What I See

Darwin's dream truck

2012-02-01T19:29:00.001-06:00

Me & My Monkey

2012-01-30T21:31:00.001-06:00

Darwin saw Zephyr take her monkey to bed on the top of my desk. It was so cute to see her have the monkey arm on her leg. She likes her monkey. S95

Bread Class

2012-01-29T15:59:00.000-06:00

Processed on my iPad.....

Seeing things again for the first time

2012-01-26T18:20:00.000-06:00

I took Dawn to the farm today. These autos have been sitting there probably most of my life. Today was the first time I took my camera to see what I could find. "Heaven for Dawn - she LOVES rust"

Story about Snowflakes

2012-01-15T12:31:00.001-06:00

http://journalstar.com/news/local/cindy-lange-kubick-snowflakes-as-a-subject/article_af8b0f94-9756-5aa6-94f7-356833974a14.html

Cookie Patrol

2012-01-14T16:01:00.003-06:00

A snowflake for Cindy

2012-01-12T16:30:00.003-06:00

I had the honor of spending time with Cindy Lange-Kubick this afternoon. I e-mailed her back in 2009 and she contacted me this week to do a story of taking photos of snowflakes. Well today was the day, it EVEN snowed!!! What a bonus! Should be in the paper on Sunday. Here, Cindy is learning all she can about snowflakes from the "field manual".

Project for Mom

2012-01-08T16:07:00.000-06:00

Mom wanted this for Bethany's family. Photo from her iPhone. The picture of Bethany & her horse was on the church program. I took a photo of that. Combined them in photoshop and still have most of my hair. I am a photoshop IDIOT!!!!

New Year's Eve at B&C

2011-12-31T21:33:00.000-06:00

So here's the scoop....Darwin has a cold. He really didn't think that he should go down and eat all of this delicious food that he couldn't taste. Just then, a little JEEP pulled up to my mailbox....Ramona....maybe she'll be spontaneous & join me tonight. I ran out and startled her as she was driving to our neighbor. She came and we had a WONDERFUL meal! Every bite was filled with flavors that made us just sit there and say "yum". The restaurant was dark and lit by candlelight, so I thought the photos from this evening should also reflect that.

Squaw Creek Year End BONUS

2011-12-30T19:45:00.000-06:00

Deb & I introduced my college friend, Robert, to Squaw Creek. It was a total safari today. This was the first time that I was there this year, since it was all flooded for many months. Everything was there from thousands of snow geese, many eagles & swans and best of all AN OWL!!!! I spotted it in the distance as it looked like a tree trunk. When I looked through my binoculars, that tree trunk had EYES! An A+ adventure!!!!!!!!!

Buttons & Thread

2011-12-23T10:41:00.000-06:00

Went and played with our macro lenses today at Dawn's. Old buttons with old thread.

New photo program

2011-12-18T14:51:00.001-06:00

Wow, is this ever fun. I made this image using ColorSplash

Birding in December

2011-12-17T17:10:00.002-06:00

Deb & I went for a LONG walk today. Saw a couple of bluebirds and a busy woodpecker storing up food for winter.

Frosty deck

2011-12-17T10:42:00.000-06:00

A couple of pics from Deb's deck this morning.

Snowflake Studio practice - with turbinado sugar

2011-12-13T11:09:00.001-06:00

This shows my "studio" setup for snowflakes. BUT, it is 55 degrees in my sunroom, not the needed 0 degrees to shoot snowflakes. Nothing special at all done to these photos, just adjusted sliders in Camera Raw and then converted them for the web.

Macro practice with the MP-E 65

2011-12-13T09:54:00.000-06:00

Got a new lens for Christmas. Waiting for snowflakes now.

On Duty - sort of

2011-12-12T08:46:00.000-06:00

One ear is still on duty.....

In the snow

2011-12-10T15:59:00.000-06:00

To get photos like this.

You have to be on the ground!!!

Frosty morning!

2011-12-10T10:45:00.001-06:00

Darwin & I were at a Christmas party last night until midnight. When we went out to our car, frost was EVERYWHERE! It was amazing. So, Deb & I were going to go snowshoeing this morning, but instead we went to our favorite cove to take frost photos. These were processed in DPP and the color of the bottom 3 was saturated by moving the slider from the left towards the bell curve.

