Ole Johan and Dave have had a long friendship that goes back to about 1985 when Ole Johan first made a visit to Seattle. He is currently a general practitioner and psychiatrist, and has worked in hospitals in Ålesund and Molda. Also, he is quite talented musically and was involved with a men's choir for many years making several tours to the United States and the Pacific Northwest singing at various churches.

We last visited with Ole Johan, his now former wife Synnôve, and their children Ole Andreas, Anne, and Evie in 1997 at their home in Emblem (which is a few miles east of Ålesund). While there, we toured Ålesund which is a very picturesque old fishing town on the mid-western coast of Norway. And, we also hiked up into the high hills above Emblem for some spectacular views of mountains and fjords.

On another excursion, we traveled to Ole Johan's hometown of Vatne and had a visit with his mother. While there, we also had dinner with another couple (Johanas and Marit Ulvestad) at their home. They had once stayed with us for two weeks in Seattle, and it was nice to see them again.

From Vatne, we got on a ferry and did some island hopping out into the North Atlantic to the small island of Ona where the original homestead of Ole Johan's mother is located. To us, Norway seems like a tranquil country to relax in, but this small island is truly a wonderful out-of-the-way place to get away from it all. Peace and quiet is guaranteed, except for the periodic squawking of hungry seagulls, and the occasional toot of the ferry. We have often thought that this would be a great place to spend a few months to learn the Norwegian language, and to become acquainted with the country from a different perspective. Every place on the island is within walking distance, with a small village and lighthouse on one end, and a cemetery and a beach on the other.