A few months ago I visited Frogner Park in Oslo Norway. I was so impressed with it. I mentioned it in a previous post. I loved this park because it is so unique. It is beautiful with thousands of flowers and trees. There are 121 figures in the park. I didn’t capture all of them but I got most of my favorites. I don’t know why these sculptures touched me so much but they did. I loved this park!!!! To see additional photos and get more information just google Frogner Park. You will see so many more of the figures.
Frogner Park is a public Park in the central West End borough of Frogner in Oslo, Norway. The park is historically part of Frogner Manor and is Oslo’s largest park, open to the public at all times. Wikipedia
What is so unique about these figures? There are 121 human figures clinging and floating together. There’s men, women and children of different ages and different stages of life. At the very top of the park is a huge Monolith made up of human figures and crowned with children. To me it is magical.
The park is just a beautiful place. Flowers everywhere!!! The layout of the park was also designed by the sculptor. So when you see all the figures you may wonder who is behind these amazing figures and this beautifully designed park It is Gustav Vigeland and you will often hear the park called Vigeland Park.
Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) Gustav persuaded the city of Oslo to build him a combined home and studio. In return, Vigeland would donate all his works to the city sometime in the future.
It took approximately 20 years to complete everything.
Gustav Vigeland Norway’s greatest sculptor and one of its finest twentieth century artists.
I hope you enjoyed all the sculptures as much as I did. I think they are so unique and beautiful. If you ever get to Norway please visit this park it is simply amazing!!!!!
Hello friends and happy Monday. I am in Chattanooga, TN for a short work trip. I will be meeting this week with my Southern Highlands buddies. This is a group of attractions from Lookout Mountain Georgia to Luray Virginia. I have mentioned that we meet three times a year and visit other attractions and share ideas to help each other out. It is a really fun group and I always come back with something to share at my work place. We will be visiting some really fun places while we are here and I will be sure to share all of those with you later in the week.
Last week was a bit of a crazy week. By the time Friday rolled around I was ready for the weekend. Labor Day, well actually the entire weekend, is one of our busiest times at work and also the end of our tourist season. So it is both anticipated and a bit sad. Our attraction remains open all year but the crowds definitely dwindle after Labor Day. It seems like I am always ready for a break by this time and then I am ready again when the season first gets started.
Friday morning I went with my sister to see her oncologist and to get blood work and set up a CT scan to see how everything is going with her. By the way she is doing so great!!! Her blood work came back great and the NP that we actually saw was just overjoyed. So were we!!! But what we thought was going to be a quick in and out visit wound up taking a long time. Plus we were in Knoxville, about an hour from home, I was very late getting to work on Friday and still had a ton of things to do. This always causes me a lot of anxiety. I know it shouldn’t but it does that is just how I roll. I decided that in future I will not try to do a doctor visit with her and plan to work the same day. A bit of staffing shortage is what had put that plan in to place to start with.
Like I said by Friday evening I just went home and crashed. I made some popcorn and watched my favorite movie, When Harry Met Sally. I needed something to watch that I didn’t really have to focus on and could just chill at the same time.
One of my favorite movies of all time.
Saturday was pretty quiet and just what I needed. I finished a book I had started on Friday. Freak which was the sequel to Creep. I know they sound very strange. Both books are about a serial killer and quite a bit of mystery. Definitely not for the faint of heart.
I also finished this scarf I took with me on our trip a couple of weeks ago. I had it finished except weaving the ends and blocking it. I love the colors and it is so light and airy. I think I may keep this one for myself.
My meeting in Chattanooga didn’t actually start until around noon on Monday but I decided to go down on Sunday evening.
We are staying downtown Chattanooga for the meeting and there is going to be a huge parade for a man, Larry Taylor, who is receiving a Medal of Honor. This will mean that a lot of the downtown streets will be closed for the parade and a lot of rerouting will take place. Because I am not that familiar with downtown Chattanooga I decided to get there really early. I am about two hours from Chattanooga and I knew if I had to get up early on Monday and make my way through all of the traffic and deal with closed streets, it would not be good and I probably wouldn’t make it on time. So going down on Sunday evening worked best for me. I called the hotel and changed my reservation to come in on Sunday night. I was able to stop at Target on my way in, get something to eat, and get to the hotel in time to do some blog work and even get a little knitting in. It worked out perfect. Of course I hate leaving my husband and the kitties for an extra day but I knew it would work out for the best. Less stress is my new motto.