Ice & Lights

2011-12-07T21:41:00.000-06:00

The air temp was about 30 tonight, so after I finished the photo I played with the lights outside the lodge. First shooting with the 70-200 2.8 Never mind that these were shot at ISO 6,400!!

Christmas Snapshots

2011-12-07T21:35:00.000-06:00

Went over to the lodge to take a few family photos tonight.

Backyard Birds

2011-12-04T09:25:00.002-06:00

Everyone is hungry after a day of bad weather yesterday.

First Snow

2011-12-04T09:09:00.001-06:00

Yeah, winter has arrived. 100-400 7D

One of a kind, portable, stand for your Nook, iPad, Etc.....

2011-11-24T20:59:00.000-06:00

Who needs to spend $15 on a stand when you can have THIS??? One of the things that we all need in life is purpose and tonight this is K-9s.

Pre Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-23T21:57:00.001-06:00

Yum.....

Branched Oak Dairy

2011-11-19T09:35:00.000-06:00

Madonna project finals

2011-11-15T17:45:00.002-06:00

Birthday parking lot surprise

2011-11-07T10:34:00.001-06:00

This is not something you see on every birthday! Wish I could have gone for a ride! All I had with me was my iPad....but it did a fine job of substituting as a camera.

Cawker City, Kansas

2011-11-06T19:16:00.000-06:00

On our way to Smith Center, KS, we drove through Cawker City. Dawn had been there this summer. If you blink, you miss it. But, it was 3 city blocks of rusty treasures and old buildings. I didn't get out of the car and just opened my window and shot with my P&S. Dawn, as seen on the last photo, had more creative inspiration than me!

Ty

2011-11-04T22:34:00.001-05:00

Ty is an avid hunter and biker. He and his wife Courtney were quite the inspiration. It was a delight to get to know them and hear their story.

Cameron

2011-11-03T22:40:00.000-05:00

What a delightful lady. Her niece and nephew came over and they just loved on each other.

Cody

2011-11-03T16:11:00.001-05:00

I went off-roading with Cody in Kansas today. What fun! He was so nice to work with this afternoon. He just got his TC (tank chair) and that will allow him to go hunting anywhere.

Spinning Class

2011-10-30T14:40:00.000-05:00

Took photos of Penny's spinning class today. Gosh, if I wasn't missing knee parts, I'd love to take it.

A beautiful afternoon inside looking out......ProActive

2011-10-27T22:34:00.003-05:00

I had a super fun afternoon with these ladies today. They all volunteered to have their photo taken. Brave souls they are. We laughed so much. The afternoon sky and colors almost didn't look real outside. It was a real trick with the lighting/flash. But, overall, I am really pleased with my first effort. 7D+17-55 & flash

Darwin at the top of the volcano

2011-10-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

This is an example of a stiched photo with the S95. The top one is 4 photos, the bottom one is 10. We made a last minute decision to do the hike in the evening when the weather was good, so I just threw my P&S in my pocket. Darwin is in the bottom photo on the far left, at the top.

Zephyr's new favorite place

2011-10-19T17:06:00.000-05:00

She loves the Icelandic sheepskin!

Women's Professional Rodeo Finals - Lincoln

2011-10-15T17:49:00.001-05:00

Went out to a session today. Everyone talked to the older lady with the interesting hands. 7D+100 F2 lens and ISO 6400!

2119 miles and no snow

2011-10-08T04:40:00.000-05:00

This was the only frosty morning in three weeks - the last day. The car rental company said they had two cars get stuck in the north yesterday. They had a large snowfall.

In Iceland, I drove 119 mikes and Darwin drove 2,000. We decided I was not a safe driver, looking around all of the time, instead of focusing on the road. We nicknamed our car Greuben, from the Journey to the Center of the Earth. Greuben was the young, tough love of the hero. That is certainly what the car turned out to be. Best decision on this trip, was to rent a 4 wheel drive.

Iceland - it is a wrap - best vacation of our lives.

2011-10-07T20:50:00.000-05:00

We left the black sand beaches of Iceland and as you can see, took the long way home. This was the worst part of our entire vacation - the flight home. Oh my, was there turbulence! Nothing happened, but we were sure bouncing around - especially the first hour of the flight and the last hour.

