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!