May Sundfjord Sun

SUNDFJ RD SUN
Sundfjord Lodge # 66-065
Editor Lise Fleming
MAY 2015
Meeting Location:
4630 Wheeler Ave.
La Verne, CA 91750
Rock of the Foothills Church
Second Saturday at 12:00 Noon
Kalendar
(Coming Events)
President’s Message.
Last months
meeting was well
attended and we
were happy to see
Pauline Pederson
back with us after
her illness.
Thank you to
Lise Fleming for
her demonstration of how to
make open-faced sandwiches.
Lise also did culture on “how to
tag a Norwegian on names”. It
was interesting to learn that the
Norwegians settled all over the
USA and can be recognized by
their last names. We also learned
that in politics, sports and
Hollywood, one can find lots of
Norwegians.
“Gratulerer med syttende mai!”
Norway’s Constitution Day
For our May 9th meeting we will
be celebrating 17th of May with
open-faced sandwiches. Looking
forward to see your creativeness.
As usual, we plan to attend the
flag hoisting ceremony at San
Bernardino City Hall on Friday,
May 15 at 10:00 am, hosted by
Soldalen Lodge # 67. We will
have a carpool so please let Lise
Fleming know if you plan to
attend.
Wear your “bunad” or red, white
and blue colors and don’t forget
your Norwegian flag and your
“syttende mai sløyfe”. We will
have lunch together afterwards at
a local restaurant.
Look at the Kalendar for more
17 of May celebrations. If you
have never attended the Nansen
Field event, it is highly
recommended that you do so
because this is a lot like
celebrating in Norway.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Agnes Anderson Deeb
MAY
9 Sundfjord’s Meeting
10 Mother’s Day
15 “Syttende Mai”
Celebration at San
Bernardino City Hall
at 10:00 AM
16 “Syttende Mai” Flag
hoisting Ceremony
at Peer Gynt’s
Lodge at 11:00 am
17 “Syttende Mai”
Celebrations at
Nansen Field, San
Pedro at 11:00 am
17 “Syttende Mai”
Celebrations at the
Norwegian Seamen
Church in San
Pedro at 5:00 pm
22 King Harald visiting
Washington State
23-25 Memorial Day at
Camp Norge, Alta,
26 King Harald visiting
Alaska
JUN
6 Vinland Lodge’s
Heritage Fair,
Temecula
13 Sundfjord’s Meeting
1
Gratulerer med dagen
2014/2015 Sundfjord’s Officers
President:
Agnes Deeb
(909) 985-1076
Vice President: Open
Counselor:
Pauline Pederson
(909) 986-1655
[email protected]
Secretary:
Lise Fleming
(909) 624-2868
[email protected]
Treasurer:
Ruth Higley
(909) 982-4113
[email protected]
Membership
Walli Jean Stranahan
Secretary:
(909) 989-1394
[email protected]
Social
Agnes Deeb
Director:
(909) 985-1076
Marshal:
Mary Stewart
(909) 982-5238
Foundation
Ruth Higley
Director:
(909) 982-4113
[email protected]
Cultural
Director:
Open
Publicity
James (Jim) Stewart
Director:
(909) 982-5238
[email protected]
Editor:
Lise Fleming
(909) 624-2868
[email protected]
Web Master
Art Aslesen
(909) 593-4422
[email protected]
Historian:
Char Nelson
(909) 593-4447
[email protected]
Sports
James (Jim) Stewart
Director:
(909) 982-5238
[email protected]
Youth
Diane Griego
Directors:
(909) 391+3232
Sunshine:
Mary Stewart
(909) 982-5238
Greeter:
Brian Stranahan
(909) 989-1394
[email protected]
TubFrim
Char Nelson
(909) 593-4447
Auditors:
Dennis Robinson and
Brian Stranahan
Camp Norge
Lise Fleming
Ambassador
[email protected]
Zone Director: Rick Hausvik
(619) 579-5447
[email protected]
Insurance Rep: James Donovan
(760) 440-9905
May
5...................................Ashley Davis
10..................................Jim Stewart
12..................................Paige Pederson
19……………………..Dean Pederson
June
1………………………Lise Fleming
9………………………Mary Jo Martinsen
11………………………Art Aslesen
18………………………Rachel Ricci Deeb
23………………………Brian Stranahan
God Bedring
(Get Well)
Lola Peterson is coming along slowly
but surely.
