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GAZETTE

August 2012

HELGE AND KARI HERMUNDSTAD

         We headed further south the next morning toward the small Norwegian town of Oye where we planned to check out the cemetery.  My mother had said, "It's full of Opdahls."  A short distance down the road from Tyinholmen, maybe less than 20 minutes, I saw the name Hermundstad in bold letters at the entrance to a farm  We had previously noticed that's how many farms are identified in Norway -- with family names that are place names, including on some maps.

         After Allan drove past the sign, it dawned on me that the name was familiar.  It was in my notebook!  I had written down the names of Helge and Kari Hermundstad because they had visited my parents back in 1997 and I had briefly met them.  I told Allan to turn around, that I wanted to see if they knew people named Helge and Kari.

         When the man answered the door, I showed him my notebook and pointed at the name and asked, in English of course, "Do you know this person?"  He replied, "Yes, that is my wife."

         "And this one?" I asked.  "That is me," he said.

         As with many things on this trip, it was incredulous.  And since I believe there is no such thing as coincidence, I chalk it up to divine providence.  After some time of visiting and looking at pictures, we became familiar to each other and started to remember the occasion of 1997. We came to know that Helge Hermundstad and Sue Orsen are, indeed, related.  My great Grandpa Helge Opdahl is a sister to his great Grandma Anna (Opdahl) Hermundstad!

         Kari served us coffee and lefseklinge, which is her specialty, a Norwegian dessert that she makes and sells at fairs and shops in the cities.  It was sweetly delicious with satisfying chewiness.

         Their farm is located in another magnificent setting, beautifully landscaped with a large slate patio behind their home and a stone walk to the rushing river in their backyard.  They have sheep up in the mountain said Helge, who is the fourth generation of his family on the farm.  Their modern home is marked with old and new family treasures, like a museum.  We parted not just as family, but as friends.  By the way, the cemetery down the road at Oye is full of Opdahls.

 

OLO, STOCKHOLM AND COPENHAGEN

         Stories of our drive to Oslo and bullet train rides to Stockholm and Copenhagen beg to be told.  Find all of the story and all of the photos related to our Nordic Adventure in Sue’s Album.

CORNERSTONE

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David Barsness, CPCU

Chaska 952-448-5028

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Text Box: A Nordic Adventure Continued

Kari and Helge Hermundstad in their yard near Oye.