Iceland,Part 2

Yesterday we spent driving up the east coast of Iceland. This is the oldest part, geologically, and it truly was a feast for the eyes. There are a few farms here and there along with some very small villages, but because the bulk of Icelanders live around the capital and no-one lives inland, most of the country-side is very sparsely populated.The raw and naked mountain peaks and ridges are all photogenic. Cameras clicked whenever possible at a furious rate!
Waterfalls cascade wherever there are low spots; white water is an abundant commodity on this island. There are fish in almost all streams. How I wanted to toss in a fly somewhere!
The drive along the coast revealed barren mountainsides that look like they just slide right down into the sea whenever there is a little tremor of the earth. We did see lots of water birds swimming---land animals? No. Iceland only has fox, mice, rats and reindeer.
More rugged coastline with absolutely no vegetation.
In the areas where there is a bit of topsoil there are small farms. I'll never again feel that Silverton is remote!

We have people from England (8), Hong Kong (2), Tasmania (2), Australia (4), Canada (2) and the US (9). It is a good group---people are on time, cheerful, and willing to participate in all the walking tours, meals, etc. Lots of laughter...

Tune in for the next posting which will include puffins, icebergs, and other tales from the north!

Iceland is Fantastic!

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings from Iceland! Marie, one of my traveling friends, and I are here for ten days and are finding it quite fascinating. We are traveling with a group of 28, including lots of interesting people from the UK, a number of Aussies, a couple from Tasmania, a darling Chinese girl and her mom from Hong Kong...

There is something here for everyone but if one enjoys gorgeous scenery and odd bits of geology it really is the place to be!

Waterfalls abound...
Wild flowers are lush---these look like our moss campion in the Rockies...
Sheep have been randomly placed and are really fat and fluffy...
Mountains are abundant and their geology can only be described as "odd" as no two are alike due to all the volcanic activity here...
Everything is velvety green...
Geysers are here and there...

But I do believe the huge waterfalls are my favorites so far. The food is great, too. I've had pickled herring and smoked salmon for breakfast every day and tonight we had a three-fish dish of salmon, cod and lobster. Last night it was lamb...

Keep tuned...Penny

Progress on the Home Front---At Last!

After nearly two months of steady spring snow falling on top of the construction project at my home in Silverton, summer has suddenly come! The contractor and I are happy to be able to be outside in the sunshine, accomplishing our projects!Painting the upper triangle of the front of the house is a somewhat tedious task---one that has waited several years for me to do. Rick, the builder, rigged up a practically bomb-proof scaffold arrangement, coupled with my new 24-foot extension ladder...so today I finished my high-wire painting!

I rigged an extend-o-brush to reach the high peak just behind me. It worked so well I may

patent it. (Nothing like duct tape, is there?) Great view from up here and lots of hellos

from the motor-cyclists zooming by.

Rick is speeding along with the new storage shed...

It looks small compared to the old, dark woodshed but will certainly hold as much "stuff" as

I should ever need to have. (After all, I am convinced we humans fill the space we have, right?)

Suzie's "suite" is finished except for the new shades---looks quite different, doesn't it, Suz?

That's all for now---the landscape guy comes Thursday to look into sod for the bare spots and

the fence will continue to grow---come to Silverton and enjoy the long-needed changes with me!

Springtime in the Rockies

May 11th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This morning's view of the construction site in my backyard:

And....the rest of the news? It is still snowing!

Tractors in the Backyard?

It hasn't snowed for two days so today things moved along in the backyard. Rick, the builder, arrived with Lance, an American Airlines pilot who loves to move dirt with his little orange tractor, so move dirt they did! He hauled dirt from the Garden to fill in the hole where the old shed had stood and to fill in around the foundation for the new shed. It was fun to hear the sound of the tractor in the backyard---took me right back to my tractor-driving days at the ranch!

Since there isn't much room to maneuver in the alley, Rick did a certain amount of shoveling, but altogether, the two guys had the dirt work completed by early afternoon! We're moving along!!!

The Work Goes On!

The trusty builder, Rick, works on in my back yard in spite of the weather. (He's like the proverbial mailman!) He's determined that a great fence and new storage shed will rise out of the muck and mud and snow---I am grateful to him! Here's Rick, measuring and leveling and getting ready to put the facing boards, chosen from the torn down shed, on the fence to the north of my backyard.
Darn---a sideways photo. I thought I had that problem solved...view of the new pressure-treated posts, set in concrete.
Good---this one is right side up. Looks like a mess, right?
Another view toward the alley---new concrete slab/foundation for the shed wrapped in blankets under the snow right under the table saw!
A section of the new fence on the north. The posts will be stained---and have little top hats
of some sort to finish their "look."

So---that's progress for now. When it quits snowing the rest will go quickly I'm sure.

Bon Voyage!! (???)

Bon Voyage! is a lovely way to bid farewell to someone leaving on a boat trip. What are the "tripees" supposed to say?

My friend, Ruth Ann, and I are leaving April 10th for Norway. We will be spending two weeks on the MS Richard With, a mail boat which is part of the Hurtigruten fleet. We will travel north along the west coast of Norway, past the Arctic Circle, all the way to where Norway and Russia have a common border. We travel back, southbound, to Bergan, calling in at the ports that were night-time calls on the way north, during the day on the southbound route.

If you are interested in seeing just where we are at a given time, the following
link will take you to a real time map. Look for the MS Richard With and you'll
know just where we are!

www.hurtigruten.com/norway/map