Icelandic Fever: a Southern Saga

Laxness Anniversary

2009-12-10T08:19:00.001-05:00

The Honour of the House, by Halldór Laxness. Translated by Kenneth G. Chapman. 2nd editon. Reykjavík: Helgafell, 1985. 131 pgs. Originally published in Icelandic in 1933.

Professor Batty traveled all the way to Iceland this October to discover and purchase another Laxness novel--one that we didn't even know was available in English. Way to go, Batty! Today is the 54th anniversary of the day Halldór Laxness received the Nobel Prize for Literature, and we are celebrating that occasion by publishing tandem reviews of our latest discovery.

This novel tells the tale of an Important Family in a small town in (it appears) east coastal Iceland. The Deacon father and and his wife have two children, both girls. Each travels abroad to Denmark in her twenties to experience the wider world.

Similar circumstances, but different personalities. Thurithur, the eldest, is gone for two years. She is impetuous, temperamental and beautiful, and her father worries that she might get into trouble. No, says her mother, her character will protect her, as

... in a well-bred young girl self-respect and beauty were to be found in the proper proportions.

Thurithur returns, more tempermental and more beautiful, but still virtuous.

Rannveig, the younger sister, is a homebody, who excells in the hand arts and doesn't desire to travel. She has a calm, reliable disposition, and has the deepest care and love for poor people or those in trouble.

A peculiar trait of hers was this: that she should not only be incapable of living at odds with anyone but rather need to spread her love over all.

Rannveig goes to Denmark as well, but returns early. She inexplicably begins to put on weight round her waist.

The chapters in the book show Laxness in his typical fashion, seducing the reader with lyricism and beauty, then forcing the reader to acknowledge that alongside beauty lies pain, loss, and death.

The first chapter, "A Day in Late Summer" talks of shimmering mirages, resplendent castles, warmth, desire, benevolence, beauty. Chapter two, The Good Land, invites the reader to see Denmark from the eyes of the protagonist, with luxury, culture, and good taste , castles, parks, and the arts. Chapter three, The Wedding, begins with veiled irony (there is no wedding), and we begin to see Rannveig from the eyes of her neighbors. All's well ... , chapter six, brings irony to the forefront as we see that all does not end well, even though a marriage might have legitimized Rannveig's situation. The very last chapter, The Norn Father's Feast, moves the story from a particular situation, family and geographic location to the realm of myth and legend.

This book really captured my interest. The characters and the plot are revealed quickly, which served to draw me into the story. Just as I was feeling comfortable with the characters and the pace of the story, it seemed as if the lens of my reader's eye zoomed out, and I was looking at the characters from a more impersonal distance. I found that frustrating.

As I pondered why Laxness chose to put me--and his readers--in this position, I concluded that his story shows how honor and pride can dehumanize and separate people. People become symbols rather than individuals, and intellectual constructs become more important than human feelings. This is a lesson worth keeping in mind and learning anew each day, for me, for anyone.

Our Laxness novel rankings are here and here.
Thanks to Bridgewater College, Va, for the interlibrary loan!

My New T-shirt

2009-12-03T22:10:00.001-05:00

The Godwin Marching Band rocks! This fall their theme is "Legends," and they designed a wonderful Viking ship complete with musical iconography. Our Band Director was kind enough to present me with my very own Viking shirt, which will look great with my jeans each Friday. (Besides, I've had a secret desire for some time to be a marching band member.)

Wild Bear in Iceland

2009-11-02T23:23:00.004-05:00

... or, a latter-day Lord Dufferin?

My son Gabe alerted me to the Man vs. Wild series, specifically the one shot in Iceland. Of course the rest of the world discovered this series back in 2006 when it first aired. Since we avoid reality TV, and TV in general, we wait for everything to come out in Netflix. Sometimes we wait longer than that.

So in keeping with the philosophy "better late than never," here's my superficial take on the macho Bear Grylls, British Special Forces Soldier Extraordinaire. Keep in mind that my assessment is based on just two shows. Two was enough.

