Role Model

My niece, Vanessa, has a mission to make a difference in the life of the world's least fortunate. On a monthly basis, she informs her readers of the causes she believes in and actively contributes to. In conjunction with this she has a monthly giveaway. This month's giveaway is two necklaces made by African women who formerly provided for their families by prostituting themselves. The necklaces are made from beads made from rolled paper and then varnished. They are very attractive. I tried to post my entry but discovered that it was too long. Thus I have decided to save it on my blog.

Hi Vanessa!

How did your move go? This sounds like a fun contest. I have always admired African crafts, and I have a collection of African straw hats, baskets, and beadwork (seed beads). I also like the idea of recycling.

In my first year of teaching I used recycled materials with my students to create "works of art" which we donated to the local seniors' home. Chapters has coloring pencils made from recycled paper which are quite attractive.

In my life I have found that "ordinary" people can be quite "extraordinary!" I have been fortunate to have had the influence of many. I belong to a family with strong female role models......my Mom and Aunties on both my Mom and Dad's side. However, I have decided to chose one person for this contest, namely my Dad, William Bjorgum. Although he was old-fashioned in so many ways, he encouraged an education for his daughters. He believed in his children and encouraged their best. But more important than that was the way he treated other people.

When I was a teen, Dad and I had frequent, lively discussions. He made it quite clear that he did not like long-haired hippies. However, when I returned home one day from my summer job, I was greeted with, "Elaine, I helped a hippy today." The hippy was stranded on the road with a flat tire, I believe. Dad was also always helping neighbours find a "good deal" on a vehicles or farm implements. Mom always said that he should have been paid for his salesman services. This is an example of a character trait that I value: Treat people with respect, even if they are not your favorite people. One of my colleagues at Camrose Lutheran College once said, "God made me and God don't make no junk."

In my role as a teacher of inmates, I believe that it is important to remember that, first and foremost, I am working with human beings. Secondly, I believe I must not judge someone (if at all) by the nature of their worst act.

What a great picture of Genesis!! She reminds me so much of Rueben.

Love,

Auntie Elaine

REMEMBERING SCANDINAVIA #2

Storlien is located in central Sweden close to the border of Norway, a short drive from Trondheim. For many, including royalty, it has been and continues to be a popular ski resort. One can understand the popularity as the location is somewhat remote and quiet - a good place to get away from it all!! It is especially quiet in summer.

Our cabin at Storlien was cute and cosy, rustic in a contemporary way. Although we could not park in front of the cabin, the walk from the parking lot was short and non-demanding. It was a three-bedroom cabin. Laurel's and my rooms each had bunk beds. We chose to sleep on the top bunk - it seemed like there would be more air movement there. It was a challenge to climb up and down as the ladder was not much wider than my foot. Meeting the challenge was worthwhile as I slept like a log on the top bunk.

The cabin was on the outskirts of the villa. In the villa is a shop called Storliens Gast - & Stugservice, located in the railway station. The shop carries a great selection of outdoor sporting clothing such as Lundhags, as well as souvenirs like cheese cutters with handles made of reindeer horn. There is also information on what to see and do in the local area. The owners were very obliging.

Our other find was the restaurant Flammans. The meals we ate at this restaurant were some of the favorites of our entire trip. The restaurant is located in a timber frame building that was built during the 1930s. It was first a Kaffestugge (coffee house). Then it became a disco, taking its name from a "flame" located in front of the building. After that it housed a kindergarten. It has been a restaurant since the year 2000. The present owners have used some family heirlooms to furnish the restaurant. We had a lovely waitress, Issalinn Lokken Moen. She is the only "Issalinn" in Sweden with double letters in her name. Her parents had to get special permission from the King to give her that name.

Our first meal at Flamans was supper on the Wednesday night. Our meal starter was a pea soup in a mini bowl with toasted homemade bread. Laurel and I had organic red wine from Spain; Alice and Bill shared a local beer. After our soup, Laurel and I had a shrimp/char salad with garlic mayo. Our main course was sliced roasted venison with a potato terrine. Alice and Bill had grilled beef with roasted potato quarters. The presentation was stunning? Our dessert was panacotta with strawberry/red currant sauce. I ordered coffee, and was impressed to be presented with my own mini French press and hourglass timer. What a dining experience!!

(Generally speaking, our meals and drinks in Scandinavia were smaller-sized and less sweet than what we are used to in Canada. The bread and ice cream were real treats!)

