Andersons Family History: Mora, Radio Siljan, Zorns, Nusnäs, Party

MORA:

Wednesday August 3rd. We bid good by to Gåsvarv and our comfortable lodgings on Bogg Farm and made our way south to Mora where exciting activities awaited us.

RADIO SILJAN:

Roger had set up an interview with Lars Göran -noppi- Lindberg, a popular radio host on Radio Siljan. Noppi loves western music and plays it on his show, which has a fairly broad coverage in Dalarna.

That 21 American relatives of Dalacarlians were visiting the region was somewhat newsworthy and we chatted about Swen Olof leaving two brothers (Anders and Per Axel) behind in Sweden when he emigrated to Utah. Now, over a hundred years later, we held a big family reunion in Gåsvarv with over 70 participants.

Bonnie also spoke of visiting ancestral sites important to her in southern Sweden. She joked that she had to learn Swedish twice, once in Stockholm and again in Skåne. I must admit after listening to a play back of the interview that Bonnie's Swedish is prettier than mine. I have a bigger vocabulary, but she has a prettier delivery. Maybe it is because she learned hers in Stockholm and Skåne and I learned mine in Östersund.

Noppi played a recording that Bonnie and I had made, "Waltzing In The Nude", which at first blush might seem a bit much for conservative Mormons, but then again, considering we were in Sweden, I thought it would make the Swedes sense kinship with us, feeling that we were just like them, well - sort of.

Noppi asked what made the Mormon church different from other churches and I told him that we believe that our church is the restoration of the organization which existed in Christ's original church and especially that we have a living prophet and other scriptures such as the Book of Mormon in addition to believing in the Bible. I could kick myself for failing to mention that Thomas S. Monson is the current Prophet of the Mormon Church. That would have scored points in Sweden, big time, maybe even better than "Waltizing In The Nude"!

Larry, Noppi, Bonnie at Radio Siljan

In the broadcasting studio

LUNCH WITH ZAKRISSONS:

Roger's parents Gerd and Gunnar invited us for lunch in their beautiful home in Mora. Their home is brick with a basement and could pass for a house in an American subdivision. We were served waffles hot off the iron with whipped cream and home made Lingon (Red Whortleberry) and Hjortron (Cloudberry) preserves. Gunnar's profession was in forest management covring a very large portion of Dalarna. Gerd was a hemmafru (housewife), according to Roger and worked in various shops after the children were raised. We met one of Roger's brothers, Jörgen.

ZORNMUSEUM:

Anders Zorn was a contemporary of Carl Larsson and just as famous, some say even more so. His painting Sommarnoje (Summer Pleasure) recently sold for 27 million Swedish kronor, the most ever paid for a Swedish painting.

It just so happened that an exhibition of Zorn's works was being presented in Mora, running from 13 May to 14 September. The show was in celebration of the 150 years anniversary of Anders and Emma Zorns births and was titled Zorns Masterverks - it certainly was, ranging all the way from sculptures, etchings, metal works, and water colors to oil paintings. I personally liked Midsommarsdans (Mid Summer Dance) best of all the paintings I saw. It is a depiction of rural dancers in the evening light of midsummer.

In addition to the museum with art works, Roger arranged a special tour of the home where Zorn had lived and worked, it is also part of the museum. It was an interesting contrast to the home/studio where Carl Larsson had lived/worked. Carl Larsson's showed the influence of family and children whereas Anders Zorn was childless and his studio was more inclined to show the influence of his famous visitors.

I purchased a poster of the show for Bonnie's birthday. It is an exquisite water color of a beautiful young girl looking out over some flowers, perhaps through a garden. I don't know the title.

NUSNÄS:

After spending awhile shopping in Mora, we drove to Nusnäs where the famous Swedish Wooden Horses, among other things, are made. It was fun to watch the horses being carved, sanded and painted in their distinctive colorful patterns. In addition to horses, other colorful critters were made such as roosters, which I think were almost as popular, and pigs. I even found a couple of 'huggy-green-frogs' which I got for Bonnie's birthday. You probably think, WOW, a poster and frogs for her birthday! How can she be so lucky! But wait 'till you hear what came next.

THE BLITZERS AND ROGDOLLS:

Leave it to Roger! He had a big show-tent set up in his yard and a bandstand for his band the Blitzers. They have been playing together since teen years and they are really good, I mean reeeely gooood! The band is made up of four members, Roger vocals and lead guitar, Dan Lundqvist - bass guitar, Glädje Per-Olav Olsson - percussion (a relative of Mona's) and Per-Erik Ernlund - keyboard. They played a variety of songs specializing in soft rock as well as Roger's compositions, and also led us in singing Happy Birthday/Lång Må Hon Leva (Long May She Live) to Bonnie. Bonnie joined them on a couple of numbers with a tambourine.

The RogDolls are three women and Roger. They are well known in Sweden with the women having won a big music contest (Körslaget - Clash of the Choirs) with Joacim Cans 1n 2008. It was sponsored by National TV Channel 4. The dolls are Maria Nilsson, Katarina Sakrissson (Roger's cousin) and Camilla Collett. They sang several numbers featuring songs from America including Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. They are an energetic well disciplined group with great harmony. The RogDolls have a show, Midvinterblot (Midwinter Sacrifice) which is consistently sold out in Mora.

It was a rainy evening, and cold, but the tent kept us dry and Maria provided blankets to help keep people warm. Maria had also served a delicious dinner prior to the show. We met Roger's sister Tina and her daughter Klara who had driven up from Gävle.