Thoughts on Bear in Iceland. First, it's a stitch hearing him pronounce glaciers "glassy-ears." Second, what's not to like about a guy who makes the sign of the cross before hurling himself out of an airplane at 4,000 feet, to parachute down to a glassy-ear. Second part b, what's not to like about a guy who names one son Huckleberry, and another Marmaduke? Third, what's with the lack of a hat in sub-zero temperatures? (Of course we know the answer to that: so TV audiences can eat up his craggy looks). Hey, the scenery is awesome and scary, Bear jumps into a glacial melt river because he is confident that he can make it to the steaming hotpots in the distance without a) freezing, and b) boiling himself like a lobster once he gets there. You get to watch him get undressed and you get to watch him get dressed. Go Bear!

Vote for the most macho.

Thoughts on Bear in general. The formula for the shows is simple: Bear is catapulted into an extremely inhospitable environment, somewhere far from all civilization (except for cameramen), and by thinking quickly he manages to stay alive until the next time. In the two shows I've seen (hence all of his shows, in my world view) Bear suffers under the delusion that he is being pursued. Like the Special Forces guy he is, or was, or whatever, he is always running while in a crouched position, looking over his shoulder (try doing that at home). Along the way Bear tells us fun facts (an average of 3 people per day are rescued in Iceland; 60 people needed to be rescued last year in the Scottish Highlands, ...), and shows how to trap, skin, and eat wild animals. Or, dead animals left by the locals for the purpose of demonstration. Sure some of it's staged. Seriously, though, you learn a couple of useful facts in each show, both about the country he's up against, and about survival skills in general.

Check out the Bear. He's got an entertaining website too. Fun fact: Bear once "rowed naked for 22 miles in a homemade bathtub ... " (Wikipedia)

The Fire Next Time

2009-10-24T23:22:00.011-04:00

Jonathan Vassar & the Speckled Bird celebrated their newest release, The Fire Next Time, at a concert at The Camel last Saturday. It was a high energy event with a large and appreciative crowd, and featured individual sets by Josh Quarles and Chris Edwards.

The crowd, photographed by performer Chris Edwards: HAVING FUN!

Then the Speckled Bird played through all seven songs from their new EP.This recording features lots of instruments that work well with the songs: guitar, harmonica, mandolin, banjo, glockenspiel, cello, clarinet, slide guitar, accordion, and more. The sound recording and mixing are excellent, and the packaging of the EP is very attractive. I love the fact that it has all the lyrics, so I can enjoy the poetry of each song to the fullest. The musicality of the individual band members is evident, yet all parts contribute to a very fulfilling whole.

The t-shirt is pretty cool too!

What's a Quire*?

2009-10-09T00:01:00.111-04:00

A Quire of Seven, by Halldór Laxness. Translated from the Icelandic by Alan Boucher. Iceland Review Library, 1977 (first published in 1974). 95 pgs.

These seven short stories by my favorite author lack the monumental epicness of his novels. But this is an interesting assortment: like a curry, there are many different flavors and nuances. Humor and a surreal atmosphere predominate. Like all of his works, I savored these stories more on my second reading. Boucher translated this work over 30 years ago; it seems an adequate, not utterly graceful translation.

And--did you guess?--this is another book review challenge, posting the day before the Professor's much anticipated return to Iceland. Read his review of A Quire of Seven at Flippism is the Key.

Place of Safety is about dogs, respect, and faithfulness. Next up is Pigeon Banquet, a very odd story about a mysterious host, a lavish party and his bewildered guests.

"Aren't you enjoying yourself?" I asked.
"Of course I'm enjoying myself," said the man. "I'm the Icelandic police inspector who lost his passport in New York and couldn't remember his name. Then the judge in New York said, 'Let the police band play all the national anthems of the world, and see whether he doesn't respond to any of them. '"

Wouldn't that make a great scene in a black and white movie?

"Deroppefra," ... This Danish expression is oddly conceived. Its immediate sense seems to be the equivalent of the English "from up there"; but beyond this its meaning is so varied that it can be used to convey "from up in the rafters" or "from Heaven itself". And what is odder still, it can also signify "from Iceland."

