Got the news from Norway this morning. Cousin Andreas died on December 1.

Cousin Andreas Andreassen (I call him a cousin, because they’re all some kind of cousin over there, and it’s too much trouble to work out the degrees) was my host the last time I visited the relatives in Norway. He was an elderly widower who lived in a house on a small wharf. He rented the lower floor to some kind of business and lived upstairs (or rented from the business; I never inquired). Living alone, he had plenty of room for a guest. What was notable was that he was a very quiet man; nearly as quiet as me. The upshot was that not a lot of talking got done while I was with him. Which was kind of relaxing, to tell the truth.

But I wish we’d talked more. I heard a few things about his life. He’d been a merchant seaman, if I recall correctly, during the Second World War, when the Norwegians who were at sea when the invasion happened found themselves the de facto navy of a government in exile. There must have been stories connected with that. I think I even heard one, one that was quite dramatic. But my Norwegian comprehension wasn’t up to following it, and I’ve lost the shreds I had.

You miss a lot when you’re pathologically shy.

This is a picture we took the last time I saw him, when I was doing my first lecturing cruise. Andreas is the one on your left. He and Cousin Tom-Erik and Cousin Arne drove up to Bergen to meet my ship, and they bought me a snack in a coffee shop.



While I’m thinking of Norway, I’ll link to this site, Haugelandet.net It’s in Norwegian, but most of the stuff is translated. It showcases photos from southwest Norway, the area around Haugesund (Karmøy Island, where Cousin Andreas lived, is just across the sound). The site’s proprieter, Eirik Hustvedt, hasn’t posted much for a while, but recently he’s gotten active again. So if you click over there, you’ll encourage him. And see some interesting scenery. This is really my favorite part of the world, my “quiet place.”