Max Winkeler, Editor. 38 Yellowstone Drive, New Orleans, LA 70131, (504) 392-1140 e-mail address: winkelerm@aol.com

November 2005

Hurricanes

A few weeks and this hurricane season will be over. It started very early and there were many. The names Cindy, Katrina, Rita and Wilma will not be forgotten for a long time. All of us can write a book about the experiences during and after the evacuation. It will take a long time before all the blue tarps disappear.

But much worse off are those who lost their home due to flooding or major construction damage and have to stay with family, friends or had have to rent a place till they can come back. Some were forced to leave the city due to office or workplace changes. In short, there is still a lot of uncertainty what the future will bring. One thing is sure, it will never be completely the same.

After my return home I tried to prepare a list with the then current locations of our members. I sent e-mails and made phone calls and we got quite some responses especially by e-mail (what an invention !!). Not all responses were pleasant. Many had wind damage (e.g. fallen trees and/or loss of shingles) which in some cases resulted in water damage due to leaking. But there are a few who lost their home due to flooding.

We could not trace a few members and in case you have or get some information, please let me know. These members are:

Elizabeth Birkhoff, 3800 Colorado Ave in Kenner

Adriaan Koster, 220 Partridge Rd. Slidell

Bernard & Elaine van der Linden, 5536 Dayna Ct. New Orleans

Olga Zenowich, 3930 Fairmont Dr. New Orleans

So far we have heard from only one member that she will permanently live in another city. Mimi Miller evacuated to Las Vegas and will stay there close to her son Edward although she is missing New Orleans. Her house in NO will most likely be condemned.

Marie and Ruud Schuller sustained major flood damage and are temporarily living in Marion TN which is close enough to Ashville to allow for the chemotherapy Ruud needs till January. However, they plan to come back. Contractors are already working on her house to remove walls and other unsalvageable parts.

Jose & Miriam Perez sustained also severe damage to their home. They live temporarily with friends but don’t know what will happen with their own home.

We know of three families who left town because their work dictated the move.

Lee and Theresia Ong (respectively our President and Treasurer) were transferred to Austin. Hopefully for us this will be temporarily.

Joe and Myrtle Nitzsche are staying in Houston until the Shell Office in New Orleans is ready again. I understand that this may be soon.

Jos and Marjolein Wolke rented an apartment in Gonzales, but keep their house in Harahan.

Elizabeth Overweg will stay in Houston till around January, but will definitely come back.

Let me finish this part of the letter with a wish that all our members will survive these difficult times and that they will remain members of our club. In case anyone needs help with cleaning please let me know. I have not mentioned all members individually who had damage to their home, but wish them well and hope that their insurance company will pay for most of the damage.

Election of a new Board.

Before we go to the interesting stuff, I have to tell you that Lee Ong asked me to take over the Chair of the Holland Club because of his transfer to Austin. Although I had hoped that I could stay on for another year as Vice, the special situation made it necessary to act quick and I became Interim Chairman. Cily took over the treasurer function from Theresia.

Normally in September the election of Board Members takes place, but we had no opportunity or interest to do that in that month. Saturday October 29, before the Halloween Party the Board made up the list of candidates and presented this list to the members at the party. That same weekend I sent an e-mail to other members and asked for their approval or contra-candidates. So far 25 of the members have approved of the proposed officers slate and unless I receive still many negatives, we assume that we have the confidence of the membership. The composition of the Board therefore will be as follows:

President Max Winkeler

Vice-President Jos Wolke

Secretary Eric Gossiaux

Treasurer Cily Winkeler

Members at Large Marjolein Wolke, Johanna Coumou, Inge Hamidjaja, Jan &

Miep Theuns, Elly Weathers and Myrtha Lovelace.

This is the right place and the time to thank Lee and Theresia for their exceptional leadership during the past few years. We will miss them dearly, but have still hope that they will remain member of our New Orleans HC or better even will come back to play a role as member of the Board in one or another capacity. They definitely have plans to visit with us whenever possible. We wish them luck in their personal and professional endeavors. .

Past Events

In order to save space, I would like to keep this section short.

May 21, we had the bowling party and a farewell session for Marian and Rinus van de Ven. They are doing well by the way and are working in and around their home to get it the way they dreamed about.. I am sure their thoughts were with us during the storm period.

It will not surprise you that the garden party on September 18 at the Winkelers was canceled. Destructive elements took care of the garden and we are still busy removing branches, neighbors shingles and staking trees. The fishpond has been cleaned and stocked with goldfish because the others disappeared. The Garden Party will now take place in March, 2006

But we still organized the Halloween Party on October 29 at the home of Myrtha Lovelace. The group was small (17) but we enjoyed the ambiance and the discussions with good food and drinks. Thanks Myrtha for the hospitality and that so quick after your serious illness.

Future Events

During the Board meeting on October 29, the following schedule of meetings was prepared for the rest of this year and the spring of 2006. Please make good note of it and write it already on your calendars and in your day timers.

