Where to start? My arrival in Furudal was filled both with a sense of anxiety about my dances and eagerness to get started working on them. Once we ran through the dances, I could tell that we didn't have any major obstacles. That was a good thing, but it also means that haven't worked on them hard enough to make them perfect. Regardless, Larry and I are both confident that Friday afternoon will be a passing day for us.
Furudal and the training camp is more than just practicing. Most importantly, it is the opportunity to withdraw from the world and focus on the wonderful people who are also interested in dancing. Our evenings at the campfire are filled with entertaining discussions. On the rare occasion that the subject wanders to dancing, it is a discussion of past hijinks.
My first appearance at the campfire (we were too late the first night, so I didn't manage perfect attendance this year) was accompanied by foil packets of salmon. Since we took our time getting down to the lake, there was very little fire left and more wood had to be thrown on to cook our meal. When we finally got to eat, the fish was delicious, however I got to endure several days of teasing thanks to those pieces of fish. Not to be outdone, I announced that the following evening I would bring a moose roast. One night I even suggested that we catch a wolf to bbq and then we could make a new pair of pants for Larry, or a hat, or a couple purses. Regardless, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously.
This year we stayed in the youth hostel rooms attached to the Norwegian Veteran Museum. During WWII, Sweden wasn't allowed to host a foreign army, but the Norwegian 'police troops' were active in a number of towns throughout Sweden. When they built the rooms in the museum they went asking for money in Norway. The beds here are the nicest beds I have ever slept in; they are, in fact, the best beds you can buy in Norway.
Tonight, we have one last night in Furudal with only a few remaining dancers. Tomorrow, we drive to Östersund and Friday we dance up. Good luck to everyone!
Showing posts with label relaxing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relaxing. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sweden in the fall
For our fall vacation, we headed to Sweden. This started and ended with late night bus/train trips. On the way to Sweden, we got a ride to Åmot at 2:30am, took the bus to Oslo and the train to Uppsala. On the way back, we took the afternoon train (filled with drunk Korean businessmen) to Oslo, the night bus to Åmot, and shared a taxi home with 5 other tired students.
We spent most of our week off hanging out in Uppsala. David's brother is spending a year in Australia, so this was our last chance to see him for a while. We also got haircuts; mine is shorter, but not short and David's is definitely short. We visited the yarn store and coffee shops and an electronics store. We made a brief appearance at IKEA. We watched TV and movies. I got a new backpack (at a really good price) and David found new boots to replace the pair that disappeared from school last spring.
While in Uppsala, I got confirmation from the UW that we could take our December exam at the Scandinavian Dept. This lead to me purchasing our tickets back to Seattle for a rockin' good price on IcelandAir. We will be in Seattle from December 12th to January 10th, playing at both the third and first Friday dances while we are there! Whoohoo! I'm really looking forward to this trip home!
After a week relaxing with David's family, we packed our things and headed to the Linköping Folkmusik Festival. This year's highlights included a workshop in Polsdans fra Finnskogen and a partner to take it with (yay David!), meeting up with Irene, and lots of good concerts, notably Ralf Novak-Rosengren who is really worth checking out on YouTube.
David and I had decided to stay in a hotel after our less than pleasant experience sleeping on the floor in Geilo. The hotel was as nice as I remembered it being - nothing beats a hotel breakfast while you're at a festival. The only downside was that the room we got was only sort-of a double room. There was one single bed and a hide-a-bed. We opted for sharing the (very comfortable) single bed. It was not exactly spacious, but we could have been on a classroom floor.
We spent most of our week off hanging out in Uppsala. David's brother is spending a year in Australia, so this was our last chance to see him for a while. We also got haircuts; mine is shorter, but not short and David's is definitely short. We visited the yarn store and coffee shops and an electronics store. We made a brief appearance at IKEA. We watched TV and movies. I got a new backpack (at a really good price) and David found new boots to replace the pair that disappeared from school last spring.
While in Uppsala, I got confirmation from the UW that we could take our December exam at the Scandinavian Dept. This lead to me purchasing our tickets back to Seattle for a rockin' good price on IcelandAir. We will be in Seattle from December 12th to January 10th, playing at both the third and first Friday dances while we are there! Whoohoo! I'm really looking forward to this trip home!
