Changes in Latitudes

On to the second half of our time up at Gjelvågan/Vågaholmen! We pick up from Tuesday - sorry this is a big post After a relaxing day of snorkeling, kayaking and running. We took the boat out to an island for camping. We didn't think of leaving til after dinner, so by the time we had gotten packed in the boat and out to the island it was already nearly midnight. There were many islands, but only a couple to choose from because the others were designated areas for bird nesting. Marius made a fire while Rigmor, Tron and I set up camp. I ran around our island with a cup to pick cloud berries. The island was mostly a marsh, so we slept very comfortably on the moss. We cooked some hotdogs on the fire before we went to bed around 2:30am. By then, the sun was already on the way back up, so it was a little difficult to fall asleep. Nonetheless, we slept til 9 the next morning and had an easy breakfast before we took the boat back to Gjelvågan. I would have liked to camp out anoth...

Marius and I took a flight at 6:30 am from Oslo to visit the Hansen side of the family for the week. We flew to Bodø via Tromsø, and then took the ferry from Bodø to Vågaholmen. 12 hours of travel later, we arrived to the summer house, Gjelvågan. It was also Rigmor's birthday! Of course the first three days were full of activity. I was so worn out, so, lucky for me, today is a "free day". Clear blue sky and temps in the upper 70s - low 80s (quite warm for here since the sun is very strong). Marius and Tron are working on a set of stairs to make it easier to get to and from the boat, Rigmor is preparing for Saturday's big party and I'm working on job applications and will snorkel. Saturday went by very fast. I don't even really remember what we did. We bought some groceries, picked up the boat from the pier and visited some family on the way. I ran 27 kms (approx. 17 miles) - fantastic long run. And afterwards I took an ice bath in the sea. We rounded...

This weekend Marius and I made a coffee table from some pallets he found at work. We sanded them, painted them with a white primer, and attached little swivel wheels on the bottom. The project was so easy and quick! [Preparing the pallets] [Sanded and cut in half] [Equipped with wheels]

Not much news over here, but it has been a while since the last post. I have been taking care of Kajsa (the dog) at least 3 days a week and training for my fall marathon.  Last Saturday I ran the farthest I have ever gone in my life - 25 km (15.5 miles)! It was rough. My knee started to hurt on the way back. My long runs are "out and back", up along the river in Oslo up to the lake where Oslo gets its drinking water (Maridalsvann). I ran up 12.5 kms in a slow hour and 10 minutes before turning around.  It felt good to be done. I was tired. My legs were tired. That run made me question how I'll be able to do 42 kilometers 11 weeks from now. We will see.  [Oslo] Sunday was fun. The American Coordinating Council of Norway put on an Independence Day gathering in Frogner Park. There was a classic car show with maybe 15 cars (4 of which were Ford mustangs) and a handful of food booths with American style food, of course. I was also able to re-register to v...