tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42514343630773993892024-02-07T12:03:23.437-05:00Vacations and other musingVictoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-5749468866178372532013-01-20T18:54:00.000-05:002013-01-20T18:54:12.402-05:00Cuba - 2013I've resigned myself to never being a regular blogger... but before the fabulous Cuba Photo tour with <a href="http://johnbarclayphotography.com/">John Barclay</a> and <a href="http://tonysweet.com/">Tony Sweet</a> becomes nothing but a memory, I'm going to share a few notes and some iPhone images that I've managed to process already. (most of these were processed on either my iPhone or my iPad while I was in Cuba) More to come one of these days. HA! (as in, don't check back daily because who knows when I will get to the next installment)<br><br>
My trip started on January 4, 2013 so that I could stay in the Miami International Airport Hotel and be ready to meet with other participants at 6:00 AM sharp on January 5, 2013. By arriving late afternoon on the 4th, I had the added benefit of dining with John, Tony and one other participant in the tour. :-)<br><br>
After meeting bright and early on the 5th to get our tickets, visas and tour itinerary as well as some key guidelines for clearing customs and immigration in Cuba, we proceeded out of the hotel and over to the area in Terminal E for check-in to our charter flight. One strange sight to see is shown below... MANY of the Cuba bound passengers took advantage of 'wrapping stations' that were in the charter flight area to have their bags weighed and wrapped in plastic (either green or clear seemed to be the two options) before checking in to their flights. As Americans, with our rules for passing through security and the knowledge that even our checked luggage may be subject to search, we found this very odd! The image below is one taken with the iPhone SlowShutter camera app and processed with several other iPad or iPhone apps.<br><br>
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On arrival in Cuba, cleared immigration, picked up our baggage, cleared customs and exited the airport. We were met by representatives of the tour company that organized our People-to-People tour, taken to our bus and from there to a restaurant for lunch with our guide Lazaro, Judy (tour company representative), and our driver, Umberto. After checking in to our hotel, we wandered around the Prado (a wide avenue with a central park area), took a few pictures (none processed yet) and had dinner in a nearby and very convenient restaurant serving Cuban style food. We had good food, great mojitos and a relatively early night so we could be off to a flying start the next day. The image below is an iPhone image of the view from my hotel room in the early morning hours; low light images on an iPhone are quite noisy so I made this a pointillist image in the style of Seurat.<br><br>
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Our first stop after breakfast was the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colon_Cemetery,_Havana">Colon Cemetery</a> in Havana. At first, I wondered how we could possibly spend two hours photographing at this location but I managed to easily fill the allotted time and only managed to touch the surface of this huge (157 acres) cemetery filled with elaborate mausoleums and monuments. I will definitely have more images from this location at a later date. In the meantime, the image below is a detail of a small portion of the facade of one of the many elaborate mausoleums.<br><br>
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From the cemetery, we went somewhere for lunch (cannot recall where) and then wandered around Old Havana where the following couple of images were taken. The first one below is an interior shot of a lovely old building; the second is of a "famous" gentleman we met in the church square in Old Havana. He told us he was famous and had the proof, a copy of a travel magazine on which his photo was the cover photo. He also told us that he doesn't smoke and his cigar is merely a prop (made of newspaper, if I understood correctly). But he happily posed for us and was happy to accept a few Cuc in return. (the Cuban currency tourists use is pronounced "kook" and spelled Cuc)<br><br>
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On our second full day in Cuba, we traveled by bus from Havana to Trinidad with a stop in Cienfuegos en route for lunch and a bit of photography. We spent 3 full days in Trinidad and could easily have spent many more. Since I've not had a chance yet to process LOADS of images (and believe me, I took MANY with both my iPhone and with my "big girl" camera), I'm just going to share one of my favorites from Trinidad, an iPhone panorama stitched with AutoStitch to get the entire facade of the shell of an old and what must have been quite beautiful church before it fell into ruins.<br><br>
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After spending time in Trinidad, we returned to Havana for our last two nights in Cuba. We traveled a southern route that put us closer to the water, took us over some roads less traveled by tourist traffic and afforded us some sights we would not have seen had we stuck to the main road between Trinidad and Havana. One of those sights is shown below... an iPhone shot through the bus window of rice drying on the highway. The workers rake the rice to distribute it more evenly and facilitate drying. If oncoming traffic is met while one lane of these two lane roads is being used to dry rice, one of the vehicles simply drives over the rice!<br><br>
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The next three images were all taken at an old train station where a couple of workers are crafting various items out of old train parts as well as, I think, maintaining the old trains stored there as a sort of museum for anyone stopping by. There were quite a lot of subjects for images and, as with everything else, I have more to process in the days/weeks to come! The first two images below are both Hipstamatic camera images, the first is a still life I spotted behind a door, the second is of the welder's glove where it was left on the worktable while he was on a break and the third is a native iPhone 4s camera image of one of the two workmen posing for us.<br><br>
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Unfortunately for me, the meal I had my second to last night in Cuba did NOT agree with me and I was unable to stay with the group in Cojimar. However, I managed to capture a few images before becoming so ill that I grabbed a taxi back to Havana and slept for the rest of the day, missing out not only on Cojimar, but the night shoot from the top of our hotel and the meet-up with another group of American photographers who were just setting out on their own Cuban adventure. In spite of that, I had a SUPERB time in Cuba and would happily return. The image below is of the bay in Cojimar (an iPhone panorama stitched from six images) which was a favorite location of Hemingway's and served as his inspiration for The Old Man and the Sea. The sky was spectacular!<br><br>
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Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-26891369649724238472012-07-28T18:14:00.002-04:002012-07-28T18:14:37.374-04:00Before the tour started... Ireland touring near Shannon, Ireland<a href="http://www.shannonheritage.com/Attractions/BunrattyCastleandFolkPark/"></a>I'm loving the <a href="http://www.picmonkey.com/">PicMonkey replacement</a> for Picnik for making collages... took me less time than using Picnik and I could create free-form collages to suit my own requirements instead of being locked into fixed templates. That said, I wanted to create collages to cram more images into a short space for my vacation blog and have a few for you today from the first two days of my Ireland visit. As always, click any image to view them larger. <br><br>
Arriving at 7 AM local time at Shannon Airport meant getting to my hotel (<a href="http://www.oakwoodarms.com/home.html">Oakwood Arms</a>) while they were still serving breakfast and before my room was ready. Had some marvelous coffee and a light snack and got into my room before 9 AM. I had made arrangements to meet with Evie, another participant in the Ireland tour who was also arriving on the 28th, for lunch at which point we would figure out what to do for the afternoon. Neither of us wanted to sleep even though we were both jet-lagged.<br><br>
We decided on visiting the nearby Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, a 10 minute cab ride away from our hotel. The castle was built in 1425 and was "restored in 1954 to its former medieval splendour and now contains mainly 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries, and works of art which capture the mood of those times." Taking pictures inside without a tripod was problematic but the following collage contains a few pictures of the animals on the grounds, a lovely flower in the garden and a view of a portion of the castle, complete with a tourist walking toward me.<br><br>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FcL8GGs6roA/UBQ9EyNz0oI/AAAAAAAANZM/Erb5KvyyqME/s800/Bunratty_Castle_collage_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
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src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FcL8GGs6roA/UBQ9EyNz0oI/AAAAAAAANZM/Erb5KvyyqME/s400/Bunratty_Castle_collage_1.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The male goat had a unique style of grazing... I never once saw him stand up. Guess he wanted to be as close to his meal as possible without too much wasted motion.</div><br>
For our adventure on the second day in Ireland, we had contracted with the same cab driver we'd hired the day before to take us to <a href="http://www.dromoland.ie/">Dromoland Castle Hotel and Country Estate</a> and both the <a href="http://www.adaremanor.com/index.html?gclid=CMLBzrOmvbECFUff4AodFGkA-Q">Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort</a> and the nearby <a href="http://www.adarevillage.com/history.php">town of Adare</a> which has some lovely old thatch-roofed cottages and dates back to the 11th century. <br><br>
A word of advice about hiring a cab for a day-long 'guided tour' (really 5-1/2 hours)... bargain and don't take the first rate you are offered. Both Evie and myself had been offered cabs for a day hire by the drivers who took us from the airport to the hotel... mine offered 200 euros for 5 hours, hers offered 100 euros for 5 hours. BUT, we could only understand every third or fourth word uttered by those drivers! The cab driver who took us to Bunratty offered us the same 5 hours for 150 euros but we could understand him! And eventually, we worked out to have him for that price for 5-1/2 hours so we could see Dromoland, Adare Manor and the thatched cottages in the town of Adare. Four collages from Dromoland and two from Adare follow. Enjoy...<br><br>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKyliywFSBY1Y_p4R9TmY2AvB6F7ltOrDXpbOKwZYEkUgs3kdGQTPSJvbYoVOJhmX_Gr_aTRb6drYwNyskFg6zjA_G3-QVSWoMAwz9o6c5RYqnSanHZm5-9Sg85Q_zUBMVAL0EU1mNyc/s800/Dromoland_Castle_collage_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKyliywFSBY1Y_p4R9TmY2AvB6F7ltOrDXpbOKwZYEkUgs3kdGQTPSJvbYoVOJhmX_Gr_aTRb6drYwNyskFg6zjA_G3-QVSWoMAwz9o6c5RYqnSanHZm5-9Sg85Q_zUBMVAL0EU1mNyc/s400/Dromoland_Castle_collage_1.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Dromoland Castle with tourist for sense of scale (a HUGE place, hard to believe it was someone's home hundreds of years ago), a water lily and some roses, both in the walled garden on the grounds.</div><br>
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMtCGaU44j-PpC9EJxxnlE6OU-S3MXexJB8W5KHbrSvcc7BLmkQZGdX-fmquhgY1NwwDDmqdMddahJDrRc_C5cPo9E5i1ioXU4-ruKFxRwHHgCUAv0OTI-feR2eX_TgOYdLES_5nnC-8/s800/Dromoland_Castle_collage_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMtCGaU44j-PpC9EJxxnlE6OU-S3MXexJB8W5KHbrSvcc7BLmkQZGdX-fmquhgY1NwwDDmqdMddahJDrRc_C5cPo9E5i1ioXU4-ruKFxRwHHgCUAv0OTI-feR2eX_TgOYdLES_5nnC-8/s400/Dromoland_Castle_collage_2.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">A huge old tree in a clearing in the "forest" on the grounds at Dromoland Castle Hotel, a vine covered building and a charming brick bridge over a water feature. The latter two images are from the beautiful walled garden on the grounds.</div><br>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FbM7_srx608/UBQ9LK54SSI/AAAAAAAANZ0/DmjtGXGY_rE/s800/Dromoland_Castle_collage_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 334px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FbM7_srx608/UBQ9LK54SSI/AAAAAAAANZ0/DmjtGXGY_rE/s400/Dromoland_Castle_collage_3.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The ducks near the lake at Dromoland Castle Hotel and Country Estate were quite tame and only wandered away from us when we got within 10-15 feet of them.</div><br>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jsIwjkoyiGc/UBQ9JRuHGaI/AAAAAAAANZk/4WD8p88E9zU/s400/Dromoland_Castle_collage_4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
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src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jsIwjkoyiGc/UBQ9JRuHGaI/AAAAAAAANZk/4WD8p88E9zU/s400/Dromoland_Castle_collage_4.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">From the lake again... one last duck image (not sleeping, just caught blinking), four of the gorgeous Mute swans (<i>Cygnus Olor</i>)and one more water lily (from the walled garden) complete with tiny bugs. The swans hung around long enough for me to switch lenses and get some 300mm telephoto shots. Our cab driver said that this one is a male which is determined in part by the pinkish/orange tinge on the beak which females don't have. (I think he was having fun at our expense because so far, I've found no reference to this "fact" but have found that males are larger than the females.)</div><br>
We met up with Evie's friend Felice at the Adare Castle Hotel and Golf Resort just before we left there. She was with us for the stop in the town of Adare where we had about 30 minutes to grab a few images and do a tiny bit of tourist shopping. But first, a collage of images from the hotel and golf resort... an amazing place!<br><br>
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7c1qZJcGZYk/UBQ9NBkNodI/AAAAAAAANaE/eqWZsWcwFtY/s800/Adare_Manor_collage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 334px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7c1qZJcGZYk/UBQ9NBkNodI/AAAAAAAANaE/eqWZsWcwFtY/s400/Adare_Manor_collage.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The ruins in the top left are from a Franciscan Abbey, the middle, left image is the Adare Castle Hotel, the bottom left and top right images are of the gardens. (I loved the intricately pruned boxwood hedges.) The middle, right image is of a bridge over a tributary of the River Shannon and is for access to the golf course (not open to casual day visitors). And the bottom right image is a close-up of the window seen on the middle, left image. I loved how the sky reflections were visible and the way the colorful leaves set off the scene.</div><br>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS88vrwI0YRCP0LaXBy0xeDFhRpUZUybaMikUquc2COPKmpsOChOeArswYNYwnIaPXRzV_-jZ7cB6X6Zk-KaPQ4H6iAUZYeekBFYS1eNLDGOAgMBN8whHTxgC5xUzUNrMAQNfcXK8FpgE/s800/Adare_Town_collage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS88vrwI0YRCP0LaXBy0xeDFhRpUZUybaMikUquc2COPKmpsOChOeArswYNYwnIaPXRzV_-jZ7cB6X6Zk-KaPQ4H6iAUZYeekBFYS1eNLDGOAgMBN8whHTxgC5xUzUNrMAQNfcXK8FpgE/s400/Adare_Town_collage.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Several of the old, thatched roof buildings in the town of Adare house restaurants, some are craft shops and others are private residences. All are charming. The fourth image is of a newer building (as compared to the thatched roof buildings) that is also a restaurant. I rather liked all the roof lines, the curving sidewalk and the textures in this last image.</div><br>
A slide show of the images from which the collages were made, including a map of the complete journey we made once the tour started, <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/106869072116253693469/IrelandTravelBlogPhotos#slideshow/">is available</a>. Subsequent posts will cover the 10 days of the photo tour. Who knows when! (am about to travel again)Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-79699048763116383222012-06-30T05:45:00.001-04:002012-06-30T05:45:21.953-04:00Ireland with John Barclay, Dan Sniffin and Peter CoxOff on another photo tour... I've heard we will have no time for processing once the tour starts. I'm simply posting the schedule for the tour to whet your appetite and tempt you to check back at a later date for posts from this trip. (have already been in Ireland since the morning of June 28th to allow for recovery from jet lag)<br>
Our schedule of travel for the tour includes the following and is listed in more detail on Peter Cox's <a href="http://photocourses.petercox.ie/courses/10-day-photo-tour-holidays">web site.</a><br>
<ul>
<li>G = Shannon (start and finish of trip)</li>
<li>B = Dingle (3 nights)</li>
<li>C = Killarney (2 nights)</li>
<li>D = Portmagee (1 night)</li>
<li>E = Kenmare (2 nights)</li>
<li>F = Gougane Barra (1 night)</li>
</ul>
If you want to get a taste of some of the sights we will be visiting, visit <a href="http://johnbarclayphotography.com/?page_id=9">John Barclay's blog</a> images from the first of two tours he, Dan and Peter are leading here in southwestern Ireland. (we will not see all the places he posted, because John and Dan traveled to some spots we won't be visiting while they were on break between the two tours)<br>
For a visual... here's a map! Shannon is G on the map and is the starting and ending point. We leave the Oakwood Arms Hotel at 11 AM this morning for our first stop in Dingle where we will be based for the next few days. (Click the map for a larger view.)
