THE LONG RETURN
The Long Return is a collection of essays, field notes, and reflections written from Norway and beyond.
More than a century and a half after my great-great-grandfather left Norway for America, I now find myself tracing the journey in reverse, building a life in the country he once left behind.
In 2026, several timelines meet. It has been ten years since my first visit to Norway, five years since I left full-time life in the United States, and nearly two years since I applied for residency in Norway.
Part field journal and part personal practice, this site explores place, belonging, wonder, and the long process of finding one's way home.
I write about Norway and the U.S. Midwest, migration and family history, music, nature, grief, and the stories that connect us across distance and time.
About Me →
Notes from a life between landscapes.
"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."
— Laura Ingalls Wilder
Nord
Se oftere mot nord.
Gå mot vinden, du får rødere kinn.
Finn den ulendte stien. Hold den.
Den er kortere.
Nord er best.
Vinterens flammevirvel, sommernattens mirakel.
Gå mot vinden, klyv berg.
Se mot nord.
Oftere.
Det er langt dette landet.
Det meste er nord.
Rolf Jacobsen, 1907-1994
