On the Way to Myklebust

The Island of Haroy is above with the village of Myklebust at the base of the mountain near the shore.

Last Thursday evening we drove to Myklebust on the Island of Haroy, JH's father's family homestead and ancestral community. JH posted some photos of his earlier trip to the island. Here is a link to Haroy/Myklebust, http://maps.google.com/maps?tab=wl&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

NK and I packed up the car (at our home in Gjovik). Packing reminded me of how badly I hate packing after packing our house for months! We picked up JH and off we went from Raufoss. We drove back through Gjovik and up the shore of Lake Mjosa towards Lillehammer. I drove this trip which was more complicated by a near constant rain.

The winter Olympics were held in Lillehammer in 1994 and there are reminders everywhere on signs. This is a beautiful place to be (and live!) and Norwegians are proud of the honor to share this region with the world.

There is a lot of history in this area on Norway. JH provided great commentary on the trip. Since NK and I love history we had an interesting trip. We heard a lot about the World War II resistance and the battles against the Germans. The story of the King and cabinet escaping Oslo through these valleys aided by the resistance and the Norwegian and English forces. We learned about Iron Age and Stone Age settlements and findings which were also marked with signs by the roadside, including carvings and ruins.

When we were tired of talking we popped in our Chicago CD. Ironically we then sang along with Chicago. I am so lucky, my kid and husband both love Chicago;-) NK especially loves the instrumentals with lots of drums. JH loves the woodwinds. I love the brass. If only NK had been wearing his Chicago t-shirt we would have looked like real Chicago groupies - even roadies.

It is high "holiday" vacation season in Norway. Everyone who has a camper "caravan" is either on the road going somewhere or parked near a gorgeous vista. There are pine forests everywhere. Flowers of all colors are blooming along the roadside.

I am still relearning how to drive a manual car, so the rain and the weaving and rising and falling into valleys was a chore. Rivers run most of the distance in the valleys between Gjovik and the West coast of Norway. Water falls pour off the mountains and form great waterfalls which run into the rivers. With all of the rain in Norway this summer the rivers are gushing. Even the river rafting sites along the way had no daredevils in the water.

Sorry for the quality of some of the photos the rain and fog were tricky to work with.

It was interesting to note that when we crossed the continental divide the rushing waters rushed down into the central valleys or down towards the coast and the sea fjords. The color of the water(s) are so beautiful - and cold. Many of the are ice feed from snow capped mountains.

The farmsteads along the way came in batches of white houses and red barns or clusters of brown houses and barns. It amazed me that some of the farms were thousands of feet up the side of the mountain from the valley floors. JH said that they had pulley systems to get supplies up and down the mountain to the secluded farms high above the valley floor.

The Norwegian government has great systems of highway rest stops every few kilometers all the way (6 hours from Gjovik) to the coast. Every few stops has a bathroom. Even the smallest towns have a gas station which also serves as the local grocery and fast food (think QuickTrip style).

There were bicyclists everywhere. In the rain on the very narrow (sometimes hardly wide enough for two passing vehicles) and winding mountain rodes were bicyclists. Most of the riders were solo and some were in groups with younger (teenage?) riders. And some of the riders were well past middle age. All with legs of steel. Biking is becoming huge in Norway.

The trip to Myklebust is beautiful. We made the ferry by about 10 minutes.

These are photos taken from the ferry looking back towards the coast and out to the Islands. Haroy is the Island to the right in the photo of JH & NK.

Catch-up Post

My "interview" with Norwegian authorities wasn't an interview. We went to the mall to a self-service photo booth and had my photo taken. NK thinks my photo is hysterical - great. I do look a little goofy because I didn't (can't) read Norwegian very fast or well and since I didn't save the first photo quickly enough the booth re-took my photo. Just as it was ready re-take the photo JH stuck his head in to "help" me read. The photo almost caught JH with his head in front of my head. In 1995 at a mall in West Des Moines JH and I sat in a photo booth at a mall and took photos. I still have them - somewhere in a container in the North Atlantic. Anyway, I started laughing because the photo caught us by surprise. Oh well - this is just the photo that will be on my bank card, my drivers license and my "green"/immigration card. I might as well look happy. VERY happy.

The office at the Police Station for immigration opened at noon. We were there by about 12:20 and we had about 7 groups/families/individuals in front of us. My guess is that we waited 45 minutes until it was our turn. The lady in front of us was European, and the rest of the groups in front of us and then in the line that formed behind us were all Eurasian, Asian and North African. Or, at least from the languages I heard and the burkas and Asian-dress that is my guess.

The diversity excited me - because it was noon and I thought of one thing. Asian food! With all these Eurasians they need to shop somewhere. There must be an Asian/Middle Eastern supermarket and I am going to find it!

NK was bored while waiting in line. I thought it moved faster than I expected. Since JH is a Norwegian citizen, and NK is a dual citizen (US and Norway) I was the only "immigrant". The policewoman said my immigration request to live and work in Norway should be processed in 2- months. Wow. The website says 4-8. Is there anyway they can slow this down so I can continue to sleep-in. Kidding.

All immigrants must go through a 300 hour course of language and culture. My classes start in late August. The classes are paid for by the Norwegian government. And, I can extend the classes by a few THOUSAND hours if I need it. Let's hope that I don't need it. By random conversation classes and advanced Norwegian will be nice - if needed.

The immigration process was so efficient and pleasant. I remember being terrified when we drove to Kansas City for JH's immigration interview. We had heard horror stories about rejections and grumpy US Immigration officials. Of course my worries were unfounded and we spent about 5 minutes in our "interview". We spent the rest of that afternoon in KC shopping on the plaza.