<br><br>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FWaYqu1vkiM/T-7FIfKtdzI/AAAAAAAANQ4/cXzn33UdMho/s800/tourMapOfSchedule.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 391px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FWaYqu1vkiM/T-7FIfKtdzI/AAAAAAAANQ4/cXzn33UdMho/s512/tourMapOfSchedule.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"></div>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-49825516234106553412012-02-24T17:01:00.000-05:002012-02-24T17:01:46.914-05:00Long Overdue Post... Adventures in Sweden continued...It seems I'm WAY overdue for completing the saga of my trip this past summer with brother Lukas, his partner Tom and my sister Valerie... so before Picnik dies completely, I'm going to try to finish up the last of that trip as well as the three days spent in Iceland with Lukas and Tom on the way home from Sweden. Today's post is the journey from Tärnaby to Östersund. For those of you who might be interested to see earlier posts about this trip, start <a href="http://toryporter.blogspot.com/2011/06/family-visit-in-gothenburg-or-goteborg.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2gqcYVIWBKaaNEIpFqDAcyO7tvHHxvtgHncc1BKX_4Q5Z7_n_M9FgR3b8bck-ryY7dyfwOKvGVUj2gJUk1SSukXySigkwkXmqlV3czbMtaMpxmaMSfzkLYmRgy4DJwetZKOgwUmTUWc/s800/19138755781.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2gqcYVIWBKaaNEIpFqDAcyO7tvHHxvtgHncc1BKX_4Q5Z7_n_M9FgR3b8bck-ryY7dyfwOKvGVUj2gJUk1SSukXySigkwkXmqlV3czbMtaMpxmaMSfzkLYmRgy4DJwetZKOgwUmTUWc/s400/19138755781.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Stensele kyrka (kyrka = church) is the largest wooden church in Sweden. We made a slight detour en route from Tärnaby to Östersund so that we could take a few pictures and see the inside of the church. The scenic view in this collage was somewhere along the Ume river before we got to Stensele kyrka. The interior shot shows the main alter, the close view of the door to the church tells us that the church was built in 1885.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylvn3fhzyKBmywadQv0hUvwnflEf8QYO4_AfphIGxSkncH_pSvmnNEoLpvayJFLmqZcXrYQIM0K-6aiJWtjytMSMjBoRRzzfp1-QXAass7uTtI9uiW4RfKeQqvkNXjgku8F5FGWjBdOE/s800/19138886952.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylvn3fhzyKBmywadQv0hUvwnflEf8QYO4_AfphIGxSkncH_pSvmnNEoLpvayJFLmqZcXrYQIM0K-6aiJWtjytMSMjBoRRzzfp1-QXAass7uTtI9uiW4RfKeQqvkNXjgku8F5FGWjBdOE/s400/19138886952.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Another view of the exterior of Stensele kyrka and a few more interior shots. One could get a talk about the church by choosing the language and lifting the phone. The distant view of the alter shows the gorgeous windows behind the main alter and the close-up of a small portion of some of the painted wood shows a feature common to many of the wooden churches of Sweden... painting the wood to make it appear to be marble.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VSkAZDq6tBE/T0f7k79hTYI/AAAAAAAAL50/bQwId__y-5o/s800/19138931024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 184px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VSkAZDq6tBE/T0f7k79hTYI/AAAAAAAAL50/bQwId__y-5o/s400/19138931024.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">More interior views of Stensele kyrka, from left to right, a close-up of one of the lovely chandeliers, a long view of the main alter, the high pulpit, and the original organ from when the church was first used. This organ has since been replaced with a newer, more modern organ.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8nGatIGAHRg/T0f8LJrwJII/AAAAAAAAL58/F-cbSxRy7J8/s800/19138981701.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 185px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8nGatIGAHRg/T0f8LJrwJII/AAAAAAAAL58/F-cbSxRy7J8/s400/19138981701.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Another church, this one in Vilhelmina. Perhaps you can see similarities in style. From left to right, an exterior view, the main alter at the front of the church, the high pulpit (a feature seen in almost every church we visited) and a close-up of a chandelier. This chandelier has both candles (which is what would have been used in the "old days") and modern lightbulbs.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MGH2J8Lhni0/T0f9h9M-LHI/AAAAAAAAL6E/T27RroDjvBY/s800/19139078750.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MGH2J8Lhni0/T0f9h9M-LHI/AAAAAAAAL6E/T27RroDjvBY/s400/19139078750.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Scenes from downtown Östersund after our arrival. In the square near our hotel, one can go from the sublime in dining, Winston Restaurant, to the ridiculous, McDonald's! We had a fabulous meal at Winston Restaurant, recommended by our hotel desk clerk who made us a reservation for dinner. The color coded street signs caught my eye as did the three tourists (sister, brother and brother-in-law who may not thank me for posting this).</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XsuTiXBWVaI/T0f_CeBYRmI/AAAAAAAAL6M/zvKlYkbZgXY/s800/19139198118.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XsuTiXBWVaI/T0f_CeBYRmI/AAAAAAAAL6M/zvKlYkbZgXY/s400/19139198118.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">After our marvelous meal, we decided to go for a walk around Östersund before heading to our rooms and bed. It was almost 10 PM when we were wandering and the light was wonderful. We finished off our day at a sidewalk refreshment stand where one could purchase beer and wine as well as non-alcoholic drinks. My beer was delicious but I don't think you can buy it in the US.</div>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-5774479128730330962011-12-31T15:17:00.001-05:002012-01-02T12:58:23.657-05:00Last post of 2011... Happy New Year everyone!I had grandiose plans to do a year in review post BEFORE Christmas and send an email to friends and family so they could connect here to see what the highlights of 2011 were in my corner of the world as well as my travels that took me here and there. Those of you who only want to view the images may do so by clicking on the first one to get a window that blows it up larger and allows you to step through the images. Friends and family who might want to know what else has happened in my life besides what is represented by the these images are encouraged to read to the very end where I'll share some news of a personal note not included along with the images.<br />
<br />
I am currently sitting in a cozy B&B in Red Lodge, Montana looking at last night's snowfall as it has settled on the pine tree outside the window... and I'm thinking I should motivate to go outdoors and take some more pictures... BUT I'm so far behind on the ones I've taken over this past year that I decided to try to post a few here in the next hour or so before heading out to lunch! Here's wishing you and yours the best of everything in 2012!<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZB0TlWhhOGVdGT9WHd-5Nt9cLneWAg1amzvmEZNbnsX4clvFoC2zjAj_cghSuWxxgN9HDJ14Y9nDh4bssUolnynBztShyxSLz9-nfdacdQhOKw3sbrII-LYCcWb6s63W-xkU-DPdQCQ/s800/17929864131.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZB0TlWhhOGVdGT9WHd-5Nt9cLneWAg1amzvmEZNbnsX4clvFoC2zjAj_cghSuWxxgN9HDJ14Y9nDh4bssUolnynBztShyxSLz9-nfdacdQhOKw3sbrII-LYCcWb6s63W-xkU-DPdQCQ/s400/17929864131.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Cardinal images from my back yard during January snow storms.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdp3FqJgDtHSirwWWHNwgpIpv2PZV1m3VkW13Dnouk0NDBlHbuPi8k4MrbDcRI6SjtVDn_Jg-NbLrZF4x73mHYcx0TdWs6V2u7LOe-S4oTcQVb8y-St1koFbo4jc0o1rFuO9Dvwk4bdnI/s800/None.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdp3FqJgDtHSirwWWHNwgpIpv2PZV1m3VkW13Dnouk0NDBlHbuPi8k4MrbDcRI6SjtVDn_Jg-NbLrZF4x73mHYcx0TdWs6V2u7LOe-S4oTcQVb8y-St1koFbo4jc0o1rFuO9Dvwk4bdnI/s400/None.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">One of several collages from images taken on a February photo outing with cousin Jane and friend Susie... we went from Bethesda, MD to Shepherdstown, WV for lunch and wandering around to take photos... then we were off to my potter's home and studio near Sharpsburg, MD before heading back to Bethesda. These images are of a church on one of the back roads we took to get to Shepherdstown, a view (upper left) from the scenic lookout on 270 before you get to Frederick, MD and sunset from Boonsboro, MD.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FWzl2DCzQzQ/Tv9YCFyoihI/AAAAAAAAL0U/XelI8hXiif0/s800/18078076353.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 368px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FWzl2DCzQzQ/Tv9YCFyoihI/AAAAAAAAL0U/XelI8hXiif0/s400/18078076353.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">In March, I glanced out the window when I noticed the birds were chirping excitedly but none were at the feeders... what a treat to see this Sharp-shinned Hawk so fascinated with the birds hiding in the rose brambles that he wasn't the LEAST bit interested in me as I crept closer and closer to get some marvelous images... here are two!</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IkUlpP0aLmM/Tb4lf4lV6II/AAAAAAAAH2E/qXRygvPRHao/s800/13808928129.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IkUlpP0aLmM/Tb4lf4lV6II/AAAAAAAAH2E/qXRygvPRHao/s400/13808928129.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Squirrel antics in April at a newly purchased "squirrel proof" feeder... of course they soon figured it out and it no longer keeps the rascally thieves from stealing the bird feed.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jzWEEsAzS0SAh66tU1eVJrBYJRp6xiqTxLNCwXBObVHT0E2qrhXHjuKMa2pXHjikE-x1S-uH6Kgz2Hvhcw9fNcYoRmqXd6zQIaSVW1tpacQJjlABFkdF-IkTnYQGE90mPZliwMRLXFg/s800/14183132866.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
396px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jzWEEsAzS0SAh66tU1eVJrBYJRp6xiqTxLNCwXBObVHT0E2qrhXHjuKMa2pXHjikE-x1S-uH6Kgz2Hvhcw9fNcYoRmqXd6zQIaSVW1tpacQJjlABFkdF-IkTnYQGE90mPZliwMRLXFg/s400/14183132866.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Floral images from a May Greenspring Garden macro workshop with <a href="http://www.blueridgeworkshops.com">Blue Ridge Workshops</a>. Digitalis, Columbine, Lavender and phlox look alike whose name I cannot recall.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyap17UQ6KBnzMpa-lua5fVp9h8qHvSDB7q4lnzDk5ImrcFoe7OsXicfTH9JUCm7YeXmI9K5WTKSIeQ7-pYQArqEGiVXRp02M8XnckGl2cU7ZJcfL1qQykbLvhTbJPM54O-rJSMBh9k_4/s800/16086126736.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyap17UQ6KBnzMpa-lua5fVp9h8qHvSDB7q4lnzDk5ImrcFoe7OsXicfTH9JUCm7YeXmI9K5WTKSIeQ7-pYQArqEGiVXRp02M8XnckGl2cU7ZJcfL1qQykbLvhTbJPM54O-rJSMBh9k_4/s400/16086126736.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Trying to choose just one collage of images from our June trip to Sweden is quite impossible since we packed so much into the trip. We visited family in Göteborg and Vägsele and saw many sights in between visiting with family. Here we are on the road from Vägsele to Tärnaby with cousins Sture and Inger. We stopped alongside the Blue Highway, a most scenic route, to have a morning coffee and snack break. (the two church photos are not at the roadside stop; they are of Stensele Kyrka) Seated at the picnic table from the lower left is myself, my sister, my brother and in the right rear coming forward is our cousin Sture, my brother's partner and Sture's wife Inger. If you want to know more about our trip to Sweden, Start with this <a href="http://toryporter.blogspot.com/2011/06/family-visit-in-gothenburg-or-goteborg.html">post</a> and work your way forward through newer posts... I STILL have not finished this trip diary!</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rCIFXFzXdXc/Tv9hJKA-ZAI/AAAAAAAAL0g/WAFIfasWuYU/s800/18078570922.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rCIFXFzXdXc/Tv9hJKA-ZAI/AAAAAAAAL0g/WAFIfasWuYU/s400/18078570922.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Going along with the theme of not finishing the Sweden trip diary... here is a collage from Iceland where my brother, his partner and myself spent three days in July en route home from Sweden. I've barely begun sorting through the scenic photos from Iceland but have managed to put together one collage of bird images from our boat trip to see the Puffins who have established large colonies on two islands in Reykjavik Harbor.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">August seems to have been a month for staying indoors due to the heat and attempting to catch up with SOME of my image processing and blogging... So no photo to represent August!</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24Uc74C4ZN81WQ3yXXzSM2k4fQzt7s8kPzeTpESJ5to0FvIswnWpsc9RQC5Q9SMKDn2eC6iUVHevWQEo1HL_ZNiOnrJsRZGkGfhpEE6H7lPFO8beyp-NV-qIsyy9EvEq9ykTTwof76nA/s800/16395509849.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 136px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24Uc74C4ZN81WQ3yXXzSM2k4fQzt7s8kPzeTpESJ5to0FvIswnWpsc9RQC5Q9SMKDn2eC6iUVHevWQEo1HL_ZNiOnrJsRZGkGfhpEE6H7lPFO8beyp-NV-qIsyy9EvEq9ykTTwof76nA/s400/16395509849.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">September found me spending 11 days in Montana and 10 days in Colorado which spilled over into October. The time in Montana was spent in and around Red Lodge, as usual, staying at my vacation home and spending time doing some fix-up chores as well as spending time with friends I see once a year (or more, depending). I never tire of Montana scenery but am going to share an image of Clouded Sulphur butterflies on Spotted Knapweed (taken near Red Lodge, MT, at the West Fork of Rock Creek near the Silver Run parking lot) to represent the month of September.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YJO66ptqACE/Tptch8zlD4I/AAAAAAAALss/aRc9cZ7ftEg/s800/16859155315.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YJO66ptqACE/Tptch8zlD4I/AAAAAAAALss/aRc9cZ7ftEg/s400/16859155315.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">With apologies to those of you who have seen this already, For October I am again sharing a collage of Hipstamatic (iPhone camera app) images since one of the best things I've discovered recently thanks to <a href="http://www.barclayphoto.com">John Barclay</a> and <a href="http://www.dansniffinphoto.com">Dan Sniffin</a> and their MARVELOUS Colorado Photo tour is iPhoneography!</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGBYf9GhUXs5Hkvb8In-eGhGGBhCZTvW05PuvFmYjeIra-mgBkvGDk1oBS6mqP1l7WB6GgYlKXjnqP1nTupmgUkFl1atLYMsw1xURDCxTWCUbSW68Adp5uwyhRLVbFlwku3gOd2Imbvk/s800/IMAGE_101.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGBYf9GhUXs5Hkvb8In-eGhGGBhCZTvW05PuvFmYjeIra-mgBkvGDk1oBS6mqP1l7WB6GgYlKXjnqP1nTupmgUkFl1atLYMsw1xURDCxTWCUbSW68Adp5uwyhRLVbFlwku3gOd2Imbvk/s400/IMAGE_101.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="sunrise at the 59th street pier in Ocean City, NJ" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">This image of sunrise at the 59th Street pier in Ocean City, NJ is from another workshop with John Barclay, this time in partnership with George Brown. We spent a mid-November weekend at Cape May, NJ with an early morning trip to Ocean City to photograph this fabulous sunrise! One of the reasons that it has taken me so long to sort through images this year is that I've taken quite a few workshops... and done a fair bit of travel as well! I've certainly learned a LOT about how to improve my photographic skills, both in the field and afterwards with post-processing.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M2ZVxrms-8I/Tv9o-45HTYI/AAAAAAAAL0w/9cA9xCbrY88/s800/2011-12-28_montanaDecDday1_Porter_0002_DSC_0873_HDR.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 262px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M2ZVxrms-8I/Tv9o-45HTYI/AAAAAAAAL0w/9cA9xCbrY88/s400/2011-12-28_montanaDecDday1_Porter_0002_DSC_0873_HDR.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hpyhy0ugW74/Tv9pC4esTXI/AAAAAAAAL04/-MT_favQstY/s800/2011-12-30_MontanaDecDay3_Porter_0038_DSC_0952_HDR.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hpyhy0ugW74/Tv9pC4esTXI/AAAAAAAAL04/-MT_favQstY/s400/2011-12-30_MontanaDecDay3_Porter_0038_DSC_0952_HDR.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">December finds me in Montana although I'm not staying at my house over the first of the year because it's rented! I'm staying at the Irish Rose B&B which is a lovely place to stay. It has snowed at least part of every day since my arrival a few days ago and this makes the skiers very happy. I'm not skiing but have been out and about getting a few lovely wintry scenes while here. The first of the two images above was taken on the road from Laurel to Red Lodge and the second was taken at the bridge over the West Fork of Rock Creek at the entrance to the Silver Run parking area.</div><br />
And now, for some personal notes... in addition to the many highlights represented by the images above, 2011 had some notes of sadness as well. Our half-brother Robin passed away in April after a valiant battle with cancer. Many of us were with him at the end and we celebrated his life with many people in the town of Easton, PA where he had lived since retiring from the phone company around 24 years ago. He was very highly thought of in the town of Easton on the Delaware River and will be missed by many.<br />
<br />
In 2011, there were three new additions to my family... Nephew Dan (brother Larry's son) and his wife Wendy added a sister for Elliott (who is now 3) in July when their adorable daughter Holly was born on July 3rd. Nephew Michael (sister Val's middle son) and his wife Dawn welcomed their son, Ethan, on August 24th, making Val a grandmother for the first time. And my niece Lauren (brother Larry's daughter) and her husband Justus welcomed daughter Cora Jane on November 25th making Larry and his wife Chris grandparents for the third time. All are healthy, happy babies... I can't wait to meet them!<br />
<br />