Chocolate

2011-10-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

This is the chocolate maker in Iceland. It is actually quite good and you can buy it at Whole Foods in the US. We drove by the factory yesterday, so I thought I would call and see if they did tours. I spoke to a very nice guy who said that they didn't do tours yet, but if I would stop by, he would have a sample packet for me. Well......check out the sample packet!! They really like the black licorice with chocolate combo here in Iceland. Anyone who would like to try it, just let me know.

Farm stay #10 - Gunnarsholmi

2011-10-07T20:41:00.000-05:00

This is Jona. Her husband and son like to take trucks into the back country. This truck has been modified to do just that. Check out those tires! It is a Ford Excursion. We had the guesthouse to ourselves last night, and so it made it easy for us to pack.

Back to Thingvellir

2011-10-06T14:59:00.000-05:00

We drove back to explore Thingvellir today. We walked in the area where the two continental plates (North American, left and Eruopean, right) are separating. Two cm a year is the distance that is being added. We are on the tail end of fall here. The mountains are now snow capped and yellows are the color that is left. The snow capped mountains added a perfect end to Iceland!

Farm stay #9 Efsta-Dal

2011-10-05T14:55:00.000-05:00

That farm name means last in the valley. This is Halla's brother Solvi. He just turned 30. He decided two years ago to make the family farm his career. He is full of innovative ideas and vision. We talked for a long time this afternoon about the unique opportunity that the farmer's have in Iceland - they have two industries on their farm - farming and tourism. He also talked about the lack of work ethic in the young people of Iceland. He said that their are many eastern Europeans coming and working in Iceland.

Sent from my iPad2

Evening in the milk barn

2011-10-05T14:07:00.002-05:00

I went in the barn for milking tonight. Twice a day, every day.

Alexandra and the horses

2011-10-05T09:58:00.000-05:00

Alexandra came here from Germany 3 years ago. She has been working here with the horses. She owns two horses. They are in the stable for a few weeks and then they will go outside for the winter.

Horse show

2011-10-05T09:56:00.000-05:00

Here is the arena where they have the horse show. They had over 4,000 tourists this summer.

Knutur and Helena

2011-10-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

This was a first today. Knutur and Helena grew up in Reykjavik and moved to the farm after college. Knutur studied horses and Helena studied agriculture. Helena said that 16 years ago when the moved here, the seller believed in them as a young couple, so they got a deal. Since then, they provide tomatoes for 10% of the Icelandic market! You can see the bee boxes. The plants are changed two times per year. They have developed a way where the old plants are moved to the outside, and then they bring in the new plants. When the old plants are ready to be removed, the young plants have fruit ready to be harvested. They we super nice! The new building will have more growing area and a large reception area. The other thing they do is have a horse show.

Building a greenhouse

2011-10-05T09:50:00.000-05:00

I met Lisa last night here at the farm. She is here with her husband Gerrit and he is building a greenhouse for a local farmer. He is from Holland. Anyway, last night we decided to go to the site today, since she does not have a car. It was wonderful. The container with the glass arrived today and we got to see that being unloaded.

Another hot spring pool

2011-10-04T16:02:00.000-05:00

This is a brand new facility, owned by the same company that owns the Blue Lagoon and the Myvatn Lagoon. As you can see, they were so nice to have the facility open tonight, just for us. Different pools had different temperatures of the water. It did not have a sulphur smell at all. The air temp was probably about 50, so once you were out of the water, you needed to get to your next destination quickly.

Completed the circle

2011-10-04T15:58:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, we stopped at the same gas station. That means that we have completed our trip around the island. This is the view from our farm now. Stunning sunset!

More colors from the glacier.

2011-10-04T15:56:00.000-05:00

The last picture is a lot of what we saw today, giant ice capped volcanos, a zillion waterfalls and green.

New earth

2011-10-04T15:48:00.000-05:00

This is the area that is right below the glacier. Kind of a sandy sludge.

Touched a glacier

2011-10-04T15:47:00.000-05:00

Darwin wanted to touch a glacier today, so we found one that was available. It is very near the eruption that happened in 2010 and you can see the ash everywhere. The glacial valley was covered with fall color.

Special delivery

2011-10-04T15:44:00.000-05:00

Halla's brother had a birthday yesterday. She asked if we could take a gift to him, since we were going to his farm next. He just turned 30. We said of course and as you can see by the photo of the inside of our car, we had just enough room. It was glass and I wrapped it inside my sheepskin. It arrived "same day", as scheduled! We really, really enjoyed our visit. Last night she was planning on having dinner with us and teaching us an Italian card game. Well, she ended up having 10 people stop by for dinner, and at 10:15pm, had 4 people show up that wanted dinner and a room. That is the life of a hotel owner.

