One of three black churches in Iceland, the black church of Budir dates back to 1703. Although the building has undergone several restorations and has been moved, it still holds artifacts dating back to the 1700s. A fully functioning parish church, the black church of Budir has an historic graveyard with sculpted birds on many…
Southern Magnolia
The Southern Magnolia in front of my house is the largest magnolia tree I’ve ever seen in my life, but it doesn’t have many blooms. The blooms it does have, though, are lovely… As always: Слава Україні!! Slava Ukraini!! #StandWithUkraine Am Yisrael Chai
Double rosebush
A large rosebush in my daughter’s garden produces both red and pink roses. Or perhaps it is two separate rosebushes that have grown together and intertwined. As always: Слава Україні!! Slava Ukraini!! #StandWithUkraine Am Yisrael Chai
Converging paths
“But something, somehow, had made all these paths converge. You couldn’t find it on a checklist, or work it into the equation. It just happened.” (Sarah Dessen) Yesterday I was part of a group of about twenty who attended a performance of the stage play “To Kill a Mockingbird” in the nearby town of Clarkesville,…
Icelandic Landscapes: Jokulsarlon, the glacier lagoon and Fellsfjara, the diamond beach
The Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon on Iceland’s southern coast was formed by melted glacial water from Iceland’s largest glacier. Because the glacier continues to retreat, the lake/lagoon continues to expand as icebergs break away. These breakaway icebergs slowly melt and drift out to sea. Polished by the waves of the North Atlantic, the glacial icebergs are…
Watching the moon
Because I live in the woods, surrounded by hills and tall trees, I rarely catch a glimpse of the moon at night. When the moon rises in the night sky and can be seen overhead, I don’t go out. The surrounding darkness is too great, and there are wild animals about. It’s always nice to…
Icelandic Landscapes: Svinafellsjokull and Skaftafellsjokull outlet glaciers
Svinafellsjokull and Skaftafellsjokull outlet glaciers are part of Vatnajokull, which is the largest glacier in Iceland. Classified as an ice cap glacier, Vatnajokull covers more than 8% of the country, and Iceland’s highest mountain can be found on its southern periphery. (I’m not a traveler, not having been outside the United States since 1977, but I…
Icelandic Landscapes: Dyrholaey promontory and Reynisfjara, the black sand beach
The Dyrholaey promontory is a small peninsula on the south coast of Iceland that offers good views of the Reynisfjara black beach. It is a bird sanctuary where visitors can see puffins and Arctic terns in the summer, but as we were there in March, we did not get to see the birds. The site…
A marvelous victory
Howard Zinn was an American historian and political science professor. He is best known for his book, A People’s History of the United States. As always: Слава Україні!! Slava Ukraini!! #StandWithUkraine Am Yisrael Chai
Vyshyvanka Day
Today was Vyshyvanka Day in Ukraine, a day in which Ukrainian heritage and culture and the folk art of traditional embroidered shirts and dresses are celebrated. Historically, vyshyvankas were worn by both men and women in Ukrainian villages, and there were very specific regional differences in the embroidery patterns. Today, vyshyvankas are worn on national…
Unexpected in common hours 