A few Setesdal railway stations

Vennesla station as it was when the train was running, 1916
[photo: http://www.venneslafrimerke.no/postkort/bilde.php?seksjon=vikeland]

This old postcard photograph above is part of the collection of the Vennesla postcard club and shows the train station, as it was when it was in operation.  The station name has been written on the side of the building.  The photographer’s name and the date are handwritten on the train. 

Vennesla Railway Station as it is today, 2012
[photo:  courtesy of Rune Jensen]

I love these old train stations in Norway.  There are a number of them all along the route of the narrow gauge steam train than used to run in southern Norway.  The railway operated from 1895 until 1962 but has since been decommissioned, the tracks removed from part of the line and only a short section still exists with a train that runs in the summer as a heritage and tourist attraction.  Rune Jensen was kind enough to send me photos of several of the stations and I did notice that they seem to have been built from the same or similar plans.  Some are fairly large like the station at Vennesla, shown above, while others appear to be much smaller like the one at Røyknes seen further below.

Vennesla Station Pizzeria

The old stations have not been torn down but have been put to use in different ways.  Here we see another view of the Vennesla station that houses a Pizzeria today.  One of the other stations is being used as a library.

Røyknes station
[photo:  courtesy of Rune Jensen]

In the very early years there was only a shed at Røyknes then a station such as this one.  It is an example of one of the smaller stations.  The original structure was removed when the line closed in 1962 but an identical building was later moved here as part of the heritage project.

Today the station at Hægeland, seen below, is used as a souvenir and mineral shop.  The area around Hægeland, Hornnes, Iveland, and Evje had much mining.  Although no longer active at one time the area was known as the largest nickel producing area in northern Europe and had over 600 mines.*  The mining industry was one of the primary reasons the railroad was built.  But, of course, the train moved passengers and lumber as well as raw mineral ore.  Several of our ancestors worked either full or part time in the mining industry or for the railway.

Hægeland station
[photo:  courtesy of Rune Jensen]

Evje station, 1901
[photo:  courtesy of Alf Georg Kjetså]

 

Hornnes station 

Grovane station

When the train runs during the summer it goes between Grovane and  Røyknes.

The reason the stations look so similar is because they are all built from plans made by the same man, Paul Due.  Paul Due (1835-1919) was an architect who was born in Kristiansand and who had a long and varied career working in Norway and the United States.  Between 1890 and 1912, he worked for the Norwegian State Railways and designed more than 150 stations.  Most of the stations were wooden but a few like the one at Kristiansand were built of brick.

Kristiansand station
[photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristiansand_Station]

As befitting the size of the community, the station at Kristiansand is much larger than the others along the route.  The design of the two toned coloration on this much larger and more elaborate structure is carried through on the smaller wooden buildings.  While this brick building is red and white the wooden stations are red and yellow.  Usually passenger waiting areas and services were located on the lower floor while offices and storage rooms occupied the upper floor or floors.

Many thanks to Rune for sending the photos, information and links to information about the stations.

For more about Paul Due, see:  
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Due 
 http://snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Paul_Due/utdypning
 
Additional links: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setesdal_Line
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristiansand_Station


………………………………………………………….

Note: 

I have mentioned this before--a few years ago Alf Georg Kjetså and Kåre Hodne put together a documentary DVD about the railroad titled:  Jubileumsfilm Setesdalsbanen 100 År with  Olav Arne Kleveland as the commentator.  At one time it could be viewed on the Internet but I could not find it currently listed and don’t know if it is still available online.  The film is about 50 minutes in length, recalls the history, shows the stations, has many clips of the steam train, and all the beautiful scenery along the route.  An approximately 12 minute film by Hans Peters lets us experience a shorter ride complete with whistle, steam and accompanied by the clicks and clacks as the cars go along the tracks. 

To see the 12 min video and vicariously experience the train ride see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwWoTxd_xf8&feature=related


*  The Flaat Nickelmine was once the largest nickelmine in northern Europe employing 350 men at one time in the mine and/or refinery.  The mine was more than 440m deep and reached below sea-level.  Today parts of the mine have been restored and it is open for public tours.  

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 56

 Saint Pierre Cathedral, Montpellier, France

Postcards are wonderful snapshots of history so I was delighted and surprised to get this one.  It was found in a flea market in Montpellier, France and sent to me together with a little information.  There are some interesting things about the card beginning with the photographer, Pierre Yves Petit (1886-1969) who went by the name Yvon professionally.  His signature mark is in the lower right corner of the card.  He was one of the first to publish postcards with artistic photographs not just standard tourist shots.

