Day 8 - Favang!

Shazam!  We met with Ole Jon and his wife tonight.  Ole Jon is a relative of one of Mom's school mates.  Anyway, Ole Jon did some research on one of mom's (and my) relatives, so we discussed that in our hotel's restaurant over coffee and streudel (though it has to be called something else here, right?).  After our talk, they offered to drive us to some of the farms.  The first and most important farm to us is the one posted below.  It's called Bjorgevangen.  It was the last place that Mattie Vang (Mathea Amundson VANG) lived before she and all of her living brothers and sisters and parents moved to Timberland/Barronett.  She took VANG in the U.S. as it is part of the name of the farm: Bjorgevangen.  It looks like someone might own it, but they certainly don't live there on a regular basis.  It's beautiful, isn't it?  Ole Jon thinks that it was built between 1800 and 1850.  Mattie Vang emmigrated in 1894.  She was my great great grandmother.  [My mom is Marlys Nyberg Renz.  Her mother was Elva Rydberg Nyberg.  Her mother was Mathilda Hanson Rydberg.  And her mother was Mathea "Mattie" Vang Hanson.]  This wasn't a house or a farm that they owned.  They rented it and worked the land.  Mattie's father was also a tailor and a logger.  (Can we say jack of all trades?)  Ole Jon thinks that the last people who permanently lived here was in the 1920s.  We did see some other farms and homes, but they were not places that that family lived for very long.  We are tired and going to bed.  It is 11 p.m.  Still light enough to go for a walk, play frisbee with a dog, set up a tent, etc.  and we have no light blocking shades tonight.  Tomorrow might be a good day for a nap.