OUR LAST DAYS IN NORWAY

The last week in H|olsen was busy as usual.  We visited with a cousin named Turin who is a sister to Riedar and a lovely woman.  She and her husband have a beautiful pent-house apartment filled with tasteful furnishings, a full all surround deck and a great view of the city of Forde and the mountains.  She served us delicious smor brod ( open face sandwiches) of various kinds and she could rival any restaurant in her presentation of them.  She also made a nut type cake topped with lush whipped cream.  She is working on the lineage of my mother's family, so it was good to talk with her about that.  She knows a ton more than I have ever known, so I learned from her as well.  Much of the conversation we have had with the folks in the Holsen area has been about family and lineage.  That day we also visited the grave sight of Sigmund, one of their brothers who died just a few years ago at age 47.  Visiting grave sights and keeping up good grooming of such is a big part of their lives.  The gravestones are beautiful and lovely plants and flowers decorate each place.
We hiked up a mountain where a seter is linked to property ownership of a farm that Reidar inherited.  He repaired and fixed it up and it is now a sweet cabin where they go on occasion to spend the night to get away or just a day trip to spend the afternoon.  We had a yummy lunch  and had fun seeing the lowing cows and even some sheep. ( go figure!)  It is summer.  The animals are up on the mountains eating their fill before winter has them moved back onto the farmland and barns.  We walked through the water at a low spot of the snow melt.  It felt good on hot feet.
Again we hiked up a different mountain to another seter. This one is owned by Reidar's son, Stig Erik, and he and the family have been working hard to extend the cabin into a larger one.  It was an education to see all that they have done with that place and all of the equipment it took to do it.  The setting is so serene and ultimately gorgeous.  No wonder they love to spend time there.  He and his wife are farmers and have been haying and working hard every single day.  They are some of the happiest people we have ever met.
There were cows eating high up on the mountainside and sheep grazing on the mountain bench.  A waterfall between two huge rocky area serves as their shower.  There is a lake formed from the snow melt and a little part of one side of it is sandy, so there is a great beach for a swimming area.  A huge river (creek) tumbles down from the lake and a bridge crosses it so one can hike up to the cabin.  They have several neighbors there.  I called it Seter Village.  Young families now own these places handed down from generation to generation.  It is a rugged, but wonderful area with sights unbelievable.  I thought I was in a picture book!
We hiked down to the farm and ended the evening with ice cream, cookies and coffee.  Some other family members joined us and it was real good to get to know them a bit better.

Dan and I hosted an American BBQ on Saturday .  Requested was ribs, and hamburgers.  So Dan stoked up the BBQ and cooked up a good meal of barbequed ribs, hamburgers,and hotdogs. We also baked potatoes and had a huge fruit salad. We tried to teach them how to eat a hamburger, but they insisted to use a knife and fork to eat them. They favored the ribs and told Dan that it was the best they had ever had!! YAY, Dan!!! Baked potatoes had all of the trimmings we know as |Americans and everyone at them. Ice cream and cookies for dessert. Then later, Magnhild served a cake she had made, no, wait, 3 cakes she had made for the occasion. It was a good party. One of the days we visited an elderly woman who was married to one of my mother's cousins. Kjelaug is now 83 and living in an assisted living place in Forde. It was good to see her again. All three times we have been in Norway, we have seen her. She is now thin, but still sharp in her mind. I am glad that we took the time to see and visit with her. On Sunday we packed after the hike to Nordal. We ate BBQ leftovers and got things ready to leave on Monday morning. Our stay in Holsen was over.