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Alla inlägg under juli 2013

Av EvaLena Hallgren - 29 juli 2013 17:40

Once again we're in a place with really bad internet connection. The town is called Östersund and are located by a large lake where a large monster lives. Mom has heard this story as long as she lived, but as far as we know, nobody has ever seen it. Still makes for great PR for the town. There was a festival in this town too,........................ Town was decorated with plenty of little monsters all over the place.


       

There was the usual festival stuff...................but we weren't really in the mood to stick around on the crowded city streets, so we took quick walk around before we continued to Moms Aunt 10 km outside town

     



We left town and parked Adrienne right by Aunt Ruths terrace and we are getting  lessons in a way to make mittens using a  very complicated needlework .

Mom decided she’s never going to need mittens and kind of gave up on learning ...............but Birgitta is making progress
 
 
day after we met a cousin and had "fika" by the lake................no sight of a monster
 
   
 
Yesterday we went for "fika" again at a nice place where they had a craft show. ........lots and lots of great stuff,  (no pictures) but lots of new ideas.
 
 
 
The wheat fields looks amazing..................
 
   
 
this is the view from where we are now.............pretty awesome we think
 
 
 
this is all for now, hopefully we'll find a place with better connection soon so It'll be easieer to keep in touch.
Wet kisses to all..................
 
 
 
 
Av EvaLena Hallgren - 26 juli 2013 08:08

we’re off the mountain and heading south to Moms aunt in Östersund. We have been driving close to the Norwegian border and experienced gorgeous nature.

     


this is a Swedish Norweigan house..............it was formerly a way station for the moutain farmers trading trips to Norway. It used to be a winter road for horse-drawn sleighs going to the markets in Norway. It's now a hiking trail, but that's too much and too far for my short legs...............HA good excuse for Mom I say......................    


We're on top of the wooooooorrlld


 


You should know that these roads are narrow two way, and lots of hills and curves.Good thing traffic is sparse, but it sure keep Mom’s eyes on the road and once she got so tired we had to pull over so she could rest for an hour. 

 


We wrote the address to my blog on a rock so everyone will know I’ve been here. Can’t wait to tell Penny, Buddy, Body and all my other pals about this when I go back home, they’ll be so jealous ...........

 


the road we have been driving is called the Wilderness road,it's 500km of pristine wilderness that goes through alpine forests and above the treeline. The air is clear, the silence is deafening, and the water is very cold and of course drinkable, just scoop up in a mug.


       


I would have loved one of these.....................and how do you plan to operate it on four paws says Mom ?

details details, I know a guy in Vansbro that can fix little details like that ........

 


we spent the night in a town called Strömsund, there was a giant moose .............totally harmlesss

 


a huge fountain under the bridge

 


The mountain hiking in Adrienne is now over, we're heading to the city..............don't know what'll happen today, but I'll let you know tomorrow .........

wet kisses and bye for now.

 






Av EvaLena Hallgren - 25 juli 2013 10:43

we are waking up on the foot of a ski slope. Nobody is here, but several campers are set up waiting for the snow. By than we are long gone for sure.
Some of the roads getting here was disastrous, but well worth it since the scenery is gorgeous.

we have the slowest connection again.....................mom's almost loosing it ........


     

We stopped at yet another relative to Mom (how many are they ?) that she haven’t seen in 45 + years. Lots of gabbing and catching up. After we had supper we continued a few more miles and set up camp.


   

These falls are called the step falls (loosely translated ) and there was a lot of tourists taking pictures there.


     


It was slow going since Mom needed to stop take pictures and take everything in. I napped a lot  :-)

     



Dogs around here are working and meant for hunting, so they mostly live outside.   They barked their heads off at me but I totally ignored them letting them know that I live in luxury inside in a warm bed.  

This is all for now, Mom doesn't want to wait one more minute for another picture to upload, so ................on the road again ..................lalalaaa


see ya soon and wet kisses to all of you as usual.


Av EvaLena Hallgren - 24 juli 2013 09:31

we ended up staying a second night in the town of Lycksele, since we got invited to a relative of Moms. They lived outside town in a beautiful house, that made both Mom and Birgitta stare in awe.

