Visitor from Norway

A very good friend of ours recently came to visit us in North Carolina.  Although a relatively short visit of a couple of days, we ended up having a super time.  Here are a few photos from his visit.

Relaxing at home.

A photo at the top of our property.

Velkommen å våre huset



It doesn't get any better than this.





Anticipation is written all over our faces.  Bring on the pig roast.



Trying to get the chef to reserve a special section of pork.



Our hearts go out to Norway

We have a lot of wonderful memories

from our 3 years spent in Norway, so the

horrible news about the bombing and

shootings in Norway hit us hard.  Our

thoughts and prayers go out to the

people of Norway.

It has been awhile.....

Photo courtesy of our friend,

Veslemøy. Cool picture at some

old ruins in Norway, the town

of Hamar to be exact. Here's

the Wiki link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Ruins_in_Hamar

Sorry it has been so long since

I have posted something. It has

been a long, cold winter and I

guess I just didn't feel like writing.

We have been busy clearing up

the mess the winter storm left

behind and if I get around to

uploading some of the photos

Chris took of the cleanup, I'll

share them. Well, I hope the

Spring weather will inspire me

to keep writing, or maybe my

inspiration will come from our

Spring plantings. But for now,

Ciao!

Some say it all started with the Big Bang Theory, well actually it all started with a Big Slap!

A big slap across the face with this steak that is....



This is one of those weird and wacky tales that shows you how a piece of beef can determine part of your future. Who needs a crystal ball, just give me some of that good ole USDA approved meat, sit back, relax and the Great and Magnificent Ronaldodini will predict your destiny.

Anyway, back to matters at hand... It all started back in early summer of 1977 when Chris, her Mom and Stepfather (Stan) were on a family camping trip just outside of New Orleans. One day while Chris and Stan were wandering around the campgrounds they stumbled upon two young Norwegian boys, John and Herlog, who were just out of high school and had decided to venture to the US. As soon as they hit the ground, they bought a used Suburban, lived out of it and spent their summer travelling from New Jersey to California. If you look closely at the steak picture you can see the tailgate of their suburban. The picture below is not their vehicle, but you get the drift that they weren't' exactly living in the lap of luxury....


The story goes that these two fellows were getting ready to fix their evening supper (refer back to exhibit A - the Steak), when an argument broke out between them on how best to grill the steak. Fast forward a bit, slide down the batpole and into the batcave and "SLAP", "POW" "BAM", the steak comes off the grill and across the face. Well, being a fine, outstanding American who loved his beef, Stan just had to step in and tell these young boys, "That's no way to treat a perfectly decent steak!". From that point, part of my future was now destined to happen in Norway.

After setting the boys straight on the finer points of BBQ'ing, Chris and Stan ended up inviting the boys back to their camper for a spaghetti dinner. Funny enough, no one remembers what happened to the steak. Later on that evening they ended up showing the boys around New Orleans, to include an honest to goodness "Gun Fight" which broke out on one of the downtown side streets. Call it fate, but this is exactly what the guys wanted to see... must have watched to many episodes of "Bonanza - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTWB_ByQD4w" when they were growing up in Norway. Funny how the media influences a culture, these guys thought of the US as the "Wild, wild, west" and now the gun battle in New Orleans only cemented this vision for them. They were also treated to a visit to the famous bar Pat O'Briens - http://www.patobriens.com/. And here they got to witness Stan at his best, as he slipped the bouncer a 20 dollar bill to avoid the 45 minute long waiting line. I wonder if that still works? And how much would you have to slip the guys these days?

Well, the boys eventually moved on across the US, scraping by on a limited budget, but having a heck of a good time. Several months later a letter arrives at Chris' house. It is a "thank you" letter from the boys and lo and behold it is in Norwegian...go figure... Hummmmm, what to do now? Oh yes, let's try the Norwegian Seaman's church in Baltimore. Here's a photo of the church we took in April 2008.

And here's the Seaman's church website: (http://www.sjomannskirken.no/hoved.aspx?m=1665). Back to the story....So, Chris and her Grandmother (Ruth) head on down and meet Veslemøy, a young Norwegian girl who was spending her summer working at the church. Long story, short...Veslemøy translated the letter, spent time with Chris over the summer, kept in touch by exchanging letters when she returned to Norway. So a friendship was struck up, a friendship that is still going strong over 30+ years.

