Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Head Shots Part 5......We come to the End of The Journey...for now

I have decided to end my Discovery Blog on a fun note which is the final instalment of 'Head Shots.'
Deb and I had an absolutely incredible adventure this winter and feel extremely grateful and fortunate to have had the opportunity.
We are rested...with a little cold but we will get over that....and feeling optimistic, energized and ready for the next chapter of our lives.
May 9th we head back to our beautiful campground for the summer and I have accepted a job back at my hospital beginning May 1st.
Life becomes reality again and we are ready for it.
So many twists and turns on the journey of life.....but it is how we perceive these that makes for an enjoyable life or a very stressed life.
I am choosing.....enjoyable.
Spending more time with family and friends who love me for who I am.
My sojourn was beneficial to me as it allowed me a wee bit of distance to look on my life with perspective.  I know myself better as a result of this winter break and I have decided to put things in place to avoid the overwhelming place I was in before.

Life is simple....don't make it complicated and
Love yourself.
Everything else will fall into place from there.

Thank you to everyone who enjoyed and followed my blog.  I love doing it and hope it has inspired you to go out and see the world.
Be happy......until the next time.....we see each other.

Next blog............we have some ideas but you will just have to be patient........au revoir!




































Monday, April 14, 2014

Randoms of Volcanos and Ocean Views in Iceland

This is the closest that I got to a cairn in Iceland.  Before the modern roads were made in Iceland these piles of stones were used to guide travellers where to go.  It is extremely easy to get lost in the fog and snow conditions here in the lava fields.  Adding a rock to the pile as you pass is an unwritten rule.  They remind me of the beautiful stone 'Inuksuit' that we find along our highways in Canada.


Not sure, but I would be a wee bit nervous each time I look out my kitchen window at the monstrous active volcano in my back yard?  Yikes!


Moss growing on the lava fields.


My wee friend that was hanging out watching the tourist while his only buddy, that we could see, was swimming around happily.


Oyster catchers playing and eating on the plentiful food on the coast.


Along the Snaefellsness Peninsula on the coast of Iceland.  The cliffs have been carved by the crashing tides of the ocean.  Gorgeous.


The biggest 'blow hole' that I have ever seen!
Interesting enough, the migrating birds, returning to nest, are making themselves comfy on the inside of the blow hole?  
What about when the water comes in strong enough to blow out?



Another random volcano in Iceland.  There are over 30 volcanic systems on the island.  On an average, one volcano erupts every 5 years but during the last 100 years there have been more than 40!
The last one to erupt was Grimsvotn in 2011, but they are waiting for another eruption any day of a volcano that is acting up right now.


Cormorant or shags?  Not close enough to tell exactly which bird it is.  They are so similar except for a slight difference in size.  They have come to Iceland to the Breidfjordur region to breed at this time of year.  


The incredible rugged coast.


These basalt columns interest me because we have found them everywhere on our trip.  Here they are tipped onto their side, which is different than the 'organ' style we saw Deb sitting on in a previous blog.


More examples of the strength and power of the tidal waves of the coast.  Many carves cliffs/stones all along the coastline.



The remains of an extinct volcano now swept up by the ocean. 



Dolphins!


Our tour driver pulled off the road rather quickly on one of our excursions, in Iceland, and told us to get our cameras ready.......he saw dolphins!
Out we all go, unfortunately I could barely see any dolphins....but a huge amount of birds.
So I just kept snapping photos of the vast blue water.

This is the photo I found in my many shots and I am pretty happy with it.
An entire pod of dolphins.