Europe in June - Photos

The Netherlands

Denmark

Lugano, Switzerland

Garmisch, Bavaria, Germany

Paris

Calpe Rock, Costa Blanca, Spain

Sunset in Devon, England

Tidal Pulls

It's Saturday, 13 June.  Today the Boulder Iron Man Triathlon is taking place - swimming, biking, running.  Multiple streets are closed, the library will be packed, and the Boulder Creek Path is closed.  If I were on the Eastern Shore, I'd be in Cape Charles for the Tall Ships Festival - I guess having watermen, fishermen, ship captains, sailors, whalers, and Vikings in one's history doesn't allow one to ignore the call of the sea, the pull of the tides, the smell of salt marshes, and the cries of sea birds.  A single scent, sound, or sight can completely entrap me and send me back to the islands and beaches I grew up on....  It's amazing.  I've been in Colorado for 13 years, but when I hear the cry of a seagull in a parking lot, I have to blink multiple times to make sure I'm in the Rocky Mountains, and not on the coast of Florida or Virginia.
   I have to trace Dad's ancestors back at least 8 generations to find folks who were not farmers or teachers or preachers.  Then one finds sailors and fishermen, whalers and chandlers.  I do feel a great affinity to the land, the seasons, and crops.  Of course, I am very close to all animals and living creatures - but the sea always has a much stronger pull.  Mom was born and raised on Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in Virginia; her mother was born and raised in the same place.  Pop-pop, or Cap'n Walt, was born of American parents, who had Swedish parents - Walt and his brother Ben were born in New Jersey, but the family returned to southern Sweden a couple of weeks after each boy was born.  The boys were raised in Sweden, but returned to the US at the age of 20, using their dual citizenship.  Black Andy (Andreas Johansson), Walt and Ben's father, held dual citizenship (US and Swedish), as did his wife, Hannah Olsen. Black Andy was a mechanic and engineer, but his sons were raised as watermen and light farmers.  I have no further knowledge of Andy and Hannah's ancestors.  Cap'n Walt married Aleda Peterson of Chincoteague; Aleda's mother was a Tarr; her father was the son of a Danish farmer and waterman, Andreas Pedersen, and Esther Whealton.  It's through great-great-grandma Esther that the family traces back to the 1640s on Chincoteague - the Whealton family.
   When I'm in the mountains, whether the Rockies, or the older chain near the east coast, I am always in awe of the grandeur and size of our world.  The scenes, the flora and the fauna are truly awesome.  But it is the sea that owns my heart - that unpredictable, unbelievably strong entity that surrounds our continents.  Humans still know so little about the life forms that live in the seas and oceans of our world - they are so varied and misunderstood - and so many are still undiscovered.  All I know is that I belong to the sea...  The sound of the waves, the aroma of the air, the thunder of surf, the quiet lapping of wavelets, the sound of boat horns, the sounds of moving water - water that is never still, the sudden squalls and equally sudden glassiness of the water, sounds of the salt marsh, the sounds of fish jumping, dolphins breaching, and the ever-present sound of the birds.  I am of the sea.

Spring in Scandinavia

Since we have glops of wet snow on the ground here in Boulder, and more is falling, I thought I'd share views of Spring in Scandinavian countries today.  (It just started snowing two hours ago - we're supposed to have an accumulation of 4 to 8 inches by midnight.  And this stuff is so wet, and the ground so warm, that it looks like a colorless Icee - Slushee - Slurpy spilled on the grass....)
So, in Norway:

In Finland:

Coltsfoot

False morels

And in Denmark:

Tree Creeper

Views of Denmark

Sights of Living

A shed in Denmark

Old and new housing in Karlskrona, Sweden

A summer cottage in Norway

"Neverwas Haul" - a steam punk Victorian caravan seen at the Burning Man Festival - I particularly love the ship's wheel as the steering wheel in the "cab"

A Cajun Welcome sign

Swedish Family Background

I know that I go overboard in some of my enthusiasms.  Knowing that my Mother was half Swedish and a quarter Danish, I've always had a small interest in my Scandinavian heritage, but I honestly found the British part more interesting.  I have researched our family tree, but still have a few "sticking points" - mainly with my great-grandparents, who had very common Swedish names, and whose names I've been told in an Anglicized manner:  Andrew Johnson and Hannah Olson.  Watching the Vikings series on History Channel has made me want to know more. I want to know more about my family's Swedish heritage and Danish heritage.  I have been able to trace our Danish family back to 1597 in the church records at Gyllinge, Jutland, but our Swedish background remains a mystery to me.
  I know that my great-grandparents sailed to America in 1890 to await the birth of their child, my grandfather, Johan Waldo Johansson.  Poppop was duly born in Hoboken, New Jersey, christened in the Swedish Lutheran Church there, and sailed back to Sweden at the age of two weeks.  I know that he was raised in southern Sweden - a red velvet-covered photograph album was left after his death, filled with hundreds of photos  (and not a single one identified) that had been taken mainly in Karlskrona (at the studio of Karl Karlson), a few in Malmo, and one in Stockholm.  There was also a letter that was written from Christianstad.  There are, of course, many variations of the spelling of Johansson, and one can find a great variance in Andrew: Anders, Andreas, Ander, etc.  There are also many ways to spell Olson, and a few alternative spellings of Hannah.  What I need to do is look at the 1900 church rolls for southern Sweden...
I also know that Grandfather had a brother named Ben, but I have no idea whether Ben was older or younger, born in Sweden or the US...  And I have no idea regarding the ages of Poppop's parents...  *sigh*
This is one of the things that keeps me digging into records.
  I did notice one "odd" thing yesterday - I had been looking at a rune stone, set near Kallby, Sweden.  This stone is inscribed, "Styrlakr placed this stone in memory of (Karr?), his father."  The carving with it looks like someone dressed in a jumpsuit, with delineations of boots, gloves, and waist.  The head appears to be either a canine with droopy ears, or possibly a deer, as there are antlers carved above the head.  Last night, I was looking at a carving found on Baffin Island - it's identified as being a native hunter, carved by the Dorset tribe, who lived on Baffin at the time Vikings from Iceland were known to have visited.  Do you see the similarities, also?  Comments are very welcome!