Met a movie star today

2011-10-03T17:09:00.000-05:00

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7634Plzr89w&v=7634Plzr89w&gl=US

We drove up behind the farm about 10km today and came across what appeared to be some old ruins. Problem was that when you got right up to them, they were fake. We laughed about it and went on our way. At dinner tonight, Halla, explained that the movie Beowulf and Grendel was filmed right here in 2005. Both her and her husband were even in the movie! A documentary on the making of the film was made and that won many awards. After dinner, Darwin and I watched it. Why anyone in there right mind would make a movie right here, is beyond me. The documentary is a hoot to watch. They had horrible, horrible weather. The entire cast and crew stayed right here at the farm hotel for three months and it was the off season, so that was an incredible year for the business. We will watch the movie when we get home.

Sent from my iPad2

More views from this morning

2011-10-03T12:18:00.000-05:00

It was so nice to have a break from the rainy weather today!

Driving north from our farm

2011-10-03T12:17:00.000-05:00

We drove back up towards the glacier this morning. This is where the "event" in July was. It caused a flood that wiped out the bridge on the ring road. Halla said that it took them one week to put up a new bridge, which was a good response. I cannot imagine having been a tourist and on the other side. It is a LONG way back round the country! The rocks were very black and very sharp. I was surprised we did not have a flat tire!

Columns and course

2011-10-03T12:10:00.000-05:00

Here is the golf course in Vik. I think they call this "target golf" as the greens were very tiny. Also, a better shot of the basalt columns near the beach. When we were on top of the cliff, these would have been right below us.

Down the road

2011-10-03T12:07:00.000-05:00

There was another place to stop, just down the road. You could walk to the small beach, but there was a warning about very strong currents. They were, indeed. There was also signs of maybe an old lighthouse nearby - big concrete blocks and winches and stays.

Farming in a dangerous place

2011-10-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

How would you like to own a farm right next to this giant caldera and have the glacier capped volcano in your back yard!!!

View from the top of the cliff

2011-10-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the amazing black beach.

4 wheel drive only!

2011-10-03T11:50:00.000-05:00

Darwin did an amazing job driving up and down this super steep, 4 wheel drive only road right behind Vik. Once we were to the top, you could walk right to the edge of the cliff. I was scared and did not get right to the edge. It was bizarre! Darwin is pointing to the cliff that we were on top of in the last photo.

Rainy day part four

2011-10-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

We had a lovely view for about 10 minutes, and then it was time for more rain. It is now dark and foggy again, but we are going to dinner with 6 people from Canada.

Rainy day part three

2011-10-02T13:47:00.000-05:00

Here we are on the top. You can see the ruins from the farm. It was abandoned in the mid 1930s.

Rainy day part two

2011-10-02T13:46:00.000-05:00

At 5pm, it quit raining. We got into the car and drove about 5 minutes over to this giant plateau. It was the site of the earliest farm in the area.

Rainy day part one

2011-10-02T13:44:00.000-05:00

We went into Vik for about early this afternoon. It quit raining for just a few minutes, but it was foggy.

Crazy kids from Iceland

2011-10-02T06:52:00.000-05:00

This is what you do on a cold, windy, rainy day in Iceland. You sit in the hot tub and eat ice cream. Grandpa is having a fun time too. I have been doing laundry this morning and sitting and visiting with Halla.

Farm stay #8 Hoffdabrekka - in the sheep barn

2011-10-01T17:42:00.000-05:00

We added an extra day here. I called Halla yesterday and she was so friendly and welcoming, that I couldn't resist. So glad. Halla put us in their best accommodations - the former sheep barn. She said that she only tells people that the are staying in the sheep barn, AFTER, they have paid. Otherwise, she said they just turn around and drive away! She is so kind and enthusiastic. The first photo is with her and her husband.

I asked her where she was from. She showed me on the map. She said that if we were going to that area, we could spend the night with her mom and sleep in the room that she grew up in. Her mom now has a guesthouse as well. We received word this afternoon that we are not going to be able to get to the island, as the harbor is closed. When we went for dinner tonight, I asked if we could stay at her childhood farm. She said just a minute, and got her brother (other photo) and we have now made plans.

