August 5, 2007
The Bradford family held a reunion in Hutchinson. We had a big crowd at Curtis and Denise's house.

August5 , 2007
The first of the direct Bradford family male descendants, Zackary, gets plenty of attention from grandma and grandpa.

August 5, 2007
Melissa and her daughter Hannah (don't they look like sisters?).

August 5, 2007
Here's Zackary again.

August 5, 2007
Elizabeth and Zackary.

August 5, 2007
The girls, plus Zackary.

August 8, 2007
We took our first family trip overseas this year to Sweden and Norway. Our excuse was that our au pair, Lina, was getting married so we had a good reason to jump the pond.

August 8, 2007
We walked around Gamlestan (old town) in Stockholm through the narrow and crowded streets.

August 8, 2007
There were a lot of tourists.

August 8, 2007
The Palace was impressive, but Treva wanted to see the King and Queen and was disappointed that they weren't there.

August 8, 2007
Here we are next to our rental car which we drove all over town (with only a few close calls).

August 8, 2007
Ah, what could be more Scandinavian?

August 8, 2007
The kids were fascinated by the glass blower.

August 8, 2007
This is the Grand Hotel Stockholm.

August 8, 2007
Annelie, our first au pair, was our hostess in her hometown of Stockholm. We went to dinner with her parents and aunt and uncle.

August 9, 2007
The next day Annelie took us for a boat ride to Sandhamn, an island in the Archipeligo surrounding Stockholm. We also got to meet Gustav, her nephew.

August 9, 2007
Once again I had to pose with the local brew.

August 9, 2007
This is Bjorn Borg's house which was on the way.

August 9, 2007
I was happy to have a bite to eat when we arrived. Guess what? More traditional Scandinavian food. (My version of shrimp toast.)

August 9, 2007
This is Sandhamn.

August 9, 2007
Boat repair is big business.

August 9, 2007
Sailboats at Sandhamn.

August 9, 2007
We found a good vantage point to watch the boats and take some sun.

August 9, 2007
Little Gustav made quick friends.

August 9, 2007
Annelie's brother Matias is married to Elin, and Gustav is their son. Annelie's mother was also along.

August 9, 2007
The houses were very cute. No cars allowed, just bikes and walking.

August 9, 2007
The Opera House in Stockholm.

August 9, 2007
The round-abouts were confusing when driving, but provide for nice statues in their centers.

August 9, 2007
After our trip to the island we retreated back to Annelie's parents' home for some croquet.

August 9, 2007
Annelie.

August 9, 2007
Annelie's father and brother.

August 9, 2007
Annelie and her boyfriend, Rickard.

August 10, 2007
The next moring we were off, but first we stopped to see T-Blomer, the flower shop owned by Annelie's parents. Treva poses outside with Ufa.

August 10, 2007
The weather wasn't on our side but this is a common spot to take pictures of the Stockholm skyline.

August 10, 2007
After Stockholm it was on to Borlange for the wedding of Lina Nilsson and Anders Wiken. The night before we were welcomed into Lina's parents' home for a wonderful dinner. Here's her whole family.

August 11, 2007
The next morning people arrived at the church for a traditional Swedish wedding.

August 11, 2007
Here are the Klebers before the ceremony.

August 11, 2007
Mr. Nilsson was proud as he walked his beautiful daughter down the aisle.

August 11, 2007
Here are the brand new Mr. and Mrs.

August 11, 2007
We boarded a steam boat with the family for a ride from the church to where the reception was held.

August 11, 2007
Here is Lina with her close friends.

August 11, 2007
Treva, Brynja and Sandra spent the night hanging out together.

August 11, 2007
Jett got his picture taken with the local rock star. You can find out about his band here.

August 11, 2007
The reception was a great time with all kinds of activities and speeches. In this picture a question was asked of the bride and groom and they had to answer by raising the shoe of the person who most fit the question.

August 11, 2007
Happily Ever After!!

August 12, 2007
After the wedding it was back on the road, but first a quick stop at Anders' brothers' house to see his new German Shepard puppies.

August 12, 2007
We made a stop along the way to see where those famous horses are made.

August 12, 2007
First they saw out the pattern.

August 12, 2007
Then they carve out the details.

August 12, 2007
Next it's time to paint the horse that famous shade of orange.

August 12, 2007
Finally the horses are hand painted. An extra touch can be added for a price. In this case our kids' names.

August 13, 2007
Our next stop was Levanger, Norway (just north of Trondheim) to spend time with a dear old friend and her family. This is a picture of Anne Grete and me standing outside a famous Norwegian Church. This is the church located near the battlefield in Stiklestad where King Olaf II was killed. He's the King credited with bringing Christianity to Norway.

August 14, 2007
The next day we made a trip to Trondheim to see the sights.

August 14, 2007
Ingeborg and Brynja quickly became fiends.

August 14, 2007
Another amazing church was the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.

August 14, 2007
Just by chance while walking around the Cathedral I noticed this grave stone. As you can see, it's where Bernt Julius Muus, the founder of the college I attended (St. Olaf) is buried.

August 14, 2007
Harold made us his local specialty called Sod. It's a soup-like stew made with lamb meatballs. Very tasty.

August 15, 2007
One last photo of all the kids together before we left.

August 15, 2007
Driving south we stopped in Lillehammer and climbed to the top of the ski jump used in the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. As soon as we started walking down it started pouring rain. We took cover right underneath the bottom of the jump but still got plenty wet. At the very top of this picture you can see where the Olympic flame burned throughout the games.

August 16, 2007
Another attraction in Lillehammer is Maihaugen, an open air museum showing what it was like to live in Norway in the 1850s. I think our kids are happy their home is a bit more modern.

August 17, 2007
We finally made it to Oslo, our final leg of the journey. We woke up early this morning knowing we had a lot of ground to cover to see as much as possible. First stop was the Viking Ship Museum.

August 17, 2007
Next stop was Vigeland Sculpture Park located in Olso's Frogner Park. We tried to recreate some of the poses with limited success.

August 17, 2007
In some cases a photo opp just evolved.

August 17, 2007
Treva was always eager have her picture taken.

August 17, 2007
Even I couldn't resist.

August 17, 2007
Walking around in downtown Oslo at night provides lots of things to see and do. Karl Johans gate, the main street downtown, was busy with activity.

August 18, 2007
Our first stop the next morning was a stroll around Blindern Studenterhjem (Student Home). This is where my mother lived every summer while working at the University of Oslo International Summer School. It's also the place I met Anne Grete. I have many wonderful memories of being here as a child and as a student so it was fun to show my kids around.

August 18, 2007
Another ski jump was on the list of things to see in Oslo. Holmenkollen was first used in competition in 1892 and has been upgraded many times since, most noteably for the 1952 Winter Olympics.

August 18, 2007
Holmenkollen also houses a ski museum. Brynja and Jett found it interesting to see the earliest snowboards on display.

August 18, 2007
We talked about trolls the whole trip, keeping our eyes open when driving through the woods or near old bridges. This happy troll was willing to pose with me for a picture.

August 18, 2007
Finally, what better way to end two weeks in Sweden and Norway than with a glass of the local brew, Ringness Norway Beer!