NK and I are still trying to get acclimated to Norway and to Gjovik. Norwegians love to speak English to me - so much so that it could EASILY become a crutch. At the supermarket and stores and offices they quickly switch to English as soon as they hear NK and I talking with one another. They even stalk me and help me. This is a nice town. Nice people. It is clean and beautiful and very pleasant.

The super markets do have a huge amount of international foods (I am still going to find the Asian grocery this week - I know it exists - somewhere). Food is somewhat more expensive than in the US - not a lot. The meat is the most expensive. Beef, chicken, turkey, horse (deli meats), pork, and NK's favorite...fish. The breads are great. They are all fresh so they have a short shelf life. For the most part you can select your own bread and then put it in the slicing machine. I am still weary about the slicing machine - but I will be a veteran...soon.

We have not been able to find an apple sauce NK likes. He likes the smooth US style. The apple sauce here is chunky and he doesn't like it. We have found peanut butter...Skippy not his favorite (creamy Jif). NK's favorite sandwich that he eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner is fish cakes with peanut butter on crustless bread. Here is a link for a fishcake (fiskekaker) recipe, http://www.matoppskrift.no/sider/recipe_11746.asp

Here is a link to the Skibladner - the old ship in the photos, http://www.skibladner.no/engelsk/index.htm

By the way - this is the wettest/rainiest summer in Southern Norway for the last 104 years. It was rainy when we left Kansas. My guess is that the rain has followed us.

Still, no word on Forrest. FREE FORREST!

And FYI, I heard on the news that a container ship sank near Iceland. I hope it wasn't the one with everything I own on it. Blah.

Photos from Around the New 'Hood

Here are an assortment of photos. Photos of our condo/apartment the front, side back. Photos looking down the street toward the lake and then some photos of NK's school. Enjoy...I sure did as I took the photos this evening. The flowers are aromatic and the view is a million kroner view!

This is the view down into our neighborhood from NK's new school.

NK and JH at the school yard. NK's bike is in the background.

This is NK's new school. It serves kids from 1st - 10th grades. Kindergarten is not common in Norway and kids are only required to go to school through 10th grade. After 10th grade it is work, college, travel, military service or whatever. Norway still requires males to fulfill military service although NK says he won't. Oh well - good boy - he has a lot of time to further develop his convictions and politics.

The hillside/mtn. side across from the school has been cleared - upper left of the photo. There is a lottery for homestead slots on the hill.

This is a photo of the lake - Mjosa looking down our street. It is a cloudy evening - July 4th. It rained almost all night last night and it rained until 3PM or so today. It is about 68 degrees F and quite mild and a lovely evening.

This is the back of our condo/apartment. You can maybe see the potted flowers on my table.

This is the front of our condo/apartment. NK loves this ramp. I have had to remind him not to use his Heely's - which of course is very tempting for him. Our front windows to the far left have the view down the street and to Lake Mjosa.

This is our mailbox. The mailman has harassed JH to put our name on the box, so JH had put a little white note. I decided to make it more permanent and official and wrote our name on the box. It still has a painting of the old troll lady. We need to get an artist by to redo the painting of a troll family with a little troll boy.

This one eared cat came down a path at NK's school and then followed me a little and brushed up against me before heading into the pine forest. Forrest would be quite upset with this. I can't wait to have my kitty strolling around the hill with me. I have seen a lot of cats, including one which our landlady says in the neighborhood bully. Well, there will be a new sheriff in town shortly.

Gjovik

We are finally catching up with our sleep and getting settled in our new apartment/condo in Gjovik. Although this still kind of feels like vacation. Today while cooking dinner I looked at the knife I was using and thought, "I have a knife like this" and then I it occurred to me that it was my knife. Strange.

NK is getting familiar with the neighborhood. He is spending a lot of time riding around the streets and riding around the school grounds. He seems to enjoy the ability to head out on his own. Although he and I are both confused at the daylight hours since the sun doesn't set over the mountain until nearly 10PM.

I am curious if at some point my subconscious will stop feeling as though this is a vacation and start feeling well acquainted with my surroundings. Tonight after we went swimming I did say that I was tired and wanted to head home unless we bought groceries quickly. HOME.

On Friday, July 13th I will no longer have a home in Kansas.

JH says that we live on a hill. I think it is more of a mountain. Depending upon the source on the Internet a mountain is a hill higher than 1000ft OR 2000ft above sea level. Our hill/mountain is about 1500 feet above sea level. Bigger than Walton Mountain and smaller than Everest.

We live on the side of the hill/mtn. on the south side of Gjovik. We live in a condo/apartment in a fairly middle class neighborhood which is close to NK's school. Norwegians love flowers and there are so many wonderful flowers in bloom - most notably the lupines - which I will get a photo of to post sometime this week. We went to a greenhouse and purchased some indoor and outdoor flowers/plants. Our landlords who live on the other side of our condo/unit keep our yard beautifully groomed with flowers and blooming bushes that smell lovely. We put the flowers in pots on our deck. I couldn't wait to buy an African violet. Home = African violets.

We also bought some candles. I love candles and JH knew I wanted some so he had staked out some great stores with candles. We have also found the bakeries. Norwegians know baked goods!

NK and I have been practicing our Norwegian. We aren't very good at it, but it is fun. NK has been watching the Disney channel. Most of the shows are dubbed but he laughs at the right parts. BBC has been my friend. Since I am a news junkie.