We had a wonderful meal tonight. Darwin had salmon from the neighbor's farm and I had a salad and carrot soup. Good thing that we are here for 3 nights! There is a Kiwanis group here from Reykjavik. We also spoke to a group of 6 from Canada tonight after dinner. Halla said that we would be the only ones here tomorrow. They close the hotel in November for 4 months.

Vik

2011-10-01T17:10:00.000-05:00

We have arrived at our next area. Took about an hour stroll on the beach tonight. It was very windy with scattered rain. It was still a great walk before dinner.

Brining the sheep down

2011-10-01T17:08:00.000-05:00

Here is what it looks like when the sheep come down for the winter. Follow the leader.

On our way to Vik

2011-10-01T17:07:00.000-05:00

The color for today was black. Wow, does black sand ever add zing to photos. It was raining and very windy for a good part of the day.

Orn and Sigrun

2011-10-01T02:53:00.000-05:00

The farm lady did not speak English, so we did not get to talk to her. But, this couple came to spend the night at the farm too. Sigrun just finished working up north in a national park. So, now we have even met an official park ranger. We talked for a couple of hours about this and that. Orn does computer work for the farmer's association. We found out that sheep and cattle are subsidized, but not horses. He said that nearly all horses are for sport. Some horses also work, and fewer yet are eaten. He said that it is big business exporting Icelandic horses all over the world. We talked about where they should come if the had two or three weeks to visit in the US. Some of the really interesting things that we have are commonplace for them, such as Yellowstone, or Glacier National Park. So we decided that they should start a trip in Northern California, then go all the way up the coast and end in Vancouver. It was a fun discussion, for sure. Iceland Air is also starting to fly to Denver, so they were excited about the possibility of skiing. Sigrun gave me the information on good Icelandic chocolate, so now I know what to buy among the plethora of choices. They were also very tired of the poor quality of food available at the gas stations for not only tourists, but for them, as they travel. We had a good laugh at how many ham and cheese sandwiches with French fries and a coke that we have had on this trip.

Churches, grave yards and a tree

2011-09-30T14:32:00.000-05:00

This historical area was very near our farm. Then, on the farm, was a church with a grass roof. The graves are not very deep, so the ground is very lumpy.

Back to the fall colors

2011-09-30T14:29:00.000-05:00

More shots of the area

Skaftafell area

2011-09-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

We drove over to this glacier and took a short hike, for an up close look.

Back to the lagoon

2011-09-30T14:23:00.000-05:00

The light was in and out. The rain was off and on, but we had a delightful time watching the giant blue ice floating. We walked along the shore in the rain, looking at the ice that had washed up on the shore.

Thorbergssetur cultural center

2011-09-30T14:21:00.000-05:00

I spoke this morning with Sigurlaug this morning about the area we were at yesterday. I asked if the glacier was on a farm, since the road was very developed. She explained that the government built up the road, in order to prevent flooding along the ring road. She also explained that the farmers are able to add developments and the government gives them grants. She told us about a museum down the road on the farm of a famous writer. We stopped and it was really, really nice. It was pouring rain when we stopped and by the time we left after lunch, the heavy rain had stopped.

Farm Stay #6 Brunnholl

2011-09-29T15:05:00.000-05:00

This is Sigurlang. They have a dairy farm. They have just built this new building. It opened in May. They were so tired from the construction process that they didn't do a lot of advertising this year, but they still had a lot of people. What is striking about the new building is the floor. What is great, is the story. Sigurlaug was eating out at the restaurant in nearby Hofn. This local guy had installed a floor, made from black stones & epoxy. She was thrilled to find her new floor! She was so excited that on her way out of the parking lot, she hit a gigantic rock and put a big dent in the car. She said that when she got home, she told her husband first, that she had found her new floor and second, that she had wrecked the car! They installed in floor heating underneath it. They used two different size stones, for two different areas of the building. She said what is amazing is that she only has to use a vaccuum on it. They do have a wet vac, if something like milk gets spilled. She has been super pleased with how the floor has worked out and also, how little work the floor has needed to stay clean. They had some leftover mixture and made a few pot holders. She gave me one to take home.

Also, notice the giant sliding doors to the outside. They are motion activated. Tonight in the pouring rain, their little farm dog came by. The door opened for him and he stood there with giant puppy eyes, but did not come in. The door would then close. Then, he'd move a little and the door opened again. This process went on 3 or 4 times, before he finally decided to move on. It was really cute. I think Zephyr would like to have a sliding door installed at our house.