So close to Heaven, is Iceland.

Inland Fishing Trip is a tale of impending disaster. Capital Error in the West Fjords is the strange odyssey of a middle-aged woman of no particular distinction who loses herself and finds her calling. Corda Atlantica concerns Count Dunganon, Duke of St. Kilda, a man who has his own country. This small island off the coast of Scotland is reputed to be the last remaining part of Atlantis. The Count ...

... differed in no way from the rest of a class that has been more harshly treated than any other group in the world, not excluding the Jews: the so-called petit bourgeoisie, consisting, as everyone knows, of university professors, linen drapers, roadworks supervisors, assistant managers of breweries, and violin-makers.

John of Breadhouses is an alternative view of Christ's Disciples, as they might have been years after the Crucifixtion.

The last story, Bird on the Fencepost, describes the final hours of Hard-Knut (a Bjartur of Summerhouses sort of character). Knut intends to leave all of his wordly possessions (17 ewes) to his housekeeper, Brightmay. This story ends, and likewise the book, with a line that reminds me of Laxness himself:

As they rode through the gate the bird was still sitting on the fence-post, listening to the echo of the song it had chirped in summer.

How many travelers will be listening to the echo of Laxness' song, for seasons unnumbered?

*Dictionary.com says:

1.	a set of 24 uniform sheets of paper.

2.	Bookbinding. a section of printed leaves in proper sequence after folding; gathering.

The Dirt Road

2009-10-01T21:57:00.001-04:00

When we drove to Dettifoss waterfall in 2006, it was along a rough gravel road. A recent article in the IcelandReview reports that archaeological work is being done in preparation for paving the road. Two buildings have been excavated, and the items discovered include a bone comb with an engraved pattern, knives, and a ringed silver brooch. These items are thought to be from the Viking era.

Iceland Today

2009-09-29T23:15:00.000-04:00

Check out the recent article entitled "Happy" Anniversary, Iceland by Iris Erlingsdottir, posted today in the Huffington Post. It will get you thinking.

A Berserker for Trollope

2009-09-28T22:05:00.001-04:00

Yes, I am. I love Trollope, especially the Chronicles of Barsetshire. I am on my third reading of the series, this time thanks to a Librivox recording that I'm listening to when I go to the gym. This gives me incentive to go to the gym as often as possible, so as to immerse myself in Trollope's wonderful writing.

My friend Karen alerted me to the novels of Anglea Thirkell, written some 80 years later, many (29) of which were set in the same fictional Barsetshire as the Trollope novels. I am starting with August Folly, written in 1936. What did I find on page 6? You guessed it: an Iceland reference:

Mr. Tebben was a Civil Servant during the week ... but in the evenings, and from Saturday to Monday, he gave himself entirely to the past, taking for his province the heroic age of Norway and Iceland ...

I think I'm going to like Angela Thirkell! I'm also partial to Thirkell since she described her books as "new wine in an old bottle."

More fashion in Iceland

2009-09-26T20:56:00.002-04:00

I got home to find a new Garnet Hill Catalog in the mail, and I paged through it slowly with growing excitement. Was it? Could it be? By the time I had savored the last page (which wasn't too dangerous ... the only thing that seriously tempted me were the Frye slouch buckle boots, and I'm not getting them) I was pretty sure it had been shot in Iceland.

I looked carefully at the outer and inner front and back covers, and nowhere in the catalog did it say where the photos were shot! But lo, in an amazing example of customer service, I received the answer by email in record time: 25 minutes. Yes, the photos were shot in Iceland.

Unfortunately this catalog isn't available online (unlike the Anthropologie catalog), although you can see many of the photos at their website. But maybe you (or your spouse) recently got the catalog in the mail--take a vicarous trip to Iceland with some well-dressed models!

Plenty of action in Richmond

2009-09-21T21:32:00.002-04:00

I'm guessing this sign falls into the tongue in cheek category.

