The 'Westermolen', Langerak

'Langerak' = 'Lang-uh-rak' -- so not the French 'lange'.

This windmill was built in 1652, but there was already an older mill on this spot, the name of which is unknown.  Langerak is a polder and three windmills were needed to pump it dry.  Of those three, only this one remains.  Land reclamation and the prevention of floods has been of paramount importance in this country for centuries, and all 1200+ existing mills, including this one, have been classified as monuments.  There would have been no Low Countries without them.

I returned to Groot Ammers because I wanted to shoot the fifth windmill there, which is the Jonge ('yong-uh) Sophia, or Young Sophia, but it is in the middle of a children's park where you need to pay online to get in.  I would have had to pay for parking, too, but I bypassed that obstacle simply by parking outside the designated area.  I thought I could still shoot Sophia through the trees along the parking area for employees, and there was a tiny passageway across a narrow canal to some workrooms belonging to the park, and there weren't any park workers around, and I could have climbed the fence in obvious view of some park visitors... and been caught on security camera and suspected of pedophile activity?  I wasn't about to spoil my own day by taking that kind of risk.

Back to the main road to shoot the Goudriaan windmill a few kilometers away, in the village of the same name, but when I finally got close I saw that it was being repaired -- it had lost two of its vanes during a storm last year.  Drove back on the N216 in the direction of Groot Ammers to Langerak to shoot this.  It is not my favourite type (I'm sure you've noticed) but it is at least obviously well-maintained.  The lower portion even looks like a cozy cottage, but nobody lives there.  The windmill is standing on a hiking route which I might try out someday.

Due to road work traffic close to Dordrecht, went straight on the N216 back towards the A15, and turned left towards Gorinchem, but everyone had the same idea, and it wasn't even rush hour yet.  I was reminded of when I was still working in Apeldoorn -- the jam took a full half hour.

Back home, Sweden-Slovakia had just finished, AW was about to begin cooking.  Later that evening, he left for Sweed's and Benna's for some live bridge, and I had a quiet evening of doing the dishes and what not.  The one thing that stayed in my mind, though, was the fact that I had actually won the court case and the other party was doing its utmost to get that victory reversed.  I don't have the money to match the bribe, but what I do have is a warrior of a solicitor who is doing everything he can to stop the steal.