After a week relaxing with David's family, we packed our things and headed to the Linköping Folkmusik Festival. This year's highlights included a workshop in Polsdans fra Finnskogen and a partner to take it with (yay David!), meeting up with Irene, and lots of good concerts, notably Ralf Novak-Rosengren who is really worth checking out on YouTube.
David and I had decided to stay in a hotel after our less than pleasant experience sleeping on the floor in Geilo. The hotel was as nice as I remembered it being - nothing beats a hotel breakfast while you're at a festival. The only downside was that the room we got was only sort-of a double room. There was one single bed and a hide-a-bed. We opted for sharing the (very comfortable) single bed. It was not exactly spacious, but we could have been on a classroom floor.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
A free weekend!
David and I decided not to go to FolkeLarm this year. While the tickets to the festival were cheaper, hotel rooms, food, and travel are certainly not inexpensive. Plus we were exhausted from three weeks of constant rehearsing and travel. Finally, we had a weekend at home!
I had originally told all of my employers that I wasn't available and I stuck to that story. Instead of working like crazy and spending all of my free time at school or asleep, I got to relax at home with David. Friday we had free from school, so we cleaned the house and went for a walk to town. Saturday we got a last minute invitation to play at the gallery opening, so we used the afternoon to rehearse and then played that evening.
Saturday night we had time to visit with friends. First Marco and Victor came to us and then we went out to Victor's cabin. We drove there with the plan of walking home. Around 4am we were all tired enough to end the party so the three of us walked and arrived at our homes around 5. Marco and David kept the conversation going, mostly about all of the dangerous animals a person can meet in the dark on a road like the one we were walking on and what a person should do when one meets a bear or moose or beaver. When we were almost home, we ran into a few very drunk and entertaining locals; they figured that we must be from Oslo and were out on a training tour. As tired as we were, we managed to walk considerable faster then them!
Sunday we slept in late and walked back to the car in the afternoon. The road was much less terrifying in the daylight. The scenery was fantastic. Fall is making its brief appearance before winter sets in and the trees are displaying beautiful yellows and oranges. The conditions here aren't right to get red leaves, so the mountains are covered with tapestries of evergreens and golden birches.
That evening we made dinner and watched a movie. We went to sleep early in an attempt to start the next week well rested. We were headed into Research Week and even the most interesting lectures are difficult to stay awake through while suffering from sleep deprivation.
I had originally told all of my employers that I wasn't available and I stuck to that story. Instead of working like crazy and spending all of my free time at school or asleep, I got to relax at home with David. Friday we had free from school, so we cleaned the house and went for a walk to town. Saturday we got a last minute invitation to play at the gallery opening, so we used the afternoon to rehearse and then played that evening.
Saturday night we had time to visit with friends. First Marco and Victor came to us and then we went out to Victor's cabin. We drove there with the plan of walking home. Around 4am we were all tired enough to end the party so the three of us walked and arrived at our homes around 5. Marco and David kept the conversation going, mostly about all of the dangerous animals a person can meet in the dark on a road like the one we were walking on and what a person should do when one meets a bear or moose or beaver. When we were almost home, we ran into a few very drunk and entertaining locals; they figured that we must be from Oslo and were out on a training tour. As tired as we were, we managed to walk considerable faster then them!
Sunday we slept in late and walked back to the car in the afternoon. The road was much less terrifying in the daylight. The scenery was fantastic. Fall is making its brief appearance before winter sets in and the trees are displaying beautiful yellows and oranges. The conditions here aren't right to get red leaves, so the mountains are covered with tapestries of evergreens and golden birches.
That evening we made dinner and watched a movie. We went to sleep early in an attempt to start the next week well rested. We were headed into Research Week and even the most interesting lectures are difficult to stay awake through while suffering from sleep deprivation.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Leave them wanting more
After three weeks in Seattle, I felt like I could really use another week there. I'd managed to see many of my friends and almost all of my family, but I would have liked to have spent more time with all of them. I managed to dance and fiddle, do my school work and relax. In three weeks, I slept in seven different locations, drank an ocean of coffee, and ate out an average of once a day.
