Shasa The Norwegian Ridgeback

July 2011

2011-08-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ah well,

Another year has passed and this blog has once again popped to mind.... Facebook, Twitter and a host of other social sites have rendered pictures, and news pertaining to our lives virtually obsolete as far as blogs are concerned.

I do, however, feel the need to continue, albeit only to excercise my lacking keyboard skills and pass time while Anja slaves away in the kitchen for me.

We now have a new Ridgeback puppy! Khan was born 31/01/2011 and we collected him 9 weeks later!

Rosendal - July 2010

2010-08-04T04:18:00.000-07:00

Fishing for dinner

Dinner, but we let them go... too small.

Row boat sun tan...

So fast asleep he seems almost... dead...

Mommy's boy

Eating like kings and queens while philosophying life :)

Shasa hiding from flies in the marsh

On our way up to Nordlifjedl we had some spectacular views of the ocean

Middle age spread.... But the glacier in the backround is really cool.

Folgafonna is an awesome place to go skiing in your swim shorts during summer :)

Father and son

Mother and son

Shasa looking very short and squat.

Melderskin top with Shasa and Anja in the distance....

Coming down Melderskin... Horrible downhill! Much prefer the way up...

Back again after nearly a year

2009-09-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hi there,
I have been exceptionally slack in maintaining this blog and would like to make amends...
It's 05:10 on a Saturday morning, the mutt and the wife are cuddled up and sleeping in bed, I actually need to get some sleep before a hectic day at the office involving body paint and alcohol... don't ask...
Anyway, I'll just post some pictures of our last holiday in Italy and there are no pictures of the four legged fur ball....His dog passport has only recently been sorted out so the next time we go on holiday in Europe, we will drive and he will accompany us.

Shasa Surfs Stad

2008-10-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

Nestled away in a beautifully valley, surrounded by high mountain ridges and lush green fields, the open sea lies before you.
Constant, swells culminate in waves that seem to beckon like natures very own tantalizing arms as they crash down on the sparkling sand that stretch for hundreds of meters in either direction until ancient rock marks the end of it's path...
This is Stad...
A magical, beautiful oasis, or more specifically, a surfer's paradise, that one would expect to find in some or other tropical land and most definately not in the rugged landscapes of Norway.
Here the water is crystal clear, fresh and unspoilt by the perpetual madness of the rest of the world.
The people are laid back, easy going, their eyes half open and glazed in contentedness while their demeanor merely suggests for you to chill out as well while they go about their daily duties...
It could be the relaxed and peaceful lifestyle, but the aroma on the breeze suggest it's probably just good, strong weed....
Shasa's first introduction to the beach was quite hilarious... He first ran around with the energy and zest he usually reserves for glaciers in the mountains, when suddenly, he spotted them!
Unusually large seals, coming out of the water and walking on what appeared to be legs!
Not only that, they seemed to be carrying gigantic cuttlefish bones on which some of them were standing while way out there in the open sea!
Needless to say, he attacked every surfer he could with loud, threatening barking and mock charges, and fortunately for both of us, they seemed too zoned out to have any fear at all...
This really took the wind out of his sails and he soon sulked off to stand beside me with the occasional growl at the creatures that suggested he was still a force to be reckoned with, even if they themselves did not.
Anyway, It's 06:00 and my creativity level is rapidly receding so I'll just post the damn pictures and get my head down...

These initial pictures will never do justice to the actual view... As you may have noticed, this was taken from the car as I was decending the many hair pin bends on the way down...

Found the most adorable little lighthouse I've ever seen... the picture is ruined by some mangy mutt that decided to pose...

.... still there...

OMG! What the hell are those seals doing! Even Guido's flip flop is forgotten!

Shasa stalking the seals into the city centre.

Under normal circumstances the collar is ugly. Here, it's like, so 70's hippie like, man....

One of many such waves that closed in on me during the stay

Shasa's board of preference

And yes, he took over the house too.

Zoltan, Hound of Dracula!

Hey, this snow really sticks to your lips and doesn't go away!

Ok, no more pictures... I wana go home!

Ok, just one more then

And I look good in this one too!

Yes, the road is mine too... Beware all ye who enter...

Feed me, Seymour....

Sorry for the corny comments to the captions... actually, no. Deal with it.

Good night/morning whatever...

Bergsdalen September 2008

2008-10-05T16:20:00.001-07:00

These photos have been taken pretty close to where we live in Bergen. A two hour drive and an hour hike takes you to a beautiful cabin with a tranquil lake beside. If you go during the week it is very unlikely to meet other hikers which makes it the perfect place to chill. There are several lakes and dams in the area, all of which contain delicious, fresh mountain trout which are best grilled with Aromat, pepper and butter :) Fishing for trout is another one of my new hobbies which help keep the voices away...

Yes, I know... not exactly monster fish up here...

Even Shasa got into the swing of things and attempted his own primitive methods of fishing...

