Winter Begins

The leaves are beginning to fall.  I’ll be sorry when they all fall off.  That means I will see more of that ugly Tine creamery building.  On Wednesday we had rain and high winds.  A few of the trees are now bare, although some are still green.

Nothing unusual this week: just one funeral.  I spent the week getting prepared for the organ recital I’m giving on Sunday evening.

Nikolai, the child of Ann-Kristin & Trond Edvardsen, turned 5 on Thursday.  (I rent their basement apartment).  On Saturday they invited me to a coffee party to celebrate the event.

Well, there’s never a dull moment at organ recitals.  The weather turned quite cold, the high was only about 42 F.  The church was so cold Sunday morning that they tried to heat the place up with space heaters, but it kept on blowing fuses.  The organ recital began at 7:30.  Everything was going well until we had a power failure.  Jon, one of the employees of the church, tried to fix it but they ended up calling an electrician.  After about a 45-minute delay I played the rest of the program.  Fortunately, everyone patiently waited while the problem was fixed.  

Sunday (10-10-10) the sun rose at 7:45 am and set at 6 pm.  Total daylight is 10 hours, 15 minutes.

Week 41: winter began.  Sunday morning there was a dusting of snow on the mountains.  It looked liked a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  Each day there was a little more snow.  On Thursday, the 14^th of October it snowed.  According to the Old Norse Calendar this day is the first day of winter.  Like clockwork winter began in northern Norway.  Most people now have their winter tires on.  Quite a few years ago tires with studs were outlawed in Massachusetts.  The headline in the Boston Globe read, “Stud tires out”.

On Friday I had two funerals: one in Sandnessjøen Church for a 65-year old woman, and one in the chapel at the hospital for an infant that was stillborn.  This last one was so sad, of a life never lived.

I’m having a few problems with my macbook (computer).  It wouldn’t connect to the internet.  (All the other programs work fine).  I took it to a shop.  They looked at it and made some adjustments.  It does seem better but every once in a while I lose the signal.  I know the problem is with the macbook.  My iphone and ipod work perfectly fine.  I may have to get a pc.  Macs are not much in use in Norway.

Saturday I met Vera and John on the south-bound Hurtigruten.  They began their journey in Kirkenes and saw a part of Norway they hadn’t seen before.  If the weather had been better we would have taken the ferry over to Dønna and driven up to Dønnes and over to Rølvaag.    But it wouldn’t cooperate.  Instead we drove around Alstahaug: over the Helgeland Bridge, down to Søvik and Alstahaug Church and Museum, and back to Sandnessjøen on the valley road.

On Sunday Vera sang at the two services that played for: Sandnessjøen at 11 am and Alstahaug at 6:30.  The 11 am service was well attended.  They had presentation gifts for the 4-year olds.  There must have been about 120 in attendance.  The evening service was very sparsely attended.  In any case, Vera sang beautifully for both services.  The song was “Det er makt i de foldede hender” (There is strength in folded hands).  Monday morning they caught the 7 am bus to Mosjøen and from there the train down to Trondheim.  It was a short visit but at least they got a flavor of Helgeland.

Sunrise on 17 October is at 8:10 am, sunset at 5:40 pm.  Total daylight is 9 hours, 30 minutes.

Great fall weather

Monday morning was early (week 38).  I picked up my colleague Venera and we drove to Mosjøen for the Nordland County meeting of organists and district musicians.  Dolstad Church in Mosjøen had just dedicated their new Marcussen organ on Sunday evening.  I found the whole event very refreshing.  And it was great to meet colleagues.  The Friday before I found I that I was to play for a masterclass.  Everything went well despite the short notice.  It’s good to shake things up and take chances.  The cathedral organist from Bodø gave masterclasses in organ repertoire.  He is a gifted teacher and performer.  The other “star” for this convention was one of the professors from the conservatory in Oslo: W. Plagge. I had never heard of him but he’s quite famous in Norway.  He gave masterclasses/coaching in ensemble music.  He’s a fine pianist/teacher/coach.  But as a composer there is something missing.  The piece that was performed on Monday evening involved 6 or 7 instrumentalists and piano.  He seems to compose in a improvisational style, at times formless, dominated by the piano.  I wished to hear more of the other instruments, particularly in unusual combinations.

