Furudal

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!

At the campfire

On Monday night there was a dance at the Boda Gammalgård. The music was scheduled to be excellent. Many of the Americans were going. My list of reasons for not going was long. I'm running short on cash, my feet hurt, I'm tired, I've been to Boda, and most importantly, I love to sit by the fire.

It would have been easy in spite of that list to talk me into going to Boda if I'd been able to get cash from the bank in Furudal. I'm glad that I didn't and no one tried real hard to drag me away from the mosquito infested paradise by the lake. With all of the Americans in Boda except for me and Tom, I arrived to a campfire of friendly faces speaking Swedish, laughing and talking and relaxing like old friends do at the end of a long hard day.

The scenery is breathtaking. A still lake, clouds strafing the sky which varies from light blue to fuschia in the Swedish sunset separated by pristine forests. At our feet was the perfect fire, tended religiously by Yngve and Busse, it was always just right - never too hot or too cold for grilling and producing enough smoke to keep the mosquitoes to a tolerable level.

After a half hour of Swedish immersion, the natives got restless and demanded some music. I was happy to oblige. After I played a Swedish tune they asked for something Norwegian. Well, I don't need to be asked twice. I was joined by Pär on fiddle and Lennert on accordion.

I'm not sure it's possible to describe how wonderful it is to sit at the fire with friends and sing, play, and eat in the norther twilight, but I can say it's good for the soul. I am glad I didn't go to Boda last night, not because of the money, but why would anyone want to leave paradise? As Tom said on the way back, those are the best memories.

Of course, I never want to go to sleep after an evening like that, so I was happy to find some others sitting in the common area outside my door. I joined them for some conversation about dancing and a couple cookies before turning in for the night. It was a perfect evening.