Finland

Wow, three months later, and I'm still trying to get some more posts up about our trip!  In a way this is good.  It's been such an extremely busy summer, which makes it seem like our trip happened a year ago or more, so, sorting through and looking at pictures helps me remember and appreciate it all again. I think that this and one more about some of our sight seeing in Finland will about wrap it up.  Then I want to start putting together a photo book so I have a hard copy to sit down with to enjoy it all over again,...and again....and again....

We flew from Riga, Latvia to Helsinki Finland and then on to Vaasa.  I enjoyed this part of our trip in the smaller prop jets because you fly a little lower and could enjoy a view of the sea and country side we were flying over...plus they were quite comfortable and smooth flying.  I loved seeing all the islands as we were nearing Helsinki.  On the ground at Helsinki we saw this darling family with three or four year old (I'm guessing) quadruplets.  They were on our flight to Vaasa and they must have traveled well, as I heard nary a peep from them.  The only drawback to this part of the trip is that this was the only time our luggage did not arrive with our flight!  They were on the next flight in late that night, and dear brother Larry went back in to Vaasa to retrieve our bags and delivered them to our door by the next morning, so we weren't without our stuff for long.

The welcome mat was out at Udo and Damaris' home away from home at Vaasa. What a wonderful place to stay and to feel at home ....with dear friends from Montana!  Their home was lovely and modern and comfortable, showing the fruits of their efforts to get it furnished and habitable.  The bottom left is of the stairs to the upper level where our bedroom was.  The bottom right is the view out our bedroom window, showing just a bit of the balcony off the bedroom.  It was nice to enjoy the view of some lovely farm ground.

Erica had arrived for a visit with her parents and Grandpa a day or so after we arrived, so it was lovely to have time with that vivacious and adventuresome young lady.  Did you know she is a distant cousin to Roger?  Let's see, how is that so....her Grandma Hulbert was first cousin to Roger's Dad, I believe. Lower left is Damaris pictured with her Dad, Henry, who lives on the Vaasa conv. place.  Lower left: we spent most of our trip enjoying the company of Tama B. as she was in Latvia with us and flew at the same time as we to Vaasa to be at the conv. there.

Top left:  the outside of Udo and Damaris house    Top right: Henry's house (notice the big  boulder in the yard and woods...a very prevalent sight here.  Probably as much is under ground as is visible above ground....or maybe more in some cases.

Bottom left: a hill side of wild flowers and some of the woods we walked through getting from one house to another.  They've been working to slowly clear some of the trees, so it's not quite so densely wooded.

Here you see the most common color on houses and other buildings in Finland.  I loved it!  A close second  was the yellow gold color like that on Henry's house.  Top left is the laundry/shower building.  Top right is the main conv. building with kitchen, dining and mtg. hall on the lower level and sleeping quarters and storage lofts on the upper level.  Bottom left is the oldest house on the property and bottom right is the shop.

Dear Henry in front of his home.  Also pictured some more natural landscaping and boulders.  Bottom right is a sauna.  It has seating all around the perimeter and the fire pit in the middle.  We didn't get to experience that Finish tradition...must be more of a winter thing.  I've heard of sweating it out in a sauna and then going out and rolling in the snow....invigorating, no doubt!

Top left: How many ways can you say welcome?  Top right: the tractor used in clearing the woods.  Bottom left:  I fell in love with this sweet dog and the too dear little girls.  We missed having children around during our time in Latvia.  Bottom right: a view of the yard from the main conv. building,  Benji the dog used to live on the conv. place at Kegums until the older couple who lived there, needed to move back to Cananda.  At that time, Benji came to live with the Sorenson's in Helsinki.  This weekend he got to ride along with them when they came for the weekend at Vaasa.

This is a picture of some of the conv. preparations going on: washing all the dishes to use and setting up the meeting hall. Pictured around the dishwashing are Vicki Sorenson, Anneli (Damaris' sister) older lady whose name I can't remember, Nicola L. and Gordon.  In the meeting room is Davis Sorenson.  He was also at the conv. in Latvia

This is the conv. kitchen.  In the center picture is the lady who cooked a hot and delicious meal for all of those at the B-day on Saturday. Anne is also the mother of the two cute girls pictured above.

Here are all of us enjoying the noon meal prepared by Anne and helpers for everyone who had come for the work day. Sitting beside Larry in the top left is Eldon Knudson.  I appreciated so much that he kindly suggested Larry accompany us on the last leg of our journey when we drove to Turku and rode the ferry across to Stockholm where we were to fly home from.  Eldon was quite often the breakfast cook and believe me, we enjoyed some good and hearty breakfasts!  On the last morning we were there, he took me up on my offer to cook breakfast, and Roger and I made oatmeal pancakes and scrambled eggs.  Eldon wasn't sleeping in though....he was there helping....and maybe to make sure I'd be good at my word and breakfast would really  happen :-)

I loved this dinner bell and the brown transfer ware dishes.

We helped Nicola celebrate her birthday while we there.  We didn't have the usual birthday cake.  Instead the girls all had fun putting together the cute watermelon and fruit faces that you see here :-)  We enjoyed eating it along with afternoon tea and coffee.  I should mention the Finnish coffee here.....I was always satisfied with one small cup of coffee.  Yes, it is robust!! .... but quite good.

And I loved, loved, loved the abundant wild flowers growing along side the roads everywhere....especially the beautiful lupine!

These three pictures were taken in Jurg and Anneli's yard.  They live just a short walk down the road from the conv.  I loved how they made the gigantic boulder in their yard part of the landscaping with that flowering vine growing up and over it.  Picture on the far right is another huge boulder beside their driveway which was covered with a mossy type growth.

Top left:  Christa Sorenson, enjoying being united with Benji again   Top right:  Christa and Nicola, two young but capable sister workers.  Bottom left: Jurg and Anneli (Damaris' sister and brother in law)  Bottom right:  Peter and Anne and their two girls, Tiia and Leea and their Grandma.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a very special day, beginning with fellowship mtg. together in Henry's house.  The speaking and singing was in Swedish, but we had whisper mikes to hear the English interpretation.  Udo and Damaris prepared a wonderful noon day meal for all of us.  They made several wonderful salads and Udo marinated and grilled lamb cabobs.....delicious!!  Top left:  Roger and I with Larry.  Top middle: enjoying lunch and Top right:  Jurg and Anneli prepared a wonderful buffet of an assortment of cheeses, crackers and fruits for supper which we all enjoyed Sunday evening.  After that meal we enjoyed a hymn sing and visit in their lovely home.  The bottom picture:  Todd and Vicki Sorenson and their children Cohen, Davis, Trevin and Christa.  Also pictured with them is Vicki's mother, Barbara Rowell, who was visiting from Calif.  I sure enjoyed getting to know her and hearing her testimony. 

A little look inside the old red house.  Nicola was staying upstairs in this cute little old house. Lower left: I like this picture of Barbara beside the blue painted cupboard.  Lower right: a relief map of Finland that was hanging on one of the walls.

I am now working on the final post about our trip.  It will cover some of the sightseeing we did in Finland and our ferry ride over to Stockholm.  A fabulous way to end our time here!

till next time,

Linda