Tales from Gåseflå

The four children in the front from the left: Ragna, Arne, Ragnvald, and Mikal. Standing behind from the left: Anna (Store Anna) Mikalsdatter Hornnes, Osmund Bårdsen Gåseflå, Marie, Gunie, John Stean (Sadie’s brother), Lars Stensland. The horse was named “Pil.” The photo was taken ca 1905.

[photo courtesy of Alf Georg Kjetså]

On an earlier post there is another view of this same photo but I am repeating it here to go with a couple of stories that Inger Frøysaa related about her father and his brothers who are the little boys in the picture.

Father’s watch

“A little story from the Gåseflå brothers.

"
Ragnvald could not resist a desire to see his father's pocket-watch on the inside and of course also the parts separately. But it was not easy to put it together again and after a while he gave in. Then he took his father's hat and coat went to his mother and said with a deep voice:

‘My dear lady. I am the watchmaker from the city I must unfortunately tell you, madam that it would be terribly expensive to repair this watch. It will be much more inexpensive to put it together yourself.’

It was told that it was difficult for his mother to hide a smile.”

Red Currant Berries

“The rascal boys from Gåseflå: The railway came in 1896, the same year as my father was born. I think he was" a good" teacher for his younger brothers.


“The train passed 2 or 3 times daily and the boys were almost always staying next to the tracks and waved to the passengers. The ladies waved back to them and thought that they were such cute little boys. In the summertime the ladies often wear white dresses and hats. These were people who left the city in the summer and had their holidays at the countryside.


“Grandmother had a lot of currant bushes and the little cute boys made "snowballs" with their hands and the goal was the ladies on the train. And guess if they hit ??!!
 After a few days the conductor informed the passengers, when they approached Gåseflå that everyone had to stay inside and all windows had to be closed. At least as long as the currants season lasted.” 


Thank you, Inger, these are such cute stories and help to bring our history alive.