There are two reasons why I am in Norway this year (August 2007 - June 2008):
I received a Fulbright grant to research what Norwegians are doing to restore wild runs of Atlantic Salmon. Understanding international perspectives, strategies and obstacles to salmon recovery will be useful when I come back to the Northwest to work in fisheries.
I am also in Norway to get to know my family here. My great-grandmother, Mala Øye, came from an island in the Hardangerfjord, south of Bergen, called Varaldsøy. My great-grandfather, Nils Sandvik, came from Ålesund. Living in Bergen, I am lucky to be close to many relatives on my great-grandmother's side, and I look forward to getting to know them. I hope also to take some trips to Ålesund to meet the Sandvik side of the family.
Searching for Sea Lice
Wild Salmon Smolts
Capturing Copepods
Smolt trap at Bolstad
Arriving at the first peak
Mud
View of the Harz from the top of Ottofelsen
Happy tomato and tomatillo starts
Merrymeeting Bay
Brooklyn Views
Matthew's barn
Flowers and New Leaves
Lambis
Sunny arrival in Ålesund
Sunnmore Alps
Trondheim Ski Trip
Helge and Kjersti's Farm
Weights
Wires are stretched across the fjord to hold the sitjenot in place, so these huge rocks keep the wires on the bottom away from boat props.
View of the net from the gilje above
'Sitting'
Rune and Knut reliving old times in the gilje.
Climbing Ulriken, Bergen below
Atop Damsgårds Mountain, looking ahead to the next peak
17th of May in Bergen
17th of May in Bergen - bunads and umbrellas
Butterkuchen etc.
Wind turbine sunset (photo by Johannes)
Berlin Street Art
The stairway in Tacheles, a Berlin artist cooperative.
The East Side Gallery - painting along a preserved section of the Berlin Wall
Other side of the Berlin Wall from the East Side Gallery
The famous East German 'walk signals'
Eirik adding weights to the net
The gilje (fishing cabin) is up on the fjordside in the background.
Sitjenot Lines Dangling in the Fjord
Waiting to be pulled up to close the net
Setting up the Sitjenot Reflector
Johannes Gullbrå instructs Eirik Normann and Arne Vassenden.
Atlantic Salmon Catch
Reindeer in Town
Midnight sun from Mehamn
Codfish out to dry
Alden Sunset
Camped atop Alden
The rowboat herself
Captain Arne
Crewman, or perhaps slave labor?
Alaska Cotton? In Norway?
The Arctic Ocean
With Sandy and Hans near Harstad
Svalbard
The Glory Days
Vosso Salmon early 1900s, unknown photographer
Ski Tour near Hallingskeid
Lutefisk, Lutefisk! Lefse, Lefse!
Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo
Løvstakken Winter
View of the Folgefonna Glacier across the lake.
Friends from Germany, Spain, Italy, South Africa, etc. Bergen in the background.
Glacier Hike
Uncle Geir brought me to the glacier. You can see Varaldsøy in the background if you know where to look...
Badestrand, or Swimming Beach
This is the public beach on Varaldsøy.
6 comments:
Ole and Lena had just come to America where Ole had a job promised to him. They were newlyweds and deeply in love. During the workday Ole would sneak home and they would have passionate love. Soon, Arne Ole's forman spotted Ole's absence and admonished him he would be fired if he kept on with this practice. But after two weeks Ole could stand it no longer and snuck toward their house. Coming around the bedroom window he saw Arne in bed with Lena. Oh my gosh, he ran back to the plant where he gasped to his best friend, Ralph. Boy, that was a close one. I just about got fired.
Kristin: I happen to know R. Sandvik, your grandmother, by coincidence. She was in fine form this evening and was shown the blog by your father. It was quite the revelation to her. She thinks the english language is going backward resorting to the use of words such as BLOG. She had her tai chi gang over to the house for tea this am. I am eager to hear about the beleagered Atlantic salmon. If you find a surplus I sure could use a meal.
Big Alfie.
...seems I know your mother too. She is headed to Petersburg tomorrow am. I also know your gifted uncle Neil who recently co-wrote a piece with your dear mother for the magazine she works for, Pacific Fishing Mag. Brilliant work. I will post it tomorrow am as I am exhausted from managing my empire. Sweet dreams and don't forget to check under those bridges before passing for you know who...Big Alfie
Alaskan Woman Not Impressed with Richard Burton
Location: Petersburg, Alaska, 1959. Three big movie stars hit the wooden streets of this Norwegian fishing village to film the cannery, fishing and glacier scenes of Edna Ferber’s epic blockbuster “ICE PALACE.”
The biggest star and legendary womanizer, Richard Burton, was accustomed to the notorious effects of his star power. But an encounter with Petersburg’s Helmi Karjala Jensen would tarnish his Hollywood reputation.
Helmi’s husband Gordon had built a sauna in the family’s back yard. It was a ten-year wedding anniversary present for his Finnish bride.
Well, Mr. Burton heard about the only sauna in town. He arranged for someone to call Helmi on his behalf, requesting the pleasure of a sauna at her home. I wasn’t there, but I can absolutely see and hear Helmi’s classic reply. She thought for a moment and responded, “I think not—Richard Burton is not a personal friend of mine…”
Mr. Burton was lucky that Mrs. Jensen refused his sauna request. Her six foot seven inch husband Gordon, a halibut skipper and early investor in Petersburg Fisheries (now Icicle Seafoods), could just as well have turned Mr. Burton’s potential sauna into a cold shower at the Mitkof Hotel.
Diane Sandvik
Neil Sandvik*
*Co-author Neil Sandvik was eleven years old that summer Petersburg became a movie set for a few weeks. He watched Richard Burton’s action scenes at the retort end of the then PAF (later PFI and Icicle) canning line. Burton ended up in Wrangell Narrows and was picked out of the water by Robert Ryan, aboard the borrowed seiner SOKOL, owned by Andy Hansen, and renamed the “Bridie B” for the movie. Jim Backus, another actor in town, entertained the local kids at the Coliseum Theater with his Mr. Magoo character and vignettes of Hollywood.
Kristin: since I haven't received any Atlantic Salmon in the mail I bought a chunk of SE Alaska King Salmon at the wild salmon fish market and had a fine meal as Aunt Stephanie was in Portland visiting friends. Little Alfie would have liked some but the fish is very rich for an elderly cat. The previous evening I had new-salted blackcod which I refer to as Norwegian candy although the nearest blackcod fishing grounds are thousands of miles away in the North Pacific. You might also be pleased to know that construction of a new walkway for Grandma Ruth has begun. I hope to receive some photos of the completed project but need instructions on how to post them (if it is possible).
Regards,
Your pal: Big Alfie
Kristin: I just came back from a fine trip to SE Alaska on a tugboat with your Uncle Neil. He is a fine steersman and mate plus he knows the inside passage from Seattle to Alaska very well. As you know these waters are very reminiscent of Norway. I stowed away in Neil's quarters but took surreptitious forays around the boat which was pulling a 250 ft cargo barge to southern alaskan towns like Ketchikan and Wrangell. The weather turned out to be fine, nearly rainless except for Ketchikan. On our return I found out Grandma Ruth's walk is nearly completed. Your brother Alex is on the ferry coming south with photographs.
Eagerly awaiting any spare fish.
Your Pal: Big Alfie
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