And last, but not least, I requested that my significant other of nearly 20 years move out of my house in Bethesda, which he did in November. We were not married but had been together for a long time so, in that respect, there is some sadness at the loss of such a long-term relationship. However, I am very happy and am feeling so much better these days! I look forward to a new year filled with more adventures in photography, more travel and greater peace of mind. Best wishes to all who make it this far for a wonderful 2012!Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-78407364374026561432011-11-20T18:51:00.003-05:002011-12-08T18:16:20.798-05:00Images from Cape May, NJ - Photography WorkshopI am SO FAR behind with this blog... I will possibly never catch up. I've recently been on another marvelous photography workshop... this one led by <a href="http://web.me.com/johnbarclayphoto/John_Barclay_Photo/Blog/Blog.html">John Barclay</a> and <a href="http://photographybygeorgebrown.com/">George Brown</a> to Cape May, NJ. Cape May is at the southernmost part of New Jersey and has the Delaware Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east... making for beautiful sunrises and sunsets this time of year. Although I'm not really a morning person, I think you will agree that some of the images that can be had when one rises EARLY in the morning are truly spectacular! Without spending TOO much time on captions... I'm just going to post a few and give you a link at the end to a slide show in case you want to see more. Enjoy... Larger images are available by clicking on the smaller ones... look for the X in the upper right corner of your browser to close the large image and get back to the blog (took me awhile to find it on my 24" iMac screen).<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hwPXUVXUXEo/TtqiAL_Ln3I/AAAAAAAALxc/oEmhvUJl3O4/s800/capeMay-0075.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hwPXUVXUXEo/TtqiAL_Ln3I/AAAAAAAALxc/oEmhvUJl3O4/s400/capeMay-0075.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="sunlight on ocean waves" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Golden glow of early morning light on waves...</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-79vfp3ZevdU/Tshz5ao4x_I/AAAAAAAALtk/a7SM-qPxSOk/s800/IMAGE_109.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-79vfp3ZevdU/Tshz5ao4x_I/AAAAAAAALtk/a7SM-qPxSOk/s400/IMAGE_109.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="sunrise at the seashore" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Early morning light on the horizon as waves break over pilings and the shore...</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBbdVmDxZ9HzbaIgnwRnmcgfTpAuLa16sZ8hQpm61WWKksbf5oNdnndVDpWB6GwI-evilctN0DScTB71zIConjfbvLbbBseTxiMhZSOIqdFvyj0cf_9D-p03tNhik5OH7hpIJEfEt95E/s800/IMAGE_110.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBbdVmDxZ9HzbaIgnwRnmcgfTpAuLa16sZ8hQpm61WWKksbf5oNdnndVDpWB6GwI-evilctN0DScTB71zIConjfbvLbbBseTxiMhZSOIqdFvyj0cf_9D-p03tNhik5OH7hpIJEfEt95E/s400/IMAGE_110.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Crepe Myrtle leaves" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Fall colors of Crepe Myrtle... bokeh from color reflected in metal siding on the wall behind the tree.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ee7WzAPCx6w/Tshz-1sTkFI/AAAAAAAALt8/Uk0HGhzhUvo/s800/IMAGE_115.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ee7WzAPCx6w/Tshz-1sTkFI/AAAAAAAALt8/Uk0HGhzhUvo/s400/IMAGE_115.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Fire engine at the Firehouse Museum" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">A six shot HDR image of the old fire engine in the Cape May Firehouse Museum.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTThMr5Q5rqa0PU4rl4UGNqOsWrWquTqKHDLvagGh1QqMC9dwnY8TVgX470d5EHvneliVGenTPMOomSqXySL5ahbbKQyQSc4z59AI2Q0gtL39n3hsYuwOgSPoSjZyoGn3lis1v9s0Pj8/s800/IMAGE_114.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTThMr5Q5rqa0PU4rl4UGNqOsWrWquTqKHDLvagGh1QqMC9dwnY8TVgX470d5EHvneliVGenTPMOomSqXySL5ahbbKQyQSc4z59AI2Q0gtL39n3hsYuwOgSPoSjZyoGn3lis1v9s0Pj8/s400/IMAGE_114.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Cape May lighthouse at sunset" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Sunset at Cape May with a distant view of the lighthouse across the way.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGBYf9GhUXs5Hkvb8In-eGhGGBhCZTvW05PuvFmYjeIra-mgBkvGDk1oBS6mqP1l7WB6GgYlKXjnqP1nTupmgUkFl1atLYMsw1xURDCxTWCUbSW68Adp5uwyhRLVbFlwku3gOd2Imbvk/s800/IMAGE_101.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGBYf9GhUXs5Hkvb8In-eGhGGBhCZTvW05PuvFmYjeIra-mgBkvGDk1oBS6mqP1l7WB6GgYlKXjnqP1nTupmgUkFl1atLYMsw1xURDCxTWCUbSW68Adp5uwyhRLVbFlwku3gOd2Imbvk/s400/IMAGE_101.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="sunrise in ocean city, nj" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Sunrise at the 59th Street Pier in Ocean City... cannot believe I had to get up at 4:10 AM to participate in this photo shoot! This is just one of many images from that morning and is a 30 second exposure while using a VND (Variable Neutral Density) filter.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXlHoj8Riaw7_rfX19P5HOEzLqjZl_Kw2UrIf1NNe0wmIf-CYilQJ3AqDzHw6yakvayQSvqZyaZtjFxONMDi_vXtmyLVUzmi4Sdotsjx0ohEoiXIY7WCX1jclvaBDCqRXDt0llK6xUu4/s800/IMAGE_103.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXlHoj8Riaw7_rfX19P5HOEzLqjZl_Kw2UrIf1NNe0wmIf-CYilQJ3AqDzHw6yakvayQSvqZyaZtjFxONMDi_vXtmyLVUzmi4Sdotsjx0ohEoiXIY7WCX1jclvaBDCqRXDt0llK6xUu4/s400/IMAGE_103.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="another ocean city sunrise" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Another view of the sunrise with the color tweaked to give it a different feel.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs8qXHgvCTrgOgOujHQGUfE-sU8cdl5HY2fz4AnC0NN-VEdNyI9o0W_RQDnRd80PYlu_RElmtYH7FHrvVxJBKvlgXiFdXg7ZjepwVgHgrDHUO_AXRLgJGx9RKCrZrV8n3E7pL9ZHduIo/s800/IMAGE_105.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 265px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs8qXHgvCTrgOgOujHQGUfE-sU8cdl5HY2fz4AnC0NN-VEdNyI9o0W_RQDnRd80PYlu_RElmtYH7FHrvVxJBKvlgXiFdXg7ZjepwVgHgrDHUO_AXRLgJGx9RKCrZrV8n3E7pL9ZHduIo/s400/IMAGE_105.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="long exposure of sunlight on the water at sunrise" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Another picture of early morning sunlight on the water... lost count of how many similar images I took!</div><br />
If you want to view more from the workshop, there is a <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/106869072116253693469/CapeMayNewJerseyNovember2011#slideshow">slide show</a> available that also includes some additional images that I will be posting later on this week if I find the time. Images in the sideshow that were taken with my iPhone start with the image titled "Moon in the sky during sunrise..." and end with the series of images demonstrating a post processing technique I'll talk more about when I post the rest of the images here (or in my <a href="http://photoaddictshowcase.blogspot.com">other blog</a>).<br />
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I do so admire those of you who manage to post regularly. I honestly have no clue how you manage it... probably by being more focused and disciplined about it than I am! One of the reasons I've been missing for the past month or so has to do with having had quite a bit of upheaval in my personal life. Without going into great gory detail, I will just tell you that I'm finally free of a burdensome relationship and am feeling MUCH lighter as a result. Sometimes things just do not work out and that was the case with myself and the guy who has been living with me for the past (almost) 14 years. He has moved out and I am moving on and enjoying myself quite a bit these days.<br />
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Linking to <a href="http://www.the-creative-exchange.com/">The Creative Exchange</a> which I recently discovered by browsing someone's blog.Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-8088344128129425062011-10-16T19:45:00.000-04:002011-10-16T19:45:51.698-04:00Something new and different... iPhone images from Colorado!Regular followers may have been waiting for me to continue posting about my Sweden and Iceland trip of June/July. However, I ran out of time to finish those posts before taking another trip... this one to Montana (more about that eventually) and Colorado. The main reason I went to Colorado was to take a Photo Tour of Colorado with <a href="http://web.me.com/johnbarclayphoto/John_Barclay_Photo/Blog/Blog.html">John Barclay</a> and <a href="http://www.dansniffinphoto.com/-/dansniffinphoto/default.asp">Dan Sniffin</a>, two marvelous photographers who have been leading such tours for many years.<br />
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The tour was not only terrific fun... I learned an incredible amount of tricks, tips and techniques for post processing. Improved post processing of my images has already resulted in increased attention to my posts on both Flickr and Facebook. <br />
<br />
Some of the MOST fun was discovering iPhoneography... thanks to John and Dan, I've spent a few dollars on more applications (hereafter referred to as apps) for my iPhone, learned a few tricks to improve my ability to take pictures with it and had LOADS of fun with both taking pictures and processing the images after capturing them. <br />
<br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YJO66ptqACE/Tptch8zlD4I/AAAAAAAALnQ/TC3Oph4dVxU/s800/16859155315.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YJO66ptqACE/Tptch8zlD4I/AAAAAAAALnQ/TC3Oph4dVxU/s400/16859155315.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">This collage has images from several different locations all over the area between Ouray, Silverton, Durango, South Fork, Creede and Fairplay, Colorado. All were taken with the Hipstamatic app set for Kodot film using the John S lens. <br />
<br />
The center image is of a barn seen near Bayfield, CO (more on that later in this post); the phone booth was on the side of the Silver Thread highway not too far outside South Fork (you all do know what a phone booth is, right?). ;-) The cute house in the lower left was just as cute inside (the tenant moving in that day invited me in to see it when she saw me taking a picture of the outside), the Coca Cola cooler and assorted relics of bygone days were on the porch of the general store (closed on Sunday) in Creede, the Aspens were everywhere so I'm not at all sure where I took those two photos and the Shaft Restaurant is one of the two places in South Fork where I had dinner while staying at the Arbor House B&B there for two nights... I HIGHLY recommend staying at the Arbor House if you ever find yourself in South Fork. The rest of the images were all taken at the South Park Museum in Fairplay, Colorado, an open air museum set up to show how people lived in that area in the late 1800s. It was a fascinating place and I could have spent more time there if only I didn't have to drive to Denver to catch a plane home that day!</div><br />
The next two collages show the steps in taking the red barn image from the original (taken with the Apple supplied iPhone Camera app set to take an HDR image) to a finished product through several steps. <br />
<br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XLxxvYoNFB-CE47mvgrMLEeJyQ6V8_mE6acePUfPG6MysKc9LLZ0ekbzbVzpr3qQuoGAbQV9iaIjTQbAc3BoKsFgRLahwaGCq8aCt-3gsaQtdGTDQf90uaNDRl_ZC7xJVlUfmhgOsNo/s800/16859250664.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 368px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XLxxvYoNFB-CE47mvgrMLEeJyQ6V8_mE6acePUfPG6MysKc9LLZ0ekbzbVzpr3qQuoGAbQV9iaIjTQbAc3BoKsFgRLahwaGCq8aCt-3gsaQtdGTDQf90uaNDRl_ZC7xJVlUfmhgOsNo/s400/16859250664.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The left image is the original, the right is after retouching (Retouch app) to remove the overhead wires and pole. (note that the entire image isn't visible in this collage but you will see it at the end)</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aV43ea7S7EI/TpteUebcuPI/AAAAAAAALn0/5xb6ekQc6is/s800/16859284226.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 246px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aV43ea7S7EI/TpteUebcuPI/AAAAAAAALn0/5xb6ekQc6is/s400/16859284226.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The image on the left is the original image after processing with the AutoPainter app using the Benson effect (I may never pick up a paintbrush again); the center image is the result of blending the original (after retouching) with the AutoPainter image (50% opacity) using Iris; the image on the right is after cropping slightly, still in Iris.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx570GgaUmss35cLfIapTNsDxFKqyX1zEGqTNB8T3jpdmOPoxhKKAKzOSkxfuQ3fNUPZaR3mkL2JQComNCftf2wP92JPc6iZSNsg8O6Wpi-WuA4qf_5PFsrkUouSdTL2FEqPbrDm9KtRA/s800/IMAGE_1000000840.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
381px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx570GgaUmss35cLfIapTNsDxFKqyX1zEGqTNB8T3jpdmOPoxhKKAKzOSkxfuQ3fNUPZaR3mkL2JQComNCftf2wP92JPc6iZSNsg8O6Wpi-WuA4qf_5PFsrkUouSdTL2FEqPbrDm9KtRA/s400/IMAGE_1000000840.JPG" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="red barn on roadside" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The finished image after further cropping and a bit more tweaking in Iris.</div><br />
<i>PS - If you want to see another scenic image (taken with my Nikon D90) from Colorado and some more iPhone photos, visit the two most recent posts on my <a href="http://photoaddictshowcase.blogspot.com">photography blog</a>.</i>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-26773317369138331222011-09-02T18:33:00.000-04:002011-09-02T18:33:54.055-04:00A Day of Fun with Sture and Inger... Tärnaby and nearby, SwedenOur day started with a lovely breakfast followed by a quick stop in Tärnaby for a couple of items to supplement our picnic lunch. Afterward, we drove to Laisaliden where we parked the car and headed out to walk a bit on the Drottningleden hiking trail. After a short climb at the beginning of the trail, we were treated to lovely views on all sides as we hiked along a high plateau. The image below is a panorama of five images of just some of our lovely views on this hike... stitched together in Photoshop.
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vmql9rZRX_E/TmBKBdr5XPI/AAAAAAAAK_U/har_wW6wijg/s800/va%2525CC%252588gsele-.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 150px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vmql9rZRX_E/TmBKBdr5XPI/AAAAAAAAK_U/har_wW6wijg/s400/va%2525CC%252588gsele-.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="panoramic view from the Drottningleden trail" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The two images flanking the wildflowers in the top half of the collage below are of the rushing mountain stream running alongside the start of the trail. The yellow wildflower is Small Cow wheat (<i>Melampyrum silvaticum</i>, the dark purple flower is <i>Bartsia alpina L.</i>; its common name in Sweden is Svarthö which translates to Bartsia! The image on the lower left is the first of five images that were used to make the panoramic image at the top of this post... even the ground was beautiful on our hike as seen in the gorgeous stones and greenery in the image in the lower right. In the middle is cousin Sture, carrying most of the provisions for our lunch and coffee making and brother-in-law Tom on top of the world in spite of the gloomy weather!</div>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGa_ivk1FmlzV86l_VlbvW6wilPAe87wkaymXzDzfVlfkuJ4mj3A_WQq9NJcfG2pmhhdEXPfnQJO66IuGnNS7nOL8fVkA3tHvg77Krt31ETrAZJ-glmlW8RMW8yisGc8ueD_Js9FgAO4/s800/16145953362.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGa_ivk1FmlzV86l_VlbvW6wilPAe87wkaymXzDzfVlfkuJ4mj3A_WQq9NJcfG2pmhhdEXPfnQJO66IuGnNS7nOL8fVkA3tHvg77Krt31ETrAZJ-glmlW8RMW8yisGc8ueD_Js9FgAO4/s400/16145953362.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Below you have the gateway to the hiking trail and Sture preparing to make the all-important coffee to go with our picnic lunch after we had hiked up to the plateau. The hardest part of finding a lunch spot was finding a place that was sheltered enough from the wind to allow Sture to light the flame for making the coffee. We certainly didn't lack for beautiful scenery!</div>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bgT2UxwPZJ4/TmE4My6IEJI/AAAAAAAALEU/585h6PZMRl8/s800/16148628797.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 368px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bgT2UxwPZJ4/TmE4My6IEJI/AAAAAAAALEU/585h6PZMRl8/s400/16148628797.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Images below include several from our hike along the plateau, brother Lukas and brother-in-law Tom (back to camera) hunkered down and enjoying lunch and Sture finally joining us in the meal after making sure we all had coffee. The image in the lower right is an HDR from 3 images taken of the stream that runs alongside the start of the trail. As we returned to the parking lot at the end of our hike, the sky had become quite dark except for the light patch in the distance and light rain was falling.</div>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WSnEgGGs6xk/TmE6yrYJLVI/AAAAAAAALEc/_UI_-BgDqnc/s800/16148791671.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WSnEgGGs6xk/TmE6yrYJLVI/AAAAAAAALEc/_UI_-BgDqnc/s400/16148791671.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">I debated about including the collage below... the church looks crooked to me in BOTH of the images. SIGH... must do a better job of post processing when making collages which tend to exaggerate any "off kilter" bits! This is the church in Tärnaby (Tarna kyrka) and is the church where Inger's parents were married.</div>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEzQX977-LVWOGyfol2Ga6TPW9S3CBnkGRsqi3-L0qBoZ6lnpxIkMX5zDnaBPslnoTWdz5weHSpeQoe2ubT-KKXQoCLXkS6AT88y0-13KgWIKPCKLv03P-qNCEswXuo-3JJxP4kW7r5w/s800/16148868627.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 368px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEzQX977-LVWOGyfol2Ga6TPW9S3CBnkGRsqi3-L0qBoZ6lnpxIkMX5zDnaBPslnoTWdz5weHSpeQoe2ubT-KKXQoCLXkS6AT88y0-13KgWIKPCKLv03P-qNCEswXuo-3JJxP4kW7r5w/s400/16148868627.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Interior views of the church in Tärnaby include the high pulpit, a view of the painting over the altar and one of the stairwells leading up to the choir balcony where the organ, last image, is located. This church was beautiful in its simplicity and not nearly as elaborately decorated in the interior as many we saw.</div>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4KE_TVZ-0m8/TmE8eQbz3XI/AAAAAAAALEo/KM_YE_TIDOA/s800/16148913049.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4KE_TVZ-0m8/TmE8eQbz3XI/AAAAAAAALEo/KM_YE_TIDOA/s400/16148913049.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">After our stop in Tärnaby on the way home from our hike, we made a couple more stops along the way to have a look at some family homes formerly belonging to Inger's family. The house on the top left below was the home of Inger's grandparents until they became quite elderly at which point it was given to one of the sons as is the custom in Sweden in the old days (and still seems to be fairly common to this day). The home in the lower right is where Inger's grandparents lived in their "old age" and is on the same property as their other house. The thermometer measuring the temperature at nearly 9 PM was on the outside of Sture and Inger's home and the interior door is in their house. That door came from the old house that they bought to provide building materials for portions of their home. Sture was in the process of stripping all the old paint when Inger suggested that he should leave it as you see it now because it was beautiful that way. I quite agree!</div>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc32g0ncV9PmHRHr1vpihVuAD_Fw2qplxGRHU6LfoayC8qM7enhD6KAx6G3weVgZCDw31FVQucdoELFoqGbnyYEvmtpijDyzL8Fjh477AieSKnk2jH8MPiAA1aJbTSgDsIYZQbQ0YJbo/s800/16148955035.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc32g0ncV9PmHRHr1vpihVuAD_Fw2qplxGRHU6LfoayC8qM7enhD6KAx6G3weVgZCDw31FVQucdoELFoqGbnyYEvmtpijDyzL8Fjh477AieSKnk2jH8MPiAA1aJbTSgDsIYZQbQ0YJbo/s400/16148955035.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The last collage has an image of the home in which Inger lived until age 4 when her family moved from Tärnaby to Lycksele, a lovely little wildflower, <i>Moneses uniflora</i> (known as Ögonljus in Sweden), and a pleasant scene near the family property.</div>
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S8GNoZwRuo0/TmE9rrKXpmI/AAAAAAAALEw/YdhfzHwMGyk/s800/16148995620.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 136px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S8GNoZwRuo0/TmE9rrKXpmI/AAAAAAAALEw/YdhfzHwMGyk/s400/16148995620.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"></div>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-80015626872012397222011-08-30T14:31:00.000-04:002011-08-30T14:31:22.892-04:00From Lycksele to Tärnaby - Sweden, 2011The Blue Highway is 1700km (1020 miles) of "sheer adventure" and goes from "the island of Traena on the Atlantic coast in Norway, by way of Umeå, across Kvarken to Vasa in Finland, and eventually to Petrozavodsk in the Russian Republic of Karelia" according to the sign seen at a roadside stop on our day of travel to Tärnaby. This scenic highway passes through urban (represented by Umeå), rural (represented by Lycksele), forest (represented by Vägsele) and alpine (represented by Tärnaby) zones. We stayed for two nights in Lycksele while visiting with Sture and Inger in Vägsele and one night in Umeå en route to Lycksele from the High Coast. We stayed two nights at the "summer home" of cousins Sture and Inger in Tärnaby. So we saw all four zones during our travels on just the Swedish portion of the Blue Highway, or Blå Vägen, as it is called in Swedish. Come along for the ride...<br />
<br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ne0RY9EPKeOEvm1cOI5Y4Q?feat=embedwebsite"><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0sejnkvQkVZvRNrfNWQz6PWM8fMxuCV5LyNKUQMRyHgE_PXK04cpB9-Z3KwN3iRp37sCiGvQtUU2FEMqlvt-mX0zF6xDO2J-Od8VlKbWVOP3dnJvCJeyo25xXlmYUXmGSiFkCfT_eeY/s800/va%2525CC%252588gsele-0004-2.jpg""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:left;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
