Krumkake

 Krumkake or Krum kaka is a Norwegian waffle cookie made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and cream. Like Italian pizzelle, a special decorative two-sided iron griddle, similar to a waffle iron, is traditionally used to bake the thin round cakes

 

Sarah had to give a talk and make a presentation about where her family came from.  She made Krumkake with the help of her Grandma Carol.

 This is how the plate looked before sharing it with her class.


Below is the "after" picture!

Nothing new to report

I was sick for a couple of weeks and low on energy.  Then, Nick got sick.  So I have not written any more here or made any plans.

As soon as I have anything to share, I will!

More family pictures

Molli, Colleen, Carl, Elinor, Courtney, Nancy &Edith July 4, 2004 at Jim and Francelle's house

The three pictures above are of my Uncle Jimmy.  He was my father's youngest brother

Thinking of Family

These pictures were taken almost 10 years ago.  A big group of us Thompsen/ Thompson cousins.

All of us are descended from these two people:

Karen and Nicoli had five sons, Erling, Ralph, Theodore (my dad) , Norris and James (Jimmy).

Karen and Nicolai with Erling standing, Ralph in chair and Ted in lap around 1919

The family picked a color for their family- for example Erling's descendants all wore green shirts, Ralph's family wore white shirts etc.

Erling's son, Carl and his wife Leslie plus their children and grandchildren

Eldon, Carl and Elinore, Erling's children and their children and grandchildren

John, Susan and Jim, Norris's children, and Aunt Alice, their mother

Great-grandchildren of Nicolai and Karen

Ralph's family wore white shirts

Thompsen/Thompson Grandchildren
 Green for Erling, white  for Ralph, blue for Ted, purple for Norris and flowers for Jimmy

Four generations from Karen and Nicolai

Carol in Grandma's kitchen

Grandma's house in McMinneville, Oregon  

My husband and my Norwegian cousin

In Oslo.  This is a picture of Nick, my husband, and Christian, my second cousin.   I think that's right.  Christian's mother and my father were first cousins.

We first met Christian when we were on our honeymoon, in 1972.  He was a cute little boy and has no memory of meeting us than.

We next met Christian in 1984, shortly after we moved to Norway.   I met him again in 1997 when I was on an around the world trip from Perth to Washington to London, to Norway, to Bangkok and back to Perth.

We have had three of Christian's four sons stay with us in  Washington.  The fourth  son will be coming in a year or two



Now for the picture:

This is the way we wash our clothes...

Nick has been striving to understand and use the washing machine and dryer in his apartment building.  I am sure I don't know whar all of the symbols are, but I will see if I can figure them out somehow.  
Meanwhile, I am packing a clothes line and planning to wash my clothes by hand and hang them dry.  We'll see!

This is the new washing machine.  The old one was leaking

Here's what the controls on the old washing machine looked like

And, there's Nick, trying to sneak up on the washer.

 

This is referred to as the "wheels of mystery"!

July 4, 2015 in Oslo, Norway

The official US Embassy Oslo Independence Day party was held at the US Ambassador's residence.  I posted them here earlier.

Today is the actual Fourth of July, and here are some pictures of the festivities with the American population in Oslo- at Frogner Park.

The Embassy Marine Security Guards present the colors.

Acting Ambassador Robert Bradtke opens the event.

There are AmCars in display in the park.

Acting Ambassador Robert Bradtke tests Oslo Barnemuseum's Imaginary Playground.

Guests enjoying the fun and sun!

Preparing to visit Norway!

In just over three weeks I will be headed to Norway.  With my sister and her two granddaughters.   I can't wait!

But, in typical sister fashion (Thompsen sisters at least), we are all muddled and dumbfounded about what  should have been the first step,  figure out who and what we want to see and do.


Oslo.  Check.  yes we want to see Oslo.  Of course.  Then family in Sweden?  Check.  A big yes.  Tromsø.  Big check.  But what dates and where do we stay?   Bergen?  Hmm, maybe, maybe not. 

And so it goes. 

We met with a nice, Norwegian travel agent last week.  She had some valuable suggestions.  She also corrected my accent when I spoke Norwegian.  I guess after not really using the language for almost 30 years it is to be expected.

While I don't write as much or as often here, I am working on it.

American Independence Day in June?

Yes, the US Embassy in Oslo holds it's Fourth of July festivities in June.  That's because the Norwegians desert their beautiful city for their summer holidays.  Some go to their summer cottages, others go to Spain.  But, enough leave that it is difficult to hold a large official diplomatic event- so, June it is!

US Ambassador's garden/ Fourth of July party

US Ambassador's Residence

There are more pictures on the US Embassy Oslo Facebook page.  The pictures here are some that Nick took himself

Oslo (it's in Norway you know)

Nick has been in Oslo for 4 weeks now.  He is over his jet lag, now he is just over worked! 

He keeps sharing pictures of that beautiful city, Frogner Park, the carriage house he lives in.  Old apartment buildings.

My grandparents were Norwegians who emigrated to the US where they had five sons.  My father was the middle son.    I grew up hearing my grandmother's very strong Norwegian accent, and feeling pulled toward that country.

My family visited Norway and many of my dad's relatives when I was three years old.  I don't remember that visit, but have seen pictures.  Nick and I went to Norway on our honeymoon in 1972.  We met some of my dad's relatives then.

In 1984, we moved to Tromsø, Norway where we lived for two years, and our third child was born.

I made a trip to Norway in 1997 and saw the old homestead and the house where my grandfather was born in 1888.   There are still family members living there today.

This is the Kjørrefjord family homestead in Farsund, Norway

And now Nick is back there working at the US Embassy for the summer.  I plan to go too, in July.

I already posted some of Nick's pictures here.  Today I am posting some more.

I stayed with my dad's cousin in the apartment building on the right when I visited in 1997.  My dad's cousin told me that Quisling had lived in that building before WWII

Nick, hard at work at the US Embassy, Oslo

This is the carriage house that Nick is living in.  His apartment is on the top floor. He was in the two bedroom apartment on the second floor, but two female secretaries who don't know each other will be getting the two bedroom apt and Nick is now in the one bedroom upstairs.

Kids skateboarding in Frogner Park