Appetizer

Entree

Dessert

We had four nights (Tuesday - Friday) and three days (Wednesday - Friday) in Storlien. On the Thursday we drove to Trondheim. (I will devote my next posting to our Trondheim trip.) On the Friday we went on two hikes: a 2 km one to a local waterfall, and a 6 km hike on the Blomsterstigen, or floral path. In the early 20th century, Dr. Ernst Westerlund established a sanatorium in Storlien for physically and mentally ill patients. Part of his prescribed therapy was a walk along the floral path. Along the path are various signposts identifying various plants. There are also donated benches for people to stop for a rest. We continued our hike to the top of the mountain and back. At the end of our hike, we were all very weary, and some were chilled as it was a cool,damp day. Nevertheless it was a memorable day. I purchased a little book which identifies the flora which we saw. I want to compare it with some of my books for the local area, as many of the species looked familiar.

Laurel at gateway to waterfall hike

Alice seeking refuge from waterspray

Cute couple

My camera battery was flat at the beginning of the floral walk. I took pictures with Laurel's camera, so perhaps will have a few more to post later on.

REMEMBERING SCANDINAVIA #1

Elaine on patio outside Breakfast Room of Radisson Blu Hotel

View from front of hotel, a heritage home

Alice and Bill

Laurel and Alice outside Harrod's at Heathrow

On Sunday, July 18/2010, my sisters Laurel and Alice, Alice's partner Bill, and myself took off from Edmonton International Airport via Air Canada at 7:50 p.m. en route for Stockholm. We were given a good send off by Helge, Glen K., Megan, Tamara, Kayli, Melanie, Cory, Jonas, and Emmett. We arrived at Heathrow, London around noon the next day after approximately an eight-hour flight. (London is 8 hours ahead of us.) After a couple of hours wait in London, we boarded an SAS flight for Stockholm. We arrived in Sweden around 6:00 p.m. We took an airport shuttle to the nearby Radisson Blu Arlandia where we spent our first night. We had supper that night at the hotel. We especially enjoyed our appetizer of three kinds of herring, boiled new potatoes, chopped red onion with chives, and a bountiful basket of fresh breads and crispbreads.

The next morning we had a complementary breakfast fit for kings!! It was truly a smorg with a variety of fresh fruit, cheese, breads, yogurts, liver pate, salmon, Swedish pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, roasted potatoes, baked beans, and good coffee. Mmmm... After breakfast we headed for our car rental place. As luck would have, this place was a short walking distance from our hotel. We were impressed as Alice had booked the car, and I had booked the hotel.

We rented a Volvo diesel station wagon, packed up, and headed north on the E4 following the east coast of Sweden, Laurel driving. It would have been nice to have spent some time in Stockholm but we had a long journey to our(Alice's) timeshare in central Sweden at Storlien.

Our first pit stop for morning coffee was a "Dinners" just outside of Gavle. One of the brochures we picked up here was on the farms of Halsingland. Some of the descriptions were intriguing:

"The ambitions of the farmers of Halsingland to construct grand and beautiful buildings have always raised admiration. Large, sumptuous and painted red, with many windows and elaborate porches.......Inside the farms of Halsingland are magnificent interiors with art painted on the walls, stencilled wall decorations, and expensive wallpaper."

Painted red with lots of windows

Nice porches

Maypole

Note the foundation

Familiar sight (looks like Helge might have done this)

Fencing style common throughout Sweden

Alice and Bill at the well

Laurel noting fruit

Can you see the wire moose?

Wallpaper and stencilling

Wallpaper closeup

Some like vintage machinery

The brochure marked 52 of these farms on a map. Some were in the Soderhamn area, the next major stop. We decided to continue on to the next major stop, Hudiksvall. From Hudiksvall we travelled a short distance east and visited the Heritage Centre, Forsa Forngard. (It wasn't until we reached our timeshare later that evening and read the info that Aunty Bea had sent Alice that we realized that our Grandfather had been born in Soderhamn!! Fortunately we were able to return there at a later date.)

Just before Sundsvall I took over the wheel and headed west on the E14. Around 3 p.m we finally found a place to stop for lunch and fuel - Luddes Gatukok at Vallfartsvagen. We continued on to Ostersund where we stopped for groceries. Bill then continued driving until, late in the evening, we reached our cute, rustic cabin at Storlien. Ahhh......such a good feeling!!

