The Hamiltons in Houston

A Quick Tour of Amsterdam

2012-01-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

On the way back from our Thanksgiving trip to Poland, Sidney and I had a bit of a long layover in Amsterdam. We looked around the airport for a while, even taking in the "mini-Rijksmuseum" with several Dutch masters displayed and described. We tried the play area, but it was a little small for Sidney. I finally went to the "Amsterdam City Tour" desk and inquired about their layover tours. We found out we had enough time to do the tour, and after stowing our carry-on luggage in lockers, were escorted out to our tour van with one other person to take the tour.

Our first stop (actually, the only "stop" where we got out of the van) was one of the classic Dutch windmills. It was a bit drizzly and there was a cold wind blowing in from the sea, so Sidney was not quite as happy about getting out as she normally would have been. We were able to get a picture of the two of us in front of the windmill. This particular windmill was built in 1636. It serves as a private home, but is a functioning windmill as well.

We then drove into town past the main train station. There were lots of bikes, and it reminded me a bit of Copenhagen in that respect. Next, we headed into the city and across the canals. There were lots of houseboats, as you can see, and they were in various states of repair. Our guide mentioned that in addition to the numerous houseboats, lots of people own regular boats as well, as traveling the canals on a warm weekend afternoon from place to place is quite popular.

We drove past Anne Frank's school, as well as her family's apartment during this part of the tour. This apartment was not the place where her family hid - that comes later. We also saw lots of classic Dutch style houses, and were reminded of the little houses they give on the KLM flights in business class. With all of Kimber's traveling, we have quite a collection of them.

As Amsterdam is a city of canals, it is also a city of bridges. Some of these bridges turn into bicycle parking areas, as you can see on the next bridge up the canal. The bikes tend to not park on heavily-traveled car bridges, though, which is good because some of these can be quite narrow.

We made passes by several well-known sights and areas, including the palace and some other sights. Sidney took a little nap at this point (she woke up at 4:30 so we could catch our flight out of Warsaw). This was good, because we passed through the red light district and past several "coffee" houses during this part of the tour. She awoke, however, just in time to notice a large "rainbow" flag on one of the houseboats and point it out. Our guide was kind enough to tell us there were several rainbow flags in that part of Amsterdam, which (fortunately) Sidney did not question as to why.

It wasn't long before we reached the house the Frank family hid in. In this picture, you can see it down the street (crowd in front) with the church in the background. This is the church Anne Frank mentions in her diary as being able to hear the bells of and see the tower of from their attic hiding spot. You may also note there are barges in the water out front doing a shoring-up job on the canal wall. In the other picture, you see the front of the house. It is odd to see these things in person. Unlike much of history, Anne Frank's diary makes the historical events of her time period personal, and to see these in person really bring it all to life. When we got home, I got Sidney's biography of Anne Frank out and showed her a sketch inside that showed her looking out a small hole at the church.

Other places we passed included the "I AMsterdam" sign (Sidney's personal favorite), the Rijksmuseum, and the second-most important sight in Amsterdam (after the Anne Frank house)..., well, you can see it in the picture.

We returned to the airport after this, and had enough time to grab a quick lunch before going to our gate.

Amsterdam is certainly a place one could spend several days visiting, but if you happen to be going through Schiphol (that means ship hull in Dutch because they used to build ships there) Airport, take advantage of the city tour. It doesn't take long and is well worth the cost.

Update on Small Things

2012-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

Well one caterpillar didn't make it and we thought we had lost the other one. The larger one just disappeared at about the time it should have formed a chrysalis. We talked with the friend who gave us them and she said the caterpillar will go quite away from the bush to form the chrysalis, sometimes half the distance of the yard. Well after a week of searching we were rewarded. We found this most lovely chrysalis on the fence. It is amazing. It appears you can see the wings forming. And you can also see where the caterpillar sewed the chrysalis together, the thin yellow and black line. So we wait now and hope to be so lucky as to see the butterfly when he or she emerges. I would guess we have about one and a half weeks until then.

Kimber has also been planning her and Sidney's trip to the Grand Canyon. We will spend two days in the St. George Utah and Zion Canyon area, two days in the Grand Canyon area, part of a day at Hoover Dam and a day and a half in Las Vegas. Kimber has the car arranged and half of the hotels. Still working on the other hotels and maybe a show in Vegas. Making progress. She and Sidney are excited.

Our lives are amazingly quite, but still busy right now. No travel for January. We will be visiting some friends beach house this weekend and it should force Kimber to cool her heels and let her food heal more. She now has some stress fractures and is exceedingly frustrated with the lack of ability to get on her feet fully. At least for now she can still bike.

Finally, Kimber thought you might like to see the building she works in. A friend snapped these pictures. The building is made of pink granite and it 41 floors. Kimber works on the 37th floor so there is a nice view. The Marathon Tower is one of the taller buildings in Houston. Houston buildings aren't tall because it is impossible to have sufficient footings in the soil we have here.

Small Things and Big Things

2012-01-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

We will start with the small things and end on the big things. Anticipation is great.

First small thing is that Sidney learned to tie her shoes. And ever so briefly tie shoes were preferred over flashy shoes. That lasted about two days. It really was easy to teach her, taking only a 15 minute lesson.

Second small thing. She has learned to swing by herself. She has always loved to swing and to swing high. That meant a lot of work for the pusher. Now she can propel herself as high as she wants. Next her mother will teach her to properly jump out of a swing. She is going to learn it from someone and it may as well be mom.

Third small thing. We have two new "pets". They actually live outside and will be with us only briefly. We came home from church with two monarch butterfly caterpillars last Sunday. One of the choir members brought them for Sidney and knowing we have the plant in our yard that they prefer to eat. They like butterfly weed and are working on ours now. They are two different ages. One will go into chrysalis in a few days and the other in about two weeks. They will each by in chrysalis for three weeks before emerging for their approximate three week lifespan as a Monarch butterfly. There is a popular book called "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". Well these guys eat constantly and grow daily. The larger one ate two leaves of his transport plant during the sermon. They also look the same front and back which Sidney finds entertaining. Hopefully we will get pictures when they go into chrysalis and if we are lucky, when they emerge.

Fourth small thing is that we have started doing a little painting around the house. We have been living with the contractor colors and now are starting to make it a little more ours. The first project were are niches in the living room and pillar and bar in the kitchen area painted a rusty red color. That will be followed by one kitchen wall of the same color to tie it all together. I think our bedroom will be next.

So the big thing! We just used some of our frequent flier miles to book tickets to Australia. We are super excited. We will be there for three weeks in late summer. Something we have talked about for so long is about to become reality! So we will keep you posted on how plans progress.

Christmas Cruise

2012-01-05T16:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! We hope that your new year is starting off well. We also know it is tough to get back into the routine of work, school and life.

This is our Christmas Cruise blog post. We spent the days leading up to Christmas and Christmas on the Carnival Magic traveling to Costa Maya Mexico, Belize City, Roatan Honduras, and Cozumel. A very warm and unwintery Christmas.

We boarded the Carnival Magic on December 18. The ship departed Galveston at 1600 for two days of sailing to Costa Maya Mexico. We ate our first meal in the dining room that night and met table mates and new friends Karen, Keaton and Kaitlyn. We hit it off wonderfully with Sidney and Kaitlyn becoming fast friends and our family’s enjoying every meal together and planning for future meetings.

We spent two days at sea during which Sidney attended Camp Carnival for some time and swam and played for the rest of the time. She loved Camp Carnival with all of their great activities. The camp leaders are all trained or certified in childhood education and it is a very well run program for kids of all ages. Sidney had a blast. It was a bit cool for swimming during the first two days as we had significant winds. They were unable to open the ropes course on the ship for most of the two days due to the wind. Night one of the cruise is also when the nightly “animals” started showing up in our room. The pictures show the dog and elephant. Others not pictured were a frog, swan, bear, bull, and monkey (who was hanging off the ceiling). Sidney thought these were the greatest things ever and proceeded to collect their eyes (yes, totally Sidney).

We arrived in Costa Maya on day three. Now we have to tell you, there isn’t much there. We would not return given the option. We had not pre-booked an excursion here so we just wandered off the ship and picked up a taxi to a local beach. It was an all inclusive deal where you get a lounge chair each, free beverages, access to the beach and all the facilities and equipment there. Sidney and Kirk swam and snorkeled and Sidney built sand castles. Mom watched the world go by and unwound. Kimber just isn’t so beachy. We stayed for about three hours and were done. We ate dinner alone that night at the Italian restaurant on the ship. It is a little extra money but a nice change with excellent food. While we were eating, a colleague from when Kimber worked at the Texas City Refinery walked in. It was a pleasure to see Darrell again and meet his wife.

Day four brought us to Belize City. Now this we really enjoyed. We had an excursion that took us to Mayan pyramid ruins followed by lunch and a trip down the River Wallace. We had a great time. The guides were extremely informative and made the tour very pleasant. We learned a lot about Belizian culture and Belize City as well as about the ruins and the river. Sidney loved climbing a pyramid and of course scrambled to the top with ease. After the ruins we had a traditional lunch of chicken, rice, beans and plantains. Kirk had a local beer and I tried some blackberry wine which was quite good. Lunch was followed by a trip down the River Wallace where we saw crocodiles, iguanas of all shapes and sizes, Howler Monkeys, insect eating bats, and at the river mouth, manatees. It was a great trip. The wind blowing through your hair and making it nice and cool and seeing all sorts of wildlife. We really enjoyed Belize and look forward to a return there to possibly spend more time.

Day five took us to Roatan Honduras. This was another stop we found rich in culture and activities. Our excursion here was a catamaran sail and snorkeling. We sailed for about an hour to our snorkeling location, then snorkeled for an hour. Sidney did great. She is such a trooper to try new things. She got cold toward the end so she rode one of the kayaks back to the catamaran while mom tried to swim as fast as the kayak. Fortunately some nice folks on the catamaran helped get her wrapped up and comfortable because mom couldn’t keep up and arrived several minutes later. We didn't take the good camera snorkeling but we did take a waterproof camera and Kirk was able to get this picture of Kimber and Sidney.
We enjoyed a fantastic meal of chicken, rice, pasta salad and rum punch after finishing snorkeling. We rode a bus back to the ship but actually enjoyed seeing more of the city and local spots. Again, we would love to return here to spend more time exploring. That night we ate dinner without Sidney in the steakhouse. Kimber had lobster and Kirk had New York Strip. It was a fine dinner and Sidney enjoyed going to camp carnival again. The pirate look is how Sidney came home from dinner. We also went to a magic show that night. We didn't have the best seats and could actually see a lot of the "magic." For the engineer that was still very interesting and quite impressive.

Day six took us to Cozumel. This was also Christmas Eve. We didn’t have plans in Cozumel and just spent some time walking around. Kimber had been there some years before for a friend's wedding (Jinni of previous posts) and wanted to see how the city had changed. It has grown significantly with many new tourist attractions, hotels, shops, etc. There were seven cruise ships there and the Cozumel Kimber remembered would not have handled that. We walked around town and then did some tide pooling on the way back to the ship. We found many of the usual tide pool finds including many crabs, snails and urchins. But we also found one small sergeant major fish and a tiny octopus. These made Sidney’s day. She loved them. We brought home a few shells for Sidney’s collection.

Christmas was spent at sea and brought a few gifts from Santa. He left a note that because mom and dad had to carry everything off the ship and that we would be home tomorrow, he left everything else at the house. We spent a relaxing morning eating and swimming. Sidney then went to Camp Carnival for the last time. The afternoon brought a huge surprise. The kids at camp had been practicing to perform in a musical with the performers on the ship. Sidney came home and said she had a solo in the show. There were actually two shows so that was our entire afternoon. Well the kids got up to sing about two thirds of the way through the show. Two of the performers held microphones on front of the kids two at a time while they sang a song. We thought this was the solo. But at the very end of the show, Sidney and Kaitlyn had a duet of several lines entirely by themselves. It was amazing. Of 1300 kids on the ship that the two girls who had never met before and ate dinner together every night would end up doing a duet together. Mom melted of course. It was originally supposed to be that each of the girls would solo in one performance. But Kaitlyn was very nervous and Sidney worried about Kaitlyn. So Sidney suggested a duet by both girls in both performances. Sidney was worried that Kaitlyn wouldn't get to sing if she was too nervous. What incredible girls. And we loved listening to them both times and then celebrating with them at dinner. The lead performer also commented between the shows on how good of a singer Sidney was and how enjoyable. We are so proud.

December 26 brought us home. Disembarkation was not so much fun. We did eat a relaxing breakfast but the line through passport control was outrageously slow. We finally made and got home to reality. Santa had left the remaining presents at the house so we did that and spent a relaxing day at home before Kirk went back to work.

Now we are all back at work and school. It has been a long week and we are ready for a weekend. Here is one last picture of Sidney at the beach. What a beach bum.

The Tooth Fairy Visits

2012-01-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no good pictures but the Tooth Fairy will come for a visit tonight. This is her first visit, bottom right front tooth. The Tooth Fairy thought it would be good to leave a few dollars folded as origami. There is a butterfly and folded box with note. Not sure how the Tooth Fairy will top that with the next few teeth. I think she needs a better plan or to get really good at folding dollars. We will try to put up a picture tomorrow.

More of Sidney's Work

2011-12-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

These things really make us laugh so we think you might like them as well.

The one about Georgia is from last year. I don't think we already posted it. So especially for the Georgia Family!

Thanksgiving in Warsaw

2011-11-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

Kirk and Sidney joined Kimber in Warsaw for the long holiday weekend. While it may seem a bit crazy to fly a third of the way around the world for five days, it has made a difference to all of us to get to spend a little time together with Kimber's travel schedule being what it is.

The hotel we are in is just down from Kimber's office, as well as just across the street from what is probably one of the most "recognized" buildings in Warsaw, the Palace of Culture and Science. The Palace was a gift to Poland from Josef Stalin and was built in 1955. While it is viewed as a symbol of the Communist era and not a favorite symbol of Warsaw for many people. It is quite lovely lit up and a purplish-blue at night, especially from the 43rd floor swimming pool of our hotel.

Kimber's office is located in the same building as a local mall. The wavy glass roof is the mall, and Kimber's office is located in the tower portion on the front. Marathon occupies part of the 6th floor.

I mention Kimber's office here for a special reason. We have celebrated many holidays in some interesting places over the past few years - Christmas in South Africa, Easter in Croatia and Germany, etc., and Thanksgiving here in Poland at Kimber's office. It was an eclectic mix of people that joined us for the "traditional" dinner, Scots, Brits, Poles, a Spaniard, as well as some other Americans. The menu was turkey, stuffing, gravy, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, clam chowder, rolls, cheesecake, pumpkin pie and brownies. The food, prepared as a package by the Warsaw Marriott, was good, but not quite as unique as you would find around a family dinner table in the States. It was a wonderful evening of sharing, and quite interesting to see those that had never celebrated, and in some cases, knew little about Thanksgiving, all gathered together. Some had never eaten roast turkey, and the Spaniard commented that the carrots (actually sweet potatoes) were quite nice. It did remind me a bit of the spirit of the holiday, with a mix of different cultures coming together to share a meal and give thanks for all we have, and we, thankfully, shared it all as a family.

On Friday, we went to the Copernicus Museum of Science, a recent addition on the list of "things to do in Warsaw." Like other science centers, it is full of hands-on experiments and demonstrations for everyone, especially kids, to try. Here you see Sidney truly getting "hands-on", using her hands as a form to blow bubbles. There were lots of things to do, and the place was stuffed to the gills with kids of all ages learning and having a good time. After the museum, we had a nice walk back to the Fenicia Lebanese restaurant, a favorite of Kimber's since arriving in Warsaw.

Saturday was a relaxing day for us. We had a wonderful breakfast in the hotel, then walked down to a local park. Along the walk, we saw statues of Charles de Gaulle and Ronald Reagan. The statue of de Gaulle is positioned to face away from the former communist party headquarters. The statue of Reagan sits across from the U.S. Embassy. Reagan, as you may recall, was president during the time of the Solidarity movement, and was monumental in the change from communism to capitalism in Poland.

The park we visited, Ujazdowski park, had a great playground for Sidney, as well as a nice pond and sculptures. It was first opened in 1896, but has been updated many times since. There are several rare tree specimens, as well as brown-tufted squirrels and ducks.

Sidney played for a while, then we walked down the street past the university botanical gardens and parliament to the Lazienkowski park. The monument to Chopin is here. This is the monument featured on the Warsaw coffee mug from the Starbuck's city collection. A picture of it can be found in Kimber's earlier "Poland Part 1" post.

We made one more stop back at the playground before heading back to the city center. We took a trip up to the top of the Palace of Culture and Science to get a look at the city from a different perspective. While it wasn't as high as the view from the 43rd floor of our hotel, it was clearer because there was no glass between us and the view. The picture of Kimbers office building was taken from up here.

After returning to the hotel for a break, we headed back out to the Old Town to take in the Christmas Market. There were booths set up selling traditional foods, crafts and lots of other stuff. It is located on the square where the "Little Mermaid's Sister" fountain is. Those that have followed the blog for a while may remember a picture of Sidney here about a year and a half ago when Kirk and Sidney did their camping trip. Here is a more up-to-date picture of her with the mermaid.

We shopped a little, then headed for dinner at a restaurant called U Kucharzy. It is located in the kitchen (literally, the restaurant is in the kitchen) of the old Hotel Europejski. We were able to snag a table right beside the stoves and ovens and watched as the cooks prepared the traditional Polish fare around us. The food was fantastic! Kimber had cucumber soup and veal meatballs in a cream dill sauce, I had beef wrapped in cabbage, and Sidney had perogies. And for those in Texas, H.E.B. sells perogies with this picture on front. We, however, dined on much better perogies just a few blocks down from this statue. (The statue is King Sigismund, the man who made Warsaw the capitol of Poland.)

After dinner, we walked off our meal by going back to the hotel. We passed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier along the way, and want to share it with you as well.

Sidney and Kirk head back to Houston tomorrow, with a six hour layover in Amsterdam. We are planning on trying the art museum at the airport (they have a couple of van Gogh's) and maybe a little duty free shopping. Kimber returns Tuesday, and we will be together again until Kimber heads to London the next week.

Trip to Poland Part 1

2011-11-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

Kimber came to Poland after her latest trip to Africa. I am filling in for the HES Manager for two and a half weeks. I will be in Poland over Thanksgiving but Kirk and Sidney are coming over Wednesday through Sunday.

The first picture has nothing to do with Poland or Africa but is of Sidney as "Lady Bug Girl" for Halloween. The kids have to dress up as characters from a book for a Character parade rather than for Halloween. So this is what she looked like going to school. Only about half the costume made it home and by Halloween, she and the cat had worked it over pretty good and nearly all the fuzz was missing.

I arrived last Monday and worked all week. Thursday I went on an adventure by train three hours to Krakow and then three hours south-southeast of there to Debica to perform an audit on a waste disposal sight. It was an interesting adventure. The train was packed to Krakow and then nearly empty after that. We toured the facility and walked through our checklists before getting some late lunch/early dinner. We headed back to the train station only to wait for the train which was late by 85 minutes. It was a long day. We left at 6 am and arrived home at 1 am the next morning. We had first class tickets which I was grateful for but I have inserted a picture of a first class cabin. It seats six. Bathrooms are on the end of each car and they are well below the standard of an airplane bathroom.

I went on two walking tours this weekend though. One other note before I begin the details of the walking tours, is that I ate Sushi (other than California rolls) in Poland for the first time. There is a nice sushi restaurant in the mall. It is reliable with good prices and convenient.

Oh and my other comment is that the Intercontinental Hotel in Warsaw is very nice. I have a small apartment with a little kitchenette and nice view. It will be very comfortable when Kirk and Sidney visit. Second, breakfast is fabulous. There are waffles, pancakes, omelets, potatoes, veggies, sausages, bacon, ham, etc for hot food. Multiple cereals, yogurts, cottage cheeses, and rolls. There is fresh fruit including watermelon and pineapple. Sliced meats and cheeses as well as smoked salmon. It is better than any breakfast I have ever seen. Kirk and Sidney will love it. Plus, there is a harpist after 8 am every morning except Sunday. It is fantastic.

