Tulip Time

I live near Holland Michigan, an area that was settled by Dutch immigrants and is full of reminders of the Netherlands. My great-grandparents on both sides came from the Netherlands as well, and so did Bob's so we appreciate that heritage. Holland has an annual Tulip Time Festival, one of the largest festivals in the U.S every year. It's been happening since 1929 and brings in people from all over the world. Last year there were nearly 1 million visitors.  A highlight is the tulips planted all over the city - over 5 million of them! Another highlight is Dutch dancing with over 900 dancers in traditional clothing form the late 1800's, including wooden shoes.
We usually try to go before the festival to avoid the crowds. This year I tried to go with Heather and Laura, but sick kids caused us to cancel. 
Last week, after the festival was done, Heather and I decided to take Cassie and Connor and see if any tulips were still blooming.

We found some, but a lot of them were fading.

Here's Cassie and Connor checking out this statue of the ancestors.

Standing in front of a tulip time mural

We walked to a park where we saw this mama duck with her babies.  Connor was excited to see them.

From this park, we could see the DeZwaan Windmill, an authentic working, windmill from the Netherlands.  It was the last one allowed to leave the Netherlands.

Cassie peaking into this old building at the park.

We then visited another area in Holland and found a few more tulips.

Holland is also home to a tribute to 'The Wizard of Oz'. Frank Baum, the author used to vacation there and his family said that much of the book was written there.  There is a yellow brick road with statues of the book characters. Cassie was particularly fond of the lion.

Our last stop was for lunch. Cassie had fun trying out this cut out of Dutch street cleaners.

We didn't see many tulips, but we still had fun!