And don't worry Veslemøy, I will make sure you have some photos of our time spent in Norway before we leave. In fact I am working on a blog that will cover both of our families' adventures over the years, but you will have to be patient as this will take some time.

To wrap up the saga....here is some of the cast of characters (John, Veslemøy, Chris and Herlog) that led Chris and I to Norway.



This photo as taken in December 2007 when they stopped by our apartment for a reunion of sorts, bringing along with them the actual picture of the steak. I was so enthralled by their story, that I think they felt it was right that I should have the picture of the steak. I will eventually have it framed and hang it in a place of honor in my "Pub". Yes, I said "pub", a drinking establishment that I will have in our dream home that will eventually (soon I hope) be standing on our land in NC. Well, a man can dream, can't he? I mean Chris will have her "Studio" to escape to, so isn't it fitting that I have my oasis as well!?

Well, it wasn't the "Tale of two cities", but I hope you all have enjoyed my "Tale of the two Norwegians and a steak".

Fish soup - Norwegian Style

It has been awhile since I posted a recipe, so without further ado here is a Norwegian fish soup recipe (compliments of Svein Erik) that I think you will enjoy...

Clear Broth Fish Soup

Ingredients:

- 1 Bottle of white wine (A Gewürztraminer or a Chardonnay that is not "oaky" in flavor)

- A good fish stock, 1/2 pint per person (if you don't want to make your own, then you local fish shop is definitely the easy route to go)

- Potatoes (coarsely chopped into bite size pieces, can be any variety that you like)

- Carrots (coarsely chopped into bite size pieces)

- Red onions (coarsely chopped)

- 1 small celery root (peeled & cut into medium to small cubes)

- Butter (a stick of butter will do nicely, more if you prefer)

- Salt (add to taste)

- Pepper (add to taste)

- Coriander (coarsely chopped)

- Seafood (cut up into bite size pieces... Your choice on the type of seafood, basically any type that you enjoy eating... we used Salmon, Monk fish and Mussels for the Norwegian soup)

Step 1: To begin with, grab a large pot, dump in the chopped red onions and 1/2 stick of butter. Begin to sweat the chopped onions in the butter. Sweat, what's that. Well, I am glad you asked...

Sweat: Sweating is the process of releasing flavors with moisture and low temperatures. Fat, in this case, is used just to hold the non-volatile flavors as they're released from the onion. No browning takes place. The pan is covered so the lid traps steam, which condenses and drips back on to the onions. Some cooks cover the onions directly with a piece of foil or parchment, than add a lid as well.

And just so you know....

Sauteing: Sauteing uses a small amount of fat, and it's done in an uncovered pan. As fat reaches higher temperatures than water, cooking usually occurs quickly, and you can easily see the onions become translucent as they move from raw to cooked.

Step 2: Add the bottle of wine and reduce the mixture until you have about 1/3 of the liquid left in the pot.

Step 3: Add the fish stock, potatoes, carrots, celery root, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or more, until vegetables are fork-tender.

Step 4: Add Monk fish, simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the salmon, coriander and mussels, simmer until mussels open up (should only take a few minutes).

Last step: Serve in your favorite soup bowls with a nice bread suitable for dipping into the broth. Sit back and enjoy!

Flags

Flags have always been an interest of mine and I love to take pictures of flags, especially the US Flag. In my opinion, we do have one of the best looking flags in the world.

For those that wish, here is a nice website that will give you some quick factoids on flags of the world: http://www.worldflags101.com/

And here is a nice site on flag etiquette: http://www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html

And finally, a link to international maritime signal flags:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_maritime_signal_flags

Flags are not the easiest things to photograph, the wind always seems to blow them "this way or that way" right as you press the button. Or just the opposite, no wind, droopy flag. OK, so now you know I have a gazillion shots of "not so great flag shots"....On with the photos.....

As I think I have mentioned before, my friend always flies an American Flag when we are on board, I believe this is the evening we were introduced to Norwegian Fish soup...



A snapshot I took on board one the the US ships when she visited Oslo....