This photo of the Kallby rune stone was taken by Peter Karlsson.

Dorset hunter carving found on Baffin Island

Critters and Genealogy

Today is grey and dreary so far. I felt great when I awoke this morning, but i have developed a headache just to the outside of my left eye - and that usually doesn't bode well. I'll take my preventative migraine medicine, but I don't know if it will work. Rosie and Remy were very good yesterday for their walk, and luckily, most of the snow had melted. Today, other than a few piles of snow in shaded parking lots, all sign of Tuesday's snow is gone. But the weather guys are now saying possible showers throughout the weekend and Monday, with more snow on Tuesday... We'll see. Maggie May decided to stay by my side for several hours yesterday - I was doing research on the computer, and she was stretched out next to the keyboard, occasionally touching my hand to let me know she wanted her chin scratched. The ravens and crows are noisily playing with Nedi this morning, while Lovey has draped herself across my shoulders and doesn't want to be dislodged.

   I just finished reading Creole Belle by James Lee Burke, and I immediately started Pope Joan afterwards. I've already read over 100 pages - the book is written episodically, and moves quickly. I'm reading it to answer some questions that came up after watching the 4-hour TV movie on Easter Sunday... so far, my few questions have been amply answered. I also looked at two travel books - one for Sweden and one for Denmark. I was disappointed not to find anything about the small town that great-great-grandfather came from in Denmark - I realize that it's a small farming community, but the local church was built in the 11th century, the baptismal font is from the 10th century, and there are also two Viking rune stones inside the church... The travel guide for Sweden was excellent - but I'm still not sure where Cap'n Walt and his parents lived while they were in Sweden. I have been assuming they lived in southern Sweden, as the majority of old photographs in the family album (all unidentified) were taken at the studio of Karl Karlson in Karlskrona, a few were taken in Malmo, and a couple in Kristianstad... It doesn't help that the family surname is Johanesson, or a variation of it... So, I'm still digging on the Swedish side.

Views of Denmark

Tall ships of Denmark

Danish farm fields in winter

 

Shed with a boat roof in Hemmet, Jutland

 

Horning Church in Aarhus

 

Boat and pier at Rinkforbing Fjord, Jutland

 

Critters Near and Far

Big horn ram in Rocky Mountain National Park

 

 

Caracal

 

Danish kestrel with prey

 

Fox in Yellowstone National Park

 

A murder of crows

 

Views of Denmark

The  Amager Ark in Copenhagen

 

The Bork Viking Museum in Jutland

 

Earth cottage in Bratton Strand, Jutland

 

Danish sunrise

 

Ian McKellen and Scandinavia

There is about 8 inches of snow in the backyard at this time; and I don't know what path he took, but Gimpy was here at 7 this morning, even though I could not see any path or holes in the snow that was within view. Gimpy consumed half a bowl of peanuts before disappearing. The weather guys are saying we'll get another 2 to 4 inches of snow before it stops falling late this afternoon. I've been out walking already, and have picked up the Sunday paper for coupons and the TV schedule. Lovey and Banichi ran outside and ran right back in this morning. We hope to reach 30 degrees as a high today; but tomorrow it will be sunny and warmer, so I'm not worried. I start taking care of Alexy's cats tomorrow; then head to the Barreras' and also stop in for Ooch twice a day. One of my clients is having surgery done in Kansas City, and we're trying to find a time when both of us are free, so I can care for Silver while she's away.

Ian McKellen is portraying Number 2 in the new Prisoner series. It will debut on AMC tonight at 8 p.m. (EST) and will be on for 2 hours. The second and third installments, both 2 hours long, will air at 8 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. While the original used Hotel Portmeirion in Wales for exterior shots, the new Prisoner was filmed in South Africa and Namibia. If you like Ian McKellen and/or are interested in this new Prisoner, I recommend you visit : www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33859249/ns/entertainment-television/ It will be very interesting to see this new re-working of the old series. Patrick McGoohan certainly made my mind follow all sorts of ideas, tracks, theories, and scenarios with the original series; I hope to be similarly captivated and entertained with this series. ... I am still having a great time exploring my Scandinavian heritage. In Denmark, my great-great-grandfather's family lived for almost 200 years in the same village, Gylling. The church of Gylling was built in the 11th and 12th centuries, so I could visit A. Pedersen's christening spot. The small community is in East Jutland, south east of Aarhus, and what's funny (in my mind, anyway) is that the closest town is Odder. So if you'd like to see what's around Gylling on the internet, you visit: www.visitodder.dk Odder sits at the confluence of two streams, and the name Odder is the plural of the word odde which indicates a tongue of land between two streams. (Of course, this does not make me any less odd.) And I'm still poking around in south-east Sweden trying to find the roots of the Johnson family.... It just takes time. Have a great Sunday!!