Aug 20

Aug 20 Summer Update - August 2022

My summer in Oslo has been great - many interesting updates and some disappointing finds (found a death record from Hammerfest for four men who died around the same date as Thor, all have causes of death except for Thor). One of the most fun discoveries I had was seeing a sketch Thor drew around 1935 or so (my cousin had it in her house), and since I have been exploring Oslo for weeks, I immediately recognized the spot.

I walked down to the fortress and found the spot alongside the western edge of the fortress. I photographed the area and then went back a few days later when I knew the light would be better (less shadows). This time I brought my watercolor pad and paints and sat down to sketch in the exact location Thor did almost 90 years ago.

Several people walked by as I was sketching and made encouraging comments while I was drawing. All of a sudden the wind picked up like crazy and I had a kind of feeling that Thor was sending me a message (don’t know what exactly but I’ll take it). I have included in the post his sketch, my sketch, and a photograph from the afternoon of August 17, 2022.