We stopped in a graveyard at a Lutheran church in Voss...we were looking for Gjerde graves. Found one being tended by some Gjerdes who had ridden in on their bicycles. An exchange happened at the grave--perhaps Allen is related to these Gjerdes. We were invited to their house (close by) to check into the family tree book. Alas, we were on tour...no time. We exchanged email addresses...who knows? We'll see...


The fjord picture is the narrowest part of the Sognefjord...we slipped through on the right arm.

What A Country!

Hello from Bergen! We're all well and happy,spoiled rotten by our tour and British tour director, Barry (from Manchester). We're traveling with Aussies, New Zealanders, Bombay Indians,Canadians, and seven Americans. Top picture is the Hanseatic League houses across the water from our Clarion hotel...the Fish Market is at the end.

Second picture: We're floating down the Sognefjorden while the goats are walking home. We've lost track of where we are. One thing we know for sure: we're somewhere in the mountains. Tonight we sleep at a ski chalet in Rauland. Tomorrow we stop at Vermork before moving on to Oslo.

Blake's First Fish

Blake's cub scout den had a fishing derby today. Blake caught his first fish. He waited and waited and waited and in the last three minutes it finally happened.

Nanny Grandpa Al

After a week of hard labor and stress we have a thank you note for Grandpa Al. He spent one week with our kids while they were between school and day care.

Nanny Grandpa Al

Thank you for a week of your life,
You earned a vacation to Norway with your wife.
We are sorry about the big hole in the back yard,
and the big fight about the ball at the baseball park.
We know two of Hunter's friends were rushed to the hospital with a minor concusions,
we are greatful Hunter walked away this week with only scrapes and a nose that was gushing.
Of course you had help and weren't always the one in command,
we should give some credit to those helpers that lended a hand.

They include:
12 little wrestlers rolling around on mats
11 little Dragons swinging their bats
10 little Flash with balls and gloves
9 little neighborhood kids with shovels and water guns
8 plastic wiffle balls that could be hit again and again
7 swimmers and a coach that weren't afraid to swim in the rain
6 sugary prizes won at wrestling camp
5 beautiful days to act like little tramps
4 boxes of cereal from Grandma Jonita's trunk
3 other helping grandparents, none of which showed up drunk
2 of Blake's 24 best friends looking for a last minute play date
1 boss that let Amy work at home Wed and Fri - that was great!
1/2 a day off for Dave to play kick ball
and a whole lot of love between them all!

Thank you Nana for the Milk and Meat,
Mom and Dad ran out of food for the week.
And more importantly Thank you for eating some lettuce,
it took the pressure off of us.
We can't wait until you get back from your trip,
but for you we have a little tip.
Get lots of sleep while you are away,
You will find things more relaxing while you are in Norway!

Amy, Dave, Hunter and Blake

Hunter's Party Poster

Hunter made this poster for last Saturday's trip-planning party. He's always a willing partner when it comes to decorating and hosting a party. We had fun teaching him Norwegian words we remembered from our childhoods. In two weeks, we'll return to the blog with trip pictures...stay tuned.

Toasting Norway/Iceland

In anticipation of a trip to Norway and Iceland, Kim & Adam, Becky & Al met over cocktails last night. OK, not cocktails, exactly--we toasted our travels with shots of Icelandic vodka in pink lemonade. For chasers, we drank Voss sparkling water, a product of Norway. After that, we chatted about our plans...we're departing June 12.

Thursday's farewell night will be a family-friendly dessert night with the Underwoods. Dave & Amy visited Norway 10-12 years ago.

Seeing Stripes

Shadows fall from the gazebo roof at the swimming pool. Is it a sign of senioritis to be enchanted by them?