Saturday, December 3^rd there will be a real Sinterklaas Party at the home of Marjolein and Jos Wolke in Harahan starting at 2:00 pm. In stead of having Sinterklaas visiting us, we like to have the attendants bring a small gift with a short (or long) rhyme. We are not drawing straws to see who will give to whom, but have a man buying for a man and a woman for a woman. It is for the fun and not for the value, so try to stay around $ 10.00 or less. The rhyme can be in Dutch or in English and because you don’t know who will draw the present (other then that it is a man or woman) the rhyme should be “generic”. The Board hopes, that this gimmick will not scare you away and prevent you from joining. We are not going to judge on content.

You don’t have to take any food or drinks with you because they are on the club and are typical for this occasion. Try to remember a couple of Sinterklaas songs from your youth. Don’t forget to let me know who is coming to the party.

The New Years Cocktail Party will this year be hosted by Miep and Jan Theuns on Sunday, January 1 starting at 2:00 pm. We begin early to accommodate those who want to drive back before dark (and boy are the days already shorter now). This time the party will also have a special meaning because Miep and Jan are moving to “The Landing”. Fortunately that is close by in Algiers, so that we still see them often. They have been members almost from the beginning of the Club. We should show our appreciation for their loyalty and participation in the club by showing up in large numbers. Food and drinks are on the club.

Towards the end of January 2006 we plan again a “Winterkost” Party. We have not been able to pinpoint the exact date and place and are approaching a few members who have indicated in the past that they would be willing to host a party. We will let you know as soon as possible.

Sunday March 19 at 2:00 pm the members are invited to join at a Garden Party at the home of Max en Cily Winkeler. It is early in the year and the outside temperatures should still be reasonable, while the green of the trees and the flowers on the shrubs are still fresh. That will be a pot-luck party.

In April we have of course our “Koninginne dag” on Sunday 30. At 2:00 pm we convene at the home of Jos and Marjolein Wolke in Harahan. At the same time this is the yearly Game Day. If you have any interesting “spelletjes”, bring them with you. Of course we will “sjoelbak” again and play triomino, scrabble and maybe backgammon.

In May we are thinking about a trip to the “Global Wildlife Center” in Folsom. We personally did that once and we enjoyed it very much. Because they tour you around in open cars, the trip will be also nice for those who rather not walk.

Finally for June we are considering an Indonesian Potluck Party at the Manes’ residence in Luling.

The Board primarily has made suggestions and decisions as far as events are concerned. If any of you has other suggestions, please let us know.

Coffee Get-togethers.

Now that so many coffee shops are (still) not in operation, some of the places may change if something better becomes available. Again we need your input. We keep looking for coffee shops where you can also eat a light meal (breakfast or supper). For the time being we have the following schedule:

January 18	10:00 am	Common Grounds	Gretna (W.B)
February 9	7:00 pm	La Madeleine	Elmwood (E.B.)
March 15	10:00 am	Crescent City Café	Algiers (W.B.)

Next year we will publish the Coffee meetings for the rest of the year 2006

Member Contributions.

This time we have two contributions from members other than the editor.

From the pen of Jos Wolke our cycle phenomenon here some impressions in the Dutch language:

Harahan, 30 oktober 2005.

Fiets nieuwtjes

Katrina heeft behoorlijk huis gehouden in zuid Louisiana en Mississippi. Dat is overduidelijk.

Sommige Holland Club leden zijn zwaarder getroffen dan andere, maar ieders leven is geraakt.

Voor de gelukkigen onder ons begint het leven weer een redelijk normaal patroon te volgen. Helaas zal het voor anderen nog een hele tijd duren voordat hun leven weer redelijk „op de rails staat“. Ik wens iedereen alle sterkte toe bij met opruimen, repareren, opbouwen, verwerken etc.

Ook de fietsers onder ons, hadden natuurlijk te maken met de gevolgen van de storm.

Gedurende de maanden juli en augustus zat de gang er net zo lekker in. We hebben verschillende trainings ritten gereden op de zondag morgens ter voorbereiding op de MS “tour for cure“.

De fietsende Hollanders waren: Cily, Max en Laura Winkeler, Marjolein en ik.

De eerste trainings ritten waren uitgezet op de Mississippi levee. De weken daarop hebben we gereden in de buurt van Madisonville, in de buurt van Thibodaux, en in de buurt van Abita Springs.

De afstand per rit werd langzaam opgebouwd van 30 naar 50 mijl. Nog een paar ritten en we zouden klaar zijn geweest voor de grote tocht, maar ..... toen kwam Katrina.

Organisatie en deelnemers hebben voorlopig even iets anders aan hun hoofd dan fietsen en bovendien liggen de meeste wegen vol met bomen en takken.

Al snel bleek dat de tocht op 1 en 2 oktober niet door kon gaan. De organisatie hoopt de tour nu in het voorjaar van 2006 te rijden.

Dit betekent dat we gedurende de winter lekker door blijven fietsen en in het vroege voorjaar weer een strikt trainings programma gaan opzetten.

We houden jullie op de hoogte.