Writing papers is a little like torture for me. It's not something I enjoy doing, even when the subject of the paper is something I absolutely love. Take for example the two papers I wrote while in Seattle - one on dance rhythms and one about singing for dancing Clearly these are topics that I enjoy talking about and have a strong interest in these activities themselves. I couldn't right the paper about singing until it was practically due.
(I was writing this on the boat to Shetland and at this point got coerced to the party in the middle of the boat. A story you will read later.)
I love Seattle. The people, the trees, the smell of the sea, the coffee shops, walks with the ladies, the weather (yes, really), everything except the traffic is great. December is a long ways away, but it will come and then I will be back home for another refill of life in the city. Until then, I have some good memories.
Staying with Warshaw family is always great. It is both relaxing and chaotic at the same time. I was fortunate enough to time my visit with passover, so I got to join them for their seder. Of course, my dad came too, and even on his best behavior (which he was on) he still manages to annoy me. Something about fathers and daughters, I suppose.
Springdans was fantastic! Lots of dancing, Norwegian and Swedish. It was fabulous to see folks I'd met in Sweden last summer. With a little bit of nudging we came to the conclusion that I can dance up again this summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Silver in Orsa, here I come! One of the highlights of the weekend was (after the traditional strip tease), of course, staying up really late playing music with Irene. She's just so much fun and so good! Not wanting the fun to end, I started scheming up a jam session for later in the week.
After camp, I spent a few productive days at Mom's. It was great to hang out with her, talking until late in the night drinking lambic and laughing. The second afternoon, Aunt Susie and Solvei came to visit. The weather was perfect and we crashed on the beach, watching the waves and talking about life. Those girls know how to have a good time. The sun went down, the beer was gone, and it was time for Susie and Solvei to head back to Poulsbo (Solvei had school the next day). Mom and I stayed up late again and I passed out after proclaiming that I wasn't tired.
I was woken up in the middle of the night by the feeling of a tail that was definitely not the cat's dragging across my foot. What followed was an hour long real-live cat and mouse game, essentially on the bed. I can't wait until Mom gets her cabin built. Of course, the cat (Finn the Hunter) won the game, with a satisfying, if revolting, crunch.
Back to Seattle for dinner in town with Mark A (way to represent!) and off to Anna's for a few days. If there's anyone who shares my love for chillin' like a villain, it's my best friend Anna. As an extra bonus it was her birthday, so we went out to as many meals as possible (not as easy as it sounds with a vegan). Then, to continue the Springdans fun, which Anna couldn't make it to due to work, we invited a star studded cast of the retired, self-employed, and unemployed to her house on Friday afternoon. It was a jam session for the record book and we could have kept going all night if we hadn't had to get over the the SCC to play the late night set at their happy hour.
Playing the happy hour is a very informal affair. You check with the Center to make sure you won't be conflicting with anyone and then you show up and play. The idea is to play for as long as people seem interested. After playing for 5 hours at Anna's, we played another two at the SCC. Almost all new tunes! What a day!
The rest of the weekend was paper writing crunch time and hanging out with the family. Both families really. I spent time with Sonya at the dental lab (holla!), had dinner with Mom in Ballard, one last night at the Warshaw's complete with Dad coming for dinner and the girls putting on a play. Perhaps a poor choice of pre-travel television, Mark and I watched 'Crashes that Changed Flight' until it was time to go to sleep. As much as I hate saying goodbye, setting off on the adventure to Shetland was exciting and I was really looking forward to getting back to Rauland.
Writing papers is a little like torture for me. It's not something I enjoy doing, even when the subject of the paper is something I absolutely love. Take for example the two papers I wrote while in Seattle - one on dance rhythms and one about singing for dancing Clearly these are topics that I enjoy talking about and have a strong interest in these activities themselves. I couldn't right the paper about singing until it was practically due.
(I was writing this on the boat to Shetland and at this point got coerced to the party in the middle of the boat. A story you will read later.)
I love Seattle. The people, the trees, the smell of the sea, the coffee shops, walks with the ladies, the weather (yes, really), everything except the traffic is great. December is a long ways away, but it will come and then I will be back home for another refill of life in the city. Until then, I have some good memories.
