Category: Blitherings

The Not Taken Vacation: Icelandic Turf Houses

For our next adventure into Iceland I thought it would be really interesting to explore what life was like historically. In a country where there is obviously a lot of rock and turf, and a seeming dearth of trees, what better thing to think about than how people lived for 1000 years before modern architectural technology?

I googled “traditional Icelandic houses”as Reykjavik is full of modern buildings and not a lot of older ones that I could see. This made me curious. Native resources created perfectly warm houses. People need shelter, and creatively use what is at hand. Early on around 950 CE, native birch trees were for building, and later wood from shipwrecks or detritus found on the beach was used.

There’s a really great website called The Ultimate Guide to Turf Houses in Iceland and it is filled with the history of preserved buildings, including houses, barns, churches, and schools. Turf buildings deteriorate quickly if not maintained.

Below is a really good video on that web page, which I’m linking below. It has some great information in addition to the aforementioned web page.

Next? Plants!

The Not Taken Vacation: Grundarfjodur

I broke my arm last Wednesday in Iceland. By Saturday morning at 1:00 a.m. I was home, having spent several more hours getting home. I was exhausted. And while I was still in shock the reality of not being able to have a vacation didn’t come home until to day. It is so depressing to think that I was going to be off visiting new places and having adventures, and visiting friends who live in Spain as well that I have not seen in quite some time.

I have decided to not give into this as it will be rather depressing altogether! Instead I have decided to be the armchair tourist or armchair traveler, and visit places that I would have been or would like to see if I was in some of these countries, I am also using voice to text to dictate this, and then correct the errors as I go along. It is a lot faster than trying to type with two fingers on one hand!

The first place I’m going to go to is a very iconic mountain called Grundarfjodur. I have always loved the shape of this mountain because of the curves and the angles and its barren landscape. It’s located somewhere on the western side in the northern area of Iceland but on our trip we would have never seen it so I decided that I was going to paint it as if I were. There are a lot of public domain photos of this mountain and I have used one of those to get a sense of it.

To do these sketches I decided that I would use my watercolor kit that I put together for traveling, and use only it exclusively. It includes the brushes and paints and pens and pencils and a sketchbook and various odds and ends. It will be very limited in color and technique but it will be a fun experience altogether.

So with no more ado, let’s go ahead and take a peek!

Taking a Break

On our first outing on our trip I broke my left arm. We still are unsure how it happened.

We got an ambulance, spent hours in the ER, then came home on the recommendation of ER staff. Viking helped us out. The Icelandic medical personnel were wonderful.

We saw a couple of orthopedists yesterday – we got home in the wee hours of Saturday -as well as had a lovely chat with Jimmy, a retired orthopedic surgeon who is a cousin of my SIL.

Nothing malignant seen, but I have a lovely comminuted spiral fracture of my lower humerus. No elbow damage it seems as wrist, fingers, and forearm function. I am doing fine but very one-armed, typing with my right hand only. Too much work! Family and friends have been fabulous, too.

So for now, see ya later.

On the Road to Somewhere

….via plane and ship!

In between everything and all the organizing and deciding and packing and griping and whining and worrying and daily stuff, I did manage to start a painting. It’s on a bit of 14×18 inch Fredrix canvas, taped to coroplast, and on the easel. It has been through multiple iterations since its inception, and still has a way to go. I will finish when we return, and I am sure I will see it all with fresh eyes.

This is not a great picture – a photograph rather than a scan – but it does show where it now stands. I thought a painting of a road and building might be fun to do. I still need to put in windows and work a bit on the middle area where the two pinky curvy bits of architecture are, as well as some of the leafy trees on the left. The photo makes it a bit askew, but the roof lines are actually straighter in the painting.

I usually work in watercolor, and that is usually a more immediate event than returning to a painting daily for a few hours. In fact, it is an altogether new experience for this impatient person, and I am finding I rather like the time I have to come and go with a painting. Having it on an easel to look at all the time is also a new experience. It let’s me look at it and review it from where I sit in the studio, typing away about it or other things. I wonder how this newfound taste and appreciation for time and painting will play out on our trip.

Golden Fluid Acrylics, 14×18 Fredrix canvas.

Watercolor Kit & Other Travel Toys

Heading out for an adventure of three weeks with only a carry-on suitcase and a back pack is forcing me to pretend I am an efficient traveler. The fact is, I am not, and it is very challenging to rethink what I want to have around me when traveling. For me, having enough clean underwear is important – but perhaps more so is not getting bored. I need stuff – to read, to paint, to draw, to listen, to make, to take photos. And this means making everything small and efficiently useful.

First on the agenda is my watercolor and drawing set up. In this 7×10 (or so) zip-up case by Art-Tool, I have their included Moleskine watercolor book, 12 half pan set of Schmincke watercolor paints still wrapped up, travel brushes, ink pens, mechanical pencil and lead, kneaded eraser, collapsible water cup, and a few other things. Many of them are original to the kit, but I have modified it a bit to meet my needs. It’s pretty nifty.

Next, books – audio and written. I like to hear things when I am sewing or knitting by hand. This means lightweight, small head phones and something to provide me with books. My phone can supply both! Another need / want conquered.

Camera . . . as someone used to the capabilities of a DSLR and such, a small automatic point and shoot without the option for controlling everything (should I desire such) was not something I wanted to spend money on. I spent weeks on research – I needed to be able to use manual controls all the way as well as my preferred aperture priority – and finally settled on the Canon G7X Mark II. As the Mark III had just come out, I got a good price on it, and have been using it for months. The battery life is good; I can put it a purse or pocket, and the pictures are good but flatter in appearance than either the X100V or the Nikons I like to use. Post production always remedies that.

We will be doing stops in various ports en route to our friends in the south of Spain. Looking ahead to Iceland, Ireland, and England, it appears to be cool but not cold, and with rain. Layers and a lightweight rain jacket that folds into a pouch are to be packed, but also more summery wear for the weather in the warmer areas. Luckily, we will have access to washing machines so a ton of clothing is not necessary.

I am going a bit nuts, but such is life. I have 3 days to finalize what I want to schlep, and then I drop into the abyss of international travel.