Good thing we had packed food for him in our packs :)

He he he...

...And the water buffalo look-alike competition winner for 2008 is .....

Start of the walk. In the distance you see Hamlagrøvannet which is a really large lake at about 800m above sea level if I remember correctly.

If you open the picture to full size by clicking on it, you can see the cabin next to Anja where we spent three memorable evenings.

I only caught three trout in that particlar lake and all were too small to eat.

This lake yielded about 30 trout of which all but two were returned safely.

The little critter in the picture was obviously too small to eat and was returned unharmed, albeit with a sore lip, back to home.

Rondane September 2008

2008-10-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our recent trip to Norway's oldest National park.There are ten two thousand meter peaks in Rondane of which we did four during our two weeks holiday and we hiked about three hundred kilometers during this period with a 15kg and 25kg backpack respectively.
Shasa has not yet been trained to carry his own pack, and after carrying his food and snacks around for the whole trip, I have decided to get cracking on that issue as soon as possible :)
Our next trip will invole us being lighter on our feet and him being laden like a mule.

Reading a celebrity gossip magazine... This picture is one of a kind.

Back to Rondvassbu... the last stretch.

On the road agin...

Bugs Bunny and Crocodile Joe

There is no nothing on earth more invigorating and refreshing than mountain water.

This was one long and deceptively slippery rocky valley

The other side of Høgronden greeted us with a spectacular view.

Anja conquering Høgronden while Shasa is longingly staring back towards the warmth and safety of the cabin we just came from.
A little snack and some hot rooibos tea once we came down from Høgronden. And yes, Shasa was hungry too.
Mountain model :)

The water in this gorge is sweet and crystal clear.

Slowly hiking through the layers of cloud.

A beautiful little stone cabin which was built in 1890 can be used as shelter, if necessary, before hiking the final stretch to Høgronden.

The going gets alot tougher with that layer of snow covering the smooth, treacherous rocks and boulders.

My cutie pie...

Leaving Bjørnhollia with a tear in my eye. The cabin was beautiful, rustic and the food was outstanding. Off on a tough hike to Dørålster over Høgronden(2118) next.

Bjørnhollia is nestled in a lush, green valley with beautiful lakes and rivers everywhere

The last we saw of Shasa's goodie bag...

The champion dog... If only he could pose like this in the ring perhaps he may someday actually be a champion.

If there ever was a "Playgirl" magazine for dogs which bitches could buy and check out, Shasa would be one of the centre-fold hunks :)

Shasa cooling off

The view from Rondeslottet on the old glacial valleys below.

The Rondeslottet summit. Poor view due to fog and cloud cover

Shasa posing with the poise of Sir Edmund Hilary

Approaching the top of Rondeslottet, the view below is breathtaking.

This is the the top of Vinjeronden with Rondeslottet in the backround

Glacial activity has been a key factor in the shaping of Rondane and evidence of this is everywhere.

On our way to Rondeslottet

2008-10-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

We attempted our first 2000m peak yesterday (Veslesmeden) but had to turn back just before the summit because of extreme weather conditions.
The next day, with full back packs, we did two 2000m peaks.
Vinjeronden (2044m) is the first and Rondeslottet(2178) is the second.We spent the night in Bjørnhollia.
Rondeslottet is the highest peak in Rondane.

Rondvassbu to Bjørnhollia

2008-10-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Our first walk was a scenic twelve kilometer easy valley walk from Rondvassbu to Bjørnhollia and back again.

The early days....

2008-08-11T08:46:00.001-07:00

Shasa by the Nordnes Totempole...

The kennel which has since been replaced by our bed...

Walk training with mom :)

In the beginning...

2008-08-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

`Twas a lovely sunny day in Bergen when my beloved and I hiked up the beautifully sloped road leading to Rundemanen above mount Fløiyen.
The birds were singing in contentment, the crows were deciding what to nick from the locals and everything in general was just perfect.
We were chatting away happily as all old married couples do, when the subject of children reared it's evil little head....
We were still discussing the pros and cons of having a brat, when we rounded the corner to the last picnic spot before the summit and lo and behold, before us, stretched the scene which would unite us in a common goal for quite some time to come.
Screaming their heads off, a couple of snot-caked little creatures were tearing around the tranquil lake in an obvious attempt to bring the mountain crumbling down before them...
Their parents were sitting and staring with that vacant look some people get just before an excecution, the look that says "This is as bad as it can get.... all the panic in the world cannot save me from this fate... I'm just going to be as stoic as I can about it and face this thing head on..."
Anja and I looked at each other briefly and I stated matter-of-factly "Let's get a dog"
"Yes, I completely agree" was her prompt and determined reply and that was that.
Driving from Bergen to Kongsvinger took us about 9 hours.
We spent the night in a cheap motel and collected him from Kennel Esperanza the following morning.
Love at first sight :)