So Saturday, after sleeping late and fattening myself, I set out to walk to Old Town. i walked down several of the main shopping streets, looking at the variety of shops. For those who know me, I didn't venture into them. One is that I am not crazy about shopping and two is the language barrier. But it was nice to see what was out there.

I also didn't take many pictures on Saturday because Kirk and Sidney had been here in the summer, and it was cold and gray now. Pictures would require me to uncover my hands and they were cold. So I walked along the roads here that make up "the Royal Way". This route led me into the Old town where I saw several churches, monuments and museums as well the Mermaid of Warsaw. There are few really old buildings here as most of the town was destroyed in 1944. The most notable thing I walked by was the Warsaw Uprising Monument. The uprising started 1 August 1944 and lasted 63 days. Some 200,000 polish people died in the uprising against the Germans. The monument was built prior to the end of the occupation of Poland by Russia.

My intention Sunday was to get to a large park in the opposite direction of the Old Town. I fattened myself up again on breakfast and started out. I was headed for Park Lazienkowski. However, I got terribly lost trying to get there. I made a complete wrong turn somewhere and ended up in an area of town with some very old communist looking apartments. I was feeling a bit out of league and nearly panicked. But I figured out where I was and moved quickly back in the right direction. I never felt unsafe, only uncomfortable.

Getting to the park was a real reward though. It was lovely even in the dreary winter. I was surprised to see peacocks among the other birds (ones I don't like say pigeons). There were also tufted brown squirrels that were a bit aggressive. I stopped to look at one and it jumped half way up my leg. I had no food and didn't even look like I had food. Here is a picture of the lady peacocks since they always get neglected. They are hanging out in an empty fountain.

I spent about two hours in the park, watching people and kids. Several people were feeding the smaller birds from their hand. It was a pretty nice day, even sunny.

On the walk home, which was much more direct and easy I might add, I saw the Frederic Chopin monument. The pool in front was drained but it was still very nice. Like much else in Warsaw though, it was a rebuild after the war. I also walked by the Botanical Garden, which is closed for the winter, and another smaller park that had a great playground. The walk home was much more pleasant than the walk there and now I know where I am going. I was starved again as I had been walking for over 4 hours. So I got a Kebab, which is like a huge Giro Sandwich and costs approximately $5. It was sooooo good.

We will likely take Sidney to the park to play. We are also going to try to go tot he new science museum, the Kopernik Science Center. We have heard it is very popular and hard to get into.

We also intend to eat a lot and play a lot. The pool is on the 43 floor so you are swimming at the height of the clock on the Palace of Science and Culture. That is a unique experience. There are also some indoor play places to try. And the Marriott delivers Thanksgiving dinner so several people from the office are getting together for dinner on Thursday at the office.

May UK Trip

2011-11-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

Ok so like many of our posts these days, this one is well, months behind. But I suppose better late than never.

Kimber went to the UK for just over a week in late April/early May. Now for all purposes, the weather should have been bad. However, remarkably it was incredible. The sun was out every day and it was wonderfully warm. Here is a picture of a street in Aberdeen.

I went over as part of a team to help review preparations for a shutdown offshore. Because of this I had the opportunity to go offshore to the East Brae Platform. What a group pf top notch people. They are committed to safety and success. I was on East Brae for 24 hours. I was fortunate enough on the flight back to land on our other two UK platforms, Brae Alpha and Brae Bravo, as well as a platform that is not ours, Piper Bravo. Piper Bravo sits very close to where Piper Alpha used to sit. Piper Alpha was destroyed in 1988 in a major offshore disaster that killed 167 men. It was quite humbling to remember that incident and recall why it is I do what I do, which is help Marathon manage major accident risk.

Before I get into my touring adventure, I also thought you might like a couple of these unique pictures. The first picture is the Heerema Hermod, one of the largest semi-submersible crane vessels in the world. This vessel can lift 8100 metric tonnes. The second picture shows the Hermod with several service vessels nearby.

After we returned from offshore, we had roughly a half day to tour the Aberdeen country side. One of the people on the team is from the Aberdeen area so he took us on a bit of a tour outside of Aberdeen.

Our first stop was Dunnottar Castle. This is a ruined medieval fortress near Stonehaven on the Scottish east coast. The ruins are on an outcrop of land and are very much exposed. The ruins vary in age and condition but the site is quite lovely. One of the pictures of the ruins shows another photographer actually using an old fashioned camera for some shots on this lovely day.
A landscape of the castle was chosen as one of the desktop wallpaper images for Microsoft for the "United Kingdom" desktop theme for Windows 7. In addition parts of the 1990 film Hamlet were shot here.

After that we ate fish and chips at the Bervie Chipper in Inverbervie.

Once we were full and content, we drove through the Scottish Highlands along the "Slug Road" over to Banchory. We were glad John was driving as the roads were narrow and windy as well as everyone was going the "wrong" way on the street. We walked along a golf course beside the River Dee and I am sure the golfers thought we were nuts. It was very pleasant being that it was spring.

We also saw the Blackhill War Memorial which was built in 1923. It honors those from the First and Second World War.

We stopped in some little town for dinner before heading back to Aberdeen and work the next day. It was a lovely day with a nice guided tour.

Sidney's Work

2011-10-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

This is a post of pictures only. We thought you might enjoy some samples of what Sidney is up to. The first picture is a letter to Mom and Dad. She wrote it and put it in the dresser. The second is her skeleton from learning about skeletons in school. Note where helmets and pads are.

Visits to EG

2011-10-24T10:10:00.001-07:00

I (Kimber) have been to Equatorial Guinea (EG) four times this year. I have more more trip in two weeks. My first trip was in early April to help out with a hazard review of a couple of processing units. That trip was right before the MS 150. As a matter of fact, I returned to the US on Thursday and rode in the MS 150 on Saturday and Sunday. I put up an earlier blog post about the MS 150. In preparation for that though I rode a borrowed bike in EG one Sunday on an adventurous and tough ride.

The bike I borrowed was a small women's bike but it was bigger than any of my bikes at home. I could still ride it but I had to be careful. Also, the gears I most needed didn't work well so sometimes I would just come to a stop in the middle of a shift. Oh well.

The ride started at the Marathon compound. We then rode about 4 miles on pavement through two round-abouts to a dirt trail. Now one is very careful on the pavement and always happy to make it off the pavement alive. Cars have no respect for bikes there and it is a bit of taking life into your own hands. And you ride as fast as you can through the round-abouts. The steady up hill started once we got off the pavement. The road was gravel and actually in good shape considering it is a road to several quarries. I managed to ride tot he lower quarry but it was a hard ride. The climb is from sea level to about 2400 feet in 6 miles. I didn't realize the incline until we turned around and I didn't pedal for 3 miles. Only applied the brakes. And although the climb was hard, the heat was killer. I think the temperature ended up being about 110F with the humidity factored in. I was really beat by that. And you didn't want to stop because then the bugs piled on.

I did survive the ride and would like to do it again. Maybe on a cooler day. Maybe some day I will make it the 1000 feet higher to the upper quarry. Something to look forward to.

As if that wasn't enough of a day, I participated in something called a hash that Sunday afternoon. A Hash is an organized walk or run (depending on what you are in the mood for). You have no idea the route before you start but the walk will be about 3 miles and the tun 5 to 6 miles. The trail is marked by a set of volunteers and they lay false positive trails as well. So you could follow what you think is the correct trail and have to turn around at the end of it to find the correct trail again. The walkers have a few false trails but the runners have many in order to get them their mileage. Also, when you see a route marker you are supposed to shout “On On”. If it is a false route you shout “On Back”. It is rather comical. Here are the three volcanoes that make up Bioko Island. The largest and darkest is the volcano just outside of Malabo.

There is an organized break in the middle for beer, water or soda. I go for the water but many go for the beer. They seem more relaxed when they finish. Afterwards is a bit of a ....... session. The Hash leader calls up various groups of people, say first time hashers, people who will be leaving EG, the trail marking group, etc. When called you must sit on a block of ice, sing a song, and chug a small glass of beer or water. Then put the empty cup on your head. Of course as you can predict, if there is anything in your cup, you have to chug another cups worth. Lets just say I was tired after all that. The whole thing ended with a bite to eat. What an adventure.

After that, I took the opportunity to support a colleague from Texas City who has helped organize a weekly Non-Denominational service on the compound each Sunday. When he is on rotation, which he was while I was there, he provides the message. It was a real pleasure to worship with him and the other men there. I think I was the first “sister” they have had. I will always look for those guys on my visits to give an encouraging word.

Right before I left I also ate at a restaurant call Hot Rock. You can order their specialty which is some sort of meat or fish that you cook at your table yourself. They bring the meat along with a piece of granite that has been in a 600F oven for 9 hours. You then cook your own meal on this rock. Be warned, don’t touch it. I ordered a steak which was fantastic. My colleague ordered prawns which were also great.

Here is a picture of the EGLNG Jetty. It is often referred to as one of the wonders of the world. It is an amazing feat of engineering and extremely impressive.
My second trip to EG was a two day trip. I didn't get to do anything exciting except arrive, work, eat, sleep twice and leave.

My third trip was to help out with some internal audits and building location studies. I took this opportunity to go hiking at the Monkey reserve on the south end of Bioko Island. It was during the rainy season but the weather for the hike was nice. It was surprisingly cool. I had only a t-shirt and shorts so I had to borrow a jacket. I think it might have been only 60F as the reserve is maybe at 4000 feet. The hike was quite pleasant. We walked for a couple of hours and saw several birds, beautiful plants, and butterflies. We also met this guy. He was minding his own business but very interesting. There were also wild begonias but the flower was much more like an orchid flower. We also saw some Turacos, although never a good view. We saw four but they were always in front of the sun so we couldn't see their color. I also saw an owl which is quite uncommon. Unfortunately we didn't see any monkeys. Here is a picture of me on the hike as well as a picture of one of the many millipedes we encountered. Yes they are big.

After the hike we had an incredible meal. The two guys i was with brought Brats for the appetizer. Then we had grilled steaks with mushrooms and onions, baked potatoes with all the fixings, and rolls. Everything was grilled or wormed up not he grill. There were even chives for the potatoes. It was the most amazing food I have had in EG.

We drove all of the rest of the way around the island on the way home. Unfortunately the weather was quite bad by then with pouring rain and thick clouds. So in actuality I didn't get to see much more of the island. But it was a fine way to spend a day and I hope to get to do it again sometime.

My last trip was just these last two weeks. I went to help with a larger audit as well as finish by building evaluations. I got to go offshore in this trip and have inserted a picture of me coming back in from offshore with the Caldera in the background. The area of the Caldera is where I hiked as described just before. I have also inserted a picture of the platforms. They are small platforms but it was nice to get to visit them and visit with the people who operate them. I also happen to see my first wild shark while I was out there. It was about 5 feet long and just below the surface of the B2 platform. I looked for whales all the way to and from the platform but did not see any. That was disappointing. But the day was lovely and view fantastic going out at 0630 and coming back at 1700. We could see Cameroon and Nigeria quite clearly as well as the three volcanoes that make up Bioko Island. Some of the pictures are crooked and that is because the boat moves a lot even though the seas are calm. So an off horizontal horizon is what I got.
This is a picture of Cameroon with the sun coming up. It is really nice to see Cameroon. The volcano there is much taller than the largest volcano on Bioko Island.
Here is a picture of part of the MEGPL Gas Plant from the sea. In front are part of one of the loading berths. The berths just appear to be buoys sitting at sea but they have lines running to them from shore to load methanol, propane, butane, and condensate. It is too bad there weren't any tankers in on Sunday when I went offshore.

I am looking forward to a quick trip in two weeks but there won't be anything exciting on that trip.

Here are two of the EG platforms. They are about 18 miles offshore and transportation is by boat. Many people go out just for a day because they are so close and we run a boat every day. The platform on the right is B2 built in the mid-2000s. The platform on the right is the original manned platform built in the early 1990s. The wellheads are on B as well as the accommodations. Most of the processing equipment is on B2.
My last trip was in November right before I went over to Poland. It was a brief trip, 8 days total and I went offshore again on one day. I got to spend some time at the EGLNG plant which was good and I spent a lot of time with maintenance at MEGPL.
My flight in came over Cameroon and when I looked out the window, we were at the same height as the volcano summit. So here is a picture of Mount Cameroon from the plane window. A unique view. I also have a picture of the Punta Europa plant site which includes much of the operating and living areas. It just gives you an idea of what the area looks like from above.

Norway

2011-10-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

I (Kimber) recently returned from a quick trip to Norway. It was wonderful to get back to Stavanger although it also makes me a little sad. We left there just at 1 year ago. This trip was short, only three and a half days. I arrived Tuesday and went straight to work. Wednesday started with a bit of rain, but that was the only rain for the entire trip. Stavanger had their summer while I was there. It was fantastic. I didn't need a jacket at all.

I played sand volleyball with the girls on Wednesday. there is an indoor court in Sandnes. The girls play every Wednesday and I played every week before we moved. We have a hilariously good time with at least one of us (frequently me) collapsing in laughter each week. It is the best stress relief. I was very limited in my ability to play this time as I am still in the boot following my surgery. But I got a few hits and served frequently. The two pictures show the team from last week. The lighting wasn't very good for picture taking. We vary between four and eight players each week. Some are very good players, particularly the ones who play every week.

I ate dinner with Cheryl, the wife of the pastor of the church we attended in Stavanger on Thursday and then went to a bible study with a few ladies. It was wonderful to see Cheryl and hear about her family and the church family. And I needed to get my batteries refilled.

Friday was the nicest day of the week. I didn't bother bringing my jacket to work. I then met friends for dinner and a nice walk around the lake. It was of course a treat to see my dear friends and spend time with them.

I tried to check on the swans that live near where we used to live. I was not able to find them this trip. I didn't have time or ability to walk over to close to where they live. So I don't have an update on their family.

I also took a few more pictures of the new Marathon offices. The Norway office will move to their new digs over the Thanksgiving weekend. I have inserted some pictures below. Of course one includes the reference Condeep in the background. Another is taken from the pier that Kirk and Sidney used to fish from. The building is getting very near completion.

California

2011-10-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

I (Kimber) attend my first ever girls weekend. It was in Sonoma California during the grape harvesting festival. I flew to San Fransisco on Thursday. The weather was lovely but the Golden Gate Bridge was socked in by fog. I fortunately had seen it before so I wasn't too disappointed. But I did get this cool shot of only the top of the bridge above the for from the Sausalito side of the bridge (rather than the San Fransisco side).

Here is also a picture of all the ladies who attended this girls weekend. Some I knew before the weekend and others I did not. Some have attended previous weekends, but this was my first. From left to right we are, Kmber, Melissa, Jen, Theresa, Sharon, Rita, and Jessica.

The back story was provided by Theresa and is copied here.

"Theresa and Jen grew up together in the little town of Shelby, Ohio. They were inseparable in high school and now it's their dad's who are inseparable! Then came college. Theresa deserted Jen in her last year of high school for the "big city" of Evansville, Indiana, where she met Rita. Rita and T became great friends through the Newman Center. Meanwhile, Jen survived senior year without Theresa and went on to Bowling Green State University (BGSU). Theresa graduated from UE and went to work in good ol' Findlay, Ohio, home of Marathon, conveniently located just 30 short minutes south of BGSU. One fall, Jen and Theresa road tripped to Milwaukee to see Rita in her hometown where she'd moved back to teach after conquering UE. (I believe this is the first documented actual meeting of Jen and Rita. It could have also been the road trip Jen took to visit T at Evansville, but I can't remember if that was before or after Rita graduated. I must be getting old, my memory's not what it once was!) Anyhow, back to the story, Theresa and Jessica met when Jessica (who’s an engineer) was visiting her sister whom Theresa worked with in Findlay. Meanwhile, Jen became a certified pain and torturist, I mean physical therapist, and moved to Boston. There she met Melissa who was working at the same facility as Jen (Melissa's an occupational therapist). Jen and Melissa became great friends. When Jen decided to get married, T and Melissa met as they were both in the wedding. During the planning of the wedding, we decided we needed a vacation after the whirlwind planning. The first girls weekend ensued with a cruise to Cozumel! Fast forward a couple years and Theresa starts working in HES&S and Kimber (an engineer also in HES&S) moves to Findlay. Their offices are right next to each other and the rest, they say, is history. I believe there was a meeting between Jen and Kimber while Theresa was living in Findlay but can’t remember for sure. So, Jen and Melissa are both happily married now and decide to take their husbands on a vacation to an island (Jamaica, I think). While there, they run into this couple from Minnesota who are in Jamaica to get married but don't have any witnesses! So, Jen and Melissa and their husbands are the witnesses. With that, Sharon is now happily married and part of the annual girls weekend group! Fast forward a couple more years, and T is now living in Texas. She's reconnected with the Koutny sisters even becoming an honorary member of the fam to join in on the family’s Alaska vacation!, and has gotten Kimber to move to Houston too (by way of Norway). So, Rita (who now is a nurse practitioner and is living in Minnesota – but really needs to move to Houston, hint hint!) comes to visit T in Houston for a Gaelic Storm concert. Kimber (and a few others) decides to tag along for this concert of a band she's never heard of and gets to meet Rita in the process. To escape the dreary Ohio winters, Jen and her family road trip to Texas (they should really just move to Houston!) to visit T and meet Kimber and her family when we have a barbeque one night. And that brings us to the California Road Trip/Sonoma Weekend when you’ll get to meet anyone you’ve not already met!"

We all stayed in a wonderful house in Sonoma. The house had three bedrooms and two baths. It had a fully equipped huge kitchen. There was a pool, beautiful landscaping, a putting green and bunk house. We had plenty of room and it was a much better deal than rooms in a hotel. The only issue we had were yellow jackets. They would leave you alone unless you had recently touched food.

Our arrival Thursday left us all too tired to cook. So we found an incredible Italian Restaurant in Sonoma called Mama Tanino's. Kimberly and her husband Gaetano are the owners. Gaetano is Italian and has been a chef at several popular restaurants in large cities. Now he has settled down with Kimberly to create amazing Italian food in Sonoma. Kimberly was a perfect hostess and made us feel so comfortable. We stopped back in later in the weekend to say hello and get some more fabulous Italian dessert.

We had a van and driver for winery touring and wine tasting on Friday. We visited 5 different wineries and I can't remember what order. I have inserted a few pictures below though. Here are three pictures from the Deerfield winery. We sampled all the wines they offered (it was good this winery was last as we were all very happy at this point). The tasting room at Deerfield in in the cave. Below are pictures of the wine making equipment outside the cave. then a picture of a cask in the cave. The casks are stamped with the type and age of the wood (say Red Oak) and the winery the wine is being produced for. Deerfield produces their own wine as well as wine for smaller wine makers. Finally a picture of many casks in one section of the caves.

Also on our drive around, the driver provided history and information about the area. One thing he pointed out were the hills in the picture below that are in the movie Bottle Shock. Bottle Shock was filmed in 2008 and is based on a 1976 wine competition where a Califonia wine defeated a French wine in a blind taste test. Although based on a Napa valley vitner, the movie was filmed in Sonoma.

Another winery had this beautiful pond and flood control walls pictured below.

After the winery tours, we munched on cheese, crackers and veggies for dinner.

Saturday found us up before dawn to go on a hot air balloon ride. We had to leave the house at 5:30 to drive for an hour to the rendezvous point. We met the balloon pilot and helpers before driving another hour and a half to the valley where the balloon ride would occur. Here is a picture of the van and balloon and basket. The road was extremely windy and the driver an expert at driving it. So since we were all in the back of the van we were a bit shaky on our arrival.

So now the picture below is as close to actually going on the ride as we got. the wind was very light and the weather beautiful. However the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and would have blown us out of the valley and potentially to poor landing spots. These other two balloons arrived before us and had inflated and loaded before they called off. So we watched some equally disappointed people offload from the two balloons pictured. Then we watched them deflate. We were all very disappointed but respectful of the call the pilot made. Of course then we had to repeat the drives to the valley to get home.

Saturday afternoon was a tasty lunch of chicken and beef tacos as well as salsa, dip, and cheese made in our fancy kitchen. then we went into the festival in town and enjoyed Sonoma. We also celebrated Theresa's birthday.