Staying with Warshaw family is always great. It is both relaxing and chaotic at the same time. I was fortunate enough to time my visit with passover, so I got to join them for their seder. Of course, my dad came too, and even on his best behavior (which he was on) he still manages to annoy me. Something about fathers and daughters, I suppose.
Springdans was fantastic! Lots of dancing, Norwegian and Swedish. It was fabulous to see folks I'd met in Sweden last summer. With a little bit of nudging we came to the conclusion that I can dance up again this summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Silver in Orsa, here I come! One of the highlights of the weekend was (after the traditional strip tease), of course, staying up really late playing music with Irene. She's just so much fun and so good! Not wanting the fun to end, I started scheming up a jam session for later in the week.
After camp, I spent a few productive days at Mom's. It was great to hang out with her, talking until late in the night drinking lambic and laughing. The second afternoon, Aunt Susie and Solvei came to visit. The weather was perfect and we crashed on the beach, watching the waves and talking about life. Those girls know how to have a good time. The sun went down, the beer was gone, and it was time for Susie and Solvei to head back to Poulsbo (Solvei had school the next day). Mom and I stayed up late again and I passed out after proclaiming that I wasn't tired.
I was woken up in the middle of the night by the feeling of a tail that was definitely not the cat's dragging across my foot. What followed was an hour long real-live cat and mouse game, essentially on the bed. I can't wait until Mom gets her cabin built. Of course, the cat (Finn the Hunter) won the game, with a satisfying, if revolting, crunch.
Back to Seattle for dinner in town with Mark A (way to represent!) and off to Anna's for a few days. If there's anyone who shares my love for chillin' like a villain, it's my best friend Anna. As an extra bonus it was her birthday, so we went out to as many meals as possible (not as easy as it sounds with a vegan). Then, to continue the Springdans fun, which Anna couldn't make it to due to work, we invited a star studded cast of the retired, self-employed, and unemployed to her house on Friday afternoon. It was a jam session for the record book and we could have kept going all night if we hadn't had to get over the the SCC to play the late night set at their happy hour.
Playing the happy hour is a very informal affair. You check with the Center to make sure you won't be conflicting with anyone and then you show up and play. The idea is to play for as long as people seem interested. After playing for 5 hours at Anna's, we played another two at the SCC. Almost all new tunes! What a day!
The rest of the weekend was paper writing crunch time and hanging out with the family. Both families really. I spent time with Sonya at the dental lab (holla!), had dinner with Mom in Ballard, one last night at the Warshaw's complete with Dad coming for dinner and the girls putting on a play. Perhaps a poor choice of pre-travel television, Mark and I watched 'Crashes that Changed Flight' until it was time to go to sleep. As much as I hate saying goodbye, setting off on the adventure to Shetland was exciting and I was really looking forward to getting back to Rauland.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Ørnes II
Yesterday, I mentioned laundry. I did not mention that while I have become accustomed to hand washing my clothes, it does not compare to getting all of your clothes clean (they were all dirty) at once without getting your hands wet. Hang them outside to dry? No problem! The sun will dry them all at once, too!
Today was the perfect example of how to enjoy life while on vacation. I got up around 9:30 and had breakfast before bringing in my dry clothes. I took a shower, got dressed, and practiced fiddle for at least an hour and a half. I shared my photos with Roald (I finally got them onto my computer!). I read the newspaper for a while. At three we had middag, which is often translated as dinner, but is usually served at 3, which is a long time after breakfast if there is no lunch in between, but not late enough to really be called dinner I think. Then we all rested - I slept until 5:30. More sitting on the porch, reading the newspaper, and labeling photos, interrupted at 7 by coffee and waffles (also not dinner). At about 9:30pm we had kveldsmat (evening food), which looks a lot like a typical Norwegian breakfast, just twelve hours later in the day. In between those things I made phone calls and chatted with Roald and Oddhild. Teeth brushed and in bed at 11:15.
Now, I will back track. Middag was fish balls. Fish balls in white sauce with curry powder on top, with carrots and potatoes. Oddhild hadn't made this fish balls herself, but she did make the sauce. Thanks to my previous experience with fish balls in Östersund, I had no trouble digging in to these without making that face I make when I'm trying new foods. i have to say, middag was phenomenal. Our Swedish fish balls from a can did not compare to fresh ones with a home made white sauce plus yellow potatoes and sweet carrots. Yum. For dessert we had gele with vaniljesaus. I'm not sure how to prepare a more Norwegian meal.