Spring Ramblings

The Wild, Wild West - Caroline Rodeo Parade

Native clematis - like contrast with dry leaves from last Fall

Some of my first plantings in 2010

May Long was a quiet, but enjoyable weekend. Apart from the Caroline parade on Saturday morning, I spent the weekend at home. It felt so good to get some of my herbs and flowers planted and to have the planting followed by a light rain. I went for a walk in the bush today after a long hiatus. I was thrilled to see the wild clematis flowering. I went back to the cabin for my camera and took a few photos. Sonja was here briefly. It is always a joy to have her home. Aina and Madison moved in with Randall this weekend. Kai and Jen both phoned. We hope to discuss wedding plans next weekend. I've kept up-to-date with Jarl and Rebecca via facebook. We had our first taste of the new crop of rhubarb tonight(rhubarb crumble). What a wonderful time of the year!!

Musical Musings: Enjoyed the following artists on CKUA. Must check into.

1. Drew Nelson - album "Dusty Road to Beulah Land"

2. Delhi 2 Dublin - album "Planet Electric"

3. Flying Burrito Bros - I enjoy the voice of Gram Parsons

A WEEK TO REMEMBER!!

What a week! I lost my car keys last Sunday afternoon. We were ready early to go to Red Deer to hear the bluegrass band, The Lonesome River Band. We searched for half an hour for my keys before we finally gave up and looked for a spare set. We made it to the concert just in time and had a great evening. The band gave a very professional performance with excellent instrumental work and vocals. The band had their misfortune, too. All their music was tied up in Customs so they had nothing for sale. I for once had remembered to bring cash to purchase a CD. Oh well! I used my cash to update my membership in the Waskasoo Bluegrass Society. I know I won't attend every event but I do believe in supporting live music.

I used my spare set of keys all week. It was a busy week so I didn't want to take time to search for the set I had lost. During the day I was totally engaged within the classroom. My classes are full of young energetic men who are working hard to achieve their goals. I am kept busy with one-to-one tutorials, marking, planning, record-keeping, and report writing. The days absolutely fly by. ( I am so looking forward to two shutdown days, tomorrow and Tuesday, for some catchup time!!) After hours I was preoccupied with organizing photos, books and card for Evlyn's retirement party on Friday night as well as tickets for a celtic concert in Bearberry next weekend.

When I got on the road to work on Friday morning I realized I had left my purse at home. I had remembered my lunch, extra clothing, shoes, jewelry, books, card, Barb's poem, and tickets......BUT I forgot my purse!! It was too late for me to go back home for my purse.

We began Ev's retirement party with a buffet dinner at The Flames. Judy and Barb paid me for their Bearberry tickets so I had money for my meal. After dinner we headed to Pat's for the rest of our festivities. We began the evening with a staff recitation of Ode to Evlyn written by the multi-talented, humorous, and creative Barb. Barb then presented Evlyn with the staff gift, a copy of the first edition, unabridged Dorothy Parker and an album of staff photos dating back to when Ev first began working for Excalibur seventeen years ago. Ev was then presented with a basket of mostly recycled books organized by Judy. Ev was visibly touched by the staff performance and her gifts. She thanked us all in a most eloquent and gracious manner. Then it was time for dessert. Pat had ordered a beautiful cake in the shape of a book from the local Co-op store. She had also prepared a refreshing punch, coffee, and had Diet Coke for Ev.

In my usual form, I was last to leave. I had one last coffee for the road. Ev had forgotten her Diet Coke so I offered to drop it off on my way home. I did this, spoke briefly with Ev, then took off for home. Heading west of Innisfail I noticed the flashing lights of a police car in my rearview mirror. I pulled over. It turns out that I had been speeding in town, 78 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. I must have been totally 'zoned out' as I don't recall speeding. I am usually very careful with my speed in residential areas. I was rather embarrassed. It is about twenty years since I last had a speeding ticket! Fortunately the very pleasant police officer did not give me a ticket for not having my driver's license. (It was at home in my purse!!) He advised me not to forget it again. I told him that I would try but that remembering was an issue for me. He wished me better luck.

Helge checked out the cost of a new set of keys. It would be $130.00. I didn't need this expense on top of my $166.00 speeding ticket. Thus I began another search for my keys yesterday. I got excited when I saw my red bib apron, as I realized that I had probably been wearing it while I was scurrying around cleaning last Sunday. I checked the pocket. Sure enough, my keys were there. Whew!

Moral of Story: It is okay to be busy but don't compromise your rest. One's head is so much clearer when one has had enough rest!!

Quebec: Day 2/3

Theatre: Les Miserables was showing.

This angel is a real person.

