Mats and Gertrude live close to Hackås, Sweden and Gertrud is a distant relative of Dave. She and Mats have made several trips to the Seattle area of Washington State. Their first trip was a quest to find relatives that Gertrud knew lived somewhere in Seattle. Little did she know then that there would be a large extended crowd of new relatives that would then descend on their home in Tandsbyn.

Mats and Gertrud live in a nice modern home on the grounds of an old farm estate of Mats's family. The old farmhouse seen above with its grand architecture is made of logs with stucco facing. Two old barns nearby, housing old equipment, showcase the farming that was done over a century ago.

When we have come to visit, there is no end to the hospitality. Gertrude has fed us some wonderful Swedish meals and has introduced us to some dishes that were new to our palate. And, some of those dishes were supplied from her garden located behind the old house. On one comfortable evening, a delicious barbequed salmon dinner was served outside (as seen above).

Everyday spent with Mats and Gertrud is filled with activity. We thought that they must get very tired if they treat all their guests this way. On one day, Mats drove us up into the high country, past herds of reindeer, to where cows were being attended in summer pasture. At a place called Langbuan, the people here who tend the cows served us waffles at a picnic table. And, they were simmering milk in large copper kettles in the process of making cheese. The cheese was stored on shelves in a cool underground vault. We were reminded that Beda, the sister of grandfather Victor, also worked at tending cows in summer pasture in the high country during her teenage years. We wondered if we were close to where that was.

On one particular day, we drove to a point where the road looked down over rolling fields of grass that ended at the lakeshore. Here, there was a rendezvous of "church boats" with many people gathered for a festive occasion. Soon there appeared about 40 people dressed in costume coming down a path lead by several fiddlers. When they reached a level area not far from the shoreline, they began to dance to the lively polkas and other folk tunes played by the fiddlers. This was a joyous and fun time for all. After a few hours, when it was time for people to depart, most everyone boarded the long church boats that were decorated with sprigs of alder and pine bows. Then after pushing off, the multi-oared vessels, each with at least 20 to 25 people disappeared quickly in the distance looking like Vikings of old.

And, no visit here is complete without a visit to Jamtli Historyland, which is an open air folk museum just north of the city center of Ostersund, several miles north Tandsbyn. This is a large area containing many old buildings that are staffed by people living and working as they did in the 18th and 19th centuries. Also in the area are shops, an amphitheatre, dance hall, eating-places, and the Provincial Museum.

Of course, Mats and Gertrud were also able to show us the farm in Hackås where Dave's grandfather Victor grew up, and the old Hackås church nearby where he was confirmed. Both places were recognizable from the family pictures that Dave was familiar with.

Gertrud is a skilled seamstress and has crafted a folk costume that is representative of this local area of Sweden. She used a large loom to weave the materials for the apron, vest, and dress. Diana was privileged to try on the costume and she truly looked the part of a Swedish maiden. At first, the thought of wearing wool made her a little uncomfortable (an old fear of itching from wool), but it didn't take long for her to feel like she belonged in the outfit.