I've heard in the past that sleeping on a full stomach is not recommended because it can cause bad dreams. Perhaps that is why I dreamt that my family (mom, dad, sister, and myself) were filling in at a very popular and therefore busy lunch counter. I don't remember much of the details, but somehow Dad was at the cash register telling stories and the line of customers got longer and longer. By the time the owner returned, in the dream, Sonya and I were completely humiliated, the line of customers had wrapped around the corner and out the door, and Dad was oblivious. At least it was just a dream!
On my way to brush my teeth, I heard accordion music coming from downstairs. We had been listening to the radio earlier which always broadcasts a wide variety of music, generally including the Cardigans (today's hit For what it's worth, I love you). This sounded a little closer though. So I grabbed my camera in addition to my toothbrush and floss. Good thing, too! Roald was playing on his accordion, something I've never seen him do before. At the risk of repeating myself, it was a perfect end to a perfect day.
Today was the perfect example of how to enjoy life while on vacation. I got up around 9:30 and had breakfast before bringing in my dry clothes. I took a shower, got dressed, and practiced fiddle for at least an hour and a half. I shared my photos with Roald (I finally got them onto my computer!). I read the newspaper for a while. At three we had middag, which is often translated as dinner, but is usually served at 3, which is a long time after breakfast if there is no lunch in between, but not late enough to really be called dinner I think. Then we all rested - I slept until 5:30. More sitting on the porch, reading the newspaper, and labeling photos, interrupted at 7 by coffee and waffles (also not dinner). At about 9:30pm we had kveldsmat (evening food), which looks a lot like a typical Norwegian breakfast, just twelve hours later in the day. In between those things I made phone calls and chatted with Roald and Oddhild. Teeth brushed and in bed at 11:15.
Now, I will back track. Middag was fish balls. Fish balls in white sauce with curry powder on top, with carrots and potatoes. Oddhild hadn't made this fish balls herself, but she did make the sauce. Thanks to my previous experience with fish balls in Östersund, I had no trouble digging in to these without making that face I make when I'm trying new foods. i have to say, middag was phenomenal. Our Swedish fish balls from a can did not compare to fresh ones with a home made white sauce plus yellow potatoes and sweet carrots. Yum. For dessert we had gele with vaniljesaus. I'm not sure how to prepare a more Norwegian meal.
I've heard in the past that sleeping on a full stomach is not recommended because it can cause bad dreams. Perhaps that is why I dreamt that my family (mom, dad, sister, and myself) were filling in at a very popular and therefore busy lunch counter. I don't remember much of the details, but somehow Dad was at the cash register telling stories and the line of customers got longer and longer. By the time the owner returned, in the dream, Sonya and I were completely humiliated, the line of customers had wrapped around the corner and out the door, and Dad was oblivious. At least it was just a dream!
On my way to brush my teeth, I heard accordion music coming from downstairs. We had been listening to the radio earlier which always broadcasts a wide variety of music, generally including the Cardigans (today's hit For what it's worth, I love you). This sounded a little closer though. So I grabbed my camera in addition to my toothbrush and floss. Good thing, too! Roald was playing on his accordion, something I've never seen him do before. At the risk of repeating myself, it was a perfect end to a perfect day.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Föllinge dagan
We arrived at our campground apartment. I unloaded my stuff, grabbed my fiddle and backpack and headed back toward the reception. Martha was waiting for me and we had a special treat coming our way.
First we walked to Vicki's cousin's apartment. Ester is very kindly letting Martha stay there for the weekend. We drank some water and lay on the floor, trying to cool off. At a quarter past nine, Martha called Mats Andersson. He had a meeting in town and he and his wife, Karin, were on their way to pick us up. We had been invited to spend the evening and the next day at their house!
We met them around the corner from Ester's apartment. Somehow, we managed to fit our instruments and overnight bags into the vehicle. We piled in and headed North to Föllinge.