I haven't been able to find Mtn. Dew but I found Urge. Didn't they/Coca Cola market Urge as Surge in the US. Anyway it is expensive and I probably won't drink a lot of it. After nearly decaffeinating myself it felt good to have the Urge!

I have been trying to drive around the area without JH prompting me. After two days of watching him I think I understand the winding, twisting, small streets which criss-cross this small mountain city. I have had a small challenge with driving a stick shift, I haven't driven a stick in a while so doing it in the hills/mtns has been a riot. I have killed it occasionally.

I think the highlight of our first few days was going to a small pond/pool in town to watch NK swim. While watching him we saw a double rainbow although I think only the single shows up in this photo. With the Olympic Hall which is inside a mountain downtown, the lake Mjosa which we live near (60 miles long and at times 5 miles wide) which has lots of walking areas and beaches, and the zillions of paths in the pine forest near our house - NK is so excited about the endless opportunities to "do things" and have fun. Tonight we went to an indoor water park after we found out that we can swim for free since JH works for Nammo Co. NK went crazy in the wave pool, the slides and a river which lived up to its name "wild". It was wild. It has a maelstrom which NK enjoyed going around and around until I couldn't watch anymore.

Tonight we are getting my documents out to prepare for our meeting tomorrow with the police to start my immigration for a resident/work permit. I will have more to share later about the process!

I am tired so enough for tonight!

Our Trip to Norway

This is a lovely photo of NK and me. We took this while hanging out at the airport in Iceland.

My dad drove NK and I to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport on Thursday. After one week of cramming as much stuff as possible in our suitcases I was relieved to have the packing behind me. I called Icelandair a few days earlier to inquire about luggage limits. I was told I could bring as many bags as I wanted as long as I brought my credit cards! We checked 6 large bags and one cat.

Days earlier on our trip to Iowa Forrest nearly meowed himself into a trance. We finally had to stop at a pet store to get him some kitty drugs (animal Dramamine). He was much more comfortable and calm after the kitty drugs - and my mom, NK and I weren't ready to leave him somewhere in Missouri. We drugged him for the trip to Minnesota and a little more prior to the flight/check-in.

My dad dropped us off - there are not any porters at the MN International airport...what the HECK? NK and I balanced two carts with 6 suitcases (nearly 60-70 pounds each), two carry-ons, two smaller bags, and Forrest. Luckily we arrived 4 hours prior to our flight. We encountered zero problems with check-in. I was so worried that there would be a last minute problem - with Forrest or the bags or a reluctance to let me leave the country with NK since I didn't have a permission letter from JH. NO PROBLEMS. There was not even a line. We had everyone in the check-in area watching our little train of bags. We had the entire process over in less than 10 minutes. TSA staff were so good with Forrest. And, Forrest cooperated when I too him out of his cage. Days earlier he nearly tore NK apart when he saw his kitty crate.

LeeAnn - thanks for coming to meet us at the airport. We had a great time visiting with you - and we hope you make it to Norway later this summer!

We also breezed through the security check point. They didn't even want to see all of my little baggies full of liquids and gels - and I was ready! My lipstick and gum were ready for viewing!

The plane was full. I knew it was peak season but surprised that a Thursday flight was full. A nice family sat next to us on the flight to Iceland. Their one year old sat on my lap for half the flight entertaining NK and I. She was as cute as a bug and she kept everyone around her jumping.

We have flown Icelandair before and we have raved about the service. Well, they weren't living up to their expectation. They were "short" crew members and while giving the first round of drinks they ran out of nearly all soft drinks by row 12 (our row). They served us luke-warm reindeer meat balls with unidentifiable veggies and a sauce I think was sweet and sour. Instead of keeping drinks readily available and instead of picking up the cabin (food, etc. - since the meatballs were a flop) they cruised and clogged the aisles selling perfume. Other travelers weren't entirely nice. NK and I just entertained ourselves and tried to keep the one year old from tearing apart our aisle.

The trip over Greenland was awesome. We some some great ice flows and glaciers (are these synonyms?). There was a big wave of snow blowing across the surface and only the tallest mountains were visible. These photos were exactly four hours from the MN airport.

We made it through customs in Iceland very quickly. The security check point coming off the plane - yes you read right - coming off the plane...made everyone leave food and beverages in a garbage bin. Some folks had bottles of wine, etc. purchased in MN and they were mad. NK and I opened our carry-on baggage and drank our drinks (2 bottles of water) as opposed to dumping them. Inadvertently I forgot - seriously - to toss our bagels and peanut butter sandwiches. Good thing we had them because we ate them on the next flight.

Security was a little perplexed the NK and I did not have return travel tickets to the US. The customs agent kept telling me "You can only stay 90 days". Whatever. My immigration meeting is next Tuesday! If I don't have papers within 90 days I will need to jump the border to Sweden which we plan to do the first weekend in September anyway. I assured the agent that NK is a dual citizen (US and Norway). Poor guy was confused when we walked away.
The coast of Iceland (2 photos)
The airport in Iceland has had a make over and since our connecting flight was delayed we walked around the airport. It was fun watching sleepy, zombie-like tourists sampling products made in Iceland. We tried to inquire about Forrest but we got the big brush off so I decided not to sweat it.

The trip from Iceland to Norway got off to a tense start for NK. They had inadvertently ticketed us for an exit aisle. Since NK is not old enough to sit in an exit row we had to wait until the entire aircraft was seated and they told us that we may not be able to be seated together. NK got big tears in his eyes and the flight attendants quickly moved some folks so we could sit together. The airplane was not an Icelandair plane - and because I was slightly worried we were on the wrong aircraft I asked the flight attendant. Apparently, Icelandair has way over sold tickets for the high travel season (summer) so they had to rent planes and crews from an airline for hire in the US.

