H
OF HOLLAND
By Jean MacKenzie

Windmills and Holland go
together. Everyone knows
‘that — and most of us stop
right there. .

But. come! Venture inside

A TOUC

_a windmill.

Clump up the steep
wooden stairs, up into. the
grinding room itself — the
heart of the mill. Slide your
feet across the flour-dusty
boards of the floor. Smell
the hard Prairie wheat that

-shakes from the hopper into

the great granite grind-
stones. Peep through a
specially-made plastic
window and watch the flour
sift out-from between the

'. prey stones and down the

funnel into the open maw of
the waiting flour sack. Feel

the whole building, sturdy

as itis, rumble and quiver to
the sound of the grinding
stones. - . —
Never again will you see a.
windmill as just @ pretty
picture'on a postcard. You

will know something ofthe
power that once set 10,000°~
‘Dutch windmills turning — ~

mills that pumped water
from the flatlands into the

_sea, mills that set factory.
- wheels spinning, mills that
ground the grain and spices.

that made Holland rich and

_. her. burghers plump and
~merry.

- And you can gain this ©
insight, not by a trip to

Holland but by a visit to the

‘Okanagan- town of Osoyoos, -

on British Columbia High-
way3.° 5 7.
The Osoyoos windmill lifts

its white vanes — 68 feet (20

metres) from tip to tip —

‘high above the lakeshore

just half a mile (one

-kilometre) east.of the town
- bridge. The mill is the home, -.
_and the business, of Dutch-
“born Bob Kuyten and his
-.wife Bonnie. -_ Days
. . The. unusual.
- began when Bob, inspired
_ by a teasing remark from a .

fellow-worker, came home

-with the question: : ‘How'd:

ROAM A , ‘HOM

|A TRAVEL, BRITISH COLUMBIA FEATURE |

Once Bonnie had adjusted .
to the idea, five years of

_ planning began.

' The Kuytens obtained the
blueprints for a style of
windmill used in North
Holland and dating from
1816: They acquired two-
thirds of an acre (one-
quarter of a hectare) on the
north side of the highway
and engaged a local builder.
Soon the red brick and olive-
green siding of the mill
began to take shape.

Now that it
completed and landscaped
with 2000 tulip bulbs, | Bob
and Bonnie call their home
“A Touch of Holland’ and
have opened it to the public

all year round. During the, ..

summer months, their

personally conducted tours: ee

are available from 9a.m. to

9 p.m. A visit to the mill has.» °

been an eye-opener for.
hundreds of North
American tourists and
school children as well as a
breath of home for many
‘new Canadians
Holland. !

Bob had feared that his.

-fellow-countrymen . might

is all but ..

from’:

gay colours depict fruit and

-flowers and show the day-to--

find fault with the building - gay activities in the land of

but says with relief: ‘There

has not been one critical:
- word,”

This is no doubt due to the
fact that Bob and Bonnie |
worked hard to achieve
maximum authenticity. The
Mill’s. heavy -timbers are
planted wide’ at the base,.
like ‘a man. with his legs .
braced apart, for. strength. -

dykes and tulips. The fresh
blue and white of heirloom
Delft plates brightens the
great ‘dark beams. In the
Dutch fashion, the dining

table is topped with a small.

Persian rug, while the

floors, of 40-year-old maple.

-hardwood, are ‘clean and
bare:

Like those in Holland, it is two. bedrooms and (an

situated on a slight rise of .
land; -and like its Dutch
counterparts.—_ it is a
working mill, = =:
A tour of. the windmill

., begins in the spacious first

_ floor ‘—. 32 feet. (10 metres)
_-y \aeross —- which is the family .

enterprise -

living-dinirig-kitchen area.
Bonnie’s:-kitchen gleams
‘with .100-year-old copper,

-brass ‘and pewter. Makkum -

. : stion: “How d:. tiles“ from-'Friesiand trim
you Ike to live’ in a wind- the kitchen counter.: Their.
Mf eT et aaa aen o ran Loy ete

understandable concession
to’ modern custom) a
bathroom. ~

But it is the third floor that
is the highlight of the tour.
This is the grinding floor, a
tapering room.capped by a

- rounded roof that revolves a
full 360 degrees. Turning on-

a “‘curb’’ on track on top of
the. tower; the roof, is
moveable so that-the vanes

that power the grindstones -

‘vantage of changing wind

eer

Mie

THERE,
PAREN ALLELE

THT

direction. ° a,
At present, the mill is
powered by an electric
motor and Bob reckons it ©
takes about an hour to grind
100 pounds (45 kilograms):of

_flour. Bonnie has learned to -.

On the second floor are © po

can be turned to take ad-_

bake with their. home-.
ground product. and has
recipes she will share with
fellow cooks. The stone-
ground flour, in 10 to 100
und (five to 45 kilogram)
sacks, is sold in the ad-
joining gift shop, along. with

Delft pottery, Dutch sterling -
. silver

- jewellery -and—
colourful: “‘Klompen” —.the

traditional wooden shoes of &

Holland.
Children who visit tne mill -
come away delighted,
impressed and educated in
spite of themselves.
Carefully pencilled letters.

-and crayon drawings of the .

mill decorate one wall of the -
prinding floor. They reflect _

ENTERTAINMENT, THE HERALD, Wed. Aug. 18, 1976, 7

the success of the popular.

‘school tours, while letters

and cards from individual
youngsters from across
Canada testify to the
warmth, interest and
hospitality: of the. .Kuytens
themselves. SO
(This Roam .at Home
article is one of a series ©
provided by the Department

of Recreation and: Travel —

Industry.) . oo
FOLLOW SMOKEY'S RULES

‘

- - Makethefreshfruitseasonlastallyear = le
Preserve ‘B.C. Apricots now. —
_. Preserve B.C. Apricots now. |
“ Now’s the time to preserve luscious B.C. Apricots...the
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Your family will enjoy golden good B.
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Remember, .. your own preserves are always best,
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For complete instructions on home canning,
preserving and freezing B.C. tree fruits, -
including ‘Home Canning: Without
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“Sunshine Meals. Send 25¢ to:
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- Fruits Ltd., Dept. N, Kelowna,
Cow ea BIC. VIY NG.

€. Apricot jam and"

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