Worm Moon ~ March 20, 2019

They are calling it the "worm moon"
as this time of the year the ground softens according to the
Old Farmer's Almanac.

The last full moon in March.

We won't be seeing the "ground"
around our yard for some time yet but at least it's nice to know the snow if softening.

We could feel the energy
when outside today
nice to feel that little
"spring" in our step!



enjoy,

k

Settling In.... BANFF Alberta, Canada

Before a  trip we'll investigate a destination.  

Have an idea of what to expect upon arrival.  

A place to stay,  a general plan....

with some wiggle room.

I had traveled to Lake Louise and Banff during my Penny Pitou Travel days.  It was a "work" trip with only a short stop in each location.  I knew it was a destination that Jim would enjoy; we wanted to go back together.  This combined with some logistics and we were on our way to Calgary Alberta, Canada.

Our ski trips are "ski trips"  We enjoy exploring new areas and find the slopes points west much to our liking.  Exercise, fresh air and some time together unplugged from our work combines perfectly with the excitement of a new destination.

The people of Alberta Canada are some of the friendliest folks I've ever met.  I remember this from my last visit and gladly nothing has changed.  

The sun rising slowly over the mountain on first run up the gondola 

Aptly named "Top of the World" lift with the sun cresting from behind the mountain

While skiing you can't help but gaze up at the range surrounding us 

A wide slope with a few fellow skiers and riders dotting the landscape

Breathing it in from the bottom ...to the top

you couldn't help but appreciate the grandeur and take pause

 Clouds would come and go leaving blue sky vistas from every angle

 until the end of the day 

 ... the touch of alpenglow finishes things off beautifully

  

 ....on to the next day!

Sunshine Village at Banff

enjoy,

k

ICELAND Part V ~ Glacier Hike with Kyle

Our guide Kyle taking us to our next adventure on the Sólheimajökull Glacier, a glacier tongue extending from the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier, an icecap covering the Katla volcano.  The black we see is lava ash from past eruptions.
Most of us remember the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjnallajokull which covered the glacier with this black ash.  But the ash we will see today is not from Eyjafjnallajokull's eruption but from Katla's last eruption back in 1918.

Layers of ice holding it in place for the past 100 years.

Outfitted with crampons, an ice axe and a hard hat we begin our climb.  This is an exceedingly wet location.  Throughout our climb we received rain, a bit of sunshine followed by a snow squall.   An ever changing landscape within this region of Iceland creates an awareness and awe as we set off on our challenge. 

Along the shores we passed by a sign showing how much the glacier had receded in the past decade.

One by one we trusted our crampons up the frozen crevasse.

There were dips and holes

and views that made you stop and pause.       How lucky am I!

Kyle was wonderful in sharing his knowledge of the glacier and we were intrigued although cautious as we explored.

...not too close on this one

This was  deemed the men's bathroom!

We gelled as a group - many laughs - conversations - enjoying the great outdoors and new experiences together.

Taking home with us a new understanding of just how small we are in this world.

Layers of black ash 

creating a black sand beach 

along the lake 

Beauty - 'still life' - gracious

GLACIER

enjoy,

k

ICELAND Part IV ~ Warm Greetings Followed by Dancing In the Night

Continuing on our journey through Iceland...
After a full day of exploration and discovery we traveled on to our farmhouse.  We made our way back "home" to Alftroo.  It had been a wet day and the inside of our bus was dampened.  You could hear the calm breathing from our resting bunch as we were winding down our day.  Me, with one eye open, watched as the sun poked through the clouds for a short time.  I could see the storm that was to follow and when it hit it was in the form of snow.

It was brief - a short blast.

It left the countryside covered with a "confectioners sugar" coating.  

The snow making the colors of the landscape pop in the late afternoon light. 

And even though the sun had set at our prior location dusk lingered offering us a glimpse into our surroundings.  Having arrived at nightfall the day prior it was like coming home to a new place along with a wonderful feeling of familiarity.  

We were invited to visit with our hosts' horses.  Immediately off the bus I walked over to say hello.

These gentle animals greeted me warmly and inquisitively.  Their ears perked up and they sniffed at my camera.

It was a nice exchange.  I have always loved horses.  Used to ride as a young girl.

It was like they knew the drill and posed for the camera.

Creatures Great and Small

welcoming to the touch of a gentle hand with warm greetings on a cold afternoon.

Once back inside - we settled in for our final night at the farmhouse.  Leg of lamb with baked potatoes cooked outside in the fire pit by our guide Oliver.  We thoroughly enjoyed every part of our day and were happy and content with whatever the evening brought us.


Well..... Oliver made a quick trip outside our door and yelled out "they're happening"

Throwing on our coats, hats and gloves and cameras in tow we were blessed to view the northern lights just steps beyond our farmhouse.  The excitement on the ground matched the excitement happening in the atmosphere.

About 15 minutes into our viewing another storm brewed up suddenly and snow squall was back.

Our group making a dash back to the farm.

Settling back in to the warmth with sheer joy with that we were able to witness.

Another 20 minutes time passed and yet again Oliver yells "they're back" 

Out we go again into the night and we able to view the lights with remnants of the storm blowing through.  

The sky and the stars were brilliant and the feeling we had can only be described as

"dancing"

in the night.

enjoy,

k

Iceland Part III ~ Feeling at Home and Feeling Fresh

After a busy traveling day we made our way "home" to the Alftroo Guesthouse.  Nestled in the countryside we immediately felt comfortable - put on our slippers - made a few cocktails - and prepped dinner together with our guide, Oliver.

 Pam prepping tomorrow nights meal - lamb cooked in the outdoor fire pit~fabulous!

 Paula and Sandi with the table all set - enjoy a bonding moment and a martini!

 ....and before we knew it.

The dinner bell!

 Oliver serves up his famous Icelandic fish stew.  A cozy dinner - family style

 with a toast to our adventures of the day ~ with more promised for tomorrow.

Today we head out and stretch our legs as Oliver gets us going in the right direction.  Our morning begins with a hike at Reykjadalur. Where a few of our brave souls will take a dip in the natural hot springs.

 Jim, my happy hiker!

 We begin our hike seeing a few small thermal springs popping up along the mountain side.

 As we turn each corner we are greeted with more steam billowing up from the springs.

 It was an amazing sight watching the sun come up over the mountains to welcome us as we made our way along the mountain path with water bubbling alongside of us.

 The "changing rooms" as you can see with well exposed.  To the few that decided to take a dip in the warm waters realized it wasn't as easy as they thought to get themselves "put back together" without a few frozen appendages!

 The rest of the group continued on to the end of the path and were greeted with more waterfalls and rock formations.  It was a delightful hike - unlike hikes here in NH where we are predominantly surrounded by trees blocking our view.  This day we had the splendor of the countryside along with the rising sun every step of our journey.

 Fog

 Steam

 and sunshine and we walked back to our starting place.

 As you look forward you are greeted with the coming of the new day.

As you look back you see the grandness of all you've experienced.  If you look closely you can see Diane on the far right.  She provides that sense of scale and justice due to the ground we covered.

enjoy,

k