Well, I celebrated Midsommar alright! I had a sudden urge to create a maypole and started hammering away in my garage. At first my masterpiece took on the shape of a cross, but I quickly changed that oh-so-holy symbol into a giant penis.
I wedged the maypole in between the ceiling and floor of my room, and did some frog dancing around it, quite a few times.
On the 23rd I went to the Scandinavian Club of Hawaii's official Midsommar party in Lanikai. There were maybe 50 or 60 attendees, from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and other places outside of Scandinavia. I got to practice my Swedish a bit, and I spoke with two Stockholmers who KNEW of Rosenhill. One of them had been there. All I can say is small, small world. What are the odds that I meet somebody in Hawaii, who just happens to have set foot onto a tiny hidden farm on a small island west of Stockholm. I mean, Rosenhill is a popular hangout for city-dwellers... but still. It turns out that Ingmar (the man who'd been there)'s father owned a summer home right around the corner from Nyckelby... and he knew the ICA. It sort of blew my mind.
A few of us hiked up pillboxes and had a great time. It was very dry and the soil crumbled easily undre our feet, leaving the trails dangerous. As there were mostly older people, it took a lonnng time. It was really nice slowing down and helping the others up and down the trail. Different perspective on hiking, that really made me appreciate my youth and fitness.
After the hike we went came back to the club-house where the festivities were taking place and had a potluck. All the flags were set up. It was so nice to see them all together.
And then there was SNAPS!
We worked together to decorate the maypole, by tying on lots of ferns, ti leaves and flowers. THe traditional Swedish music started and all 60 of us (maybe it was 40 by that time) started to dance like fools around the maypole. It was so great to connect with other Scandinavian-lovers and true Scandinavians here in Hawaii. It's a rarity to meet any, so having them together was a treat. I feel like I got my Sweden fill for a while, and now I can focus on Hawaii... the here and now.
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| Ingmar and his wife, Joyce |
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| Strange games that we played. It was a relay race to see who could be toilet-paper-mummified first... I lost. |
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