January 2012
4 posts
IKEA Praise
Building a Swedish House in the middle of Montana has necessarily required travel south to Utah. IKEA Draper is just south of Salt Lake City and is home to a touch of Sweden from its Restaurant and Deli to the extensive showrooms and fully stocked warehouse. Cynthia and I have twice made the 800 mile trip in our Subaru and have spent much of 3 full days shopping at IKEA.
A year ago we made the...
Snow Dog
Delphi enjoys our foot of new snow!
Tile Floor Installed
Our small sun room off the kitchen now has a finished floor. We decided upon using Marmoleum tiles which are a fairly green product, even in blue and white. The diamond pattern was inspired by numerous examples from magazines showing Swedish floors. Finstad’s Carpet One provided the materials and we really appreciated all the help we received from store manager Greg Gardner in setting up...
Restore Store Door Restore
Frequently I browse the door selection at the Habitat Restore Store and I have brought home several and donated back a few.
Over a year ago Cynthia and I found this solid wood door (painted over) at the Restore Store and managed to haul it home. It is solid and heavy! It sat in the garage for awhile and then outside under plastic and then back in the shop. Finally the time came to do...
December 2011
9 posts
Christmas Carhartts
Employment at Block’s Clothing in Robbinsdale in 1968 imprinted upon my teenage fashion mind that it was certainly okay to mix and match bright colored stripes, plaids and patterns that were on the way to be the fashion statement of the ‘70’s. These days I am more concerned to have just the right work clothes for repurposing this old house and I was missing an important item. A...
Christmas Morning
Solbritt had already opened presents and sampled the rice pudding and all the delicious treats at her Farmor and Farfar’s home when we turned on the computer to Skype with her and her family early (for us) on Christmas morning. In fact, the sun had already set in Sweden while we still awaited the sunrise here in Montana. Kind of slow in coming this time of year.
With the computer logged...
Christmas Eve 2011
As the Advent Candles burn down the aroma of Greek coffee filters up and fills the air in this Sweden House kitchen. A double batch of lefse and two or three batches of Cynthia’s delicious peanut brittle give us treats to enjoy as well as to share. The only thing missing are a couple of Swedish granddaughters!
It is a delight this Christmas for Cynthia and I to work in the kitchen or to...
Ethan Allen Repurposed
Upon returning from Copenhagen in 2010 Cynthia and I moved into an apartment on Rodney Street while I began restoration work on our house. We needed to replace a few items of furniture that we had chaotically sold off in 2009. When the neighbor had a garage sale, we purchased two Ethan Allen hutches that had belonged to his grandmother. A sudden wind storm knocked them down and broke the glass...
Proud Parents
Cynthia and I may be half way round the globe from daughter Sigrid in Sweden but we sure enjoyed sitting in on dinner with her and Olle today. While we enjoyed our breakfast and coffee this morning here in Helena, we tuned into Swedish Television on the web to watch the 2011 Nobel Award Ceremony in Stockholm. Olle has been a local host to Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt (born in Missoula, MT) and...
IKEA- assembly required
I’ve begun the task this week of opening the many IKEA boxes and assembling the various pieces of furniture and cabinetry that we hauled back from Salt Lake City a little over a week ago. These are the first pieces of the desks that will provide a study area in our media room. I especially like the chairs, a new model at IKEA, that are so easy to assemble and yet both strong and...
Building Progress
During the design charrette with Mosaic Architecture, Gretchen drew in the details for an open style room divider between the living area and study/media area. I finally got to work on this project last week.
Floor to ceiling built-in shelves will be left open to create an airy and light separation of space in our living area. We plan a cozy sitting area around the fireplace and will build in...
Celebrating Cynthia's Birthday
Being reminded of summer sun and wildflowers in bloom is not a bad way to celebrate a November 26th birthday, even if it required driving 500 miles and encountering a blizzard in Butte, rain beyond Dillon and a fierce dust storm just this side of Idaho Falls that closed the Interstate and forced us to find our way on back roads.
The sun was out and made for a beautiful weekend once we arrived...
November 2011
9 posts
Building a Base
Preparing for Thanksgiving dinner at our home set me on the task of finishing off the baseboard trim work in the dining room. I had found a sample of original base hidden behind a stairwell remodel of years past. While I was not able to duplicate it exactly, i created a new base using old boards that approximate the height and depth of the original woodwork.
Some of the material I used to...
Telling a Story
On page 137 in his book The Clown in the Belfry, Frederick Buechner writes:
“In the long run the stories all overlap and mingle like searchlights in the dark… In other words all our stories are in the end one story, one vast story about being human, being together, being here. Does the story point beyond itself? Does it mean something? What is the truth of this interminable, sprawling...
Preaching in Lincoln
8:30 in the morning and we are the only car on the Lincoln road, not counting a dozen or so trucks parked along various pullouts and left by hunters much earlier in the morning. One hunter was already returning with the large rack of his success jutting high above the box in the back of his pick-up.
Actually, only 2 cars passed us on our drive up the Lincoln Road. It was a quiet but beautiful...
