Gail and Axel in Iceland

Hi all,

Here is a snippet of Gail and Axel's trip in Iceland. I have posted recent pictures in the blog photo area...here is the actual link to Picasa photo album if you want to see the photos bigger and with captions. Please feel free to send my your travel impressions and photos and I will post!

http://picasaweb.google.com/gailduwe/Iceland2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCMq2xqm__Yvh4gE#

Best, Katie

Excerpt:

Hi All,

We have been in Iceland 6 days now but have so many photos that thought I would just send a few from our first few days here. (link at the end so, if time is a consideration, my feelings aren't hurt if you skip to the end!. . .that is, except for you, Martin. . .you have to read the whooooole thing)

Iceland is not nearly as homogeneous as some might think. We have seen a wide variety of landscapes and probably will see much more on our 5 days remaining. So many mountains but few trees though many Icelanders work hard at trying to surround their homes with tall green stuff. Many succeed but it makes me think that it took years and years for any planted trees to grow given the climate. There are lava fields, glaciers, river rapids, meadows wheat fields and coastal cliffs along with a never ending number of waterfalls, big and little, that dot the mountains and seem to spring up from nowhere. But there are colors, mostly from ground cover - reds, greens, yellows - and now with changing seasons, some tree leaves are changing. Bright green moss covers some of the older lava fields. . .making it like walking on sponges.

Our weather has been variable as it changes literally from minute to minute. Our first few days were cold (in the 40s,50s F), windy and some heavy rain and sleet. But the last couple days have been sunny and warm (60's!!). Now we're not sure what to expect so it's always layers of clothing.

As for animals, Iceland is covered with sheep and horses. But no small animals that we can see - no road kill, no little creatures scurrying across the road, no bugs to speak of or butterflies or flies, for that matter. It is eerily devoid of live things except for sheep and horses. We have seen 3 dogs and 2 cats.

The horses are exceptionally beautiful - pure bred for 800 yrs - the Icelandic horse. Smallish in a variety of colors (pintos, palominos, golden brown, black), if one leaves the island, it can't return. . .and no other breed is allowed here. Horse purity is very important here. Every farm seems to have herds of horses. . .but we can't seem to figure out what they do with them. I've asked and heard the following: People ride a lot, they are used to round up sheep, they are used on competition, they are sold abroad, "I don't know". . .but I am suspicious as on a menu written on a chalkboard in a restaurant in Borgarnes I read, "Horse file". . .but am too embarrassed to ask if they eat them. Just the thing a crass American might ask.

As for food, there's lots of fish - haddock, trout, salmon, halibut - fixed in a variety of ways - in soups, fried, boiled, in soups mashed with potatoes - you name it, they have a way to fix it. And, to be expected, there's lots of lamb dishes. Tonight, for a change, we had hamburgers for dinner - they were OK but not sure they were worth $15 each.

As for Icelanders, they are friendly and most are quite fluent in English. The language, though Scandinavian derived, to me sounds or looks nothing like Danish or Swedish. Guess it is a throw back to 'Viking speak'. But these folks are ultimately very likeable as how many of us still patch our sheets? . . .or still spell dessert with one 's' (I've seen it 3 times so far but hesitate to correct anyone - again, the know-it-all American?) or ask us to carefully preserve our water usage in a country that's nearly drowning.

Iceland's population is about 300,000 with 2/3s living in the capital Reykjavik which means that there is only 100,000 spread out everywhere else and clearly outnumbered by their sheep and horses. I look at some of the farms, isolated, so remote, sitting on a cliff or nestled up against a mountain - with no neighbors or towns for miles and wonder, "what the heck do they do in winter?" Maybe they paint, write, do arts and crafts or make up Icelandic sagas. . .I do know that it must be a quiet and lonely life, one that would drive me bananas. But these folks, on the average, live a lot longer than the average American so maybe I'd better do some rethinking.

The link for some photos from our first couple days is below. For some reason the link is as long as a shaggy dog story but it does seem to work.
Gail and Axel
http://picasaweb.google.com/gailduwe/Iceland2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCMq2xqm__Yvh4gE#

On the Road...guest post from Gail Duwe

An Excerpt from the travels of Gail and Axel as they drive across the South from Florida to California...

Hi All,

Wireless is so slow at this motel that I am writing this in Word then will transfer it rather than losing it. I would then have to commit hari kari which is how I feel when losing a long email!

Currently, we are in Grant, NM at a Best Western that would have been perfect for our road trip with our grandkids. The indoor pool is huge and there’s even some arcade games. We will circle it in our AAA book for future trips. The only thing lacking is the unreliable wireless.

The first thing that pops to mind about our trip so far are the rivers we’ve crossed – I love rivers. In Florida we crossed the Suwannee (Yes, the Down Upon the. . . and, Yes, it is spelled with a “u” – hello Stephen Foster). Next, it was the majestic and busy Mississippi – my favorite – ever since reading Twain’s “Life on the Mississippi” in college. Since then, we have crossed the Rio Grande which wasn’t looking too formidable and the Pecos River. And I think that tonight we will be spent on the shores of the mighty Colorado (in a casino hotel in Laughlin, NV).

Our trip out of Louisiana from Baton Rouge was quite spectacular. We drove on an 18 mile causeway that elevated us above those murky swamps, trees and flocks of egrets. At one point, the water was filled with dead tree trunks, spread out like dying soldiers. Wish I had the photos to show you. The two lane road was pitted and, mostly, deserted. But, then we hit Texas!!! Boy, was there a difference in the traffic, the condition of the road, the multiplicity of huge malls, etc. . .the difference, I suspect, between the rich state and the poorer one.

