22 Oct 2007

Friday Fun

Friday afternoon we packed the kids into the car and headed north. The DVD player was at the ready, but the boys only managed one episode of SpongeBob before B boy had had enough and asked to have it turned off. Worried that he might be getting car sick again, I climbed into the back of the car (no easy feat in a small Golf!) and squeezed in between the boys. Benjamin put his head on my shoulder and promptly fell asleep.

The trip to the cottage can take anywhere from 2 hours and 45 minutes to 3 and a half hours. On these single lane roads, a lot depends on sheer luck. Getting stuck behind a trailer or, worse, a farm vehicle, can easily add 30 minutes to your journey. Not a big deal, but with Benjamin's motion sickness, the less time in the car, the better.

Fortunately for us, the drive up was amazingly smooth. No traffic to speak of, and with both boys in a state of dozing-to-snoring, it was peaceful, too. The trip is just long enough to feel that you are really getting away from it all, and the views passing by outside the window never fail to entertain. The landscape changes gradually from rolling green hills to more mountainous terrain, from lush fields with grazing animals to rugged and rocky peaks which only the most agile mountain goat can climb. This time around, the fall colours added beautiful splashes of orange, red and brown to the vistas surrounding us.

Arriving in another car just 10 minutes later were my parents and the boys' cousins. The boys love spending time with their cousins, and were excited at the prospect of a whole weekend together.

The weather was markedly cooler in the mountains, so we dug out our fall clothes and made our way across the marsh to the fire pit we built a few years ago when the boys were much younger. This is Standard Operating Procedure at the cottage. The fire pit is not a long walk walk from our cottage, and if the kids had their way, we would have all our meals there. They love it, because they get to help light the fire, look for sticks to use to grill whatever food we may have at the ready, and generally play around jumping from rock to rock.



Nightfall comes quickly in Norway these days, and Friday was no exception. From our altitude, however, it was a spectacular sunset, as we watched the sun set behind peaks of snow-clad mountains in the distance. My little nephew commented that it looked as if the world was on fire. It truly did.

24 comments:

hokgardner said...

That sky is just amazing!

Erin said...

Wow what a great photo. Looks like a great weekend!

Rick said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog. I've now had two comments concerning the aim of young men. I don't remember that being an issue growing up - but we do tend to block certain things out of our minds.

Nice photo. The sky did look like it was on fire.

Have a nice time in Norway.

http://www.organizeddoodles.blogspot.com/

Kellan said...

This sounds like a fairy tale story - it just sounds wonderful and what a beautiful picture. I'm glad it was such a good weekend for your family. See ya.

Karen MEG said...

That last shot was gorgeous! Such fun with the cousins, I'm so glad you're there to experience that. What is it with boys and the need for sticks (and stones, for that matter :)
And oh, boy, it does look chilly there! It was 24 deg C or higher here yesterday!

Misty said...

What an exciting adventure you are on. I am completely and totally jealous.

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate all the comments I can get!

Lisa said...

That is an amazing photo. I would blow it up and frame it.
Your cottage sounds like a magical place, it is nice to escape like that, to enjoy nature and simple things like cooking by a fire. Things like that get lost in our busy lives today. You are creating such fantastic memories for your boys!

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts about my health. It means so much to me. I'm so glad to have met you through blogging. I'm just not ready to put it out there for the whole blogging world to see. Still hoping it turns out to be nothing. If you want, send me an email and I'll give you an update!

Chantal said...

That is amazing, your kids are so lucky you are giving them these wonderful experiences. They will remember them for the rest of their lives.

She She said...

Gorgeous. It must be good for your soul to be around so much natural beauty.

Victoria said...

Wonderful pics! I'm so sorry about the motion sickness. I suffer horribly from it too, and fear my Boy is taking in my footsteps. It's not fun.

Your travels make me antsy and jealous! =)

Heidi said...

I love that picture with the stones and fire sky. It sounds like a wonderful weekend getaway.

Cindy D. said...

Your cottage weekends always sound so idyllic!

S said...

Wow. That last picture. Magical.

ewe are here said...

Stunning sky!

Sounds like you're going to have a great trip!

Rima said...

I love reading about your adventure in Norway. And that last photo - wow!

MyThreeBlogs said...

How wonderful that your boys have this experience & get to enjoy living in two cultures! They (and you!) are really lucky!

painted maypole said...

that sunset is amazing.

oh... and fire pits. i love fire pits!

Shan said...

Great picture.

Arkie Mama said...

Wow -- that is incredible. Love the colors in that sky. Amazing.

TheOneTrueSue said...

Sounds wonderful. That last picture - I thought it was drawing at first! What an amazing photo.

Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Heidi.

Hae Yung said...

I love sunsets. The last picture is just gorgeous. I sometimes make the kids stop and just look at the sunset...they don't seem to appreciate it very much, yet. The pictures bring back many happy memories from Norway. Thanks.

Hae Yung said...

I love sunsets. The last picture is just gorgeous. I sometimes make the kids stop and just look at the sunset...they don't seem to appreciate it very much, yet. The pictures bring back many happy memories from Norway. Thanks.

Gina said...

Wow, that last one was awesome!

Stomper Girl said...

Gorgeous sunset photo. The landscape you are in is so different and 'other' to where I am, it is quite astonishing.