tell the bees

here are some photos of what i did on my first two days back in the United States.

my hosts for two nights were the amazing Toni and Sam Burnham of Washington D.C. Toni took me to a Franciscan monastery where i observed the feeding of bees close up for the first time. these are just a few of the hives she takes care of around town. we talked bee folklore and bee patron saints. later, i helped put labels on little honey jars. when i awoke the morning i was to fly to California, found a big jar of home-made Capital Honey tucked into my bag, "produced and bottled at an undisclosedlocation".

















first proper North American meal - stuffed poblano chile pepper with tortillas at the Museum of the American Indian





Prof. S. Loring of the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center


a friend acting strangely, but then...

...back home again, just time for halloween. i love my friends.

wunderkammer

ok ok ok i am truly planning to post a very belated photo update once i unload my 2MB memory card... some fun things are in the works relating to the Nordic Arctic travels for the beginning of December, which i'll post information about soon. i've moved back to Los Angeles and am engaged in employment in the bookshops of two museums: the Getty on most days, and the Museum of Jurassic Technology on Tuesdays during the new holiday hours. feel free to stop by and say hej.

placemarker.

i've been home in California now for a little over one week and it's been busy busy. i also caught the flu within the first few days and have been feeling low energy and a little overwhelmed at times. within the next few days i hope more business will be taken care of, including posting a few more images,updating my main website and resume, and buying materials to get started on some stuff in the works. reminder to self: send e-mail to M.L. and work on that article.

i want to write more about my feelings about being home for now vs. away, but i think i need a little more time and for sure to get over this head cold before i can write anything worth sharing. but i will take this opportunity to thank all the folks who read this little ol' blog and wrote something now and then - my adventures were all over the place and writing here did help me focus and reflect on where i'd been/what i'd done/seen. check back sometime later this week if you're into it!

it's against the law to frown in....capital city

i arrived in Washington D.C. last night, after a bittersweet goodbye to rainy Reykjavik. i'm staying for one more night (tonight) before flying on to California in about 6 hours. my hosts this time are a sweet and funny middle aged couple comprised of Antoinette (a beekeeper) and Sam (exec of some kind). they live right in D.C. and keep six hives of bees - check out her blog CityBees for more on that. anyway, she picked me up from the airport yesterday and took me to get Mongolian food (!!!), after which we came home and watched the Metalocalypse episode where they destroy Finland, and ate cookies until i passed out from jetlag. yes.

here are some photos from my last days in Reykjavik. some things i don't have photos of but are worth mentioning, specifically the Icelandic Love Corporation retrospective at the Reykjavik Museum of Art. wow. i can't remember the last time i smiled almost continuously through 3 large galleries of one group's work...it was a brilliant, inspiring, beautifully put together showcase spanning 10 years: the performances. the drawings. the champagne. the top hats. the mirror-lined coffins. the licorice portraits...phew. i never wanted it to end, seriously.




went over to Svanny's parents house to eat waffles, drink lemonade and play with puppies.


these little hunting guys are worth about 150,000 isk each


first encounter with the sheep's head


"the red hills"









helga


namesake vessel outside the secret old sailor men's coffee shop near the harbor





















warning: if you want to spare yourself the sight of the delicacy known as ye old Icelandic singed/boiled sheep's head, skip the next three photos











you have to admit this is kind of funny


svanhvit likes the eyes and the tounge the best









two photos from the start of the Iceland Airwaves fest i took before my camera died (at 12 Tonar recordshop)


Rokkuro (IS)


Gavin Portland (IS)





goodnight rvk



anyway i actually have some fun snaps from my day in DC that i'll post when i'm home in California, including feeding bees at a Franciscan monastery, the first American meal in 9 months, hanging out at the Arctic Studies Center, etc.

see you tomorrow.

smoke bay

long overdue photos...

Nuuk, Greenland

view from my apartment













signs for demonstration for art and culture. i am writing an article for the Smithsonian Arctic Studies center newsletter about the event - i'll post it when it comes out in December...


reindeer heart
















marching with angelica






Pauli and Absalon Ø.







and just a few snaps of Reykjavik for now...




Svanhvit!

i've been crazy busy and kind of overwhelmed, but i hope i can catch up with my mind real soon and of course share all i can.

love.