[Leica] a sad postcard

[ruben at rhodos.dk (Ruben)]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Todoroff" <datamaster@northcoastphotos.com>
To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 7:13 PM
Subject: RE: [Leica] a sad postcard


> Very descriptive words, Ruben, to describe a place that is similar to many
> memories I have of Sweden. In the 1960's I stayed with a family in the
> little town of Horred near Varberg on the southwest coast. They had a 
> summer
> cottage much like the "torp" you describe, near a lake and in the woods.
> What part of Sweden are you in? I remember then in Sweden as soon as you
> left the main highway, all the country roads leading to cottages were
> gravel - no wonder Volvo's had to be built so solid then.
>
> I also stayed a week in a fairyland type of cottage in Dalerna. Outside,
> older folks were cutting the fields by hand and stacking the hay on big
> drying racks made of long poles that were stored in barns. Still very "old
> Europe" in some places back then. I seemed to remember a Swedish word for
> the little cottages that sounded something like foor-byod. Is that a word?
>
> Hans Pahlen gave me a tour around the Varberg area three or four years 
> ago -
> was great to see some of the old places again.  He was a regular LUGger 
> back
> then. Do you know him? Anyone heard from him lately?
>
> I had read about the storms in Sweden, but didn't realize how devastating
> they were. Our home is surrounded by about 30 redwood trees with some 
> water
> runoff that will turn into a white-water creek tonight with the big storm
> due in a few hours. So far the only trees not standing were the ones that
> had to be removed when some destroyed the driveway and another grew within
> an inch of the house.
>
> Too bad you can't plant some redwood trees there - they grow like weeds 
> here
> and just as fast! I hope your forest heals soon. Thanks again for the
> beautiful and heartfelt "word photo".
>
> Gary
> (Tree Lugger)
>
> Gary Todoroff 707 445-8425
> Datamaster Designs
> 1824 County Ln
> Eureka, CA  95501
> datamaster@northcoastphotos.com
> www.northcoastphotos.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+datamaster=northcoastphotos.com@leica-users.org
> [mailto:lug-bounces+datamaster=northcoastphotos.com@leica-users.org]On
> Behalf Of Ruben
> Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 1:40 PM
> To: Leica Users Group
> Subject: [Leica] a sad postcard
>
>
> This weekend was very sad to me, my wife and to my children. We went to 
> our
> little house in the forest in Sweden to check out the damages of the great
> winter storm the devastated large areas of southern Sweden in January.
>
>
>
> It would be too much to go into details of how my house (a "torp" *) is
> placed in the landscape except that it is behind a very small hill before 
> a
> rather long hill/slope of about a mile down to a large Lake.
>
>
>
> Until the storm a large and very old forest surrounded my property, with
> beautiful stone fences covered with moss and lichens and trees so big that
> my little family hardly could reach around them.
>
>
>
> It was the kind of forest were you could discover new secret places and 
> were
> you could sit a summers afternoon in the middle of the forest enjoying the
> birds, insects and the wonderful scents of flowers, trees and mushrooms,
> while the rays sun would find its way thru the leaves and paint the fairy
> like grass and moss with scattered light.
>
>
>
> I have known this place as my second home for all most 40 years and both 
> my
> girls has spend most of the summers since they were born, the oldest even
> took her first steps/walk on the bumpy grounds out side the house.
>
>
>
> For the first time in my life I found it hard to use my camera - even 
> though
> my house and most of my property had made it thru the storm every were I
> looked trees were either turned over with root and every thing or the most
> proud and stubborn trees were simply snapped over like matches. It was so
> bad we could not find the little road that led up to our house, there are
> now landmarks left - no secret and fairytale like places left - no beauty
> only a wasteland!
>
>
>
> It took much strength to comfort my youngest - she cried - her "smultron
> st?lle"** was gone, her little hill further in the forest were she used to
> take her dolls and play was gone and even the place were she saw her first
> Moose looked like someone had turned everything up side down.
>
>
>
> It will take 20 years to get the places to look just nice again and it 
> will
> not look like old forest in my lifetime - but I hope my children will be
> able to show my their children some of the Sweden I have so dearly - Had 
> it
> not been for the many birds, some deers and a couple of other "wild" 
> animals
> curiously looking at us from a safe distance I would not have been able to
> hold back the tears but their presence gave me comfort that Nature might
> sometimes be tough on us but life will go on.
>
>
>
> For me the loss of 40-50 larges trees on my property means only that I 
> will
> be chopping fire wood for a very long time, but for some of my 
> neighbours -
> the nearest is about 5 miles away - it is really bad as the have lost 1000
> of sq. metres forest that will get little paid if they can find help to 
> get
> it "cleaned" up before next winter.
>
>
>
> This is a sad postcard with no pictures attached but with an advice to
> embrace and enjoy places dear to your heart while they are still there -
> best Ruben
>
>
>
> * Torp is a very small house were the poorest people lived - people who 
> did
> not have enough land to live from it but worked for the large farmers. In
> 1965 a 97 year old woman died after living in the Torp all her life. She 
> had
> one cow and she did some sewing and stuff for other people - she never
> married. Behind the wall paper we found newspaper-wall paper from 1880. In
> my area it is the last Torp left  - two rooms and a very large
> fireplace/stove - very primitive and very lovely.
>
> ** Smultron St?lle = your own place in the forest were the wild small
> strawberries grow - a ver Swedish thing
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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