Part of the wall

Grain elevators

Chateau Frontenac in background

Murals

We loved the white hydrangeas we saw everywhere in Quebec.

Alice at harbor, first stop

Alice and our friendly bus driver

City Hall

Sunday breakfast at Saint-Bernard

Sunday, August 2nd: After our lengthy travels the day before, both Alice and I were ready for a rest. We had no food in our fridge so we went out for breakfast at Saint Bernard Resto-Pub, Mont Ste. Anne. This particular restaurant serves breakfast only on weekends. We enjoyed our meal and were happy we had taken the advice of Johanne the very lovely resort tour guide. Later in the day we bought a few groceries (eggs, bread, muesli, yogurt, milk, coffee, fruit) so that we could start each day with a good breakfast and have some food for snacking on hand. Was this the day we went to a presentation by Joanne on what to do in the area?

Monday, August 3rd: We boarded a small bus at our resort and went to Quebec for a tour of the old part of the city. We had a delightful bus driver who not only was knowledgeable about the area but also had a good sense of humour. Our first stop was below the wall where we had a great view of the Chateau Frontenac as well as the grain elevators on the St. Lawrence. Next we made another stop below the wall in an area of restaurants and shops. We were given a short period of time to check out the area. We went inside Quebec City's oldest church, admired murals painted on outside building walls, and enjoyed getting the feel of Old Quebec. After this we went back to the bus and were taken inside the wall. We stopped at a vantage point where we had a good view of the St. Lawrence and could also see the Citadel. We later drove inside the walls of the Citadel. It was interesting to hear that although Montcalm and the French built the fort to defend themselves from the British they went outside the walls to battle the Brits. It seems they took the battle away from the city in order to protect the people living there. Both Wolfe and Montcalm were killed in battle and both lost about the same number of men. In negotiation, the British were declared winners. Later the Citadel was effective in protecting the British when they were attacked by American forces. Today the famous Quebec Vingt-deuxs reside within the walls of the Citadel. We were dropped off in front of City Hall and had two to three hours to explore on foot and have lunch. During this time we ate lunch at a crepery, had a ride on the Funiculaire (chair lift) from above the wall to below the wall and back, and took in some live street entertainment. Old Quebec City was enchanting and we certainly could have spent all of our holiday in that city. Another interesting note: Laval University was originally in Old Quebec City, not far from the Chateau Frontenac. It was later moved except for the Faculty of Architecture which remains in Old Quebec as there are so many examples of French and English architecture.

Note to Crystal K.: Your comments are appreciated. Thank you! I tried emailing you with your address from your blog but got the reply 'invalid address.'

Quebec: Day 1

View from our accommodation
Alice in our kitchen/living area

On Saturday, August 1st, Alice and her friend Cara picked me up at Laurel's house in Leduc, and we headed for the International Airport close by. (Helge had taken me to Laurel's the night before. Laurel had invited us and Lee and Marian for Friday night supper. It was great to have some quality visiting time with them. I was sorry to hear about cousin John's health issues.) We left the airport at 10:00 a.m. and arrived in Montreal at 3:45 p.m. Our travelling companion was a very pleasant teen who was returning home to St. Saveur after having visited his father in Edmonton.

Alice had arranged a Hertz rent-a-car through AMA to be picked up at the airport. The shocker was that the price was more than double what AMA had quoted. About 30% was tax: GST, PST, municipal tax, airport tax. Insurance was a huge chunk, about $400. Since we had not rented in eons we did not realize that we could have arranged insurance for a rental through our regular provider or that some credit card companies cover rental insurance. (We will have to look into this.)

Our rental vehicle was a small but cute blue Toyota Yaris. I took the wheel, whilst Alice navigated. (We had played these roles many times in the past, so this felt comfortable for both of us.) Our first challenge was getting out of Montreal. It took a bit of running around in circles, but we eventually made it. We headed east on Highway 40 on the northern side of the St. Lawrence. It was a beautiful drive. One of the exits along this highway was to Trois Riviere. We decided not to stop anywhere as we might have trouble getting back to the #40 and we wanted to reach our destination before dark. We arrived at Beaupre just as darkness was falling. The exit we were to take to Mont St. Anne to our accommodation was blocked by construction. We went straight through the intersection and turned around, taking the exit from the opposite direction. We arrived safely at our destination between 8 and 9 in the evening. After checking in, we ordered a late supper at the on site restaurant. Our pizza had too much cheese but it was good to eat after so many hours without any food or water.