We were the last two passengers off the aircraft because the flight attendants had stowed our carry-ons at the rear of the aircraft and we were seated toward the front. My feet had swelled so much I couldn't get my right shoe on. It took me 5 - 10 minutes to jam my foot in my shoe. I considered walking barefoot through the Oslo airport. So we hobbled to the baggage area. My feet hurt and NK was mostly sleep walking.

In the baggage area a lady was walking around carrying Forrest in his crate. She had been looking for us. I spotted her on the far side of a crowded baggage area. I waved until she saw us and made her way over. Forrest was VERY happy to see us. The lady, a veterinarian took Forrest into her office and gave him a check-up. She said he was in great shape. She let us scratch his nose through the door of the crate before she departed with Forrest to the quarantine an hour away.

Five of our big bags turned up. A nice older gentleman helped me stack 3 of the 70 pound bags on my cart. We waited until all the bags were out and just when I was ready to report a lost bag a trolley pulled up with band instruments for a band which had been traveling on the Iceland to Norway plane. Sure enough I had them double-check their band instruments and my lost bag was on the trolley under a tuba.

Slowly NK and I exited the baggage area. JH was standing front and center on the other side of the doors. What a relief. After 9 weeks of packing and selling we made it to Norway. It sucked that we had to leave Forrest with the authorities but we hope to collect him soon.

Two people and a cat arrived in Norway today

We are now all in Norway.

LL, NK and Forest arrived around 1 PM local time. Forest went to the catjail (kennel) while we wait for the results from the lab at K-State. We loaded up the suitcases and started the drive (1.5 hrs) to Gjovik. LL and NK fell asleep on the drive, then walked inside to nap a little more at the apartment.

To get them and the suitcases here, our landlord let me borrow his trailer to hitch on the back of the car. That worked out quite nicely, as it would otherwise have been very challenging to fit it all into the car, and it would most likely not have been a safe way to travel.

Well that is just a quick status update for now.

Moving Day

We hit some speed bumps with our second moving company. They "tried" to arrange the move for Monday, June 11th. It didn't work so they "tried" again for the 13th and then "tried" again for the 14th. By the day of the 14th my spirits were pretty low. As I stated on the earlier blog entry, it gave NK and I more time in Wichita. The moving company said we were all "GO" for Monday the 18th. On the 18th the shipping container never came. It came on the 19th. Luckily, the 5 man moving crew showed-up on the same day to pack the container!

NK and I slept Monday night in chairs at the house. The only chairs that were not designated to be packed. Instead of a hotel - NK really wanted to stay at our house.

We had a great final few days in Wichita. We saw friends, and we enjoyed some of our favorite Wichita locations. We went to see the Keeper of the Plains. It looks great - we really enjoyed it.

The crew packed and packed the container full. Completely full. Sadly, 1/2 of our furniture and nearly all of our books didn't make the container. I spent an hour on the floor sorting through books and I salvaged the work books JH needed for work - and a few of our favorites.

A lot of tears and dust later - the truck pulled away. I received a phone call about 4 hours later and the freight/crate was unloaded in the rail-yard at Kansas City.

Our neighbors purchased some furniture items and the rest will be sold and donated. We have 6 big suitcases and 2 pull-ons. Clothes, personal items and books will make the trip on the plane with NK, me and Forrest the cat.

Then the phone call came. The K-State/USDA lab is backed up and Forrest may not be able to make the trip. After an hour of tears and near hysteria I got my wits back and we started planning. Within the next 24 hours Highland Park Vet Clinic in Topeka, the Norwegian Agriculture Ministry, JH, me and my mom worked out a plan. Forrest will make the trip to Norway but he will be quarantined until K-State gets done with the blood tests and Highland Park fax the results to Norway. Ok - we can deal with that challenge.

Tuesday evening the 19th we loaded up and headed out of Wichita. We no longer live in Wichita. We have now left Kansas.

We spent a couple of days in Topeka packing our bags and getting some sleep. I had been running on very little sleep and a lot of STRESS for several days.

We are visiting friends and family and loving it. The farewells are tough. More details on our final days in the US to follow...

This double rainbow appeared last Sunday.

This last week hasn't been that fun.

Primarily because of the mess with the movers - and I am sitting here not being able to provide a lot of support to LL. She is doing an awesome job at sorting out all the details. The movers are scheduled to show up tomorrow, so I am praying they will be there, and that everything wil work out. Then hopefully, we will see our stuff again in late July or early August.

After a week of summer the weather pattern changed a little. They forecasted snow up in the mountain passes, and they got it right. Some of the guys at work that have accumulated some experience with the local weather said 'Snow in the mountains, well then we'll see snow at Raufoss'. Yes they were right. Thursday as I looked out of my office window, there was snow falling. It didn't accumulate here, but it sure did up in the mountains. So from 85 F last weekend to snow and back to 70 F yesterday - I thought KS weather was supposed to be wacky.

The picture below is from a vantage point 1/2 mile from the apartment. Looking North along lake Mjosa

For Father's day - a friend back in Wichita sent me some great pictures of LL and NK.

Thanks Jon!!

It's now less than two weeks until we'll be re-united. I can barely wait.

Final Days in Kansas

The last time we sat together on our front porch in Kansas, April 28, 2007. NK and I are really missing the big guy in gold.

