom was inspired to do so after seeing the Bayeaux Tapestry.  It starts around 6000 years ago at the time of the earliest known settlement, moving to the Roman era, the middle ages and Dutch Golden Age with the founding and development of the Dutch East India Cmpany.   It then moves to the creation of the polder in the late 1920’s and up to the present day.  Peg made a video of a large portion of it.    [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_4Utat-Go4[/embedyt]  
 
There is an exhibit displaying the archaeological findings from the earliest period.   Childen played in a waterworks exhibit, lifting and moving water and boats.  So Dutch!    You walk outside to get to the Batavia, build some 30 years ago and in need of major repairs.  It will be coming out of the water soon and will probably be closed to visitors for several years.   

 

 

 

 

Giethoorn to Lemmer

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Giethoorn is a waterland fantasy, a tiny village founded by a flagellant sect from somewhere in the Mediterranean, per the wiki.  I think they were Italians as I have read so somewhere a while back.  Now it is a major tourist destination and often referred to as  the Venice of the North, it is best seen from the punters, traditional flat bottom boats.  it is the combination of thatched roofs, lush gardens, canals and the 150 foot bridges that makes the place so charming.   There is a mere 2700 inhabitants so a walk, bike or boat tour does not take more than an hour and a half.

 

My paintings and drawings.  Some are still available for sale.

 

 

Giethoorn, 3 bridges post card A6

 

Giethoorn, Boat Nears Bridge, watercolor A6

 

View of Giethoorn (acrylics) A3 16.5 x 11.5″ in a private collection

Giethoorn Bridge pen and ink. Our boat takes us into the canals

Giethoorn Two Houses – watercolor on post card stock

Giethoorn, boat nears bridge, watercolor

Giethoorn Canal with Bridge pen and ink

Giethoorn Eyes Us – pen and ink

 

Peg’s photos:

 

 

Pagentry in the campo

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August 9, 2019 
 
Zwartesluis (Black lock) is a tiny village, so tiny that it’s main feature is the lock through which we passed.  So where were all the cars, bikes and pedestrians passing by the boat going to?  We got the bikes off the bow and followed the flow towards the bridge.  There workers were collecting a paring fee from cars.  I asked one where to go and the pointed over the bridge, telling us to look for the fairway, apparently referring to one of those small carnivals that visit country towns in the summer.  There was always one in Pearl River, where I grew up and learned to dislike most of the rides. 
 
Down the street about a mile we saw where most were turning left.  We followed them into the crowd, where at yet another bridge over a canal, this a smaller one, there were vendors selling ice cream and fried fish (of course) and a large calliope belting out a polka.  We followed the crowd along the canal to where the canal was lined with those awaiting the parade in front of thatched roof houses with beautiful flower gardens.  I assumed it would be a parade of small motorized craft given the dimensions of the canal.  I was wrong, as I learned as soon as the sun went down. 
 
First came a floating band followed by someone in a boat making balloons for the kids.  Then around the curve came this: 
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfln3RkxNqE[/embedyt]
 
 

 

 

This all in the midst of a very friendly crowd with their children, dogs and bikes. We asked a man sitting on the grass in front of us about the parade.  He said it was an annual affair.  There are no sponsors indicated on any of the floats.  Muck of the music on the floats was recorded, with some very amateurish dancing and acting to go along with it.  But hey, they have never been to Broadway and this is a tiny tiny town, with more cows than people.  Look at how elaborate these floats are!  Bravo for them!  

 

 

Here are the videos I took in the nearly dark skies.  Video quality is limited.  

Hoorn to Lelystad

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July 30, 2019 
 
Leaving Hoorn is an easy affair, passing by the wonderful old keep at the entrance to the old harbor.  From there the crossing to Lelystad takes you across the Markermeer.  We skipped the bird sanctuary just off the coast and then found the convoluted entrance to Lelystad.  The bouys take you along the break water instead of directly to the entrance.  Then there is a lock with a 5 meter (16′)  drop to the polder, called Flevoland.  The land that was recovered from the sea in the mid- 1960’s, thus all the towns are comparatively new and devoid of the traditional architecture that makes the country so interesting.  