We were all happy to see Pauline
Pederson was back at our April
meeting.
(Please let us know if any of our members are
under the weather.)
Smørbrød demonstrasjon
Open-faced sandwich
demonstration
Open-faced sandwiches are
popular throughout
Scandinavia with various meats
and cheeses that are stacked
beautifully on a slice of bread.
They are dressed up to look
delicious and beautiful. A tray
of sandwiches includes
countless open-face sandwich
combinations. There is no set
recipe of what to put on the
sandwich so be creative.
At last month’s meeting, Lise
Fleming did a demonstration
on making Norwegian openfaced sandwiches.
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The Norwegians are proud of their country with its stunning
fjords and endless forests. They are proud of their
government, national ski team and education system. They
are even proud of their high tax rate. They are in short, very
proud, to be Norwegians. They don’t like to shout about it
except on “syttende mai” (May 17th), Norway’s National
Day.
On May 17, 1814, the founding fathers of modern Norway,
the Eidsvollmenn (literally, the Men of Eidsvoll) signed
Norway’s constitution at the Manor House in Eidsvoll. This
constitution was considered to be one of the most democratically liberal in the world. However, at the time, Norway was
under Danish rule and the constitution was seen as a
declaration of independence. From that day onwards,
Norwegians have gathered on May 17 to express their
nationalism, even though Norway was later ceded to Sweden
and only gained independence in 1905.
17th of May is the most important day
on the Norwegian calendar. It’s a day
of dressing in your best attire, many in
bunad (National costume). The entire
country is draped in the Norwegian
colors, red, white and blue.
In
small
villages, along fjords, the
mountain valleys and the
cities, children march in
parades, waving their flags
and shouting “Hurra for
syttende mai”. Everyone
greets each other with
“Gratulerer med dagen” (Congratulations for the day).
In Oslo, the parade winds past the palace and the Royal
Family stands for hours waving to the passing school
children.
Despite of outward show of nationalism, 17th of May is not a
celebration of national power, there are no showings of
military troops or weapons. Norway celebrates by showing
off their pride and hopes for
the future, their children. It is
also a celebration of unity, a
show of pride of their nation
where everyone works
towards the same goals. It is
about a country coming
together to celebrate what
they have achieved when they
work together.
Hipp…Hipp…Hurra!
Norway’s National Anthem
(Ja, vi elsker dette landet…..)
Ja, vi elsker dette landet som det stiger frem,
furbitt, værbitt over vannet med de tusne hjem.
Elske, elsker det å tenker, på vår far og mor,
og den saga natt som senker, drømme på vår jord.
Og den saga natt som senker,
senker drømme på vår jord.
Translation
Yes, we love this country as it rises forth,
rugged, weathered, above the sea with the
thousands of homes.
Love, love it and think of our father and mother
and the saga night that sends dreams to our earth.
And the saga night that sends dreams to our earth.
Local “syttende mai” celebrations
Bring your Norwegian Flag and 17 mai sløyfe
•
•
•
•
Friday, May 15, 10 am at San Bernardino
City Hall, 300 North D Street. Followed by a
no host lunch at a local restaurant. Wear
bunad and/or red, white and blue Norwegian
colors. Don’t forget your flag.
Saturday, May 16, 10 am at Peer Gynt
Hall, 3835 Watseka Ave, Culver City. Lunch
menu; medister pølse, surkål, red potatoes
and desert. Cost $ 15.00 per person. For
reser-vation, mail check to John Olsen, 9641
Oma Pl, Garden Grove, CA 92841.
Sunday, May 17, 10 am at Nansen Field,
15 Hidden Valley Road, Rolling Hills Estate,
CA. Flag hoisting ceremony, open-air Church
service, speeches and congratulations, folketog (people’s parade) Norwegian food booths,
and children’s games. Lots of family fun!