Sunday found us leaving at various times. The rain started early Sunday so we were happy to get to the airport and that our previous two days were so nice. We had a blast and were sad to say goodbye and enter reality.

Fuzzy Fur Feet

2011-08-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

So we have a cat. Shandy came home with us last Saturday as an early present for Sidney. Of course she has to love Kimber the most. She is at least mostly Siamese and extremely sweet. We looked at 4 cats, 3 boys and Shandy. The boys were all a little older and two were pretty sedate. Kirk had an opportunity to balance the power in the house and he passed it up. We choose Shandy. She was really shy and unhappy at Pets-mart and it took several hours and much coaxing to get her out from under the bed. But she is out now. Running up and down the stairs and chasing the tiniest bits of stuff.

She is about 6 months old and is a little lover kitty. She must sleep on a body part, preferably your head, but we are working on that. She has recently had fleas and worms so we are nursing her to health and trying to get her to over 5 pounds. She is a little thing.

She is also very tolerant of Sidney. They seem to be getting along great and no one has bled or cried yet. Sidney seems very happy to have her. Shandy doesn't scratch or bite and she is completely litter trained. With the love and care we have given this week, her coat has softened and she is cleaning up. I do have to wonder where she came from and how she wasn't adopted because she is quite lovely. And she is already fixed and chipped.

Kimber and Sidney to Wyoming

2011-08-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

First an update on Kimber's foot. It is doing much better. The pain is fine, now just dealing with swelling and lack of energy. I am hoping to go back to work for at least part days Wednesday and Thursday. I see the doctor tomorrow for the first follow-up. I can get around the house without a crutch but I still use the crutch when I am out of the house. Helps me keep my balance and gives me a break.

Sidney and Kimber went to visit Jinni in Cody in July. We flew up on Monday and unfortunately ran into delays leaving Houston so we missed the connection in Denver and spent 5 quality hours in the Denver airport. Sidney fell asleep on the Denver to Cody flight and I had to carry her off the plane, to he car, to the bed, etc. We stayed with Jinni most of the time in Wyoming.

Tuesday we went over to Yellowstone. We spent the day driving around Yellowstone, making the big loop. The first thing I noticed were the number of wild flowers and amount of water. It was amazing. It has been so hot and dry in Houston and it was just lovely in Yellowstone. Here is a picture of Sidney in front of Yellowstone Lake.

We found bison right away and saw elk shortly after. We also spotted some white pelicans which were also a surprise. Here is a picture of some bison hanging out at the picnic area and the elk we saw later.

We ate a picnic lunch and pushed on in our driving knowing we would have some time to revisit some areas on Wednesday. We stopped to look at a petrified tree and got to see a little black bear. He is in the very center of this picture.

That was a nice treat. We also walked around many springs and small geysers. We drove through a nice thunderstorm and then onto our lodge arriving at about 7 pm. Below are some pictures of the springs and geysers (which Sidney keeps calling geezers). The geography of Yellowstone is amazing.

Wednesday found us back tracking to Old Faithful. We made it in time to watch an eruption and walk around a bit. Here is a before and during eruption.

This helped keep our day from getting too long. After Old Faithful, we went back to some waterfalls we had seen the day before. Hayden Falls were full and lovely. They are a prime trout area where the trout are swimming upstream. If you look closely in the center you can see a trout.

There has been so much water that the river as up to the trail and spotting the fish was quite easy. We ate another picnic lunch and completed Sidney's Junior Ranger work. She is quite proud of having a Junior Ranger Badge from Carlsbad and Yellowstone.

We did more driving mixed with hiking, looking at a number of waterfalls and scenic overlooks. Sidney was a trooper. She would wear out then recharge. This is a picture of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Here is also a waterfall we took many walks to look at from different views. One walk involved 340 steps. The same viewing area is on the right in both pictures.

We drove out of the northeast entrance so Sidney could go to Montana. On our way out, we saw a grizzly bear, a bison swim across the river, and a grey wolf. So I think we did quite well on the animal front. The pictures of the grizzly, swimming bison and grey wolf are below.

We stopped for gas in Montana so Sidney could put her feet on Montana soil. When we got out of the car it was concrete around the pump. I was tired and trying to rush and told her to get back in. Sidney told me that she hadn't stepped on Montana soil yet, only concrete. So we walked over to a bit of gravel and then moved on. We made the lovely drive back from Montana to Cody and fell exhausted into bed.

Here are two more pictures from Yellowstone. One is another spring and the other is the Mud Pots. Though they look different, they both smelled like "eggs with salt" according to Sidney.

Thursday was a more relaxing day at the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum. It is a fantastic museum and we spent the entire ay there. They have a large gun exhibit, Native American History exhibit, western art exhibit, Buffalo Bill exhibit and and great Yellowstone exhibit. The Yellowstone exhibit was Sidney's favorite and where we spent most of our time. In the afternoon, they have a children's activity outside. Wednesday was historic games like jacks, water bucket carry, a little bear to practice milking, and many other historic games. We played for a good hour. Below is a picture of Sidney trying to carry the buckets of water.

Friday found us White Water Rafting. We had a blast. It was so relaxing and fun and our guide was extremely competent and careful. He answered my many questions and brought us safely down the river. Here is Sidney on the raft. This picture was taken with a waterproof film camera so it is a bit grainy.

Unfortunately Sidney had been ill the night before. She was fine for the rafting but it burned her out. She fell asleep as we walked out of Jinni's office but she was wonderful while we were there meeting the people Jinni works with.

On Saturday, we went into town and enjoyed the day with Jinni and Dakota. We walked around and ate a nice lunch of bison burgers. Did a little grocery shopping and then went home and relaxed. Sidney and I went to the park and played a while. Then we had a pleasant girls night.

We walked back into town on Sunday, trying out a new jogging stroller Jinni had been given. It is all down hill into town and uphill back. We were hot and tired. And Dakota asleep. Here is a picture of Dakota after our walk.

We went out in the backyard in the evening and cut back many of the plants int he yard that had grown out of control. We also pushed down a small dead tree. Sidney did a great job keeping Dakota entertained. Jinni and I filled four huge yard bags of trimmings. But you could actually see out the windows.

Sidney and I were going to go on another white water rafting trip Monday but I woke up really sick. I was nauseated and vomiting and dizzy. Sidney fortunately went to Dakota's daycare for a few hours so I could rest. She was doing a great job taking care of me but I needed to sleep if we were going to get home that night. It was awesome that the daycare would let her come and more awesome that Sidney is so outgoing that she can have a blast anywhere and deal with such changes. I was really disappointed that we couldn't go rafting though. We were going to go on a more scenic and rapid trip with lunch. But oh well. We will try again sometime. Finally one more picture of Sidney from in Yellowstone.

Fortunately I felt well enough by the afternoon that I could get us home. But all I ate that day was 4 saltines. We finally made it home at a little after midnight on Tuesday. I left for Africa then at 1 pm Tuesday but those details will be in another post.

One other thing from our trip. Sidney and I wrote new words to one of Sidney's favorite songs from Norway. The tune is "If I Were a Butterfly" and the words are below about the things we saw at Yellowstone. Any one of us can sing it for you if you would like.

If I were a wildflower, I's thank you Lord for Your plentiful showers,
And If I were a White Pelican, I'd thank you Lord for the fish in my chin,
An if I were a grazing bison, I'd thank you Lord for my thick skin,
But I just thank you Father for making me me.

For You gave me a heart and You gave me a smile,
You gave me sunshine and You made me Your child,
And I just thank you Father for making me me.

If I were the Yellowstone River, I'd thank you Lord for my raging water,
And if I were a trumpeter swan, I'd thank you Lord for my beautiful song,
And if I were a little black bear, I'd thank you Lord I can play without care,
But I just thank you Father for making me me.

If I were a a Grizzly Bear, I'd thank you Lord for salmon jumping in the air,
And if I were the least chipmunk, I'd thank you Lord for my tasty lunch,
And if I were a hunting bald eagle, I'd thank you Lord that I am so regal,
But I just thank you Father for making me me.

We still have a verse or two to write. We need elk, raven, and grey wolf.

Kimber's Foot

2011-08-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

Well life can't stay dull with the Hamilton's for long. Especially for Kimber. I had surgery on my left foot Tuesday to make some minor repairs. I am doing OK with it now. Tuesday and the anesthesia were tough. It took until Wednesday afternoon for the anesthesia to wear off. I am also down to a half dose of the pain medicine with Tylenol which has helped clear my brain. I don't think I am quite ready to switch to all Tylenol.

So what did they do. Well I am the proud new owner of two screws. Somehow in the preparation for the surgery I missed that part. I knew they would do some bone cuts and rearrangements but I didn't expect screws. Now I am not convinced that someone can run, jump, bike, etc with two screws in their foot. I have been assured that they won't say come out or poke through my foot. I am not convinced.

I have inserted the x-ray below. They look like deck screws to me. Kirk calls orthopedists carpenters who's preferred tools are Black and Decker. Ha Ha. Should be his foot.

I am gimping along on one crutch. Mostly to keep me from falling over. Will keep you posted on how I progress. This has been an easier recovery than my ankle in Norway. I think because I have this awesome boot that protects my foot and ankle and offers great support.

Sidney comes home from Grandma's tomorrow so we will put up a post with all of her adventures. I am ready to have her home. I am lonely and haven't seen her for almost three weeks as I was in EG until Monday of this week. More details on EG to come.

MS 150

2011-06-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

So Kimber completed the BP MS 150 for the first time. The MS 150 is a charitable bike ride from Houston to Austin over two days. The overnight stop is La Grange Texas. Depending on the route you choose, total mileage can be from 150 miles to around 180 miles. The ride raises money for research to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis and to improve treatment and care for those who have multiple sclerosis. About 130 people from Marathon ride each year and a total of 13,000 people ride. Marathon riders raised $150,000 for the National MS Society. Here is a picture of Kimber on the first day. She wore her only short sleeve jersey from Norway.

It is a challenging ride. You can start in Houston, Katy or Waller. Katy is the most popular start. Waller second. Houston is the longest day for the those who start there. They ride 100 miles to get to La Grange. The start was nice, well controlled and the ride in general was well supported. Most riders were courteous and friendly. There were some who were exhibiting dangerous behavior. One of the main challenges was the volume of traffic at rest stops. And some of the entries and exits to the rest stops were scary to me, consisting of loose rocks and gravel. But there was plenty of food, water, facilities, and bike repair if needed. Also the road on the first day was not in very good shape. It was very rough in many places so I was completely worn out when I finally got to La Grange. But my awesome support team (Kirk and Sidney) were there cheering me on. We stayed at a hotel in Bastrop overnight. Most people sleep at the campgrounds in group tents in La Grange. But I simply don’t camp. Plus with Kirk and Sidney, we really needed beds. It worked out well because then I could relax a little the next morning and get on my bike right at the hotel to continue my ride. Below is a picture from the second day. I am actually feeling really good.

I was early so I had most of the road mostly to myself, seeing only the fastest riders pass me by. It was a lovely flat and smooth road up to about 5 miles out of Austin. Then it got hilly and windy. But it was such an amazing feeling to ride into Austin. Both personally to know you completed something like this, and as something you could give. The ride isn’t about speed or racing. It is a ride to support a cause that affects many people. Most riders ride in honor of or in memory of someone with MS. Below is one of the professional photos taken during the ride. What a great picture. Congratulations to all the riders for whom this was a challenge. It was a worthy challenge for a great cause. Someone's life will be a little better because you rode!

Kirk and Sidney were up to well, what Kirk and Sidney do. Play, eat and take pictures. An occasional cheer for mom and taking care of her when she is finished. Sidney managed to find some fun.

Kirk and I are talking about doing it together next year. We can’t take Sidney until she is 12 though so she will have to say with a friend. But it would be a nice chance for Kirk and I to do something good together.

And for the funny bit which accompanies many of our posts. First a picture iconic of Texas. A lost boot.

After the ride is a big party. And no one wants to stink for the party so they bring in shower trucks. I had never seen such a thing before. But my eye caught this sign of course.

The New Norway Office

2011-06-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

Kimber has been to Norway twice this year and she thought it might be fun to show the progress of the new building Marathon will be moving into in less than a year. When we moved to Norway, the office was in the center of Stavanger. However, a new office building was being completed basically next door to our apartment in Hinna. Below are two pictures of the first Hinna building. We have posted other pictures but these two are unique. They are taken from our back patio and from the terrace above the shared area of our apartment in Norway. These are views we will never have again!

In October 2009, Marathon announced they would be moving to the building being completed near our apartment. This meant Kimber’s commute was 2 minutes, even underground if needed due to bad weather starting in January 2010. The working environment required some adjustment as we all went from offices to open floor plan, and nearly quadrupled in number over the next 5 months as we took over operation of Alvheim from Maersk. Below is the aerial view of the area where our apartment was located. Take note of the pier on the lower left of the photograph. It becomes the subject of the rest of the story.

This new building is temporary however. Right after this building was finished, construction began on a building that would be located on the pier close to our apartment and near the Condeep. The picture below shows the pier as it was used prior to construction. These are ferrys offloading for a soccer game.

The next picture shows the pier as construction began. The entire interior of the pier was jack-hammered or dug out.

A structure of concrete walls was built on the interior, then clean fill placed inside the vaults created by the walls. Then the combination of walls and fill was overlayed with concrete. Finally the basement (garage) and first floor went down. All of the buildings floors are poured concrete much like the building we are in now.

Next building construction began. The next series of pictures shows progress of the building by floors and overall completion. You are only seeing a small part of the building in these pictures. It is the part that is over the pier. But always in the background is the Condeep to provide perspective. The building actually extends over the pier as well as the length of the three apartment blocks it is beside. But I can't capture all of that in one shot. The pictures below are from October and December 2010.

The building is on the other side of our former apartment from the current office building. Still a nice commute if we were still living there. It will have a great view as well from some sides, overlooking the Fjord. The last two pictures are from this year. They are March and June of 2011. So here is the comprehensive history of the Marathon Hinna Offices.

First Long Ride as a Family

2011-06-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

So we purchased a tandem bike. It isn’t high end but it shifts and rides well. We attach the trail-a-bike to the back under my seat and away we go. Now the other problem we had was transporting this bike around. A tandem is longer than a car is wide so we couldn’t really carry it on a traditional bike carrier. It would fit in the Prius with the wheels removed and handle bar turned and Sidney’s seat and the passenger seat down. But then what good is the bike without the riders. So we found this neat contraption that you mount on the top of the car. It has a pull out U shaped mechanism that extends off the back of the roof of the car. The front wheel is removed from the bike and the y thing attached to the front of the U shaped piece and bolted in place. Then you extend the back as far as you need to and lift the back wheel into the trough. A strap secures the back wheel. Kirk can basically load the bike himself although it is easier with two. Sidney’s trail-a-bike goes on the other side in the rack on top and the wheel in the middle. It leaves plenty of room for us and all the things we need inside. We have used it to haul the bike to the park and up to Whaler.

So we took the tandem out the first time to George Bush Park. We rode about 22 miles that day just testing out how the bike felt and making sure Sidney did OK. George Bush Park is a great park here in Houston with baseball fields, soccer fields, shooting range, equestrian center and maybe 15 miles of paved bike trails. It connects into another park called… which offers several more miles of bikeway off of the roads and in some pleasant areas. We have seen turkey, deer, cardinals and many bugs and other birds. It is a real treat to have such a space available in the city and just a few minutes from home.

Our next adventure on the tandem with trail-a-bike was a 55 mile ride to see the wild flowers that bloom here in the spring. We did that ride at the end of March. The flowers weren’t spectacular because we have been in a severe drought. But it was still lovely. The ride was well supported with stops every 8 to 10 miles. The day was rather windy but stayed cloudy so it wasn’t hot. I don’t think Sidney pedaled much but she managed to stay on the bike all day. Oh and she has her own little pair of bike shorts. She received tons of encouragement from the other riders around her. The most wonderful part of the ride was the support and encouragement she received but also that she gave back. She would always cheer the bike riders around us or sing for them. She was the youngest participant that we saw. I am proud of her both that she did such a long ride with us but that she is such a positive person. Hopefully these are the things that will keep her wanting to ride and do healthy and fun activities.

Sorry It Has Been So Long

2011-06-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

So we haven’t been very good at maintaining the blog. It isn’t because we don’t want to, but we are crazy busy. The fact that we are both working full time and Sidney is in school has taken a hit on our free time. Add maintaining the house, commuting, swim lessons, and Kimber’s travel and we can barely keep our head above water.

So Kimber has a number of blog posts to put up. There is one about Norway and describing the progress of the new office building and the other latest Norway Adventures. There is one about our first long ride as a family on our "new to us" tandem. Another is about Kimber’s general travel. One will be about the MS150 and finally one about the house, our new furniture, and our adventures around Houston.

Houston freezes over.

2011-02-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

There are some that might make a comparison of Houston in the summertime to that place none of us wants to end up in in the afterlife. However, if winter time in hell has been anything like it was in Houston last week, it might not be such a hot place after all.

We did not see the snow that was predicted for the area. The lower levels of the atmosphere never got humid enough to support the snow falling all the way to the ground. We did see mist and rain that ended up freezing to the roadways, and it provided for a morning of news coverage that was not unlike when a hurricane drives straight through the city.

Traffic was backed up literally for hours, and several major roadways were just completely closed because of a 1/4 inch layer of ice on bridges. The police reported to over 1000 accidents during the "winter emergency", and some people spent several hours stranded in their cars on raised overpasses and ramps.

We fared much better in Katy, as there aren't as many bridges to be concerned about here. Schools were out, and what driving around I had to do was accomplished on side streets instead of the highway.

Kimber was able to make it in from the airport Friday afternoon, even though some of the roads she would usually travel on were closed. She said she kept getting confused, though, because the traffic seemed more like a Sunday than a Friday, as some businesses were closed (in addition to all the schools), so traffic was minimal.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing things around the house and having dinner with Theresa Saturday night. We biked to the YMCA Sunday for swimming and enjoyed the temperatures that had risen back into the 60's (though it was a bit windy.) We also had a little Super Bowl "party" of our own, with snack foods and home cooked buffalo wings. And I guess our cheese sticks were enough of a push of support for Green Bay to actually win the game.

Global, um, warming?

2011-02-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

Today I actually needed a jacket in Katy, Texas. Our high did not go above freezing. The temperature when I took Sidney to school this morning was 23 F. Even colder than it is in Stavanger right now!

The cold is spread over the entire country it seems, and we have been more fortunate than those to the north of us that have gotten ice and snow. However, the current forecast is for sleet and freezing rain, changing over to snow starting tomorrow around noon. It is supposed to continue to midday Friday, and temperatures will remain cold enough that the snow should be around into Saturday.

If we do indeed turn the Katy prairie into a "winter wonderland", expect some good pictures.

Finally, I would like to announce my upcoming employment with Christus St. Catherine's Hospital as the new Stroke/Chest Pain Coordinator. The stroke program there is in the early stages, so I will be working on getting the certification complete. I will also be working on re-certification as a chest pain center for the hospital. Finally, there is a plan to eventually add heart failure certification, which I will take on when the time comes. I am looking forward to the challenges and experience this new position will bring me, and am thankful I have found something that fits the schedule I was looking for (M-F, 8-5). It will make things much easier with Sidney when Kimber travels, and the position is within the emergency department, so I will still have exposure to that environment.

Sweet Georgia Brown

2011-01-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

For those of you that have any knowledge of basketball at all, you will recognize that as the theme song of the world famous Harlem Globetrotters. Sidney and I attended the game Saturday evening, and we had a great time.

We saw one of my all-time favorite Globetrotters, Curly Neal. He was on the team back when I was a kid, and was even immortalized in several episodes of Scooby Doo. We also saw many of the talented players of today (they have more than one team on the road at any one time.)

Of course, the Globetrotters won the game. They haven't lost a game since 1971. The antics were as good this time as they always were on television, and Sidney really enjoyed herself as well.

After the game, Sidney was able to meet one of the players, "Dizzy" Grant, and get his autograph. If you have kids and can make a Globetrotters game, I would certainly recommend it. It is great family fun, and they do an excellent job of making the kids part of the event.