Chattanooga Times Free Press photo Larry Taylor, the Signal Mountain man who in June 1968 saved four U.S. soldiers surrounded by enemies in Vietnam, will head next week to Washington, D.C., to receive an award for valor at the White House.
My room is very nice with a great work station.
I brought this scarf/shawl with me to work on. The pattern is knit half and then start the decrease to form the other half sort of like a triangle. It’s fairly easy but I have to be careful to count the stitches. It is not one I can work on and not pay close attention.
My girl Allie, AKA Mama Cat, hung out with me on Saturday. It was a nice day to hang out on the deck and read.
These are in no particular order but probably my favorite is A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott
Love the Coopers. This movie stars Diane Keaton and John Goodman as the mom and dad couple trying to wait until the holidays to tell their adult children they are going to split up. Alan Arkin plays the grandfather. The story is told by the most important family member, the dog. Great music and stories within the story.
Serendipity starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. A young couple meet on Christmas Eve and share a few hours together and fall in love. She believes in destiny and says if it is meant to be they will be together some day. They don’t share names or numbers but a way to maybe meet again someday. Fate is behind everything. No accidents.
Scrooged. This is a modern retelling of the classic, A Christmas Carol. Bill Murray stars as Frank Crass a mean, selfish, cynical television executive. Frank is of course visited by the traditional three ghosts on Christmas Eve who will attempt to show him the meaning of Christmas. But underneath it all is a bit of a love story and I am all about that at Christmas.
The Family Stone starring a cast of well known actors, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson. Everett Stone brings his girlfriend Meredith,Sarah Jessica Parker, home for Christmas where he intends to propose to her. The Stone family are quite a crazy bunch and they don’t really care for the uptight Meredith. This movie is hilarious and a little sad at the end but one of my all time favorites.
The Holiday. Oh I love this movie. This movie stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. Here are two women having guy problems. They decide to get out of town, well actually out of the country and they switch homes with each other, in different countries. Of course they find new loves in each location. Throw in Jack Black who I dearly love in anything and it is just about perfect for Christmas.
Elf. This movie will truly make you believe in Santa again. You will laugh and scream for Buddy the elf. He is so innocent and sweet and he loves SANTA!!!!!! And Buddy says: The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear. You have to watch this!!!! Buddy is played by Will Ferrell and he does an amazing job.
Christmas Vacation. O.K. you know if Chevy Chase is in a movie you are going to laugh yourself silly. Poor Clark is only trying to make a memorable Christmas for his family. His way to make this happen is to string about a million Christmas lights across his house and try to make everyone happy at the same time. Add into the mix his parents, in-laws, and Uncle Eddie and his crew and it is hysterical.
A Christmas Carol. This is probably my favorite of all times. Scrooge is played by George C. Scott and I think he does an outstanding job as Ebenezer Scrooge. This movie is both creepy and endearing. The three ghosts are a little different from any of the scrooge movies I have seen. If you haven’t seen this one watch it. You will love it!!!!
Home Alone. Get ready to laugh until you cry over this one. Macaulay Culkin stars as a boy, Kevin McCallister who is left behind at home when his family accidentally leaves him behind on their Christmas vacation to Paris. A couple of burglars are targeting Kevin’s home because they think it is empty. Kevin has to “burglar proof” his home and keep it safe from the burglars. A good thing he is a LOT smarter than the burglars.
Love Actually. Oh wow a host of stars in this movie, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson. This movie is a feel good movie. There is a lot going on and all of it comes together at the end of the movie. My most favorite part is shown at Heathrow Airport. They show shots of people arriving to see loved ones and there is lots of kissing and hugging, my favorite things. But there is such a sweet Christmas theme and lots of romance. I love it.
So what are some of your favorite movies? I have been working my way through this list for the last couple of weeks. I still have a few to go. And you know you just can’t watch them after Christmas. It’s just now the same. Well maybe of few of them you could. I still like to watch Serendipity, The Family Stone and Love Actually all year long.
Southern Patches 