I love this shot, it was taken from our neighbor's house in NC and looks down on our land (I ended up sending them a replacement flag as a gift for being so nice to us over the years).


Our flag stands out among the many....


One of the many pennants flown on board my friend's boat...


This was taken in the town of Aiken, GA
(The Brits do have a nice looking flag as well).


Again in Aiken, GA...


A variety of flags in an outdoor hall....


Our little friend was kind enough to pose for this picture (but was probably scoping the place out for leftover Fish soup)...


USA, USA...as the chant goes....Good luck to the US Soccer team who are playing Cuba today as part of the qualifications to go to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. This is a historic match, as the last time the US played on Cuban soil was back in 1947. (http://ussoccer.com/)


Looking down Karl Johans Gate (main street in Oslo) on May 17th, Norway's national day...


And here we are celebrating the day....

It all began with Fish Soup on a Friday night

Norway has brought us many adventures over the last couple of years and this weekend was no different. Ever since we first experienced a home made Norwegian style fish soup a couple years ago aboard our friend's boat, I couldn't stop thinking about how delicious it tasted. And over the last year or so I have tried to get this friend to make it again (with me watching of course). Well, this never materialized because he is a busy man running his own business and home made fish soup takes a day or two to make proper fish soup. Or one could theorize that this was a thinly veiled excuse to guard his family's secret fish soup recipe. Oh well, adapt...overcome...and improvise.

Step 1 - Think, Ron....think.

Ah yes, get another Norwegian to help me out. Well, it just so happens that I have another Norwegian buddy who loves to cook.

Step 2 - Devise an ingenious plan to rope him into making the soup.

So we were out having lunch one day and I happened to mention that Chris and I had been invited to go sailing again and we were asked to bring along some guests. So after he accepted the invitation I let him know that I was responsible for the meal for the day. Let's think, what would be the perfect meal to serve on board. Why "Fish Soup" of course! Can you help a brother out? "Sure", he says. Great!!!! .....Oh, and by the way did I forget to tell you that you are going up against the Fish Soup Master Chef?

Pause...silence...."Do I have stupid written across my forehead?", he said. Long story, short...I convinced him to do the soup.

Sounds like a great idea for a reality show (oh yeah, just remembered, already been done....but I really do think my version would have been much more entertaining with beer, tequila and music).

Step 3 - The Preparatory Stage

It was decided that he would go out and get the ingredients to make the soup the day prior, then come over to our place where I would supply the kitchen, tools, music and liquid encouragement. Well, it was late into the night when we had finally finished the "prep phase". We managed to get the foundation of the soup completed (minus the fish that we were going to pick up the next morning, the day of the sail)

Step 4 - Execution phase (codename: FSX)

It was off to the fish store to see what looked good. We ended up deciding upon:

Monk fish (Norwegian - Breiflabb)

Salmon (Norwegian - Laks)

Mussels - (Norwegian - Blaskjell)

Shrimp - (Norwegian - Reker)

Here I am in the boat's galley peeling some shrimp...

And here are the two soups that we made (Sorry, couldn't get the photos to align properly)

Soup 1 - A coconut milk based, shrimp, red chili, snow peas and a few other herbs. (My favorite)

Soup 2 - A white wine based, monk fish, mussels, salmon, lemon grass, potatoes, carrots and a few other herbs.



We served the meal with some wonderful baked bread (suitable for dipping) and a couple of bottles of some nice red wine. The verdict......drum roll please.....Both soups were excellent and got rave reviews.

After lunch we stopped off for a nice short walk on Håøya (literally translated at Spiny Dogfish Island, although we have heard it called Shark Island). The island is owned partly by the Norwegian defense department and the Oslo township.



Here's what we ran into along the way...



And this cute little "hytte" (cabin)

While some of us walked across the island our boat cruised around to the other side to pick us up. Here's a short clip of it pulling in to pick us up.




And what is so neat and a general statement about my Norwegian friend's character is that he always hoists up an American flag when we come aboard. A nice touch!

And here are the happy campers, especially after what turned out to be a gorgeous, sunny day (And this was after a gloomy forecast during the preceding days of our planned sail date).



