Jim Nolan's Blog

Finnish Photographer Daniel Nyblin

I'm sorry for this tiny image, but you can see the full-size one of the photographer Daniel Nyblin here, at the website of the Finnish National Board of Antiquities. They have LOTS of his work, and it's pretty amazing. I wish I could show some of it here, but they want to change me 30 Euros for each one. But you can have a look for free at the site. There's a button at the top that let's you translate the page into English.

MS Kungsholm Postcard

 

A postcard from my mother, Christa Paul, to her grandmother Natalie Paul. Mom and Dad had just returned to America via the MS Kungsholm after their wedding in Stockholm. Natalie had moved from Berlin to Säffle, Sweden. I wonder if she had the bust with her. Her husband Adolf had been dead since 1943 and the money was gone, too. The card reads, "Dear Grandmother and Aunt Hedda, heartfelt greetings after a rather stormy crossing. All is well. Love, Christa." If you look closely after Mom's signature, you'll see a plus sign. She had meant Dad to sign the card as well, but he forgot. 

Hawaii Surfing Postcard, 1957

A postcard to Hildegard Paul from her daughter, my mother, Christa Paul. Mom and Dad were living in Honolulu while Dad was serving in the Navy. Who knew there was a market for Hawaiian postcards aimed at Swedes in 1957? Click to enlarge. Postcard by Watkins & Sturgis, Ltd., Honolulu. 

Boarding the MS Kungsholm, 1955

Christa Paul Nolan's first trip to America in 1955. Shots taken by her father Bengt "Benekiki" Paul and mailed to her in the U.S. Here she is waiting to get on in Gothenberg, Sweden. Click on image to enlarge.

Rolling Easter Eggs in Skåne, Sweden

Photos by: Mikael Paul. Click to enlarge.

These photos were sent to me by my Swedish cousin Mikael who, like me, is a grandson of Bengt and Hildegard Paul. Mikael explained to me that there is egg rolling in Sweden, just like there is on the White House lawn. As Mikael explains, 

Hej Jim and Isy

Hope you all are well and will have a good Easter. Here in Skåne we still have snow and cold weather which is very unusual for this time of the year. So we don’t expect to be able to sit outside this year to enjoy our Easter lunch. What we eat for lunch is the usual, the same as we have for Christmas and midsummer, that is of course herring in different forms.

We celebrate Easter together with some old friends and their families. We start with Easter lunch, which is herring and snaps. Later we rolls eggs. This is something for you to try. Everyone should have a very hardboiled egg which you have painted. Build a course so you can roll down your eggs, not too high. You start with everybody rolling down their egg. Then the youngest picks up her egg and rolls it and tries to hit one or more eggs. Everyone is equipped with a candy bag, so if you hit any egg you can pick a candy from that person's candy bag. Then it's the next youngest's turn. We continue until almost every egg is broken.

Happy Easter

Mikael, Agneta, Thang and Linh

Thanks, Mikael! A great Easter to all the Pauls and Stolts!

Happy Birthday, Mom

Mom has a big birthday today. I thought I'd post this picture of her from November, 1943. It's a Father's Day card she made while living with relatives in Sweden and Bengt was working as a journalist in Berlin. Love you, Mom.

Swedish Nobel Prize Stamps

Sent from Uppsala, Sweden in 1972. Illustrations by Lasse Soderberg. 1912 Nobel winners Gustaf Dalén (Physics) and Alexis Carrel (Medicine). Dalén was a Swede.

Swedish Stamps with Made-Up Histories

Stamps honoring August Strindberg's great-grandmother, Karin. She was famous throughout Skåne for her banana bread, to which she added chocolate morsels. Strindberg hated chocolate morsels.

Great-Grandchildren of Bengt and Hildegard Paul

My Swedish cousin Mikael Paul recently celebrated his 60th birthday by visiting New York and Buffalo with his wonderful family. Here they are being observed by Pterodactyls at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. From left, Mikael's wife Agneta, my son George, Mikael, and their kids Lind and Thang. Bengt and Hildegard would be pleased to know their family is still getting together. Mikael is in a characteristic Paul pose, taking a picture of someone taking a picture.

MS Kungsholm Luggage Stickers

Stickers on the luggage my mother took on the MS Kungsholm after her wedding in Stockholm in 1956. The last sticker is from SJ, Swedish Railways.