Kimber is on her way to Norway as we speak. This is a short trip - one week. She will be home in time for the Super Bowl next weekend, so I will be stocking up to make hot wings and cheese sticks for our own little Super Bowl party.

We will probably also make some attempt at riding the newest addition to our "stable" - a tandem bicycle. We want to do some longer rides as a family, and this affords us the opportunity to attach Sidney's trailer bike and roll down the road like a semi! It will take a little practice, but we are looking forward to the Bluebonnet Ride (54 miles) in March.

A little catching up

2011-01-26T12:22:00.001-08:00

It isn't that Houston is a boring place, or that we never do anything here. It is just that our lives have returned to "normal." This is the reason there aren't as many posts here as before. Now, our definition of "normal" may not seem that way to others, but I will try to explain.

Kimber works a 9-80 schedule, meaning she works a total of at least 80 hours every nine days, then earns a flex day. She takes the van pool to work on days I am not working, meaning she is up at 5:10 and out the door by 5:40. She gets home around 5:00 p.m., unless she goes to the YMCA to swim or take a class.

I am currently working as an agency nurse, and most of my shifts have been 7 p.m.-7 a.m. in an ER close to our house. I really enjoy the work, especially since it seems you accomplish more on night shift. By that, I mean it usually starts busy then gets slower as you clear the ER out overnight. It is exactly the opposite on days, so it seems like you are running behind by the end of the shift. The agency stuff isn't bad, but not very predictable as to how much I will work during the week.

I am also interviewing for a couple of positions that would allow me to work a regular day shift, meaning I could take Sidney to school and pick her up, and I could continue to work when Kimber is traveling. As it is now, when Kimber travels, I cannot work a 12 hour shift because of the times Sidney has to be dropped off or picked up. The interview process is going well, and I hope to hear more by the beginning of next week on at least one of the positions.

Sidney's "normal" is going to school every day. She goes to the YMCA before- and after-school program, and one of us usually picks her up around 4:30 to come home, do homework, play a little, eat and get ready for bed. Many would say our 7:30 bed time for her is too early, but I believe the sleep does her good. Sidney continues to do very good in school, but also has an issue with staying on task. We are working on that issue.

If Sidney does well with her behavior chart during the week, we all go for frozen yogurt on Friday evening. It is a nice 20 minute or so bike ride from the house, and the yogurt is good.

On the weekends, we try to do something fun on Saturday. This past week, we went to a local store that was having a "Bike University". We all attended a roadside maintenance class, and Kimber learned how to change a tube. Sidney, of course, provided her own coaching and cheer-leading while Kimber practiced. Kimber also went to a concert with a friend on Saturday night. Sidney was a bit under the weather Sunday, so we stayed home from church, though that is our usual Sunday activity.

This coming weekend, Kimber leaves for Norway for a one week trip. She is taking over lots of things for friends there, and I am sure everyone there is anticipating her arrival, much like Christmas! Sidney and I are going to see the Harlem Globetrotters on Saturday night. Sunday, she and I will go to church and get ready for the week ahead. It is supposed to be cool and rainy Sunday, so it will be a good time to finish up homework.

I will try to post pictures from the Globetrotters in the next post.

A White (Sands) Christmas

2011-01-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Well, that was as close to a White Christmas we got this year, but more on that in a moment.

We haven't posted in a while because I have been working (yea!) and Kimber and Sidney have been doing the exciting stuff. Now that the holidays are over and we are back to what we consider "normal", I thought it would be about time to update everyone.

First, Kimber and Sidney did some traveling over the holidays. They left Houston and went to San Antonio, where they spent a day at Sea World. They caught the orca and dolphin show while there. From San Antonio, they drove up to our old stomping grounds in West Texas and saw the house I lived in in San Angelo, the house Kimber and I owned in Sterling City, and had dinner in Midland at Wall Street Bar and Grill (probably one of the best steak houses ANYWHERE!)

After a night in Midland, they headed west to Carlsbad Caverns, where Sidney earned her Junior Ranger badge and the two of them took in the spectacular formations. There are no bats this time of year, so they didn't get to see them leave the cave in the evening.

The next morning, they went through Las Cruces, home of Kimber's alma mater, New Mexico State University. Then it was on to White Sands, the beautiful dunes that dance their way across the desert, for some "playtime" for Sidney. She slid down the dunes, made "sand" angels, and generally had a good time. Unfortunately, this was as close as any of us got to having a white Christmas this year, as it did not snow in Colorado while we were there.

From White Sands, it was north through Santa Fe and on past the cabin Kimber's family built in Westcliffe, Colorado, before heading into Colorado Springs. I stayed in Houston and worked until Christmas Eve, when I flew to the Springs to join everyone.

We spent a very nice holiday with Kimber's parents and got to see many of the nieces and, sisters and others while we were there. The weather was quite temperate for this time of year, and we even spent Christmas afternoon at a park, which provided this view of Pike's Peak.

We also visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (thanks to Julie for the guiding and helping us with all the animals actual names!) We fed giraffes, saw a porcupine up a tree, and Sidney got to pet a snake, proving that it isn't just her mom that lets her do that (Kimber just lets her play with poisonous ones.)

I headed back to Houston the Monday after Christmas so I could go back to work. Kimber and Sidney stayed in Colorado Springs a couple of more days.

One place they visited while there was Garden of the Gods, a beautiful group of rock formations on the north side of the Springs. In the first picture you can see the "Kissing Camels" formation on the top of the rock. It is named this because it looks like two camels laying face-to-face and kissing. Sidney also took advantage of the large open areas for a game of hide and seek.

Kimber and Sidney were going to travel north to Wyoming before heading back down, but the weather looked like it was going to take a turn, and Kimber had not felt well, so they headed home by going east through Kansas then south into Oklahoma. They spent the night in Oklahoma City and visited the National Memorial to the Oklahoma City bombing victims the next day.

They finally returned to Texas and we spent the New Year taking down and organizing the Christmas decorations.

We are now back at work, school and normal home life, for a little while at least. Kimber travels to Norway at the end of the month for a week. There is also a trip to Chicago coming up in the next couple of months which I think we will all do.

In the meantime, I will try to be a little better about keeping this updated, though our lives here are not as exciting as Norway.

And now the upstairs...

2010-12-17T12:23:00.000-08:00

I am finally able to give a tour of the upstairs rooms, as well as show off our Christmas trees. As we have a tendency to buy Christmas ornaments everywhere we go, we now are able to fill two trees. We will start with the trees.

And for the tour, we have the upstairs foyer (2 pictures), media room (two pictures), hobby room (one picture), guest room (two pictures), Sidney's bathroom (one picture) and Sidney's "suite" (two pictures.) As we have mentioned before, we have plenty of room for visitors, so please come and see us!

Sorry this has taken so long!

2010-12-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

It has been pretty busy around here this past month. Kimber was traveling when I wrote the last post, and she is traveling again right now. The current trip took her back to Norway again, and then to Aberdeen, Scotland, where she is now. Once she is back, she will be taking vacation, during which time she and Sidney will do some "fun" travel for the holidays.

Part of what has kept us busy around here is my job search. I am in a bit of a tough situation in that I cannot work 12 hour shifts in the ER while Kimber is traveling (daycare here is from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm). Even though I have a Masters degree in nursing and twenty years of experience in leadership and management, I only have one year of actual bedside experience as a nurse. HR departments are hesitant about sending my resume to the unit directors for nursing management positions because they only view me as having one year of nursing experience and do not take the other experience into consideration.

For this reason, I decided to submit my application to a nursing staffing agency. This gives me the flexibility to work when I am available (when Kimber is not traveling), higher pay (it is basically a contracted position), and best of all, allows me to keep working in the ER (which is something I really love doing!) I completed all the paperwork and tests, and am only waiting to finish re-certification on Pediatric Advanced Life Support next week. The agency has assured me that as an ER nurse, they will keep me as busy as I want to be. This will also give me the opportunity to bypass those HR departments and get directly in front of the ER directors and prove my value. Perhaps if I educate them on the role of a Clinical Nurse Leader, they will be interested in creating a position for me.

As for other things, we spent a nice Thanksgiving here at home, then went down to Bolivar to spend a night with Kevin, Dawn and William at Kevin's beach house. The weather was cool, but the cold front that came through made the shelling pretty good. We found several really nice shells, and Sidney had a great time playing with William. We also had some really good meals while we were there, and of course enjoyed the company. On the ferry ride back, there were lots of dolphins swimming near the ferry, which is also always a treat!

Sidney and I have been dealing with the day-to-day stuff here. We did, however, venture over to Space Center Houston and the Johnson Space Center last weekend. The weather was much warmer (near 80F) so I wanted to take advantage of it. We got there early enough to get right on to a tram tour of the space center. The first stop was Mission Control, which is pictured here.

One of the other stops was the vehicle simulation building, where the space station module mock-ups they use for training is located. In addition, the building houses a full-size shuttle mock-up, two other shuttle cockpit models, and several vehicles being developed for future missions to the moon and Mars. You can see a couple of the new rovers in the background here.

During the tram ride, they play an audio presentation that tells about the history of the area and other space-related things. It was very cool when I heard one of the past shuttle and space station astronauts come on and talk about his experiences. His name is Clayton (Clay) Anderson, and he went to church with us when we lived in Friendswood five years ago!

The final stop on the tram tour was the Heritage Park, where rockets of the past are located, including the rockets that carried the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. It is difficult to describe how large the Saturn V rocket really is. Here you see Sidney posing in front of one of the earlier rockets, then in front of one of five exhaust cones of the Saturn V rocket.

Sidney enjoyed the Space Center Houston portion as well, especially the big playground they have inside. I think she would have spent all day there if given the choice. There are a lot of exhibits to see in this part, and one of the newer ones (it wasn't open when we were here before) is the Lunar Rock exhibit. Sidney is posing in front of moon rocks here, which are stored in a large vault.

One final note for this posting - Sidney is doing great in school. Her last progress report was all "A's". She is still enjoying reading, at which she excels. She also seems more settled in class. She is singing in the children's choir at church and is supposed to perform this coming Sunday.

I will try to get some pictures of the outside of the house (decorated for Christmas) as well as the upstairs and post them soon.

Downstairs Virtual Tour

2010-11-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, not a lot of words on this post, but lots of pictures. This is the downstairs of our house.
Entry way
Office
Dining room.
Laundry room.
Foyer to garage.
Kitchen.
Kitchen and breakfast nook.
Living room.
Master bedroom
Master bath.

Progress

2010-11-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

Kimber made it home from Norway okay on Friday. She was quite tired, having been up since 10 p.m. our time the night before, but she recovered from the jet lag well.

We had our parent-teacher conference with Sidney's teacher yesterday. It was very positive and her teacher is quite pleased with Sidney's progress. She is still reading well above the expected level and performing well in other subjects. The only "negative" to come out was that because of Sidney's very active imagination, she tends to drift off subject easily. She makes up stories within the story she reads and has conversations with herself about what she reads. Big surprise, huh!?!

We are also doing the "fine tuning" on the house. We only have the pictures to go up still, and we are doing things like moving towel bars to places that make more sense, etc. I also stained a wooden stool we use in the kitchen to match the cabinets.

I promise that the next post will have a picture tour of the house! Oh, and we are really close to 5000 hits since we started tracking. Any ideas where number 5000 will be from?

Little Brown Mouse

2010-10-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

I finished sewing Sidney's mouse ears last night. Here she is wearing the costume. There is a tail on back, but you can't see it at this angle. You can see the mouse in the picture of the cover of the book in the previous post.

This afternoon I also finished putting all the glass and moulding in a cabinet we had redone. As there are three large pieces of glass, four doors with glass and three glass shelves, it was quite a project just to get it all put back together (without breaking any glass!) It will go in our dining room, as it is a near match to the formal dining room set.

The Gruffalo

2010-10-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

It is Red Ribbon Week at Sidney's school (the anti-drug campaign) and there are lots of different activities. As it is Halloween week as well, many of these things involve costumes, pumpkins, etc.

One thing that is happening is a pumpkin decorating contest (no carving allowed). The pumpkins are to be decorated as a character from a favorite book. One of our favorites is The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, a British author we were introduced to in Norway (illustrations by Axel Scheffler). We decided to base our pumpkin on the Gruffalo himself. It was a bit of a messy project involving spray adhesive and fuzzy yarn, but I think it turned out pretty good. I tried to incorporate each "descriptive" item given by the Little Brown Mouse about the Gruffalo from the book:

"Terrible tusks and terrible claws,
and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws;
knobbly knees and turned out toes,
and a poisonous wart on the end of his nose;
his eyes are orange, his tongue is black,
he has purple prickles all over his back."

There will also be a character parade on Friday, and Sidney will go as the Little Brown Mouse. While the Gruffalo is the title character, the mouse is actually the hero, as he is quite clever in the ways he avoids being eaten by the various other characters in the story. I am currently finishing her costume by sewing (by hand - I don't know how to use the machine) the ears for the costume. So far, it looks pretty good. I will add a picture of her wearing it later.

Doing things again...

2010-10-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, Houston may not have the mountain hikes that Norway had, but there is still a lot to do here. This weekend, Sidney and I took advantage of it and had some great fun!

We started out by meeting Kevin, Dawn and William to go to the "Wings Over Houston" airshow. It was at Ellington Field, a base that houses a lot of NASA facilities and aircraft. One of the static displays Sidney got to go inside was the actual 747 built to carry the space shuttle. We also saw several other displays (here, Sidney is standing in front of a B-52, on which the tires were taller than she is) and some great demonstrations.

Featured demonstrations this year were the "Tora! Tora! Tora!" re-enactment by the Commemorative Air Force, a Vietnam air power demonstration, and several acrobatic flyers.

There were also current military jet presentations, like the F-16 Falcon and the F-18 Hornet. Sidney and William were quite impressed with the loud sound that these two jets made. The humidity was also high enough that it created some spectacular effects in high-g turns and high-speed passes.

The final demonstration of the day was the Air Force Precision Flying Team - Thunderbirds! Sidney got an autograph from one of the pilots, and (after a little bit of a wait) they put on quite a show.

The jets look fantastic in their red-white and blue paint with the "thunderbird" silhouette painted underneath. It is very impressive seeing not only the high-speed runs, but the precision with which the various formations are flown. Just look at how close these two were flying to each other!

We left the airshow and headed down to the Bolivar peninsula to Dawn's beach house, Luna Bella. It was one of only a handful to survive Hurricane Ike two years ago, and they have done a lot of work to get it back in beautiful shape. Kevin liked it so much that he also bought a beach house there - Kay Caye, and Dawn's parents had one built next door named Shell Station.

The weather was great, so Sidney and William spent much of Sunday morning playing on the beach. We then came in and cleaned up for a wonderful lunch with Dawn's parents before heading back home. We would have liked to spend more time, but Sidney had homework.

On the way back, we were able to see some of our favorite animals - pelicans and dolphins. Sidney and William also enjoyed feeding the seagulls from the back of the ferry.

Kimber is in Norway right now and will return on Friday. She is going to try to bring some reindeer sausage home to keep Sidney from having reindeer withdrawal. We will be happy to have her home, and will (hopefully) have almost everything done in the house before her return!

In the house!

2010-10-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

No, it is not a line from a rap song. We are now out of the temporary apartment and in our house!

Our shipment was delivered this morning, and we spent much of the day unpacking boxes and getting stuff into place. It looks like we were fortunate in that there was no major damage we have found so far to our goods, but we do still have several boxes left to unpack. Here is a picture of our container from Norway!

As far as the status of actually settling in, I guess it would be easiest to describe by room. The office, which is where I am, is about 90% done. The kitchen stuff is all unpacked, most of the dining room is done, and the living room is also almost done. The master bedroom and bath are mostly unpacked, Sidney's room is unpacked and mostly set up, the media room still has all the books to unpack, and the extra bedroom is about 90%. There are now several boxes to unpack and put away in the garage, and the "spare" room also has several boxes to sort yet. All in all, I would say we have done a pretty good job considering how much we have had come in and at different times from different places.

Kimber leaves tomorrow afternoon for two weeks in Stavanger, so much of her time tomorrow will be spent packing. At least we have the stuff from Norway unpacked that she will need to pack to take back to Norway. Confusing, huh?!?

More to come as we get settled, as well as pictures of the stuff in the house.

Hopefully a delivery this week!

2010-10-10T14:13:00.001-07:00

Our shipment from Norway is due Tuesday. I am not completely sure if that means it will have cleared customs and be ready for delivery Tuesday, or if it means it just arrives on the ship into Houston that day. The other thing I thought of is that the Houston ship channel spent most of the last week and a half closed because of a barge that knocked some high voltage lines into the water, so there were over 40 ships backed up waiting to come in. Hopefully our stuff wasn't tied up in that mess.

Either way, we are going to move out of the temporary apartment on Friday. We do have one bed, and Sidney has her air mattress, so we should be okay. Kimber leaves for Norway for two weeks Saturday evening, so Sidney and I can hold out "camping" if the stuff doesn't come in this week.

I have been working on getting our garage organized most of the week. It may not seek like much, but it is the area of our house with the most loose "stuff" in it. I went with a Rubbermaid clip-on hook system for the large, long items and put up a peg board for the small hand tools. We also have a tool cabinet and a set of Elfa drawers to organize other stuff. There is plenty of room for the Ikea shelves coming from Norway to organize other "garage" stuff. The nice thing is I was able to park in there for the first time Friday after they came and picked up all the boxes from the first shipment.

We also have been getting some "necessity" items for the house. The most important of these things was a barbecue grill. I chose to go with a Charbroil "Red" infrared four-burner with a side burner. After recommendations from others and reading the reviews, I think it was a good choice. The nice thing is that it was the last one they had at Home Depot before closing out for the season, so we saved almost $200 off the list price! I can't wait to get some fresh sweet corn and a couple of New York Strips to try it out.

A few people have requested pictures of our new cars here, so here they are. We are quite pleased so far. I was also a little surprised when I went to fill the Prius the other day. It was down to 1/4 tank, and it only took $25 to fill it back up. I am checking mileage on both of them now, and will have a full report to come.

As I said earlier, Kimber is going back over to Norway next Saturday, so if there are any special requests for things going either way, let us know! Her next trip will be in December.

Well, it is Sunday afternoon, so I think I will turn on a little American football...

"Normalizing"

2010-10-03T11:14:00.001-07:00

We are getting a little more settled, though still not quite in a "routine." We closed on the house a little more than a week ago, and we received the first shipment of our household goods last Thursday. As these were the things we had in storage here in the U.S., there is a lot of furniture, but only one bed. There are also no dishes, so we can't quite live in the house yet. We have, however, succeeded in opening all the boxes except one, and all but about ten are unpacked! The rest of our stuff is due to arrive from Norway in a little more than a week. It will still need to clear customs, so who knows when it will actually be delivered.

Sidney is doing well in school. We had a conference with her teacher last week, and she is doing quite well academically. Her only real issues are talking a bit too much (really?!?) and not walking quietly in line in the hallway. She also tends to get off task (another big surprise!) and needs a little re-direction at times. She still loves reading and has also developed a nice interest in science.

Kimber is beginning her planning for her trip to Norway in mid-October. She will probably be leaving about the time our stuff gets delivered and unpacked. Oh, and we bought a bag of cherry tootsie pops for you, Gwynne!

We spent much of yesterday buying cars. We were able to find a used 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited at a local Toyota dealer. It is a very nice, comfortable family car and easy for Kimber to drive, as the seats adjust nicely for her. We also found a 2008 Toyota Prius that will be my car, or the car we use for local family trips so as to save on gas costs. We will post pictures of the cars soon.

Now that we are a little more settled, I will be doing a little job-searching. I probably will not start working until we are in the house, but I can at least get the license transfer stuff out of the way.

On the relaxation side - we've made a couple of local forays recently. Last weekend we took Sidney to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. We had a nice time, and Sidney really enjoyed the Butterfly Conservatory. Today we went for a walk down to the Water Wall, a large fountain designed in the shape of a half-circle wall about 30 feet high. Unfortunately, the water was off for maintenance, but Sidney found a few little friends and they all kicked a ball around the field.

