The Search

Staring at, holding and displaying these windmill replicas hand carried by my DEAREST year in and year out made me think of trying to find them locally. In the midst of my search,  family, relatives and friends who travelled near and far, here and abroad started to look for windmills as "pasalubongs". My collection grew. With Nely, my younger sister, we scoured the streets of Evangelista, the novelty shops in Quiapo and the antique section of COD Cubao, now only a memory, and the small stalls in Pasong Tamo from mid 80's to early 90's. Windmills found their way into our China ware - Plates, Platters, Saucers, Soup bowls, Mugs, Place mats, Paper napkins, Kitchen linens, Umbrella stand, Wind chimes, Candles, Plant hangers. It came to a point that even wrappers and table napkins with windmill design were my first custom made frames. To showcase these windmills, I had my DEAREST drill them on our walls in the living room, kitchen, and in our "MINI Gallery" - and believe it of not - that's our common toilet and bath.



Delft Blau (Delft Blue)

Bought by DEAREST  from a HOLLAND STORE in downtown Rotterdam.

Windmill Lighters

Presenting the 2 Lighters that started my windmill collection in the mid 80's

Starters

Windmills of Zen started with two lighters.Yes, lighters but  I don't smoke. One has a windmill design and the other one reads HOLLAND. It was love at first sight - windmills and I. I told DEAREST-my husband to bring some more of these windmills in blue and white since I have this long standing love affair with blue and white. I have my mini willow collection and  other B/W collectibles. Porcelain windmills of varied sizes were hand carried by DEAREST the following year and then more during the next and the next and the rest they say, is history...

About my mom's love for windmills

My mom has always been asking me to make her a blog where she could post the pictures of her windmill collection. I've finally gotten around to doing it. I'm writing the first entry on her behalf just so there would already be a post when she finally gets the hang of doing it on her own.

Since I'm at it, I shall give you a brief background on my mom's love for windmills from my perspective. I grew up in a house full of windmills - from china, linen, porcelain replicas, place mats to other what-have-yous that have the signature dutch icon. My mom's love for windmills never waned, it even grew stronger as I grew up. I was a witness to how her windmill collection grew up to the point that our house sported a real windmill.

I actually admire my mom for her consistency with her collection - I guess hers is a successful collection because she also made it her passion. One would be really amazed with how much windmills she has - each article having its own story to tell. Random people visit our house to see her collection, and my mom, true to her other love, would gladly oblige.   

How about you, do you know of anyone who shares my mom's love for windmills?