Onkel Oscar Evening

After dinner we got ready and Knut, Yvonne, Karsten and myself went down town for our 7pm Onkel Oscars Pub evening. Else and Elise took the evening off and enjoyed an evening at home. You must understand, it doesn't get dark in northern Norway this time of year so you don't really realize the time of day it is...lots of daylight....lots of energy.
I had memories of so many people but really have had little contact with them since I left Namsos. Three years ago while recuperating from surgery discovered Facebook. I had never really had time
for social media....to my surprise, many many of my Norwegian friends were to be found there. I have spent many hours looking through "friends" lists of friends to find people I knew and trying to learn about them, their lives and family.
I had put out an invitation for our evening get together on Facebook in hopes to have a good turn out. Well I must admit.....we had a very successful night. We had 24 people come out and meet at the pub.

 I had a ball. There were three specific groups...ones from school, some from what I call the "Morten Gang", and a few " olders" who were good friends but were already grownups back in 1983. The name Morten gang comes from probably my best friend that year in Namsos. Morten Kristiansen was his name. One of my biggest regrets is I would not get back to Norway soon enough for us to meet again. After a valiant fight with cancer....he passed away last summer. He was like my my big  brother that year. Morten was one of the first persons I met that was about my age and had a car. It was great for me because he lived just done the street from me and everyone knew and loved Morten. We spend many nights driving around, visiting friends, or hanging out at Bibo...(the local nightclub of the day.) Both his sister (Wenche) and brother (Karl Arne) were there to represent. We all enjoyed each other's company and had some laughs seeing each other in some old pictures I had brought to
pass around. Most of us had changed a great deal on the outside...but as we sat, talked, and laughed....we all realized that we were all the same people on the inside. The memories and stories went late into the night.

 The last of the hold outs Unni, Lillian, Sylvia and myself finally said goodnight sometime well after midnight. Three of us got a ride home from Unni's oldest daughter as Lillian through on her bicycle helmet and began the trek home. One thing I must say....most Norwegians do not drink and
drive....even if they had just one beer. This is a practice I wish everyone followed.
I also felt honored by those who are soccer fans( which is almost everyone here) because Wednesday was the World Cup semi final between Argentina and Netherlands. There was no TV at Onkel Oscars and they chose to come to meet me anyway....I did make it home just as the last free kick in overtime was made sending Argentina to the finals.