288px; height: 191px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0sejnkvQkVZvRNrfNWQz6PWM8fMxuCV5LyNKUQMRyHgE_PXK04cpB9-Z3KwN3iRp37sCiGvQtUU2FEMqlvt-mX0zF6xDO2J-Od8VlKbWVOP3dnJvCJeyo25xXlmYUXmGSiFkCfT_eeY/s288/va%2525CC%252588gsele-0004-2.jpg"" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Hotell Duvan in Lycksele" /></a></a></td><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:left">Before leaving Lycksele, I took a photo of the Hotell Duvan where we stayed two nights in Lycksele and several interior views of Lycksele kyrka (across the street and in the collage below).</td></tr></table><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE10mx258-xLcP3ZcufNCUkGOlrqLhOLuriwwSXuGiXWNlk-wD-wmQ8M6FcNYsktT1vwn4VNM0KnC5Tb5pVVd20m_CK9471nbYw8TKtJr_gkoZzrGrpFQyDkoO_fOjwAcPrHHXCwfZAUY/s800/16078927305.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE10mx258-xLcP3ZcufNCUkGOlrqLhOLuriwwSXuGiXWNlk-wD-wmQ8M6FcNYsktT1vwn4VNM0KnC5Tb5pVVd20m_CK9471nbYw8TKtJr_gkoZzrGrpFQyDkoO_fOjwAcPrHHXCwfZAUY/s400/16078927305.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Built of wood from 1795-1799, the interior of Lycksele kyrka was painted to resemble marble (lower left) and ceiling paintings were added in the 1950s during a restoration. The fabulous organ was added in 1977 during a more recent renovation. The front altar painting by CG Sjöstrand (lower right) depicts the resurrection of Christ and was added in 1842. The fabulously gilded high pulpit is one of many such high pulpits present in churches all over Sweden. While researching Lycksele kyrka on the internet, I found an interesting Google translation from the <a href="http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycksele_kyrka">Swedish Wikipedia</a> article on Lycksele kyrka: "The church is built of sleeping hours and consists of nave with cows in the east and the west tower." I have NO IDEA what that means but think I'd prefer my church without cows! I can relate to "sleeping hours" in church though… ;-)</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyap17UQ6KBnzMpa-lua5fVp9h8qHvSDB7q4lnzDk5ImrcFoe7OsXicfTH9JUCm7YeXmI9K5WTKSIeQ7-pYQArqEGiVXRp02M8XnckGl2cU7ZJcfL1qQykbLvhTbJPM54O-rJSMBh9k_4/s800/16086126736.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyap17UQ6KBnzMpa-lua5fVp9h8qHvSDB7q4lnzDk5ImrcFoe7OsXicfTH9JUCm7YeXmI9K5WTKSIeQ7-pYQArqEGiVXRp02M8XnckGl2cU7ZJcfL1qQykbLvhTbJPM54O-rJSMBh9k_4/s400/16086126736.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">En route to Tärnaby from Lycksele, we were treated to a stop at a roadside picnic area alongside the Umeälven, Ume River, marked by the red dot on the map shown between the two river views. Seated on the left of the picnic table from front to back are myself, my sister Valerie and my brother Lukas; on the right (same order), cousin-in-law Inger, my brother's partner Tom and cousin Sture. As usual, we were treated to a fine snack and freshly brewed coffee! The wooden "box" houses trash cans and keeps the four-legged critters from the garbage. The church is Stensele kyrka... anxious to reach Tärnaby, we did not stop to explore this largest wooden church in Sweden. (we did make a short side trip to visit this church two days later)</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ei6c6Cej6PM/TlwUZdcVrPI/AAAAAAAAK9c/ssrlZituxpA/s800/16086011945.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ei6c6Cej6PM/TlwUZdcVrPI/AAAAAAAAK9c/ssrlZituxpA/s400/16086011945.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">First order of business on arrival... light a fire to dispel the chill from the air... it's cool even in summer in the mountains! As soon as the cars were unpacked we set the table and Inger began preparing food for our afternoon meal... Another lovely meal with appetizers of herring two ways (one in cream sauce with egg and onions and one pickled), more potatoes, some riced to have with the main meal and some whole as an option to have with the herring. The main meal was moose with chanterelles and gravy (absolutely delicious), riced potatoes, rye toast, lingonberry jam and salad followed by a dessert of homemade rhubarb pie warm from the oven served with a vanilla cream sauce.The downstairs rooms have dual purpose "couches" that doubled as sleeping space for Sture and Inger during our stay. They insisted we sleep in the upstairs rooms.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yXJSdMMX278/TlwWiKUDSiI/AAAAAAAAK9o/1inYJ-5HfWw/s800/16086155882.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yXJSdMMX278/TlwWiKUDSiI/AAAAAAAAK9o/1inYJ-5HfWw/s400/16086155882.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Upstairs, the smaller of the two bedrooms is colorfully decorated and furnished with two twin beds, the larger of the two (lower right) has two twin beds and a sleep sofa that can be expanded for additional sleeping space. And if that isn't enough, there is a small "cottage" opposite the main house that sleeps more (upper right). Sture and Inger lived in this one-room cottage during the construction of their larger home. They built it themselves using, in part, materials from an old house Sture bought and had transported to their property in Tärnaby in order to take it apart and use the materials in construction of their vacation home. The wedding photo sits on the table (a small part of which is seen in the foreground, lower right) and is of their older son Örjan and his wife Lisa. I rather like the look the glare on the glass gave this photo of a photo.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0yyev3MYufc/TlwX4isn5HI/AAAAAAAAK9w/1u7MwnROzWM/s800/16086257438.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0yyev3MYufc/TlwX4isn5HI/AAAAAAAAK9w/1u7MwnROzWM/s400/16086257438.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">What to do after our marvelous meal? Why, walk it off, of course. Through the forest and down to Lake Gäutan where we saw the sunlight on Ryfjället, the lower of the two main peaks seen here, and spotted quite a few alpine flowers along the way (or on a later walk). Ryfjället rises 1130 meters (0.7 miles) above sea level; the taller and more distant peak is Ryivegaise which rises 1412 meters (0.87 miles) above sea level.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0mnlCumCzrRNPTa1Ht8Glf-JcJl-aX10-RgbNiy8mwfQqtZOMJFPB0v7faG8_782LcUrv2wml31NaRUnVZdWzl8m4utfDbD14K138N7RVE7IfYu5yOQBhxz-Gz5TiNKhGKUWzEYLS2k/s800/16086303958.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0mnlCumCzrRNPTa1Ht8Glf-JcJl-aX10-RgbNiy8mwfQqtZOMJFPB0v7faG8_782LcUrv2wml31NaRUnVZdWzl8m4utfDbD14K138N7RVE7IfYu5yOQBhxz-Gz5TiNKhGKUWzEYLS2k/s400/16086303958.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Another look at Ryfjället and Lake Gäutan, Sture, Inger and Frosse (phonetic spelling) on the lake shore, the colorful door to their home with its lovely hardware and the moose antlers seen on a neighbor's garage. One note about hiking down to Lake Gäutan... if you ever find yourself in Sweden hiking around this lake, make sure you have used a good insect repellant! The mosquitoes were pretty hungry.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-19AA1x9EGak/TluJ8NWF6vI/AAAAAAAAK3w/_wdZDhaEkEc/s800/va%2525CC%252588gsele-0005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 266px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-19AA1x9EGak/TluJ8NWF6vI/AAAAAAAAK3w/_wdZDhaEkEc/s400/va%2525CC%252588gsele-0005.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">This is a bit out of order since this image is from Vägsele but I wanted to include it anyway. The home seen here belonged to Sture's parents. The small extension on the right of the main house was used as a post office until 1960; during that time, Sture's mother was postmistress for the town of Vägsele. The main house dates from the 1930s but both the post office extension and the porch on the left were added at later dates.</div>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-28876624300494949522011-08-24T18:21:00.000-04:002011-08-24T18:21:13.340-04:00Out and about in Vägsele, Ytterfors and Lycksele in Northern SwedenWe learned rather quickly that any visit with cousin Sture and his wife Inger meant hiking, eating REALLY GOOD food and learning about how things were in the "old days" as evidenced by relics left in the old houses where various relatives were born and/or lived at some time in the past. Our second day visiting with them was filled with so much activity that it was very hard to choose representative images... hope you enjoy your visit here. We certainly enjoyed our visit there!<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cTSByfcsE7g/TlQrm9arcJI/AAAAAAAAK0w/t1cy0lDUkYo/s800/15983353345.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cTSByfcsE7g/TlQrm9arcJI/AAAAAAAAK0w/t1cy0lDUkYo/s400/15983353345.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Images seen here in the top left and bottom right are from the garden as is the flower image (cannot recall the species). Others are from our before lunch hike on the property where Sture and Inger live and include a rear view of my brother and his partner heading into the woods, my brother getting up close to a flower, a view through the trees to a distant farm, my brother-in-law with Inger and my sister trailing behind Inger as we return to their house at the end of our walk.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2vkvgzg9hpI/TlQuC6UR6XI/AAAAAAAAK04/5hK3_o24f5s/s800/15983521616.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2vkvgzg9hpI/TlQuC6UR6XI/AAAAAAAAK04/5hK3_o24f5s/s400/15983521616.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The images across the top half of the collage include views of the Johansson family property showing Sture and Inger's home and barn as well as land across the street that used to be part of the property; the two smaller images are actually the left and right halves of a landscape image take from high up the hill above their home looking across to distant mountains. The bottom half of the collage shows the home of one our great-grandfather's brothers next to the windmill that is a lawn decoration at this home, another view of distant mountains as seen from the Johansson property and the barn with wood bins FILLED to overflowing with wood chopped by cousin Sture. Inger told us the home that belonged to our ancestor has been added on to since it was originally built in our great-grandfather's time and is now quite modern.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8isvFGqUfJhN8rRYouiDO74z8qC42cZ021D_T6izyTCfvQUnxySyVM7h45ul6MLNhBdXgfgG1LxwB1XCUbjtJ1ntYgv4T5ksVb_6b5q8QEzFF8yRbWkc_FyBO2sqFxvL4BlralWNHTg/s800/15983609067.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8isvFGqUfJhN8rRYouiDO74z8qC42cZ021D_T6izyTCfvQUnxySyVM7h45ul6MLNhBdXgfgG1LxwB1XCUbjtJ1ntYgv4T5ksVb_6b5q8QEzFF8yRbWkc_FyBO2sqFxvL4BlralWNHTg/s400/15983609067.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">A short drive away from the home of our cousin found us at a lovely picnic spot, complete with shelter in case of inclement weather, a fireplace for warmth and/or cooking and beautiful scenery just across the road from the picnic table. Sture carried the coffee pot and fixings for coffee with him whenever food was involved in our outings... including carrying it in a knapsack when we went hiking! By the time we had lunch spread out on the picnic table and had taken a few photographs of the lovely scenery, Sture had coffee ready for us. The tiny people in the image in the lower left are my brother and his partner.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXNNPeInDDrJ7FbDhNXwi8SVvqLX5FJAeBbgQFgBpEnxOv1b-BpHCDiIMmVhcGwvS3uCpeVEMCafvabrzECubSHNsqK0-Bg4YVqwzClVmTz2sg6v7s5GVf5M_OXzE7G5QV2p9CwkkUm8/s800/15983742036.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXNNPeInDDrJ7FbDhNXwi8SVvqLX5FJAeBbgQFgBpEnxOv1b-BpHCDiIMmVhcGwvS3uCpeVEMCafvabrzECubSHNsqK0-Bg4YVqwzClVmTz2sg6v7s5GVf5M_OXzE7G5QV2p9CwkkUm8/s400/15983742036.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">In addition to lovely scenery, wildflowers were abundant at our picnic spot. Caught my sister taking a photo of our spectacular views... we never did figure out if the white flower is Queen Anne's Lace or some other look-alike flower... and the pink cluster of tiny buds is still unidentified. The others are either Common or Small Cow-wheat (hard to know which the tiny yellow, twin blossoms are), Buttercup and Wild Geranium, completely with a tiny fly that MAY be a hoverfly. (There is not enough detail to be absolutely certain of the ID and it is not a hoverfly with which I'm familiar if it is, indeed, a hoverfly.)</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibnCMiCnvuTsLnVjq3BrlmX5dmgCt_LQ9Hv0xmQNWFcA8uY5v_v2qkznmY_jwki6VluEnmMlu8sRHxP2nmKMxAVzRgT2ahGKRUz6Brhu2aeWpBcBGvospauE3q78-TcGKnG8f4LSmVSE/s800/15991300123.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibnCMiCnvuTsLnVjq3BrlmX5dmgCt_LQ9Hv0xmQNWFcA8uY5v_v2qkznmY_jwki6VluEnmMlu8sRHxP2nmKMxAVzRgT2ahGKRUz6Brhu2aeWpBcBGvospauE3q78-TcGKnG8f4LSmVSE/s400/15991300123.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">After lunch, we headed off on our next adventure. A short distance away we visited property that used to belong to my grandmother's family and saw the house in which she was born, the top left and bottom right images are of that house which is no longer livable. The woman in the lower right image, Brigitta, lives in the new house (built in 1960) on the property and had much to tell us about the old house and the old days. She is standing on the back corner of the old house and told us that it used to be bigger but part of it was demolished to provide building materials that were used in building the new house. The top right image is of the old barn on the property; Sture and Inger are standing in front of the old playhouse on the property and the dishes and tea service (use your imagination) are inside the playhouse. Although there is a new playhouse, Brigitta says the children prefer to play in the old one. She also told us she played in this house when she was young and learned everything she needed to know about life here. The other images on the bottom left are of some of our party going into the woods (you will see why in the next collage), a vole hiding in the grass and a detail of the old, cast iron stove in the old house.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6inrtfONT_M/TlVcb5Oz8BI/AAAAAAAAK1Y/6GJC_S-8JkI/s800/15997138683.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6inrtfONT_M/TlVcb5Oz8BI/AAAAAAAAK1Y/6GJC_S-8JkI/s400/15997138683.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">More images of the old house including a closer view of the rear corner where Brigitta stood and told us about the house, another view of the playhouse, the other side of the rear of the old house and a building used by our great-grandfather as a smithy. The part of the old house, now gone, that was on the rear half of the house seen in the lower left was lodging for the schoolteacher who came for three months of the year to teach the school age children. It would have also served as the schoolroom.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZkJK7_nIjlM/TlVei2_q01I/AAAAAAAAK1g/wq8S3M5kW2A/s800/15997277690.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZkJK7_nIjlM/TlVei2_q01I/AAAAAAAAK1g/wq8S3M5kW2A/s400/15997277690.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The top left image is one last view of the barn on the Ytterfors property... beautiful to me in the setting of all the green hues and wildflowers. The rest of the images in this collage are from the inside of the old house on the Johansson property and include old wallpaper, old linoleum flooring (watch your step), lasts used in making their own shoes, one door of a wardrobe used until fairly recently by one of our grandfather's brothers (we think), two views (front and rear) of an old knapsack that would have been used for berry picking and an anvil that our great-grandfather used in the old days. Sometimes I think we have NO IDEA how easy our lives are compared to our ancestors.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YUkKbkrrzE0/TlVhweU0f8I/AAAAAAAAK1o/vmb6TnKngAI/s800/15997512480.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YUkKbkrrzE0/TlVhweU0f8I/AAAAAAAAK1o/vmb6TnKngAI/s400/15997512480.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">An old sundial, another lovely view from the Johansson property, our cousins' pet playing with his chew toy, another marvelous meal prepared by Inger and Sture and roadside views taken around 9:30 PM on our way back to Lycksele. The late evening light was just amazing!</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DnbHaPgvtNE/TlViQD3wYDI/AAAAAAAAK1s/eqHBjYBSyAA/s800/15997548271.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 246px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DnbHaPgvtNE/TlViQD3wYDI/AAAAAAAAK1s/eqHBjYBSyAA/s400/15997548271.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">The sunset images flanking the church are not exactly as they were seen. I was experimenting with color adjustments on images taken at the same time as those seen in the previous collage... clearly one can change the look/feel of an image quite dramatically! The church in Lycksele was right across the street from our hotel; the picture was taken at about 10:30 PM as we were heading out to walk along the water before bedtime.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hfPz1yYE8qc/TlVjDeOd5eI/AAAAAAAAK10/X78Mt8AKuv0/s800/15997608230.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hfPz1yYE8qc/TlVjDeOd5eI/AAAAAAAAK10/X78Mt8AKuv0/s400/15997608230.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;">Images from our wandering around town and along the Ume River in Lycksele... a lovely building whose purpose I cannot recall, a house in town (do you see the face?), one of the only modern churches we saw during our stay in Sweden, sunset along the river with an abandoned boat, two fishermen coming in to shore, a statue of a fisherman and the front of our hotel. As for the "WICTORIA" poster, it is advertising a Circus and was sometimes spelled WICTORIA and sometimes Victoria. Either way, I had to take a picture of it!</div><br />
Last, but not least, you may like to view a <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/106869072116253693469/VagseleAndLyckseleSweden2011#slideshow/">slide show</a> of the images included in this post. If you made it this far, thanks so much for coming along for the journey!<br />
<br />
Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-10393630219939984662011-08-19T13:16:00.000-04:002011-08-19T13:16:10.608-04:00Travels continue... from Umeå to Lycksele and Vägsele - Sweden, 2011<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a onblur="try
{parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"
href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hXZ0z_wBEJQ/Tk1DIwIsphI/AAAAAAAAKWM/KdIPMT0Cs0E/s800/Umea%2525CC%25258AToLycksele-0001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:left;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