Yvon would walk the streets of Paris and other places with his camera waiting for the right light, clouds and shadows, the right combination of people, scenic views and buildings, to take his photos.  After I received the card I looked for other photographs he had taken finding a book “Yvon Paris” by Robert Stevens that contains a collection of some of his pictures.  Yvon was called a flânuer, I think that means a wanderer or loiterer.  It also suggested to me that he must have spent literally hours waiting for those perfect moments to take his photos.  Most of his pictures were taken during the years between WWI and WWII.  His photographs are beautiful works of art requiring much patience and skill to achieve.

Most of his pictures were black & white prints used for postcards.  Yvon got his first camera at the age of 12.  By 1919 his postcard company was established.  This card is interesting because it is printed in sepia tones not black & white.  The sepia coloration makes it seem like it was an early postcard while in fact it could have been printed as late as the 1960s.  It is one of an Yvon art series called “La Douce France,” or Sweet France.

My friend pointed out that it is possible to judge the size of the cathedral by the height of the tiny, tiny people walking at the lower right side of the card (I almost didn’t see them) just above the signature mark of Yvon.  Cathedrale Saint-Pierre is huge—93.5 feet high by 336 feet long!  Below are a couple of links including a 10-minute video that shows the exterior and interior of the cathedral during an organ concert with the Bach Prelude & Fugue played by Othar Chedlivili that suits the majesty of the architecture.

http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/reviews/thornton/yvons-paris-1-18-11.asp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1qE_rUbQlc

The cathedral was built in the 14th century.  The two towers shown on the card are very similar to the towers found on the Papal Palace in Avignon and some other buildings of about the same age.  Interesting trivia fact:  Cathedrale Saint-Pierre is located in Montpellier, France next to the oldest faculty of pharmacy in the world founded in the 13th century.

Merci for sending it to me, my friend.

Blackberry pie

 Blackberries

It’s the end of the summer and the warm days have filled the air with the scent of ripened blackberries.  There are at least two varieties of blackberries that grow wild here, the small, tart, low, hard to find, creeping kind of berry native to the area and the bigger bushes of Himalayan berries.  Himalayan berries are not native and sometimes considered invasive weeds.  They are sweeter and have more seeds.  It does not matter much to me as I think both kinds make excellent pies, however, some purists will only use the small native berries. 

Make enough of your favorite pie crust for bottom and top of a 9” pie pan or use this recipe:

Great Pie Shell (makes enough for a double crust pie)

1 cup less 2 Tablespoons shortening

6 Tablespoons boiling water

2 teaspoons milk

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon salt

Put shortening in mixing bowl.  Add boiling water and milk.  Whip with a fork until smooth and thick like whipped cream.  Stir in the flour and salt.  The dough should come clean from the sides of the bowl to form a nice ball.  Cut in half, roll 1/2 between two sheets of waxed paper.  Peel off the paper and line the pie pan.

[From:  Tired and True Recipes, page 209] 

Pie Filling

4 cups freshly picked & cleaned blackberries
1 cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Lemon juice (optional—if you like a tart pie and are using Himalayan berries you may want to add some lemon juice)
¼ cup flour
2 Tablespoons butter

Mix the berries with sugar, salt, flour and lemon.  Pour into crust lined pan.  Dot the berry mixture with butter.  Roll out the top crust, fold over bottom crust edge, pinch or crimp around the edge.  Cut slits and prick top crust to make steam holes.  Bake in a preheated 425F oven for about 45 to 50 min. or until the pie is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.   Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream. 

Besides eating the pie one of my fond childhood memories was picking the berries all the while smelling the heavenly ripe aroma in the afternoon sun.  The minor scratches from the berry stickers were forgotten almost as soon as they happened.

Oh the ribbons, the pretty ribbons . . .

Today was the opening day of the Puyallup Fair.  Mrs. Gimlet was most anxious and a bit nervous also to see how the christening gown was judged.

The results?  See for yourself—

First Place, Best in Category, Reserve Grand Champion

Opening day of the Fair can be super crowded, as it was today, hot, also as it was today, long lines, again as it was today, but it was worth it to see those pretty ribbons.  We didn’t get scones because the line was about two blocks long (a very slight exaggeration) but we did get strawberry milk shakes and cow chip cookies (giant chocolate chip cookies) and that was just fine.

Lace open work display

It was difficult to find time to take a photo when there were not lots of people crowded around.  In the picture above you can see one of the open work lace display cabinets with the christening gown at the left near the jams and jellies.  This floor of the exhibition hall has handwork, artwork, jams and jellies, sewing, and other homemade articles.  Handmade quilts are hung from the ceiling.  There are literally hundreds of quilts.  The lacework category included knitted items, tatting, Hardanger, and just about any other kind of open work.  The Puyallup Fair (Western Washington State Fair) is the largest one in Washington State and I think may be one of the largest fairs in all the United States.  To win a prize ribbon here is very hard to do.  Congrats to Mrs. Gimlet! 