 

 

Going down!  The lock at lelestad

 
After the lock there is a bit of a ride to moorings outside town.  We stayed a night at one but finding a poor internet signal we found another, and it turned out to be quite a lovely spot!

 

Viking at Geldese Hout Bridge, pen and ink , 14.8 cm x 21 cm, 5.9 x 8.3″

Geldersebrug (Gelderse Bridge) at Geldersebrug Hout (Woods), pen and ink, 5.9 x 8.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is room for 4-5 boats, it is quiet and peaceful, and just a 5km ride to Lelystad, or you can take the bus whose stop is just 5 minutes by foot.   There is a derelict boat, its windshield covered with paint, being the only blot on the scene.  Someone is living on it, who is apparenty handicapped.  A wheelchair sits on the dock.  It came and went several times while we were there.  We never saw the person, who must go to town to charge the chair as there is no electricity at this location.  There were several friendly people on the other boats.  Coming in, there was only room at the end of the dock, a difficult spot to secure.  A woman came to us offering to move their boat, having just returned from their bike ride.  They then helped us dock, as it was a tight fit.   
 
We took the bus to the Batavialand Museum.  It has several significant attractions.  The Batavia is a replica of the flagship of the Dutch East India Company.  The original was built in 1628.  It carried a large cargo including spices from Indo-China, for which the people acquired a taste which remains to this day.  Kip sate (chicken with a peanut sauce) is a popular offering.  A rice tafel is an elaborate dining experience, with a wide variety of meats and veggies served on a lazy Susan.  

 

Also in the museum is a huge tapestry, reminiscent of the Bayeux Tapestry.  It is a history of the area, starting with prehistoric times.  Link to video.  It was done by a group of about 27 volunteers including artists, embroiderers and amateur historians. 
 
Nearby there is an exhibit with an excellent English guide taking you through the exhibits of early settlements in the area, dating to 5000 BCE.   They moved from place to place to find the high ground, often returning to the same locations once the waters receded.  
 
Next we came to Dronten, a forgettable town with a pleasant harbor that is organized as an association, meaning in this case that everything is done by volunteers.  One of them came from South Africa.  He explained that there were conflicts between Africans and the white population, as well as between the Afrikaners who speak a form of Dutch and the English speaking population, of which he was a part.  He was of Dutch heritage however.  He also had huge properties in Mozambique.  He lost them when the government forcibly removed control of land from foreigners.   
 
Then came Zwolle, which we had visited in our boat Caprice in 2000.  They were working on the harbor at the time.  It is quite attractively done but from our point of view there are several shortcomings.  The piers are short so when you dock you can easily come against the boats next to you.  With the wind pushing us that is exactly what happened.  However the people on the boat had anticipated the problem and were there to push us off and keep the bow from hitting the dock.  Boaters always help one another like this.  The second issue is the vertical ladder you need to get to the land.  It is about 1.5 meters high.  One slip and you could face a serious injury.  Getting bikes up is quite a challenge.  Fortunately our little bike is light so I was able to get it to the repair shop for a bit of wheel truing, although I had feared I would need a new wheel. 

 

 

The remaining gate in Zwolle

 
In the morning we went to the street market on Gasthausplein.  Lots of vegetables and fruit, as well as the fish truck.  A friendly shop owner repaired one of our phones.  He spoke no English.  We are finding more people here than elsewhere who speak little or no English. 

 

After a quiet night we backed out, with the wind pushing us into the boat on the other side of us, then passed under the two bridges without much delay, unlike when we entered when we waited for 20 or more minutes with the wind pushing us about.    We were heading to Giethoorn, the magical waterland, with a stop along the way near Zwartsluis, a tiny town on the canal the other side of a lock with barely room for two boats of our length.  The friendly lock keeper told us of an event that evening and also of the predicted strong winds, which showed up the next morning. 
 
There is a large mooring area just outside Zwartsluis, with perhaps 20 boats already moored but room for many more.  After a while we noticed much increased activity on the road.  Cars, bikes and pedestrians were going north towards the next bridge.  I thought there was going to be a boat parade or something like that, but we were in quite the treat.