Hiking to Flaajokull

2011-09-29T13:50:00.003-05:00

The farmer's wife suggested that we drive down a 8km road and hike to the glacier. The drive was ok, but very slow. It took us an hour to get there. Good thing that we are listening to an interesting audio book..... The photo of Darwin shows the giant lake that the other photos are missing. We hiked up very close to the glacier, until the path had been washed out. The weather was dark and gray. About half way back, the sun broke out, for about 60 seconds. I saw that it was coming, so I had my camera out and ready. Then, when we got back to the car it started raining. The last photo shows that the glacier has once again disappeared for the evening.

Hiking to the glacier - Darwin

2011-09-29T13:48:00.000-05:00

This is on our way back, when the light was perfect AND I was ready!

Glacier Lagoon - Darwin

2011-09-29T13:47:00.000-05:00

Being in a perfect place, with perfect light is only made better by having TWO people taking photos. Darwin is getting better at taking a camera and just capturing what he is seeing. Good JOB hubby!

Black sand beach and a few macros

2011-09-29T12:18:00.000-05:00

Few more....

Black sand beach and icebergs

2011-09-29T12:17:00.000-05:00

Wow, was this ever a dramatic beach.....I hope to go to the other side tomorrow. The clear ice glistened on the black sand beach.

Glacier Lagoon

2011-09-29T12:14:00.000-05:00

We drove about an hour this morning to the famous glacier lagoon. We did not stay long, the light was changing and I wanted to get to the beach.

Farm stay #5 - an old woman with her old horses

2011-09-28T08:01:00.000-05:00

We visited with Thorun this morning. Her brother owns Grundavik, the old abandoned farm we hiked to. She grew up in the next valley. She owns those little triangle vacation huts across the street too. Found out she plays bridge and said that is a popular game among the older generation. Hmmmm...it is raining today, so maybe we can find someone to play bridge with tonight! She is 80 and lives by herself and runs the farm with 6 horses and the guesthouse. Her son lives in the house next door and also has 6 rooms for guests. She said they were just starting to talk about what will happen with the farm next. Seems like they are at the same fork in the road as many farmers back home. The young generation does not know how to work and they do not want the slow lifestyle of the farm. It started raining right before we left. I asked her if I could take her photo with her horses. She said, of course, put on her coat and went out and called them in. It was sweet to see, in her own words, an old woman with her old horses.

Northern Lights by Kris

2011-09-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

This is such a small representation of standing under the heavens and watching them dance. I do not think I have ever stood in awe as I was tonight. The colors, the movement, the quiteness, just made my jaw drop. We had about 1 hour of magnificant lights and then fog set in. That's quite alright. It will be an hour that I never, ever forget. And I even have a few photos to prove I was there.

Northern Lights by Darwin

2011-09-27T17:52:00.000-05:00

We were tired after dinner and decided to just play a few games of Yatzee. It was about 8:30 and I looked out the window and much to my surprise, the clouds had floated away and I could see the stars. We were out the door in 5 minutes! We drove about 1 mile away and set up both cameras. So these photos were what Darwin saw!

View from the top

2011-09-27T14:10:00.000-05:00

Saw the sheep on the way to the top. Then you see this beautiful expanse with black sand. What was slightly unexpected was to see sheep on the sand.....nothing to eat there. Maybe they think they are hiding....

Over the pass and back to Egilsstadir

2011-09-27T14:08:00.000-05:00

We had a lovely breakfast with Johanna. We had so much fun on her farm, that we bought a sheepskin from her. We drove up this road to get over the pass.

Roadside waterfall

2011-09-27T12:46:00.000-05:00

A few pictures showing how I got the final photo. Nothing got wet, except the tripod legs!

Driving around the lake

2011-09-27T12:45:00.000-05:00

We drove around the huge lake this afternoon. It was on and off raining, but it is also the are in Iceland with the most trees. It looked a bit like New England.

View from our farm

2011-09-27T12:44:00.001-05:00

We are right across the street from these cute little homes.