November Projects
November winds are blowing cold here in Helena and my view to the backyard is suddenly as white as snow, quite literally. I am really thankful for the wonderful warm weather through October that allowed me to complete a number of outdoor projects. The chicken coop is complete, a new compost bin built and filled, fences scraped and painted, apple trees planted, a storage shed built on the west...
Back Home Again
Ahhhhh… the Swedish breakfast brunch. What a meal that was. And what good butter to paste upon one’s bread. And what’s better than butter?
Holding little Lilian of course!
While the parents didn’t actually admit to the fact, it seemed perfectly obvious to me that she has all the distinctive good looks of her grandfather. Well, at least the pose in repose with the...
Last Day in Stockholm
All Saints Sunday was the day for Lilian to make her first trip to church.
I don’t know that she got a lot out of the service but she got to see the sights as her mom and her walked the halls back and forth.
St Peter and St Sigfrid Anglican Episcopal Church in Stockholm.
After worship we hiked the shoreline trail away from the city toward the row club.
While the Swedish sky...
National Museum of Sweden
We decided to take Lilian to the National Museum on Wednesday. Since she had already been to the Statsmuseum last week we thought she was ready for the big time.
She wasn’t all that interested.
I thought it interesting however, the resemblance of the Gustavus of Sweden with Gustavus Adolphus of St. Peter, Minnesota. Must have been brothers.
Good grandpa humor has no effect upon...
Train to Frövi
Papa escorted Solbritt, Yaya and Grandpa to the train at Central Station.
The Swedish train is very comfortable and the trip went fast.
Farmor Eva was busy in the kitchen the moment we arrived.
All weekend we enjoyed the most delicious Swedish food, including this North Sea Salmon baked on a bed of sea salt.
Kenneth and Eva are great hosts!
Solbritt loves her Farmor.
Solbritt...
Solbritt and Lilian
Grandpa and Yaya take a hike on a beautiful fall day in Stockholm and learn to steer the deluxe double stroller. Solbritt reclines on her side and catches a great nap as we cross the big bridge and make an hour loop before returning to the apartment. Sunny days last only a few hours so we have to get out quickly when the sun shines.
The long walk was hard on grandpa and he has a hard time...
October 2011
7 posts
Swedish Portraits
Stockholm Grandchildren
Solbritt’s smiling face met us at the Arlanda airport and she has been doing a great job at coaxing us out of any jetlag. She is one energetic two year old!
Yaya found a puzzle of Montana animals that we brought for Solbritt and she was quick to teach grandpa how to make the pieces fit the way she likes them to fit.
Then she had to go and tell Yaya all about it and they both enjoyed...
Radically International
Standing at the counter in our Swedish IKEA Kitchen it struck me how radically international I have become. Who would have thought? But here I am, an American making Norwegian lefse in a Swedish kitchen. Wow! That is really something to behold here in Montana.
Well my mother was Norwegian and father was Swedish so I guess it isn’t really all that great a leap. But what I was actually...
Man Cave Addition
A good shop needs heat so it was time to install the wood stove.
Seems like a huge chimney for a small wood stove.
Cutting the hole through the ceiling and roof was the tricky part.
Sorting parts and attempting installation prior to reading through the manual. With so many additional pages of warnings and safety instructions in manuals these days, I find I loose concentration and give...
Fall Chores
Frosty nights signal time to harvest potatoes. Here Julia is sorting the Yukon Gold from the Nordic Reds.
It took a lot of work last spring to fence and prepare the garden beds but now it will be much easier come planting season with fall pre-planting work complete.
Julia was a bit disappointed we didn’t get a bigger potato crop. Guess I stole a few to many baby potatoes during the...
Preaching in Lincoln
Starting in November, I will be traveling up the mountains to Lincoln twice a month. The Lincoln Methodist Church has invited me to preach and lead worship on the first and third Sundays of the month. My first Sunday is November 20. I was very impressed with the gathering of members that came to meet me for the interview and I am excited to be getting back into the pulpit on a regular schedule.
...
Lilian Rae!
Our new Swedish American grandchild was born into the family on the last day of September! We are proud and excited and anxious to see her soon.
Big sister Solbritt is already helping as a very serious babysitter! I’m sure mom and dad will appreciate all the extra help from Solbritt in taking care of Lilian Rae. We have our plane tickets and will be on our way to visit in just a couple of...
September 2011
6 posts
Viking Purple Potato
Fall surprises include the discovery of juicy delights when digging up the garden. Julia selected several varieties of potatoes to plant last spring and now the results are in!
This is the “repurposed” harvest from a single plant. Julia filled one of our garden beds with just potatoes, planting the best eyes. She filled the bed and was left with a half dozen cut pieces that...
Sensational Sunny September
While the sun is rising later and setting earlier these days, in between the rising and setting we have seen some great fall weather. And that makes for an extended painting season.
Tangled along the east property line an old weathered fence had been pulled and pushed by the lilac and honeysuckle hedge until it weaved and tilted every which way. Making use of this great weather I pulled apart...
Fall Harvest
Great fall weather has meant an extended season for our garden which I appreciate, especially when I get to taste the kitchen creations that result from such a blessing.
Fresh tomatoes stuffed and baked were the perfect complement to the grilled salmon that Cynthia prepared last evening. The potatoes and zucchini were also from the garden.
