The kids from Sandsøy on a Harstad trip.

The kids had another day off school and we took to boat to the city to visit the Historical Museum.

A view from the Museum is Trondenes Church, a medieval church built in the 1300-1400s. Read more about it on Wikipedia. We saw a really cool movie about how it was and is used and events that happened hundreds of years ago.

Parts of the exhibit spoke about the WWII in Harstad. Most of the infrastructure in the north of Norway was built by the Nazis during WWII. Photo above shows a shell from one of of the canons they built on Trondenes in Harstad (and fromt he left: Rebecca, Marte and Barbara). 'The Adolf Canons' are still standing in Harstad. One of them is open as a museum during the summer time. Read more about the 'Adolf Gun' on Wikipedia.

Above is Jonas standing next to Tore Hund, who was a powerful viking from Bjarkøy - the island where the girls go to school. They learn lots about him at school, and parts of the exhibit at the museum told about how he killed a famous king, Holy Olav,  because Tore didn't want to become Christian. Tore Hund is also an important figure in the Snorre Sturlason Sagas. More information about him viking on Wikipedia.

Kids in Norway are no different from kids other places. Here they are checking out games at a game shop.

Relaxing on the boat on the way back to Sandsøy.

We love to 'skype' with our friends. Download it for free from skype.com. Our name is: randijorgadams. We are usually on every night (we are 9 hours ahead of our friends in California). We would LOVE to see you!! Here is Rhiannon and Mary.

I found the Panorama button on my new camera! Here is a panomara view looking south at the sun just peeking out on for about 1 hours on 1/21. Sandsøy lies in the fjord of 'Vågsfjorden' and we call it 'The Pearl of Vågsfjord'. The water you see is part of this fjord. Our house is located on the left side of the photo just above the white house you see close to the water.

The National Food of North of Norway: Skreimølje 

('Cod mix' if you translate directly)

Cod has been very important for Norwegian kitchens for hundreds of years. There are two groups of wild cod along the coast.

The Coastal Cod:Live on the bottom of the ocean along the coast and spend thier lives here.

Migrating Cod:The cod grow up in the Barents Sea and have two main migrations. The spawning migration goes to Lofoten islands (looks like the nose of Norway on a map) about winter/spring every year. This is large cod and is called 'skrei' (cod is 'torsk' translated). One cod can lay up to 15 million eggs. This migration is moving north in destination because of increased temperatures in the ocean, which leaves less fish in Lofoten where fishing is very important. The other migration is a feeding migration. Young cod migrate from the Barents Sea to the coast of Finnmark (the northernmost county in Norway) to eat capeling, which is a very small fish in the salmon family. This cod is called Capelin Cod.

The spawning cod is large and delicious. Females have fish eggs (photo above) called 'rogn' in Norwegian. 

The liver is also eaten in the 'cod mix' and this is what it looks like out of the fish.

The liver has a membrane around it and we peel it off before cooking.

This is what it looks like when it comes from my dad's cleaning area in their basement.

You boil the water with a handful of salt in it, put the fish in the water, let it boil up again and turn down the heat so the fish just sits and soaks in the hot water. The fish eggs go in with the fish, but is put in a piece of paper so it doesn't fall apart during cooking. When the fish and fish eggs are done (about 10-15 min), remove these.  Finally, add the peeled liver to the water and let it sit for a few minutes.

We serve this absolutely delicious food with boiled potatoes and carrots, flatbread and pepper on the liver.

Read more about this cod on wikipedia under Atlantic Cod.

HIGH WATER WEEK

The ocean was 2-3 feet higher than normal last week. There is usually a wide dry path (about 10 feet wide) out to these boat houses. When there is lots of wind, the water pushes even higher.

Veronica came along and collected soda bottles that had washed ashore. She found bottles for about $6 this day. You can see our red house in the background.

AURORA BOREALIS

Check out this link for more information on a rocket launch done from Andoya Rocket Range, not far away from Sandsøy: www.rocketrange.no

The rocket launched last weekend released trimethyl aluminum and actually looked like northern lights in the sky. In the clear night Monday we saw it very clearly. See photos of the Northern Lights earlier in the blog.

Sunday Walk on 1/4/2009

Here you see Veronica and Charley on kicksleds. There is some great information about this Scandinavia 'vehicle' on wikipedia. Enter the name 'kicksled' and it comes up. Among the information you'll find is that kicksledding used to be a major event in the Nordic Olympics around 1900. In Finland, they have revived the sport and it is now a serious sport there. You will find that the kicksled originated in Sweden about 1870. It doesn't say anything about a tile from the 1600 that was found in Holland with a picture of a person on a kicksled, so it might be a much older invention that we think. In the summer time you'll see many elderly using a kicksleds with wheels and brakes; a more balanced substitution for a bicycle and you have a place to sit and rest if needed.

Beautiful view over the small boat harbor on Sandsøy. That's as much as we saw of the sunlight on 1/4. Barely any color in the sky at all.

