Van Nelle

The Van Nelle factory produced tobacco, tea and coffee. In 1927-1930 the architects Brinkman & Van der Vlugt built a new building which offered space for all their activities. The building was used until the Van Nelle company was swallowed by their competitor Douwe Egberts. In 1995 the new owners stopped the production in the premises. In 1998 the factory was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. Today it houses high notch office space.

Old and New in Bodie

Wolfgang and I recently went to the old ghost town of Bodie California. The heavy winter snows and rain provided for an abundance of Blue Flags as well as grasses and other plants. We were about a week late for the best blooms but this one seemed like a pretty good one.

Wolfgang und ich waren kürzlich in der alten Geisterstadt Bodie, Kalifornien. Der starke Winterschnee und der Regen sorgten für eine Fülle von Blauen Flaggen sowie Gräsern und anderen Pflanzen. Wir waren ungefähr eine Woche zu spät dran, um die besten Blüten zu bekommen, aber diese schien ziemlich gut zu sein.

An der Tankstelle

Die Blüten meiner Minze sind zwar winzig klein, aber doch der große Magnet für alle möglichen Insekten. Das friedliche Bild täuscht jedoch. Die Büten sind auch das Jagdrevier z.B der Knotenwespe links, die es auf Bienen abgesehen hat. Die Goldfliege rechts muss sich aber vor ihr nicht fürchten.

The flowers of my mint are tiny, but still the great magnet for all kinds of insects. However, the peaceful picture is deceptive. The blossoms are also the hunting ground of the knot wasp on the left, for example, which has it in for bees. The gold fly on the right, however, does not have to be afraid of it.