Sunday, May 17, 5:00 pm, ”velkommen
til norsk syttende mai feiring” at Sjømannskirken, 1035 Beacon Street, San Pedro, CA
Pølser, rundstykker, brus, bløtkaker,
marsipankaker og kaffe. Games for the whole
family; parade, speeches and congratulations.
Suggested donations per person:
Adults - $ 10.00
Children - $ 5.00
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WHEN: Saturday, August 1, 2015
WHO: at the Stranahan’s home
WHERE: 8580 Buggy Whip Drive
Alta Loma, CA 91701
TIME: From 5:00 pm until…………………….?
Walli Jean and Brian have so gracefully again offered to
host our annually summer gettogether at their home.
Please sign up at the June
meeting if you will be attending
and what dish to bring.
Also, they have a pool so don’t
forget to bring your bathing suit, towel and sun screen.
Camp Trollfjell Contest
Dear Sons of Norway District
6 Lodges,
As you know Camp Trollfjell is
coming back again this summer
under the new leadership of
Erik Peters and Clayton Davis.
Among other changes being
brought to camp this year, like the newly updated
Camp website and a camp store, we have decided to do
something new and exciting with the T-shirts we give to
campers and staff. In past years, the designs for the shirts
have been made by camp staff and in more recent years,
the same design has been used year after year. So we have
decided to let the new design for this summer come from
the youth throughout district 6. All contestants will have
their designs posted on the camp website and Facebook
page. Voting will take place on our Facebook page.
The theme for camp this year is “changes.” The prizes for
1st through 3rd place go as follows:
● 1st place will have their design put on the shirts for this
summer and receive $25 credit for the camp store
● 2nd place will receive $10 credit for the camp store
● 3rd place will receive $5 credit for the camp store
To enter this contest, send your design to
[email protected] by June 1st.
Good Luck contestants!
Sincerely,
Clayton Davis
2717 Princeton Court
Marina, CA 93933
(626) 755‐6494
csdavis89@gmail
Camp Trollfjell Instructors
We still need a Rosemaling
Teacher and Folk Dancing
Instructor. Can you volunteer?
Can you give of your talents to
the young people, 8-13 years of
age, for two weeks from July 1225th? Visit www.sofn6.org/arv
and read about us.
Celebrate Memorial Day at Camp Norge
May 23, 24 and 25th, 2015
The Recreation Center Board invites you to Camp Norge
for a fun and relaxing three-day camping experience at
your own recreation center, our “Paradise in the
Sierras.”
Come celebrate this true American Holiday with us. We
have exciting plans for the weekend you won’t want to
miss!
• Beginning with an awesome museum field trip on
Saturday
• A Craft Fair together with hosted Cocktail Party
and Silent Auction on Saturday afternoon.
(Please contact Penny to donate your silent auction
items ASAP at [email protected].
An excited hike to the river on Sunday
But best of all, come for the Big Surprise on
Saturday!
Bring your tent or RV or call Sandy to reserve a room at
(530)389-2508.
Not familiar with the rooms or wish to reserve a room on
the website? Visit www.campnorge.org
Delicious meals will be provided for the week-end and
served in the Heritage Hall. The usual amenities will be
available: swimming pool, horseshoe pit and the hiking
trail and more!
Pre-registration for lodging and meals a MUST
The Registration Deadline is May 13, 2015. Make
checks payable to Camp Norge
•
•
Wishing all
our Mothers
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Alaska Cruise in 2015
7 Night Alaska Cruise
Royal Caribbean’s
“
Jewel of the Seas”
We invite ALL Lodges to join us
Cruise with Sundfjord Lodge
August 28, 2015 from Seattle, WA
Interior staterooms starts at $ 999.00 (based on double
occupancy) + tax and port fees of $ 203.28. Insurance is
recommended in case of something unforseen should
happen. For us to be seated together in the dining room,
the cruiseline request that ONE person makes all the
reservations. Please book the EARLY dinner seating.
We have selected Laura Sandercock at the AAA Auto
Club in La Verne, CA to be the ONE who make ALL
our reservations. Phone: (909) 596-7973 or (909) 3921444. E-mail: [email protected] Please
let Laura know that you are with the Sons of Norway
group. She is the ONLY person that will get us seated
together at dinners.