We received lots of new snow over New Years. Here is outside Kirsten and Tony's house.

We were able to help feed the wild sheep. Too much snow for them to be able to dig through the snow and find their own food.

Veronica got to give them 'candy' and some of there dared to come close including "Ola" the ram. He has gorgeous horns.

Juletrefest

(Christmas Tree Party)

It is a tradition in many communities in Norway to organize a Christmas Tree Party for the children. On Sandsøy it takes place at the community house that is owned and run by a non-profit neighborhood organization. This year's Christmas Tree was great. The kids made many of the decorations and decorated it themselves. Everyone thought this year's tree was a very nice one. 

Santa came for a visit, too. The children sang a traditional Norwegian Santa Song and received bags with goodies in them.

Santa looks the same all over the world...this one with a crooked mustache.

More snow means more shoveling. 

Here is Charley shoveling a walking path outside our house.

Another trip to the city for swimming. Beautiful weather and beautiful views.

Harstad in the winter seen from the docks.

Spring in the middle of December?

We went from a White Christmas to spring weather with 40 degrees F and full snow melting in 2 days. As you can see in the photo, not much white left on the ground. This is typical winter on the coast in the north of Norway going from cold to mild and back again.

Cousins Katrine and Eirik with Veronica.

A few neighbors have put up a b-b-q house with gorgeous views. 

New Years Eve at Kirsten's house. Tony left to go back to work on the platform in the North Sea the day before. He works 2 weeks and is home 4 weeks. Good deal, if you ask me. We spent most of New Years Eve inside. A terrible storm/hurricane hit the north of Norway and actually cancelled all public boat traffic for 24 hours in the three northernmost counties of Norway. A distance almost the same as from San Diego to Portland, OR, about 1,100 miles. The good thing was that we didn't have to travel anywhere and we got snow and cold weather again

Here is proof. Charley ate Lutefisk. His comment: "Now I can say: Been there done that! Never again!".

It was actually pretty tasty. The best one I have ever tasted.

Wedding on Sandsøy

12/27-2008

TONE + OLA = TRUE

A couple years ago a young couple took over one of the farms that had lied fallow for many years (the sheep farm from earlier photos), and this Christmas they got married. It was a wedding out of the ordinary in the name of love with hearts all over the place. When organizing a wedding on an island in the middle of winter, there are many considerations to take. The weather stayed ok, so the guests managed to get to Sandsøy by boat. A man from Sandsøy was the 'chef' the day of the wedding. All the food was prepared the day before by Tone (the bride) and many other family members. The community house was set-up for dinner a couple days before the wedding by family and friends. The church was decorated and the priest-on-maternity leave and her husband, the organist in church, sang during the service. Three women from Sandsøy helped serve during dinner and coffee. The photos were taken on their farm by a girls from Sandsøy, Anita (who took to northern lights photos below). Some music was played by Tony and Charley. The couple spent the honeymoon night in an empty (and cold) house on the island. The family cleaned up everything the day after.

Heart lanterns outside the community house.

The wedding dance. Tone and Ola is a handsome couple. Ola grew up on Sandsøy and Tone grew up in Harstad, the close-by city.

Here they are with their daughter, Matea.

Home-made wedding cake. Who would have known? Beautiful! Made by Ola's two youngest sisters.
Tony and Charley played some music at the wedding.

From the left: Tony, Kirsten, Randi, Tone, Karin. The three ladies standing up sang Tone's speech to Ola. It was very amusing.

AURORA BOREALIS

(Northern Lights)

over Sandsøy, late night 12/23-2008

Photos courtesy of Anita Ingebrigtsen. Charley and I went outside and saw it, too, but we didn't have a good camera to catch it with. Anita is a hobby photographer and took the photos below. Enjoy!

Sandsøy Pub

On the small island of Sandsøy with only about 100 people living, there is a pub! It is open mostly in the summer. The market owner rebuilt the old boat house/reception center for fish and made a pub. It is very drafty and cold in the winter, but for a couple hours and a couple beers, it is doable. Charley, Randi and Alf in the very back.

A view of the bar. The owner, Oddvar, on the left, Charley, Veronica and guest.

No comments!

Christmas Day

We had traditional American Christmas Dinner with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and veggies. After dinner we had friends over for coffee and pies (apple, raspberry and pumpkin).

Tony, Charley and my sister, Karin enjoying dessert in our living room.

Christmas Eve Celebration

The kids all dressed up for Christmas Eve Mass. A little cold but nice winter weather.

Waiting for dinner to get ready. Nothing like Disney Channel.

From the left: Charley, Randi, Werner (dad), Eirik (nephew), Veronica, Katrine (niece), Barbara, Bjørg (mom). My sister, Karin took the photo. Dinner on Christmas Eve is Pork ribs with fat and skin (to make crunchy pork rind), pork meatballs, potatoes, red cabbage, veggies, lingonberriy jam and aquavit!

All the presents are opened and everyone is happy. Two sisters at home for Christmas after many, many years. We have four more siblings in Norway and Spain.