Your chance to vote for Iceland!

2009-09-19T10:56:00.000-04:00

For Icelandic sheep, that is. Also your chance to discover a very enjoyable blog, while you're voting.

As you begin to think about 2010, think about ordering a beautiful calendar from Snerra. I purchased two.

The car next to me honked

2009-09-12T22:12:00.002-04:00

Foo, Wukong and I were on our way to the vets today. A car pulled up next to me, and to my surprise the woman honked and gestured at me. When she pulled ahead of me, Boy Howdy!, her car had a matching Iceland sticker! I gave her the thumbs up. What a happy thought, that there is another Richmond Berserker driving about.

Next, in the waiting room of the veterinary clinic, a father and son sat next to us with their beagle. They were reading a magazine all about birds. The father came to a page with a bird he didn't recognize. I glanced over to see what he was puzzling over. A puffin! We ended up having a nice discussion about puffins and where they live as we waited.

A very Icelandic day today, in Richmond.

Love

2009-09-11T23:43:00.004-04:00

"How does one fall in love?"

This quote resonated with me, as people often ask me how I fell in love with Iceland. I've had enough opportunities to reflect on the question that I think I know the answer pretty well--except for the random and irrational aspects of the falling in love experience, however: that still mystifies me a bit.

Celeste, Elyse and I went to DC while they were visiting Richmond, and we went to several museums, including the National Museum of African Art. This quote was displayed on a brochure that highlights the Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection on display there.

Often asked why he decided to collect African art, Paul Tishman replied, "How does one fall in love?"

How, indeed? I like not knowing the complete answer to that question. Who knows when a work of art, a song, or when some personality quirk will evoke that wonderful, random response? Food for thought, love is.

Vacation Retrospective 3: Guthrie and MPR

2009-09-03T22:32:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Marc and Vikki, I got an insider's tour of two spectacular places in Minneapolis/St. Paul. And you know there's an Iceland connection.

Vikki works at the Guthrie Theater which, as many of you know, is one of the foremost theaters in the U.S. What you probably don't know is that the Guthrie is pet friendly: there are a few employees who bring their pets to work every day, and others who do so occasionally. The picture to the right is of a staff door that also features a picture of the "Company Dog" in a theater seat, presumably awaiting the beginning of a theatrical production.

Dog Door at the Guthrie

The architecture of the Guthrie is awesome, with a huge, cantilevered wing, and creative graphics displayed on interior and exterior walls that highlight different performances. There are lots of blue glass windows (plus yellow on one floor)--a feature that I don't particularly care for, as the windows literally "color" the interior, in an obtrusive way. The views of the surrounding city and the river are spectacular. I hope to attend a performance during our next visit.

Marc took us on a tour of Minnesota Public Radio. We got to see the intimate performance hall, recording studios, music library, a display of old radios, and met lots of interesting people. I recorded a copy of "Where the Wild Things Are" in Spanish, for baby Coco. An absolutely fascinating tour!

Tuning in to Nostalgia at MPR

Three things that are on my list to do when I return:

1. Tour the Cathedral of St. Paul

2. Visit the Minnesota Center for Book Arts (ok, I already went there, but they were closed). This looks like a really amazing place! First, they have a nice coffee shop--always a plus. I can't begin to tell you all the things they do, but here is a brief synopsis:

As the largest and most comprehensive center of its kind in the nation, Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) celebrates the book as a vibrant contemporary art form that takes many shapes. From the traditional crafts of papermaking, letterpress printing and bookbinding to experimental artmaking and self-publishing techniques, MCBA supports the limitless creative evolution of book arts.

Check out their webpage to see the list of classes they offer, and all of their wonderful events. For example, they will feature "A Week for Peace" September 19-28, with "readings and presentations to encourage dialogue regarding America’s responsibilities to returned veterans and an understanding of the dehumanizing effects of warfare."

The MCBA was established in 1983, and since '86 it has been located in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. The building they are in also houses The Loft Literary Center, and Milkweed Editions. Yes, you heard right: Milkweed, publisher of Bill Holm's books! Now that is a definite must visit for my next trip!