“PASSPORT REQUIRED”
For more information or any questions contact Lise
Fleming via e-mail at [email protected], or call
at (909) 624-2868, evenings.
This is a very popular cruise so book
early or you will miss the boat!
Gjetost og bananer
Gjetost is Norway’s most popular cheese. Norwegians
may eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The name
means goat (gjet) cheese (ost). It was originally made
only from goat milk but now it can be
made with a combination of goat and
cow milk. However, to earn the gjetost
designation, it must contain at least 10%
goat milk. It is a pasteurized cheese that
is aged into small cubes for one to
two months. Geitost may have the
firm, smooth texture of fresh fudge
and taste like molten caramel, but this
confection is 100% cheese.” It is a
popular energy snack with Nordic skiers and is
sometimes called “ski cheese”.
If you are visiting the Washington, D.C., Metro
area, stop in at Cheesetique, located at 4056
Campbell Ave in Shirlington Village, Arlington, VA
for the special treat of grilled geitost and banana
sandwiches listed on their menu.
Sons of Norway
Mission Statement
The mission of Sons of Norway
is to promote and preserve the
heritage and culture of Norway,
to celebrate our relationship with
other Nordic countries, and
provide quality insurance and
financial products to its
members.
Sons of Norway Web sites
• Sunday, October 11 – Vinland Lodge’s
20th Anniversary, Temecula
• Saturday, October 17 – Solskinn Lodge’s
25th Anniversary, Palm Desert
• Weekend of October 23 to 25 – Southern
California Kretsstevne at KOA in
Banning
Sundfjord Lodge: www.sundfjord.org
International: www.sofn.com
District 6: www.sofn6.org
Camp Norge: www.campnorge.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sonsofnorway
Blog: http://sonsofnorwayblog.blogspot.com
5
4 Unique and Untranslatable
Norwegian Words
1. Takk for sist – Norwegians are not known as the
kindest people in the world, however, they do say “takk”
(thank you) for many things such as “Takk for maten, takk
for meg and takk for nå”.........But
none of them is as hard as ”Takk
for sist” for translating into English.
It literarily means thanks for the
last time we were together. It is
used when you see someone you have not seen in a while.
2. Koselig – koselig can be translated as nice or cozy
but those only describe parts
of what “kos or koselig”
means. Kos means enjoying
time with your friends or some
free time on your own. This
can be as simple as having
coffee and cake with friends or
being alone in a cabin in the
mountains. Even working or training hard can be
“koselig” if you are doing it with people you like.
3. Utepils – literally means out beer. It is a very special
expression for Norwegians who long for sunny days. Then
as soon as they see a bit of the sun, they
invite you for “utepils”. Actually, utepils
simply means any beer enjoyed outside.
The word is made up of two words, “ute”
(outside) and “pils” which is simply short
for Pilsner, a type of local beer most
commonly consumed in Norway. “Pils” is
also itself an interesting word, which
means “to drink beer”.
4. Pålegg – This unique word is almost summary of
Norwegian eating habit.
In everyday language, it
mostly is used to describe
edibles on top of “openfaced sandwiches.
Everyday meaning of
“pålegg” is much more
than this description. It is
an indispensible part of
the Norwegian “matpakke” (packed lunch) for school,
work, nature walks, skiing and every possible social
event.
Is There Such a Thing as Norwegian
Drinking Culture?
One might wonder – is there such a thing as Norwegian
drinking culture? Yes, drinking customs in this country
differs from the examples in some other countries……..
However, it becomes difficult to say who has been there
first; the chicken or the egg? Ergo; the
alcohol or the culture? Yet one might
conclude that among climate, history,
language and all the other generally
accepted factors that form a
community or culture, alcohol might
also be an interesting factor to look at. It is so often
involved with social gathering, food and restaurants,
adolescent life and night/life areas. When agreeing with
that notion, however, one might wonder – is there such a
thing as Norwegian drinking culture? Is there the
enjoyment of having a glass of wine on a gentle
summer’s night, an after-work beer at the pub around the
corner or a tasty one-for-the-road after a heavy meal? In
order not to be one-sided regarding Norwegian social
life, the first answer has to be; yes. In private circle,
without a doubt.
