"Master, bid my brother divide his property with me"

 
  

Notice the odd shaped, white house...visible from Maren's window.

   "Master tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."   Where was Jesus when two brothers inherited property in Arendal, Norway?   Unable to settle a dispute about division of the property they divided the house.  Despite the wisdom that "a house divided against itself cannot stand"  at least this half of the house still stands.  If the other half of the house that one brother moved away still stands I don't know but this half still stands solidly as a testament to intransigence.

Pictures again

Oslo Opera House

Dinner with Berger and Ellen at the "No Sorrows" restaurant. 

With Stein and Astri...Stein sang the same song at our wedding and at our 50th wedding annivesary.

Breakfast buffet at our hotel in Arendal.

The island of Hisoy where Maren used to live in a house built in 1750.

In Memoriurm: Rev. Ed Bersagel April 22, 1926 - March 30, 2105

     In 1979 I thought it was time that I leave Our Saviour's in Sioux Falls for a new call.  Ed was Assistant to the Bishop. E. O. Gilbertson, of the South Dakota District, ALC.  I made an appointment to see Ed to discuss my future.  The wisdom he imparted changed my future and I've always been grateful.
    At this long pass I can't totally reconstruct the conversation but I do remember, now 35 years later, the essence of the conversation because it was life transforming.  After learning of my interest in a move Ed asked me to define what I wanted.   My response was largely focused on geography and size of congregation.  For example when I defined a geographic area Ed would ask if I'd go a little further.  When I said "Yes", he'd push the limit a bit more.
   This process went on for awhile until finally he said in effect "you can't get what you want by defining externals, what part of work energizes you?"  After we'd discussed that for a bit he told me to go home and write a one page list of those things.  With that done he said I'd be ready to evaluate future options.
     He was right.  My next move was to a position that I would never have considered prior to meeting with Ed.  It was profoundly fulfilling and I remain deeply grateful that he had prepared me to be open to it.
    Over the years I've had the opportunity to work with associates, interns and students. That has given me the opportunity to share Ed's wisdom with many others.
    Thanks, Ed, well done good and faithful servant.

More Pictures

The kitchen of our apartment.

The Curmudgeonette with Ellen and Berger.

The oldest church in Oslo,,,900+ years.  We have several friends who were married here.

Inside the church.

The pulpit.

In front of the American Lutheran Church, Oslo.  The Curmudgeonette helped her dad start the congregation in '58/'59.

With Rolleiv Solholm, the last living charter member of the congregation.

Home Again

   It's possible to get much done when I get up at 2:00 a.m.  I'm about to get three huge loads of travel clothes out of the drier and it's only 4:00!  Ah...the joys of jet lag.
   My fan club...both of you...have been pestering me for pictures. from the trip so here are a few.

Our (Berger's) apartment in Oslo

The view from the apartment.

The Curmudgeonette in the apartment doing what she does well. :)

Oslo's Opera House

Crowds on Karl Johansgata, Oslo's premiere walking street. 

The King's Palace.  The flag is up meaning that the King is in.

A Cold Rainy Walk

    Perhaps it was a sign that the rubber tip on the Curmudgeonette,s cane wore out on the cobblestone streets of Gamla Stan.  The cold windy rain made it a challenge but we soldiered on.  Fascinating as the area is the best part was going into the shop for coffee and hot chocolate.
   Now that we have celebrated a late birthday dinner for the Curmudgeonette of Swedish salmon we are ready to head for home.  By this time tomorrow we will be back in our condo.

