Iceland 1 :Reykjavik- first glimpse of Iceland

Our arrival to Iceland was delayed by 8 hours so 

we didn't have the full day in Reykjavik we were hoping for. 

However, the sun was shining (for the first time in weeks, we were told), 

so we walked the town til the sun went down.

First stop was the iconic Hallgrimskirkja Church, the landmark Lutheran Church. 

For a fee, you could go up the tower and view the entire city.

Only 10 % of the population goes to church, so mostly this building is used for concerts;

particularly pipe organ concerts. The church was built to represent the basalt columns found around Iceland and the shape of a geyser.

View from above. Since all of the houses are built of concrete, 

the only place to really add color are the roofs!

The beautiful Harpa Concert Hall built to look like an iceberg.

Love how the colors in the glass mirror the colors of the boats and their reflections.

First lighthouse we came across. And there are hundreds in Iceland because of the fjords.

Most were bright yellow, orange or red.

The harbor.

Solfario- The Sun Voyager.

 Dreamboat and Ode to the Sun.

Loved the colors of the buildings

Two beautiful sculptures that greet you at the airport.

Guess what the sculpture on the left represents?

Answer below

                                       

 The Jet Nest shows a big steel egg where a jet wing is peeking out like a little bird breaking out of it's egg. The piece is very symbolic where it stands on a pile of Icelandic rocks. Magnús Tómasson , the designer, says that the idea first came to him many years ago. "I was working on a series on the history of birds mentioning a small egg and on it a small beak appears. I worked on it some more and the outcome was the Jet Nest, my biggest piece." It is situated north of the air terminal in a floodlight pond. "

Rainbow sculpture: Ruri views the piece as an unfinished construction that may one day be finished by another to form a complete rainbow. Rainbows hold special significance in Icelandic folklore as well as in the rest of Europe. In both areas they are seen as bringers of good luck to those who can stand underneath it.

Challenging start to a Fabulous Trip

So, sitting at the computer the morning before the big trip and hearing a "drip...drip.....drip"

..a little disconcerting to say the least.

Then, stepping into a puddle and looking up to see the water 

dripping out of the ceiling,

just inches from the mixer board and printer!!

Dave cuts into the sheet rock and out pours a steady stream of water.

All I could think was:

"We are so lucky this happened today and not tomorrow after we were gone!!"

We did cut off the water when we left and will surely do that from now on!

  The mess from a pipe leak.                     

At 8:40 a.m., we head out the door to drive to the international airport.

Arrive at 9:40 for an 11:40 Air Canada flight to Montreal.

Except the flight is delayed til 1:40. Then 2:30. Then 3:30.

Then, suddenly CANCELLED!

So, they arrange for a new plane to come in.

And give us coupons for a really nice meal.

"It should depart at 5:00 in which case you will make your connection in Montreal."

But, it gets delayed. To 6:00. Then 6:30.

Well, we just missed our connection in Montreal.

"You can come back tomorrow and get the same flights" they say.

But we have a pre-paid vacation that starts tomorrow. We want to arrive tomorrow.

So, we get on the phone with Air Canada. 

They offer us a flight to Iceland via London!!!!

Why not? we say.

We had to retrieve our luggage from Air Canada, and re-check in to United.

And at 8:30 p.m. after hanging out at the Houston Airport for ELEVEN hours,

we board the United Airlines to London.  Sitting separately but that's OK.

We were both so exhausted, we mostly slept the whole way.

That's another 10 hours and 15 minutes

In London, we had only an hour so were concerned our bags wouldn't make it.

But as we pulled up to the gate in London, we were thrilled to see the Iceland Airlines

was the next gate over.  Another 3 hours and we finally arrive in Reykjavik.

We have no video to prove it, but I literally danced in circles when our luggage came down the ramp.

TWENTY SEVEN hours after leaving the house, we arrived at our hotel.

Our planned flight in purple and pink.
Our actual flight in green.

So, hanging out at the Houston International Airport has become a more tolerable experience now they've improved it with art, a Japanese themed eating area and a cool brewery kind of area.

 

And close to a hundred maneki-neko to wave good-bye to us 😺😊

John Mc Cain tribute: More alike than Different

I truly admired John McCain. From the fact that he served his country. To the fact that he would not leave the POW camp even when offered, as long his men were confined there. He would not leave them behind. He didn't wallow in bitterness over being a POW, over losing the presidential race; he carried on with a sense of purpose and dignity. He reached across the political wall to keep Affordable Health Care, voting against his party, but for humanity.

