From Denmark I will then take a two day ferry to the Faroe Islands which are approximately half way between Iceland and Scotland. Here the sheep outnumber people. All 48,000 of them. Any point you are standing on the islands you are never more than 3 miles from the ocean and the people speak Faroese(pronounced Fairies). What more could you possible ask for in a get-away?
I'm not sure what I'll do there for a solid month. The greatest distance measures 73 miles from North to South on the Faroe Islands. They make their living off of fishing and sheep farming.
It rains around 280 days out of the year which should leave plenty of time to journal, read, visit with the locals and eat some of that tasty Skerpikjøt(dried mutton that has been hung for over a year and is eaten raw).
If I haven't completely turned your stomach in the thought of visiting my "ultimate dream destination" then be sure to check out FaroeIslands.com.
I've spent the last three month working with Lonnie Dupre on his Polar Climb 1 expedition on Denali. It's been a roller coaster ride as I've never done anything even close to something like this.
We started out driving from Minnesota to Vail, Colorado where Lonnie and I spent time training and acclimatizing for his climb.
We then headed off to Alaska where Lonnie spent 19 days attempting to solo summit Denali/ Mount McKinley in the month of January.
During the expedition, Dupre conducted research and gathered microbe samples for Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation. The data will give a better understanding of how climate change will affect the production of living matter in extreme environments. "This is a way to bring attention to the world's receding glaciers and climate change." -Dupre
Lonnie spent 7 days and 6 nights in a 4x4 snow trench in up to 97mph winds, but still remained mentally strong and physically healthy with every intention on continuing upward. After analyzing the weather for the following week Lonnie was forced to make the decision to descend.
We've now made our way back to Minnesota and are now working on making the little cabin in Grand Marais home.
Looking for a good read this winter? The Golden Sprucetells the story of a sacred tree, a logger-turned environmentalist and a shocking act of environmental protest in the woods of British Columbia.
So I've got quite a bit to catch you up on. To begin with, I'm in Ireland.. and it is LOVELY. I was in Dublin for the first day and then quickly got lost on the countryside somewhere in Laois. It is absolutely beautiful.. This is a picture outside my bedroom window of what I wake up to every morning:
Newtown Farm is a dairy farm.. so needless to say the work it tough. Milking 130 cows morning and evening every day. Peter, the farm owner, does a great job of hosting when not working.
My first mornin' on Newtown Farm started bright & early with jumping into a van having to learn how to drive a stick shift left handed on the wrong side of the road. Then muckin´up the most shite I've seen in my life,but then also got to walk the fields finding new calves and teaching them to nurse. Now I'm enjoying a second breakfast of "Luxury Fruit Porridge" before I head out riding. The sun is a shinin' & life is good.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
byStevie Anna
"I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days--three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain." ~ John Keats
"The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides." ~ Jules Verne
Winter's break up is finally here. With the snow melting bringing last summer's memories out once again. A bicycle, a garden's pots, and a fallen birdhouse all immersing with each new sunny day. I've been spending each early sunrise with my new buddy, Rio. He's a six year old Arab mix.. sweet and most ornery as they come. It's been wonderful getting to work with horses once again. I hope all of your late winter/early springs have brought you great joy & happiness.
The nights are still much longer than the days here. I've had the most odd sleeping patterns(if you should even call them that) of my entire life. If I've learned one thing, it's that I should be awake, no matter the hour, when my body tells me. Otherwise I would end up truly hibernating.
Two nights ago I was up at 4am and decided to watch Bright Star. It was the most lovely movie I have seen possibly ever. The cinematography and colors of the movie itself would grab anyone, but the beautiful words of the poet John Keats even more so. If you have not seen it yet.. do!
Then oddly enough dough kept me up till the early morning hours last night. Who knew it would take four hours for dough to rise up here? Not me! I've been reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg and came across her recipe for cinnamon rolls. They came out as well as anyone could have hoped with their first attempt at making cinnamon rolls. Her recipe is fantastic however.. not too sweet and very simple for anyone to follow(I'm proof!).
I hope all of you are having a beautiful winter.. feel free to post any stories from your winter's world below.
With love. “I had such a dream last night. I was floating above the trees, with my lips connected to that of a beautiful figure.”
I've been on a vacation visiting all of my family in Oregon for Christmas for the past week now. It's nearing the time to go home I'm sad to say, but we've all had a wonderful time while it lasted..
This is the love of my life, Allie.
Early today we took Annie, the family dog, to a frozen lake and played all across it.
It's been so wonderful spending quiet time with the ones I love. I only wish the vacation could last longer..and I know, I know, don't we all?
I known I've titled this "First Snow," but to tell you the truth..it is very far from it here in Alaska. In the last month we've been anywhere from -10 degrees all the way up to 38 degrees. It's been an interesting fall! With the warmer weather comes the beautiful snow covering all the dead left from early fall. I am able to cope with the below zero temps in thoughts that it is freezing our lovely lagoon in the backyard and inviting us to ice skate even sooner.
Sorry I have been gone from here for so long. You would think with all the hibernating indoors I've been doing that I would have more time..but to tell you the truth, it has been too difficult just getting up from the cozy sofa enjoyed with my trusty couch potato, Kiska. We spent about four hours yesterday knitting and watching Charlie Brown. What more could you possibly ask for? In the last three day we've accumulated nine inches of snow!
I'm looking forward to the rest of this winter already.. keeping my eyes peeled for the beautiful Aurora Borealis and all the other surprises Alaska could possibly hold for ones first winter..
"A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves: strong, powerful, beautiful. And it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence."
"He followed the sun and she followed the stars and in dreams they listened closely for the beginning of all things, for that was where they knew they'd find each other.." ~ Story People
My day started once again with Kiska begging to go outside, even though it was more than uninviting with its cool, crisp wind and drizzles of rain. I had previously collected several glass items at a local thrift store in hopes of finding the perfect vase for a moss terrarium. Not only had I found one, but two lovely glass vases. So, with that at hand, I had to agree with Kiska that this was to be the day that we venture. Also being that you never know when the last decent day of fall will be here in Alaska. The snow is not far away! She and I ventured two whole blocks away to Twin Lakes, which holds the most beautiful waterfall where I knew I could certainly find the perfect little moss patches for our new terrariums.
How wonderful would it be to live here?
baby terrariums <3
I put this one up because I have the exact same glass vase!
I will try to get the pictures of our finished terrariums up here soon! Hope you all had a lovely Friday..
~Doodle Bird Designs on Etsy(Terrarium 1), Tortoise Loves Donkey on Etsy(Terrarium 2) & Mossopotamia on Etsy(Terrarium 3)
As I had mentioned below, my good friend from Oregon visited me in Alaska very recently. Here are a few of the pictures that he captured on our adventure..
A gorgeous picture of a glacier calving
me constantly trying to see what great pictures he's just taken..
Lovely little otters waving 'hello'
Orcas in the Bay
In the car..
Resurrection Bay
Black Bear in Kenai Fjords
Horned Puffin splashin' it up
Near Exit Glacier in Seward, Alaska
Dmitri at work(not on this trip) Visit his website here
As Dmitri would put it.. "Until the next fact finding mission!"
