Doings of Dudley Doolittle: This is the name I use in the sometimes hilarious, outrageous, or cynical short stories posted monthly.
A fictitious name will be used in most of the stories. It is there to protect the identity of the guilty.
These true stories are over half a century old or more.
Doings of Dudley Doolittle, My Norse connection, 11th edition
August 1983: Jane and I landed in Luxembourg, Europe, spent the night, took the train to Gutersloh, Germany, then took a taxi to the Volkswagen factory at Wiedenbruck and picked up our new camper van. We provisioned the next day and headed north to Norway.
Camping at a truck rest stop in Northern Denmark, we next purchased seafood and Danish beer. Our camper van made a delightful place to dine with a scenic view, the front seats swiveled along with the tables. The mini galley had a sink, two burner cook top and a refrigerator. We brought our one portable toilet. We could sleep up above or down in the folding beds. We were like turtles traveling in our home..
I told Jane the Danish beer was really cheap. Jane said she thought it was cheap because it had a zero on the cap. Surprise! I discovered that I had purchased zero alcohol or near beer. Denmark was a “one of a kind” experience.
At Hansholm, Denmark, where the ferry for Norway departed, a windstorm sprung up that night. We parked our camper behind sand dunes to keep from being blown away.
As we departed Hansholm the next morning the ship was packed with jubilant happy passengers. A few moments later as the great ship cleared the breakwater the violent sea crashed up and over it. The giant ferry seemed to have shrunk while pounding into that angry sea. The jubilant crowd quickly lost their exuberance and commenced puking. The hideous stench drove us out on deck to the stern for fresh air and a smoother ride. We ate smoked fish and drank beer. Amazingly we were the only passengers eating among the seafaring Scandinavians.
I was the first of my grandfather’s descendants to visit the rock bound coast of the Old Country. Grandpa had left in 1895 at the age of sixteen. It was now 1983. This was an enchanting moment and I was forty three.
What made this Europe trip and purchase of our new camper van possible? My old friend Bubba said “You have become a born again capitalist.” First we purchased a handyman special apartment complex restored and upgrading it because of post Vietnam inflation of twenty-two percent. We later sold the apartment and purchased a waterfront property nearby with the down payment money where we built a dock and duplex with office. Next, we bought a shrimp trawler that needed work with money from selling my coin collection when silver hit twenty dollars an ounce. We worked the trawler from our own dock for four years while upgrading and renovating it to pristine condition. We caught the last shrimp and sold the shrimp boat.
Four days after we sold the shrimp trawler we were on an airplane headed to Europe.
Back of our Europe trip: We spent six weeks with my cousin Kari , the family historian who had visited America in 1948 when I met her. Morning, noon, and night, she had arranged a fast moving intense schedule of family visits. My grandfather had thirteen brothers and sisters. We visited all my grandfather’s brothers and sisters families still in Norway and historical places of significance. Their stories were illuminating as they treated us to an extensive cuisine of delightful Norse delicacies and tons of coffee.
The visit was a glorious high point of my life and I wrote and posted several memorable stories.
Our meeting with my father’s cousin Anders and his wife and daughters was a good example of how we reconnected with my Norwegian family.
When we returned to Florida we continued correspondence with my Norwegian family. One of the most interesting letters was from the daughter of Anders. Lis was interested in visiting and wondering if we would help her find an a position as an au pair in Florida. First we had to find out what an au pair was! We told Lis that we would be happy to do what we could and invited her to come.
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| John, Jane and Lis |
In Florida we lived aboard our boat Dursmirg, and Lis stayed in the newly built office of our duplex with a commanding view of the ocean inlet. Jane found a listing for an au pair job with a well to do couple in Sawgrass south of Jacksonville. Lis went for an interview and was hired. She cared for two children and had a five star experience.
It was now fall and cooling down in North Florida which prompted Jane and I to head south to Yucatan, Mexico. Lis was very happy with her job but felt the allure of Mexico. She told her employers her feelings. They said they would pay for her to visit us in Mexico if she would return to them. The agreement was made.
We were happy to have Lis visit us in Yucatan. We made arrangements for Lis to stay with a Yucatecan family who had children about her age. The head of the family, Luis who worked for Mexicana Airlines. He met Lis at the airport when her flight arrived from Miami. The next two weeks were action packed and overbooked with activities. Lis was introduced to the food of Yucatan. She especially liked the fruit bars specializing in licuados made in industrial strength blenders that beat the numerous fruits into frothy delights! A favorite of Lis was piña con agua or pineapple with ice water. It was also our favorite. However, I usually added a shot of caña or sugarcane rum in mine.
When Lis first arrived in Florida she let us know that she would not be imbibing any alcohol. Later we learned that her farewell party from Norway involved excessive drinking, and she had enough for a while.
There you have a glimpse of how stories were born from renewing my Norse family connection.
This four month Europe trip took us to seventeen countries from Norway and Sweden and south to Italy and Spain and many countries in between.
Our camper van was a package deal including insurance, license plates, and shipping home to Florida. When we returned to Florida we traded the camper van for a waterfront property where we built a 3 bedroom home as a rental, and later sold.
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