They flew over Arlington National Cemetery. I didn’t see them until they had passed the cemetery. So, it could have been a missing man flyover. Or they could just be out flying around enjoying the 70° weather,
Went downstairs this afternoon, and what did I find?
BACON!
The Asylum brought a petting zoo in today. Fortunately, it was warm. So, the cow was able to stay outside. It seems like a lot of work, but, it was sorta cute.
One lady was trying to take pictures of the animals with her iPad. She asked me to take the pictures with it for her. Not a problem.
Apparently, this is a baby Dexter bull. A so-called miniature. He will end up weighing 1,000 pounds.
Then there is all this crap. Stuff that I absolutely can not live without. Yeah, right.
And why exactly do I think I need all this stuff? I got my clothes nicely curated. But this stuff is something else. I got most of it into the pack. And the pack now weighs 10.5 pounds. That means I added 5 pounds of junk to my bag. Will reassess tomorrow. Who knows, I might actually “need” all this stuff?
Oslo is looking to be in the 40° and sunny range when I arrive on Saturday at noonish. The next day, Bergen, where I get the ferry, is supposed to be in the 30s and snowy. You take the weather you get.
Life continues at The Asylum. One functional resident can’t take it anymore and he is moving out. For many, leaving is an economic impossibility. For others, self-included, not sure that there really is a better option. For the most part, The Asylum means well. Bless its heart.
Plan on wearing jeans, t-shirt, wool pullover sweater, heavy wool sweater, undies and socks of course, and waterproof duck boots. Carry my overcoat. Stash hat, gloves, scarf in the pack.
Counting on this layer system to keep me warm and dry. I will end up wearing leggings for pants. Which is not great. But, most of the time I’ll have my coat on. And, on the ferry. Well, it’s a ferry. They don’t have a dress code.
That’s my table and origami mat and old 12-inch wood ruler. As seen by the kaleidoscope and Pixel 6xl.
Finished the taxes. All ready to mail them off to the CPA. Since there is no mail pickup tomorrow – I have them “aging” for now. So, if I get the little old lady yips – I can go check things for the 257th time. Never mind that that is what I pay the guy for.
Ordered an additional memory card for my GoPro. Just in case there are lots of photo ops. I am not real optimistic about the aurora. Whatever happens. Happens. It would be fantastic to just see stars. And not freeze to death!
Ok, I remember how to update the blog from the iPad and snag the photos from the phone.
Also, checked, there seems to be WiFi on my ferry. No telling how good it is.
Did a little test packing today. I am really counting on the weather being cold but not much below freezing. Nothing says that I have to get off the boat.
Finished up my trip plans today. Made essential reservations. It was hard to stick with my original plan to just stay in Norway to keep it simple. I found myself saying “well, with these six days after the ferry boat, you can go to Copenhagen and Stockholm and Helsinki and end up back in Oslo to catch the plane. Well, no you can’t Peg. You are an old woman. Live to travel another day.
So, I am going to spend 3 nights in Bergen (where the ferry lands). If the weather is nice – which is unlikely – I think it is like Skagway weatherwise. So, if it is sunny there are some outdoor things to do. And, if it isn’t there are books to read, shops to check out, coffee to drink. Then take the train back to Oslo for another 4 nights. Oslo really doesn’t interest me. But I am betting I’ll like it. After I get there.
I would like to see Vemork which is where the German’s tried to manufacture heavy water for their atomic bomb. But, I don’t think it is doable.
Yet another toy
Here at the Asylum, we have a “Free to Good Home” table. And what was on it this morning but a couple of kaleidoscopes. The cheapest-looking one has an eyepiece that is phone-friendly. So, pictures happen. Could be fun on a slow day.
And I am actually going on that tour in late May. A ladies’ garden tour. In Jolly Old…my travel companion says “It might be interesting”.
Someone was in a rush to get this done!
Came upon this liter on my walk this morning. But not on the grounds of The Asylum!
The Russian Army on Ukraine border
This isn’t the least bit funny. But, when I first saw it my thought was “WOW, that is some bigass camera.”
I am so old that I had a dinosaur as a pet in small kid time.
For Valentine’s Day, the Asylum wanted us to put up pictures of our pets,
Now, I need to stay awake until 9 PM for a zoom meeting. Wonder if I can turn my camera off and go to sleep? Can I send Alexa to the meeting in my place?
Big event today was finding some warmish and hopefully waterproofish shoes. Not the right time of the year for that. I think these will be fine. For sure they are more waterproof than my Allbirds which are merely water repellant. I plan on leaving wearing them to Norway and leaving them there.
Winter aconite along the Asylum’s Wilderness Trail.
After I got back from my shoe quest, I put them on and took a fast lap around our so-called “wilderness trail”.
You know, people most likely plan this sort of trip months in advance. That’s just not my style. Especially at my age and with covid still on the loose. Never mind that Norway and most of the rest of Scandanavia have abolished all covid restrictions. I first thought of going to Norway on Feb 3rd.
Still snapping photos of the crows outside my window. I remember too well in the late 1990s when the crows had almost disappeared from the area due to West Nile virus. They recovered. And humans may recover from Covid. But, it will take a while.
Did some thinking about my 12-day ferry boat ride. There are some aquariums along the way that I might like to visit. One of them has this rather grim sentence in its advertising: You can touch skate and meet cod, saithe, halibut and many more. After feeding the wolf fish, you will be served steaming hot wolf fish cake. Now, I understand that you fatten up cows in the feedlot and then eat cows as steaming hot burgers, but still…
Also, thinking I might need to get more suitable footwear. Allbirds might not hack it.
Got the trip plans done. Well, except for the last 6 days. I got the ferry paid for. Finally. And, plane tickets. Iceland Air. And room at an up-scale hostel for one night. And, a train ticket from Oslo where the plane lands to Bergen where the ferry leaves from. That’s all for now. Leaving Friday, Feb 25 back on St Paddie’s Day.
Also, the trip that a friend and I had planned for the spring of 2022 is back on, in late May.
These are two totally different trips. The first one is kind of kid-kind. Iceland Air, hostel, ferry, backpack. The second one is luxury, pampered, maybe even a suitcase.
I was hoping one of my crows would fly in front of the moon. Didn’t happen.
Not even a picture. Didn’t take a single photo today. I’d better go somewhere that has things to photograph. How about Norway. In February. But why? I need to prove to myself that I can still “do stuff”. I haven’t crossed the arctic circle. I would like to see the Northern Lights.
The arctic circle is sort of the 66th parallel. But, unlike the equator – which is at the middle – the arctic circle is defined by where the sun is on the summer solstice. The arctic circle is currently shrinking (moving north) at the rate of 48 feet per year.
You might think that I would have been “to the arctic” having worked in Alaska. But I really haven’t been much above the 60th parallel.
Illustration courtesy of our very own CIA. (And you thought they just spied on people.)
I am reluctant to make any reservations until I finally get things sorted out with the ferry line. But, I have some hotels picked out for before and after the ferry misadventure. And I have looked at possible planes, trains, and buses.