We are on our second moving company. The first shafted us - or at least tried to engage in unscrupulous behavior before JH said 'show me our money'. The second company was supposed to have packed our stuff YESTERDAY and loaded today. No go. It is now rescheduled to take place on Monday, June 18th. After a lot of tears and drama and JH nearly jumping the first plane back to Kansas...we got our groove back.

Staying in Wichita a few more days means more time with our Kansas friends, and less time with family further north. Breathe...breathe.

NK and I took some photos of our yard in Kansas to show JH. Our lilies look great. Not the best year for our roses but they smell wonderful! The gooseberries are ripening and I have ate a few dozen! The yucca blooms were both beautiful and fragrant.

The rose bush and lilies were pre-Myklebust. Remember when we brought the yucca from Iowa? And we planted the gooseberry bush as a little plant and it is now 4.5 feet high by 6 feet wide. We planted flowers, berries, fruit trees, willow and fir trees. JH, can you believe how many blossoms our magnolia had this year?

Summer arrived on June 2nd

Today summer made it to Gjovik - a cloudless sky and 70-ish degres.

With a few exceptions May was miserable - about 50-55 degrees F, gray and rainy, some mornings you even had to scrape ice of your windshield - and I did see snow fall, but not accumulate.

Today, they got the forecast right - and summer is here with several more nice days forecasted.

This week I went to meet with the people running the Adult Norwegian Language classes. So now, LL is signed up for classes - starting in August. They mentioned that there is another couple of ladies from the US in the program, but a lot of the participants are from Eastern Europe, Asia or Africa. They meet for about three hours a day - and then do self-study. The initial 250 hours should take about 17 weeks.

LL is doing a great job back in Wichita getting everything packed. While I currently feel bad about all the work she has to complete for the move while I am here, I will be the one envying LL her well-deserved vacation after she gets here. School starts on August 22nd, so I hope she can get well rested before that.

I am scheduled to take one week of vacation this summer, then I have some flexibility to work in hours (before or after I take time off), so we will have the opportunity to extend some weekends to travel around and get to know this place. Hopefully summer will stick around, and views like the one attached can be enjoyed on a regular basis. In the center of the picture, on the lake one can see the S/S Skibladner (you have to open the picture to see anything but a speck) - one of the oldest steamships still in use. I'll get a close up later.....or you can take a look at this website http://www.skibladner.no/engelsk/

Gjovik is to far South, to see the midnight sun, but as the second picture shows, one doesn't need a flashlight to go for a late night walk for the next few weeks if the weather is nice.

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

The elves are packing and packing and packing. Mama elf now has serious concerns about the amount of stuff that has been packed and how it will size up (ba dum dum) to the size of the shipping container. I might need to start prioritising what gets packed - just in case we run out of room! Michelle started tonight as my co-packer. After the good work of relatives - I decided a still needed a hired hand - good thing for friends. She helped keep me focused tonight on sorting my clothes. I am finally giving up hopes of going down a few dress sizes and I am purging a huge amount of clothes. Two designer suits are in the pile. Ouch.

I thought I had done such a good job or purging. Darn. Rats.

I still need to call the airline to confirm Forrest's passage. Ah, to be a cat. I have his kitty passport form ready to go...except it needs to be signed by a veterinarian within ten days of us departure and then within six days of arrival in Norway.

I need to sell my/JH's car. I am getting a little stressed because I haven't sold it yet. Saturn anyone? NK still calls it "Daddy's car". I kindly remind him it is now mamma's car - of maybe his car. Daddy has a car in Norway!

NK spent the day with Esther and Al at the zoo. A great diversion. Tomorrow he starts his first of two weeks at summer camp - so he can get caught-up with his "summer friends" that he only sees during the summer at camp.

As much as I love my company, I am slightly regretting working up to the eleventh hour. Well, probably a good diversion for me. I try to focus on work at work and home at home. It probably keeps me from obsessing - but all the while I think I could be a more effective organizer and packer if I wasn't' so tired. Yawn.

The website for Gjovik has some new stuff, check it out http://www.gjovik.com/english/english.php

JH's blog posting about the trip to Myklebust made me slightly green with envy. I can't wait to spend some time relaxing at the island and hanging out with some of the village's people. Breathing the island's air = sea mist + country flowers + cut grass + no stress. Priceless. The view of the farmhouse from the mountain and the view of the ferry's approach to the island are wonderful.

Well, meanwhile, back at the ranch. I am going to stop fantasizing and get back to my dust bunnies and stacks of hangers.

First Road Trip

A long weekend - yahoo.....this year the 2nd day of pentecost coincided with memorial day - and in Norway (of all places) religious holidays like that are national holidays - so I got a three-day weekend

I decided to head North and West - road (and ferry) trip to Myklebust, on the island of Haroy where my dad's family is from. A link to a map showing the route is enclosed:
http://kart.gulesider.no/kart/map.c?startId=a_10000549281&imgt=MAP&stopId=a_10000274444

Friday i left work around noon, and started heading North - I passed Lillehammer - of fame from the 1994 olympics, and headed up the Gudbrandsdal-valley to Dombaas. It was a beautiful day with around 60 degrees F (16-ish deg C). At Dombaas, I headed towards Lesja, and down the Romsdal-valley where it gradually got cooler.

(Todays Norwegian lesson: dal = valley)


It is a drive I haven't done for 20 years - as I often came through on the way from an Army base I was stationed at. The scenery is just awesome, this has been my one of my favorite drives, since the first time I drove this way on my own in the mid-eighties. There is so much to see that one can easily become an unattentive driver, as a lot of attention is spent looking around, down and up......I stopped twice to take a couple of pictures and be a little safer as I looked around. We took the train through here four years ago, but the drive is better - as you can decide on where to stop.

