Update on the boob trailers...

Okay, I spoke with my neighbor this morning. The trailers that are made into designs of women - featuring their bare top halves...it is not a breast cancer awareness month exhibit. It is merely "Norwegian art" for the capital of culture year here in the Stavanger area. Rich and I actually went down and took a look again today. I must have seen them when they were not yet set up properly. Now the famous green 2008 Capital of Culture flags are flying next to them and one actually has horrifying female opera-like singing being piped out of it. Rich was nearly speechless. My Aunt Susan has a trailer a little bigger than these...wonder if she'd like some redecorating ideas.... :o) Thank you, Randi, for the scoop on the art at the bottom of the hill!

Don't Ask,,,Can't Tell...

Okay...at the very bottom of the hill that I live on, there is the Sola Kulturhus....it has the town library and a cafeteria. I often here bands practicing there and I know they have plays in there as well. It is quite a big building and it has a "green roof", you know..the kind with grass growing out of it. Lily and I were walking during the 2 hour window of dryness this morning and there were these THINGS parked down behind the kulturhus. Now, they have a lot of interesting art that is being displayed throughout the Stavanger area due to it being the 2008 European capital of culture. I figured this could be part of the same thing. However, I have no idea what this was supposed to be. These little RV's were covered in adobe-like clay that had been hardened. All of the RV's were different...albeit all with bare breasted women. One of the RV's had pictures covering the entire inside of it (I tried to take a picture of it above) and another was empty, covered with the same adobe material but with hundreds of handprints of various sizes.
I got to thinking...it is October...National Breast Cancer awareness month...could this be part of that? I will have to find out. 50% of the women in this area are diagnosed with breast cancer. They aren't sure if it is something with the area or if it is the very small gene pool and everyone is related. Anyhow, just wanted to share these interesting pictures.... Gotta love it here! It's the only place you can go to the grocery store and see a tractor parked in the parking lot and then turn around and see these "works of art."

Our weekend walk

While the boys were working on homework and housework on Sunday afternoon (their own fault as they waited until Sunday to do it), Lily, Rich and I went for a walk on the other side of the Hafrsfjord. We found a little "out-of-the-way" place to walk near Tananger. Rich had seen it from the air last week when he landed after his 4 day trip to Germany. It was an island...and inhabited by cows and sheep. It was a nice walk and a great view. We sloshed through the mud, the cow and sheep manure...I can't believe that it doesn't even phase me anymore...I wear my leather hiking boots and mush through it all, stopping to stomp in the shallow water along the fjord to rinse them off before getting into the car.
Funny story, a bunch of teenage bulls came by, attracted at first by Kona...then later by the stroller that just totally piqued their curiosity. We ended up on a big boulder, surrounded by these young bulls, somewhat trapped. We finally left the stroller and climbed down the back of the rock and went to the sheep field until they dispersed. We let Kona run around when we were away from the cattle and sheep and she had a blast running up and down the hills. Lily, of course, decided she needed to relieve herself...she loves to pee outside. Sigh.... We have it down to a science now, as we are often out in the middle of nowhere when the urge hits her.
We had a nice walk and totally wore out Kona. Lily fell in some mud or poop or both..but was no worse for the wear. She's becoming Norwegian...go for a walk...in the rain...in the sheep and cow poop...just hose down before you get in the house. :o)

Last Soccer Game of the Season

The boys finished up their fotball season at ISS last week. The team that showed up to play was wearing all red, which is what the ISS team also wears. So...they were like the Marine Corps...they adapted and overcame the situation. They wore the varsity girls' uniforms. They are blue...and they are cut very differently! The boys were not pleased to be wearing the girls' uniforms....and probably won't be too pleased that I took pictures and proclaimed it all on the blog. Gotta keep them humble, right? They lost the game 6-3, but it was closer than in sounded. I think perhaps they should wear the girls' uniforms more often..the shorter shorts and tighter fit seemed to cause them to run a bit faster. :o)

Just gotta laugh

As you can see, Rich's shoulder is feeling better. This is actually good physical therapy for him. He says his shoulder is at about 70% now, 5 months later. Gotta love that infectious laugh!

Pictures from the Dynamic Duo

About a month ago, Rich and Tim travelled together to Gottenburg, Sweden, to pick up Rich's new car, a Volvo s40. I drove them to Haugesund, which is about 2 hours north of here to catch a flight to London (I know, wrong direction, but it was MUCH cheaper flight tickets)and then on to Sweden. They picked up the car, toured the Volvo factory, and then drove across Scandanavia to get back here. They stayed at youth hostels in Sweden and Norway on their trip back. These are the pictures that Rich took on the trip...along with a few of my own of the ferry we had to ride to get to Haugesund. We do a lot of car ferrying here... I am still waiting for Tim's photos, but he is in Lierskole this week in Fevik, Norway. He, along with all the other 7th graders at the International School of Stavanger, are all living on the seaside and studying maritime studies for this entire week. I'll pick him up on Friday afternoon, tired and most likely dirty. He'll have lots of great pictures to share, I hope!

Fall in Norway

On Sunday, October 12th (Happy Birthday wishes to my sister, Pam!), we went decided to take some family pictures for our Christmas cards. We learned the hard way last year that if we wanted a nature scene around us, we shouldn't wait until November. First off, there is only about 6 hours of daylight each day and most of those 6 hours are rainy. Norway reminds me of New England this time of year, with the leaves changing and starting to fall. It is by far my favorite time of year. We have a brilliant yellow tree right outside the steps of St. Svithun's (our church) and so Fr. Oddvar took the honors of taking some of the shots. We then moved to the Hafrsfjord near our home and took some pictures by the fjord. We attempted this last year in November and nearly got blown over by gale-force winds. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks; I took the pictures 3-4 weeks earlier this year! :o)