Chris took one for the team and was the designated driver. So, as she was saying let's stop by and pick up some of the beautiful "self pick" sunflowers, all I could manage was this quick snapshot out the window as we passed by and headed home after a another wonderful adventure for the memory books.

A Night at the Opera

It was a lucky week for us. As I was scanning my email on early Monday morning, I ran across this email announcing opera tickets for sale. Wow, what luck as the new opera house (http://www.operaen.no/) has really taken off since it opened its doors here in Oslo. Since the opera house opened in April 2008, it has been selling out shows as quick as they go on sale. I think the city is starved for good entertainment. Long story made short, we were able to purchase two tickets to "Porgy and Bess". And better yet it was at a discounted rate, only 35 Euros a ticket! Yeeehaw...


Some facts on the opera house:

Gross area: 38,500 m2 divided into 1,100 rooms
Audience areas: 11,200 m2
Stage areas: 8,300 m2
Rehearsal rooms, administration and workshops: 19,100 m2
Depth below sea level of stage: 16 m
Main Auditorium: 1,364 seats (depending on size of orchestra pit)
Stage 2: Up to 440 seats (depending on stage design)
Rehearsal Stage 1: 200 seats


Here's a shot on the approach to the opera house. Quite a modern looking building, don't ya think? I really liked the feel from the outside, but I didn't get that same feeling on the inside though. Tourists just love to walk around on the outside of the building, cameras at the ready.







Obligatory shot of me at the opera....




Obligatory shot of Chris at the opera. I really like this photo of her by the way. Yes, dear even with your "leopard theme" going on. As you can see, a strict dress code was in effect.




Here's a shot of side nearest to the fjord.




And the obligatory shot of both of us at the opera...



After all was said and done it was dark outside. We took a few photos, but this was the only one that was half decent. It really is a beautiful sight at night.



So, my verdict on the opera.....

Well, not one of my favorites but a good performance by the cast and the sets were very well put together. I was not familiar with the story line prior to going in to the show, so that probably had an impact as well. Chris did explain the background of the story at intermission and that helped a bit, but not enough to sway my opinion too much. By the way, I am always amazed at how much Chris knows about literature, art and history.

Overall, my bottom line is.... I don't think anything will ever compare to "Phantom of the Opera" that we saw at the JFK center in DC.

A Norwegian Wedding (insert wedding bells here)

As I was walking around the other day, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something happening across the street. I did a double take, yes that was a woman in a wedding dress drinking a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette. This wasn't the first time I had run into folks in their wedding gear. I'll have to search around for those photos as a later date.

Rats...I didn't have our camera in hand. Quick give a call to Chris, hurry bring the camera to me. Fortunately, she made it in time. I was just able to get a shot of the wedding car and the couple before they sped off, presumably ready to head off to their honeymoon destination.

Cool car, a Citroen I believe. Also cool... a Norwegian tradition... putting a bouquet of flowers on the hood of the car. And throw in a couple of flags for good measure. I like the look and it gives you a feeling that they are proud to be Norwegians.



And here's the happy couple. Notice the coffee cups on the roof. That was my guess that they had already completed the ceremony. I mean what Bride in her right mind would risk drinking coffee in her wedding dress prior to the ceremony! Good luck to you both...Oh, yeah and I managed to take a classy photo with the garbage truck off to the right (the dang thing pulled up just as I was taking the photo).

A day trip to Baerums Verk

Early in the morning Chris asked me to look up the hours for the Pancake House located at Baerums Verk. Oh, oh she wants to get out of the apartment today. Well, fortunately for me at least a few shops and restaurants were open on Sunday. So, off we went on our Sunday drive.

It is a nice location, complete with its own river and waterfall.

And here you see me, so excited to be out shopping!

As we walked around the complex, we ran into some interesting sculptures, etc. Here are a few snapshots from our walk....





It is not everyday that you see a painted bull, unless I guess you visit Chicago (Home of the bulls).

Where's Wilbur when you need him?

Spooky....

Here's an "Elg", Norwegian for Moose. The kids were climbing all over this guy.

A visitor came along while we were having our coffee and biscuits


And this little guy was having a hard time not looking so cute!

Well, that wraps up our Sunday adventure. Brownie points for the husband!!