This week will find us getting things put away in the house, as well as an actual full work-week for Kimber. We will also pick up the Prius tomorrow night (we could only pick up one car on Saturday because one of us had to drive the rental car.) It has been a little cooler, so perhaps we will also add some pictures from a walk around the new neighborhood in the next post.

Quote Archive

2010-09-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

"Mom, you're not on the same page as me."
"Correct me if I'm wrong..."
Two phrases Sidney has recently started using correctly in conversation.

"Why do they call them chocolate chips? They should call them chocolate mountains because that is what they look like."
Sidney, while baking with Mom. Take note, Nestle!

"Daddy, when will you teach me how to drive?"
It has already started, and she is just turning 5!

"Daddy, why are you teaching me these things?"
Sidney's response after I told her what a social networking website for dogs is.

"Mommy, you call me a Jatta all the time."(Pronounced "yo-to" in Norwegian, the name of an area near us.)
"No, Sidney, I call you a yo-yo."

"You do the blog so people can see the funny things I say."
Sidney, stating the obvious.

"The Earth is the biggest planet in the whole world."
We are going to have to go over that astronomy thing with Sidney again.

"Daddy, did you shave your beard so we wouldn't have to see the white?"

"The Germans beat the Danish. I saw it on t.v."

"In what, football?"

"No, war."

Sidney on world history.

"What do you think he is doing?

"Fishing. He has a fishing pole."

Sidney commenting on the silhouette of a little boy peeing on the side of a public pissoir.

"And that's their barbecue grill they take outside to barbecue with."

Sidney, referring to a roll-top desk in the Royal Apartments in Stockholm.

Sidney’s first joke she made up herself:

The toilet in our cabin flushed loudly because it was on a vacuum system. Kimber flushed it while Sidney was standing beside it, and Sidney said, “That is EAR-ritating!” while tugging her ear.

“Polar bears eat people straight away. They don’t peel them first.”

Sidney describing polar bear eating habits.

“When you eat your food, it goes down to your tummy and turns into throw-up.”

Digestion 101 by Sidney.

“I want to lick you off.”

Sidney, attesting to the fact that Mommy’s hand tasted good after swimming in the salt water.

“Troll (the name of a dessert they served on the trip) is cooked trolls.”

More cooking lessons from Sidney.

“When you have blood in your eyes, does that mean there are little cracks in them?”

Since we were in the midnight sun and up late, we apparently had bloodshot eyes from the lack of sleep.

“You mean you only get one bite from all that?”

Sidney, after eating a crawfish.

"I really, really like blueberry yogurt. Oh, I don't like this one."
"Why not?"
"Too many blueberries."
Sidney to Ms. Rasen while shopping.

"I like Chinese food."
"What's your favorite Chinese food?"
"French fries."
Sidney on international cuisine.

"Hey, Mommy, you could wear your red pants and that red sweater on Halloween as an Elmo costume."
Sidney commenting on Kimber's fashion.

"Daddy, what's interesting about a seahorse is that daddies have a hole."
Sidney is apparently learning some anatomy.

"You know, Grandma, I've tasted lots of animals."
"And how were they?"
"Good."
Sidney attesting to the fact that she is definitely not a vegetarian.

"You can't just throw him from the 7th floor down to the sea. You see, snails can't fly."
Sidney's response to me when I told her the snail she and Grandpa brought up to the apartment was going to need to go back outside.

"Mommy, it's hill, not Hell."
Sidney, correcting Kimber after she made a satirical reference to a portion of her recent bike race.

"Ms. Rasen, I need to come stay at your house again because Daddy needs peace."
Sidney, to her teacher.

"Did you have fun seeing the queen?"
"Yes, but Ms. Rasen spoils me."
Sidney, referring to her overnight trip with her teacher to see the Queen of Norway

"I'll have to bring her a red mat because she really likes red mats."
Sidney, when I told her she will be going to an event next week and possibly see the Queen of Norway.

"...Easter eggs, handmade by chickens..."
"...The Aquarium will give you a chance to see Adriatic sea life without having to eat it. Children will like it; animal rights activists may be less impressed."
Quotes from the Dubrovnik in your Pocket travel guide.

"Fine, I'll just sit on the ball and lay it like an egg."
Sidney, after being told not to throw her ball inside.

"I think we need an idea here, Daddy. I have an idea, but I don't think you do."
Sidney to me during a snowman building competition.

"I have another homonym - turkey and turkey. Turkey like I eat and turkey like I am."
Sidney to her kindergarten teacher, Ms. Rasen.

"He was looking at the ground with a clue mirror."
Sidney describing a picture of a boy looking through a magnifying glass.

"Mom, you have two eyes, not three like an alien."
Sidney's response to Kimber saying she has eyes everywhere and can see her being naughty.

"I know two more homonyms - bow and Bo. Bow as in your hair and Bo, the boy from my class in Findlay."
Sidney discussing homonyms.

"Mom, that white bra is way too big for you."
Sidney, referring to a sports bra in a sporting goods store, loud enough for EVERYONE to hear.

"That lady has pasta hair."
Sidney, referring to some supermodel on television with curly blond hair.

"Does it feel soft when I'm holding the menagerie against your legs?"
Sidney, referring to her stuffed animal collection, which we refer to as her "menagerie"

A New "Routine"

2010-09-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

We have now been in Houston just short of a week, and are settling into a little bit of a routine. Kimber goes off to work early in the morning, I take Sidney to school (about a 45 minute drive), and we come home in the evening and get ready for the next day. It sounds a bit boring, but all the stuff in between keeps it interesting.

First, Sidney is doing great in school. We got her enrolled on Monday. She had to get four shots before they would actually let her go to a classroom, so that was very painful (her words exactly) for her. She started out that afternoon in kindergarten (because of her age) but they started advancement testing immediately. By Tuesday morning, we learned she had passed the tests with flying colors and was being moved to first grade that afternoon. Way to go, Sidney, and way to go to all her teachers back in Stavanger! She is enjoying school and making new friends already, but misses her friends back in Stavanger still.

Secondly, we are getting ready to close on our house (tomorrow!) We have our final walk-through inspection this afternoon, but there will still be a few things that need to be done even after closing. Since we won't actually be moving in until some time in October, it isn't too big of a deal.

I have been getting some of the logistics handled, such as getting a refrigerator and a few other things we needed to buy. I have also been in search of cars for us, getting my Texas driver's license, library cards, etc.

Kimber is trying to settle into her job, as well as handle the phone calls and emails about the house. She did have an opportunity to eat at the "Chinese Hamburger Restaurant" - a local Marathon haunt - and described it as quite an experience. She had the chicken bacon cheeseburger, which is totally out-of-character for her, and said it was fabulous!

I am going to post an archive of Sidney's quotes in the blog itself. It is so I can get the formatting right for the publishing of our "blog book." There will be other changes taking place as well, since we are no longer in Stavanger. We have decided to continue blogging, since it is a great way to keep everyone from all over the world up to date with our lives. We would also like to keep the blog active so those moving to or living near Stavanger (or anyone else that is interested) can learn about our experiences there.

More to come soon!

We have arrived

2010-09-18T06:57:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know we arrived okay and are in the U.S. again.

Tusen Takk!

2010-09-16T04:34:00.000-07:00

Well, there is just no easy way to say this, but our time here is over. It hardly seems like a year and a half has gone by since we moved to Norway, but when we look back on all our experiences, it is amazing how much we have done.

Kimber will be coming back for visits as part of her job. If she comes during the summer, Sidney may come along with her. The realist in me says that work schedules will most likely not allow me to come along, but I will try. After all, there are still a few things in Norway we haven't done!

The title of this post means "A thousand thanks" in Norwegian. It is one of the first phrases we all (including Sidney) learned. Rather than say goodbye, I think it is more appropriate to say "thank you".

Thank you to all that have followed the blog, from more than 78 countries and registering over 4500 visits. Thank you to all who have been part of it - I've made you all blog stars!

Thank you for soup on Tuesday, waffles on Thursday, and being kind neighbors. Thank you for all that have come to see us here, whether people at our apartment or as ships parking at the pier nearby.

Thank you for fiery sunrises, pink sunsets, and snow-covered mountains creeping across the fjord toward us. Thank you for Norwegian delicacies, like pinnekjott, cloudberry cream, and fresh berries all summer and autumn (Norwegian strawberries are the best!)

Thank you for being friends, colleagues, and "family". Thank you for play-dates, hikes and activities we have shared together.

Thank you for being a church family to us. Your warmth, happiness, sharing, and love have been a tremendous support to us all.

Thank you for teaching Sidney. You have opened the world up to her, whether in a classroom or while getting her to answer a question in Norwegian.

Thank you for the experiences. No where else in the world could we have done all the things we did here.

And finally, as Kimber would say, our home is where the three of us are together. Thank you, Norway, for being our home for the past year and a half. Tusen takk og har det bra.

Kimber's IOU

2010-09-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

I owe you a post anyway. I haven't made a post since I was on Alvheim and did the Stavanger half-marathon.

I actually was on Alvheim twice in August. I went out to meet with each crew and complete some process safety training as well as help out with the improvements we continue to make for process safety. Have I mentioned before how exciting this job is?!? How cool is it to commute to work by helicopter? Then to work on such a new and sensational project that has gone through the amazing transition from Maersk operation to Marathon operation! Alvheim or any FPSO is phenomenal to mean. Plus I have been involved in the beginning of the operation with the ability to apply what we have learned from other operations to Alvheim to truly make it the best and safest operation. It has been so exciting for me and I feel blessed by the chance I have had to work here on Alvheim in Norway and with all those I now count as my friends.

One of the times I was on Alvheim, I got to "shoot the ship", which was so cool. When the tanker comes to offload Alvheim, they must be connected. So the tanker comes to within 90 meters (which is really close by the way for this very large bobbing vessel) and gets connected. This is done by shooting a small line from the aft of Alvheim to the deck of the tanker. We use a small air gun which is attached to the rail and just fire, aiming for one side or the other of the tankers deck. And about the aim. It isn't like firing a gun. As I learned, twice, you don't always hit the tanker. Granted, it is hard to miss. My first shot went wide right. The second shot actually hit the deck, then bounced off. Surprisingly they let me shoot again. Although I know that since the bridge could watch on CCTV, there was much laughter on the bridge. So I made the third shot. So criminals every where, beware, I am a great shot! Can't hit a tanker. But I am so excited that I have gotten to shoot the ship. After the line goes across, a series of heavier and heavier lines are winched across, until the offloading hose can be sent over. It is really an interesting operation.

The other item of note for me was I completed the Stavanger half-marathon. I am relatively pleased with how I did. I ran the whole time and felt very food as far as fitness. I started at about a 5 minute kilometer and could easily have maintained this for the run except I started to have severe pain in my hips about half way. My legs and lungs felt great and quite energetic but my hips were a real problem. I finished in about 2 hours 13 minutes which I am not that happy with but it was my first 1/2 marathon and the weather was not great. About half the race was in rain.

The course was fine. About 1/3 was on trail and the rest asphalt. It was well marked and plenty of water available. There was only one section towards then end that I thought there was not enough traffic control. There were a lot of fast moving cars in one area, and tourists in another. I am sure I will try another 1/2 marathon sometime but I need to sort out my hips first. Oh, and congratulations to all the other Marathon marathoner's and 10K runners. Well done!

The next post will likely be our farewell to Norway. Although we are very sad to leave, we will always treasure out memories here and I for one will always think of our time here with a smile.

A Final Hike Up Dalsnuten

2010-09-09T01:13:00.000-07:00

We sold our car yesterday, so our range of travel is now somewhat limited to where public transportation can go. Since we knew it was going to be our last opportunity to go to Dalsnuten (it is a long bus ride), we went for one last hike the night before.

The weather was quite clear, so the views were nice. It was very windy, though, so we had to be careful at the top not to get blown away. It was really interesting watching the water down in Gandsfjord below and seeing how the wind made it move.

The hike itself shows how much Sidney has changed since we first arrived. Dalsnuten was one of our first hikes, and has been the hike we have done the most since we came here. When we first arrived, we had to help Sidney quite a bit to get over rocks and such. We also had to constantly motivate her and put up with a lot of whining. The hike took quite a bit longer to do, as well.

Now, Sidney "leads" the way when hiking, hopping from one rock to another, admiring the view as we are walking, running in relatively clear areas. She can even identify a blueberry bush even when there is no fruit on it! It is amazing to see the transformation over the year and a half. She even calls herself a mountain goat and talks about how much she likes the mountains. I almost fear how she will react to the "flatness" of Katy, Texas! We will be making some trips to the hill country just to keep her hiking skills up.

We will probably miss this aspect of the lifestyle here the most. It is not everywhere that you can just go out in the evening and hike to the top of a 1000 ft. mountain and admire the views of the mountains, fjords and sea.

Bikes!

2010-09-05T07:05:00.001-07:00

We finally made our trip to Flekkefjord yesterday. Our main purpose in going there was to ride the dresins, which are bikes that are designed to travel on the train tracks.

The rails were closed to train service several years ago, but a group called the "Friends of Flekkefjord Railway" has preserved the 17 kilometer line and some of the associated structures. They also maintain and operate the dresins for rental to ride the line.

The trip out is the "uphill" half of the ride. There are no steep hills, but you can tell you are going uphill by the amount of effort you must put into pedaling. On the trip back, hardly any pedaling is required. You must be careful to maintain a safe speed, however, as the dresin can jump the tracks of you go too fast.

The weather for the trip was absolutely beautiful. It was probably one of the best days of weather we have had in Norway this summer. Additionally, the scenery along the line was beautiful. There are several lakes and parts of the fjord you pass on the trip, and the reflections of the mountains in the water were spectacular.

There are also 17 tunnels along the 17 kilometer line. We wore lights mounted on headbands. Even so, it was so dark in some of the tunnels, we couldn't tell how fast we were going, and we felt as though we might crash into a wall since we couldn't see anything in front of us.

Andrea joined us on the trip, along with Dan, another Marathon person who works in Equatorial Guinea. At the halfway point, we stopped for a little break before turning the bikes around for the trip back.

We finished out the day by taking the coastal road back to Stavanger. It took a little longer, but the scenery and drive were really nice, as you can see from this photo.

Finally, Sidney is also doing some biking of her own. We took the training wheels off her bike and she has been learning to ride by herself. She has the balancing and pedaling part down, but we are still working on teaching her to take off on her own. Good job, Sidney!

The Birthday Party

2010-08-31T23:12:00.000-07:00

We had Sidney's birthday party Sunday, and she and 13 other kids were let loose on Metrolekeland (which means City Play Land). It is a big indoor play area with inflatables, slides, ball pits and anything else that you think kids up to preteen level would like.

The kids all had a blast. There is one slide in particular that is quite popular. It is an inflatable about 20 feet tall and the kids like to jump and bounce down it as they come down. How they don't break an arm or something is beyond me. Here you see Sidney coming down, as well as one of her friends, Viola, in mid-air of a bounce.

The kids were all very good during the party (other than one point where they all chanted like a prison riot to have all the lights turned off in the party room). When the person came in to clean up, he actually commented that the kids were all much more polite than most of the parties, as they all said "please" and "thank you" and were pretty well-behaved in general. It was a very nice complement.

As this seems to be the "birthday season", Sidney had been to another little girl's party the day before. In the pictures you can see the temporary tattoo on her forehead, as well as the pink hair that was a result of that party. She didn't want to get rid of them, and it was her birthday party, so, oh well!

After the party, Sidney came home and opened her gifts. It is not customary here to open gifts at the party. We had her do her thank you notes as she opened each gift, so they were all done by the end of the afternoon of the party.

Sidney is back in school this week, and we are on a somewhat normal schedule for a little while. The weather this weekend looks good, so we are going to Flekkefjord (finally!) We also plan to hike up Dalsnuten and take a portable grill and sausages - maybe even watch the sun set over the North Sea before we come down. If I take marshmallows to roast, Sidney will stay. There should also be ripe blueberries to pick (BONUS!)

Sidney's 5th birthday

2010-08-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, it is hard to believe she is five! At least she is relatively low-maintenance, since her choice for dinner was Ikea.

Unfortunately, the play area was closed, so she didn't get to play in the ball room. They also didn't have her "favorite pasta", so she opted for Swedish meatballs, potatoes, gravy and lingonberry sauce. She did get her "favorite chocolate mousse" though.

She was very happy with the gifts she received (thank you Mrs. Mary Kaye for the book and dress - very nice!) She likes books so much that I caught her at 6:15 this morning awake in bed reading books.

On another note, I want to express my thanks to everyone that reads this blog. It has been a wonderful experience to write it, and I hope it has been helpful and enjoyable to all of you. To date, we have had visitors from at least 77 countries and from every continent except Antarctica! It is interesting to see how our experiences can be spread all over the world. I hope they have been positive for you all.

Kimber is running in the half-marathon Saturday, and Sidney's birthday party with her friends is Sunday. We will have some pictures and a post to follow, as well as plans for the coming couple of weeks.

Kristiansand Zoo

2010-08-23T00:38:00.001-07:00

The weather prediction wasn't solid this past weekend, so we opted to go to Kristiansand to the zoo instead of Flekkefjord for the railway bikes. We did stop by Flekkefjord on the way back, though, to reconnoiter the location for the bikes, and we plan on doing those in two weeks.

On the way down to Kristiansand, we went through several tunnels (remember, Norway is hollow.) One tunnel has several roads that come together within the tunnel, resulting in cloverleaf exits, spirals, and lots of other crazy stuff all carved into the mountain. The tunnel then goes straight out to a bridge, then back into another tunnel. This is a view of the bridge from underneath.

The drive was very nice and only took about three hours. It was right around 250 kilometers, but most of the highway is two lane and through mountainous terrain, so there isn't much speed involved.

Once in Kristiansand (actually, the zoo is about 15 kilometers on the other side of Kristiansand), we went straight over to the zoo. We got in just in time to see the lions getting fed, then headed over to check out some of the other exhibits.

The zoo is Norway's version of Disneyland, combining rides, zoo and water park into one area. The animal enclosures are nicer than many zoos, with much more area for the animals to roam in a "natural" environment. It does appear to be a bit wet for some of the animals, but it isn't too bad.

There is a good selection of animals, including several Scandinavian and European species, like the lynx and wolf. There are also some other animals of interest, like the ring-tailed lemurs. You actually get to go into the enclosure with them and walk around. They seemed quite accustomed to humans, though visitors are warned not to touch them.

Also on the first day, we did a few of the rides and activities, like the Alpine Slide and the obstacle course. I should actually say Kimber and Sidney did the obstacle course while I took pictures. Sidney did the whole thing, and we were really quite proud of her. She is getting to be a bit more daring and agile.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the water park, but it was a little cool. The outside temperature was only around 70F, and the water wasn't exactly as "warm" as it was described in the website. Still, it was a pretty nice water park and would be great on a warmer day.

Our hotel was a Quality Inn that was built with kids in mind. They had a large play area in the basement, as well as outdoor play equipment and a nice pool. Sidney was too tired by the end of the day for the pool, but Kimber got in a few laps before going to bed. Breakfast the next morning wasn't as good as some of the hotels we have been in here, but Sidney was able to spend some time playing afterward, then we headed back over to the zoo to finish seeing the sights.

We determined that a one day pass is too short to see it all, but a two day pass was a little too long. Granted, if it was warmer we probably would have spent more time in the water park, and because the season is coming to a close some areas of the zoo weren't open. We do, however, feel we got our money's worth out of the experience. That even included getting soaked on the log ride (twice!) on day two, then waiting for a sudden downpour to slow down so we could make it back to the gate to leave (the trees provided just enough protection to keep us from drowning.)

We had a nice ride home, including the brief detour to Flekkefjord. Then it was time to get ready for another week of school, work and getting ready to move. Sidney's birthday is tomorrow, so we are taking her to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants (Ikea). We are actually doing a party for her this year, which won't be until Sunday. Kimber is running in the Stavanger Half-Marathon Saturday. As you can see, we are still a busy family.

And for a final note - an update on our new house. Theresa sent us a new picture with the landscaping and grass done. We are really looking forward to getting there to add our own "personal" touches, but are very happy with what we see so far.

