Last Confirmation, e-Biking Outings & Meet-ups
[Photos taken 15 – 30 April 2023, posted online 27 December 2023. The calm between the storms, as Christmas is done, and New Year’s Eve looms. No work until the new year.]
The last confirmation party came and went, with a bit of photography on my part. Then I caved in at a sale, upgraded my e-bike to something properly powerful, and signed for with an e-biking group. The biking schedule was pretty packed, and there were three outings in a short span of time.
Various spring tasks continued, I visited a school with Bjarki, we had dinner with friends, and one of the cousins got a year older!
Saturday 15 April 2023
Misty Hiking, Delayed Confirmation Party, & Northern Lights
[Photos taken 12 – 30 November 2022, posted online 21 July 2023. Gosh, darnit, my eyesight is changing really fast these days, I get the feeling that in the olden times I should be dead by now!]
Tearing me out of my “just started a new job” stupor was a day hike to Stardalshnúkur & Þríhnúkar on a rainy-misty day, but the clouds cleared at good moments, and good memories were made.
We attended a covid-delayed confirmation party, I tried to find a new gym/work balance, Finnur took photos of northern lights, yule-tide outside lights were put up as the darkness grew, yule-tide shopping began, and life kind of went on as usual.
Saturday 12 November 2022
Do. All. The. Things. Part. 2.
[Photos taken 10 – 14 October 2023, posted online 17 June 2023. This day marks 29 years of togetherness with Finnur!]
The month between having jobs had me itching to Do. All. The. Things. that typically are easy to not-do due to one thing or the other.
This week included lunch with mom, summoning electricians, getting a piano-tuner, and attempts at interior decorating, in between the usual shuttling of children, and hanging out at cafes to recharge mental batteries… and plan.
Monday 10 October 2022
USA 2022 – Biking the Route of the Hiawatha
[Photos taken 05 August 2022, posted online 07 April 2023. Storm incoming, thankfully above freezing.]
We kept adventuring, and next up was to bike the Route of the Hiawatha which is a “scenic 24 km (15 miles) long mountain bike or hike trail with 10 large and dark train tunnels (nine that you ride your bike through) and 7 sky-high trestles.”
I had made reservations many weeks in advance, and ordered rental bikes to be delivered at the starting point. We set out fairly early, and the 45 minute drive went smoothly.
The weather was gorgeous, and the ride went pretty well, although the bikes were not great. All in all a memorable day, and lots of wow! views.
Friday 05 August 2022
Vacation: Birthdays & US Travel Begins
[Photos taken 23 – 31 July 2022, posted online 11 March 2023. Daylight is staying noticeably longer, the sun is higher in the sky, but we’re also frozen solid = window-weather.]
Week two of vacation was swimming, jogging, preparing and then departing for our trip to the US, celebrating birthdays, and deciding to quit my job. So, relatively calm? (60-ish images total)
Saturday 23 July 2022
E-biking Þakgil & Emiliana Torrini Concert
[Photos taken 19 June 2022, posted online 12 February 2023. It’s Emma’s birthday!]
After hiking 13 km up and above Glymur waterfall the day before, my brother and I set out bright and early to drive 2.5 hours to Vík í Mýrdal. We parked the car by Hotel Katla, dismounted the e-bikes, and rode inland to two beautiful gullies, Remundargil and Þakgil (“gil” is Icelandic for “gully”).
The weather played along for the most part, just the very last bit had some wind and rain. We neglected to check out the elevation profile though… We thought we were biking upwards to the gullies, and then downwards on the way back. In actuality, we sort of climbed over a “mountain” to get there, and of course, had to climb over it on the way back.
My brother’s bike battery died when about 10% remained of the trip, meaning the bike got super heavy to bike, so he got to test the guide’s tether for the last little bit as we rode against the wind and the rain. My battery ran out as we turned back into the parking lot. Range anxiety on e-bikes is a real thing!
We arrived back in town just in time for me to make it to my long-since-bought-tickets for Emiliana Torrini and the Colorist Orchestra at Harpa Concert Hall. They were so much fun!! (70-ish images total)
Sunday 19 June 2022
Summer Vacation Begins: Kayaking & Horses
[Photos taken 16 – 18 July 2021, posted online 20 October 2021. Covid-19 restrictions were lowered last night, masks are no longer compulsory, except in the health system (I think).]
At long last, us adults went on summer vacation. The older kiddos would have to wait a bit for theirs to begin for realz though.
Much like last year, the summer vacation was almost entirely unplanned as it began. We knew that Anna would be working full time all through July, so we certainly wouldn’t be traveling as a family until then, and we also had a lot of wood to oil/stain at both our houses – which requires dry weather.
As it happened, this was the we-barely-did-anything-really vacation, but I guess that’s also a kind of vacation. (40-ish images total)
Friday 16 July 2021
Laugarvatn, Soccer & Vacation Countdown
[Photos taken 02 – 11 July 2021, posted online 09 October 2021. We went to see the new Bond movie last night in a packed theater, almost felt normal.]
Our summer vacation window was a weird one this summer. First off, Bjarki’s summer job-school (i.e. weeding public spaces) went until 21 July, secondly Anna’s summer job (also of the gardening variety) stretched to the end of July, and thirdly, the schools started up on 19 and 25 August.
As a result, we ended up starting our vacation mid-July-ish, which meant the customary mental knuckling-through-July until the vacation began.
We did manage to do a few things. We visited Finnur’s parents’ summer house on a wonderfully warm day, I set some sort of personal record in most restaurants visited in one not-on-vacation-week, and Emma participate in the annual huge girls soccer meet in our town, and came away victorious! (70-ish images total)
Friday 02 July 2021
School Year Ends, Finally!
[Photos taken 01 – 07 June 2021, posted online 11 August 2021. I’ve spent the past few days remodeling Bjarki’s room, it’s now slowly looking more like the room of a teenager as opposed to a randomly thrown together collection of furniture from various stages of our lives. The weather has been gorgeous, and some wood-staining has happened.]
With June came the long-awaited end of the school year. Phew, we made it! (35-ish images total)
Tuesday 01 June 2021
Gymnastics, Family Park & Silfra Snorkeling
[Photos taken 22 – 31 May 2021, posted online 05 August 2021. Intermittent rain in the capitol area, am working up the nerve to ‘refresh’ Bjarki’s bedroom… or attack the weeds in the garden… or both..?]
Bjarki participated in a gymnastics meet, we visited the farm-animal and family park for the first time in a long while, masks were no longer required indoors (which was weird), my department at work went and snorkeled in Silfra, and then there was the usual gardening-library-garage-cleaning trifecta. (50-ish images total)
Saturday 22 May 2021
