AaFK 1 - Hønefoss 3, Who cares

Ålesund is more than football. Thanks.

Train Travel

Britain's rail system is a very efficient way of travel in the UK. Once we had left our hiking group, we moved between cities by train. We didn't feel that the short time we were there was enough to be comfortable or safe with driving on the "wrong" side of the road. The rails and tunnels and wires and signals of  Waverly Station in Edinburgh make an interesting abstract.

And the traveling companions of our fellow travelers make for interesting speculation. Is there a story behind this character?

The trains keep their schedule and you must be ready to board and alight when it is time. But some hooligans threw a monkey wrench into the schedule between Wales and London on the day we traveled there. Many trains were cancelled because someone had stolen equipment in one of the key areas. Cancellation was necessary for safety sake.

Card night at Solvang

Tullarbo has been left by human inhabitants for this season. Emil the cat, however, was not willing to move together with the other members of Maja´s family yesterday. He stayed the night hunting for some of the hundreds of Thrush birds ready to leave Norway for the season, made his visit to the cottage with a "mjau", took some dry food and left quickly again.We saw Emil a few seconds early this morning when we had breakfast at our stay-over after a Card Night together with Bitte and Terje at their cottage "Toppen".
Although I was ready to take the last round in the game, I ended last with this hand.
I also ended last overall in the Rummy tournament, but with good food and enough drinks I would say that a Saturday Card Night together with friends is something to go for again and again. And we will next time in October.

We play a variation of the Liverpool Rummy with only 5 rounds.

The requirements for each round of play are as follows:

* First - 2 sets (6 cards)
* Second - 1 set & 1 run (7 cards)
* Third - 2 runs (8 cards)
* Fourth - 3 sets (9 cards)
* Fifth - 2 sets & 1 run with no remaining cards in hand, no final discard

Sunday's Psalm--22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.

blooming on Stac Pollaidh

The just rejoice and exult before God;

they are glad and rejoice.

piper in Edinburgh

Sing to God,

 chant praise to his name;

whose name is the LORD.

God,

 in your goodness,

 you have made a home for the poor.

The father of orphans and the defender of widows

is God in his holy dwelling.

St. Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.

windowbox at old mill

God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.

A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;

you restored the land when it languished;

rainbow over Loch Broom

sheep near Hadrian's Wall

your flock settled in it;

in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.

God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor. 

from Psalm 68

Moving home from Tullarbo

Today Maja, Tor Marius and Rikke has left Tullarbo and moved home to their apartment. More than three months have gone since they left Sagene and moved up for staying at the cottage this summer. They have acted like real "farmers" and have taken good care of the area with quality attitude. More than satisfactory.

However, there is always lot of works to do during the months to comemaking the raspberry beds free of weeds, cutting lawn grass and remove downfallen apples.

When winter has covered the groundand before mid May next year.you have to prepare for next summer season.
Welcome back to work and relaxation.

Our community was rocked...shocked...

I take a break in the posts about our trip to Scotland, England and Wales, because today marked a sad event in our local community. In the early morning hours one night last week, a devastating fire took the lives of three Washington State Patrol employees from the area.

We knew Gary Miller back when he was a patrolman in the Grandview Police Department at the beginning of his law enforcement career. An Eagle Scout himself, he was a volunteer with our Cub Scout Pack.

He went on to a career in the State Patrol. Whenever I saw a patrol car pass, I always gave a glance to see if it was Gary.

His wife Ann worked in the Emergency Dispatch Center. It was she who calmly called in the 911 call about the fire. Though I never met Ann, I knew her parents.

Trooper Kristopher Sperry was staying with the Millers until he could move into his new home this week.

A memorial for the three was held in the Yakima Sundome today. About 2000 people attended. Many more lined the streets or gathered on overpasses along I-82 as a procession of 213 police and fire vehicles made its way to the services.

We joined a group on the Outlook overpass that included several Fire and Rescue employees, some others who knew Gary, and 90½ year old (he included that "one half" specifically the several times he mentioned his age) Alvin Hufnail, who told us he was the first person Miller met in Grandview. Hufnail says a hungry Miller came into the grocery he was working in for some purchases and they later became fast friends.

He had carefully fastened his American and Washington flags to a long bamboo pole to display on the overpass.

Near the staging area, Sunnyside jail trustees gave a spruce up to patrol cars that had come a distance for the procession. Officers from as far as Montana participated in the procession, while some Canadian officers also attended the memorial.The highway lane was closed to other traffic to clear the way.

It took about twenty miinutes before the last of the procession passed.

I'm not sure, but I think this fly-over was a WSP aircraft--"the eye in the sky".

And all covered by the local TV reporter.

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Gary Miller, Ann Miller-Hewitt, Kristopher Sperry

May you rest in peace.

August 29th

1758: The first American Indian Reservation is established in New Jersey. It is led by Chief Mall Rat.

1825: Portugal recognizes the Independence of Brazil… mostly while staring at women in thongs.

2007: Six U.S. cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads are flown without proper authorization from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base. When they are returned, the missiles are grounded for a month with no dessert.