3. Hear Marc's band, Les Ourses, play.

Although I'm finally posting this a month after my return from Minneapolis/St. Paul, I have to say that the city has been on my mind a lot. First, it was a refreshing change from the humid summers we have here in Virginia. But mostly I was impressed by the neighborhoods, the architecture, and the cosmopolitan feel of the Twin Cities. I found myself wondering if the trade off (severe winter weather) would be worth it. Think I'll ask Jody and Skip that question, come next June ...

A Recent Chat

2009-08-27T00:01:00.009-04:00

Pete, Gabe, and unidentified fella in Portland, ME, August 2009

Pete and Mom at "Bill's" Coffeeshop, 2002

Recently our (adult) boys were up in Vermont/NewHampshire/Maine for 10 days of hiking and camping. On one of the last days of the trip we found ourselves online at the same time, and the following chat ensued:

Gabe:
"pete wants to know if youll buy us kayaks for half day since youre an aficionado of the sport and want your children to enjoy it in its most pristine setting"

Me:
"money buys love"

Gabe:
"the love was there before the money but it loosens the tongue"

The end result was they did go kayaking, they had a wonderful time, and their tongues were loosed. Boy Howdy, are we the best parents in the world?

Money well spent.

Cosmic Connection

2009-08-25T00:01:00.011-04:00

Two of my favorite people share a birthday today.

Our son Peter Sebastian turns 21 today--Congratulations, Pete--Happy Birthday! From Mexico to Iceland, Yosemite to Europe, you have expanded your horizons in 21 years, and I know you'll continue to.

Pete in Iceland, 2006

Bill Holm was born 66 years ago today, in Minneota, Minnesota. He passed away last winter, leaving friends around the world, and a legacy of varied and wonderful books. He expanded my horizons, infecting me with Iceland on the Brain. Pete, Gabe, John and I were fortunate to meet Bill in Hófsos, Iceland, in 2006. I'll never forget the bear-like warmth of his hug, or the passionate nature of his discourse. Thanks for sharing my son's birthday, Bill; thanks for sharing your life with all of us.

Still my favorite picture of Holm

Do you want to read one of Bill's books? Do you want to catch Icelandic Fever? I suggest starting with Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of China Essays, Eccentric Islands: Travels Real and Immaginary, or Windows of Brimnes.

Pete last Christmas

Brass from Richmond to Iceland

2009-08-23T23:51:00.011-04:00

We went to hear the No BS Brass Band tonight at Lulu's, and I haven't felt that kind of excitement since hearing Benni Hemm Hemm in San Francisco in 2007. There were a number of similarities between the two bands: LOTS of brass, incredible energy, great musicality. They both have really original compositions and arrangements. No BS is a Richmond band whose members "have been trained in the conservatory and in the garage band"; they are all brass and percussion. Icelandic band Benni Hemm Hemm includes brass and percussion, as well as guitar, glockenspiel and strings, but it is the brass which really stands out.

Give them a listen, and try to catch them in concert!

Evening Trivia:
*Someone bought me a copy of the band's 3rd CD as an upcoming Christmas present. I promised to forget. Forget what?
*Gabe cooks at Lulu's, which offered the best dinner in town tonight, for a stellar $8.
*If I said that I have performed with a member of the No BS Brass Band, I wouldn't be lying.

If you don't know which is the Richmond band and which is the Icelandic one, ask yourself: who is wearing sweaters?

Vacation Retrospective 3: Minneapolis/St. Paul

2009-08-19T11:26:00.005-04:00

Top Ten (more or less; in no particular order):

-Coco Babylove!

