Many May 2017 Missives

Way behind schedule, I finally managed to host a sewing club for the ex-California ladies. It was a lovely evening!

That afternoon I found myself stopping by the ocean-side, to capture a few GPS dependent Ingress portals. (Such “portals” often come in the form of sculptures, such as the one behind me.)

Meanwhile, Emma showered in the sun.

We were invited to Lóa Bryndís’ birthday party after work, where her mother, Magnea, had magicked this awesome cake into existence!

So. Much. Good. Stuff! Somehow I neglected to take an image of the birthday girl herself, possibly because I was taking photos on their own camera…?

Later that evening I tried out the wall paint I’d bought for Emma’s “new” room. Yes, it’s called “Barbie-pink”!

Hmmm… not great. The reason for the new wall paint was that Emma’d started asking when we would be moving. When pressed, it transpired that she wanted a room with a pink wall (“I know they exist!”). When told of the existence of pink wall paint, her eyes reportedly grew to the size of saucers!

Anna wanted a red wall in her room, but something went wrong when mixing one of her color-testers…

This was the first fantastic weekend day of the summer, and I spent it cleaning out the garage. Figures!

Finnur changed the tires on the bikes from studded to summer.

Anna got convinced to keep an eye out for her little sister in the back yard.  Or maybe I just convinced her to come out of her room to enjoy a little extra oxygen?!!

20C/68F!!!

Late that afternoon, I went downtown to check out the opening of a photography exhibit by our friend Charlotta (aka Lotta).

I met Elsa there!

I was there too. Somehow I neglected to take a photo of Lotta herself, who was surrounded by inquisitive people the whole time. The photos were really cool, and became even more impressive once Lotta told me about all the technical challenges posed by doing what she’s doing. Low light stuff is tricky!

That evening, once the littler kids had gone to sleep, we left Anna in charge of the house, and went out on an Ingress tour. There was a special two week challenge around this time, which had us visiting various parts of the city area. It was great!

Out by Grótta, the lighthouse, and “tip” of the capitial area.

The Grótta lighthouse, while the sun set, ever so slowly.

Looking back towards civilization.  There were geese!

On the way back we made a quick stop by Nauthólsvík. It was a lovely night!

The big event that Sunday was the confirmation party of Arndís Dúna!

Our hosts, being hosty!

The star of the day, selecting what to have.

There were two types of yummy soups!

Dessert time!

Emma and Bjarki out in the foyer.

There was music!

Looking over one half of the room.

Emma the superhero, shortly before our departure.

We attended a “gathering” by Bjarki’s class, where the kids performed various skits. Bjarki and his friend sang along to Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots.

The whole class, after the show.

I went out for a lunch jog when I returned back to work. That blue house in the distance is where I work.

The brand new Costco store rapidly taking shape.

The Costco gas-station under construction. Since its opening its been jam-packed, pretty much all the time.

Lovely nature, on the other side of the parking lots.

Way too cheerful!

I decided to take the upper road back, going past all the new construction up on the hill.

Ikea in the distance.

A terrifying number of building cranes.

Houses under construction.

Worksheds.

New and newer.

That triangular house was out there alone in the wilderness for quite some time, but now it’s getting almost boxed in!

Back home, it was time for more color-testing.

I got a fitbit watch, and now I can track just how poor my sleep habits are!

I took Emma for a haircut.

Not my favorite haircut, but you live, you learn!

Late that afternoon I found myself in a park in Hafnarfjörður I’d never properly explored, while hunting down Ingress portals!

Another color-test. This was supposed to be a “red”, but turned out to be orange!

May 11th is the “birthday” of Emma’s daycare. They always have a festival on that day.

After consuming hot dogs, I hung around the playground for a bit, while Emma played.  There was a slight miscommunication, and Finnur arrived just as I’d left!

The playground got extensively renovated recently, and it’s been a big success!

Playing!

I like how open that house is up on the hill.

The view from the house.

Emma running up the tree-trunk stairs as the crowd started thinning out.

Cheerful munchkin!

Emma was interviewed about life at daycare.

Looking at photos inside.

Examining the huge artwork her class made.

Emma’s art.

Later that afternoon: More park-visiting for the Ingress challenge.

The path leading on to Víðistaðatún.

Later that evening, Finnur and I went out on another Ingress related excursion, this time to an art museum in Laugardalur.

Summer sunsets are always wonderful.

We also stopped by the botanical garden in Laugardalur. Oh, the places one goes!

Friday found me on another lunchtime jog/walk.

The lava field by my workplace is gorgeous.

Google decided my photo of fresh new green grass peaking through the yellow old grass was worth dramatizing.

Later that noon-time I ended up at this sports facility, where one of my colleagues was competing against six or seven other colleagues on a long distance run. He ran a certain distance (10 km?), and the others divided that distance between them. The solo runner only barely lost. It was kinda crazy!

Last, but not least, we committed to a PINK wall color for Emma’s wall. Sooo piiiink!