Jos Wolke

News from the Kitchen:

A recipe for a Creamy Pumpkin Pie by Marjolein Wolke:

Ingredients Filling Topping

1½ cups all-purpose flower 1 can (14oz) pumpkin purée ½ cup whipping cream,

2 tsp finely grated 1 cup packed brown sugar whipped

orange rind 1 pkg (4 oz) cream cheese,

½ tsp salt softened

¼ cup cold butter ½ cup whipping cream

¼ cup shortening, cubed 2 eggs

1 egg yolk 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp vinegar 1 tsp each cinnamon and vanilla

½ tsp each ground ginger, nutmeg and salt

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine flour, rind and salt; using a pastry blender or 2 knives cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In measuring cup, whisk egg yolk with vinegar; pour in enough ice water to make 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Drizzle Egg Mixture over flour mixture; toss with fork until dough starts to hold together, adding a little more ice water if necessary. Form into ball; press into disc. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour. (Make ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days)
On Floured Surface, roll out pastry to 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness. Loosely roll up on rolling pin; unroll over 9 inch (23 cm) pie plate, draping loosely. Without stretching, fit into plate. Trim edge to leave 1 inch (2.5 cm) overhang, reserving scraps; fold edge under and flute. With fork, prick shell all over. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, gather pastry scraps together and roll out. Using small pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, cut out 11 shapes. Transfer to baking sheet; bake in bottom third of 375°F (190°C) oven for about 12 minutes or until golden. Transfer to rack; let cool.
Line Pastry Shell with foil; fill evenly with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in bottom third of oven for 15 minutes; remove weights and foil. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes longer
Filling; In food processor, purée pumpkin, sugar, cheese, cream, eggs, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Pour into pie shell; bake in bottom third of oven for 1 hour or until set around edge and slightly jiggle in center. Let cool on rack.
Topping; Pipe or spoon cream into 8 rosettes around edge; top each with pastry pumpkin. Stand 3 pumpkins in center.

Smakelijk eten, Bon appetite, Mahlzeit, Enjoy your meal.

The editor invites again any member who would like to write a short article for the News Letter to send his or her copy to him before the end of February 2006.

Sudoku Puzzle. You may not have heard about this new type of wordless, number puzzle from Japan, but it is becoming very popular. The rules are very simple:

. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square.

					2		7
		2			6	3
				5			6	2
6							1	5
9			5		7			8
5	4							7
8	5			2
		6	1			7
	7		9

Like always with number puzzles, you first have to find a systematic approach, because “trial and error” does not work here. Those who think they got the correct answer, please mail or e-mail it to me before December 3. The winner will get a bottle of wine. In case of more than one correct answer, we will draw the winner during the Sinterklaas party on December 3.

Good Luck

Miscellaneous News Bits

The Holland Club of New Orleans was formed in 1955, but was officially founded as a non-profit organization in 1957. The Board has decided to make therefore 2007 a jubilee year for the club. Ideas are solicited from the members to organize something special that year..
John Muysken moved to “The Landing” on the West Bank. His address there will be: 3601 Behrman Place Apt. 314, New Orleans LA 70114.

His cellphone is 504-450-5751

Jan and Miep Theuns have decided to move also to “The Landing” in the beginning of next year. For this reason they are hosting the New Years Party for this year for the last time in their home at 2342 Comet Street.
Are you looking from time to time at the website of the Holland Club? You can find there the latest news of the club, News Letters, Upcoming Events, Members of the Board, Art from our members and Links to interesting web sites. A new site added is the “Holland Courier” with lots of interesting information.
Chris Ong is keeping up the website of our club even when he is temporarily studying in Buffalo, NY because of the temporary closing of Loyola University due to Katrina. He is doing an excellent job and we are thankful for his work.
Jean Boost has been very helpful in checking the home condition of several members in the Kenner area. Thanks Jean for your assistance.
I am preparing a small booklet with the names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the present members. The booklet will have a bright orange cover so that it should not be lost easily. With a few empty pages you will be able to make changes such as additions and deletions when they become evident.
Don’t forget to pay your membership dues for the club year 2005 – 2006. They have to be sent or handed over to Cily Winkeler, Treasurer of the club. Address: 38 Yellowstone drive, New Orleans LA 70131
Part of the membership speaks (fortunately) still Dutch. It would be nice to use that language from time to time between members and to write some articles in Dutch. Unless we double the number of pages of the News Letter, it is not feasible to have all articles printed in both languages. Jos Wolke contributed an article this time in Dutch and we need some feedback to determine our course for future News Letters..
After a difficult time (surgeries), Myrtha Lovelace is back on track. She even is teaching French again at the Peoples Program on the Westbank. Unfortunately the East Bank section of Peoples Program cannot function anymore due to the severe damage of the buildings at Mirabeau.

Tenslotte/ Finaly.

On the opposite side of this page you will find a couple of pictures taken after Katrina and Rita. I am sure that many periodicals and books will be published with lots of pictures and stories. Let us hope such a disaster will not happen again due to better protection and less politics.

LEST WE FORGET KATRINA AND RITA 2005

Near 17^th street canal where levee broke 9^th Ward

Sand bagging breach in 17^th street canal Room in flooded home

Does not need description or under-titling