Sweden Report

   We're in The Best Western Hotel Kaplan in the Ostermalm district of Stockholm.  Today we toured the city by bus and then spent several hours at the Vasa Museum.  The museum houses Vasa, the ship that sank in 1628, 1500 meters after it was launched.  This museum was our number one priority for this trip.  Tomorrow we plan to spend time in Gamla Stan...the oldest section of the city.
   On our own in Stockholm we realize how spoiled we were in Norway being hosted by our friends.  Neither Norway nor Sweden are particularly "user friendly" for foreigners.  No signs are in English but in both countries people are very helpful when asked.  "Hop on hop off" buses are good but finding a place to buy a ticket which one must have before boarding was not easy.
   Stockholm is as beautiful as everyone says.  It is very expensive but the strong dollar helps...8.5 kroner to a dollar...American tourists.  Sweden is in an economic slump so 50,000 Swedes are working in Oslo.  There is no slump in Norway.  I asked our Norwegian friends how the drop in oil prices affected Norway.  There is little effect because Norway only spends 4% of it's oil income and invests 96% for the future.  Ah...those sensible Norwegians.  We were told Stockholm would be cold...it is!q

Strong Norse Women

   "I'll drive my car tomorrow because the roads are very narrow" said Maren.  We were visiting her in Arendal, Norway and making plans to visit the island of  Hisoy the next day.  Indeed the roads were so narrow that at some points cars could not meet.  What was unusual is that Maren is ninety years old and she was insisting on being the driver!
   Borghild is tall, about six feet, blonde and beautiful.  She has raised three boys.  She lives with her husband, Knut, on the south eastern tip of Hisoy Island.  Beyond their house are lighthouses, uninhibited islands and the sea stretching off toward Denmark.
   Every Sunday since she was fifteen she has gone for a swim in the fjord.  Ice?  No problem she just pushes it aside.  The water temperature was 6.5 Celsius when we visited.  Easter week she did it four times because friends asked.
   When asked why? she gave four reasons.   1.  It's good for the skin.  2.  It helps circulation. 3. It's good psychologically.  and, 4.  It is social because I do it with friends.
   Not me!  The older I get the less I like to be cold and especially cold and wet.  I even groan in tropical Thailand with pail showers of tap water at 65 degrees.

Arendal Norway

   We had a pleasant drive south to Arendal yesterday after church at The American Lutheran Church, Oslo.  That's the one the Curmudgeonette helped start 58 years ago.
   Our friend, Maren, put us up in a beautiful old hotel overlooking the fjord.  It's a beautiful sunny morning with the houses on Hisoy Island gleaming white.  Maren lived on the island until recently in a house built in the 1750's.   Maren is 90 now so needed a smaller place.  She sold the house to her niece who cannot sell it, except to a family member, for 25 years.  It is a law to prohibit flipping.

Norway

We're having a wonderful time in Norway.  We're settled in our friend, Berger's, apartment on the side of a small mountain.  It is on the outskirts of  Oslo over looking Lake Bogstad. We see the mountains across the lake and Oslo Fjord in the distance.  Holmenkollen ski jump is just over the hill from us.
  Berger is staying with a friend so we have his place to ourselves.  Then he brings other friends we want to see, Austads and Mydskes, here for meal he cooks for us all.   The royal treatment. Today we also got to see his daughter, Live, her husband Christopher, and children Eva and Elias. We had not seen Austads or Live for twenty years.
   We've had many fascinating conversations.  Torleive Austad is a retired seminary professor.  Stein Mydske is the retired CEO of the Norwegian Bible Society.  He has travelled to 87 countries for work and next week returns to Cuba.  Christopher used to work for the Economist magazine.  Now he and a partner have formed a development company that works in difficult areas: for example Mogadishu, Somali.  It was fascinating to hear about his work which he describes as between relief and development.
  Tomorrow we leave on short road trip to visit the Curmudgeonette's college friend in Arendal.  That's about 3.5 hours south of Oslo on the south side of the Oslo Fjord.  Berger is lending us his car.
   As is my custom I'm having email problems.  I can get into my gmail account but can't find my email  on it.   It also holds the security code for one of  my hotmail accounts.  Oh well...life is grand!

Thailand needs a democratic, just society | Bangkok Post: news

Thailand needs a democratic, just society | Bangkok Post: new



Interesting analysis of democracy in Thailand.