Goodbye 2023 / Hello 2024!

2023-12-31Finnur's family, New Year's Eve, Us Standard

[Photos taken 31 December 2024 (and just after midnight…), posted online 21 June 2024. The lava from the current eruption has toppled over one of the lead-walls keeping it from the Svartsengi power/hot-water station. Crews are onsite pushing up a second lead-wall. Thankfully the eruption seems to be dying down…]

Finnur’s youngest sister repeated hosting the new year’s eve party, much to everyone’s delight.

Sunday 31 December 2023

Welcome 2024!!
We were tasked with bringing the ever-popular “horns” to the party.
They’re so good! We made two types, one with ham-cream-cheese, and the other with pepper-cream-cheese.
The “horns” at the actual party!
Our hostess.
Our host, BBQ-ing slabs of meat out in the snow!
All lit up!
The light source, and Finnur paying close attention!
The table filling up…
Looking good!
Eating time!
After dinner, Anna and myself drove a little ways down the hill to where the Buddha stupa is, to have a good view over the “official” fireworks-show being put on by the Kópavogur search-and-rescue squad, a hop and a skip from our house. They sell fireworks to the public to fund their operation.
It was a good show! It was launched from an area that will soon see a lot of construction activities.
We weren’t the only ones who’d ventured up there, but next time I think I’ll scout the parking situation better beforehand, as the area has changed a lot lately with the addition of a new building, and I almost drove into a ditch!
The cemetery all lit up.
Back at the party, a hilarious game was afoot! Basically 5 identical ping-pong balls are put into a large empty-and-open nose-tissue box, then strapped on to one’s back, and the challenge is to get the balls out of the box, before the other person clears theirs.
Anther game was scoring points with a ping-pong ball, as each egg-carton-space was marked with a different point value.
The annual comedy hour show about to end at 23:30, meaning fireworks were starting for real.
10 minutes before midnight.
Madness erupting all around. Somebody prepping a “cake” in the middle distance.
Playing with my tripod.
One of the multiple attempts to star-light-write 2024.
The setup.
Kablooee!
But wait, there were more fireworks!
Post-midnight! Happy 2024 everybody!!
Hearts.
All the light.
Inside, the ping-pong games continued, along with dessert.
Simple, but effective!
We headed home sometime past 1 in the morning, and some people were still shooting fireworks! Happy 2024 everyone!!