jimboyce44

Working on the Dairy Farm in Flums

At the dairy farm we woke up in the dark and immediately went to the barn to milk the cows and clean their living areas. The Swiss are “work animals” as they said and we worked from darkness to darkness. The barn was kept immacculately clean with even the tiles on the wall scrubbed daily.Continue reading “Working on the Dairy Farm in Flums”

Harvesting Olives on Crete, Greece

It was just after Christmas. I had heard about travelers doing agricultural work on the Island of Crete in Greece. I had heard about orange picking, Olive harvesting, tomatoes and more. I decided to check it out. I took a boat from a port in Athens and went to the Island of Crete. I thenContinue reading “Harvesting Olives on Crete, Greece”

Some characters from Norway

I have about 8 book-sized journals in a box at my parents house in Shoreline, Washington with detailed descriptions of each day I was traveling. Unfortunately all I am writing from now is my memory from 37 years ago. I was very disciplined about writing there and did it daily. My day was not completeContinue reading “Some characters from Norway”

More about Pig Farming in Norway

I dedicate this entry to Per-Otto Haaje, who taught me about pig farming and his family that treated me like one of their own. Years later, my parents met up with them in Oslo, Norway. Their daughter, Siri-Anne came to my state to attend Washington State University for a while. She was about 10 whenContinue reading “More about Pig Farming in Norway”

Hiking in Norway…Midnight Sun and Hardanger Vidda

One of the amazing things in Norway is the many places to go hiking. In the Winter, Norwegians “Ga Pa Ski” (cross country ski) a lot. In the Summers these same areas become accessible on foot for hiking. I spent probably a month in the mountains and rarely saw another person. I enjoyed the solitudeContinue reading “Hiking in Norway…Midnight Sun and Hardanger Vidda”

Letter writing back in the day

When I left home for more than a year in the early 1980s, nobody had cell phones, the internet was not here and few people ever made international calls. They were extremely expensive. So when traveling, I would buy postcards and write family and friends. After writing, I would get stamps and then find aContinue reading “Letter writing back in the day”

Land of The Midnight Sun

I will get back to the pig farm in my next post. Still some more stories there. Norway is a beautiful country shaped by valleys, rivers and mountains. Due to its latitude it experiences the midnight sun in the Summer months. When I was there 37 years ago, the tradition was to go sit byContinue reading “Land of The Midnight Sun”

Entry 2 From The Norwegian Pig Farm

Arriving on the farm in Norway was an abrupt change from a rather whimsical life of travel. When I arrived on Brekke Gard as the farm was named, I had been on the road almost seven months. While traveling I made plans as they came up. I would always buy a big paper map ofContinue reading “Entry 2 From The Norwegian Pig Farm”

How did I end up working on a pig farm in Norway?

In September, 1982, I set out on a journey. I left home and when asked when I would return, I could honestly answer, “possibly never.” My whole life had been planned up until that point with school, work, etcétera always being predictable. I wanted for one time in my life to have a blank pageContinue reading “How did I end up working on a pig farm in Norway?”

Trip to Japan with Students and Colleagues

I would like to dedicate this post to two inspiring Emirati women who have encouraged my blogging. Ms. Reham Al Nuaimi recently received her Master’s degree in Engineering. One of the kindest people you will meet. Ms. Maitha Almahri is an undergraduate student that made my day ever time I saw her with her fancyContinue reading “Trip to Japan with Students and Colleagues”