The Anderssons live in a house that is just large enough for a family of seven. The five children range in age from almost 6 to 14. The two girls are the oldest. They have several chickens and a few rabbits. Right now. There was a horse for a while. One of the chickens is sitting on 13 eggs. Elise and Carolina tell us that they should hatch any day now. Mats is not so sure.
When we arrived, all of the children were still awake. We had some food and beer. I met the children (Elise, Caroline, Pär, Anders, and Olle). We talked for a while. When it was approaching midnight we were directed to the beds we would be using. I haven't sleep that soundly in a long time.
After breakfast, the fiddles came out. Something just feels right about sitting around an established fiddler's kitchen table, playing a few tunes, while his wonderful children dart in and out of the picture. We couldn't play too long though, we had a lunch date with the children. At the lake!
Again, everyone (except Karin and Olle) piled into the car. Martha says we headed east to the lake; I'll take her word for it. It took two trips in the row boat (motor powered) out to the sandbar to get everyone and everything there, but we made it. The weather was perfect. Hardly a cloud in the sky with a good breeze moving through.
Everybody swam. The water ranged from quite cold to just a little cold depending on where you went in, but it all felt great! Anders taught me how to skip rocks. Martha got a fishing lesson from Mats, no fish though. Mats used Scandinavia's greatest invention, the Engångsgrill (single use bbq grill that is perfect for just about anything), to cook us a delicious lunch of hamburgers and chicken sausages.
We managed to tear ourselves away from the beach before we got too fried. Two boat trips and a car ride later we were back at the house. I got a tour of the animals from Elise. I snuck up to the sewing room for a quick look at the dräkt Karin is working on right now. Then, back into the car and back to Östersund.
I am extremely grateful that I was included in the trip to Föllinge. I can't imagine a nicer way to have spent today! The whole Andersson family is great. I hope that I get to see them again some day, somewhere.
First we walked to Vicki's cousin's apartment. Ester is very kindly letting Martha stay there for the weekend. We drank some water and lay on the floor, trying to cool off. At a quarter past nine, Martha called Mats Andersson. He had a meeting in town and he and his wife, Karin, were on their way to pick us up. We had been invited to spend the evening and the next day at their house!
We met them around the corner from Ester's apartment. Somehow, we managed to fit our instruments and overnight bags into the vehicle. We piled in and headed North to Föllinge.
The Anderssons live in a house that is just large enough for a family of seven. The five children range in age from almost 6 to 14. The two girls are the oldest. They have several chickens and a few rabbits. Right now. There was a horse for a while. One of the chickens is sitting on 13 eggs. Elise and Carolina tell us that they should hatch any day now. Mats is not so sure.
When we arrived, all of the children were still awake. We had some food and beer. I met the children (Elise, Caroline, Pär, Anders, and Olle). We talked for a while. When it was approaching midnight we were directed to the beds we would be using. I haven't sleep that soundly in a long time.
After breakfast, the fiddles came out. Something just feels right about sitting around an established fiddler's kitchen table, playing a few tunes, while his wonderful children dart in and out of the picture. We couldn't play too long though, we had a lunch date with the children. At the lake!
Again, everyone (except Karin and Olle) piled into the car. Martha says we headed east to the lake; I'll take her word for it. It took two trips in the row boat (motor powered) out to the sandbar to get everyone and everything there, but we made it. The weather was perfect. Hardly a cloud in the sky with a good breeze moving through.
Everybody swam. The water ranged from quite cold to just a little cold depending on where you went in, but it all felt great! Anders taught me how to skip rocks. Martha got a fishing lesson from Mats, no fish though. Mats used Scandinavia's greatest invention, the Engångsgrill (single use bbq grill that is perfect for just about anything), to cook us a delicious lunch of hamburgers and chicken sausages.
We managed to tear ourselves away from the beach before we got too fried. Two boat trips and a car ride later we were back at the house. I got a tour of the animals from Elise. I snuck up to the sewing room for a quick look at the dräkt Karin is working on right now. Then, back into the car and back to Östersund.
I am extremely grateful that I was included in the trip to Föllinge. I can't imagine a nicer way to have spent today! The whole Andersson family is great. I hope that I get to see them again some day, somewhere.
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