96px; height: 144px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hXZ0z_wBEJQ/Tk1DIwIsphI/AAAAAAAAKWM/KdIPMT0Cs0E/s144/Umea%2525CC%25258AToLycksele-0001.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="barbells and workout DVD" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"></div></td><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">An unexpected discovery in my hotel room in Umeå... two sets of barbells along with a DVD of suggestions for workouts. Fortunately, they were not at the head end of the bed! And they did NOT get used by me but they were an artistic addition to the decor. :-)</td></tr></table><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXj83mXGAN50Nhi1niUVY1_SpmOLxKg3lOKfl2mnhe12mTNHS0hb8SDVQcz8vZ1E8vkGMjPvWuvFdq-xMZCBLH7wPSAaSxVlZdA-uVXelGQMBT06sAy-dj4yZ4A3e-ZYcDL4F_91PX_Y/s800/15891723895.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXj83mXGAN50Nhi1niUVY1_SpmOLxKg3lOKfl2mnhe12mTNHS0hb8SDVQcz8vZ1E8vkGMjPvWuvFdq-xMZCBLH7wPSAaSxVlZdA-uVXelGQMBT06sAy-dj4yZ4A3e-ZYcDL4F_91PX_Y/s400/15891723895.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Before leaving Umeå, we went to Gammlia, a part of town where there is an open air museum with buildings representing diverse cultures and various historic times. We happened to be there just as people were coming to church in the old Gammlia Kyrka. The church is not very large but it is quite pretty... the service was outdoors on this nice Saturday morning during Midsummer celebrations and the pastor was happy to tell us a bit about the church. We were invited to stay for the service but needed to be on the road to Lycksele and Vägsele to meet up with our cousins.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Z8rUNn6yQrI/Tk1j0ZfRraI/AAAAAAAAKnE/MkXKAKkU_Go/s800/15891783876.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 184px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Z8rUNn6yQrI/Tk1j0ZfRraI/AAAAAAAAKnE/MkXKAKkU_Go/s400/15891783876.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">More from the Gammlia Kyrka... close up of the bell tower and interior shots showing the painted walls (commonly done to make them look like stone) and some of the interior decorations as well as the high pulpit (dark because I chose to show it as it was with natural light).</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Xt0v40EYU4w/Tk1lfL8Uq0I/AAAAAAAAKnY/uEEcZg6PWaY/s800/15891902546.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Xt0v40EYU4w/Tk1lfL8Uq0I/AAAAAAAAKnY/uEEcZg6PWaY/s400/15891902546.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">The schoolteacher docent in Gammlia standing outside the schoolhouse which was also used as a bakery. Interior shots show some of the school supplies (slates the student used, chalk (in baskets in drawer) and erasers (rolled up rags)), the room where the teacher would have stayed while teaching students for the 3 month period s/he was at this school and the chamberpot (used during the night if needed and emptied the next day).</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Rzeg_mLY2Q4tOvlj2HFG15csF_nTf9_8ES1ASNdaf-wLztK7rzH47eDt4KExGQ4H2OQFTsMCqcUAFJI8NgnUlkLgFXPMuo3T6SeAA9b2qe33RJki_I2pp9-PVrpUdKCwbZWu1FYLWPo/s800/15892077629.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Rzeg_mLY2Q4tOvlj2HFG15csF_nTf9_8ES1ASNdaf-wLztK7rzH47eDt4KExGQ4H2OQFTsMCqcUAFJI8NgnUlkLgFXPMuo3T6SeAA9b2qe33RJki_I2pp9-PVrpUdKCwbZWu1FYLWPo/s400/15892077629.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Schoolteacher explaining that the "sticks" of letters, numbers and symbols behind her were used to teach arithmetic, the alphabet and spelling, a water mill building near the school, oil lamp used for light during long, dark winter nights and the school garden which also would have been used in teaching the students as well as providing produce for the teacher.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sXuZX1SbmH0/Tk1sczWTnnI/AAAAAAAAKoM/bCtJXIDBpiQ/s800/15892401424.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sXuZX1SbmH0/Tk1sczWTnnI/AAAAAAAAKoM/bCtJXIDBpiQ/s400/15892401424.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Entering the Sami village we saw smoke coming from this "cot" and were invited in by the young Sami who was the docent on duty. He told us that he and his father built this cot, first finding the curved trees that are used for the main support of the structure and then finding and cutting all the logs. Construction was done entirely without the use of nails which were very scarce and hard to come by in northern Sweden in the old days. In the cot, the family sits to the right of the fire with the most important members seated furthest from the door in order of importance to the family (the mother is the most important); guests would have been seated on the left. I commented that his clothing didn't look very authentic Sami to me... his comment in return was that he is Sami and the clothes felt like clothing to him so they must be authentic Sami clothing. :-)</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HZLbTCd1K0cAZgYFKIFqvPi34NZlR_qoE3QBwqaZeVJwZ4bUT_bWTAz9ZYNGDXs_3TKu-f7ArGCYakyJ3PabDXKvhmdxalBQF_GY-i8I6_Y8xvKEVShgFAROeTcZiiXxsup-g5XK2Cc/s800/15892532280.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HZLbTCd1K0cAZgYFKIFqvPi34NZlR_qoE3QBwqaZeVJwZ4bUT_bWTAz9ZYNGDXs_3TKu-f7ArGCYakyJ3PabDXKvhmdxalBQF_GY-i8I6_Y8xvKEVShgFAROeTcZiiXxsup-g5XK2Cc/s400/15892532280.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Images from the Västerbottens museum in Gammlia, Umeå, Sweden. Museums of this sort were established to display buildings and lifestyles that seemed to be vanishing with the onset of the industrial revolution. Of course I had to include a macro of a hoverfly... the images surrounding it from top right to lower bottom left are of a summer barn, a rail fence with a drying rack in the background (both built without using nails), a threshing barn, windows of the "cot" seen in the adjacent image, two sheep stripping a young pine of its bark and lower needles, a lovely scene of an old wooden structure next to the forest.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uqcL9b8pWMs/Tk1u2k-EhtI/AAAAAAAAKoc/I00ejxL8LNQ/s800/15892568440.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 246px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uqcL9b8pWMs/Tk1u2k-EhtI/AAAAAAAAKoc/I00ejxL8LNQ/s400/15892568440.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">The two wooden structures high off the ground and supported by raised platforms with tree trunks as the base are typical of Sami food storage buildings, designed to keep food away from four-legged predators. The tree trunks are still rooted in the ground. The middle structure is a portable cot (Sami home) that is used in summer while moving the reindeer herd from one grazing ground to the next.</div><br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--pHkrgF5LE4/Tk1FL3Cj1jI/AAAAAAAAKdk/epfYAfDFtFw/s800/Umea%2525CC%25258AToLycksele-0090.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:left;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
288px; height: 191px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--pHkrgF5LE4/Tk1FL3Cj1jI/AAAAAAAAKdk/epfYAfDFtFw/s288/Umea%2525CC%25258AToLycksele-0090.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="reindeer carving" /></a><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"></div></td><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">This reindeer carving was in the Sami village in the open air museum in Gammlia, Umeå, Sweden. Reindeer are very important to the Sami who <a href="http://www.utexas.edu/courses/sami/diehtu/siida/herding/herding-sw.htm">domesticated reindeer in the 16th and 17th centuries</a>.</td></tr></table><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCOGn3SFhf9ZTlHx20y1V67JVi9H5TdRea40F9PvircNhFrW2DVD3sdooQijWYff5VVSt_nPfvAX_UmzaVc96YSB2XWoodeQUHBliqKIcjsl-k5qZlRnmqXIN9pVIhaOgo56YwI38Qts/s800/15905428230.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCOGn3SFhf9ZTlHx20y1V67JVi9H5TdRea40F9PvircNhFrW2DVD3sdooQijWYff5VVSt_nPfvAX_UmzaVc96YSB2XWoodeQUHBliqKIcjsl-k5qZlRnmqXIN9pVIhaOgo56YwI38Qts/s400/15905428230.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">By now we were LATE for lunch for sure and anxious to join our cousins for a meal and to get acquainted/reacquainted. So off we raced to Lycksele where we checked into our hotel and then continued on to Vägsele. Cousin Sture and Inger live in the "new" house on the family property which has been in the Johansson family since the 1600s, seen here with our rental car and their car parked in front shortly after our arrival. Sweden's colors of blue and yellow were in the wildflower bouquet and the maypole (significant to Midsummer celebrations) on the dining table, the wood stove is the second of two stoves in Inger's kitchen and serves dual duty in winter as an extra cooking stove and a heat source. Our first meal included two types of herring (pickled and in cream sauce), moose (killed by Sture during the winter hunt and deliciously prepared by Inger), cloudberry quiche (delicious!) and other wonderful food. The old red barn seen on our after dinner hike, the table set for dinner, our cousins' pet peeking out from under the rug where he hid for awhile and lingonberry blossoms finish out this collage.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8NP0nYoXt6pzD78xV3z1Ho4BP-wIYKeGoUa-U2bGkJ1A5F5Y3zpWKltXyDMbF2G2p2khXNwn39JmGHw3-PMrPcm9uhyphenhyphenslYyrS1t4RH9UIxwfbe5EBevoOHMiKWM8T3g8rTwY7jwsiXg/s800/15905559726.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8NP0nYoXt6pzD78xV3z1Ho4BP-wIYKeGoUa-U2bGkJ1A5F5Y3zpWKltXyDMbF2G2p2khXNwn39JmGHw3-PMrPcm9uhyphenhyphenslYyrS1t4RH9UIxwfbe5EBevoOHMiKWM8T3g8rTwY7jwsiXg/s400/15905559726.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">After dinner, we went off on an "easy hike" as described by Inger who is five years older than I am... if this was an easy hike, a difficult one might be too much for me! It wasn't that difficult but it did go through rocky ground and was an uphill climb. The red building is one of many old buildings we saw in the countryside in northern Sweden; ruins of old farm equipment dot the landscape; Sture's wife Inger with their pet following close behind (must get the correct spelling of the dog's name but think it might be Frässe); Sture carrying umbrellas in case of rain (it did not); and images of distant landscape as seen from high up the mountain.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0Ove7I0Cge4/Tk6FE1fOX1I/AAAAAAAAKpo/N-CkFmQRTQk/s800/15905659678.jpg" height="400"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0Ove7I0Cge4/Tk6FE1fOX1I/AAAAAAAAKpo/N-CkFmQRTQk/s400/15905659678.jpg" height="400" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">The top left and bottom right corner images are the new and old houses respectively on the Johansson property. Sture and Inger have lived in the new house since 2004; the old house, built in 1792 and no longer livable, is where our grandfather was born and where he and our grandmother lived after they were first married. Their oldest two children, born before they emigrated to the US in the early 1900s, were also born here. Other images include a lovely old stone building in disrepair, a small portion of the wood chopped by cousin Sture (no wonder he is in such great shape) for their use in heating their home, a late evening scene of the beautiful countryside in Vägsele, the old laundry house, used by our ancestors as a communal clothes washing place, and more old farm equipment rusting in the fields.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-q0xcB8z9HP4/Tk6KKruM5AI/AAAAAAAAKp0/LLLrcfWl1SU/s800/15905942265.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 202px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-q0xcB8z9HP4/Tk6KKruM5AI/AAAAAAAAKp0/LLLrcfWl1SU/s400/15905942265.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">I'll leave you with two more late evening sunset scenes... a beautiful end to our first day spent with cousins Sture and his wife Inger. All images in this post are available for viewing as a <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/106869072116253693469/FromUmeaToLyckseleAndVagseleSweden2011#slideshow/">slide show</a> if you'd like to see them in their original format.</div>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-76391182876861253692011-08-14T19:15:00.000-04:002011-08-14T19:15:47.938-04:00From Härnösand to Umeå... a day of travel in Sweden - 2011As we continued our journey north toward Umeå, we passed many small villages and farms and saw fewer and fewer cars on the road. If you ever find yourself anywhere near the High Coast region of Sweden, on the world heritage list, it is well worth spending a day or more exploring the area. Once again, editing the many images down to a few to share has been a daunting task. Hope you enjoy the ride! (remember, click any image to view the large size... or if you prefer, have a look at all the images in a <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/106869072116253693469/FromHarnosandToUmeaSweden2011#slideshow/">slide show</a>)<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Ev8Z_o3a3xA/TkfbafiplhI/AAAAAAAAKTs/dAxiGUO9pW4/s800/15818584875.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Ev8Z_o3a3xA/TkfbafiplhI/AAAAAAAAKTs/dAxiGUO9pW4/s400/15818584875.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images under the High Coast Bridge" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">From Wikipedia <i>The High Coast Bridge (in Swedish Högakustenbron or Vedabron) is a suspension bridge crossing the mouth of the Ångermanälven river near Veda, on the border between the Härnösand and Kramfors municipalities in the province of Ångermanland in northern Sweden… length is 1,867 metres (6,125 ft)… constructed between 1993 and 1997 and was officially opened on 1 December 1997.</i></div>The fog lends an air of mystery to these images taken under the bridge after we crossed it leaving Härnösand en route to Umeå.<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbt1TpqBikjAJCo2C9jZaOvM37kYMjiA9QhsE2K3m7Iyokt3XLBOGy0AhSh4jOwXwdsD0pVYmVbpB2MasRsa0uTmjDEyAQCmWrsVQIXfj9vLtMFbWfpgNJl_yMEP_GiohSwcRpU8JxNY/s800/15818654337.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbt1TpqBikjAJCo2C9jZaOvM37kYMjiA9QhsE2K3m7Iyokt3XLBOGy0AhSh4jOwXwdsD0pVYmVbpB2MasRsa0uTmjDEyAQCmWrsVQIXfj9vLtMFbWfpgNJl_yMEP_GiohSwcRpU8JxNY/s400/15818654337.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">A few things that caught my eye as we explored the High Coast area... quiet fishing villages, roadside lupine, novelty advertising and red buildings in fields bordered by typical Sami style wooden fences, constructed without using any nails.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzoWTlR6B-2KrPa_j9mOOTK_vaXMOMG_vm_wmeZABJPAdSIc8QjEi4BCnua5SNwmVPzhn5mZSMzkQ7aX1IhUhLM2MLmI3n9RLVmZv9ob7UiaisOFc-9lF7_alIkBBqj8aVVE4ga9FRnUU/s800/15818677467.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzoWTlR6B-2KrPa_j9mOOTK_vaXMOMG_vm_wmeZABJPAdSIc8QjEi4BCnua5SNwmVPzhn5mZSMzkQ7aX1IhUhLM2MLmI3n9RLVmZv9ob7UiaisOFc-9lF7_alIkBBqj8aVVE4ga9FRnUU/s400/15818677467.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Buzzing bees, wildflowers, beautiful scenery... we never lacked for something lovely to view.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-naFMrDj6NMg/TkffjJz-2UI/AAAAAAAAKUM/KO642XIWIn8/s800/15818777249.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-naFMrDj6NMg/TkffjJz-2UI/AAAAAAAAKUM/KO642XIWIn8/s400/15818777249.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Nordingrå Kyrka (kyrka is Swedish for church) is a beautiful church on the High Coast, constructed from 1825-1825 and restored in 1962, it sits on the same site as a church built in the 12th century. The row of red cabins in the lower left are part of the Nordingrå church village... church villages in Sweden are charactered by a such collections of small cabins and were built up around the churches to provide lodging for parishioners who traveled long distances to church. Prior to the 1860's, it was a crime in Sweden to not go to church. And it wasn't until the last century that church and state were separated. These days, those cabins are sometimes rented to tourists, used for summer camps or are not used at all.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxapKRoLeLWmbCFH3Pf9dssvmGbAoCvpFFJjvA4cUB6UHgOzvZERL-4-yqH-sau3Ah3R-e_IqnL0d97L6lxeslGncGMer4ptWPWMgC66LkUpvp5JC0o9d1HSqLJJW-nGYkSwvQY1PI7y0/s800/15818868116.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxapKRoLeLWmbCFH3Pf9dssvmGbAoCvpFFJjvA4cUB6UHgOzvZERL-4-yqH-sau3Ah3R-e_IqnL0d97L6lxeslGncGMer4ptWPWMgC66LkUpvp5JC0o9d1HSqLJJW-nGYkSwvQY1PI7y0/s400/15818868116.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Another view of the exterior of Nordingrå Kyrka and 3 views of the ruins of the 12th century church. Only the foundation is left standing and nature is taking over the area. Such ruins are particularly beautiful to me with the contrast between the old stone and the lush colors of nature.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TK-2PcQV6HI/TkflvjYFocI/AAAAAAAAKUk/v_yKeYDSFwQ/s800/15819080049.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 184px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TK-2PcQV6HI/TkflvjYFocI/AAAAAAAAKUk/v_yKeYDSFwQ/s400/15819080049.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Continuing our generally northward journey, we stopped at Rotsidans naturreservat on the recommendation of our cousin Örjan. The beach is famous in Sweden and he thought we should stop and see it. The path to the beach is about 500 meters through a lovely forest, passing over the rocky shore dotted with wildflowers... we reached the beach only to find it completely fogged in! My brother's partner is waving at me through the fog as he stands next to my brother. The last image of the sailboat with all the signal flags is from further along on our journey... more about that later. But first, a few more of the foggy Rotsidans naturreservat.</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvCxHiREdRWO5NmH8uDaWEo8uNRGVvhCtCiu9s3u5cLe8JhMu5v15Idzqt7habSXNIs2ZhW429qDFDIBVar3ksbsb-ueLiCSwlXXUPc_EcF_XVfc49P0tLtcHNNOcX08IMXgwi92_z7I/s800/StockholmDay1-0115.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
288px; height: 191px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvCxHiREdRWO5NmH8uDaWEo8uNRGVvhCtCiu9s3u5cLe8JhMu5v15Idzqt7habSXNIs2ZhW429qDFDIBVar3ksbsb-ueLiCSwlXXUPc_EcF_XVfc49P0tLtcHNNOcX08IMXgwi92_z7I/s288/StockholmDay1-0115.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">The sea is lost in the fog...</div><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zDvWUVhqhEsRhLkVB9Zu9bMOY12wzqvg4JixlfERTarqgxiNY3JgVIn6gsjmiR3BvpNkL43A5a5bdYJe_wnYxCn6liskuvcxdFmc1a-D7m3hfSa5fLspjGplB_td5AOHbjsFwhfaues/s800/StockholmDay1-0116.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
288px; height: 191px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zDvWUVhqhEsRhLkVB9Zu9bMOY12wzqvg4JixlfERTarqgxiNY3JgVIn6gsjmiR3BvpNkL43A5a5bdYJe_wnYxCn6liskuvcxdFmc1a-D7m3hfSa5fLspjGplB_td5AOHbjsFwhfaues/s288/StockholmDay1-0116.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">As is the shoreline...</div><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQwaYIXTuuMfi18UtJpex-JB9LgKioN86BmxIRAloBdQ0TzzIO_fQS8SoEVXKTqBcfuRxxDXnOjec6zACC1QGtzP9hP-pv10XVi9IYjLnKwjCtzWkLSQMxXkPXx1ruqAIUEJM4XAm50Q/s800/StockholmDay1-0142.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
288px; height: 191px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQwaYIXTuuMfi18UtJpex-JB9LgKioN86BmxIRAloBdQ0TzzIO_fQS8SoEVXKTqBcfuRxxDXnOjec6zACC1QGtzP9hP-pv10XVi9IYjLnKwjCtzWkLSQMxXkPXx1ruqAIUEJM4XAm50Q/s288/StockholmDay1-0142.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Wave action over the rocks along the shore...</div><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xv3Mead5yLk/TkfUVtx53EI/AAAAAAAAKPM/zKEWClKa8qI/s800/StockholmDay1-0144.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
288px; height: 191px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xv3Mead5yLk/TkfUVtx53EI/AAAAAAAAKPM/zKEWClKa8qI/s288/StockholmDay1-0144.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Shore bird soaring out of the fog over the trees on shore at Rotsidans naturreservat... you might enjoy taking the extra time to click this one and view it large... the light on the bird is quite nice!</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ygzbf2NrPG0/TkfnRGTFFkI/AAAAAAAAKUw/XlTHBLzeT_w/s800/15819157555.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ygzbf2NrPG0/TkfnRGTFFkI/AAAAAAAAKUw/XlTHBLzeT_w/s400/15819157555.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">The High Coast town of Mjällom is where we finally saw a bit of the Midsummer celebrating that was ongoing during our visit... in the lower right on the distant shore, people had gathered and were playing games and listening to music. The image in the lower left is from Skuleskogens National Park and is of the tourist convenience facility there... it is a beautiful building and one would never guess its purpose without seeing the signs for Men (män) and Women (kvinnor) on the doors!</div><br />
<a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78AyBkqJoul1zK33qw-MR6c3PiWzQ2QqnVqOZggrO17FseZ3Q6dWDplNKMakb6ChtCpXdkuzl5U5sujS_NnB2Y9TSw8rN0VLNC4CqQGIpMs-y4Gryo9Q7w55-mJkRvb_7akDjQuHzLcE/s800/15819185120.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78AyBkqJoul1zK33qw-MR6c3PiWzQ2QqnVqOZggrO17FseZ3Q6dWDplNKMakb6ChtCpXdkuzl5U5sujS_NnB2Y9TSw8rN0VLNC4CqQGIpMs-y4Gryo9Q7w55-mJkRvb_7akDjQuHzLcE/s400/15819185120.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a><div style="text-align: center; padding: 3px;">Upon our arrival in Umeå, we find out once again that "proper" restaurants are closed due to the Midsummer holiday so we dine on OK fast food at Max, Sweden's answer to McDonald's and a cut above. Afterward, we wandered around the town exploring our neighborhood... the gentleman in the top left was quite insistent I take his picture and his fingers are forming a heart. The homes along the river are quite impressive and the differing styles of architecture on many of the buildings quite beautiful.</div><br />
