Some native Norwegians feel, I think, that their culture is contained in lutefisk, trolls and wool sweaters—the tourist’s vision of Norway. Indeed, most of the members of the Sonja Lodge know Norway only as summertime visitors. Those who have never been there have watched tourist videos on Tuesday nights or Wednesday afternoons in the Lodge’s library. They have toured the most charming cities, the most pristine valleys, the most dramatic fjords. They’ve found a land where the sun shines, the men are healthy, the women are blonde and all the children laugh and smile.

Among the first to arrive today and drink coffee under the fluorescent lights inside the Sonja Lodge is Selma Vangsnes. Selma is a small woman who must be in her 80s. The first time I met her I made the mistake of thinking she was frail. She is not. She has nimble fingers, sharp eyes and a clear voice. In celebration of the big day today, she has on her lovely bunad (boo-nawd), the national costume of Norway. It’s a wholesome look, and it suits her well: a long and full blue wool skirt with embroidered flowers; a billowy, white blouse; a shocking red vest; and highlights of silver jewelry. Scrunched above her blouse collar, Selma also wears the neck brace she will wear for the rest of her life, payment for a bad fall that broke her neck.

Selma is half Dane and half Norwegian, but she grew up in the United States. She met her husband, a full-blooded Norwegian, on this day, the 17th of May, about 65 years ago. He was a sailor stuck in port because of a dockworker strike when they met at a Norwegian men’s choir concert. It wasn’t long before they were married, and Selma boarded the freighter for a four-month honeymoon through Asia and the Pacific.

Now Selma’s husband is dead, but she has four generations of family to keep her company. She stays busy at the Lodge, too. She is a regular at Lunch Bunch, a coffee klatch of about 10 or so members who bring sack lunches and share a pot of coffee, some cookies and an hour or two every Tuesday afternoon. She also takes careful notes as secretary of the Noras, the women’s group that organizes bingo socials, raffles and dinners in coordination with the Norsemen, the men’s choir. Selma is perhaps most widely recognized, though, as the Lodge’s expert in rosemaling (literally rose painting). Rosemaling is a traditional decorative craft from Norway’s heartland that Selma took up 10 or 15 years ago. It is the painting of rose images on wooden boxes, cutting boards and trim, which has the effect of making these things look old even if they are new.