day 7 Tysvær Cultural Officer Ingvar

A snowy morning on the Slogvik farm. Keith, out for a walk, meets Einar & Rotraud and asks them to pose in front of their house.

Rotraud takes this photo of Einar, Keith and snowflakes in front of the tractor, which is used this time of year for hauling silage to the cows. PC strikes his "wolf" pose.

Another view of the Slogvik home. Keith reflects on a photo taken from about this same place in the summer of 2000. Fond memories!

On his walk up the lane, Keith takes this shot of Einar's dump truck. His truck and excavator work is on pause, reportedly because of the weather. We suspect holiday guests might also play a part.

PC leads the way back towards home. Keith took several other pictures on this morning walk, but the low light and gray sky and gray looking snow made most of them seem too bland to share.

We all get ready and drive to Aksdal where Peg & Keith have been invited to have lunch with Ingvar Frøyland, Tysvær Cultural Officer. This shot of the kommune center building where his office is located was taken on another, more sunny day.

Keith and Ingvar meet just outside Ingvar's pleasant modern office. They laugh as Keith is wearing a tie while Ingvar is not. Last time they met, at the Aksdal Emigration Festival Concert in July 2000, Keith found that he was underdressed without a tie.

After a very pleasant lunch in the staff dining room, Keith & Ingvar enjoy discussing many issues, among which are Ingvar's connection to the California town of Arcata which is not to far from our home. Hanging on the wall is a very beautiful quilt.

While the guys continue talking on such topics as Keith's idea of a monument for the Slooper ancestors who are buried at Napa, CA,* and Einar's Slooper Senter concept,** Peg enjoys looking around this very attractive dinning room.

She is very impressed with the distinctive textile art displayed on the walls, like this appliquéd piece depicting Norwegian farm life.

Sorry, but we lost some of our notes from this day so we cannot give proper credit to the artists.

And then there is this striking pieced appliqué hanging.

We noticed tasteful works of art displayed throughout this modern and attractive government building. Appreciation of art, emphasizing local artists, was very apparent.

Ingvar and Keith pose by an
exceptional original portrait of the famous Cleng Peerson
(1783-1865) who became
known as the "father of
Norwegian immigration."
Cleng is Keith's 3rd cousin 5
times removed! We learned at the history group meeting that he was born on the Lervik farm about 15 km south of Aksdal instead of the Hesthammar farm, as many historians previously thought.

A close-up of the Cleng Peerson painting rendered by Norwegian artist, Odd Nerdrum in 1983. No photographs or true images of this famous person exist, so images of him are based on verbal reports and information about his life. Ingvar pointed out the delicate fingers in this painting, as Cleng was known as an idea man and not one prone to physical labor.

We were shown here the nicely designed and furnished Tysvær municipality*** government chambers. On the back walls are displayed large stylized portraits of what Ingvar pointed out as some of Tysvær's treasures - its older folks.

One of these very attractive portraits looked very familiar to us. This is Nils Stakland who will soon turn 90. We had the honor of meeting him on our previous visit. While some people refer to him as the "Last Quaker" in Tysvær, his family prefers the term "only Quaker." We will meet Nils again in a few days.

*Check out our "Slooper Monument Project" page - Keith's project to obtain some sort of Slooper memorial at the graves of Jacob Anderson Slogvig and his wife Serena Tormodsdatter Madland, Tulocay Cemetery, Napa California - The Sloopers who settled farther west than any of the others on the "Norwegian Mayflower," the Sloop Restoration.

Day 7 - Snow on Slogvik - Meeting with Cultural Officer, Ingvar Frøyland, Aksdal -Thurs., Dec. 20, 2001