In my next post, you will see more of Umeå and then we are off to Lycksele where we at last meet up with our Swedish cousins who live in Vägsele, a small town of 43 inhabitants about 20 minutes from the larger town of Lycksele.Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-216061305434579152011-08-07T20:38:00.000-04:002011-08-07T20:38:40.512-04:00From Stockholm to Härnösand... a day of travel in SwedenIt seems that when we traveled in Sweden, we often found ourselves traveling the highways in the rain. Some of the time, we got lucky and found ourselves stopping during lulls in the rain... other times we battled the rain when stopping to visit sights we wanted to see. Our day of travel from Stockholm to the High Coast town of Härnösand was just such a day... and we weren't always lucky as you will see! (reminder, just click any image to view it larger... or view them all as a <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/toryporter/FromStockholmToHarnosandSweden2011#slideshow/">slide show</a> if you prefer)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f73WdP-Z5OE/Tj8ItddHlJI/AAAAAAAAKDs/Ij5b_qi0NNg/s800/15703752108.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 246px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f73WdP-Z5OE/Tj8ItddHlJI/AAAAAAAAKDs/Ij5b_qi0NNg/s400/15703752108.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>There are two reasons you won't see an image from me of the exterior of the Uppsala Cathedral, the tallest cathedral in Sweden and one that has survived fires and had multiple renovations over the years to reach its present form as a Gothic style cathedral. One is that there was no way to get far enough away from it during the short time we stopped in Uppsala en route to the High Coast... and the other is that the pouring down rain made me not want to even try! Meanwhile, this image is of just a few of the lovely stained glass windows... just look at that organ too!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurYzI8ICBZ7O_QowoxvoTQk7FJw843Dqyc3h7DgHOs8z9SgBZ8TmHtwCOa4ecgF1pulkUVDpLxqRzbdNrU9MNe1KSAoowLQXYoxt8z91Ik9Mh6GgHCnQZoXRrOfcy6aKpvMbXYuur8jE/s800/15703782888.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurYzI8ICBZ7O_QowoxvoTQk7FJw843Dqyc3h7DgHOs8z9SgBZ8TmHtwCOa4ecgF1pulkUVDpLxqRzbdNrU9MNe1KSAoowLQXYoxt8z91Ik9Mh6GgHCnQZoXRrOfcy6aKpvMbXYuur8jE/s400/15703782888.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Near the Uppsala Cathedral, the Holy Trinity Church is older and much simpler... and to my eyes, lovelier. The church was consecrated in 1302 and was decorated with paintings by Albertus Pictor, a famous medieval artist, in the second half of the 15th century.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FeYIUUXYa6s/Tj8KdBtWhAI/AAAAAAAAKEA/akI7_yoGJek/s800/15703885366.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FeYIUUXYa6s/Tj8KdBtWhAI/AAAAAAAAKEA/akI7_yoGJek/s400/15703885366.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>The old buildings on the canal are fishermen's huts, houses and fish stores in the town of Hudiksvall, one of our stops en route to the High Coast from Stockholm. The church spires towering over the foreground buildings are on the cathedral in Härnösand, the only white cathedral in Sweden and also the smallest of Sweden's cathedrals. And the familiar (at least to Americans) golden arches barely visible on the building across the water is the McDonald's in Härnösand... it was an option for dinner that we did not take!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaBhdO5NaQd99IXBgMHHFLBxb-PoEw-AdbEIf2sa2q69kuj_Pecsu7zEgdIsP1JboC2zLSqu_W7nbrUx0ErnXxJd5gKGCpDxvY_stErNHt_mVn-FqOP_EPsXs-Sd-91EVkLJgZ8k1CrM/s800/15703952113.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaBhdO5NaQd99IXBgMHHFLBxb-PoEw-AdbEIf2sa2q69kuj_Pecsu7zEgdIsP1JboC2zLSqu_W7nbrUx0ErnXxJd5gKGCpDxvY_stErNHt_mVn-FqOP_EPsXs-Sd-91EVkLJgZ8k1CrM/s400/15703952113.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>The street scenes are from our exploration of the older part of town in Härnösand. The town was chartered in 1582 and has been partially destroyed by fire 10 times over the years since. I don't know the age of these lovely wooden buildings in the older part of town which is very picturesque with the narrow streets. It was still quite light after 10 PM! The colorful painted doors caught my eye as did a distant view of the cathedral from another angle.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SXNwz5Zm_voYeqqQCDV3I5tF_5GNEfQAV-MPGgblisBO3LWFZSP874_GvOh4NsHkRT5RVmmCWe6Zvyb4lpdhn5I_G1l2YfaeFo3WNKLfmuaV6Wm_NKHR-vTw-f4ZHdntZtMmlzbeSDM/s800/15703990961.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SXNwz5Zm_voYeqqQCDV3I5tF_5GNEfQAV-MPGgblisBO3LWFZSP874_GvOh4NsHkRT5RVmmCWe6Zvyb4lpdhn5I_G1l2YfaeFo3WNKLfmuaV6Wm_NKHR-vTw-f4ZHdntZtMmlzbeSDM/s400/15703990961.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>The pizzeria where we had dinner served OK food... not what I'd had in mind for dinner but that and McDonald's were really about our only choices during the midsummer holiday when almost everyone takes vacation. Another view of the church and yet another view of those painted doors which I liked so much! The tourists waiting for the photographer to stop playing with her camera are my sister and brother.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQl21WJAUMHq2u9-em5YQhi92uxMQ-NDiiv_tVuDodfjg70riym1V_0zs-O5_kI1aUACcqK-4Q0QRlL08ClV6dnhRMLpgIZmy_IzxuJyCBIWDY_Iuvpu8Aun7X1BN7r42ko_IaCbPE6u8/s800/15704047611.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQl21WJAUMHq2u9-em5YQhi92uxMQ-NDiiv_tVuDodfjg70riym1V_0zs-O5_kI1aUACcqK-4Q0QRlL08ClV6dnhRMLpgIZmy_IzxuJyCBIWDY_Iuvpu8Aun7X1BN7r42ko_IaCbPE6u8/s400/15704047611.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Sometimes it seemed that there was brilliant color everywhere we looked! Two shop windows and these flowers caught my eye while we were having our after dinner stroll in Härnösand.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LdZj4THjUwqT45Wpbov7NrFUNMZZqTnN-Utq5UnZlIuVziIp9VUUuKXKA1z6uzBbnHxSAndMJ6tmX7b38kCWPG8KIEtyrBJLBODblRv3QgkZF8yRhpIKF0xpLq0u_NzzHSVOD-CMDHk/s800/15704099757.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LdZj4THjUwqT45Wpbov7NrFUNMZZqTnN-Utq5UnZlIuVziIp9VUUuKXKA1z6uzBbnHxSAndMJ6tmX7b38kCWPG8KIEtyrBJLBODblRv3QgkZF8yRhpIKF0xpLq0u_NzzHSVOD-CMDHk/s400/15704099757.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Continuing our wandering, we saw still more flowers and a colorful building whose purpose I've since forgotten (maybe city hall). The other building (lower left) housed a pub on the first floor where we spent some time having a drink before heading back to our hotel. It seems the clocks in Härnösand's public spaces (the ones I noticed anyway) had not been set for daylight savings time. It was after 11 PM when the photos of the building and the clock tower were taken.<br />
<br />
I think I'm getting the hang of putting these posts together a little more efficiently. I sure hope so anyway because I absolutely MUST finish reporting on this journey before my next adventure begins in mid-September!Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-29895946561619309272011-07-31T20:52:00.000-04:002011-07-31T20:52:28.791-04:00A Packed Day of Tourism in Stockholm, Sweden on June 21, 2011Regular readers may be pleased (I know I am) to know that I've figured out how to enlarge the images included in small size... just click any image you'd like to view in the larger size. <b>If you found your way here from <a href="http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com">World Bird Wednesday</a></b>, where I'll be posting later on this week, you may want to scroll down the page to the bird images which are towards the end.<br />
<br />
Hang onto your hats for a parade of collages from a day so full that I cannot begin to share it all! <br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
{parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOAd7zPWtyXNSD5l8hUiFFe7jJwDp3uq1nDKCmhaZwwYNFpzQZvjzcpROBWg5FiDfM9Josj16aobrBJ2yudCilYQAvHcARnR-g-7CxI895JS0EmqTeA0q26nZ_j-DQOCFnicH4A875Yw/s800/15561010638.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 398px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOAd7zPWtyXNSD5l8hUiFFe7jJwDp3uq1nDKCmhaZwwYNFpzQZvjzcpROBWg5FiDfM9Josj16aobrBJ2yudCilYQAvHcARnR-g-7CxI895JS0EmqTeA0q26nZ_j-DQOCFnicH4A875Yw/s400/15561010638.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="street scenes and buildings as described" /></a></div>We started our day wandering through Gamla Stan (the old part of Stockholm and the location of the Royal Palace) where we saw colorful fruit and vegetable stands, lovely building details, wandering tourists and a nursery school on parade, a gnome outside a shop door, a BIG bag (filled with construction debris and too heavy for any human to carry) and the Swedish Academy where the Nobel prize winners are chosen every year.<br />
<br />
We tarried long enough in Gamla Stan to take numerous photographs of narrow streets, building facades, steeples, windows, and even a "pissoire" (urinal) near the Royal Palace. We also had coffee and a pastry (sorry, no photograph as I wasn't fully awake yet) and observed the changing of the guards afterwards.<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EbDEIpYYWR4/TjTRNQvgowI/AAAAAAAAJ4w/XkLK8ss8AIY/s800/15561073553.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 184px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EbDEIpYYWR4/TjTRNQvgowI/AAAAAAAAJ4w/XkLK8ss8AIY/s400/15561073553.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Street filled with people, lovely facade reminiscent of Dutch architecture, quiet side street and window of a shop not yet open.<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAcvcMRo_SExeTeCviLHpQ4e7GmBHWF6K1S-AAjGSKDzD5VAqVkCjntbAkGzYyGiBTcqLmlHQLOvuzSxpRtxy4Zu3aMDlGD1luBi1_0FntUFEJaGaqqiLkw146KLDQpl5R8J8h2W091M/s800/15561192483.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 184px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAcvcMRo_SExeTeCviLHpQ4e7GmBHWF6K1S-AAjGSKDzD5VAqVkCjntbAkGzYyGiBTcqLmlHQLOvuzSxpRtxy4Zu3aMDlGD1luBi1_0FntUFEJaGaqqiLkw146KLDQpl5R8J8h2W091M/s400/15561192483.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Steeples everywhere... so many different styles to catch the eye.<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fM4YJpGDJPU/TjTUViLXToI/AAAAAAAAJ5I/0aO2Zz1LtFc/s800/15561278140.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 246px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fM4YJpGDJPU/TjTUViLXToI/AAAAAAAAJ5I/0aO2Zz1LtFc/s400/15561278140.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Another quiet street, what might be the most photographed pissoire in the world although it is apparently no longer in use as a urinal and a strange piece of wearing apparel, especially as shown with a jacket and tie! Can you imagine wearing a vest made of tiny skeletons? (photographer reflection in lower right) <br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KrKnnl77wVo/TjTVblfaIjI/AAAAAAAAJ5U/-8q9NKRYOzY/s800/15561345727.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
399px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KrKnnl77wVo/TjTVblfaIjI/AAAAAAAAJ5U/-8q9NKRYOzY/s400/15561345727.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Hotels along one of the many scenic waterfront areas in Stockholm, the Royal Chapel, the organ in the Royal Chapel and the church (kyrka) on Skeppsholmen (more about that later in my journey).<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
{parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"
href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QcLtqO_QnRM/TjTW_Fh7fvI/AAAAAAAAJ5g/VdRpA-jfa8w/s800/15561444514.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QcLtqO_QnRM/TjTW_Fh7fvI/AAAAAAAAJ5g/VdRpA-jfa8w/s400/15561444514.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vRmwKV93o60/TjTYlYn5iPI/AAAAAAAAJ5s/S3wKUNgPrpc/s800/15561537644.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vRmwKV93o60/TjTYlYn5iPI/AAAAAAAAJ5s/S3wKUNgPrpc/s400/15561537644.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Much pageantry is associated with the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace in Stockholm... the outgoing guards were wearing blue uniforms whereas the incoming guards were wearing black uniforms. Those wearing white were members of the marching band providing music for the ceremony. The tiny inset showing tourists in the first of the two collages above is a small taste of the huge crowd gathered to watch the show... the two men wearing plaid on the right are my brother (nearest the camera) and his partner... the woman, also wearing plaid, with her back to the camera on the left is my sister. As the band marched past us (second collage of the two shown above), I was happy to note that the leader of the band was a woman!<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BWf2MG3eQ8k/TjWGhGcIwoI/AAAAAAAAJ58/_0qSl4e_U98/s800/15568969684.jpg""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
392px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BWf2MG3eQ8k/TjWGhGcIwoI/AAAAAAAAJ58/_0qSl4e_U98/s400/15568969684.jpg"" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>The building in the upper left corner is a small portion of one of the wings of the Royal Palace (I believe it is the wing where the private apartments are located, hence the privacy covers over all the windows.); the building on the lower right was built from 1882-1889 and is the headquarters of Norstedts, Sweden's oldest publishing company. I'm not sure about the other buildings that caught my eye!<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ILPAlqrcyyA/TjWIvU3XRCI/AAAAAAAAJ6I/O95RuEAMenI/s800/15569125111.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ILPAlqrcyyA/TjWIvU3XRCI/AAAAAAAAJ6I/O95RuEAMenI/s400/15569125111.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Leaving Gamla Stan, we wandered past the Opera House and through a park where I spotted a Black-backed Gull perched on a statue... it took me about 10 minutes to make my way closer and closer to capture the image in the bottom right. The wooden windmill is out of place in that it was seen in our next destination, Skansen Park on Djurgården, but I needed an image to fill up this collage.<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vMokzexl104rvW8ncmqtW5pdMy9ejKIaICd4QB_jlQnnlNgC9bE0kTO6-Qm3Qp63NfTCTQup7Ek0hP1jJ14rs0YHiLD1Z9ayRWNHVmM0ySoUy0P-j0sCTGLv2UryO5m4dElk4ztwhN8/s800/15569172276.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 246px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vMokzexl104rvW8ncmqtW5pdMy9ejKIaICd4QB_jlQnnlNgC9bE0kTO6-Qm3Qp63NfTCTQup7Ek0hP1jJ14rs0YHiLD1Z9ayRWNHVmM0ySoUy0P-j0sCTGLv2UryO5m4dElk4ztwhN8/s400/15569172276.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Nude statue seen in a quiet courtyard, gorgeous steeple on the House of Lords and the Stockholm City Hall as seen from a distance.<br />
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The last set of images were all taken at Skansen Park on Djurgården. Stockholm is a city made up of many islands, Djurgården is where Skansen, the Gröna Lund amusement park and the Aquaria Water Museum are located. We spent our time on Djurgården at Skansen, Europe's first open air park. It was established in 1891 at a time when the rural way of life was changing and was designed to preserve how people lived before industrialization brought about sweeping changes. One can see buildings from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and hear docents explain how people lived in the "old days." There is also a section of the park devoted to display of Nordic animals.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKQvtIuTGylIoOc-Wrl2gzA_kEQZsd4k-nHZQLIQXtf9DUmVJpZgzmMqYvxPzvFlMmLOHKNlMxajHl69b_h_j8tJqp6SRU_qpX0kFd2Qf6UGFnr9AmenF92NNAscXggji30urY89tpSM/s800/15569313938.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKQvtIuTGylIoOc-Wrl2gzA_kEQZsd4k-nHZQLIQXtf9DUmVJpZgzmMqYvxPzvFlMmLOHKNlMxajHl69b_h_j8tJqp6SRU_qpX0kFd2Qf6UGFnr9AmenF92NNAscXggji30urY89tpSM/s400/15569313938.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>No one going to Skansen Park could miss this guy waiting to make balloon animals for anyone willing to pay him. The animals, a reindeer and a goat, were seen in the Sami area of Skansen Park and the building, maybe a schoolhouse (?), was seen while wandering the grounds after a nasty storm blew threw and soaked everything. I love the light!<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Uk3ZKufLy5E/TjWOWtQulvI/AAAAAAAAJ6o/fiS6Xj5izSw/s800/15569489331.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Uk3ZKufLy5E/TjWOWtQulvI/AAAAAAAAJ6o/fiS6Xj5izSw/s400/15569489331.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>The Peacocks and geese wander freely around Skansen Park; the Heron (young Great Blue?) was seen in the animal park. The Peacock was uncooperative when it came to displaying his tail feathers for me... but he knew enough to take shelter from the pouring rain that blew through the park later in the day. I don't know what kind of geese these are.<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IwDWWy6rGdE/TjWPmUZMhcI/AAAAAAAAJ60/_M2A_QfbRIM/s800/15569567466.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IwDWWy6rGdE/TjWPmUZMhcI/AAAAAAAAJ60/_M2A_QfbRIM/s400/15569567466.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></a></div>Some more of the geese (the gosling was wet with rain), a Moose grazing in an enclosure in the animal park and an unknown wee critter (maybe a bunny?).<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zW5JRp4-HEU/TjWQFGTycsI/AAAAAAAAJ64/a0oZ_0Xs5Ew/s800/15569605858.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 238px;"
src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zW5JRp4-HEU/TjWQFGTycsI/AAAAAAAAJ64/a0oZ_0Xs5Ew/s400/15569605858.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></a></div>One last mystery bird... a Sparrow whose ID I have been unable to find so perhaps one of you will know it! A fitting end to our day at Skansen included dinner at the restaurant near the exit gate and a very fine beer! If you've stuck with me to the end, I hope you've enjoyed sharing my day. You've only seen a small subset of the many images I took that day... digital photography makes me picture happy... must learn to censor so I don't have quite so many images to go through on my return!Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-18670657665174196202011-07-26T19:29:00.001-04:002011-07-30T22:42:04.113-04:00Slightly out of order once again... a visit to Drottningholm Palace, Sweden, 2011...Although we visited Drottningholm on our second full day in Stockholm, I wanted to coordinate these images with a post to my <a href="http://photoaddictshowcase.blogspot.com">photography blog</a> so I'm including them here. I'll pick up with images of our first day in Stockholm in a future post. So hang on to your hat... here's a nearly five hour visit trimmed to 7 collages containing 32 images to give you a taste of the official residence, since 1981, of the Swedish Royal family and the lovely grounds/park associated with the palace. The first palace on this site burned down to the ground in the 1600s. Construction on the present structure, designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, was commissioned by the dowager Queen Hedvig Eleonora and began in 1662. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a onblur="try
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href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h32MOyNwXy4/Ti8sWq5FCzI/AAAAAAAAJjo/mZDWSt0vH90/s800/15481393594.
jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width:
400px; height: 400px;"
src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h32MOyNwXy4/Ti8sWq5FCzI/AAAAAAAAJjo/mZDWSt0vH90/s400/15481393594.
jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of four images described" /></a></div>Our day began with a boat ride, the common way for tourists to reach Drottningholm. The first image of the Swedish flag flying over the stern of our boat sets the tone for the day... a nice, sunny day with a stiff breeze most of the time! The statue of Apollo di Belvedere is in a courtyard surrounded by four buildings which today house the Theatre Shop and private residences, the gilded gate in the lower left is the entrance to the formal gardens behind the palace and in the lower right is a view of one end of the palace as we approached by boat.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfI_ULQWfXjuj7WgvneDxvgDdYnpYANo6rCLEHZJgNn1afXa9_80w4e4KAO-qCRIY4ZVGoNraDQod7JjoWTtrtV8Fivswkn3k4oY6EF15d6IwsgOJZazE-FgT7-Ms7g7O5POz89-ORrpA/s400/15481485620.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of four images as described" /></div>Here you see a view of the front of the palace as we passed by before the boat docked, a close-up of the crest of the royal family as it adorns the gated entrance to the formal gardens, one of many statues gracing the gardens, and colorful flowers typical of many of the plantings seen throughout our day.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UhP2crQVvjI/Ti8txlxBJTI/AAAAAAAAJj4/SEJZ-npsdYE/s400/15481523943.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of four images as described" /></div>Continuing into the gardens and looking back, one sees the rear of the palace; facing forward down the grand promenade is a view of the length of the garden... the same view the royals have from inside the palace; a side lane lined with trees gives a view of a different part of the palace at the end and the cascade fountains serving as a backdrop for the Water Parterre in the formal gardens.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO84c2P1MGy4trN_QbK5wVW__-3dRl0CepE_eEPzjRNr-54h_3bG2KVjvZz6v7mSwkc8YX-8laQeKqCit8ACzbJT2RMcLJx-rcd1K67zvSiDOdj4Tw0Uzz3Mc8jwxxVGqnt74VTMsQ0Zc/s400/15481615674.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></div>Color overload! Images include the "Confidence" which was used as a private dining room for the royal family when they did not want staff to overhear their conversations (top right and top middle close-up of the tower); the Chinese Pavilion, one of the worlds best preserved rococo structures, was originally built as a prefab house and birthday gift for Queen Lovisa Ulrika from King Adolf Fredrik in 1753 and was rebuilt in the form seen here from 1763-1769 (bottom right, and the two lower images in the middle on both rows); information about the bottom left building is taken from the brochure on Drottningholm: <i>The Guards' Tent was built in 1781 for the dragoons of Gustav III, C.F. Adelcrantz designed the building - built of timber, clad with iron sheeting and then painted to resemble a tent in a Turkish army camp.</i> I'm not sure what the building in the upper left is but thought it was quite pretty and the reflections in the globe light are of the Chinese Pavilion and the Confidence.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u0fQRU0_Vg4/Ti8wJfcwXKI/AAAAAAAAJkQ/qi6d8XI1-9g/s400/15481716455.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></div>Before leaving the buildings to wander through the beautiful gardens, one last image of the Guards' Tent showing a bit of the detail... all wood! The other images show you what a beautiful park this is with statues, flowers, greenery and water features. Stockholm residents and tourists alike find it a lovely place for a picnic.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhUaMQHCjZkhWeCL-SwCgjn5DcBrdoW1D4PF8wW_xIIHWZOKB48bNagsYT7lyKUAJ5TKPsgt1-9Fj0G_1wosOMWiyanG6KjMV-xF3m3QdGpQhIjMEva7Tv8cQJNuElMHIRG3viesRPtI/s400/15481832158.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of bird images and a pond as described" /></div>A few more images showing the lovely gardens and some of the winged inhabitants including a Black-headed Gull (brown head during breeding season), Geese feeding on the lawn (not sure what kind of geese they are) and a Black-headed Gull and a Mallard female sharing a pond. The other image is just very peaceful... you aren't missing any birds here!<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-86NGxxaYYJg/Ti8ynC7O5CI/AAAAAAAAJks/3oAQlZq0Ccs/s400/15481910755.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="collage of images as described" /></div>As we were heading back toward the palace to visit the inside areas open to the public (no photographs allowed and I got busted trying to take one through the window looking out into the gardens), these old wooden posts lining one of the waterways caught my eye. Wandering past the Royal Stables which now houses the Royal Guard, I managed a photo of these lovely old cannons without any tourists in the way. The last two images close out our day... one of the many statues on the grounds of Drottningholm and a last view of the front of the palace as we pulled away. <br />
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Photographs were not allowed in the interior of one of the most interesting old buildings I've ever seen... the Royal Theatre. If you go to Drottningholm, don't miss the opportunity to see this building, completed in 1766 and still in service today, preserved in its entirety as it was then. The theater closed in 1792 with the death of Gustaf III and remained closed until it was rediscovered in the 1920s. From May to August every year, a festival of 18th century opera is presented here. In 1991, the Drottningholm Court Theatre was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage.<br />
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If you have the time to comment, please let me know what you think of the idea of combining this blog with my <a href="http://photoaddictshowcase.blogspot.com">photography blog</a> which has been suggested by one reader. It would save me cross-referencing and allow for bigger images since the format of my photography blog is different from this one and I haven't a clue how to adjust the code for this template to allow larger images.Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-27207936019621865252011-07-24T13:01:00.000-04:002011-07-24T13:01:51.649-04:00Göteborg to Stockholm... a Day of Travel in Sweden, 2011.At this rate, I'll be on my next trip before I finish posting about my recent family trip to Sweden and Iceland. BUT, I think I'm getting the hang of decision making about what images to include in collages to give a taste of our travels. There is simply no way I can possibly share everything we saw and did without overloading everyone with images and stories! But I simply had to share a few more images from our day of travel (already reported briefly in a <a href="http://toryporter.blogspot.com/2011/07/from-goteborg-to-stockholm-day-of-ups.html">previous post</a>) between Göteborg and Stockholm. The previous post was made while still traveling and using an iPad for posting to my blog... not the easiest thing I've ever done!<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUxo6hOyIs1o0pNIbOZ55JeVXCCaSAvHTL8aLXxrtDsPCi1tZELsv20hqnpJEYLFG-FLBPn5OL3Qq1oYmT3FTB_eLTPSwdwn8vFa6yBCPW-tWRnQSW_oHEBdkUNQIkO8MV2qABY1lGSs/s400/15435710932.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="churches in Habo and Gränna Sweden" /></div>Exterior of two churches: Habo Kyrka in Habo, Sweden on the left and Gränna Kyrka in Gränna, Sweden on the right. Habo Kyrka is famous for its painted interior which is considered to be the finest in all of Sweden. The present Gränna Kyrka, rebuilt in 1895, is on the same site as the 12th century church that was destroyed by fire in 1889.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4hOuRhI1v-ODJpk9KOb00oOJoeLYlwRXJJqD7s1AqbmA4b6FA-Y8vSHlePNtvfq-ihAZcMHkpY9OZDLpGZSZ4qN0YNOlFMJTs7ten_gGnh7lZFVWyn-8vk-hqMmAlBWezGeaqICu0eM/s400/15435754824.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="images of painted interior of Habo Kyrka" /></div>The painted interior of Habo, Kyrka is mind boggling to see... the church, cathedral style, was built entirely of wood in the early 1700s. From Wikipedia: <i>The interior of the church was painted [from] 1741-1743 by two artists from Jönköping, Johan Kinnerius and Johan Christian Peterson.</i> The paintings represent Martin Luther's summary of Christian Doctrine. No single image could possibly do justice so I suggest you go there and see this church (kyrka) for yourself! Clockwise from top, left: the part of the pulpit where the minister would stand, the portion of the pulpit above where the minister stood, the high altar, and a detail of one of the many painted areas of the church.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2vleB6noM3GREYyNV-VgkmFv1O9wcprWV8QE_cjmvYpb5gANP_Ec1WjEaULA942HBicmo96R_wFQ40ZJyP3EnofSfNZ7N1tHuv8S-pnFd8s5EcZscGyNkJeG-YaTtXBExk0hD2OIDeI/s400/15435815605.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="miscellaneous images of travel in Sweden" /></div>A few miscellaneous images including a view of the beautiful countryside near Habo Kyrka, watering cans hanging in the cemetery near a water spigot, delicious lunch at Gyllene Uttern Hotel (the first motor hotel in Sweden and a lovely spot to stop along the way), and the robot lawnmower we saw cutting the grass (really well!) at Gränna Kyrka.<br />
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You might like to <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/toryporter/Sweden2011#slideshow/">view a slide show of images</a> of my family vacation which includes additional images not posted to this blog.Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-78876405908598471692011-07-17T00:12:00.000-04:002011-07-17T00:12:58.103-04:00More on Göteborg, Sweden from June, 2011If you have been following along on my journey, you will have noticed that posts have been very slow to appear! (and that this one is out of order) In addition to having difficulties with internet access while I was away, I took over 3500 photos in the 2-1/2 weeks that I toured Sweden and Iceland... a bit of overkill that NEVER would have happened back in the days when I had to pay for prints! So it's been taking me quite awhile to go through the images and pick just a few to share.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R32vwV1C204/Th3HLNeJimI/AAAAAAAAI1I/1n5nic_aKRQ/s400/15217829628.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></div>The collage (created with Picnik) has two images from our visit to the <a href="http://www.thelocal.se/museums/50/goeteborgs-stadsmuseum"> Göteborgs Stadsmuseum (Gothenburg City Museum)</a> which houses viking and emigration history as well as special exhibitions: in the top left, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipT41YRXr_LgOimDowtcesoLHnumbo4b1ggUE6k0yMGDPFRJ429NSTZY1EyEdKsFLB4jwiGPvXAvqbhkUrG4HpgAQV9-MUxhOnnYOtLatZJ8XSCkEP7UjKKEbSc0TMw0oG03tfOHiv-0/s800/1000000126.NEF.jpg">copper coins</a> used for currency during a time in Sweden when silver was extremely scarce and <a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PUaSCdBSbgo/Tgel1_XL90I/AAAAAAAAIt4/1ggHBJaUjWE/s800/1000000128.NEF.jpg">pottery and tile samples</a> diagonally opposite in the bottom right corner, <a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-L33iZ5L_Jr8/Tgel2_1foZI/AAAAAAAAIuA/4gJu7U5OotA/s720/1000000229.NEF.jpg">Skansen Kronen tower</a> (sits on a HIGH hill overlooking Göteborg), a <a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-KNMB_nJk8wI/TgD-o9dKRQI/AAAAAAAAIpk/-VSWh9hpQSo/s720/1000000248.NEF.jpg">view of the city</a> from Skansen Kronen park (on the left under the tower) and just one of the many <a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ah1vlDfVWs4/TgUKTCjYzNI/AAAAAAAAIsE/-Xna4zOs5Rg/s720/1000000045.NEF.jpg">church spires</a> soaring over Göteborg on the right. Under the copper coins, a close-up of the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggi35LXNfXNTQntJPQcw2g8R4_N-M12qkcbrP3DAaBpmWzN8YbeTAY69a24E42Su8RcwJEvFKGf2v2QzVABYIra1Vkqoea82AaE5ybCezrEB-nidGuaM7FkPcAWva7bsJxo6WEQfz-yeQ/s720/1000000299.NEF.jpg">Poseidon statue</a>, a famous fountain at the top of the main street, Avenyn, in Göteborg, a <a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xXmqtM5vfNE/TgD-qzQeKBI/AAAAAAAAIps/3wiAqa3bvI0/s800/1000000283.NEF.jpg">colorful police car</a> and one of the many <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXePv4YQ9Uc6N8IqYel3cqw1v6UIS1kl0a2shvbYrIalmhZac2xa2qZRggR8_EiqJQGW42nvFFGQ0igpISKFiOYEKSlKzUMTsnFnMcGzfTgnqVtE0Hmju3VWbfZ7vKb47Jv36nMJSwk30/s800/1000000279.NEF.jpg">coffee shops</a> we saw in Göteborg. <br />
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At present, Starbucks has no coffee shops in Göteborg. Apparently, that will change when a Starbucks coffee shop opens in Göteborg's Central Station in the winter of 2012... I have to wonder how many of the marvelous coffee shops everywhere in the city will remain after/if Starbucks builds a large presence there. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kWJbHqca03Y/TiJPofK1V-I/AAAAAAAAJDc/Ef3luszxYMk/s400/G%2525C3%2525B6teborg1collage.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></div>This collage represents quite a lot of trial and error, research looking for templates (FAIL) and a painful learning curve encountered in putting this together in Photoshop CS5. My goal was to be able to create a collage that wasn't locked in to the templates offered by Picnik. I'm somewhat satisfied with this but, if I had it to do over, would try to figure out a better way! Meantime, I will post this as is and MAY replace it some day if I ever figure out a simpler, cleaner way to do it. Clockwise from top left, a <a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YEuvxjCfqZo/Th9WjE1Np9I/AAAAAAAAI2o/yAs_u0X5jrk/s800/untitled-0033.jpg">view of Göteborg</a> from the deck near the top of the building where my cousin Örjan works, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FclOt-yOaGfZj0nOP8thSjHMv_nZg042kh7rAm6iz7W9wO83FswwXoecfUInsvzsuwScYwOR8JPDGyKDGTuixvHqdxLnIkz76pq3j2ufEIYzsMIZa9nxnIobjMB2dgqbqcDb02HqSVg/s720/untitled-0024.jpg">architectural detail of the roof</a> of his building as seen from this same deck, <a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7Bl3AOTkE1M/Th9Yays-ZbI/AAAAAAAAI8g/1u9C1WuwxAc/s800/untitled-0252-2.jpg">detail</a> of one of the painted inlays typical of the elaborate exterior decorations seen on many buildings in Sweden, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsk_-QK2HcELMuuG5o7WxShllQTYP12kPqmJT4goIEfdpV2Ncm0-VOKVubYjayrs2veLBkKMb8cRAiJ8A9oA_9DZdXeaQZsSOxQZCbFOuNZwh75MJcu1KKNYgchDDXYxeOu_JFBvDA58/s800/untitled-0182.jpg">atypical street scene</a> (no people in it during early afternoon), <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EqEwr5xU6GM/Th9YfGNT19I/AAAAAAAAI8s/93XDte26-tE/s720/untitled-0254.jpg">detail of statues</a> decorating a balcony... they seem to be saying oh my aching head... or how long do we have to support this balcony above us!<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GH4uFxveSdY/Th9WVXrI6PI/AAAAAAAAI2A/amdLZ6Wsdpo/s400/untitled-0016.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></div>I'll close this post with a shot of the seaport from which our grandparents (and their first two children, my Aunt Ada and Uncle Holger) set sail for America in the early 1900s... Grandad came first to get settled and earn money to pay the way for Grandma and their children to follow him several years later. After their family was reunited in Sheridan, Wyoming, four more children were born. My mother was the fifth.Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-14423137559976919492011-07-02T15:09:00.000-04:002011-07-02T15:09:27.907-04:00From Göteborg to Stockholm... A day of ups and downs...Our second full day in Sweden found us traveling from Göteborg to Stockholm with a few stops along the way. One was to see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habo_Church">church in Habo</a> which is an old, wooden building famous for the extensive painted interior of the church. It is in the countryside near Habo, not in the town itself. The setting is beautiful and we spent quite awhile there exploring the cemetery and the church interior.<br />
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Up until our last stop to get gas about 30 minutes outside of Stockholm, we were doing fine. But the trouble started at the Statoil station when we used the windshield washing pump instead of the gas pump to fuel the car. Our inability to read Swedish plus exhaustion after a long day driving plus an idiot employee who told us to use the orange button to begin fueling at pump 18 when he should have known it was not a gas pump added up to a very expensive and time consuming delay before we finally arrived, hungry and exhausted and quite a bit poorer at our hotel.<br />
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A few photos from the day begin below.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6ahCZgy3aHYm2oLEcqpT-rmrY0EHTV12r2jCw1Hlz_6CLFAEbLSOVuyCeUdepNFtQDADFxF35I4XWUGmk1NM7Q03lUGMboxi2sZtHdWd-VuR9cB2GGgfyn81U4OCjTMv1mDEVF4RnIU/s400/1000000323.JPG" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="bell tower at Habo Church" /></div>First, the bell tower at Habo Church...<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/---oWurkxobI/TgD-3zvHl2I/AAAAAAAAIqs/4Ng1Dh96hQc/s400/1000000341.JPG" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="interior detail from Habo Church" /></div>One of the many detailed interior paintings from which you might see why this church is considered to be the finest example of a painted interior in all of Sweden. At some point during our travels, we were told how common it was in the "old days" for wooden churches to be extensively painted.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9wSRJGTtSjRdyaFtqv9vdYuaKXEVHOu79mmVW5X1wb8Y-DdolipidJ2TJ0KyqdxD_k1_00ivUh2YAS8vfelB7cHMF9zne2ibSA8IZ6n_b74NsHAbuBlfv_TJzVGKvuYGcXv4o5BIvmo/s400/1000000406.JPG" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="view of tow truck towing our car" /></div>After my return, I promise to post a few more images from the better parts of our day. In the meantime, here is what our view looked like as we were towed to a service station to have the washer fluid drained from our tank and replaced by gas after the mishap described above. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DkhvhZKtvho/TgD--uIG3jI/AAAAAAAAIrE/1biut5Q3Q8g/s400/1000000408.JPG" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="pushing the car into the service bay" /></div>Our tow truck driver, moving our car into the garage bay where it was raised on a lift so they could drain the tank. They were very thorough, flushing the tank twice with gasoline before giving us 20 liters of gas, for which the repair shop owner did not charge us, figuring perhaps that we'd suffered enough already!Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-72232829547395289792011-06-26T18:11:00.000-04:002011-06-26T18:11:01.328-04:00Playing tourist in Göteborg, Sweden on a rainy day in June, 2011...After breakfast on our second day, we met up with Örjan and Lisa who showed us a bit of Göteborg. We started with a visit to Örjan's office building which is situated on a high hill that offers great views of Göteborg. The older part of the building was the home of the "Göteborg Navigations Skola" where sailing was taught in the "old days" (an expression we heard used a lot on this trip). <br />
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Since it was a cold, rainy day, we opted for spending time indoors since we couldn't possibly see all of Göteborg in one day! Örjan's office building partially surrounds a historical hill where there was a very old town cemetery and where they used to execute people in the 1600s. We passed by the old city hall, a chocolate/candy store and proceeded on foot to a museum with lots of viking and emigration history as well as a design exhibition that included a jewelry display by their daughter Matilda. The museum cost 40 SEK, but covered 5 museums in Göteborg for a full year.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4IQRDs2vWAb0bCLCdLtBwNF9hhTCTo0RDNEOkacEgqL-7rN8y6MLZ9BjOVAcBt_mnyjt7ljqZizolNC0o0uyn3NEjlYQIaJlLRYOX8kwCMLCLRO3_jG7x9kw04NLboj_zthFc-8C4Sg/s400/1000000046.NEF.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="rooftops of Göteborg" /></div>View from outside terrace at Örjan's office building showing the interesting architecture and a few church towers above the rooftops of the town. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-V4AnDEKDN30/TgUKWXyCfCI/AAAAAAAAIsY/jdxImddogCk/s400/1000000059.NEF.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="exterior door to old sailing school" /></div>View of entry to the old part of Örjan's office building showing the name of the sailing school that was originally housed in the building.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJQQFvzLzsZtpgfNmhONQo96TKx6MOpJ_zWoYi8oL2UxdNpxA5AK6-Agpwt_aGlnHvDtq75Zb2DJCq-Dlg7KzFttA5XiRN3cih19f2kQmFsnMs9I4ELzXOt9rgstsWibAKsOOZMKHA7g/s400/1000000056.NEF.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="architecture detail" /></div>Some more of the interesting features of the old part of Örjan's office building. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4XB52Av_Ut4/TgUKXpQ0rRI/AAAAAAAAIsk/dn5pTEOGoqU/s400/1000000062.NEF.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="roof tiles and metal sheeting in the rain" /></div>Rainy weather does provide some lovely opportunities for colorful images of exterior features of lovely old buildings. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwPraUeXKqsYkNrmp4AhFiDgViZAaq1mC2ZP_xw61laZcGy_eWHqGiLOC7K-aqqx88tiuj1RiiPht3ml_90i62jgGftklz75xn-1xDDmk5unD-h9Kuhk0JR2klxiYWLMxw-xbKdWaizM/s400/1000000095.NEF.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="tourist train" /></div>Tourist train that would have saved us a bit of walking had we opted for using it... Lisa and Örjan provided us with great guidance on our tour of the city and allowed us to stop whenever, wherever we wanted to take photos which wouldn't have been possible riding this cute train. <br />