As I got a little further down the valley, rain clouds started rolling over the tops of the mountains.



and as I got down to the sea, and started out along the fjord rain started pouring down, until I passed the last mountain and headed down to Brattvaag to catch the ferry. The coast was clear - literally, and the islands were bathed in the evening sun.

The drive took about 6 hours, I waited for the ferry for about 20 minutes, and it took about 35 minutes to cross. An easy trip on a mostly nice day in the late spring.

The picture shows the ferry at Myklebust two days later, with a track showing its path across the fjord. It isn't every day the waters are that calm.

I got out to the farmhouse (Bakken), found electric heaters and firewood and got the house warmed up. Nobody had stayed there since last November. The next day the weather wasn't as nice, rain sleet and hail with a few thunderstorms - but these storms were barely noticeable for someone that have spent several springs in Wichita. So I puttered around the house, the garage - found things, got the mower started and so on.....



On Sunday I woke up to a beautiful day. I spent the first few hours cutting grass and cleanining up around the house, and then I headed up on the mountain. The first peak is about 400 feet over the sea level, while the second gets you up to about 500 feet, and yes the view is worth the walk.
(even if you wake up sore the next morning).





Then on Monday, I headed back to Gjovik. As I headed down the Gudbrandsdal, it rained pretty hard, so the drive wasn't quite that nice. I hope to do this trip a few times this summer. Can't wait for my family to join me, and go along on these road trips.

The Wichita Homestead and the Commencement of "the" Good-byes

My first weekend in Wichita was spent with JH at a cheapo motel looking for a place to live. A few weeks later I came to visit JH while he was living at the Marriott - still looking for a place. My dog Koko, my mom and I looked and looked for a place to live over the course of a few days. JH finally found a townhouse after I had returned to Iowa to wrap-up my job, my public service (City Council) and my Iowa loose-ends. After getting married in December 1995 I moved to Wichita to be with JH. I remember driving around Wichita listening to Dr. Hook (still do!) and thinking wow - this will be home...!!!!???...One of my thoughts standing at the top of the Marriott was, "...oh MY, what a flat place". Except maybe I didn't say oh "my". In late-spring of 1996 our realtor told us about a house in N. Wichita.

Our Wichita home has a lot to offer, but the neighbors are the hottest part of the sale. Losing the folks...neighbors we have grown to love really stinks. My intellect leads me to believe that good people cycling in and out of neighborhoods weaves the fabric and creates the culture of a "good" neighborhood. I suppose the converse can be said of "bad" neighborhoods or at least the part about good people leaving and leaving and leaving. We will really miss our neighbors...we have marveled at our luck..buying a worn-out house that needed some love...we invested money and sweat equity and gained a nice place to live and great friends in the process. Thanks for taking care of our yard Tom. Esther and Al, thanks for loving NK so much - I know he loves you right back.

We have had some lookers - two offers without contracts and finally an offer with a contract. JH thinks I am nuts - but, I wanted our good home to find a new owner with integrity, heart and a good sense of values. I think the house has found her. Stay tuned in for more...

I am continuing to have 'lunches and dinners' with friends and colleagues as a part of the "good-byes". Heart breaking and heart warming.

We still communicate with the Cyber Daddy. Thank God for the Internet. Did JH mention that our new place has a wireless network? E-mail is awesome - IM and Skype are amazing. And a daily phone call isn't bad. Still, we miss Cyber Daddy and can't wait to be in Norway with him. I keep thinking that every box I pack is one step that NK and I are closer to Norway.

I suppose the worst "good-byes" will be to my family. But - the incredible relationship with Cyber Daddy has really shown us that we can communicate EVERY DAY with technology...so much so that NK said "Mom, can you talk with daddy I don't know what else to say to him so I am just having to sing!"...and he was, singing into the microphone on the computer watching his daddy smile back at him. So, we are talking so much that we are saying it all...or, at least all the things you say over the phone. I guess it is the companionship we miss the most. Even the cat is sleeping with me...and this has never happened before. NK, Luke (my mom's dog), Forrest the cat and me. I have fur and feet everywhere in my bed. But all three critters are exactly where I want them.

I am realizing how small this planet is. The photo (above) that I took at the Kansas Cosmosphere has really MADE me rethink my perspective of the distance between Wichita, Kansas USA and Gjovik, Norway due to the advent of the Internet. Thank you Al Gore.

A new place to call home.....

I must say I was getting a little disillusioned with the rental market for housing here in Gjovik or Raufoss. I saw all these ads on-line, and it seemed to be quite a few to choose among. Well as soon as I started calling, the common answer was “Sorry, it already rented”. There were a few exceptions – but after I saw the places, I understood why they were still available. If your only other choice was shacking up under an overpass – they would work. While I was getting somewhat frustrated, I wasn’t that desperate.

So a little wiser, I went through the “for rent” ads first thing in the morning, then called as soon as I thought the renter would be out of bed….

It helped – I got to see a few decent standard apartments before they rented.

With the incredible demand, you can barely give it a thought or two, before someone else will have seen it and snatched it. Since I still only had seen about 5 apartments, I didn’t feel like I had sampled enough to really be able to make up my mind that quick.

This weekend it started looking up a little – I had seen a couple of decent places – when I arrived to see a 2BR, partially furnished place. It was an apartment that was added on to their house, to house her mother. It was now vacant, and for rent, but they were somewhat picky about who they wanted. With the closeness of the apartment to their living quarters, that seemed fair. After I had looked around and found the apartment to be of a very satisfactory standard and size, we sat down and talked. One thing they were concerned about was whether we would move in, then buy a house and leave very quickly. They wanted a commitment to stay for at least a year. We are contemplating buying here, but we are not in a rush as long as we have a decent place to stay. Getting a better feel for the area than my two week crash-course will be good before we commit to buying.

