Hilmar Olsen

Text Ola P Hobbelstad

Hilmar, who was a fisherman at Hoensiden, lived a little further down the river on the east side. Every evening he would come trudging up to row over to the west side. He would often start later than us, so often when he came, we would sit on a log by the "Fiskebustroemmen".

Hilmar smoked a hookah pipe, and while he kept the boat on a straight keel in the middle of the current, he picked up his pipe and lit it. If the boat started to sway in the current, it was just a little wiggle of the stick and it was back in place. Hilmar was a sensible man and this has stood for me for all these years as the greatest example of sensibleness and calm.