Christening gown & prize ribbons

While we were enjoying strawberry milk shakes a couple of flower people walked by on their tall, tall stilts.  Their faces were painted pale green and their arms and legs were covered to look like leaves and stems.  They were graceful and fun to watch as they moved slowly through the huge crowds of people taking time to bend and bow just as real flowers do.

 

 Two flower people on stilts

Flower lady on stilts

Flower people walking through the crowd

We will go back one more time before the Fair closes to look at all the exhibits, get chocolate milk from the Milk Barn and scones.  Today was all about those impressive prize ribbons . . .

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 55

Exterior, Chapel in the Hills, Rapid City, South Dakota
[Dale A. Jensen, photographer]

Interior, Chapel in the Hills, Rapid City, South Dakota
[Jack Tshamer, photographer]

Both cards are products of Rushmore Photo & Gifts, Rapid City, South Dakota.

Stave churches were built in Norway during the 12th and 13th centuries so it is a little like stepping back in time to see this church that looks today much as those older churches looked when they were new.  Earlier I posted the photo below and some other pictures from Little Norway near Mt. Horeb in Wisconsin.  At that time I mentioned this church in Rapid City, South Dakota.  I think there may be yet another one in or near St. Paul, Minnesota and perhaps even others in different places.  I must admit to being curious as to how many of these reproductions there might be in the United States.

A few years ago a friend sent these two cards above of the Chapel in the Hills located in Rapid City, South Dakota.  It is an exact replica of the Borgund Stave Church in Norway.  Dedicated in 1969, blueprints of the original church were sent from Norway to be used in the construction of this church.  Unlike the one at Little Norway, part of an outdoor museum, this one is being used as a church and is associated with the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  It is the home of the radio ministry of Lutheran Vespers.

Stave Church at Little Norway, Wisconsin

Borgund Stave Church, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway

Though I have posted this postcard above showing the Borgund Stave Church before I am using it again so a comparison can be made between the original church in Norway and the replicas in South Dakota and Wisconsin.  Note a stonewall, like the one at Borgund, has been erected on the grounds of the Chapel in the Hills while this has not been done at Little Norway.

The Stave Churches in Norway for the most part were tarred, creosoted or painted with some sort of dark preservative.  It does not appear that these buildings in the United States have the traditional dark colored preservative on them.  When the wood is left untreated it will “silver” as the building ages.

Four supporting pillars inside the church represent the four gospels in the New Testament.  The decorative carvings were the combined efforts of Erik Fridstrøm of Norway and Helge Christiansen of Rapid City.  A log cabin typical of those used by immigrants can also be found on the grounds as well as a grass-roofed stabbur (a small out building usually used for storage) that houses a gift shop.

Both Little Norway and Chapel in the Hills are on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.


For more pictures and additional information see: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_in_the_Hills
http://www.chapel-in-the-hills.org

http://www.littlenorway.com/

Fortooth--

 I have four granddaughters and four grandsons.  Wow, written out like that it seems like a lot!  Thing Two has lost three teeth so far, two on the bottom and one on top. Now Gamma has lost a tooth too.  He is 7 she is 6 ½ .  Don’t try to do the math they are obviously from different families.  Gamma’s tooth came out when she was asleep so no trauma at all.  No blood and gore, no endless wiggling, no string, no pliers.  Piece of cake.  Thing Two’s teeth (that is a tongue twister!) have involved much drama, tears and some amount of blood.  Bopa would have loved to get out his wicked pliers . . .

 Gamma – what happened to the tooth?

 [photo:  courtesy of Q & Lou]

Thing Two and his tooth—not missing in the bag . . .

[photo:  courtesy of the Gimlets]

My comment to Gamma's mom—No tooth, no swag, the tooth fairy doesn’t deal in credit.  Baby teeth with fillings are not even trade either.  Being the thrifty Scotsman that he was, Bopa kept the tooth fairy in close check.  Our tooth fairy handed out dimes, they were shiny dimes, but they were dimes when all the other kids got quarters or dollars.  I don't know, come to think of it there is something sort of magical about dimes.  Fond memories.

Little Miss

 Is this the glamour shot?

 It has been awhile since I put up some pictures of Little Miss (aka T-Bone).  She is now 6 ½ months old, sitting, rolling, army crawling, and eating with her fingers.  No longer a raisin but raking raisins as Mrs. Gimlet would say.  I didn’t get a picture of her socks but they are bright pink with hearts and crossbones!  Not only is she cute she is a tough little thing . . .

 Nectarines and toast for supper . . .

Still highly suspicious of her grandma, I see . . . 

Take 2