So, Texas. . .it was not what I expected as my head was filled with images from old cowboy movies i.e. dusty cattle spreads. It is nothing like that and I should have known better. What we could see from the highway was green, modern and affluent. We ended up in Houston, at an elegant Holiday Inn Express which was within walking distance of Minute Maid Stadium where the Astros play. That night we walked to the stadium in excruciating heat even tho it was 5pm. Fortunately, the stadium was covered and AC-ed. It is a great stadium, very much like the new one in Phoenix. We had good seats and it was an exciting game, tho the SF Giants lost by a run. As opposed to cowbells in Tampa, we had extensive whistle-blowing in Houston. At the 7^th inning stretch, besides “Take Me Out to the Ball “Game we all clapped to a stirring rendition of “Deep in the Heart of Texas”! And, according to the official hot dog tester, these were the second best so far (Kansas City still rules) – of the dozen or so stadiums we have visited. We think it was the Texas beef.

As for Houston, it is a very modern city with stunning tall building architecture. I think architects don’t have as much flexibility when designing very tall buildings so I love to look for the uniqueness of some and Houston has it. Except for the heat, Houston might be a fine place to live. (Did I really say that? Live in Texas? Why not?)

After covering 4 states in one day, it took us 2 ½ days to cross Texas. . .which, I might add, is covered with both American and Texas Lone Star flags. And, predictably, the Texas we saw was a No Obama Zone – not a single bumper sticker. We drove through Austin then north thru Waco (bad vibes here) which is just 15 miles from Crawford where you-know-who is now retired and writing his stimulating autobiography. Do I think that now, post facto, I could sit down and have a beer with the man with a twinkle in his eye and a sense of humor? . . .after so much water under the bridge? Nope, don’t think so.

Then we headed north to Fort Worth which we skirted, east to Abilene, spending the night in the small town of Snyder. Several years ago the town was bypassed by a newer highway and we could see the unfortunate results – empty store fronts, dilapidated gas pumps covered in ivy, deserted gas stations now used as drive through burrito stands or for liquor sales. Quite the contrast to those towns sustained by major roads but that’s no different anywhere. The next morning we negotiated our way through Lubbock – home of Mac Davis, Buddy Holly and many other musical types. We see ads for Willie Nelson’s café in Carl Corner and hear Waylon Jennings songs in our ear. A nice town but hot and dusty.

Finally, into New Mexico – the home of one of the most fabulous towns in America, Santa Fe – and of Bill Richardson who should be in the Cabinet except for some mysterious dealings. Too bad. We take the road less taken – from Clovis to Mountainair (gotta love the name) where we stop to check out the ruins from the Salinas Pueblo people at Abo. The history is repetitive throughout the southwest – first the Native Americans with their nature-based religions, high level functioning societies, followed by those unfriendly, murderous Conquistadors and, finally, the presumptuous Franciscans who made it their mission (ha!) in life to convert those savages. I continue to shake my head.

Guess that’s it – we will be on our way to Laughlin, NV today then home tomorrow. I might add that our Penske truck has performed admirably. We had a little glitch when Axel forgot to put the gas cap on in Austin and discovered it in Lubbock but some kindly Texans came to our rescue. I drive the quiet roads and leave the city driving to Axel whose nerves are steadier than mine. I love being on the road in this country – it is always an eye-opener and a memory-maker. And I love making the connections. . .we think, when we live in such an insular area as Northern California, that the rest of the country is so unlike us. But, we (me) are so wrong. Next summer will be more of America and more baseball stadiums!

Adios! Gail and Axel (aka mom, auntie gail, etc)

More Info...

To see the movie scroll all the way down to the end of the blog and see the slide show.

Katie

Posting pictures...

Hi all!

I am posting a slide show from Gail and Axel Duwe's road trip with Chris, Molly, and Eddie Gold (Grandkids of Peter Sheehan). They did a 10 day roadtrip to AZ. See for yourself. Please send me pictures and I will figure out how to post them to the blog. You can send video too!

Be sure to email me with any questions ktsheehan2000(at)yahoo(dot)com....just add the correct symbols...I don't want to be spammed by the entire internet!

Have a great weekend!
Katie

TGIF...

Hi All,

Just a quickie update. I am meeting my brother Jesse and girlfriend Yonat for dinner tonight and then possibly for midnight yoga (well, not midnight but 10pm). Tomorrow the Duwes are off to Florida for a few weeks.

Anyone else want to share their travel plans for the weekend? I am going to Aromas, CA on sunday to visit with Jason's family.

I will start posting pictures soon! Please join the blog!
xoxox katie sheehan

We're Rolling! Two members so far...

Greetings!

Thank you to my dad and sister for joining the blog. They are both so organized that they even posted their pictures! Speaking of which I will try and post some photos this week. Does anyone want to share their travel plans this summer? Maybe some of us overlap? Maybe someone needs a place to stay?

Does everyone have Aunt Vi's email address? I know that she would love to hear from folks. She has been a bit laid up lately and would love some newsy emails! Her email address is...

vidobrovolny@sbcglobal.net

Okay...send me news and information! If your email has changed or you've moved. That kind of thing.

Cheers!
Katie

My First Blog

Today I become a blogger. I am starting the "My Big Family" blog with the hope that family from all around the globe will take time to share stories, pictures, videos, music, weddings, babies, graduations, accomplishments, writings, and poetry. I will be figuring this out for awhile so feel free to offer comments and suggestions as we travel this path together.

I am counting on everyone to help make this a vibrant community of sharing and caring. As we all move forward into this world of ever-increasing technology, at least we can go together and hold each other's hands -- virtually at least. So, together we forge into the future -- you are not alone!