Ace, our resident foodie photographer, let us know that our glamping trip to Lindsborg, Kansas, would be extra special for her. Her family members are Swedish-speaking Finns and, well, why don’t I just let her tell it?
Take it away, Ace!
Uff da! Where to begin? Lutefisk and köttbullar (Swedish meatballs) have been a Christmas tradition in my farmour’s (grandmother’s) house my whole life.
My farmour, Ingegerd, was born in Jakobstad, Finland, a Swedish-speaking border town in Finland. And my farfar (grandfather), Edwin, was raised by his Finnish immigrant parents in logging camps in northwest Washington.
Winnie Nielsen 
melyssa 
Julie Kram 
Suzanne Bergholz 
Karlyne 
Brenda Gill 
Elizabeth 
Terry Steinmetz 
Deborah Granay 
Stephanie Montoya 
Eileen Stone 
Debbie Fischer 
Christine 
Laurie Scott 
Nicole Christensen 
Beth 
Paula Spencer Scott 
Jeannie Pierce 
Judith Lickteig 
Charlene Petersen 
Eileen V Widman 
Ace, thank-you for sharing your family heritage with us! My husband’s family is 100% Norwegian and I have so enjoyed learning about the Scandinavian traditions too. This summer we will visit Norway and Finland and I can hardly wait! Plus this year, I found some online friends who are all equally obsessed with Scandinavian traditions. I love your photo with the traditional outfit beside the Dala. Lindsborg is definitely on my list of places to visit soon! Letefisk however, is most likely not to become a personal favorite. But, Warren’s Aunt Ethel’s Fiskbolle, on Christmas Eve, were quite delicious with a crab meat cream sauce just the way Nana Marthilda made it!
It is a small world. My grandparents were also from Jakobstad, Finland area and settled in the Ironwood, Michigan area when they came to the U.S. After WWII, my father went to Mullan Idaho to meet up with two of his brothers who had gone there mining. As a child, we were involved in many Scandianvian events but sadly, these became very rare as I got older.
I have a trip to Finland on my bucket list for retirement which is very soon and look forward to it.
What a wonderful journey you took us on Ace! Loved reading about your family’s heritage and traditions. Good luck with your language studies too!
Hugs,
Laurie
Wow! I haven’t seen the words Uff Da! used since I lived in nothern Wisconsin in l980. I met lots of Norwegian descendents whose immigrant relatives settled there. I well remember being introduced to lutefisk and lefse. (Personally, I’ll take the fried catfish and cornbread from my Kentucky heritage!) It was a great experience living in the northern US and I enjoyed learning about the folkways of the Norwegian people. These folks had settled in a rural area and the descendents stayed on as it was now their homeland. It is great living in a location where you are welcomed to learn about another ongoing culture.
Thanks so much for sharing your families rich traditions and culture with us. It is so neat to learn about other cultures and traditions.
Lovely pictures Ace. Thank you for sharing some of your treasured memories with us (I love older pictures~the real ones you can hold in your hands are priceless). I can readily see the joy in your camp group photograph; your face is radiating appreciation & happiness at that moment in time. Looks like you embraced the experience…& it’s a bit infectious as I am going to the library today & ask for a copy of, ‘Where the Huckleberries Grow’ by Agnes Rands. If the book is shelved at any library in the state then I will soon get a chance to read it:-) Love the title!
It’s a really good book Elizabeth! There is a sequel to it titled, “Even Seagulls Cry” you’d also enjoy. Just got back from vacation to see all your comments, it’s great to meet all of you fellow Scandinavians. That’s so exciting Winnie! Oh man, you’ll love Finland and Norway! They are some of the best places to me. 🙂
Nancy, that’s super ironic! I wouldn’t doubt it if they passed each other in the supermarket. When my farmour and farfar met and married and introduced their families, they found out that each of their grandmothers went to elementary school together. It’s truly a small, small, world!