He reached across the political divide reminding us that we are more alike than different. A message sorely needed right now.

I made two very different paintings for this.

The first one I painted with watered down black ink which gave the whole picture a softer look to it.

The second one I did in a traditional way with definitive lines.

 Almost looks cartoonish.

I softened it by going over the edges with a wet paint brush 

to blur out the fur a bit.

 And then I realized what I had done.

The two paintings are very different but they are more alike than different.

John McCain was right after all

Sympathy cards

Sympathy cards almost always involve flowers.

Their fleeting beauty reminds us of life itself.

A hand-painted card is so much more personal.

Sweet and gentle and kind Jason Anderson served in the military.

He came back and became a firefighter.

But the experience in the military apparently left scars that no one knew about.

He knew no other way out.

Kristin was an amazing woman with a wonderful husband and four loving children.

Her cancer came on suddenly and was aggressive.

Such a loss.

I searched long and hard for a photo of flowers bending down.

It evokes such sadness and honor.

For my Christian friend, I chose a Bible verse.

I went back over the black ink and then went over it with a wet brush to get the black to

surround the flower in sorrow.

Roses are always a good choice

The blend on this tulip makes it particularly vibrant

and filled with hope

For Pastor Pat (given to his wife Lena).

He was like everyone's grandfather and

everyone's spiritual consul.  A great man.

 For my cousin, when her husband died very suddenly.

The joy may be a long time in coming

but I think she finds the joy in her grandchildren

 Sometimes, simple is really nice

For a member of the garden club who deserved a last, lasting flower

Simplicity but from the heart

Fun Birthday cards

 I don't ever buy cards anymore,

 I love the challenge of coming up with original cards

custom made for each person.

This kitten was actually painted without a slogan.

We had a contest at the Japan festival to caption it.

The winning caption was "Are you Kitten Me?"

But it wasn't til my cat loving friend had a birthday

that I figured out to add "You're how old?"

A friend who looks to be very young (practically a teenager!!) was turning 50.

I looked up which animal was the oldest and

 found this 183 yr old tortoise named Jonathan.

Compared to him most of us are very young!!

Turns out the koi lives to be very old as well (150+)

So, I painted this second card but liked the tortoise better

However, I now have a 50 yr old birthday card back up!

The nautilus is a beautiful creature, quite delightful to paint.

You can literally see each year on its shell.

A great symbol to use for a birthday

For a little girl who loves hello kitty,

a Hello Kitty etegami.

It looks so much more artistic than the real thing :)

The Mamas and Papas

There's something about babies in their mama's arms. Or papas.

The images make perfect etegami for new moms.

Although... this one was painted after seeing children ripped out of their mother's arms

and separated at border crossing.  It's just not right.

This etegami reminds us that guarding our aging parents fiercely

is just as important as when they guarded us when we were little.

This arose after taking care of my mom and dad in nursing homes and assisted living.

I painted this for a friend who has a grown up son with severe autism.

Such children need their parents through their whole lives.

A daunting task.

 Kokeshi (wooden dolls) and their babies are easy to paint and so very sweet!

(The Japanese one has the words to a song about sweet little baby).

Painted for a new mother who used to live in Bern (Bear)

Not to forget daddys!! This one painted for my son.

 Could've been for a new mom but ended up giving to my mother.

She has it on her wall above where she eats breakfast.

And for a new mother.

Encouragement

My favorite part of etegami is sending it to people who 

will be encouraged or uplifted in some way 

by the message and painting I send.

My favorite words of encouragement are: "Hang in there!"

Sometimes there is nothing else to say.

People are going through hard times and 

many times you can't say "Hope you get well" because often they won't.

But just to let them know you are thinking of them

 and are quite aware of what they are going through.

That is what is important.

All of these paintings are from real life photographs.

Some are rather humorous and the hope is that the recipient will smile.

The expression on this panda is probably familiar to many.

"What the heck have I gotten myself into???"

I think I have painted just about every photo that is available for animals hanging on!!

And then there are the times when the person is actually sick and

will most likely recover. Then I feel OK to send the traditional get well card

with the quintessential sad puppy eyes.

I didn't like how this one was turning out while I was making it,

but after it was done, from a little distance, it painted itself quite nicely.

I tried a very minimalist approach with this little puppy.

Just a sharpened chopstick outline and minimal paint.

Again, from a distance, very heart-warming.

Red-eyed tree frogs are fun to paint and seem to have a positive quality to them.

You can imagine someone smiling when seeing one of these.

Even Snoopy is quotable!