Stream

These kiddies tryed to dam a stream with rocks and twigs and leaves but, as always, the cool water found a path of lesser resistance and flowed on...

Bliss

Today is a perfect day to follow our bliss, and to begin in the middle, where we stand, centering ourselves for the start of a new era. We turn our faces to the sun and, like children, bask in the beautiful and glistening now.

Flip

Sunday and Monday were perfect beach days here in Reykjavik, reminding me of childhood trips out to Asilomar and Lovers Point, the sands of Carmel and, in later years, Santa Cruz. In Northern California the ocean is cold, and spring/early summer excursions to the seaside demand just-in-case parkas and blankets and even cozy socks to cover up with when the winds pick up or the clouds shift over the sun. The same goes here, athough I'm not sure the water is quite as cold out there, Alaska current or no, as it is here: 8°C along the coastline.

Kids, though, run hot in general, and seem to hardly mind the chill waters. Adults who practice cold-water swimming here make the front page of papers for braving ten-minute health dips, while teens like my daughter Valentina, shown here, are doing back flips off a small cliff into the sea just for fun.

How easy it is to forget the simple joys of nature! Of riding a bike along an ocean path, of leaping off anything, into the sky, just for a thrill, of laughing joyfully while bundled against cold winds with friends, and of sitting on a quite rock near midnight, just miles below the arctic circle, and watching the golden sun set into a placid northern sea.

Award

Tripbase, originally uploaded by blue eyes.

Thank you, Tripbase : )

Self Portrait

Some praise for Iceland Eyes:

"I just wanted to say that I think your blog is great. You have a fantastic photographic eye. I believe, having never actually been to Iceland, that the imagery you’ve posted shows what I think is the real Iceland – fantastic composition that shows the balance between the natural beauty of the country and the life and verve of the people." GK, Canada

"Came upon your blog today and I'm very appreciative of your photos. I have never been to Iceland but have read many of the Icelandic Sagas and Norse mythologies, so I thank you for keeping my interest as one day I hope to visit." MF, Switzerland

"i've just seen your blog beacause i was looking about informations on your country, and your photos are really beautifull, i like so much the photo BALANCE." YD, France

"Iceland Eyes is a wonderful blend of spontaneity and sophistication. Thanks for sharing your photographs of Iceland's beauty. It is my favorite of all the nations I have visited." RJ, USA

"I was looking through the net and found a few photographs but nothing compared to the ones you post
on your blog." KL, Canada

Gracious thanks to everyone who has emailed me kind words and/or commented on Iceland Eyes. You make this little hobby of mine worth the love and effort : )

(this self portrait in a tiny bubble was taken out at the beach on Seltjarnarnes.)

Happiness

The secret to happiness, I think, is not more complex than enjoying an amazing playdate with a beautiful friend.

Night

Warm, dark nights are uncommon here so far north.

Tonight a rare aspect shows, though: a tree that has just burst forth its new green leaves (the first on the block to do so) is lit by a streetlamp on a calm, balmy May midnight, with a purply-blue sky as backdrop. Soon the days will lengthen into forever and the stars and moon will disappear as the sun takes over for a season and we'll almost forget what they look like, their charm and twinkle.

They never leave us, though, which is a good thing to know.