July Brings Sadness and Joy

July has been a month of contrasts.  First of all, my brother and only sibling, Richard, passed away four days after his 78th birthday on July 14th.  He had valiantly fought pancreatic cancer for a year and a half!  That he was able to survive as long as he did after his diagnosis is a miracle to me.  He leaves behind his sweet wife, Jan, and two sons, Kevin and Russell, and a daughter, Lisa and her husband, Steve.  He had two grandsons, Aiden and Mason, that he adored.  These people, his family, was his whole world.  As sad as his passing is to all who knew and loved him, because of our faith in God we can find joy in the knowledge that he is now free from the disease of cancer and that we will be with him again.  Without faith and belief in life after death, a loved ones passing would be unbearable.  It is always sad for those left behind who must deal with the hole that has been left in their lives; however, our faith in God and his plan for us fills us with joy at the same time.  I traveled to Texas to be with the family for a few days and found comfort and peace by being there.  Our son, Michael, will be representing our family at the Celebration of Life that will be held on August 3rd.

Farewell for now - we will meet again.

Richard, Jan, Mason and Aiden

We took the missionaries on an outing to Bruarfoss and to Thingvillar right before Zone Conference.

Bruarfoss (Also called Blue River)

Out with the missionaries

Our 8 Icelandic Missionaries (four have finished their mission and have gone home)
We are now down to four for the entire country.

My contribution to Zone Conference was potato salad and these fruit kabobs.

July was also a month with another family visit to Iceland.  Our daughter Jennifer and her husband, Jared, were with us all last week (from July 20-27) and we had a wonderful time with them.  The weather was overall pretty good and we did all the things we planned to do and then some.  The following pictures will give you a glimpse of our week.

To begin with, I was scheduled to fly in from Texas via Minneapolis the same morning they were flying in from Texas via Dallas.  I was to arrive 10 minutes after them on Delta;  they flew in on American.  Unfortunately, my flight was delayed so I arrived an hour after them.  So, instead of me picking them up at the airport - they picked me up!  It was really nice to see them there waiting for me.

After attending church, we drove home to have lunch and change clothes and off we went to the Reykjanes Peninsula.  

Jared holding up the bridge between continents!

Enjoying some of the fumeroles around the country and the sulphur smell!
(can you say "stinky"?)

Enjoying the view from the top of the hill

Preparing to climb to the top of  one of the many waterfalls on our drive to Vik.

View from the top

More river flowing toward the falls

Back on the bottom!

At the base of the glacier

We enjoyed watching the puffins as they flew off the cliffs to go fishing and then watching them fly back.  They really posed for us!  Enjoy these cuties!!

 Our next stop was the Golden Circle.  We always start the trip by a visit to the Kerid Crater.

Then our travels took us to the Snaefelsness Peninsula.  The weather was pretty but very windy which made it a wee bit chilly.

One more selfie!  Yes, I have a pointed head!!!

Rugged coastline.

More coastline and beautiful clear water.

Picnic on a black sand beach.

Enjoying the sights and sounds of the surf.


I doubt that you can read this sign but it tells about the sailors who fished along these shores.  

The sailors who rowed out from Dritvik to fish from open boats tested their strength by lifting these stones.  Each of them has a name, indicating the strength required to lift them onto the natural platform that was behind them.  That was about hip high.  "Full-Strong" weighs 154 kg; "Half-Strong" 100 kg; "Half-Carrier" 54 kg and "Hamlet or Weakling" 23 kg.  To be eligible as an oarsman rowing a boat from Dritvik, one had to be able to lift "Half-Carrier".

I think this qualifies Jared to be able to row the boat!

More beautiful coastline

Enjoying another picnic!  Love those ham sandwiches!!!

 We missed the beach with the seals on our way to the peninsula but found them on the way back.  The boulders got me again and I have a bruise on my thigh that is in the shape of Iceland!

Starting our 3km hike up to the hot river.

The river was worth the hike!  We started early in the morning so we didn't have to share too much of the river with anyone else.

It was a great week and we enjoyed ourselves very much.  We found a great fish and chips place that we just had to try for a second time the night before the kids flew home.

We have gone to all of these sights three times now and it is always fun to see the sights through the eyes of those who are seeing this amazing country for the first time.

So, the month is now at an end and we are back to work.  The archive is pretty empty because EVERYONE is taking their annual holidays now.

Looking forward to more great adventures.  Stay tuned!!!