Two funerals and a wedding this week.  Thursday evening we had a staff activity: mushroom picking.  It  began with just two of us: Bjørnar and me.  About an hour later Tove arrived.  I picked a plastic bag full.  There are only two kinds that we picked: piggsopp (or spine mushrooms – hydnum repandum) and chantarelles.  Friday evening I went alone and picked another bag full.  I know they are edible: I woke up Saturday morning!  I’m hooked: Saturday afternoon I picked another bagful.  I put two containers of cooked mushrooms in the freezer.

I bought boots.  Now I’m almost ready for winter.  The past few days have been so beautiful.  My weather forecast apps on my iphone said rain.  How wrong, thank God.  On Sunday afternoon I picked another bag of mushrooms.

Sunrise on 26 Sept is at 7:02 am, sunset at 6:57 pm.  Total daylight is 11 hours, 54 minutes.  We are entering the dark period (shudder).

On Monday (27 Sept, week 39) I went out on yet another mushroom search.  I picked a plastic bag full.  I think I’m set for awhile.  On Monday evening I had a small dinner party with Katrin and Elizabeth.  I can’t have a large party, given the size of the apartment, plus I only have 3 chairs for the kitchen table.

The weather has been so beautiful this week.  But I notice that the days are rapidly getting shorter.  At 4 pm the sun is so low on the horizon that it feels more like November.  I checked out full-spectrum lights at the local appliance store.  They were sold out but will get more next week.

The weather predictions are excellent for the next few days.  While southern Norway is mired in rain we are blessed with cloudless days.  It would be great to see the northern lights on a clear night.  So far I haven’t seen them here.  According to the news report it has been 20 years since Nordland has had such a pleasant September.

Next Sunday (10 October) I'm playing an organ recital in Sandnessjøen Church.  I visited the local newspaper and asked if they would publish an article about the concert.  It will come out on Wednesday,  6 October in Helgelands Blad.  For this concert I'm going to set up a screen in the front of the church so the audience can see me.

I had this weekend off.  On Saturday I took the boat/bus to Brønnøysund for a couple days, to meet a friend of a friend, and to see the organ in Brønnøysund Church.  Many say it’s the best organ in Nordland.  Brønnøysund is only about 40 miles south of Sandnessjøen, but it takes 3 hours to get there by bus: there are 2 ferry crossings.  The weather was gorgeous on Saturday.  Sunday I took a long walk around Brønnøysund.  I thought that Sandnessjøen is a sleepy town.  Brønnøysund is hibernating.  I got some good pictures of Torghatten, the mountain with a hole through it.  I wish I had brought my bike – I could have had a nice ride out to Torghatten.  Well, next time.  Monday morning I took the bus/ferry back to Sandnessjøen.

Beginning of fall

Week 36: Monday morning I had my appointment with the doctor.  It was very short – about 30 minutes.  He asked some questions, took my blood pressure and authorized a few blood tests.  It’s not the complete physical you would get in the U.S.  The point of this was to get into the system.  Now that I’m registered it should be fairly easy to get medical help should I need it.

On Friday I flew to Oslo for the weekend.  I saw my friend Harry on Friday evening and Saturday and Marilyn on Sunday.  Then I took the train a short distance north to stay with my relatives Turid and Gunnar for the evening.  I even helped mow their lawn on Monday.  (I also got a couple inquiries from others to help them mow their lawns!)  Late Monday afternoon/evening I flew back to Sandnessjøen.

Week 37: The big news this week is the plane accident at the airport.  Early Wednesday morning (6 am) a commercial propeller plane was landing when a sudden wind gust blew down just as the plane was landing, causing the right-side landing gear to collapse.   The weather was clear but windy.  Fortunately there were no injuries among the 3 passengers and 4 crew members.  The airport was closed all day on Wednesday.  It was very strange to drive by and see the plane in the middle of the runway, tipped on its side with one wing touching the ground.  By Thursday morning it had been moved and normal departure/arrival operations resumed.  (If you want to see a picture of it go to my Facebook page and click on “Links”, then click on the picture.  The text is in Norwegian, from the local newspaper.)