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If you've read this far, thanks so much. It has taken me 3 to 4 times as long as usual to put this post together. Perhaps if I get ore familiar with the iPad, I'll be able to put things together more quickly. One source of frustration is that I cannot use "Picnik" to put together collages which would allow me to pack more into less space. I'm only half finished with our tourist day in Göteborg so probably will leave the bulk of posting about our travels until my return home where I have access to more familiar methods of posting and editing images!Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-80701971030653286172011-06-23T17:32:00.000-04:002011-06-23T17:32:41.623-04:00Family visit in Gothenburg - or Göteborg... Swedish style!It has taken awhile to get to anywhere the Internet is reliable enough to post anything. Will see how it goes. We arrived in Göteborg on Saturday but my checked bag didn't make it until Sunday. Fortunately, I planned for that possibility and we just continued on with only minor worries about the luggage. Cousin Örjan met us at the airport and led us to our hotel, saving us the worry of finding our way while jet lagged!<br />
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For this post, I'll just include a few family photos and leave the tourist report until another day. Our cousin Örjan is doubly related to us through his great-grandfather and our grandfather who were brothers and his great-grandmother and our grandmother who were half-sisters, making him our second cousin, once removed. (his father Sture is our second cousin; we will be visiting him later on our journey)<br />
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Our first evening in Göteborg was spent dining with Örjan and his wife Lisa and planning our next day while keeping in mind that it might be a rainy day. No pictures from our first night in town... <br />
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A few family photos are included below from our second day and evening when we were squired around town by Örjan and Lisa and then treated to a marvelous meal at their home where we met the rest of their immediate family. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yW5CnvzaZ88/TgD-nPQTxcI/AAAAAAAAIpY/2hSXfQ8EYWo/s400/1000000149.NEF.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="family photo" /></div>Left to right: sister Valerie, cousin Lisa, cousin Örjan, brother-in-law Tom, brother Lukas and yours truly...<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGoecT42K8afdQYMmGQR5BmnWCUTHPWOJYPFRnvtha7VEBtr32YJwDqRSfOf5QV7c3jPc6LBSJLmGLH4UTtu-9ds95D7g6TOUekx-RDiCUv5YzDPesngE2nE759NxNT7q45iUPROjvfE/s400/1000000311.JPG" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Örjan" /></div>Cousin Örjan.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-onQqlrJOD9g/TgD-vM8xNCI/AAAAAAAAIqE/Z76hDStCqYU/s400/1000000314.JPG" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Ludwig" /></div>Örjan and Lisa's son Ludwig.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QYp0WCV8C0w/TgD-z-n24CI/AAAAAAAAIqc/HVV9bYNvzJg/s400/1000000319.JPG" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Lisa" /></div>Örjan and Lisa's daughter Matilda putting the finishing touches on dessert. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1BRXWaDKHDHCO_WMxYmRtgc88gjtnQ8eqeSd47jDiGatjPxx69aZ-FppZAIpQ4BkfZ1WJxE1hgmIgXmGrWa0hiRZmu5eXVk31XHMoRbHl4zfyLGitZlwT_x3pmr087V9HJ5S8bQnZZA/s400/1000000307.JPG" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Johansson family" /></div>Left to right: Ludwig, Örjan, Lisa, Svante, Matilda and Sixten at their home on the evening of June 19, 2011. We were wined and dined and treated to a marvelous meal of traditional Swedish dishes including moose that was absolutely delicious! I wish that I hadn't been so jet-lagged or I'd give you more details about the meal. In addition to delicious food and lovely wines, we had wonderful conversations and learned more about our Swedish family.Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-73957353792187608572011-06-16T17:34:00.001-04:002011-06-17T12:42:26.336-04:00Nothing to do with our travels... Just a test...Sitting in Rock Bottom in Bethesda the night before leaving on our trip... Thought I'd give posting a try just to make sure I have everything I need on my iPad. (for our itinerary and notes on the trip, please see the <a href="http://toryporter.blogspot.com/2011/06/upcoming-trip-to-sweden-with-side-trip.html">previous post</a>) <br />
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The image below is another experiment in HDR processing and is from a bracket set of images taken at Wollam Gardens in Jeffersonton, Virginia. After merging the images with Nik software, the vintage effect was applied. I rather like how the foliage frames the 1935 vintage tractor which is still in use on the 11 acre property. <br />
<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3hM5lr9Xl2w/TfSu7kiGMmI/AAAAAAAAIhw/9IOOhpwboTk/s400/balletClassPhoto-.jpg" height="400" width="265" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="TAG" /></div>My next post here will either be en route to Sweden or after our arrival on Saturday, June 18th. (the house is not empty while I'm away in case anyone is concerned about that)Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-70656775109910416392011-06-11T12:33:00.005-04:002011-06-11T13:56:59.781-04:00Upcoming trip to Sweden... with side trip and a stop in Iceland!Just a quick post (HA!... my posts always take longer than I intend) to share an upcoming journey itinerary. I'll not worry about my house/home while I'm away because someone will be in residence there to keep an eye on things. :-)<br /><br />At a family reunion in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada 25 years ago, I met Swedish second cousins Sture and Inger Johansson and their son Örjan. Sture and I are doubly related through our Swedish grandparents because our grandfathers were brothers and our grandmothers were half-sisters. When we met in 1986, I promised to come visit them in Sweden and now I am finally going to do just that. <br /><br />This trip will be a family trip with my brother, his partner and my sister who is the serious genealogist in the family. We will be staying first in Göteborg to visit with Örjan, his wife and their four children who live in a nearby suburb. <br /><br />We will also visit with Sture and his wife Inger while staying up north in Lycksele. Sture and Inger live on the property that has been in my Swedish family since 1640. Family records for that area of Sweden were lost in a fire in 1640 when the church in Umeå where they were stored burned. So we don't know anything about our family prior to that year.<br /><br />Part of our visit with Sture and Inger will be in the mountains close to the Norwegian border where they have a cabin near Tärnaby. After our stay there, we will cross the border into Norway and drive south through the mountains before crossing back into Sweden.<br /><br />In between visiting with family, we will spend time in Stockholm, the High Coast, Umeå and Österund. On our return trip, my brother, his partner and myself will be stopping in Iceland for a few days. My sister will be returning to the US from Österund through Stockholm after our overnight in Österund.<br /><br />Our itinerary and a map of our route follow... if things go according to plan, I will be posting a few photos and stories along the way. However, I do not know how well the plan will work since I will be attempting to blog via iPad on a wireless connection whenever possible and will not have my computer with me! (trying to travel light)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRFucGXqIAueIPpAwUAr1ZjIB9nsMz0hXn_DUEvAP8wqu9sFaUavYJiXZ8R2xWkSRWBsj3s0HeQoKjCbCte53GiMxcsiONUkXhC5s9uR976mUw3zsFBBL7jROB6vTp1T4IeXqdOynKww/s400/mapForSwedenTrip-2011.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="trip itinerary map" /></div>Letters represented on the map above correspond to locations indicated on the itinerary below in parens (A, B, C, etc); we are not staying in Norway at the junctions indicated by letters G and H on the map. (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRFucGXqIAueIPpAwUAr1ZjIB9nsMz0hXn_DUEvAP8wqu9sFaUavYJiXZ8R2xWkSRWBsj3s0HeQoKjCbCte53GiMxcsiONUkXhC5s9uR976mUw3zsFBBL7jROB6vTp1T4IeXqdOynKww/s800/mapForSwedenTrip-2011.jpg">large view of map</a>)<br /><ol><li>June 17th for Göteborg, Sweden via Icelandair; arrive in Göteborg at 3:00 PM June 18 local time</li> <li>June 18-19 in Göteborg (<font color=green><b>A</b></font>); drive to Stockholm on the 20th</li> <li>June 20-22 in Stockholm (<font color=green><b>B</b></font>); drive to Härnösand on the 23rd</li> <li> June 23 in Härnösand (<font color=green><b>C</b></font>; High Coast region); drive to Umeå on the 24th</li> <li>June 24- in Umeå (<font color=green><b>D</b></font>); drive to Lycksele on the 25th</li> <li>June 25 -26 in Lycksele (<font color=green><b>E</b></font>); drive to Tärnaby on the 27th</li> <li>June 27-28 near Tärnaby (<font color=green><b>F</b></font>) at Sture and Inger’s cabin; drive to Östersund on the 29th</li> <li>June 29 in Östersund (<font color=green><b>I</b></font>) overnight; drive to Stockholm on the 30th (Val flies home from Östersund on June 30) </li> <li>June 30-July 1- Brother Lukas, partner Tom and myself in Stockholm (<font color=green><b>B</b></font>) two more nights</li> <li>July 2- flight to Reykjavik where we stay July 2-4.</li> <li>July 5- depart Reykjavik for home</li></ol>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-77698462287787370102011-05-27T00:12:00.003-04:002011-05-27T00:51:14.175-04:00More about the Horseshoe Crabs and other creatures... 2011<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Kgfhfr5zeOE/TdskdIcg6PI/AAAAAAAAIGs/_DFS-XPEL4c/s400/2011-May-20_delawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_0067_0029.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="breeding pair of Horseshoe Crabs" /></div>In the <a href="http://toryporter.blogspot.com/2011/05/horseshoe-crabs-and-birds-that-depend.html?showComment=1306343455844#c6324393515928006192">previous post</a>, I included a picture of a crab pileup and quite a bit of information about the Horseshoe Crabs... this first image in today's post is of a breeding pair who are working their way to shore (although here, the waves seem to be carrying them out) so the female can lay the eggs (she's the front, larger one) and the male can then fertilize them. The female pulls him along behind her so he can do his part after she finishes laying the eggs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-q16IvP8IlEk/TdskUftDrHI/AAAAAAAAIGI/POSp9IEOT20/s400/2011-May-20_delawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_0054_0016.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="young crab underbelly" /></div>This is a young Horseshoe Crab before it has developed the front claws which allow us to know whether it is male or female. Males have front claws shaped roughly like boxing gloves, the better to grip onto the rear of the female's shell as seen in the previous image. When a Horseshoe Crab gets turned upside down, it uses its long, spiny tail to flip itself upright. We assisted this one in righting itself at which point it headed for the water. When upside down, the crab is extremely vulnerable to predators. Also, its gills will dry out quite rapidly which means it will certainly die unless it rights itself and returns to the bay.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GCKPxKBUDtY/TdskYg6yRaI/AAAAAAAAIGg/Mk5_RF_c2Sc/s400/2011-May-20_delawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_0059_0021.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="young crab crawling toward water" /></div>This is the same young crab, heading for the water after we turned it back upright to assist it. You can certainly see why they are referred to as living fossils... and they have been around since prehistoric time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQlbyg753s_yY9vfFGankVBU7LxAWlEmbMf2V0q8hOOur8IpnDVSDMKkOx4R3BU2ne5LItvg32AFJYcXaKSu9oZsZnHgYK4J-4Gu3LPyOYStGuw__rRGMNYfo6RLTJSF73dusxWY-uyU/s400/2011-May-21_DelawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_6802_0259.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="sanderlings on the beach" /></div>Sanderlings on the beach... a possible caption for this is "you go this way and I'll go the other way" as they search for crab eggs and/or the tiny creatures deposited as the waves recede from the shore.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RQfKwupJQcI/TdsmTmonMtI/AAAAAAAAIOs/U5uLrE2Xe5k/s400/2011-May-21_DelawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_6938_0394.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="young gull" /></div>I think this is an immature Herring Gull but am not certain. I'll have to do more research but it's almost 1:00 AM and time for bed so I want to wrap up this post soon!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9-wYs-7NRBY9tASieED736wySRjRLf_XN4fVoOYJWBOWeOEpRPKJyrHMoshAiojLurVZqf970FVmHWw91DfCpaHW3wq7tZO4gzCx-IsI6Fi-5anYSpnpACouIJnmA7mh8bWquKImysE/s400/2011-May-20_delawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_0045_0008.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="sea cucumber on the beach" /></div>The oddly shaped "rock" in the center of this image isn't a rock at all... it is a Sea Cucumber! It was spotted by one of our group and we weren't at all certain what it was. Our naturalist guide told us a bit about these strange creatures, most of which I've forgotten already. The one thing that stuck in my mind is that when it feels threatened, it will puff itself up and expel its stomach. A predator will then eat the stomach instead of the Sea Cucumber and the "cuke" will go merrily on its way and simply grow a new stomach.Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-14273730618994886722011-05-25T10:48:00.005-04:002011-05-31T11:03:45.139-04:00Horseshoe Crabs and the birds that depend on them...<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_Gls1j8u5mLg/TdskjifbtlI/AAAAAAAAIHI/MK37sGiqcbU/s400/2011-May-20_delawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_0077_0039.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="horseshoe crabs on the beach" /></div>Although the first image is crabs, crabs and more crabs, the rest of this post (scroll down) will be birds who love to dine on their eggs. If I haven't missed the cutoff, I'll be posting this to <a href="http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com">World Bird Wednesday</a> shortly. (am posting here instead of my <a href="http://photoaddictshowcase.blogspot.com">other blog</a> because this blog is where I post when the images tell more of a story than I want to tell on my photo blog... am WAY behind returning visits from last week but will be catching up before the weekend)<br /><br />My cousin Jane, friends and myself went to Slaughter Beach, Delaware (and a few nearby spots) to view the annual mass breeding of the Horseshoe Crabs. They breed and come to shore, riding high tide in to the beach, in great numbers to deposit and fertilize vast numbers of protein rich eggs over a two week period (+/- a few days) every May. One of the best places to view this spectacle is Slaughter Beach on the Delaware Bay.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blueridgeworkshops.com/">Blue Ridge Workshops</a> provided a photography instructor and a naturalist guide for our "day at the beach" and some of us even got to try out HUGE lenses on our Nikon cameras. I failed miserably to get the hang of using a 600mm prime lens fitted with a 2x converter and think my Sigma 120-400mm zoom is much easier to use! (also would need someone to carry the rig for me if I were to use such a huge and heavy lens assembly) Too bad I forgot to pack the 1.4x converter for my Sigma lens.<br /><br />And now for a few of the birds who dine on the eggs laid by the crabs...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvmaoQzvHQCSDvqtmGuBk1mpGTJG8q3FR02Yk5TWNn4xTR6iNm6PqCTan4l6C2uataY1Z3vOzWWwaaF4ySBv7FqFLwUOlXkGV6-CvMgyFmUjMbFE2Ei7-Xw3syNFdK0-GkaaLr4iykzI/s400/2011-May-21_DelawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_6655_0112.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Sanderlings and Turnstones" /></div>Sanderlings with a few Ruddy Turnstones mixed in (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvmaoQzvHQCSDvqtmGuBk1mpGTJG8q3FR02Yk5TWNn4xTR6iNm6PqCTan4l6C2uataY1Z3vOzWWwaaF4ySBv7FqFLwUOlXkGV6-CvMgyFmUjMbFE2Ei7-Xw3syNFdK0-GkaaLr4iykzI/s1024/2011-May-21_DelawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_6655_0112.jpg">look closely</a> and you might spot the Turnstones)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQDZZg3d-HQ1YSCxa4JHDkgW49RqSKVREdRrXsV0kNgciDc1PgI3LlGdwHPhNdrPeYximRE0T55Prra90HFh4bOI-FIu1P1z3ELpO3NoYgtQM7OJnW_nWM-l_8nszYsjBluJ5i6oWzhc/s400/2011-May-21_DelawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_6703_0160.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Sanderling with crab egg" /></div> The foreground Sanderling has a crab egg in its mouth. (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQDZZg3d-HQ1YSCxa4JHDkgW49RqSKVREdRrXsV0kNgciDc1PgI3LlGdwHPhNdrPeYximRE0T55Prra90HFh4bOI-FIu1P1z3ELpO3NoYgtQM7OJnW_nWM-l_8nszYsjBluJ5i6oWzhc/s912/2011-May-21_DelawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_6703_0160.jpg">larger view</a>)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_Gls1j8u5mLg/TdsmKGNW7qI/AAAAAAAAIOA/2zepoC1SRmM/s400/2011-May-21_DelawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_6928_0384.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="laughing gull" /></div>Laughing Gull, aptly named if you've ever heard them! Note Horseshoe Crabs on the beach too. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_Gls1j8u5mLg/TdsmYQOFw2I/AAAAAAAAIPQ/4-JQDR8kn_8/s400/2011-May-21_DelawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_6979_0435.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="willet" /></div>Willet with tail of Horseshoe Crab visible, sticking out of the water on the left.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_Gls1j8u5mLg/TdsmVrQhb4I/AAAAAAAAIO4/UH9RHTVuoQ8/s400/2011-May-21_DelawareWorkshop_Porter_DSC_6947_0403.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="ruddy turnstones" /></div>A few Ruddy Turnstones with some blurry gulls on the water behind them.Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4251434363077399389.post-68732504285056551332011-02-22T18:07:00.002-05:002011-02-22T18:16:51.200-05:00The last part of the photography adventure...<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_Gls1j8u5mLg/TWQ4hKqvqmI/AAAAAAAAHWk/HslVl3qwlCQ/s400/None.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="Potomac River views and old buildings" /></div>Alright, I'm trying again to finish up the adventure I had the other day with my cousin Jane and our friend Susie. It seems that Google's blog service is having a bit of difficulty today because it keeps posting "Could not contact Blogger.com. Saving and publishing may fail. Retrying..." and then occasionally posts "Draft autosaved at..." So this last collage of images from our adventure may or may not show up today if I fail at publishing!<br /><br />The two scenic images were both taken from the same spot... the James Rumsey Monument in Shepherdstown, WV. The "Opera House" is in downtown and is not an opera house at all but was built as a movie theater in the early 1900's and was in continuous operation as one until 1956. The Yellow Brick Bank building was, at one time, a bank but now houses a lovely restaurant.Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170129859014155605noreply@blogger.com1