-Mississippi River Locks and Parks
-Independent coffee shops everywhere
-Neighborhood shopping within walking distance
-Really interesting residential and commercial architecture
-Al fresco dining everywhere
-Izzy's Ice Cream
-Indian food at Gand hi Mahal
-Minneapolis Center for Book Arts
-Flippist World Headquarters (nearby, in Anoka)
-Minnesota Public Radio
-Guthrie Theater
-Sea Salt Eatery: Great fish tacos! Great Beer! Great location! (at the Refectory, Minnehaha Falls)
-Mary Tyler Moore

Several of these items deserve more discussion, so next time we'll look more closely at MPR, the Guthrie, and the Center for Books Arts.

Grammy Museum: Vacation Retrospective #2

2009-08-18T10:41:00.006-04:00

"The Grammy Museum" is a misnomer. I'm not even interested in the Grammys (haven't ever watched them, don't even have cable reception on my TV--my TV is just a Netflix viewer). But the scope of this museum goes far beyond Grammy stuff. It just opened this year, and it is a winner!

Ok, so we're talking L.A., in the new L.A. Live complex (you know, where the Lakers play). Lesson 1: go with a group. There were seven of us, so it was cheaper to get a membership than to get individual tickets--that way we got the rest of the tickets free, plus other cool swag. Lesson 2: give yourself plenty of time. We spent 2 or 3 hours there, but could easily have been entertained all day. We were greeted by friendly, knowledgeable staff who made us welcome and helped us plot our course.

We began our tour on the 4th floor, and worked our way down. It has a wonderful interactive area where you put on good quality headphones and do a Pandora-type thing to explore different genres of music.

There is a large display area showing the history of music and political protest--how the two influence each other. We saw Woody Guthrie's 1936 Martin guitar, with the words written on it, "This machine kills fascists." Pete Seeger's banjo (1945) had these words: "This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender." And we saw Bob Dylan's 1949 Martin guitar. John said that if he had a guitar his would say, "This machine eats dead flowers." Hmmm.

The 3rd floor is comprised of individual sound booths where you can learn about music recording and production by doing! We found this very fun. And educational. Also on this floor are the exhibits pertaining to the Grammy awards and award winners, which I enjoyed despite myself, and despite much of it being devoted to Neil Diamond (well, turns out he was quite handsome in his younger years, wore hip clothes, and was a fencer!).

The 2nd floor has a 200-seat concert hall, intimate and high tech, where they host live performances and film festivals. (Maybe the Speckled Bird will play there one day.) Currently it is being used for a Michael Jackson retrospective (we visited just a month after his death), and is showing all M.J. videos. I was really struck by what an amazing performer he was. I was mesmerized, and could have spent the entire afternoon watching Michael Jackson. I have a new appreciation for his costumes, too--many of those are on display as well.

Well, I have just touched on some of the highlights of this museum. If you get the chance, go there--take your friends and family, too. It's hard to imagine someone who wouldn't love this museum! If you're not in L.A., Lesson 3: tour it online.

Vacation Retrospective #1

2009-08-17T09:42:00.017-04:00

Red Convertible

There is so much to do in Los Angeles! I meant for a top ten, but failed.

Dodger Game

My favorites, or, the Three Fs (Family, Food, Fun):

1. Helping out with the Garage Sale! Couldn't take all the stuff I wanted--only went home with two (small) things.
2. Building on my "base tan" (translation: "base tan"=nonexistent; "building"=burn) at Seal Beach.
3. Poolside fun at Coca Street
4. Eating at In-N-Out Burger for the first time ever! (Fresh! really!)
5. Watching the Dodgers win
6. Connecting with family chickens and cats on Junipero (Jeff and Jen too ... )
7. The Iceland photo exhibit at Gallery S kart

Olvera Street

8. Bergamot Station
Is it art? Or, is this car green?

9. The Nordstrom sale! My excuse: helping put niece Elise through college. ;-)
10. Being able to walk to the market and the coffee shop.
11. Mount Baldy is soooooooooooo beautiful ... loved seeing it most every day.
12. Being a Personal Shopper for Martha.
13. Eating at Philippe's Home of the French Dip (est. 1908)
14. Browsing through colorful Olvera Street (where we replenished our Milagro supply)
15. Touring the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels: stunning architecture.
16. Hearing David Ross' jazz group play at Table Ten in Fullerton

Personal Shopper

17. The Grammy Museum definitely rocks. And it deserves a post of its own: tomorrow.

Cathedral with windows of alabaster

Bear With Me

2009-08-16T13:56:00.002-04:00

It's time to improve the appearance of Icelandic Fever! I will slowly be adding the elements that used to be on my sidebar. Such as the blogs I link to, my Iceland Journal, and so on.