Wednesday evening I saw a theatrical production of “On Overgrown Paths”, Humsun’s explanation/apologia of his pro-Nazi activities during WWII.  I was good theatre, especially with a small orchestra playing modern music, but it is difficult to make a successful production from a documentary.

It’s hard to believe that the weather has been so good for the past few weeks.  Rain in predicted for Sunday.  So far no frost.

Saturday I took the bus to Mosjøen to see “Little Shop of Horrors”.  Many new friends in Sandnessjøen were playing in the orchestra, and singing in the chorus.  It was performed last weekend in Sandnessjøen but I was in Oslo then.  The performance was first-rate.   The bus ride was relaxing and beautiful.  It really is beginning to look like fall.

For the first time my church choir sang for the 11 am service in Sandnessjøen.  Everything went well.  The anthem was “Sammen for Guds ansikt” – Gathered in God’s presence by Egil Hovland.  According to those in the congregation they understood everything.  In Norway dialects are encouraged, resulting in a great variation of vowel pronunciation.  (Something I call vowel trouble).  In a chorus everyone must have the same pronunciation.  Anyway, there were no complaints.

Sunrise today (19 Sept) is at 6:40 am, sunset at 7:24 pm.  The autumnal equinox is on Wednesday.  Being this far north the actual equinox is on Saturday, the 25^th.

Semesterstart

Week 34: The weather is still great – sunny, not particularly warm, but not cold either.  Although one morning I could have used a pair of light gloves. 

Monday I went to the health center to make an appointment to see a doctor for an annual physical.  There’s nothing wrong, I just thought it would take a couple of months to set up an appointment.  The receptionist said, you will have to wait a little while, but we can make an appointment in 2 weeks.  That myth about waiting forever has vanished.   I’ll report about the doctor appointment later.

Confirmation classes began this week.  As one of the exercises the kids play a type of blindman’s bluff.  A blindfolded student is led around the church by another student who can see.  They explore all over the church, including the organ gallery, pulpit, and altar.  I think the purpose is to make the kids familiar with the church, so it isn’t thought of as an unfriendly, foreign place.

A type of county fair is here for the weekend.  It’s called “Horva Festival”.  There are horse shows, cattle shows, machinery on display, stands selling food, stands for advertisement (camping, hunting, sports).  The emphasis is on the environment, ecology and organic products.  On Saturday the Helgeland Chamber Choir sang a 45-minute concert in the Viking Longhouse.  The acoustics were surprisingly good.  Saturday afternoon I went to a theater production of “Growth of the Soil” by Knut Hamsun.  Hamsun won the Nobel prize in literature for this book in 1920.  Unfortunately his reputation is permanently stained because of his pro-Nazi activities during World War II.  The production was wonderful with just two actors.  The venue was in a hayloft, about 2 miles from town.  On Sunday they crowned Miss Northern Norway, and she is a cow.  Her name is Beata.  She made it on national TV.

Sunrise on August 29 is at 5:33 am, sunset at 8:45 pm.

Tuesday’s weather reminded me of the tropics: not that it was warm, but it poured rain for 15 minutes, then the sun came out.  It alternated rain and sun all day.  As the week progressed it got sunnier.

Tuesday evening I had my first choir rehearsal.  There were 8 who came.  The choir has a different function than church choirs in the U.S.  Mostly they lead in the singing of hymns and liturgical songs.  The volunteer choirs here don’t sing every Sunday, usually every 3^rd Sunday and on high holidays (Christmas and Easter).  So we’ll see how the fall progresses.  One faux pas: I didn’t know I was supposed to make coffee for the break.  I’ll have a pot brewing next week.

No funerals this week.  Rigmor is the name of the lady who runs the local mortuary.  I hadn’t heard that name before, but it’s a name that’s been around for a few centuries.  I thought it very funny that the mortician’s name is so close to rigor mortis.  Rigmor is the only one in Sandnessjøen who owns a Hummer, so a little ridicule is not inappropriate.  She must be charging too much for funerals if she can afford a Hummer, to say nothing about buying gasoline for it.   Gas is about $7.50/gallon.

Sunday I had two services: one at 11:15 on the island of Mindland, near Tjøtta, and an evening service in Sandnessjøen.  Mindland doesn’t have a piano or organ so I have to haul the electric piano to Tjøtta, get on the ferry, then drive the 5 km to the meeting house.  At least I have no time constraints, except for catching the ferries.

