My Sailing Trilogy

I am reading three books related to sailing in and around Iceland, in the following order:

1. Rockwell Kent's N by E. 1930. Relationship to Iceland tangential; just finished reading this one. Purchased at Chop Suey Books, Richmond.

2. Lord Dufferin's Letters from High Latitudes. 1857. Wikipedia describes this as "the prototype of the comic travelogue." Obtained by BookMooch from the UK.

3. Tim Moore's Frost on My Moustache. 1999. Purchased at Second Story Books in Washington, DC.

A tidy packet, if I do say so.

For my chicken-loving pals (you know who you are), here is the following aperitif from High Latitudes. On board the Foam, headed for Iceland; fowl on deck:

Shortly after this, a very melancholy occurrence took place. I had observed for some days past, as we proceeded north, and the nights became shorter, that the cock...became quite bewildered on the subject of that meteorological phenomenon called the Dawn of Day. In fact, I doubt whether he ever slept for more than five minutes at a stretch, without waking up in a state of nervous agitation, lest it should be cock-crow. At last, when night ceased altogether, his constitution could no longer stand the shock. He crowed once or twice sarcastically, then went melancholy mad: finally, taking a calenture, he cackled lowly (probably of green fields), and leaping overboard, drowned himself. The mysterious manner in which every day a fresh member of his harem used to disappear, may also have preyed upon his spirits.





Chicken woodcut used with kind permission of Scottish artist Alice Strange. Take a look at her web page to see some really lovely pieces that reflect her interest in the natural beauty of Scotland, New Zealand, and much more.

Anyone who discovers what the artwork of Alice Strange has in common with the Lord Dufferin book might achieve lasting fame in a future blog post.

Christmas Greetings from Iceland

I wasn't the only one with secrets. Meanwhile, John was engaged in a stealth correspondence with a jeweler that we met our last day in Iceland, Maria Langenbacher. We visited her shop on Skolavordustigur, Mariella, and John and I loved her jewelry designs. Maria had stories to tell about the origins of the stones and materials in each piece. She was just as intriguing as her unusual jewelry designs. We didn't buy anything that day, but were tempted by a number of beautiful pieces.
On Christmas day I opened a package that had a Mariella sticker on it. I waited before opening it, savoring the feeling of not knowing what beautiful piece lay inside. It turns out that Maria sent John several sketches before he made up his mind. Seems to me he couldn't have made a better choice. Could it possibly have been lovelier? Now I carry a piece of Iceland with me everywhere I go.

The stone sparkles when the sun hits it, and the other side is just as unusual, yet different. I love surprises!

Birthday Greetings From Iceland

You may recall that we first encountered the artwork of Adalheidur Skarphedinsdottir while dining at Fjoruhusid Cafe in Hellnar.

We had only one day left in Reykjavik to try and locate her studio, and we were not successful. But the brochure that we picked up in Fjoruhusid enabled me to track her down when we returned to the states. And thus began a series of Top Secret international calls, emails and packages.

Adalheidur was kind enough to send me a portfolio with a sampling of her artwork, and I saw a number of pieces that I really responded to. I selected a print that she created in 1994 called "The Date." Adalheidur credited a visit to the National Museum in Reykjavik as the inspiration for the piece. She said she was fascinated by old folk art in wood from the 15th and 16th centuries.

What appealed most to me: the love, symbolized by the heart, cats, dancing, food, family/friends, music and movement all were meaningful to me, and I thought they were elements that John would respond to.

So for his birthday, I surprised John with this lovely print. Thank you, Adalheidur, for gracing our home with your spirit.