They offered me first priority, and told me to take some time to discuss it with LL and contemplate whether it would work. The lady had arrived back here from England 20 years ago, after several years abroad, so she could relate to my (our) situation.

Among the good things it offered was a “flexible furniture plan”. Currently it has a fair amount of furniture and appliances. When our furniture arrives, they were willing to remove theirs. The apartment is located 200 yards from the neighborhood elementary school, which is another plus. It is only 2.5 miles from downtown, and there is good bus service. The only negative, I have noted, is that there is limited storage place, so we’ll have to see what will fit when our stuff from KS arrives. We'll find some place for it.

After having given it a little thought I called back, and then went back to really look it over. I asked a few questions, we agreed that this would work, they gave me a key, and we are meeting to set up the rental agreement tomorrow night.

Many weeks ago, I sent myself a box with stuff that included towels and bedding. It seems to be taking its time across the Atlantic, since I haven’t seen it yet. Well, my new landlord insisted on bringing over bedding, which I could use until the box arrives. I am fairly sure we have found a very nice landlord.

A few days ago I was getting quite frustrated with the housing options, but it seem to have all sorted itself out…..

and meanwhile, back in Norway....

JHM

It's been a week or so since I contributed, so I suppose it is time......

I did find a car last weekend, and after double checking some options I decided to buy a Ford Focus C-Max - It is based on the Ford Focus wagon, that can be found in the US, but has been raised to give it a more of a small minivan functionality. I had a hard time deciding between it and a regular wagon which had a turbo diesel - I drove a regular Ford Focus with a TD, and it behaved like a rocket - the RPM redlined very quickly as I hit 50 mph before I shifted from 2nd to 3rd. Well the C-Max won due to functionality. And while the TD could have given 47 mpg, if I didn't treat it like a rocket, 35 isn't too shabby either. Oh yes, it hurts to fill up a tank at $2/liter (almost $8/gallon).



At work I have been given a lot of flexibilty to take care of business, so as required I have been running around the area to get set up with banks, insurance companies and the tax office. While I was a little skeptical to having to deal with some of this beaureucracy, I am now mostly astonished how smooth everything has gone, and how helpful they are, even at the IRS office. Thinking of it, I think a lot of the people I have dealt with have been enabled and allowed to make the processes smooth, so they can help and please their customers there and then. I hope this holds true when we start dealing with immigration for LLM.

I have been driving around almost all over this town and Gjovik, to get familar with it. I am not sufficiently proficient that I could be a cab driver, yet, but I think I have figured out most of the area. The one thing that surprised me, is how hilly it is here. After 11+ years in Kansas, maybe my perspective of what is hilly has changed, compared to when I last was here in 1987.

Using IM it has been easy to keep in touch with LLM and NK. Like when LLM and I look at houses on the internet - a quick copy and paste, and we can see the same information. How did they do this stuff back in the olden days, like in the -1980's before the internet was in everyones home?

Well time is flying, so I better get to bed......

Missing JH

I am kind of having a bad night. I miss JH and I feel sick over it. I am trying to give myself the positive self talk and helpful optimism...but it isn't working tonight.

To compound my emotional state, I just read that two of my college classmates died weeks apart. One took her own life and the other died suddenly after having an illness. Life is so short, so precious and then...pixie dust.

I think my funk started this evening when NK said 'how did you meet daddy, since he is from Norway and you are from Iowa'. Well, we almost didn't meet. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa). We were introduced by friends (thanks Lenette and Toralf), but it was our common love for books, space, eating, jazz & blues, funny movies, irony, and else that drew us together.

We both like Bonnie Raitt and Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Långstrump)...which might just be the unscientific reason for my current stained red hair.

We both enjoy History, the Milky Way and the study of evolution...hmmm, maybe that has something to do with fleeing Kansas - ha!

We enjoy analyzing religion - with one another, and listening to Public Radio. Of course we love A Prairie Home Companion, http://www.prairiehome.org. Lake Wobegon exists.

We like traveling and we enjoy hanging around the house. We are both gourmet cooks and yet we love popcorn for dinner and toast a la Peanuts...Snoopy & the Gang.

We both have had a great love affair with comics. Growing up on separate continents we each had/have three favorites (the same OF COURSE) - the relationships of Snoopy & Woodstock, Pooh & Piglet and Calvin & Hobbes.

Each of us recycled before it was trendy. We both gardened when we were young and ate food we grew. We love plants & flowers and photography of nature. We like talking to cats.

What sealed the deal in our relationship is that we are ABBA fans. Oh - and we love our family...and we have enjoyed conversations & relationships with our grandparents during the many stages of our lives.

I feel better now - I think I will call it a night and dream of my sweet Norwegian.

Friends & Family Stopping In

For the last month friends & family have stopped by to say good-bye.

Packing, Packing & Even More Packing

My mom spent the weekend at our house helping me pack. We spend considerable time trying to decide what to keep.

I have been lookng for a airline approved animal backpack to take Forrest on the plane. I think that Paris Hilton has really done a lot for the pet carrier industry. There are a lot of styles, although I am leaning more towards price and practicality.

More of our furniture has been sold. Let's hope that I sell more in the next month. I have lots of calls from strange people who sound like they need/want a friend rather than an interest in my furniture. I am wasting cell minutes talking with nuts - great.