Back to the Routine

2010-08-18T01:15:00.000-07:00

Summer is now over here, and Sidney has started school. Her first day as a first grader was Monday, and we have gotten back into the routine of packing lunches, getting uniforms ready, and all the other school-related things.

She is enjoying class so far and has made at least one new friend. The school's enrollment is growing to the point that they had to add another Reception (kindergarten) and Year 1 (first grade) class. There are 80 new students at the school, which is about a 20% increase over last year.

One thing we did do before school started was take Sidney to the Oil Museum in Stavanger. It is quite a nice museum and covers many aspects of oil production in the North Sea. There are lots of platform models, interactive displays and other activities for both adults and kids. Sidney particularly liked the escape chute, as you can see in the picture.

We are evaluating plans for this weekend, as the weather doesn't seem to want to make up its mind yet. Our current plan is to go down to Flekkefjord to ride the dressins. They are bicycles that are specially designed to ride on railway tracks. There is a 16 kilometer route that goes through 10 tunnels that has been set aside specifically for this, and it is supposed to be quite a little adventure. As long as it doesn't rain Saturday, that is our plan. If it does rain, we will have to look at the alternative of going to Kristiansand to the zoo.

We have had a new visitor in the port next to us for about a week. It is the Bourbon Monsoon. The paint job looks nice, but it has a really funny looking bow.

Finally, there have been some really dramatic sunsets and sunrises lately. I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of them. As long-time readers of the blog may have noticed, there are several pictures of our little "island" from the same angle at different times of the day, with different lighting and weather. The island has a personality of its own, and the view of it will be one of the things we miss most from here. I plan on looking through all our pictures and putting together a print with the island as the subject so we can see it for many years to come.

Going and coming, and going again!

2010-08-13T04:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a busy summer! We have been to 10 different countries, above the 80th parallel, sailing, ferries, offshore - well, you get the idea. The longest I have been home in one stretch all summer was six days.

Kimber has been offshore three times this summer. On the second trip, she got to "shoot the ship", which will be another blog post in itself. She is currently offshore now, and will return Monday afternoon. On this particular trip, the helicopter landed on a drilling ship on the way to Alvheim, so Kimber can now say she has been on an offshore drilling platform as well. I am sure she will have more to add about that.

Sidney starts school again Monday.It has been such a busy summer that it hardly seems like it is time yet! She is looking forward to being back with her friends, and it gives me the opportunity to get things organized here before our big move.

We have a few more special trips to do here in Norway, and one of them is planned for next weekend. There is also Sidney's birthday, and Kimber is planning on running in the Stavanger Half-Marathon at the end of the month. There will be lots more to add to the blog, so keep on reading!

Homeowners again (almost)!

2010-08-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

We are currently in Houston for our house-hunting trip. We arrived on Wednesday, and it has been a whirlwind since then.

It started Thursday with looking at 24 resale (previously-owned) houses. We saw some possibilities and also determined pretty quickly "eliminating" factors. One of the last houses we saw became a very strong possibility, and we determined we would see it again the next day.

Friday started with 12 more resales, then visits to model homes and new builds. We probably looked at an additional 20 new homes.

That is when it became difficult. We had a really strong resale possibility, and two very strong new build contenders. We put them in order, then went and looked at the resale we liked. There were two factors that then moved it down from the top of our list- size (it was a little too big and had one more bedroom than we need) and a small set of power lines that ran through the back neighbors yards.

We went back to the new home center and put in a bid for the new "top" choice. We heard back from the new sales agent on Saturday with a counter offer, and came to an agreement around noon. We signed the contract and made the deal. We will close on or before the 24th of September.

Our new house is a four bedroom, 3 1/2 bath with a study, dining room, media room and two-car garage. It is in a new part of Cinco Ranch (near Katy, Texas), and is very close to Sidney's new school.

The house faces an area that will be a park, though it still isn't determined whether it will just be a green space or have playground equipment. Either way, there are several close-by parks, pools, bike trails, etc., in the area. The house is also only around a mile away from our friend Theresa from Findlay.

The house has a lot of nice features like granite counters, wood floors, iron stair spindles and such, but Kimber was sold when she saw the master bathroom. It is beautiful, and will be a welcome place to get ready for the day each morning!

Sidney has her own suite, with its own bathroom and walk-in closet. There is room for all of her bedroom furniture, as well as her other toys, play things and art desk.

We will have a few things to do after we get back to the U.S. for good and close on the house before we can fully "move in." It will take several weeks for our household goods in Norway to arrive back in the U.S., but we do have some stuff here in storage that we will start getting arranged.

We are really looking forward to being in our new home, but still are sad to leave our lives in Norway. We return to Norway tomorrow, and will continue to make the most of what time we still have left there.

The Bergen Trip to Pick Up Kimber

2010-07-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sidney and I were at home for about 36 hours before boarding another ferry to go to Bergen. The ferry is a relatively short trip from Stavanger, about 4 hours, which is nearly the same or less time than it would take to drive to Bergen. It isn't really that far, but there are three car ferries you have to take along the way, which increases the "car" travel time significantly. Bergen is a very walkable city, so a car isn't needed there anyway. One other note about the "fast" ferry to Bergen - buy your tickets online before you go. They are a lot cheaper that way. You do, however, need to buy the child's ticket on the ferry.

Sidney and I did a little walking around and a little shopping once we arrived, then went to the hotel for a little dip in the pool. We'd had an early morning, and had to get up early the next morning to pick up Kimber, so we got to bed and had a good night's rest.

I tracked the progress of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl online during the evening to make sure Kimber was going to be there on time. As there wasn't much wind, and it was a head wind, progress appeared steady and on engines, so I wasn't worried about a late arrival.

We woke up, got dressed and headed down to the dock at around 7:30, and about 10 minutes later saw the ship coming into the harbor. As there were about 5 cruise ships and large ferries in town, as well as several "working" ships, the harbor was a bit crowded, but her ship came in nice and steady and actually docked right on time at 8 a.m.

Kimber was easy to spot on deck in her lime green rain jacket. She also spotted Sidney and the two exchanged waves and blown kisses while the ship finished tying up.

After tying up, setting up the gangplank and going through customs, Kimber finally got the hug Sidney had been saving for her. Kimber was obviously very tired from the trip, so we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and a little rest before going on the next part of our adventure in the afternoon.

Our afternoon and evening were set aside to do one of the most famous trips in all of Norway, the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour. This tour is designed to show the things Norway is famous for in a short amount of time, traveling by trains, bus and boat.

We started by taking a train from Bergen to the ski-town Voss. There are several tunnels along the way, as well as some beautiful lakeside and riverside scenery. At Voss, we got off the train and boarded a bus for the next portion of the trip.

The bus meanders through a valley before turning to go over a mountain pass and descend to a fjord below. The road, known as the Stalheimskleiva road, was one of the more spectacular portions of the trip, as it is the steepest in Europe, with an 18% grade. There are less switchbacks than in Lysebotn, and the descent is not as far, but the road is much steeper than Lysebotn.

There were several waterfalls along the way, including two beside the road with the switchbacks and one near the fjord that is the tallest (not tallest free-falling) in Norway.

The bus stops at Gudvagen, where we had a short break before boarding a ferry to take us through the fjord to our next stop. The ferry passage takes you through one of the narrowest fjords in Europe before heading into the main part of Sognefjord, which is Norway's deepest and longest fjord.

Along the way, we passed several small villages and farms. One village has the smallest stave church in Scandinavia, which can hold less than 20 worshipers at a time. There is also a farm, known as the Ladder Farm, because at one time that is how one had to get there.

As we came into Flam at the end of the ferry ride, we passed a cruise ship turning around to head back up the fjord. This should give you some idea as to how deep and large the fjord is, since it can handle ships of this size.

We had a bit of time in Flam before the next part of the trip, so we had a little picnic and some play time for Sidney at the local playground. We walked around a bit and admired some of the RV's that were parked in the area (this seems to be a really popular RV destination.)

We then went for the next-to-the-last, but probably most famous portion of our tour - the Flam Railway. This is the steepest normal gauge railway in the world, with an ascent of 864 meters over the 20 kilometer length. There are 20 tunnels along the route, making about six kilometers of the 20 kilometer distance themselves. There are also waterfalls, beautiful mountain scenery, and even photography stops along the way!

One major attraction along the way is the Kjosfossen waterfall. It has a free fall of 93 meters, and is one of the stops for the train for photography. You can see the shadows of everyone taking pictures in my shot here. Another stop was to let another train pass, and was over a really pretty hillside.

After arriving at Myrdal at the top of the route, we boarded another train on the main rail line for the trip back to Bergen. It was almost a two hour train ride, and didn't arrive in Bergen until after 10:30 p.m., so Sidney fell asleep along the way. By the time we reached Bergen, rain had started to fall, so I carried Sidney back to the hotel and Kimber carried the backpack. We then settled in for a nice, well-deserved night's sleep. One brief note on Norway in a Nutshell - if you have lived in or traveled in Norway for a longer period of time, the dramatic scenery does not have the same effect as if you haven't experienced much of Norway before. It is still a good trip, and the Flam Railway and Stalheimskleiva road are absolutely unique experiences, so we would still recommend it to anyone that hasn't done it.

The remainder of our time in Bergen was spent doing some things Kimber had not had a chance to do, since she wasn't with Sidney and I on our trip here in February. we visited the Haakon's Hall, the royal banquet hall from the 12th century, as well as the Rosenkrantz Tower, which is where Norway's first set of written laws was laid out.

We also rode the Floibanen, which is the funicular to one of the seven mountaintops surrounding Bergen. The view from there was quite different than it was in February when we were in Bergen, mostly because there weren't several feet of snow on the ground. One other major difference is that the city is really crowded with cruise ship passengers walking around in large groups during the summer. This detracts from the feel of the city itself, as part of the charm is in the narrowness of the passageways between some of the older buildings in town. I would certainly recommend Bergen in the off-season for cruises, as there is still just as much to see and do then.

Kimber's Sailing on the Statsraad Lehmkuhl

2010-07-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

My adventure on the tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl started early Saturday morning when Kirk and Sidney dropped me off at 6 am. I boarded the ship, and received my hammock and went down to the forward accommodation o rest until everyone got up. Breakfast was served at 7:30 am and then we mustered on deck. For some reason there was confusion about what number I was assigned. I had my hammock at 36 but it was assigned to someone else. However, I liked the spot as there wasn’t anyone to my left and a space before the next person to my right. I ended up getting to keep that spot. Also, the forward accommodation is the dining area. So everyone in there has to remove their hammock before breakfast and can put it up again after dinner.

Once we mustered, we were assigned watches. The forward accommodation is assigned the blue watch 0800 to 1200 and 2000 to 2400. This seems like the best watch because it is almost normal hours. Also, both watches are in daylight. This accommodation has that watch because we can’t leave our hammocks up during the day. The aft accommodation is divided in half with one side having 1200 to 1600 and 0000 to 0400 watches and the other half having 0400 to 0800 and 1600 to 2000 watches. People in the aft accommodation can leave their hammocks up all the time. There are roughly twice as many people in the aft accommodation so again I was happy to be forward. Cleaning of the common areas is also assigned by watch group so we had the dining area.

At the first muster, we were told about emergency situations and provided details on eating times, watch times, and other assignments. We departed at 1300 in a parade of ships sailing out of Aalborg. There were people along the sides of the fjord for miles- all the way out to the sea. The parade was really quite amazing.

I also took an interesting picture of a coal-fired power plant with a wind turbine in front. Denmark has wind turbines everywhere with the highest percent of wind power in nearly any country.

So a little about the accommodation- there is no separation for men and women. There were a couple of families or couples and they would be side by side. The rest of us were all mixed up. I happened to be with two sisters and their friend. The disadvantage of my location was that it was by the aisle and door, so people frequently walked through and they weren’t always quiet. There is approximately 2 feet between hammock hooks. Everyone also has a small locker in which to place clothing. Six or seven hammocks can hang in each row, with room for 150 hammocks total. We had about 100 people so there were a few welcome empty spaces. Privacy and personal space did not exist. And, since almost everyone (men and women alike) slept in nothing but their underwear, I have now seen more men in their underwear than I care to.

Many trainees were already on board from either the night before or the race. The ship was second in the race in having the fastest sailing time but being penalized for an error during the race start. Fortunately the ones who had sailed in the race could help us new trainees.

During our first watch, the experienced trainees took duties while we learned the layout of the ship, the schedule and our duties for watch. The watches I had over the course of the voyage were fire watch, helm, and buoy watch. The fire watch walks around the ship checking on the other watches and making sure everything is in order (trash cans aren’t full, freezer isn’t defrosting, no one is hurt, etc). The helm, which I will describe more in a minute, maintains the ship’s heading. The buoy watch stands aft and makes sure no one falls overboard. There is also a lookout who stands forward and rings a bell if there are any other boats, etc. in the water in front of the ship as you can’t see from the helm which is aft. If there is an object starboard, that is one ring, an object port is two rings, and an object forward three rings. The helm acknowledges the object with the same number of rings back. Each person on a watch group was assigned one of these watches for an hour during each watch period. If you weren’t on an assigned watch, you were required to stay on deck to manage sails, ropes, maintenance, etc.

I enjoyed the helm the most. I had the helm twice, once under sail and once under engines. The response of the ship to the rudder and how the rudder responded to the wheel were quite different in the two cases. Under sail, we were only going about 4 knots while under engine, we were going 10 knots. You basically have to make small adjustments for the rudder to maintain a constant heading. It sounds quite easy but it required a lot of attention to the compass and orientation of the rudder. And the rudder doesn’t respond the same under sail as under engine. The wind has an effect as does the tilt of the ship.

In general, the food was very good. There was cereal, sliced meat and cheese, bread, and something hot for breakfast. Cold cuts, bread, fruit and something hot for lunch and a hot dinner. There were also two coffee breaks- one morning and one afternoon. It was a little strange to sleep above where you ate, or eat below where you would sleep.

The organization was a bit of a challenge. Everything felt very disorganized most of the time. Sometimes the crew would be very good about explaining something in English and sometimes not. Also, we never had an idea of what was coming next. You would suddenly just get grabbed to do something. It is a little hard to explain but I would definitely have gotten way more out of the experience on an all-English voyage. I missed a lot of explanations and information by not speaking Norwegian. It was also lonely. There were a few families and a lot of young people. But only six of us were non-Norwegians or non-Danish- Two Russians, one other American and two Dutch. If we had thought about it, Kirk and I could have done it together and that would also have been more fun.

Unfortunately, the wind was not conducive to sailing much. We spent about 60% of time under engines and only got to sail for about a day. Sailing is a lot of work. The sails have to be put up and then moved or frequently adjusted to maximize the wind. And all these adjustments require a lot of rope pulling. And each rope usually needs at least four people to pull it. Putting up the biggest sail required nearly the entire ship to pull ropes at once. It was a huge amount of work plus a lot of knowing when to pull, ease off but maintain pressure on the rope, and finally drop it when commanded. As Sidney puts it, a huge amount of “teamwork” is required.

I also got to climb the rigging and help stuff one of the sails. In order to climb the rigging, you have to be able to do a pull up. The reason is that when you climb, you have to hang at 45 degrees backwards to climb over the crow’s nest. This is quite a strain on your arms. And while at this angle, the shorter of us can’t use our legs and have to basically support our body with one arm while moving the other one. Between this and pulling rope, my arms and back are very sore. Additionally, I went out on the yard arm and helped pack the largest sail. While doing this, you are standing on a wire, holding onto the yard arm, lifting a very heavy sail and packing it (like stuffing a pillow in a case), all while 35 meters above the sea. Everyone else, who is heavier than me, is also on the wire when they push the sail in the wire moves a lot - quite an uncomfortable experience the first time. Both climbing the rigging and going out on the yard arm were very mentally and physically challenging experiences. They were down right frightening at first but I think I would welcome that challenge again.

Night life was challenging for me as well. Although we had a good watch time, I am a light sleeper, so I did not get much sleep for three days- maybe three hours a night. There are always bells ringing, people walking around, and people on deck working or moving sails. Plus sleeping in a hammock was new. These aren’t the hammocks you buy at the outdoor store for the patio. They are cloth and rope and you have to pull yourself up to the ceiling to get in. It is like sleeping in your own taco. Once I was in, I couldn’t see out except for the ceiling without sitting up. I got out the same way, pulling myself up to the ceiling and jumping out. I think I could sleep in a hammock again as it wasn’t uncomfortable, just the situation around me with so many people, etc.

I think I would sail again but with some conditions. One is to be with someone I know. As I said earlier, I really was lonely. Second is to be on a English-speaking vessel. I think I would get much more out of the experience. But I am not about to turn sailor, although by the time I return from offshore next week, I will have been on a ship, boat or ferry every day for 10 days. No wonder the land wobbles!

I go offshore Thursday through Monday. Kirk and I leave for Houston to house hunt Wednesday and return the following Wednesday. I go offshore again after that. Sidney starts school August 16 and we think we will leave Norway September 17. After our two days in Bergen, which Kirk will write about, we have two more “must do’s”. We want to go to Kristiansand to the zoo and to Flekkefjord and ride the bikes (called dresins) that run on the old train rails.

It seems strange that our one way flight to the US is only six weeks away. The time has flown by. We will do a future post on our thoughts about the experience so stay tuned. But we sure have had fun.

Legoland and Tall Ships

2010-07-25T04:09:00.001-07:00

Sidney and I returned from Denmark yesterday evening after dropping Kimber off at her ship.

We took advantage of this trip to Denmark and visited Legoland Billund (the original Legoland.) I have to say that of all the amusement parks I have visited, it was probably one of the best for a kid Sidney's age and size. There were only three rides in the whole park she wasn't allowed to ride. The rides weren't anything like Six Flags or Cedar Point, but they were enjoyable and well-maintained.

The most interesting parts of the park are the sculptures made of Legos everywhere. These aren't just models molded to make it look like they are made of Legos - these are real Lego models! Many have over 50,000 pieces and took over a year to build. Mini-land is a group of cities, villages and other such things, some with motorized elements. They even have a Lego model of an oil rig with working cranes and service vessels sailing around it.

Another interesting group of models are the animals along the log ride. The buffalo were particularly cool.

We finished out the day by enjoying a barbecued rib dinner in the western town of Legoredo. The ribs weren't bad, and there was a live country band (though the blend of Texan and Danish was a little funny.) At least they had the right spirit.

The next day we went down to the harbor in Aalgard to see all the ships there for the Tall Ship Races. It was a fantastic sight! There were sailing ships of various sizes from many different countries. There were probably 40 or more ships there in the harbor, lining both sides of the waterway.

After walking around a bit and visiting a museum, we took a harbor tour to see the different ships. It was worth it to see them all from the water, as the perspective is completely different.

We then walked to Kimber's ship, the Statsraad Lehmkuhl. We looked around the deck a bit and she spoke with a ship's officer to determine when she could come on board. She decided to give up one night of sleeping in the hammock on the ship in lieu of sleeping in a bed at the hotel, and set her check in time for the next morning.

We walked around the shopping area of town a while (sorry, Norway, but the shopping there was better than Stavanger) and had an iced coffee. It was quite warm, so the iced coffee was really nice. We then went back to our hotel for an interesting dinner and a quiet evening.

I say interesting dinner because it is funny what we have come to enjoy here. Our dinner consisted of crackers, sardines, canned salmon spread, canned grape leaves, cheese spread, and various other canned and packable items. I brought them with us because they didn't require refrigeration and it is cheaper than eating out. It was very enjoyable and quite filling.

Oh, and the drink machine in the hotel also had cans of beer for the same price as a 0.5 liter soda. Amazing.

We dropped Kimber off at 6 a.m. yesterday and Sidney and I went to the ferry for our ride back to Norway. We will board another ferry tomorrow morning to Bergen and will meet Kimber when her ship docks Tuesday morning. We have something special planned for Bergen, so keep coming back to read the blog!

Lillehammer in 24 Hours

2010-07-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Kimber went to Lillehammer on Saturday with Jennifer and Jennifer's daughter Kaitlyn. We left Stavanger at 9 pm on Friday night and were back in Stavanger at 9 pm Saturday night. Jennifer and Kaitlyn left to fly back to the US on Sunday morning. Hence the title of this post.

