Sat, June. 25 Boat trip with Hilde, Terje, Sigurd, Ingrid and friend.

Hi All,

We had a delightful Saturday afternoon on the boat of Hilde and Terje, who are the parents of Mark's friend Sigurd. We stopped for dinner on the island of Bragdøya, which hosts a summer camp for kids.

Hilde with Ingrid's friend


New performing art center in Kristiansand.


The boys on the front of the boat.

The ultimate hangout

Hi All,

In the woods near our house, Mark and I stumbled on this kid's hangout, where Walter is building a lean-to out of sticks and where Dad had to sling Mark over his shoulder to hoist him on to a swing.

The boys finished school on Tuesday. Walter finished his cross-stitch pillow and told me that he was more proud of it than he would be if he had gotten an Arsenal jersey.

This weekend the boys are in the Plussbankcup, a soccer tournament. On Saturday we're going out on Hilde and Terje's boat. Tomorrow we're visiting Sunbeam with apples in tow. A busy happpy time.









Ant mound that Walter and Dad found in Jegersberg, June 18th.


Swan with cygnets, downtown Kristiansand, June 15.

Mr. Melk/Mr. Milk

Tine Melk has apparently launched a campaign to encourage teenage girls to drink more milk. Mr. Melk, with his bare-chest, "six pack," and facial stubble reminded Bill and me of Don Johnson in Miami Vice, but maybe it's supposed to be Morten Harket of A-Ha. In any event, no cartoon cows for Norwegian milk drinkers.




Check out the Facebook Mr.Melk link to see him in his many super-jock incarnations, including ski whiz in the "Scandinavian Alps"--skiing backwards, pivoting forward, and jumping off a ridge all while holding a glass of milk.

Vest-Agder-museet Kristiansand

It was a beautiful day so we decided to meet my colleague, Irene, and her kids at the Vest-Agder Museet a half-hour walk from our apartment. This open-air museum includes about 40 buildings mostly from the period between 1650 and 1900.


Irene, who, at one time, worked as a tour guide at the Vest-Agder-Museet, with her children, Emma and Jacob


A reconstruction of city center of Kristiansand in the late 19th century. Built by pensioners. We imagined Saratoga, our pet ferret, would find this city just his scale.



Dad explaining Morse Code to Walter.



Walter and Maritime Exhibition. In 1879, Norway had the third largest shipping fleet, behind the U.S. and Britain.




A ship's crew, with cats, c. 1900.


19th nautical training equipment from a school in Kristiansand.


A shipwreck c. 1903. The entire crew perished.




The significance of shipping to the city.






Walter pensive.




Bill in front of log storehouse from Nomeland farm, Valle, c. 1600 (caption follows)




Mark and Bill and sod-roof barn from Bjørgum farm, Hylestad in Valle. Needs a goat on the roof to trim it.


Mark and I in front of "Bur" (storehouse) from Kjelleberg farm, Valle.

Mineralparken near Evje

Hi All,

We took the bus to Mineralparken today, which featured a display of the world's semi-precious rocks and a climbing forest or Klatreskogen.




We watched a video about how the Vita company makes false teeth by gathering, grinding, purifying, firing, molding and painting feldspar. Fascinating actually.


The manager told us that these Klatreskogens were almost impossible to build in the U.S. because of liability laws. Since you're wearing a harness at all times, it didn't seem dangerous to us. Bill and the boys loved it. I did not, but I liked taking photos.











Taking the zipline down.

Horseback Riding--Mark and Sunbeam

Hi All,

This is Mark's last day of horseback riding lessons.

What didn't make it through airport security in Kristiansand

http://reise.fvn.no/reise/article4142577.ece