Mom never met this family before, but they were absolutely awesome people, and it was like they've been friends forever

The fourwheeler was very tempting for  Mom but I told her NO.


 

Dinner was amazing, fresh caught trout cooked to perfection, they ate and ate.......I got a small taste just to confirm they were right.


   

 The entire week in this town was dedicated to cars, and there was a lot of American (and Swedish)cars all over the place.


           


Some motorcycles , fourwheelers and snowmobiles too.


         


This was Moms favorite car......................very well kept.


     

In the town square was this beautiful fountain with a giant ball rolling on the water.
 
 
 
Can you find us on TV ? I'm in the stroller so I shouldn't get stepped on with so many people.
 
 
 
This little girl was quite happy with her car,
 
 
In the evening we got a private show on the parking lot where we slept. Youngster competing in the hottest burnouts.
 
   
 
 cutest mailboxes ......
 
 
in the morning we continued north on our trip. Mom has found out about a new older brother she never knew, and we're now driving to visit him in a small town called Gunnarn. The road was under reconstruction, a total disaster with miles after miles of rocks and gravel.........good thing our dishes is plastic or nothing would have been in one piece. 
No picture because there was nowhere to stop, and Mom was too afraid let go of the steeringwheel to reach for the camera. Adrienne was rooling around like ...........well I don't know.
 
just like I was told, more reindeer and they don’t know better than running in front of the car....and this time of the year they don't look very good since they're shedding their coat,
 
 
The Brother and his family were all amazing people, it immediatley felt like home said Mom.
Nieces and Nephews with their puppies were also there and it was so amazing to meet and chat. So talented people that are crafty and know their nature and animals. They hunt, fish, and gather all what nature has to offer. If Mom didn’t live in Florida she would have loved one of these handmade hats made by the nephew.................I liked them a lot and thought they smelled awesome .
 
   
 
this is a gorgeous handmade knife.
 
It wasn’t easy to leave these wonderful people but we were to continue our trip. Mom received a huge bag what is called “the gold of the forest”, it’s cloudberries. So tasty wonderful but a pain to pick because they usually grow on swampy areas, and the gnats and mosquitos are impossible there. We also received homemade bread..........yummi ................mom should be ashamed of herself, she brought nothing, she better send something when we get back..............an alligator maybe ? ..............I’m going to remind her... for sure
 
  
   
 
despite some awful roads, the scenery is amazing, and we’re making frequent stops to enjoy and take pictures.
   
 
This is the largest wood church in Sweden, located in a town called Stensele
 
 
 
We finally stopped for the night at the most gorgeous campsite ever. So amazingly well kept, and the views over the lake takes your breath away. A five star restaurant were the owners served fresh made food..............lots and lots of dogs to greet...............................well there is no way to describe this place, it has to be experienced. The town is Vilhelmina, and campsite is Kolgården.............visit, rent a cabin for a week, you will have no regrets....................owner was real good looking  too    
 
   
 
This morning I got a quick shower and we're continuing our trip North for our next adventure , mOm is a little nervous because we're warned about more bad roads..............of crap
lots of wet kisses to all of you following my trip.
I'm pretty sure I  know you're visiting me but I wish you said hello so I know for sure.
Just click on "kommentarer" and add the security code and say hi
 
from your pal Buttons.
 
 

 



Av EvaLena Hallgren - 22 juli 2013 14:52

It’s Monday and we’re back on the road, this time Mom’s cousin Birgitta came along. Before we left we stopped at one of her puppies house, and there was this gorgeous dog named Maulo sitting in the window.


 


Than Birgitta helped Mom to cut and sew the ragrug she found at a gargesale to fit the floor of Adrienne. It turned out awesome, and now it's not as cold on your feet.   


This time we’re heading away from the coast going inland, and for the first time we met reindeer on the road. Mom said I better get used to it, because there will be a lot more the further inland we get. You have to be careful, where ther's one there's usually more.....and they aren't very afraid of cars...........this guy was so skinny so we wondered if he really was ok..............


