Six Years In

It occurred to me that I couldn’t remember when I had last updated my blog. It turns out that it’s been over three years! That’s not really too surprising, considering all that has gone on. The family has grown up. The children are “taking their places in society,” as my grandfather used to say. And Mom has graduated once and kept on going. With something like 84 graduate hours on my transcript, my M.A. is in the rearview mirror and I’m nearing the end of coursework for my Ph.D. It feels good to see that in print. This is my last full-time semester, which means writing for a grade is winding down. I thought it might be therapeutic to write a bit strictly for fun again. We visited Key West this summer for our 30th wedding anniversary. While there we toured Ernest Hemingway’s home and I was inspired by learning of his disciplined writing schedule. It seems most writers agree that the most productive hours at the keyboard are when one first wakes up. Thank goodness it doesn’t have to be at dawn so there’s hope for us night owls!

I highly recommend returning to school as a non-traditional student, investing in a long marriage, and visiting the Florida Keys. Have you taken a chance on a road less traveled?   Let me know how it went, or what’s holding you back.

Athelhampton House

Athelhampton is a manor house in Dorset. It was built in the 15th century by a William Martin. Some of my genealogical research suggests that I MIGHT be related to this line. I talked to the historical expert on the house, and played the organ. So. Fun. 

   
    
    
    
 

London Eye

Well gang, I’m behind in posting. Obviously. It’s been a whirlwind for the last several days, so let’s just jump ahead for now and fill in the gaps later. We wanted to see London from the London Eye as the sun went down, and we checked that off our list today. Here are some pictures for you.  

    
    
    
 

Glacier Day

Today we started with a drive to a lake. The scenery was other-worldly with low-hanging clouds, floating ice, the sun rising above the mountains, and glassy water reflecting the landscapes above. 

   
    
  

We had a couple of hours to canoe and help gather trout from nets. I had never been in a canoe before and it was really fun. 

  

I love this shot of colorful life jackets hanging on the line at the dock. 

  

After lunch we continued on to a glacier. We got suited up in wellies, life jackets, and helmets, then we paddled inflatable rafts across Tiffany blue water to get a closer look at the Briksdal Glacier. We fished a chunk of ice the size of a grapefruit out of the water. It was full of air bubbles, and made a fizzing sound as the bubbles burst. The highlight of the day was when the glacier calved as we sat in front of it in our rafts. Even Disney can’t make that happen on cue. 

Stave Church and Glacier

 Wooden stave church  
    
  

Log building and tree with beautiful yellow blossoms. Behind stave church. 

  

Glacier.

 
What is the most beautiful church you ever saw?

Reindeer Sausage

I had reindeer sausage for dinner. Yes, I did.

What is the most unusual food you have ever eaten?

Today’s Art

These are mixed media paintings I did today (Sunday) while the kids went river rafting at Voss Rafting Center.

   

Voss Rafting Center

The kids went river rafting this morning. Doug and I stayed at the center to hike and paint. What a view! There’s nothing like listening to rushing water and chirping birds to melt away stress. Snow melt, stress melt.

Reindeer Hotdog

I didn’t center this photo quite right, but yes, that’s really what it says. And no, I didn’t eat one. I would. But I didn’t.   

These are shots of Bryggen that I took during our walk to the aquarium today. We ate our Disney “get acquainted” dinner in one of these historic buildings this evening (Saturday).    

This is an old church near the fjord leading into Bergen. I love shots of architectural details. The cross pictured marks the grave of Johannes Jacobus Grogaard.  

    
  

Norway 2015

We arrived in Bergen, Norway, this evening for our latest Adventures by Disney tour. It is absolutely charming and beautiful. The sky was still light at midnight, and there was whale on the menu. I hope I will have wifi connections often enough to keep you updated with some pictures each day, so check back and see.

Everybody’s luggage made it except mine. A minor inconvenience, really. It should be delivered to the hotel tomorrow, but in the meantime I get to go buy socks! LOL Fortunately, I had rolled up a pair of knit pants in my carry-on, so I won’t freeze in the morning.

Our hotel for these first two nights sits opposite a picturesque body of water. The streets are lined with historic steep-roofed buildings, part of the Unesco site known as Bryggen. I can hardly wait to start exploring.  For now it’s time to call it a night and see if I can get into the right time zone.

Have you been to Norway? What was your best vacation ever?