We have been chatting online with JH and/or IM each day - NK likes the video conferences the most. Kind of a cyber daddy/hubby. A talking head. NK has been playing chess, tic-tac-toe and chess online with the cyber daddy.

My in-laws called from Belize. They turned on a TV for the first time in a weekend and saw the devastation from the tornado activity in Kansas. They were worried about us. I told them I wish I was sitting on a beach on in the Carribean...but that NK and I are "okay" and we are looking forward to being with JH in Norway.

Let's hope that JH will get a car this week and a temporary furnished apartment in the next two weeks.

The following websites have some of the houses we are looking at. Go to Bolig, and then select Oppland and then Gjovik and Raufoss, www.tinde.no. The housing prices are outrageous when comparing them to dollars especially Kansas dollars since the Wichita market economy is so inexpensive. I hope we don't end up living in a hut. A cold little hut.

We have two couples seriously considering putting an offer on our house. If they or anyone else doesn't make a move I will list it by mid-month with a realtor - so I can focus on work, packing, NK end of school, and final hour stuff like closing banking, blah blah blah.

My Passport Arrived!

The US government surprised me today...okay they surprise me everyday but this time it was a good surprise...my passport arrived! I had to renew my passport at a time when the news headlines have declared that it is taking 12 weeks or so to process even with expedited fees. Well, I received mine after 19 days! I did pay the expedited fees. I had to hold onto my old passport to get back into the country from Belize and then pray that I receive/d my new one in time to head to Norway in June.

Within the next two weeks I will book the travel for NK and I to Norway. I am still trying to decide whether Forrest the cat will ride in the main cabin or whether he should be stowed in the belly of a plane. Ideally I will be able to give him some kitty prozac and he will nap - but I fear he will freak out and stink up the aircraft. Hmmmm...decisions decisions. I hope to connect somewhere on the east coast and/or Iceland to break-up the trip. I would love to spend a few days in Iceland hanging out at the Blue Lagoon - but Forrest has put a crimp in the plans for a stop-over. AND we look forward to seeing JH and our new town in Norway.

I still need to sell our remaining car and our house...I have sold more of the furniture. Last night NK was worried that we wouldn't have any furniture to sit on -I reminded him that lack of furniture was the goal not the problem!

I will try to upload photos tomorrow - I am too tired tonight...I have been packing and sorting through more of our worldly possessions. It is so exhausting to sort through every single item under our roof. I am going to post some items on Wichita Free Cycle. I just want some things gone...key rings, 'after shave', dog house anyone?

In Norway my loverboy should be ready to crawl out of bed. On this side of the planet I am going to be crawling into a bed...in about two minutes...

First arrival in Norway

JHM

Wichita - Chicago - Copenhagen - Oslo - by plane went well with only a few annoyances. The oversized and overweight luggage arrived. One suitcase is on its last leg - both handles to carry it with were not able to support the weight - so one broke upon arrival to Oslo, the next one upon departing Oslo.

I hung out with my sister and her family for almost two days - so I am now fairly de-jetlagged.
My folks were on their way to Belize - so they swung by, too.

Today May 1, I took the train from Oslo to Raufoss - 1 hr 50 minutes.



I found a taxi to haul my load to the hotel - established internet connection and then went for a walk to find my new employer.

Raufoss seem like a nice and laid-back little town - at least from what I saw today.

Everyone is amused that I don't have a cellphone (yet) - the hotel doesn't have room phones anymore - cause "everyone" has cell phones - you can't even get a wake up call......my PDA will take care of that.

JH has Flown the Coop

At 5:30 p.m. last Saturday JH flew out of Wichita. He connected in Chicago (nightmare) and then took Scandanavian Air. to Copenhagen, Denmark and then on to Oslo.

Before we could leave the house it was clear that NK was going to shed a few tears. I realized the day before when he wouldn't get out of my car once I had sold it that Dad leaving would be tough. Had NK not been with us I would have been the one having the melt down in our driveway, but I "acted" tough for the departure. Happy I was not, but prepared I was. Listening to NK scream left me with a huge lump in my throat, but some how we made it in two cars to the airport. Because of the baggage and JH's bike we had a little convoy.

Check-in took 1/2 hour. Good thing it was a slow day and that we were able to walk straight-up to the counter. It appears that taking a bike and having a lot of over weight baggage creates extra paperwork and extra payments (as we had guessed).

NK, my mom and I hung around the airport and ate a snack and visited with JH until it was time for him to head to the gate. After some tears he headed in one direction and we headed in another. Boo hoo.

To distract NK we went to Hutchinson to the hotel with the indoor water park. NK ran into some kids from school and had a blast swimming for hours and hours. We also went to the Kansas Cosmosphere since NK couldn't remember his last visit when he was younger.

JH has called twice. O'Hare Airport was a mess but the flight to Denmark wasn't very full so he had two seats to himself. He played trivia and snoozed most of the way across the Atlantic. The flight attendants with Scandanavian settled their strike so his flight from Copenhagen to Oslo was uneventful.

Thank goodness his sister has a station wagon because his baggage and bike took-up a lot of space. Ironically his parents are headed to Belize for a few weeks - so they met for a day in passing at his sister's home in Oslo. I hope they visit the same resort we stayed at on Ambergris Caye in Belize...they will love it!

Well, JH forgot his Norwegian drivers license - I will send it tomorrow.

I have started packing again! Yuck.

Off to NK's soccer we go - this will keep him and I busy until we depart. On Saturday he was goalie and he punted the ball all the way across the field past every player on the field and into the goal after a slight deflection. What a leg.