Northern Lights

2011-09-26T18:21:00.000-05:00

We went back to the farm tonight for a fresh cod dinner. It was delicious and they said that it would have been caught about 2 hours earlier. They have a small fish processing plant in town that we might stop by in the morning. We came home and decided to sit by the window and see about the Northern Lights. A couple that we met at the lagoon said they were out a few nights ago, around 9pm. I dimmed the light on my iPad, so it wouldn't wreck our night vision. We sat there and played a few games and then, all at once, they were here. We quickly drove about 1 mile and this is what I got. We stayed out for about an hour. It was probably about 45 degrees or so, so it was. It too cold. Not windy either, which was good for the long exposures. A perfect end to a day. Tomorrow night, is high activity, so I will probably just be sitting outside and waiting.

Other interesting things from today

2011-09-26T12:48:00.000-05:00

A geode in the wild. It was about the size of a softball. Rusty things in town. And a fuzzy house and shed. I wonder if they trim the grass by hand, mow it with a mower, or just bring in a few sheep? I think I would vote for the sheep, except that every time you enter a town, you pass over sheep grates. No grazing inside city limits. Maybe they sneak them in and they work under the cover of night. I guess I will never know.

Emergency shelter

2011-09-26T12:36:00.000-05:00

Another interesting structure at the site of the old farm. On the last photo, Darwin is pointing to the tiny shack. It is over by the river. Just wanted to try and give some perspective of how high up we were.

Hike to Brunavik

2011-09-26T12:32:00.000-05:00

Our mode of transpiration today was our feet and our hiking poles. Was this ever an interesting hike. Typically, we hike up to see something in the mountains and then we hike back down. This was different. We started at sea level, hiked over a mountain pass, back down to sea level and then turned around and hiked up and back down. The trail was 2.8 miles long and had an elevation gain of 1,000ft and an elevation drop of 1,000ft. What made it difficult was that we had to repeat that gain and drop on the return home!! We were out for just over 5 hours. The views were stunning the entire way. We only had one tough spot, but got through it just fine. The third photo shows Darwin pointing to the sheep barn at the farm, across the bay.

Early morning

2011-09-26T12:20:00.000-05:00

I woke up at 6am this morning and decided to walk out of our place and take a few morning shots. Tonight, the aurora forecast is very good, so I might be up late. We had breakfast over at the farm. What I learned is that they have a very famous son, who is a rock star. His name is Magni and he was on the show Rock Star Supernova in 2006. He was a finalist and so the whole family flew to LA. What a contrast to life here. Johanna loaded us up with food for our hike and invited us to eat fish for dinner.

Perfect light

2011-09-25T16:37:00.001-05:00

Did I mention that the light was absolutely amazing today. This is an example of doing nothing, but being in the right place at the right time and using a tool to capture a moment. I forgot to mention when talking about the sheep. Each sheep in Iceland is named. You can see the names of the sheep in the book in the sheep post.

Bringing in the sheep

2011-09-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

Today the sheep came down the mountain. Talk about an inconvenient time to have house guests.... Johanna was over at the guest house when we finally found it, thanks to Ole. We visited for a few minutes while Darwin brought in things from the car. She said her husband, Ausgaith, was back in the sheep barn. I asked her if we could come and see and then we were off. The farm is just about 3 minutes away. Ausgaith was cutting off the old wool. The big shearing will be done in November. They had a book that had all of their sheep info in it. He said that this was their book for the barn and they had it on Excel in the house. Johanna was marking in the book as Ausgaith was telling her the numbers. He was also marking sheep that would be slaughtered with green spray paint on their head. For example, one sheep had what sounded like seasonal allergies, and that one got a green mark. I asked him if they had a vet in the area. He looked at me and pointed at himself. He said, we do everything.

Ole saves the day

2011-09-25T16:22:00.001-05:00

We arrived in the town of Bakkagerdi, pop 100. The farm stay said it was off of road 94. That is all the information we had. The previous farm stays have been well marked, so we drove through town and around the bay. Well, road #94 ends at the harbor. Just as we were going to turn around, Ole drove up and went down to his boat. I walked over and showed him our information. He called the number on his cell phone (which Darwin has 5 bars here) and there was no answer. No problem, because Ole had their cell number in his phone! We made the connection and drove back around the harbor 5km and arrived at a brand new guest house. Johanna was the to meet us. Ole drove back around later, just to be sure we were all set and I asked if I could take his photo. As I was taking his photo, I was very distracted by the dolphins in the harbor! Have to look for more of them tomorrow.