You can help by letting me know which features you liked, and which ones I should ditch. I hope that the wider reading area is an improvement, and I will eventually increase the font size.

I'd love to hear your feedback!

Bamboo Match Made in Heaven

2009-08-16T10:24:00.004-04:00

For those of you who don't follow Duke Dip, I am reprinting one of John's posts here so you don't miss out on all the fun.

Jonathan and the Speckled Bird are featured in a recent interview in Richmond's Style Weekly magazine. Through the magic of the Internet, you can read it online. Do you see all that bamboo in the background? If they stood in place another three minutes, it would have engulfed them. Welcome to the cabin.

You can also hear a preview of one of their songs, "Match Made in Heaven," from their upcoming EP, due out in October. It should be good! (That eerie sound you hear is what Jonathan in the interview calls Antonia's mock saw.) [Or, as Darien and Lydia think of it, Antonia's mock Theremin.]

Helping others, or, Coalescence

2009-08-12T09:31:00.011-04:00

Eunice Kennedy Shriver has died, leaving an admirable legacy. She founded the Special Olympics, and accomplished so much for people with intellectual disabilities.

As often happens, this event coincides with several things in my life.

My sister-in-law Jen works for the Special Olympics, and we spent some time talking about her job during my recent visit to Long Beach.

Yesterday I began reading volume I of Kristin Lavransdatter*, a book by Sig rid Undset. Undset, a Norwegian who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928, donated all of the proceeds of her prize to help others. A large portion of it was designated to help families of mentally retarded children--Undset had personally experienced the challenges of raising a mentally retarded child with limited financial resources. During World War II Unset had to flee Norway, and she sold her gold Nobel Prize medal to give the money to the relief effort for Finnish children.

Sigrid Undset

*discovered due to the Mount TBR posts/conversations. Thanks, all!

Iceland in Minnesota

2009-08-04T18:15:00.009-04:00

A trip to Minneapolis wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Flippist World Headquarters! I traveled up to Anoka, where Batty and the Weaver welcomed me with homemade banana bread and fresh coffee. It was a lovely day to see their garden, and talk about books, films, and the universe. I toured the mysterious subterranean regions where the Batty audio and photo archives live, and I got to see some of the Weaver's art, including her different looms.

I also got to experience the Iceland Show! In 2005 Batty put together an exhibition of pictures he took in Iceland, paired with blog posts by Auður Ösp. The exhibition was at a local community college. When the exhibit ended and was packed away in the Flippist Archives, little did he guess that he would be pulling it out again in 2009, to share with a fellow fanatic.

Maybe with some encouragement, Batty would consider creating a web page that would once again pair Auður's blog narratives with his photo exhibit, making it available to a wider audience. Hmmm?

Professor Batty, aka Stephen Cowdery
Is he thinking about re-opening the Iceland Show?

Half Continental Marathon Complete!

2009-08-01T23:37:00.015-04:00

Yes, we did it. Our third day began at 6 am, sunrise, in Grand Island, Nebraska. We stopped in Valley Junction, Des Moines for brunch, and bypassed the famous birthplace of Antonia, Ames, Iowa, heading straight up the road for Minneapolis. We arrived, after 11 hours on the road, at 5 pm.

Yes, there was another afternoon thunderstorm, yes there was a ton of road work (but no road workers--what's with that?), and yes, the architecture-award-winning Iowa rest stops were ... memorable.

What was truly memorable was finding family out on the street awaiting us.

Postscript: here is our trusty car, which took us 1,800 worry free miles, only to break down in the garage, two days later. Good timing, old friend! Most excellent timing!

Starter problems