Last weekend I had the great opportunity to reconnect with my fantastic Dutch roots. A number of Dutch relatives came straight from Holland to celebrate the 85th birthday of my Tante Trees. She is one of my dad's 12 siblings. My own father passed away many years ago, but we have stayed close with his family. And it is always wonderful to have reminders of how great my dad was. I miss him very much.My husband, daughters and I traveled to Morrisburg, Ontario to reconnect with my Tante Trees's family. She too had 11 children. Almost all of them were present at the birthday party/reunion with their own families.
Family is extremely important to me and spending the hours with those I've know
n since birth was a truly fabulous experience. I even practiced some of my Dutch, which is a little rusty, but not too bad!There were a few teary moments as I reconnected with my Tante Nell and Tante Rit who I hadn't seen in years, but overall it was a joyous celebration full of good Dutch beer, lots of cheese, black licorice, and even a delicious birthday cake in true Delft blue. Not even the rainy day could hold us back from having a great party! What a treat!
Aww, what fun!! So nice to reunite with family.
ReplyDeleteGreat that you could spend time with family! Just a question out of curiosity...is Tante similar to an Aunt in the US?
ReplyDeletemmm lekker,kaas en drop......I am originally from Holland.I was 23 when I moved to the states and that was 20+ years ago.I so miss the food,my bicycle and my family.Glad you had such a great time with your family.Remember "if it ain't dutch,it ain't much"
ReplyDeleteMichelle Legg
Hey Tosca, I would never have guessed that you have Dutch roots. I'm Dutch too (live in Holland) and you can imagine my surprise to read about Tante Nel, Tante Trees (congratulations with her birthday) and Tante Riet. Typical Dutch names. Wonderful that everyone was able to come over! Besides that, you had typical Dutch weather for a typical Dutch reunion.
ReplyDeleteTosca,
ReplyDeleteNice family reunion pics. I was chuckling looking at them because my family is mediterranean so in our family pics you would NEVER see one blonde! How beautiful is your Dutch heritage! Glad you had the chance to re-connect with your father's family. Sometimes tears are good for the soul. We always need our daddy.