 


We stopped at a town called Örträsk,  there is the longest ropeway conveyor in the world. It’s 96 km built in the 1940s to trasport buckets of ore.  Between 1943 and 1987 this ropeway moved 12 million tons of ore concentrates containing copper, lead, zinc, sulfur, silver and gold. Most of the cableway is now demolished and the ore is transported by heavy trucks. About 13 km. was saved and gondolas now carry tourists over the treetops for a wilderness experience.
 
     
and here's a little train for the kids. Have to say it was pretty deserted in this area, only  a few German tourists around ..................
 
 
 
huge boulders are a common sight in the forests ..............remnants from the ice age....
 
 
 
 
Nothing was served at the restaurant at this time, guess you had to call ahead, but it sure was quaint
 
 
 
 
   Seen this bird in real life twice, but never quick enough with the camera, much easier to capture when they're stuffed......  
 
 
 
 
At night we parked next to an old town museum in a town called Lycksele, and here’s Birgittas first night..............hihi.............she's reading with a headlamp.....
 
 
 
 
In the morning we went browsing in the old area, and it was very interesting. This stuff is even older than Mom so she didn’t really recognize what the stuff was for, but there was signs and everything was truly remarkably well kept.
     
 
 
Mom tried walking on stilts, and did Ok, but she was a coward and used the smallest ones
 
   
 
 Birgitta was doing a solitaire puzzle, but didn’t have the patience to finish it.
 
 
 
here’s a handmade lock on the door, sure looks solid
 
What incredible interiors, the organ, the gramophone, the loom ...............lots of old interesting well kept, well made stuff,still glad I didn't live back than..................it's much easier nowadays
       
 

this is one incredible machine that a horse,cow or an ox had to walk in circles to make it work as a mill..........
  
the Laplanders lived in huts like this way back when they followed their herds

   

and food was kept in huts like this to be safe from bears and other wild life

 

here’s Birgitta  manning the snowplow................think she forgot the horse though

 

Mom really liked this window ornament made from straw, bet she’ll try to copy it next Christmas

 



throughout the entire area was gorgeous flowers, and we all know how much Mom likes that ............

 

     
 


the bell tower by the church was pretty cool too
 
 

This entire place was awesome to visit, so much to look at, but the absolutely coolest place was this barn with all weird noises.
I recognized several but they didn’t smell right ? I do know horses well, but this one didn’t deliver any meatballs. ................and the sheep kept falling over, and the chickens ??? woody bunch
 

 

Av EvaLena Hallgren - 21 juli 2013 06:48

I don’t know why Mom insist staying in these places in the forest where the civilization doesn’t give us good connection to the PC. I can’t deny it’s pretty but come on already....................Now I  have to go back in time and tell you about a guy that I had completely wrapped around my paw. All I had to do,was sit next to him and stare, and he melted like butter in Florida. His lady is sitting next to him and she was pretty easy flirted too, but she listen to Mom when told not to give me any more goodies...........he didn’t ...jaaaay
 
 
 
OH no!!!! I think he has rabies ? look at his mouth !!!
 
 
Hahahaha, he was just trying to fool everyone, it’s whipped cream and it was yummi
 
   
 
 
one evening the lady next door came looking for an audience listening to an weird instrument she was playing. I didn’t like it, and sat by the door watching Moms shoes, but do you think she got the hint ? ............noooo of course not, she stayed and enjoyed the music
 
   
 
 
The “rabies guy” is also a very good photographer and he took these very neat pictures of some baby swallows living in the barn
   
 
and this great picture of me running to him
 
 
It’s very relaxing to get brushed on the belly, and to get a foot rub..........mmmmmmmmmm  nice nice
 
 
 
forgot where we went for a bike ride, but I’m pretty sure it was in that village Horn, that we stayed at couple of nights. There was locks for the boats and a grocery store, and that was IT. .....very cute though
 
    
 
 
 
 
 When the people in this village (and all small villages do this) want to announce an event, or if they have something to sell, or whatever they want to communicate, they have a bulletin board at the grocery shop, we didn’t find anything interesting for us this time though.
   
 
 
This is a clock tower at a church in Ljungby, another tiny town we stayed in, real cute but as I said no connection to the rest of the world. It’s relaxing no traffic, no stress, and narrow lousy roads....
 
