Anniversary, Parties & Family-Meet!

2021-06-17Hrefna's family, Us Standard

[Photos taken 17 – 20 June 2021, posted online 05 September 2021. Autumn weather is creeping up on us, the leaves have begun turning. Covid-19 cases still being diagnosed at a steady, perhaps diminishing clip, this wave has seen 3 deaths so far. Oh, and our house has a new roof.]

Finnur and I marked 27 (Twenty-Seven!) years of togetherness, then it was back to life as usual…

Well, not quite, as our social calendar just exploded with activity. Over the almost-long-weekend (Thursday was a public holiday), we hosted friends at house #2, I attended a party with my EE undergrad cohort, Finnur took the kids to a family-meet, while I attended a second masters-degree graduation of a friend, and then we celebrated mom’s birthday!

So. Many. People. In. Such. A. Short. Time! (40-ish images)

Independence Day – Thursday 17 June 2021

We managed to get a photo taken! 27 years since that fateful Independence Day celebration downtown, before cell phones were a thing, where we couldn’t find the people we were planning to meet up with so it was just the two of us wandering about…
We spent the day in the country. Anna discovered the giant rhubarb plant next to the house and got some to make strawberry-rhubarb pie.
Anna wanted to recreated the rhubarb-hat photos from a decade ago!
Bjarki got roped in on the rhubarb-action.
Flying high.
Finnur taking a small break from fly-net-frame making.
We went to Borgarnes, hoping to score some Independence Day candy floss and lollypops, but the festivities had been severely scaled back due to Covid, so all they had were bouncy castles, and a few performers. Bjarki’s friend was there, so they took off together.
Walking to the playground on the other side of town, via the school lot up on the hill. We’ve been in that swimming pool a number of times, looking up the cliff, but never before looked the other way.
Mount Hafnarfjall in the distance.
The famous playground, built by a guy named Bjössi from recycled materials, and thus named Bjössa-róló. Sadly, some guy was very busy cutting grass right next to it, so it was too loud to do anything but keep walking.
The tide was out.
We met up with our friends that had spent the night with us at house #2. This is the backside of the Englendingavík restaurant.
A very red flower.
The toy museum in the old black garage was open, so we peeked inside.
Lots of familiar things!
Emma found china much like the one she has in her room which I got from my mom a very long time ago.
We decided to walk back to the bouncy-castle area, this time stopping on the school grounds for a bit.
Enticing!
Fancy climbing structures.
Emma has seen so many photo-shoot videos online that she was directing me to take this and that shot!
Anna on the bucket-swing. This brought back memories of the Google childcare center in Mountain View!
Sisters swinging.
Back at house #2 I found that the ravens had eaten all the lamb-fat I’d left the day before.
The girls both had work/camp to attend the next day so we drove back home, leaving the boys behind.
Unhappy gardener. The broccoli turned out to be a huge challenge all summer, probably because the earth didn’t have enough nutrients in it.

Friday 18 June 2021

Emma back at horse camp.
Anna found some leeks in the trash where she works, and tried to save them. Sadly they got moldy and died..
I attended a gathering!! Of people!! That I meet very rarely!! It’s always fun to spend an evening with the old EE undergrad crowd. 🙂

Saturday 19 June 2021

It was a gorgeous day. Finnur returned from house #2, packed again, and took the kids to a family reunion out in the country. Meanwhile, I went out for a jog, then went to a graduation gathering!
Before leaving house #2, Finnur sent this photo of artful grease-deposits under the BBQ, photographed before being disposed of!
The kids in front of their cabin at Finnur’s dad’s foster-family-meet. They hung out with the extended family, and stayed overnight.
In a party outfit far far away!
Eating party food!

Sunday 20 June 2021

Mom’s birthday! Us siblings invited her to brunch in the Spíran restaurant at a nearby garden center. Plastic gloves were provided before touching the utensils.
So. Much. Food!!
Our table. Finnur and the gang were still driving home from the family-meet, so they missed the brunch.
As the weather finally stopped being utterly cold and crappy, I finally cleaned the hot-tub in the backyard and filled it with water.
Anna made good on her plan to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie. It was delicious!
More of Anna’s seedlings got planted out.
A dash of color behind the fence.
Some of the sunflower seeds we put out for the birds sprouted!!
A moment of peace. Maybe.