We arrived in Lillehammer at about 1 am on Saturday morning as we flew from Stavanger to Oslo and then took the train, about a 2 and 1/2 hour ride, to Lillehammer. We started our day at 8 am by going up to The Olympic Park. This is where the opening ceremony for the 1994 Olympics were held and where the ski jumping competition was held. We took the chair lift to the top of the ski jumps and walked the stairs down. The plastic grass is what the jumpers land on in the summer.

We even got to see some people practicing on the smaller ski jump. If you look closely at the next two pictures you can see the jumpers.

Also at Olympic Park, we tried the bob sled and ski simulator. Those down hill skiers must have some really strong legs. The simulator demonstrated how fast and rough the courses are. And I am not sure how they react so fast. It has to be nearly impossible to see. The bob sled simulation was a warm up to our next adventure.

After Olympic Park, we took the bus to Hunderfossen. Our mission at Hunderfossen was to ride the Wheel Bob. We found amazingly sweet but very tiny strawberries on the walk to the bob sled park. They were the size of a pea but perfectly ripe and so tasty. Ont he return walk, we found blueberries. Kimber could still be out there eating. This is a wheeled bob sled that runs on the 1994 Olympic bob sled track. There were two sleds on the track when we arrived and we got to see them go by. Then it was our turn.

You wear a helmet and weight lifting belt to support your back. Then you board, three per sled with a professional driver. They remind you to keep your back straight, head up and forward, and to breath. Also, if the sled flips, don't panic and hang on. In 70 seconds, which goes by like 20 seconds, you are done.

It was totally awesome. Very bumpy but not nearly long enough. I asked the driver how they manage the bumps multiple times per day. She said it isn't as bumpy in the front and is much smoother on ice. Jennifer was concerned with the smell of hot rubber but I figured even if the thing turned over, we were safe.

After the wheel bob, we made a mad dash over to Hunderfossen for Jennifer and Kaitlyn to try the ropes course. I sat outside the fence an watched them, occasionally reminding Kaitlyn how to manage her ropes.

We concluded with riding the train back from Lillehammer to Oslo and a short flight home. The best part for me was at the end though when I had Sidney and Kirk home at last!!

Warsaw and Berlin

2010-07-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

We left Vilnius, but made a side trip to Trakai, a small town just 30 km away from Vilnius. It is the location of several nice lakes and a castle in the middle of one of them. The castle dates from the 14th to 15th centuries, but has been restored nicely more recently. Most things were not open upon our arrival, so it was quite peaceful to just walk around the castle without any crowds.

After our walk, we went through the numerous souvenir stalls. Sidney tried on a famous Russian fur hat. We picked up a few things (they were really cheap), including a set of stacking dolls and a linen dress for Sidney. Amber was not quite as nice here, but can be found cheaply in other Baltic cities in various qualities and quantities. Kimber now has several sets of earrings and a necklace.

We then got on the road to Warsaw. As I planned, I evaluated where we were on our trip and time frame once we got to Poland and decided to go back home via Berlin and Denmark. I wish we had a week or so more to get to see the family in Germany, as well as some of the other places we would like to visit, but Houston will be an easier place to get to Western Europe from, and the Baltics and Scandinavia were an opportunity we couldn't pass up.

Getting to Warsaw was a bit of an adventure in itself. I had been told the Polish roads were really bad (by a Pole, no less.) I found the roads themselves to be in pretty good shape for the most part. The problem is that the roads are two lane and set up like the old highway system in the U.S. They pass directly through every little town along the way, and the speed limits are very low going through the towns. There are speed cameras everywhere, so you don't take the chance of speeding, lest you be mailed a ticket.

Warsaw itself is a huge city. It is very intimidating, and at first I almost decided to fore-go much touring because it seemed too difficult to navigate during the workweek. I was able to get a decent map, and located the Old Town, which is very compact. It is also located very close to the Jewish Cemetery and former Jewish ghetto, so most of the things I was interested in seeing were close.

One thing I noticed is that there are lots of statues. And every statue has a sword. Even the mermaid that is the symbol of Warsaw has a shield and sword. I happened to snap the picture of Sidney just as the flock of pigeons was taking off, so she looks a little surprised (behind the pigeon.)

Another thing that is a bit different about Warsaw is the amount of color you see in the old town. There are various porticoes that are converted to apartments, which seems very quaint, and the buildings have a much more western European feel than some of the places in the Baltics.

There are beautiful squares and plazas all over the old town as well. These are surrounded by scenic buildings, including palaces and churches. Restaurants and cafes abound. The palace is also the scene of several concerts during the summer, including a festival dedicated to one of Warsaw's favorite son's - Chopin.

After a nice morning of strolling around, we headed out on our way to Berlin. This would be our last stopping point for the trip, and we wanted to allow plenty of time to get there, considering the speed of travel on the roads through the towns. I was quite surprised when I actually got to the A2 - Poland's answer to the autobahn. It is a toll road that starts southwest of Warsaw and goes to about 100 km from the German border (the remainder is under construction).

We were able to make Berlin city center by about 5 p.m., and found a hotel/hostel right by the Berlin Zoo. The location was great. The hotel wasn't. There was no air conditioning, and there was a heat wave rolling across central Europe, so temperatures in the room were about 95 F with the window open. The hall we were in was full of kids that apparently have never been away from home and ran up and down the hall yelling and throwing juice boxes and water bottles. I finally spoke with their chaperon to get some peace.

We did find some good German food, a Dunkin Donuts and a Starbuck's nearby - my first store-brewed Starbuck's in over a year!

We visited the Berlin Zoo first thing the next morning and were very pleased. The zoo boasts one of the largest collection of species in the entire world, and is very well organized. We were able to walk most of the grounds in the four hours we allotted. More time would not have been enjoyable with the heat.

There were lots of baby animals, including a baby rhino, elephant, and four baby meerkats that were only six days old. They also have a nice aquarium and a giant panda, as well as polar bears and seals. The latter was almost a let-down after having seen them in the wild just a couple of weeks ago.

After the zoo, we did a very touristy thing and took a city circle bus tour to the major Berlin attractions. The bus allowed us to get on and off at the various sites, and was a nice way to see the city, even with the heat. We made the obligatory stops at Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate, and did a couple of other more scenic locations.

We did a little last minute shopping, then went back and got a good night's rest before heading home. The room was a little cooler, and the loud kids were gone, so sleep was better.

We got up the next morning, and after getting the car packed one last time, started the drive to Hirtshals, Denmark, and the ferry to Norway. All was well (yes, our little Getz did 100 mph on the autobahn, quite easily!) until we got to Hamburg. We got into a construction zone, so lanes were smaller, then came to a complete standstill because of an accident in the construction zone. Traffic was stopped for 2 1/2 hours. It was not so fun in 95 F weather!

We finally got going again and made Hirtshals around 9 p.m. Our ferry wasn't until 4:35 a.m., and it was raining, so we checked into the ferry terminal early and slept in the car. The crossing itself wasn't bad, as Sidney slept on a bench seat as I read my book.

Our last little treat was the drive back to Stavanger from Kristiansand. It was scenic, with lots of mountains, fjord-side villages, and a couple of interesting bridges. It was definitely a lot slower than much of the other driving we have done over the past couple of weeks, but we made it home by noon.

Kimber will have a post coming up about her trip to Lillehammer, and we head out Wednesday night back to Denmark to take Kimber down for her sailing trip.

Tha Baltic countryside, Riga and Vilnius

2010-07-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Driving through the Baltic countryside is quite a nice experience. The nature is quite surprising, and there are surprises all over the place. I spotted a red fox not too far outside of Tallinn. I also have been amazed by the number of storks I have seen. They build their nests on top of power poles, barns, cell towers, etc., and can be seen feeding in fields, especially while the fields are being plowed. They can also be seen soaring through the air individually, or in groups of up to 20 or more. It is amazing to see 20 birds with wingspans of over seven feet soaring around in circles together!

I am also surprised by some of the odd roadside attractions we have seen. I happened to spot a hotel just off the main road with a unique theme. It was a former airfield, and the tower and administration building were converted to a hotel. They also had several former Soviet aircraft on display outside. Given my military background, I found these quite interesting.

Getting into our campsite in Riga was a little confusing, but worth it in the end. The internet was down, but the facilities were good and it was quiet. The campsite is actually in what is the Riga Exhibition Hall during the winter, and the lot and part of the building are converted to a campsite in the summer.

Riga was quite a treat. We headed to Old Town to see some particular sites we had picked out. As it was Sunday, we weren’t sure what would be open. Our first stop was the “Cat House” (no, not a house of ill repute.) It is famous for the cats perched in a frightened pose atop the house’s roof.

We then headed for Riga Cathedral, the largest medieval church in the Baltic states. One selling point of the cathedral for us is that it has the fourth largest pipe organ in the world, with over 6700 pipes in the arrangement. We got there only to be told the cathedral was closed until later in the afternoon for services. As we were scheduled to leave before they opened, we begged just to quickly and quietly go in to see the organ (the main cathedral services had not yet started.) The docent politely told us “no” and in pidgin English said there was an English language service going on in the chapel. We were surprised, and asked if we could attend, which she was happy for us to do.

It was a very nice service (Lutheran) and the chapel was beautiful. It was also a bit of a treat to hear so many American voices! The people were all very friendly and welcoming. After the service, Sidney and I were able to slip in to the main part of the cathedral to see the organ. We got a double treat, as there was a concert going on and we got to hear it as well! It was spectacular!

Our next stop was on of the main squares of Old Town. The Blackheads House was built by German craftsmen as a house for their guild back in the 1300’s. It has been restored and is a thing of beauty.

We also went through the Latvian Museum of Occupation. It chronicles the country’s occupations, first by the Soviets, then the Germans, then the Soviets again, from 1939-1991. It really makes you realize the difficulties faced by the nations of the Baltics during this period. Hundreds of thousands were killed, imprisoned or simply disappeared during this time. People lost their national identities, and entire ethnic groups were wiped out.

We needed a lighter experience after that, so we headed to the City Market. I had read it was big, but never expected what we found. It is set up in (and outside of) several former zeppelin hangers just across from Old Town. There were literally thousands of vendors with every imaginable item – clothes, hardware, shoes, fruits, veggies, fresh and cooked meats, pastries, and the list goes on! We got several things to eat there, including the best smoked chicken I have had in a long time.

After the market (and our little picnic) we went back towards our car to start our next drive. Along the way, we stopped at the Latvian Monument of Freedom, as well as a park that ran beside it and the river. We stumbled on a Baltic tradition that is actually very nice. They place a lock on a bridge to symbolize the joining of two people when they get married. This particular bridge was covered in locks. Many are fancily engraved, but some simply are handwritten with the couples names and wedding date.

Our drive to Vilnius was pretty uneventful, with many small towns, churches and forests along the way. The landscape changed a bit, since we were heading inland from the coast. Upon seeing Vilnius, my first impression was that it is a bustling metropolitan area with all the modern conveniences.

We couldn’t locate a campsite, so we stayed at the Europa City hotel. The staff was very friendly, and the rooms clean and comfortable. Internet access was fast, so I posted our last blog post from there.

Sidney and I headed into Old Town Vilnius early, as we wanted to get started with the long drive to Warsaw. We started with the Parliament building, then went to the Green Bridge. It is protected as an architecturally significant site, and is cornered with four Soviet Realist statues displaying various aspects of ideal Communism.

We then took the funicular up to the Arsenal Tower at the edge of Old Town. The view was quite nice, and Sidney got a kick out of the self-operated funicular (it was more a sideways elevator than train.)

After the tower, we headed through a park into the Old Town. Sidney got to spend a few minutes playing, and I was surprised to meet a couple of Americans in the park with their kids. It turns out they are with the Embassy on assignment in Vilnius. We chatted for a bit before heading on to the “break-away Republic of Uzupio.” It is basically an artist colony on the opposite side of the river of Old Town that jokingly declared their independence. They even have their own constitution, president, and are referred to on many tourist maps as the “Republic of Uzupio.” This angel is their “national symbol.”

After leaving there, I started to suffer one of the headaches I get a couple of times a year. They are quite painful, and usually require me to take a nap in a cool dark area for a few hours to make them better. We had no choice but to take a taxi back to the hotel and check back in so I could do this.

After waking from my nap, I wanted to look at some of the pictures I had taken, so I looked for the camera bag and realized it wasn’t in the room. I immediately went downstairs and explained that I wasn’t feeling well when I checked in, and asked if I had left it there. The clerk said no, but the taxi driver had found it in his cab and was worried about it. He remembered us because of Sidney and left a message for us at the front desk. I called him and he gladly brought the bag back to us. Thank you, Giedrius! If anyone needs a taxi in Vilnius, email me and I will send you his mobile number!

Since we had not gotten to see much of the actual Old Town, we went back out in the evening. I am so glad we did, as the buildings took on a whole different personality in the summer evening light. It was really quite beautiful, and very alive for a Monday night.

Gratuitous picture of Sidney here! After a traditional Latvian dinner, we went back to the hotel to rest for our drive to Warsaw. More on Warsaw and Berlin in our next post!

Preikestolen on a Windy Day

2010-07-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

While Kirk and Sidney are off exploring Europe, Kimber is spending time with Jennifer and Jennifer's daughter, Kaitlyn. Jennifer was Kimber's boss in Texas City and will be Kimber's boss when we return to Houston. We went hiking Sunday to the most popular Norwegian hiking destination, Preikestolen. It was a lovely day except for the wind. Most of the hike was well protected from the wind, however, when we rounded the corner to the "Rock", we were nearly blown off our feet. You see in the picture below Kimber and Kaitlyn are not standing. As you also may notice, our hair is blowing completely side ways. We were nearly side ways too. We could barely stand for the wind. Fortunately, the wind was blowing in from the fjord towards safe ground rather than towards the fjord and long drop down. There is also a picture of us standing but that didn't last long before we had to drop down to keep from blowing over. It was nearly hurricane force winds.

Unfortunately for the rescuers, pilot, and person needing rescue, we saw this rescue helicopter and it's crew in action on our hike down from Preikestolen. It was exciting for us but not for them I am sure.

For those who know us or who have been following the blog, you may remember what happened the last time I hiked Preikestolen. I badly injured my left ankle very near the top of the hike. Rather than take the option pictured above (helicopter route) I hiked out on the injured ankle. Maybe not the best choice. But I remembered exactly where the injury occurred. I was stepping through the gap between the large boulders shown to my right in the picture below. I didn't see or react to the small rock in the center, and my left ankle turned off of the rock. I was carrying Sidney in the back pack at the time and the extra weight contributed to the severity of the injury. At the time I thought I broke it. Fortunately, neither Sidney or I were injured further because of the mud we landed in when we fell. It felt a little odd to return to the scene of the crime. My ankle held up well this time, but I think it will always be affected by the injury.

It was windy in Stavanger Sunday night as well. The two pictures below show the affect the wind had on the crane hook. It was swinging from side to side in the wind like a pendulum on a clock.

Finally, Kimber will be traveling with Jennifer and Kaitlyn to Lillehammer on Saturday. We are going to visit the Olympic Park, do the Wheelbob and the zip line at Hunderfossen Park. Kimber is excited to get to explore another thing in Norway and to share it with friends. It will be a fast turnaround trip, about 24 hours from take off to return to Stavanger.

Ferries, Helsinki and Tallinn

2010-07-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ferries are a major part of life in the Baltic region. They are major in Norway for getting from locality to locality, but they replace the train or jet in the Baltics for going from country to country.

We took the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki on Thursday night. It was an overnight ferry, so we got a cabin so we could get some sleep. The cabin was decent, with four beds (2 over 2 bunks, the bunks all fold away), a desk and chair, and a small bathroom with shower. It was certainly better than the ground we have been on the two nights previous!

Almost everyone had a cabin on the boat, but some did not use their cabins. You see, this is a major party boat. There are nightclubs, spas, saunas, casinos, game rooms, pubs, restaurants, stores, and just about anything else you could imagine on board. The center of the ship was a long promenade down a "main street" area flanked by restaurants and stores. People spend all night spending their money at the duty free stores, drinking, and all-out partying. I heard people coming down the hall in an obvious state of inebriation at 4 a.m. At least Sidney and I got sleep.

We docked in Helsinki, and I gave Sidney her choice of sites to visit. She picked the Helsinki Zoo, which is a quick ferry over from Market Square to another island.

The zoo wasn't too bad, considering the climate an position in latitude in Helsinki. There was a nice selection of animals and the displays were small but generally nice. Sidney wanted to see the monkeys and snakes in particular, and her desires were rewarded. It was warm (for Helsinki), so the size of the zoo corresponded well to the amount of time we wanted to spend in the sun looking around. We also got to see the tiger getting fed (notice the mouthful of fur and the bunny between his paws.)

We took the ferry back to town and got a little treat. The ferry was a paddle-wheel boat. Sidney enjoyed watching the paddle wheel going around churning up the water.

In town, we walked around the many stands of the market. There were beautiful crafts, lots of fresh fruit and veggies (HUGE sweet peas everywhere!), and several food stands. If you have a day here, you should definitely eat lunch here, but we had already eaten at the zoo before we arrived in the market. There was also entertainment in the form of street performers. Sidney got to interact with a mime, who was, I must say, a little creepy. I get the whole not talking thing, but this due never blinked!

We walked around the older part of Helsinki after the market. Helsinki is old, but the buildings here aren't that old. Most "old" ones date to the 1800's. There are a lot of pretty churches that dot the skyline, but architecture would not be my main reason to visit here.

Helsinki does seem to be a pretty "hip" place. There are lots of younger people about, the stores have trendier selections, and the crowd is a bit cooler than cosmopolitan. We were even treated to a Finnish Military rock band playing a concert in a local park. There is also an English-language newspaper that seems to cater to the younger crowd, with articles on social issues, happenings, and other stuff about town.

We also visited the Stockman's department store. Six floors of shopping with everything you could imagine - if I had room in the car, I would have taken back a cool Finnish-designed chair!

We only had the day in Helsinki, and headed to the ferry to take us across to Tallinn. This ride was much shorter - 3 1/2 hours. Sidney found the huge playroom and ran around like a crazy person for much of that time. I think she was the only English-speaking kid there, but of course that doesn't bother her. I asked her what language the movie they were playing was in and she replied "Norwegian."

These Estonian kids had obviously not taken the ferry, based on the word they spelled with the blocks. The picture is on a website about what to do in Tallinn with kids.

The ferry docked, and it was a quick car ride down the strand to our campground called Tallinn City Camping. It basically looks like a campground set up in a former industrial area, but there are soft grassy spots for our tent, showers, bathrooms, and internet access ! They also have bike rentals, sailboat rentals, and roller skate rentals. What more could you need?!? Here are a couple of pictures of our trusty accommodation, by the way.

Tallinn has a very nice Old Town with several parts of the original ton walls and gates preserved or restored. Among the most prevalent sites is St. Olav's Cathedral, which was the tallest building in the world from 1549-1625, but that big spire tends to act as a lightning rod and burnt down for the first time then.

The city saw pretty significant damage during WWII, and the Soviets did some of the rebuilding during the 50's and 60's. One such restoration was of the Town Hall (on the left in the picture), located on the picturesque town square. The tower was knocked down during a Red Army air raid. One of the things to suffer the most was the weather vane, known as "Old Thomas", which dates to the 1400's. It has become a mascot for the city, and it was decided to restore the original (seen here on display in the Town Hall) and place a replica on the roof.

In addition to many 14th century buildings, the town also has Toompea Castle, which still acts as a seat of government for Estonia. The parliament meets in one part, the prime minister lives in another, and several governmental administrative buildings are here. The tower in back is known as Tall Hermann's Tower, and the pink wing pictured was built by Catherine the Great of Russia. Sidney was a little disappointed not to see any princesses at the castle.

After touring Old Town, Sidney and I headed back to the car to start our drive toward to Riga. One point to note here - we parked in a public lot that offered 24 hours of parking for 50 Estonian Kroon (about $4.50.) There are some that offer parking for 25 kroon, but after noticing broken window glass in more than one location in the lot, we moved to an area that was a little more "out in the open."

Tallinn also has some wonderful modern places to see and enjoy. As we were walking back to the car, we walked through a very nice shopping mall. They had a playground outside, so Sidney of course enjoyed that for a little while.