During the drive to Tjøtta I saw some leaves beginning to change color.  Fall really has begun.

Sunrise for 5 September is 6 am.  Sunset is at 8:15 pm.  We are nearing the equinox.

Trip to Trondheim

Finally we’re getting a few nice summer days.  Saturday (the 14^th of August) I drove to Mosjøen and took the train to Trondheim.  I saw a part of Nordland and Nord-Trøndelag that I hadn’t seen before.  About 50 or 60 miles from Trondheim I began to see fields of golden barley.  It hadn’t occurred to me before that barley can’t grow so far north in Nordland.

I had to laugh at myself: as the train was coming into Trondheim I thought, O wow, Trondheim is such a big city.  I’ve been in Sandnessjøen too long.  I need to get out about once every 4-6 weeks.

Sunday morning I went to Ilen Church (busman’s holiday).  The organ there is from the 1880’s and is the model on which the organ is Sandnessjøen is built.  The only difference is that the acoustics in Ilen are much better.  I met Øyvind Kåre after church and we went to Hospital Church to see the 1841 Albrechtsen organ, recently restored.  Unfortunately the humid weather wreaked havoc with windchests and there were constant ciphers.  We then went to Hoeggen Church to see a modern replica of a small French choir organ.  Very beautiful.  From there we went back to the center of Trondheim, picked up John Mosand (who recently lost his wife, Gayle), and went to a restaurant called Tavern near Sverres Borg.

Monday morning I did a bit a shopping and caught the 4pm train back to Mosjøen.  The road between Mosjøen and Sandnessjøen is very narrow in places.  It’s only about 60 km in distance but you can’t drive fast on hairpin-curved roads.

The weather is still very nice.  On Wednesday it got up to about 80 F.  You could certainly tell who hadn’t used deodorant.  On Saturday I took a hike up to Åsen – The Ridge which divides Sandnessjøen into the sea side and the mountain side.  (Sandnes, the name of the settlement on the mountain side, goes way back to the Viking Age.  Sjøen or sea, is where the fishermen lived.  When the two communities grew together the area was renamed Sandnessjøen).   The views from “The Ridge” are spectacular.

I woke to rain on Sunday morning.  But it didn’t really matter.  It stopped about noon.  Two services: one at 11 and one at 4 on the island of Austbø.  Attendance at the 11 am service in Sandnessjøen was about 50.  Three people came to the service on Austbø.  Wherever two or three are gathered together….

Sunrise on 22 August is at 5:10 am, sunset at 9:15.  It’s now completely dark at night.  I hope to see the northern lights soon.

History being made

Week 31: Monday I had free.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I worked, mostly getting choral repertoire ready for the choir.  Friday was a beautifully clear day.  I decided to take a boat trip up to Træna, a group of islands north of here about 60 km (40 miles).  The arctic circle intersects Træna.   When I got off the boat I wasn’t really sure where to go, but I found out that Husøy (the main island of Træna) is so small you can’t get lost.  The church, from 1773, was open and I walked in.  Organ music filled the church.  It turned out the organist was Chris with whom I had played a concert in June at Alstahaug Church.  Chris is the director for Helgelands Chamber Choir and he was there for a wedding that took place later in the afternoon.  Small world (on a small island).  I walked up to the Petter Dass chapel, built in 1997.  It was designed to look like an upside-down boat.  The building is very small, maybe 50 or 60 can sit comfortably.  The acoustics are great.  The atmosphere is intimate.  The artwork is beautiful.  It’s a perfect place for contemplation and meditation.  From the chapel I walked the short distance to the water tower, one of the highest points on Husøy.  On a clear day you can see Sweden.  (I couldn’t and probably wouldn’t know what to look for).  On the island of Sanna there are spectacular caves and evidence of people living there 9000 years ago.  I didn’t get there this time, but that’s on the agenda for the next trip.  The weather held off until the boat trip back.  About 8 pm it began to rain, but not steadily.  I arrived back in Sandnessjøen about 10 pm.

