The Havens Family

In Memory of Carol Haneferd

Carol & Tore with Pia

I received some unhappy news from our second cousins in Hidra and Flekkefjord, Norway. Tore Haneferd's wife, Carol, passed away on Thursday, May 3, 2012.

Click here or the photo above to view a photo album.

Carol was English. I think Tore met her while he was a sea captain for the Norwegian cruise line. She was my primary connection with the rest of the family in Norway, all of whom I met when I visited in 2004. She and I wrote back and forth often, keeping each other in touch with her family's activities and mine.

Interestingly, when the growing season ended last year, Carol sent a picture of some flowers blooming in her yard. They were mysteriously beautiful. The plant is called Astrantia Major, and looks like this --

I asked her to save me some of the seeds when they finished their growing season. She sent them to me in the mail a few months ago. I planted them in peat pots with Miracle Gro seed-starting soil. But so far, not one single seed has sprouted. That seems real odd.

Carol and Tore have been caring for a little black and white terrier named Pia, who really moved into their hearts. I want to share one of Carol's notes, because I think it says so much.

Hi Russ,
 
Really sorry to hear that your travel plans got messed up. I was imagining you sunning yourself in California! However sometimes home is best. I have also had health problems and had to endure an endoscopy a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately it didn't turn up anything serious but I will have to change my diabetes meds in the new year.
 
We are out on Hidra, at Veisdal, getting things ready for Christmas. Torleik is in Oslo for the weekend to meet up with a new girlfriend. She sounds quite nice and he sounds very interested, so time will tell. He met her on the internett!!!
 
Thought you would get a laugh at Pia putting Balou in his place. There is a big dog in that little body as she proved last week.

She and Tore went for a walk to upper Veisdal and he let her loose as there were no people in the few houses there. It is also a dead end road with just forest and mountains beyond. That was when we had snow. She crossed over a small field to the left side of the road and just disappeared. She didn't come when he called and he couldn't find any footprints in the snow going up the hill.

After a while he came back to Veisdal to see if she had come home. She hadn't! I was frantic as you can imagine. Torleik's friend Roger (the one with the wild sheep) took two dogs and tried tracking her up in the mountains to no avail. We reckoned she had seen or smelt a deer and the hunting instinct kicked in.

I was really upset, imagining her falling over a crevice, being injured and not able to get back etc. It is a completely wild area without roads or buildings. We drove around to other valleys and called and called. Roger took one more trip with his Border Collie just after dark with two torches with no result. We were devastated.

Torleik called and Tore was talking to him beside the pink front door and I thought I heard something outside.

I opened the door and there were footprints in the snow. I had left the front and back gates open. She was at the back gate which had blown shut. She had been gone for over 6 hours in snow storms! She was unharmed just tired and very hungry. She must have been miles away. We really had given up hope of ever seeing her again, so she is one smart cookie at finding her way home!
 
I will have one last trip to town tomorrow to do some last minute food shopping and bake Grandmothers Pound cake a la Fanny Farmer! That is my favourite. Otherwise I have two English Christmas fruit cakes. Then I say stop. Whatever we don't have we do without! I really am not used to all this holiday hysteria any more. I used to love Christmas and decorated the house up and down and sideways but the energy isn't there anymore!
 
Hope you have a cosy Christmas in your lovely house in the woods Russ.
 
Very best wishes,
 
Carol

Our History

Family Reunion -- July 1984
Click the thumbnail to see the full-sized image.

The Havens Family Web site contains a variety of photo albums and written materials designed to reflect the lives of the descendents of Frank and Julia Havens and Anders and Godfreda Anderson.

Originally, in the early and mid-1900s, both families lived in the city of Buffalo, New York, within blocks of each other. The Havens had lived in western New York State for generations. The Andersons were newcomers from Sweden and Norway.

Gradually, as the children grew up and left home the families spread from coast to coast. We try to pull them all back together here so we can share the love with you and with each other.

So grab a cup of coffee, settle back in that easy chair by the window, and catch your breath. Whenever you're ready, check out the old family album or some of the newer photos and other items here in the cabin.

We hope you enjoy your visit and come back again real soon. We'll be right here at the front door watching for you.