We are now back in Moms puppy town Skellefteå, and we stopped in at our old friends Vanja and Lizzes house for supper, and than continued to Mom's cousin Birgittas house
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
it's getting a lot cooler now, wish someone could send some Florida heat this way.............no complaints though, it's not raining and Adrienne is keeping the heat.
Today Mom and Birgitta will drive further North inland, don't know how far yet.
 
 
Everything here is pretty ok, but one thing I think is really uncool is that they don’t allow dogs to come along to most places. Mom and Birgitta left me in Adrienne for a loooooong time when they had “fika” waffles and coffee.....Not sure I would have liked that big moose sticking his head out the wall though
 
   
 
Yesterday evening we went looking for a beaver family that had built a dam near by, but unfortunately it was broken up and gone. ( the farmer didn’t like all the water on their crop) We did see a lot of meatball makers out in gorgeous pastures though, and guess what...............it never get dark at night here ? real strange I think, but Mom says it’s normal and the best part here in the north. The mosquitoes and gnats the worse............
 
 
 
This is a real cool place to build a nest, kind of modern design ..........
 
On some of the fields are small buildings where the farmer kept dry hay in the winter. They aren’t used anymore since nowadays there are big machines making huge bales wrapped in plastic, looking like gigantic  marshmallow
 
   
 
 
 
here’s a couple that just got married and are going to the after party on a tractor ..........beer cans dragging on a string behind............CONGRATULATION to them 
 
 
 
Saturday we went for a road trip to yet another small town, Norsjö (is there anything but small farm towns here ?) to visit another new cousin of Moms. They had a dog named Frans, and he was OK until his Mom gave us each a plate of leftover moose meat to lick. Things went well until one of us decided to switch plates. Mom didn’t see this, but she HEARD the scuffle and came running. I’m proud to say I held my own and didn’t back off............not allowed says Mom...........oh well.....
 
 
 
 
 
he didn’t appreciate me looking in his toy box, and kept a close watch, and grabbed every toy away from me as soon as he got a chance. Mom said I had to respect his home and that is that...............
 
 
On our way there we drove on so many roads with only gravel, lots of curves and hills, it was like a rollercoaster, and it was a miracle Mom didn’t get sick. Sounds like she has forgotten most of these roads she frequented as a puppy, but you should have heard her joy when she recognized this old power station which used to be a Sunday picnic area. It’s mostly a museum now, but parts of the old wooden slide that was used to for sending the timber down river was still there. She told me she used to fantasize about riding in it on an air mattress..........haha, not a good idea, good thing it never became reality
 
 
     
 
This looks like a natural spa made from the water, but not a good idea since the open the dam without warning.
this is Mom and Birgitta pedaling like crazy trying to generate power, ....................there will be no Television watching for sure
 
 
   
 
When we got home we ate home picked strawberries...........................well they did, I didn't get any
 
 
 
This is a funy picture of " drive slow, senior citizens playing"
 
 
 
OK, now it's time to pack up Adrienne to continue our adventure
hopefully to a place with connection so I can continue my story.
wet kisses to all
Buttons
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Av EvaLena Hallgren - 17 juli 2013 06:57

Finally got a chance to update my blog, I know it was a real long time ago, but it isn’t my fault, nor my Moms. We have been visiting at a place that have very slow connection, and Mom is very impatient with that sort of thing. I did make her try, but she gave up after 10 min..........
Anyway, we’re on our way north again, and we drove on some really bad bumpy. roads (some gravel parts ) yesterday. The scenery was amazing but nowhere to stop and take pictures, so Mom tried to take a few as we were driving
 
     
Mom gave me a job to sit up front as a lookout for moose ??? She couldn't’ be serious ? sure made me laugh
 
 
Nope, she was dead serious, on these roads there’s no fences to protect you from wildlife running out in front of the car, so you better be careful she said. Ok, so I did as told............but after a while with nothing but forest, I got real tired and had to take a nap.
 
 
One night we parked next to a park in the middle of town. Mom lived in this town as a puppy so she knew her way around. As a matter of fact, she was a mail-carrier here, and even if some new buildings has popped up, the addresses and the old town was still exactly the same.
 
