Day 53, 7/1/12, at Skogfjorden Norwegian Camp, Bemidji, MN

Porcupine sighting!  Mari awakened it from its nap, and it slowly waddled over the bridge and down the path.  Mari followed him from a safe distance for a while, and it just kept waddling along, unperturbed.  It finally became perturbed and trotted off into the grass.

That was Mari's first live porcupine sighting.  Up until then, it was only dead porcupine's on the road.
Fun to see one that was alive and now throwing quills.

That sums things up nicely about Concordian Language Villages.

Tove and Hans Erik at Allsang

Tove and Hans Erik at Allsang



The big paper clip play structure given in honor of Tove's 25 years of leadership for Skogfjorden. (the paper clip was invented by a Norwegian)

The entrance way coming into Concordia Language Villages at Turtle River Lake, near Bemidji.

Welcome to Skogfjorden!

Staff housing at Skogfjorden

Stave kirke (stave church) at Skogfjorden

Staff housing at Skogfjorden

The boat house by the lake

Turtle River Lake.

Terry with his left arm in a splint.

Terry, Hans Erik, and Mari.  Camp was gathered by the fire pit, and then we moved to the lake for an all camp tire dipping ceremony.

The front tire dipping ceremony, signifying an end to Part 1 of the cross country bike trip, having biked 2700 miles from Oregon at the Pacific Ocean to Skogfjorden, near Bemidji, Minnesota. The camp counted "En, To, Tre!" (one, two, three!) and we dipped our tires in the lake.




Terry, Mari, and Hans Erik listening to Tove.

Tove created a lovely certificate for Terry and Mari about the bike trip and ending the first part of it at Skogfjorden.

Tove talks about the land near Skogfjorden.

Tove shows the certificate.

Hans Erik has a belly laugh about something, with Terry, Mari, and Tove.

Hans Erik, Terry, Mari, and Tove.

Hans Erik, Mari, Ann (our daughter that we didn't know we had), and Terry

Elsebet, Terry, Mari, Syd, and Hans Erik.

Syd came from Waldsee for the tire tipping ceremony!  Hometown Europe reunion with Parsley, Syd, and Luke.

And Merryl was at Waldsee!  Also from Hometown Europe; Luke, Merryl, and Parsley.

Linda, the health guru of Concordia Language Villages, and Mari.

Bukkesjoen, the lake where the whole camp hiked to for evening vespers. People played quiet music, read, spoke. Erik had asked Mari to play something on the accordion, so she borrowed Linda's accordion, and played a beautiful Swedish waltz called "Emma". Vespers was a terrific ending to the day which included the tire dipping. Good healing going on.