Kvennó

Here's some charming people, students of Kvennaskólinn, all prettied up in national dress for Peysafatadagur, held a few Fridays ago. The third year students, 18 year old-ish, get all dolled (and guyed) up, then dance and sing at various locations about town, including a retirement home two. It's a fancy sight, seeing these ultra-hip kids so full of classic-style pride and joy.

Street

If they're tearing up the streets, it must be spring!

Reflection

Al Gore is here today. Maybe he'll be able to convince the powers that be that creating an ultra-modern environment-loving model eco society in Iceland would be the thing to do. We have the technology, we have the opportunity, we have the reputation. No pussyfooting. We have a future to enter. Starting Now.

Copper

This past week's protests have had to do with the price of gas reaching as it has just under $9 a gallon (diesel's pricey too.) Truckers, taxi drivers, 4x4 tour operators and other professional drivers, plus a load of motor enthusiasts and supporters blocked roads, honked incessantly and made a general nuisance of things to let the state know that the near 50% tax added to fuel is, at this point, almost ridiculous. It costs a semi driver, who may be an independent contractor, just under a $1000 to fill a tank that lasts a day and a half of work-based driving. Maybe they should take up bicycle messengering instead. In this photo a cop is giving biker a hard time for revving up and starting to drive off from the protests in front of the parliament without his helmet on. I got the impression they knew each other well: it sounded like the cop used his name and he kind of hissed at him like "you know I have to bust you if you don't wear it so just put it on!" It killed the buzz of the biker's exit, but he got his mojo back in a flash and roared off to the next protest point in style.

Dinner

When the economy's wobbly and the future of the nation uncertain, sometimes its best to just go fishing.

Campers

Oh, the green hills and valleys of summertime!

Everything is wobbly here on the lava rock. Our economy's going the way of Zimbabwe's, we're protesting on the streets like the French and our downtown is looking a too ghetto-style USA.

Maybe its time to just lease a luxury camper and get away from it all...

Stuck

Today, the second of Easter (also a national holiday), snow is dusting our chilly city. No leaves on trees, but persistent tulips are making headway through the cold earth here and there. The economy is grinding through a serious downshifting of gears and there's wonder whether we'll all adjust. And in mid-city a deflated ball never drops back down from the spindly prison it's been caught in, to some child's chagrin.