           
 
Mom said she had a similar radio when she was a puppy. I looked and thought she must have lied about her age, because THAT radio is real old.............wonder if there be less treats for me now ?
 
 
 
There was a mass exercise class in the park, we didn't join in, but it looked like a lot of fun

 
This giant mushroom water tower has a restaurant on the top,  not sure if it’s still there though. It was real early when we passed here on our way north again
 
 
 
This is a very popular tourist place and as you can see it was real crowded, not a place for us said Mom, but she still wanted to show me the boats and the locks, so she managed to get a spot for Adrienne and we took a quick walk.
 
     
This canal is Swedens biggest civil engineering project ever, 58 locks and 87 km. manmade canal, and for you that's interested in the history, here's a link in English http://www.gotakanal.se/en/artiklar/Historia-ib/The-history-of-the-Gota-Canal/
 
 
 
 
as we’re driving along there’s beautiful rapeseed fields on both sides, but again difficult to find places to stop for pictures.
 
 
once again we’re driving on small roads with rolling hills and forests and lakes and forests and lakes...........and more forests...........who knew there’s so many trees in Sweden.
 
 
 
 
we took a short brake by a lake, and I thought for sure I’ll get to go for a swim.............but noooo.... don’t understand why ? I’ve been told there’s no alligators in these lakes. It’s too cold Mom says ...............and why can’t I be the judge of that I say ?
   
Holy smokes, what kind of button is that ? no explanation on what this is, but there’s some old mines near by, so maybe it’s something from there.
 
 
 
this is the Hulk’s horse says Mom............yeah right, anyone can see it’s waaaay too small for The Hulk
 
 
talk about sizes by the way................at Moms cousin there was a horse disguised as a dog, or was it the other way around ? His head was as big as me, and since I couldn’t figure out what exactly it was, I stayed close to Mom for protection, you’ll never know.
 
 
 
Here’s another animal in disguise, horse ? zebra ?
 
 
This is the beautiful place where we parked at Helge’s house. He helped Mom to fix a few things on Adrienne. She had a little leak on the roof, and the bike rack had to be moved up so the reverse sensors worked correctly. We stayed there several days, but I’ll write about that another day, because now the sun is up, ( as it is most of the 24 hours this time of the year) and Mom want’s to get ready to drive a few more miles north.
hopefully we’ll have PC connection tonight so I can continue my story............until than
wet kisses to all
 
 
 
 
 
 

Av EvaLena Hallgren - 8 juli 2013 15:32

Me and Mom are on our own again, we dropped Lotta off at her house and kept going a few miles to a small campground close to Kista. I got my favorite seat back, but it's quiet, and Mom lost her personal chef.

On our way south we stopped at an old royal castle from the 1700........The lawn was my favorite, I could run forever..........

     


Swedes sure are modern, here's a diaper changing room for Dads ?


 


The stables was remade into a restaurant.................wonder if they served meatballs ? these are real fancy stalls, so I'm sure the meatballs were special too..........


 


Mom loves flowers, maybe she misses her garden at home a little.......


       


This was a very typical view from the car window on our drive from the north................


 


We spent one night at a campground in Stockholm, and 2 of Lottas puppies came to visit........This was a very crowded campground..........so we quickly left the big city without any sightseeing.


 


Next stop was a few miles south of Lottas hometown, to a bed and breakfast that had entertainment and good food. Owners were Lottas friends so we parked there for one night, leaning so bad Lotta almost fell out of bed............

   


owner of this place is very talented and had several gorgeous pieces he carved from wood............too expensive for Mom though.


   


This was Moms favorite, but too big too fit on the wall in Adreinne.


 


Blankaholm bed&breakfast  sure is located in a nice area, quiet peaceful, and lots of gardens.................


       


Lotta went for a short refreshing swim, Mom dipped a toe and said NOWAY.............


 



We are staying here at Horn campsite for a second night, and Mom took care of our laundry and it's  now done, and I think we're heading north tomorrow, where ??  I don''t think Mom knows yet either ...............

hope it's somewhere fun


wet kisses

Buttons






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