On Saturday history was made at Tjøtta.  The sogneprest (pastor of Tjøtta and Alstahaug parishes) married her partner.  The civil ceremony took place at the Tjøtta parsonage.  This is the first same-sex marriage at a parsonage in Norway.  After the marriage ceremony everyone got on a boat and went to the island of Skålvær where the union was blessed in Skålvær Church.  What I found moving was the welcome and support  from the community.  After the actual marriage ceremony a few cars passed celebrating the event by bearing Norwegian flags.  When we arrived in Skålvær there were two welcoming boats with flags waving.  The bishop in Bodø supports the sogneprest and the union, as do almost all of her colleagues.  Norway is a very modern country, no longer a romanticized version of the land of our ancestors.  It is gratifying to be in a civilized country, and to see history in the making.

On Sunday there were 4 baptisms at church so it was quite noisy.  About 80 people attended.  After church I went on a bike ride to Søvik, then by ferry over to Herøy, cycled to Dønna, and took the ferry back.  In all about a 40 km  trip.

As of 8 August the sun rose at 4:20 and set at 10 pm.  It’s almost completely dark at 1 am.

Dark Nights Begin

The week began with more rain.  It seems we have 4 or 5 days of dreary weather, then 3 days of glorious sunshine.  Being so far north I’m not used to the arctic summer.

Gary and Luana (from Mattapoisett and Rødven) arrived on Saturday afternoon.  I showed them the Petter Dass Museum and Alstahaug Church.  Sunday we went by boat to Skålvær, an island west of here a few miles.  It is still within the Alstahaug municipality.  The weather was glorious.  (I told them to bring good weather and they brought the best weather so far).  There were about 60 people on the boat (Gamle Helgeland – Old Helgeland).  A church service took place at 12 noon.  Many people attended – around 95.  It is very unusual to have so many attend church.  Since services are held at this church only 3 or 4 times each year, and the weather was great, people decided to go to church.  It is rather difficult to get to Skålvær, and practically impossible to get there and back in one day, unless a special event with transportation is arranged.  It was a great occasion and I’m glad Gary and Luana got a flavor of Nordland.  They left for Bodø on Monday morning.

The weather is moderating a bit.  There was a passing light shower on Monday afternoon, and mostly overcast on Tuesday, but fairly warm (for arctic Norway).  Most of the staff at church is on holiday so there were only 5 at our weekly staff meeting.

I finally figured out how to use the music data program at church.  Vegard (my predecessor and for whom I’m interim) showed me how it works.  For the past few weeks I’ve been assembling choral repertoire for the choir.  Norway doesn’t have the rich liturgical music tradition that you’ll find in other countries in Europe.  Most of the pieces I’ve chosen are from the last century but are easy and flexible.  Rehearsals begin at the end of August.

On Thursday I took a bike ride to the island of Dønna, just north of Sandnessjøen.  The trip began with a ferry ride over to Bjørn, the ferry landing on Dønna.  From there I cycled north to Dønnes, stopping at Nordvik Church to take a few pictures.  It was incredible seeing Dønnes Church for the first time, almost like a Disney feature film.  Dønnes Church is a medieval stone church from about 1200.   A mausoleum was added in 1690.  In 1866 the church was enlarged and an onion dome was added.  In 2006 the church was voted the most beautiful in northern Norway by Radio Norway listeners.  After Dønnes Church I went up to Dønnes Mountain and took in the great views of the surrounding area.  From Dønnes Mountain I continued north-west a few kilometers and saw the monument to Ole Edvard Rølvaag who was born here in 1876.  On the northeastern side of Dønna, in Glein, there are Viking Burial Mounds.  On top of one of the largest mound, Valhaugen, is a marble phallus measuring 89 cm high x 50 cm diameter (roughly 3 feet x 20 inches).  It dates from the Age of Migration, 300 to 700 AD.  The stone phallus is associated with fertility rites in the Viking religion.  The bike ride back was a breeze with tailwinds.  In all I must have cycled 65 kilometers.

Friday we had more rain.  I still have the heat on in my bathroom, but it’s off in the living areas.  Being so far north there is no need for air conditioning here.  Sunrise on the 1^st of August is about 4 am, sunset about 10:30 pm.  Tomorrow (2 Aug) we will begin to have completely dark nights.