Even though it was mid June before I planted our...
Old Boards find New Life
A combination of running low on funds and at the same time trying to repurpose as much as possible in this house project leads to some creative work. When we discovered empty wall cavities where insulation should have been, one of the first projects last fall was to strip off the exterior siding in order to insulate properly. As I pulled off the 122 year old lap siding boards I pulled all the...
NEW PUPPY!
Delphi (DEL-fee) is the latest addition to our family here in Helena. She is just over 2 months and is full of energy.
She looks much like a Lab puppy but no telling who the parents were. She came from Havre with no history and was very tiny when we got her last week.
Julia and Cynthia had been looking for puppies all summer and were excited to find this little abandoned one but guess who...
Cans Closed
A little after noon today, Friday, September 2, I closed the can of paint and declared the house completely painted. After brushing on a third coat of Country Redwood (Swedish Red) on the last of the battens on the west gable, I was able to stand back and admire the look of a freshly painted house.
My favorite paint brush has served me well. I bought a top of the line Sherwin Williams natural...
August 2011
5 posts
High in the Sky
Painting progress has moved high up to the peak of the west gable this week. It is exciting to think I am close to finishing up the painting project but it makes me a little nervous when I am reaching up with the paint brush.
I’ve set up two 20’ ladders with ladder jacks to form a scaffold.
Good thing that I remember my boyscout training some 50 years ago as I needed to tie a...
Painting Progress
After rounding the south corner another side of the house is now completely painted and trimmed out.
Same view one year ago.
South side with a few flowers now in bloom.
Same side one year ago.
Painting started at the front side of the chimney in July and I worked across the front of the house first. There is about 12 feet of the west side yet to paint and I will then be back to the...
Rounding the corner...
Scrape, fill, prime, paint, scrape, fill, prime, paint, scrape… well you get the idea. Just before the last of the summer work days come and go I have turned the corner on completing the exterior of our Swedish House make over. I didn’t quite think about just how labor intensive this kind of siding would be to finish. With the north and the east sides complete and the south side...
Gargoyle takes Roost
From the peak of the north gable a friendly Swedish Gargoyle offers its impish grin and welcomes good spirits to come in and rest upon our home.
The contemporary gargoyle was the finishing touch to the north side of the house. After installing the battens and putting a final touch on the paint, the front side of the house is officially completed! And it only took a little over a year! (Now to...
A Full Year Experience
Arriving back home in Helena in June of 2010 one of our first stops was to take a look at the home at 837 12th that had been posted for sale on the internet. I had studied the details online from Copenhagen and Minneapolis and was anxious to see what it looked like in person. Cynthia saw it for what it was and it was not a pretty sight. My sight must have been from a different...
July 2011
9 posts
End of Week 52
In July of 2009 I visited my dad’s birthplace and childhood home in Oskar’s Parish in the village of Kroksjö in southern Sweden. It was a most fortuitous event when the current owners of the home came out to the front yard and invited us to come inside and tour the home. While the exterior of the home remains very much the same design as I have seen in old family photos, the inside...
End of Week 51
Painting is proving to be a most rewarding experience. As each window and door frame is given the final coat the whole house takes a step toward completeness. My progress is slowed somewhat by the frequent breaks that I take to simply step back and admire how fresh and nice a house can look with a coat of paint!
Visiting a potter’s studio and shop in Uddevalla, Sweden in 1976 I noticed...
End of Week 50
Beautiful weather helped all week in putting finishing touches on the exterior of our house. I have left the indoor projects for the most part for another day and now am focusing on getting a final coat of paint on the siding and window trim around the house.
Still, one special project after another seems to come up that needs my attention. Over the weekend I worked with Cynthia to install all...
Painting Trim in Hot Weather
Now that summer is finally here in Montana I have moved back outside to work on finishing up on some of the exterior projects, though it could take more than one summer to get it all completed! I try and get an early start before the sun is hot and I stop after an hour or so and have to clean my paint brush as it dries so fast. But as I finish up a window or two it is beginning to look very...
End of Week 49
4th of July Celebration must have been an exciting time in our nation’s capital. Here in Helena I wrapped up work and got ready to celebrate the 4th on Rock Creek just west of historic Phillipsburg, Montana. This photo was taken 2 weeks ago when Cynthia was in DC for a conference on “The Future of Nursing in Montana.”
As I near the end of a full year of construction work on...
Bed & Breakfast
Judy and Harold Thompsen from Fargo were our first overnight guests in the Sweden House B & B. Not everything is completed around the house but enough to have a great visit with good friends.
Judy and Harold brought housewarming gifts that immediately set the hosts in motion! The wild Greek won the first round by circling the front yard three times before the Swede could even get his flag...
June 2011
11 posts
End of Week 48
Almost a year in the process, we now have a fully functioning kitchen and I am enjoying great cuisine coming from chefs Julia and Cynthia. But it caused me to reflect back on what the house looked like one year ago when we walked through for the first time with our Realtor Susan Hughes.
The sight of this kitchen was not at all pleasing. The black cabinets had to go, that was for sure. In fact,...