The Long Swap

for 7 or 8 years a odd swap has been going on between David in Ottawa,Bob G down the taconic parkway in Westchester and myself. The e mails come..can you use xyz ? we pretty much know some of what the other two collect...but topics and tastes do change...then the gluesticks start working...David keeps us pretty well supplied with Canadian souvineer sheets and Bob sends my wife a lot of windmill stuff so I have to find something to send him...its a good way for friends to keep in touch !!

I hate seeing unanswered threads, so I'll add a couple of comments. You are lucky to have developed these relationships and would be nice to know of more of them. I haven't taken advantage yet of the auction-trading threads here but plan to do so when I can find the time. Am I to understand your wife likes windmill stamps or just windmill pictures and paraphernalia? Another trip three years ago was to Amsterdam and we took a day trip out to Zaanse Schans; quite a place!!

I meant to add to the other thread that our trip to Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic last year awakened an interest in collecting all three countries. Until recently, I have been strictly British Commonwealth. By buying up some old accumulations, I now have a respectable start on collections for all three countries and I still I have a large container full of unprocessed material with more coming. The stamps are generally not expensive (some exceptions)and the engraving on some of the Austrian stamps in particular is beautiful.

NBSTAMPER, I believe philb's wife is from the same country I am from. I will give you a clue. We used to wear wooden shoes and call them 'klompen'!

Peter

I sort of assumed she was which is why I mentioned Zaanse Schans. I assume most people from the Netherlands have been there at one time or another or at least have heard of it. I think I remember seeing a really huge yellow pair of "klompen" out there (fitting name, by the way)! They might have fit Paul Bunyan.

Hello Gentleman, my wife was born in Laren, N.H but now the housing there is so expensive none of her family can afford to live there. She belongs to a Windmill collecting society "Windmill Whispers" and is pretty advanced..when I see something she says "i have that already". She is currently collecting mainly postmarks and stamps ! Thanks for the replies !

Hey Phil...CYE... I just sent you a Can you use email...LOL

Yes, even though I have been a US citizen for nearly 50 years I am still a Nederlander by heart. A Dutchman will always be 'een jongen van de Witt' - a dutch expression for a brave person- after a Dutch song about a heroic (?)17th c. pirate. Alas, I don't wear wooden shoes any longer. We have not been to the Zaanse schans, maybe this year.. The place is famous for he 'Peter de Grote huis' the small house where the Russian Czar Peter the Great stayed while studying shipbuilding.

Dag, Jopie

Interesting. I lived in Heerlen in Limburg from 1983-86. My father was stationed at a NATO base near there. It was a good place to be a kid. I still miss the frituurs. :)