The sign on the old station building indicating that you have now arrived at the small village of Lesjaverk, exactly 379,89 kilometers north of the capital Oslo.

There is nothing as serene and beautiful as walking down from our house to the lake in the morning, with a blue sky covering the valley, and with a mirror image of the mountain in the lake .

I visited this place in Norway for the first time in 1950, during the summer, when I turned one years old. This photo is taken in front of my grandfathers summer house, in 1951 I believe.

My grandfather, Josef Førde, was an employee of the Norwegian Railroads most of his life. He was also the one who taught me about life in the mountains.

During the summer, our boat on the lake is the most useful means of transportation, for relaxing trips to the small islands, or for the tense fishing trips to bring home food for the family.

Fishing trout is a must for anyone visiting the rivers and lakes of Norway. I am by no means a ‘professional’ fisherman, but what I have learned is what I have seen my grandfather and father do.

It is exciting every time you go out in the boat. Will the fish bite today? Will we get enough fish for a dinner? And every time you feel the fishing rod bend in all directions, you feel the excitement – and finally the pride of having succeeded.

The best view of the valley is really from the boat in the middle of the lake. You can see the farms high up on the mountainside, and you wonder what life is like in the middle of the winter with large amounts of snow.

The lake and the mountains are of course always the same, but they look different depending on time of day and the weather of course. But it is not rare to see the sun disappear behind the mountains like this.