Next post - driving the Baltic countryside, Riga and Vilnius.

On the road again...

2010-07-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well, Sidney and I at least. Kimber (sadly) must stay home and work for this one.

We set off Tuesday morning and drove across southern Norway to Sandjefjord. The drive was very scenic through the mountains and the weather was pleasant. At Sandefjord, we caught a ferry across to Stromstad, Sweden, then drove a bit further until we found a campsite. You can definately tell a difference between Norway and Sweden with the flatness of the land (leading to larger roads as well!)

It was Sidney's fist time camping, and she did well. She complained a little about the ground being hard, but she slept through the night. My old back, on the other hand, does not do as well with the hard ground, but I managed to get some good sleep in between changing positions.

We got up, and after packing up the tent, headed to Orebro. It is a lovely town with canals throughout, and a medieval castle in the center. Sidney enjoyed seeing the castle and the cathedral, but liked the "Children's Island" much more. It is a park on an island with playgrounds, activities, petting zoos, and all kinds of other things for kids.

After Orebro, we headed on to Stockholm for a night of camping before our sightseeing. We stayed at a campground that was right next to a beach. The water was very pleasant after a warm drive, and the sleep was much better.

We went into Stockholm and headed straight for the Vasa museum. It is a museum built for a Swedish warship from 1628. The ship was launched and was on the way to Poland, but sank just minutes after launching. It was stuck in the mud at the bottom of the harbor for 333 years, and raised in 1961. After years of work (some of which is still ongoing) the ship was put on display in its own museum. It is amazing to see a ship that old, and 95% of it is original!

After the museum, we headed over to the Royal Palace for the changing of the guard. The Swedes put on an impressive show, with full marching band and concert, and lots of pomp and ceremony.

We then toured the Royal Palace, including the Treasury where the Crown Jewels are kept. Sidney liked looking at the crowns, but was disappointed that there were no diamond tiaras on display.

After the Treasury, we went through the Royal Apartments. The rooms were quite striking, and seemed to go on forever (the palace has over 600 rooms - more than any other palace in the world.) Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside the palace itself. In one room were the coats of arms of other royalty from around the world, including Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. Funny, we were just on a plane with him a couple of weeks ago!

We finished up our tour and headed back to the car so we could get to our overnight ferry to Helsinki. The next post will be about the ferry ride, Helsinki and Tallinn.

Last days in Longyearbyen and coming home

2010-07-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of days in Longyearbyen after the cruise finished up, so we did some shopping (tax free!) Kimber got some new boots and a fleece, Sidney got a new jacket and some shirts, and I got a new beverage to try - cloudberry liquer.

We also went on a fossilling trip. It turned out that a guy that had been on the cruise with us, Troels, manages the company we went with. His company, Arctic Adventures (www.arctic-adventures.no) does dog-sledding, skiing, and snowmobiling during the winter and dog-carting, hiking and fossilling during the summer. Troels is a great guide and we really appreciated his expertise.

He brought one of his dogs along for the hike to provide an extra set of eyes, ears and a nose to look out for polar bears. The dog was a seven-month old named Delta (Troels has 79 dogs, so Delta has a sister "Alpha" and a brother "Echo.") Delta was very friendly, disciplined, and loved to get hugs from Sidney.

The hike was above town heading toward Longyear Glacier. The glacial streams churn up the rock and expose the sandstone, and the fossils are what fell into an ancient stream bed 60 million years ago. There were ferns, leaves, grasses and bamboo. The fossils are everywhere, and a little chipping at the layered stone often reveals even more. We could have spent a few more hours there, but the time was up so we hiked back down.

Troels then was kind enough to take Sidney over to the city dog yard (working dogs are kept at a common kennel and not at homes for noise and other reasons.) Sidney was asleep for that part of the tour before our cruise, so we wanted her to see it. Troels knew some of the dogs there and introduced us to them.

I would say the fossilling trip is DEFINITELY worth the time and money if you have a morning or afternoon free. Troels is very professional, patient and provides a great time for participants.

We departed Longyearbyen for Stavanger the next day, and got home a little after midnight. It was a little odd to not have sunshine at that hour. It was also nice getting to sleep in our own beds in the dark!

A ship is in port next door. It is the Fennica, a FInnish icebreaker/service vessel. Notice how the paint is chipped tward the back side of the bottom of the ship - when it encounters heavy pack ice, it runs backwards to break it up!

Sidney and I are leaving tomorrow morning for our driving trip. We hope to make it to Stockholm in two days, then on to Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius and Warsaw. We will evaluate where we are time-wise at that point an decide where we will go next. After we return, we take Kimber down for her sailing trip, then return and meet Kimber again in Bergen for a day or two there. Kimber then goes offshore, and we depart for our house-hunting trip when she gets back. Where has the summer gone?!?

Our Arctic Expedition

2010-06-30T05:25:00.000-07:00

First, we apologize for not posting until now, but internet connectivity is somewhat limited on a ship in the middle of the Barents Sea and Arctic Ocean. This will be a rather long post, but please read it all – there have been some amazing things to see and do here.

We spent a day and a half in Longyearbyen before boarding our ship. We went to the museum located at the university as our first sightseeing stop. It was very nicely presented and covered information on Arctic nature, geology, and human history of the area. Sidney particularly liked the reading area where she could sit on sealskins and sealskin pillows and read books about the Arctic. One point of note to anyone traveling here – it is customary to remove your shoes when entering a public building (like a museum or hotel). Museums provide slippers, though not always in smaller sizes, but many people in the hotels wear socks or slippers they bring with them. Make sure to bring a pair for yourself, especially if you have small feet.

We also visited the Arctic Airship Museum. This documents the attempts made to reach the North Pole by hot air balloon, dirigible, and airplane, as well as the rescue efforts that followed many of the attempts. It is a beautiful museum with tons of information and displays. It was started by an Italian gentleman and another guy as a hobby and has grown enough over the last two years that they will soon be moving to a larger building.

After the airship museum, we walked to the town’s church which, like most other places in town, has a stuffed polar bear. This one apparently got a little too close to the church and couldn’t be scared off. The church is very nice and is always open and welcoming of visitors. It is also right beside a kindergarten with a playground, so Sidney took a play break here.

We took a nice walk within the city limits and saw several birds, including Arctic buntings and barnacle geese. We also saw the remains of several coal mines which dot the hillsides and are a dominant feature of the town. Mining is still a major part of life here, and the coal power plant that provides electricity is the only one in Norway.

Two of the most famous Arctic animals of the area are the Svalbard reindeer and the polar bear. The reindeer differ from the type seen on the mainland in that they are smaller, fatter and have shorter legs that the mainland variety. This keeps them warmer in the colder climate. They also tend to travel alone or in smaller groups, not the big herds like the mainland reindeer. Polar bears are generally not seen in town, but there is enough of a danger of encountering one that permission must be obtained to go out of the town limits and you must have a guide with a gun. There are signs with polar bear warnings at the town limits to remind you.

After our explorations in Longyearbyen, we started getting things together for our voyage. We attended a couple of briefings, then some guided tours around the area. We then got on board and set sail.

A little about our ship – the M.V. Fram. Named after Amundsen’s ship in which he did his Arctic and Antarctic exploring, it is a specialized expedition vessel designed for trips to areas like Greenland, Antarctica and Svalbard. The ship can handle over 300 passengers with 150 or so crew, and handle them in comfort! The cruising speed is a little over 13 knots in open water, and the ship is still small enough to get into some of the more sheltered coves for anchorages/landings.

Captain Hansen is definitely Norwegian. First, he is tall. VERY tall! His head almost touches the ceiling in several places on the ship, and it would touch the ceiling in our cabin’s bathroom. He would not need a ladder to change a light bulb. Second, he apparently likes Norwegian food, as evidenced by the cod he is allowing to dry up on one of the conning towers!

We are in a mini-suite (because we have three people) and it is very nice. It is on the port bow and has a windows facing bow and port. There is a seating area, desk/work area, bathroom with shower, and a queen size bed. The picture is a view from our cabin looking toward the bow.

Our first port of call was Barentsburg. The town is a Russian coal mining settlement west of Longyearbyen going toward the Barents Sea. The population is about 450, of which 300 or so work in the mines. The town is very much like the towns of Russia with similar architecture, murals and mosaics, and even a statue of Lenin. There are 260 wooden steps from the port leading up into the town.

After a guided tour of the town, we were treated to a show of folk dancing and singing in the town’s performance hall. It was a very enjoyable performance, and Sidney even stayed awake until almost midnight so she could see it all. At the conclusion, we headed back to the ship for our overnight sail to Hornsund.

Hornsund has traces of human habitation dating back almost 400 years. It is an area filled with beautiful fjords and soaring peaks, the highest of which is Hornsundtind at 1431 meters above sea level. The fjord and mountains had an eerie look about them with several layers of mist covering different levels, and peaks that would appear floating above the scenery suddenly and then disappear just as quickly.

There were whaling stations here at various times, as well as scientific and meteorological outposts. A Polish research station is still in the area. Signs of the human activity litter the area – whale bones, an old hut, bricks, wood and nails.

The flora and fauna are present in the form of several low-growing plants, birds and reindeer. Polar bear are also in the area, though we did not spot one here. Our bird list here included the Arctic skua and the guillemot.

As we were finishing our landings, some ice started to move into the fjord. The Fram had no trouble handling it, and the ice was beautiful as we passed it.

We continued south for the next day’s stop at Bjornoya, an island halfway between Spitzbergen and the Norwegian mainland. Along the way, we passed through another patch of ice floating around the south side of the archipelago and encountered hundreds of harp seals hanging out on the ice. It was a most amazing site. Many dove into the water as we passed, but we were able to get photos of them both on the ice and in the water from our perspective on deck. Later in the evening, we saw some humpback and minke whales, as well as white beaked dolphins. They were in the distance, so I couldn’t get any pictures.

The next day’s adventure included viewing the bird cliffs at Bjornoya from below and above. The cliffs soar over 400 meters above the sea, and several species of birds nest on the sheer cliff faces. We saw common and Brunnich’s guillemots, kittywakes, glaucous gulls, northern fulmars, and I am sure there were others I can’t identify. We also saw more plants (it is warmer on Bjornoya) including the Arctic poppy.

The island is also interesting from a geological perspective. It has formations that are between 500 million and 1 billion years old, including dolomite and limestone spires and caves along the shore.

Human activity here includes some whaling but mostly walrus hunting and processing as well as coal mining. There is a permanent meteorological station on the island. This is also where the last physical sign of the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (a wing from his plane) was found after his disappearance. Another more recent crash can be seen along the shore – a Russian fishing trawler that ran ashore last year and now sits broken in two.

On a side note here – Sidney is still able to con people into thinking she is sweet and wonderful and fun to be with. Each hike or shore excursion, she picks some poor unsuspecting soul and holds their hand and talks their ear off the whole time. This is Line, the Chief Purser from the ship, who was the victim on Bjornoya.

We sailed back to the north after Bjornoya, heading back to Spitzbergen for a stop at Bellsund. Along the way we saw more humpback whales and dolphins. You can see the tail of a humpback in the distance if you click on this picture. Sorry the quality isn’t that good.

As we were preparing to land at Bellsund, we noticed a small motorboat that didn’t belong to our ship out with our landing vessels. Kimber asked about it later, and found out it belonged to a film crew doing a BBC documentary up the sound. They were apparently out of beer and one of the crew’s birthday was coming up, so they came out to the Fram to see if they could get a beer resupply.

At Bellsund, we made a landing in somewhat choppy surf, but it was well worth the bumpy wet ride on the landing boat. The beach opened up to a flat area below a mountain where there were several Svalbard reindeer feeding. A few were a bit confused by the large groups of humans walking through their grazing area and ran back and forth between the groups. Unfortunately, they encountered an Arctic skua that was nesting and was very defensive. The skua (about the size of a seagull) attacked the reindeer, pulling several clumps of fur out with each dive. I felt bad for the reindeer but was somewhat entertained that this little bird was so fierce as to take them on.

We also saw barnacle geese and little auks. There are bird cliffs on the mountain that was above us, and the little auks breed there along with guillemots. An Arctic fox ran across in the distance. Kimber saw it and described it as looking “like a Springer spaniel” in its summer coat.

Bellsund has active coal mining further up from where we were, but has also seen gold mining and trapping as its primary human activities. The place we landed had several old fox traps, some hunting cabins and an abandoned gold mine.

On the next day’s itinerary was Magdalenafjord, the 80th parallel, Moffen Island and the Raudfjord. It was an absolutely SUPER day!

We started with an early landing at Magdalenafjord. It is one of the most scenic fjords in Svalbard with two glaciers, a calm bay and beautiful granite peaks jutting into the sky. We went ashore and saw the remains of the whaling station from the 1800’s, as well as the graveyard. There are over 130 graves of whalers and others that died here up to two centuries ago. We also hiked up to a moraine and looked at one of the glaciers. It is amazing that many of the glaciers here were at one time connected together at their terminus in the bay.

After the hike, we had the very special opportunity to become polar bears. A sandy beach and warm (9º C) and sunny weather were too inviting to pass up. All three of us took a dip in the bay, with Sidney being the youngest “polar bear” EVER from the Fram or on any of the Arctic Expeditions. After getting out of the water, she played on the beach for more than 30 minutes in nothing but her bathing suit. The guides and others couldn’t resist helping her make sand castles.

We sailed out of Magdalenafjord heading northeast through the fjords to Moffen Island and the 80th parallel. On the way, we spotted a polar bear near a glacier, so we stopped the boat to have a closer look. It turned out to actually be a mother polar bear and her cub, and they came out closer to us to have a look. The cub was quite playful, and it was very special to see the two of them interacting right in front of us.

Sailing on, we reached the 80th parallel right around dinner time. We went out on deck for a special ceremony. “King Neptune” came out and splashed ice water lightly on the crowd, then proceeded to “baptize” (as Sidney called it) those of us brave enough to go through with the ceremony. The ceremony consisted of having a ladle of ice water dumped down your back while kneeling before Neptune. Somehow I got extra special treatment with two ladles of ice water, but the payoff was two shots of Aquavit!

The ship stopped for the ceremony right off Moffen Island, which isn’t much more than a sand bar in the lowest part of the Arctic Ocean. The walruses like it, though, and there were at least 50 on the beach and in the water right in front of us. They are huge, but very graceful swimmers. I was also intrigued by the fact that they tend to walk on their flippers like legs as opposed to just waddling to move.

We had a bit of extra time in the evening, so a vote was taken among the expedition team to go into Raudfjord to see if any polar bears were hanging around on the winter ice pack that remained there. This meant postponing the certificate presentation ceremony for those that swam today, and Sidney was disappointed to the point of tears. Karin, one of the team leaders, then arranged a special individual ceremony for Sidney up on the bridge. The Captain presented her certificate there and even let her sit in his chair for a bit! While on the bridge, Sidney decided to practice her somersaults. Another first for the Fram, someone doing somersaults on the bridge.

As soon as we approached the ice edge in Raudfjord, polar bears were spotted. This time, it was a mother and two cubs! These were a year older than the cub we saw earlier today, but they walked all the way out to the ice edge where the ship was, and the views were wonderful. We spotted some bearded seals as well, which is probably why the polar bears were hanging out here.

We then set sail for Lillehook Glacier and Ny Alesund. Lillehook was iced in, but we went to a glacier in Krossfjorden. The ship docked less than 100 meters from a bearded seal floating on a piece of ice. We boarded the landing boats and cruised right past her, for Sidney decided that it was a girl.

We continued the cruise around several icebergs and the glacier front. The sounds the icebergs make in the water as they melt can best be described as like loud Rice Krispies crackling. We also heard a loud crack from the glacier, and less than a minute later a bit of it calved off with a thundering crash.

After the glacier tour, we set sail to Ny Alesund. A baby bearded seal crawled up onto a small piece of ice near the ship as we were sailing away, and Kimber and I were probably the only ones that saw it.

Ny Alesund started as a mining town. The mine ran for several decades, but after many accidents, the last of which killed 22 people, the mine was closed. Because of its proximity to the North Pole, the town has also served as the jumping off point for several polar expeditions. The mooring mast from Amundsen’s and Nobile’s airship still stands just outside the town.

The town now serves as a scientific research town. There are about 30 people that spend the winter there, and about 300 that live there in the summer. Missions from many countries, including China, South Korea, and India, have their stations here. The town also is home to some interesting wildlife, including several bird species and a family of Arctic foxes that live under one of the buildings in town.

After leaving Ny Alesund for the next day’s adventures, we had a ceremony in the lounge for presentation of our “Above the 80th Parallel” certificates and our Polar Swimming certificates. Sidney also presented some certificates of her own, which I will let Kimber tell you about here.

Mom is so proud of Sidney. First she tried everything on this adventure. But more importantly, she worked really hard to make thank you notes and certificates for the guides, crew and staff. She made a certificate for the Captain for crossing the 80th Parallel, which she gave him at the ceremony. She also was always friendly to the staff and of course made friends with nearly everyone, regardless of language.

Our final day of adventures started with an unplanned stop at Poolepynten. It is basically a sandy point of land on an island called Prins Karl Forland on the west side of Svalbard. We stopped there because previous sailings had spotted walruses on the shore, so we made a landing to get a closer look (and smell – they are very stinky!)

There were also several Arctic terns nesting in the area, so we had to be very careful of where we walked so as not to disturb them or step on the eggs. It was also interesting to see a number of logs washed up along the shore. These travel all the way from Siberian logging operations, get caught up in the ice in the Arctic Ocean, float all the way around the North Pole, then drift southward along the eastern side of Svalbard and back up the western side before coming to a stop on the beach. The entire journey takes anywhere from 11 to 75 years.

After Poolepynten, we sailed into Isfjord to a place called Skansabukta for our final landing. Te area is used by locals for outdoor parties and to “get away” from town for a little bit. We landed under a mountain called “The Fortress” because of its tall and imposing appearance.

We saw several types of plants along the shore and on the mountainside. Because it is further south and in a relatively sheltered cove, it is a virtual jungle compared to other areas we visited. One of the most striking plants was the Jacob’s Ladder, which has beautiful purple blossoms. Other plants also seem to grow taller than almost anything else we had seen, though tall here means about four inches.

As other places we visited, this is a great nesting area or birds. There are bird cliffs on the mountains, and birds nesting along the shore as well. One of our favorites was this Ringed Plover, who was vigilantly protecting her nest. If anyone got too close, she would run away from the nest and put on a show of being injured to draw attention away from her eggs, much like the killdeer do in other places we lived.

The evening wrapped up with a barbeque on board. The weather was beautiful, and the smell of the food cooking on the grill was enough to make us stay out for a little longer than usual. After dinner, we relaxed a bit, and Sidney did a little dancing with Mom, Dad, and some of the crew and guides while another of the guides played his accordion.

We went to bed for the last time as the ship sailed towards Longyearbyen for disembarkation and a return to reality.

We will be in Longyearbyen for a couple of days before returning to Stavanger, and will post at least one more time from here. I am sure we have missed many events from our adventure. As we remember things, we will make some new posts.

We are in the Arctic!

2010-06-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

After a couple of plane rides, we arrived in Longyearbyen this afternoon. The plane trips were pretty uneventful, except that Crown Prince Haakon of Norway was travelling four rows in front of us. All was pretty normal except the cabin announcements all started with "Your Royal Highness, ladies and gentlemen..." No autographs or photos though - sorry.

The weather isn't too bad here so far. It was a little windy, temperatures are in the 30s F and the skies are partly to mostly cloudy. Our room at the Radisson Blu Polar is nice, and there was a Svalbard riendeer grazing just outside when we arrived.

We had dinner at a place called Kroa. The atmosphere was very 'rustic Arctic' with sealskins, old artifacts and pictures and weathered wood. The food was excellent, and prices were quite acceptable by Norwegian standards.

We also looked around the town center a little. Tomorrow will include more exploring and sightseeing, and perhaps a bit of shopping. Svalbard is a tax-free zone, so though prices are expensive because of the cost of getting things all the way up here, they are still comparable if not a little cheaper than normal Norwegian prices.

Pictures to come tomorrow!