Get ready to spark!

Since Norwegians don't rely on cars as much as the average American, we often turn to the spark. Winter is the essential time to kick the dust of this ancient method of getting ahead. We call it spark, others sparkstøtte. It came into use in the 1900s here in Norway, after it was first made in Finland.

To be honest... I don't really use it that much. These days, the activity of sparkstøtting is mostly for older folks or kids. But it's fun, and it brings back some dear childhood memories.

I took Jamie on a trip to introduce him to real Scandinavian culture!

Lane County Fair: Real American Values!

Two weekends ago, Jamie and I decided to check out the madness that was happening at the fairgrounds. I've only been to the fair once, and that was 3 years ago. I decided I'd go with no expectations or pre-biased opinions. This is all good fun, yeah?



First stop, The Animal Barn!! I adore nothing more than tiny little piglets. I love them! The sight that met me, however, was slightly less heartwarming. Huge, panting animals in small disclosures, trying to escape the sweltering heat. I did see some cute, baby piggies though, and I sent them all my best wishes from my heart. (Yes, feel free to go "aw" here).







Some of the other creatures we saw, were chickens, sheep, goats (some had loooong ears!), peacocks, and rabbits, to mention some. I don't care much for rides, so we skipped that part.





One of my favorites, however, were the displays of produce, jam, bread and other locally grown products. I loved how they tried to re-create the essence of each individual grange. My own personal favorite was the Santa Clara grange. Yay for visualizing true, family values!!