THE THREE RRRs

RELAXED and RESTED and READY

TO START THE NEXT 5 MONTH WAIT.

(side note, today is my 7th month anniversay since LID)

(view off of friend's deck on Oslo fjord)

Sorry it took so long to post and talk about my trip to Norway.... Ahhhh, the reason I feel sooooooo good right now by trip to NORGE (as they say in their native language). I really did nothing touristy..... been there, done that on my other trips!!! When I left home that Thursday evening, I was a bundle of kinks and aches. Slowly as I sat basking and breathing in the beauty of Norway, I felt my head clear and my body relax. I had not a care in the world, just to enjoy my mom, family and friends.

Our first stop was a weekish stay with my Uncle Kaare and Aunt Ingeborg. There we ate like royality and talked and talked in Norwegian (I listened and listened). I never knew how much my mom could talk and even in my sleep I could hear her talking in Norwegian, my head was so full of it!!! Uncle Kaare lives in the area that my mom grew up in. Here all eight brothers and sisters shared a large farm which included acres of forest. The only wish my mom had was to take a walk in her childhood forest. This forest was a major part of her childhood memories. Both my parents grew up during WWII and the occupation of Norway by the Nazi Germany. There were a lot of sacrifices and things she went without, soooooo this forest provided hours of fun, imagination, and a sense of protection. All this she and my Uncle talked about while we "walked" in her forest. Sadly, my 82 yr old Uncle Kaara (Cora) was recently diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. We were so happy that we could visit with him while he was still his high energy FUN self!!! On my mom's side of the gene pool, there are tons of artists. My mom's oldest (deceased) brother Bjarne, was a very successful and well know artist in Norway and other parts of Europe. My Uncle Kaare is a great local artist. I have hanging in my dining room an original oil painting by him..... something that I love and cherish especially because he let me pick out my favorite painting and gave it to me, a gift from my much beloved Uncle. My Aunt Ingeborg was from an ocean harbor area that is know for its local charm and beauty refered to as "the End of the World". Here we spend time in a little cabin owned by them eating pounds of peeled-your-self shrimp right out of the ocean, laughing and MORE talking. We hiked to the top of this cliff place where one of the most interesting Lighthouses is located. I have been to all sort of lighthouses on the East Coast, but none have been as unique and interesting as this one. This is a lighthouse of old. The way this works is, you would lower the metal basket down and build a raging fire in it and raise it up where is would mark the way for passing (??VIKING??) ships??? Hey, I might be stretching here with this Viking stuff, but it does make it kind of exciting doesn't it??? One day my mom and I headed for a ride along HER beach and play area while Aunt Ingeborg and Uncle Kaare was preparing for a big (delicious) dinner party in our honor. It was such a clear and beautiful SUNNY day and we headed along a beach road really unknowing where we would end up. I love being tumble weeds and just going where ever the road takes us. We had a general direction and destination point which was the town that my mom played in the ocean and on the beach. Also the place where she got a glimpse at age 12 of the five year older and breathtakingly amazingly handsome man that later became my dad. That is another story in itself. Along our journey we stopped at a beach were 3rd and 4th grader kids were playing. I love the way the Norwegians raise their kids with respect to nature, the weather elements and the excersise. This class had walked for one hour while wearing their rubber (called Gummie) boots and rubber overalls. There they studies ocean sciences and had a big bonfire where they were roasting bread dough on sticks and splashing and playing in the cold ocean. To my surprise, one of these Norwegian students was a Chinese adopted daughter. Here you can see her roasting bread dough and the some of the other kids playing in the freezing ocean water. The teacher in the navy (background) told us that in other grades, these kids go to a 6 week course in ocean science where they learn everything with the ocean, to fish and ocean kayak, to learn eco preservation, and just learn to love the outdoors. You could just tell by the faces and the energy that these young students showed that school was FUN and any weather was reason to head out and enjoy their childhood. Rounding out this day trip, we made it to our final destination... Asgardstrand summer place of Edvard Munch (the Scream) and most importantly my mom. Here you see my mom and I hanging our enjoying the views, history of my mom's, sun and especially EACH OTHER. I am not sure how many more of these pricelss days I will be blessed with spending time with my Mother. So ends the first week in Norway.......