I am getting ready for bed at a farm called “Lillenes.” My name is Lilleness (with 2 “s”), the second ‘s’ was added when my great grandfather, Iver Jakob Lilleness Sr. emigrated to the US. Today on Smøla (the island my family comes from) we visited the gravesite of Iver’s father, Jakob Johnson Lillenes, my great-great-grandfather. It is overwhelming to see a gravestone that goes that far back into history. Speaking of Smøla, it is quite the place! The landscape and terrain is unlike anything I have seen anywhere else. The main island is surrounded by over 4,000 smaller islands, some no larger than a few meters (listen to me! “Meters.” I have been in Europe too long already!). There is not much elevation change, the whole island is very flat and low, with very worn
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