Occupied

Monday August 2nd 1999

Another day up and out the door early, but not before some wonderful pastries and coffee for breakfast. Torstein was a very gracious host and as I would soon learn, this was how everyone is in Norway, including people that we had never met before and those who were not family. We thanked him again and headed to see my dad’s cousin, Helen, and her husband, Roar, in Kristiansand. The view from their condo overlooking the water and Otterdalsparken Park was beautiful! Most of today’s conversation was in Norwegian and if you read my earlier posts, you know how well I speak the language. Fortunately for me, their daughter offered to take the non-Norwegian-speaking guests around town while my dad and her parents caught up with each other. Kristiansand is another beautiful…

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Sunday August 1st 1999

Happy 70th Birthday, Dad! After another great breakfast at the hotel we were off to visit Torstein, one of my dad’s cousins. He lives in the town of Drangedal which is located about 120 kilometers southwest of Oslo. As you can imagine, all of the drives in Norway are scenic. We stopped at so many places along the way that what should have been a two-hour drive ended up being a ten-hour one, two of which were spent at a beautiful water-side lunch stop. When we drove up to Torstein’s house we found him outside doing some gardening. After many hellos, he took us around his house and showed us his landscaping. During that portion of the tour, my sister decided the lawn looked just too comfortable and that it was time…

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Friday July 30th 1999

With customs behind us, we all climbed in the rental van and headed to the Vikingskipene, the Viking Ship Museum. Since the airport is northeast of the city, we took E16 heading south to E18 going through Oslo to Bygdoy where the museum is located. While driving, my father told us about the historic buildings in Oslo he and his brother Thoralf had seen while on their trip to the American Embassy after the war ended. The two buildings he talked about most were the Royal Palace and the Parliament. He and his brother had not had time to take a tour, but they did pass by them as they walked through the city the evening of their visit. As we continued our drive, we soon learned that we were not going…

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Thursday July 29th 1999

My father carried this in his wallet for as long as I can remember. Today, as we boarded the plane, he held it in his hand. I woke up full of energy ready to begin my journey into the past. To get there I would have to fly. Most importantly, I would need my father to join me—he was the key to unlocking everything. I had always imagined the places in Norway he had talked about when I was a child. With the help of a few pictures from his childhood and the stories he’d shared, I was sure I knew what things were going to look like when we arrived and I hoped there would be improvements in the electrical and plumbing departments. Carol and I packed up the car and…

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My Trip to Norway

The Journey Begins 20 years ago I planned my first trip to Norway with my father. My next several blog posts will be about our trip to visit family, see where my father grew up, and of course experience all the wonderful things Norway has to offer

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Good things take time.

Patience is a virtue.I was told this as a young man, but have learned that patience is a necessity when producing a quality product. My second book, Occupied, is testing my patience and my lack of understanding about how things work in the publishing world has often felt like an anchor slowing things down.Fortunately I was given good advice and hired the right people who now make up Team Occupied. All of them have been very patient with me and have taken the time to explain why their step is important to the process and how what they do is intertwined with the work of others. Armed with this information I now realize that there is not an anchor slowing me down—I was just tired of rowing. With Team Occupied’s help, I am re-energized…

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My first blog!

Welcome to my blog. This first post will be an introduction to me and an overview of my plans for future entries so you have an idea of where I am heading. If I get off track, as one of my loyal followers, please nudge me and say, "Hey, what’s up with your blog?"I am married and have two wonderful daughters who, since moving out, have been more wonderful than ever before. I do miss them, but get to see them every week along with my grandson. I actually believe they enjoyed moving out more than I did and perhaps they will leave a comment on this post to confirm. My wife, Carol, puts up with a lot, mostly me of course, but if she is as happy as I am after 32…

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