Wordless Wednesday

1 augusti, 201831 juli, 2018 / Leya / 4 kommentarer

Leaving Abisko – for Norway and Lofoten

30 juli, 201829 juli, 2018 / Leya / 40 kommentarer

In the header is Lapporten (Swedish: ”The Lapponian Gate”) or Tjuonavagge (Northern Sami: Čuonjávággi, ”Goose Valley”). This is a U-shaped valley in Lapland in northern Sweden, and one of the most familiar and famous natural sights of the mountains there.

Driving towards the Norwegian border, we left lake Torne Träsk behind us heading for the coast and Narvik, Norway.

This is a rough, high mountain area with not that much vegetation. The Norwegians seem to love it and their cottages (No. ”Hytter”) are everywhere perched on the flat rocks.

Staying in your own hytte is in the Norwegian national soul just as our cottages are in the Swedish soul. They vary in standard from no water or electricity (the ”real thing”, according to many) to luxury houses.

The view was tightening, but we relished every minute of the chilly fog and the fresh air. Three months in a sauna is not my cup of tea.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Soft

29 juli, 201829 juli, 2018 / Leya / 31 kommentarer

This week, Tina is our host, and she challenges us to show an interpretation of SOFT.

” Is it something as simple as a puppy’s fur, or as personal as your favorite quilt or sweater? Maybe it’s the soft light of dawn or the whisper of a soft breeze through the trees. Let us know in your response what SOFT means to you.”

Tina’s beautiful series of animals leaves us with a soft whisper from nature – and she inspired me to contribute with some softness from northern Sweden and Norway, where I spent some days last week.

In the header, a lovely little bridge by the road in Lofoten. I stopped to take a photo, but, as I was parking the car, the fog had smoothly settled between the mountains – and totally changed the scenery. Now the landscape was swept in a soft, cool blanket, and my photo created a totally different, but maybe more interesting feeling.

The other shots are from Lapland, Sweden, where we were welcomed back by the softest carpet of white cotton-grass and common cotton-grass.

In Northern Europe, for hundreds of years cotton-grass was used as a substitute in the production of paper, candle-wicks, and wound-dressings. And used as filling, they made the softest of pillows.

Do you have cotton-grass in your country as well? Do you know what it was used for in the old days – or maybe still is?

For more information on how to participate in the Lens-Artists photo challenge, click here. And – be sure to tune in for Patti’s challenge next week on Pilotfish!

Norway – Again

27 juli, 201828 juli, 2018 / Leya / 31 kommentarer

Coming back from a beautiful trip to Lofoten, Norway. We have been to Norway so many times, but never to Lofoten. It was worth waiting for…Here are two appetizers.

Thursday Thoughts – On the Road Again

19 juli, 201818 juli, 2018 / Leya / 31 kommentarer

Country roads

…and the farmers’ never ending work

Fading flowers and ripening blackberries

So, I am heading north for some days – to leave the heat behind

I will be in touch – have a great weekend all!

CFFC: Octopus and Whale – Airborne

17 juli, 2018 / Leya / 36 kommentarer

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Week 2 Photo – truck, mural, octopus, whale, blue, etc.

In June I visited the kite flying festival at Fanö, Denmark. A spectacular event! Here are some whales and octopuses for Cee’s challenge!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Cooling

14 juli, 201814 juli, 2018 / Leya / 153 kommentarer

Cooling

Here in Scandinavia – and several other European countries – we have endured a more than two months’ long heat wave, with temperatures exceeding everything since measurements started in Sweden hundreds of years ago. To function – cooling is essential.

One of my fondest memories of cooling is from 2015, when we were hiking the spectacular Verzasca Valley in Tessin, Switzerland. After some tough hours on foot, the temperature hit 34 degrees C – and we felt an urgent need to cool down. Fast cooling was offered with a swim in the 14 degrees C glacier water of the Verzasca river.

How would you capture cooling in a photograph? Is it an image like this one, showing a much-needed, cooling swim? Or is it maybe a giant ice-cream on the beach, or a dog in a bucket of water in your back yard? Show us your interpretation in a new post.

Here are the guidelines:

Lens-Artists Photo Challenges are published every Saturday at 12 noon EST by one of our moderators. Post your reply any time before the next challenge is announced.
Tag your post with lens-artists so others can easily find it in the WordPress Reader.
Remember to create a link to this post.
Subscribe to all 4 moderator blogs to receive the challenge each week.

Week 1 – Patti of https://pilotfishblog.com/

Week 2 – Ann-Christine aka Leya of https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/

Week 3 – Amy of https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/

Week 4 – Tina of https://travelsandtrifles.wordpress.com/

We had so many great responses to our first photo challenge!

Have You Seen These?

Deborah found a really special wonder in the Perry Sandhills – Wentworth. See her entry here:

https://debbiewhittam.wordpress.com/2018/07/09/lens-artists-photo-challenge-wonder/

And Helen reminds us that ”Everything is a wonder, when we see through children’s eyes.” See her entry here:

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Wonder

Amy will be your host for the next challenge on Saturday, July 21.

Missed our initial challenge announcement? See details here.

CFFC: Week 1 Photo – Window etc.

10 juli, 2018 / Leya / 34 kommentarer

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Week 1 Photo – geometry, bushes, window, brick, etc

Switzerland has much to offer – a little village totally covered in decorations like these. I hope this covers some of the words – at least windows, bushes and geometry!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Wonder

8 juli, 20188 juli, 2018 / Leya / 55 kommentarer

A wonder – everything in creation is. And, in December 2016, I was fortunate enough to enjoy this tiny Wonder (it is the smallest seabird in the world) with my own eyes, swirling around our sailing ship in the Galápagos’ waters. It is an Elliot’s Storm-Petrel. I took hundreds of pictures of these birds…but only a few show clearly enough the bird’s amazing abilities – it walks, runs and stands on water while feeding. I could watch them for hours –

There are two subspecies, and this one is an endemic galapagoensis; ”Elliot” after the man who discovered the bird and “Petrel” refers to Saint Peter walking on water. ”Storm” was the part given to it by the sailors, who believed the birds were warning them about a storm coming their way.

The whole story of this Storm-Petrel is enigmatic…not only is it pelagic (lives at sea only), but despite a population estimated at many thousands – a nest has yet to be found.

The theme for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is Wonder. We invite you to create a post that captures a moment, a feeling, a place, a person—which filled you with wonder.