I haven’t been able to post anything with photos, so the next few will be going a few days back in time. This one is for last Wednesday (today is Friday)
I'm a bit behind in my posts, or is it that so much has happened in the last 24 hours? Yesterday (Tuesday) morning we left Calgary at around 10:30 for our move to Banff. It was a bit more clear so the views were even more spectacular - I have countless photos through the windshield of the approach to the mountains. I'll have to admit to being pretty excited as we drew nearer.
We easily found our campground, checked in and got settled at our site. We met our neighbors on one side - a lovely couple from Quebec on their way back from Alaska. After a quick out for the dogs, Carm and I got to work cleaning the camper. It had been a while, and the dust was thick. There was dog nose art on many of the windows, and the floor needed a good wash. Why the sudden interest in cleaning? We had company coming!!! My Norwegian cousins and their spouses were coming for supper!

After the place was sparkling we headed out on a walk around the park. The path ran along the outside of the campground, through open meadows with views to neighboring mountains, and through wooded slopes, the ground studded with pine cones. We views of mountains all around us we were pretty happy we had come here.
We puttered, read, and napped the rest of the afternoon away and then it was time to get ready for our guests. Right at the stroke of 5:30 they arrived. As soon as they finished their tour of the camper (they don't have units like this in Norway), Carm cracked open a bottle of bubbles. Some time ago I promised Bjorn that we'd share a bottle - I was so happy we got the chance during their trip to Canada this summer. We settled down to visit with some veggies as a snack. Conversation flowed easily as their English is so good - but not just that, there was an instant rapport that made us all feel comfortable.
Supper was a simple ravioli with a homemade pesto sauce with baby tomatoes tossed in. By that time, the shade had made its way over the picnic table so we were able to eat outside. I wished the meal would have gone on longer, but alas, talk of trucks drew the men away, and soon also the mosquitoes started showing their presence.
Once back inside we had dessert - just a simple pudding cake that we had purchased - and coffee. I told them of my memories of visiting Norway in 1973 & 1974 - memories of tables groaning under the weight of sweets and cakes. The little cake that I had to offer seemed paltry, but I guess we are camping after all! Bjorn and Anna-Kari claim to have gotten their love of sweets from their grandmother - perhaps that is where my sweet tooth comes from as well.
You know how with some people you just hit it off and feel an instant kinship with them? That's how I felt with Bjorn, Ingeborg, Anna-Kari, and Ulf. I could have sat and visited with them late into the night, but alas, they had a flight to catch the next day...
It was a delightful visit with delightful people. I hope we all meet again soon!
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