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Backtracking to May.

I had the fortune again this year to co-chair the session “Materials for Personal/Home Care & Cosmetics” at the 20th TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo in Anaheim, California on May 13-16, 2018.

 

The session speakers were again excellent and our organizing team did a terrific job.  We had good questions and were able to make good connections between speakers and attendees.

It was wonderful to meet many friends and meeting new friends.  In 2019, I will co-chair again.

 

I also took the opportunity to present a poster about my new company Pluyter Consulting, LLC.  There were many interested visitors and I was able to make good connections to go forward with.

Have a look at the program:  https://www.techconnectworld.com/World2018/sym/Materials_Personal_Home_Care_Cosmetics.html

 

The weather was perfect, of course, and I could not ignore the views and so I took many photos:

 

Here are some of the views:

 

First, a panorama of the buildings:

 

A many other views:

 

 

 

Next, I visited the UK to meet with a customer.  Fortunately, I had the chance to explore wonderful city of Cambridge on the way.

I had been there before during a conference in 2000.  Love the city and the college.  Back in 2000, the weather was dreary and the digital camera was only 1.5 megapixel.  As such, I had to capture the town again with sunshine and more camera resolution.

I took very many photos and here are some view to illustrate the city’s beauty.

 

First, Emmanuel College:

 

 

 

Second, the gorgeous King’s College:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third, Trinity College, with the beautiful hallways that continue through the Bridge of Sighs. This bridge crossing a little canal where you can take a gondola.  A perfect place.

 

 

 

 

Next, I did spend quite some time in the city of Leiden.  I have family there but also had to meet with customers.  Since it was late Spring, the weather was perfect.  Not too hot and not too cold.  Also, when the weather is good lots of people are out on the town and enjoying a drink and food at little restaurants on the canals.  It may look more like the canals of Amsterdam but this is a lot more relaxed.  Less people, busy traffic, and more space to really sit outside and enjoy the sun.  A perfect city to enjoy what Holland is all about.

 

Here are some photos I took of the canals and the views:

 

 

Also, I love visiting the Fort of the town.  One of the days was perfect weather for photography.  Here are some images:

 

 

 

 

 

and two more photos:

 

 

 

I stayed much time with family in the small city of Etten-Leur.  It is a small town close to Breda.  Nice part is the cute small center of town with its nice stores and restaurants.  Great sit on the market place and enjoying coffee in the morning and a beer in the (later) afternoon.  Also, the famous painter Van Gogh lived for a short time in the city and there is a museum in the house he loved in.

 

Very nice are the beautiful landscape of the province of West-Brabant.  Many meadows with alternating little forests and undeveloped areas covered with heather.  The rivers and their birds and fish are beautiful.  The weather was perfect and so I went for almost half-day walks for many of the days.  I would stop here and there at a little restaurant for a coffee.  One of them was next to a windmill and that is so relaxing.

 

Here are some photos of the views of the landscape:

 

 

 

It is time to do some further back tracking.  Back in June I left for a visit to Holland and the UK for work and visiting family.  I visited family in the cities Breda, Etten-Leur and Leiden.  Furthermore visiting a couple of customers in Holland and in Cambridge in the UK.

 

The travel was smooth in June.  Not too busy yet and the weather was nice and warm but not too hot yet (ut was a very hot summer all over te place).  Also, I had just started my own consulting company and that made trip special as I was visiting my first customers.

Let me start with Breda.  Of course, I roamed through the historic downtown of Breda with its beautiful cathedral.  Here are some of the photos.

 

The first 7 are of the inside of the church.  The beautiful ceilings and paintings on the wall and the mausoleum of Count Engelbert II.  The second last photo are of a cute little pump at a little courtyard of a place where the nuns live.  The last photo is of the castle of Breda, home of our military academy.

 

 

 

Now the continuing part of my relaxed days on the California Central Coast.  The area between Santa Maria and Cumbria.

I decided to take a look at Hearst Castle in Cumbria.  I had not seen that in 2 decades and it was time to take some digital photos as I lost my old negatives.  Have a look at the photos below of the beautiful Spanish-architecture inspired towers, the nice mosaic patio floor, the Neptune pool in repair (unfortunately), the various statutes (replicas of classic ones), wall mosaics, and, of course, the in-door pool.  This pool is absolutely gorgeous.  Lots of little hidden decorations as well.  I inserted here the mermaid playing the flute.

 

Now, very nearby are the seals and elephant seals.  Always great to watch in action.  Also, it was time for sunset after Hearst Castle visit (easy to spend an entire day).  Lots to photographs.

Have a look at the nice sunset I encountered (quite a few times this week).

 

 

Enjoy the photos and also go visit the gorgeous area.

 

Johan.

 

Hi everyone,

Since I am now pretty much back on track it is time to add some more recent trip details.  As always, in March I chill on the California Central Coast.  I missed that last year due to a job change but this year it was a MUST.  So here we go.

As always, I have to immediately look at the Sea Otters in Morro Bay.  Also, enjoying the beautiful Morro Rock and the wetlands there.

 

Morro Rock view and also the beautiful rocky coastline:

Next, there is the beautiful sand dunes that are reaching the coastline.  Very unique.  I always love the views and the fresh ocean breeze there.  Have a look at some of the views, including Oso Flaco Lake in the middle of the dunes:

 

Enjoy.

 

Part of my backtracking must include a visit to Washington DC and Alexandria, VA, last October during the CleanTech 2017 Conference.  The conference was excellent and busy but we had time to get out and about to take some photos in the Alexandria area as well as an evening in DC on the Washington lawn.

 

I had never seen the US Patent Office.  It turned out that the conference was just around the block.  They have a lot of my patents and patent applications in their files ;).

Here are some views of the impressive building and campus.

 

 

And then the Vietnam and the Korean War Memorials. The Vietnam memorial first.

 

 

with a good overview panorama view:

 

 

The Korean Memorial is also very impressive:

 

 

with a good panorama view:

 

Of course, we saw the Lincoln memorial and walked around to the Washington and WW2 memorials:

 

I hope you enjoy these photos.  I have many more but these provide you with a few views.  The weather was drizzly but that made the lights and reflections special. Also, the sounds of the city are different.

 

 

This post covers some of the views of the nice hotel I stayed in during the ACI (American Cleaning Institute) Conference that took place in Orlando Florida.  I needed to be there for my work and I found the it to be very photogenic.

 

Here are some views of the building:

 

 

and the wonderful pool area.  I love the design.

 

 

I know this is very brief.  Since these are views of a hotel area, there is not that much more to say.

 

Next some backtracking of a visit to Washington DC last October during the CleanTech 2017 Conference.

 

 

This last post of my stay in Humboldt County over the X-mas holidays is about some of the wonderful sunsets of the various beaches and coastline.  I can do this full-time.  So relaxing the sound of the ocean and the fresh clean air. A true treat.

 

Here are some views that I selected.  I have many more but these give you an idea of the views:

 

 

and 2 panorama views:

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed these photos.  The next post will be a single one with some photos of the hotel I stayed in during the ACI (American Cleaning Institute) Conference that took place in Orlando Florida.