Yet Scandinavian drinking conduct differs. Generally
labeled as being slightly reserved and cautious, many
Norwegians tend to turn that around when drinking. It
often appears to be without limits, sometimes leading to
excess and culminates into situations often associated
with binge-drinking. Of course this is not only a
Norwegian problem but an apparent global one. In
Norway however, the high alcohol prices force young
adults to get wasted with cheap alcohol during the
“vorspiel” or pre-party, and eventually end up turning
into jumping jolly bouncing balls on Oslo’s dance floors
on the weekends. Once in a while, that is a blast for sure.
However, just having a simple glass to linger with, or a
drink to accompany a chat or meal –completely without
the foggy memories and without the headache that feels
like you took a baseball bat to the forehead the next
morning- might be worth trying for a change.
Due to the high liquor prices in
Norway, a common practice when
you have a party at your home is
that your host gives you a
welcome drink but you are
expected to bring your own liquor
bottles for the rest of the evening.
Each person(s) writes their name on their bottles and
nobody touches your bottles unless invited to do so.
6
Life Expectancy Increases in Norway
Life expectancy is 84.1 years for Norwegian women, 80
years for men. Highly educated men
live seven years longer than those
with elementary school. For women,
the difference between the educated
and less educated is five years.
Life expectancy continues to rise in
Norway. From 2013 to 2014, life
expectancy increased by 0.5 years
for women and 0.4 years for men.
Also life expectancy has risen more
for men than for women after 2000. The reason why
life expectancy for men and women approach each
other is probably more equal employment and lifestyle.
Although women on average expect to live longer than
men, this does not apply when comparing educational
levels. Women with primary education now have a
shorter life expectation than men with higher education.
This is a new development in Norway.
Norway Police Builds Happy Cells
Kristiansund Police makes local artists paint happy
cells to make their “guests” feel more comfortable. The
police chief was tired of the dull cells so he got local
artists to make them more soothing. The artists, who
worked
voluntarily,
chose motifs
that can
sooth the
mood of their
“guests”. In
one cell’s
painting, a
young couple
is enjoying a
sunset while children are playing. On the other cell
wall, there is a clown figure. It will be interesting to see
how the “guests” react when they wake up. It might
inspire other police stations to do something similar and
call it “happy cells”.
For Sale
Kent Karlsen from Bodø put an unusual classified ad in
the newspaper. It said that he would sell his house on
Buøya for only 1 NOK. This special house on the
desolated island has its own private beach and is for
sale for only one Norwegian krone. But the sale comes
with one condition - the buyer must agree to renovate the
house.
The property, on the Norwegian island of Buøya, just
outside
Gjerøy on
Rødøy, has
stayed empty
since the
1970’s when
Karlsen
inherited it
from his
grandmother.
He didn’t want it to simply be sold to someone else who
would neglect it so as a result, he put it up for sale for a
bargain price.
It takes 6 NOK to one US dollar so this is DIRT CHEAP!
Elk warning signs don't stop accidents
The elk warning signs much prized by tourists in Norway
have almost no impact on
road accidents. The signs
can be found all over
Norway, particularly in the
picturesque counties of
Hedmark and
Telemark. According to a
new report, which
examined the 4,700 elk and
deer killed in car collisions
between 2008 and 2013, there is little evidence that
motorists slow down in response to them. The signs are
supposed to tell road users that they should slow down, but
it turns out that in reality nobody does. You drive down a
stretch of road where there are elk warning signs and you
don’t see an elk. You drive there ten more times and you
don’t see en elk. You drive twenty times and you still do
not see an elk. Then the effect goes away.
There has been a long struggled against sign thefts, with
Telemark county last year reporting an increase in the
number of thefts. The finger has long been pointed at the
middle-aged German couples
who tour around the country’s
lakes and forests in their
motorized caravans each
summer. In 2001, one German
had built a garden table solely
out of stolen elk signs. Rather
than spending money erecting warnings signs, it has been
decided it would be better off removing tree cover close to
roads to give motorists a better chance of seeing elk before
they attempt to cross over.
7