Third Cousins

When my great-grandfather, Tjostolv Kongsli, was a young man with a family, he lived in this house on his farm in the beautiful Gudbransdalen valley, near the town of Vinstra, Norway.
Times were tough: " . . between 1825 and 1925, more than 800,000 Norwegians emigrated to North America—about one-third of Norway's population . . . " Tjostolv sold his farm and left in the 1870's. Now the farm belongs to his great-nephew, Ole Simon Kongsli.
In the photo, it's Eric, Ole Simon Kongsli, Kristin Louhaugen, and Erik Lindstad.
Ole, Kristin, and I are third cousins. I believe it's only 12 1/2% shared DNA, but it's a marvel to me; I'm enjoying every second of this chance to meet relatives.
Kristin and Gustav Louhaugen have been our other wonderful hosts. I'm so grateful and humbled at how many speak more than enough English to make this so easy for visiting Americans. My thanks also go to my American cousins, Tillman Moen and Solveig Springer, who have visited before, for their help in the introductions.