Thursday, September 14, 2023

Tea for the Road

 Hi everyone.  Yesterday was one of those days that wasn't exactly a bad day but a day where nothing went as planned. I just gave into that early before the day sent my frustration levels over the top.  We also had some storms, and our humidity, which has been really tropical all week, finally, supposedly has broken. As I haven't yet been outside today (as when this post went live), I'm keeping my fingers crossed that that is true. 

The other weather talk going on in my area is the hurricane (Hurricane Lee). They're still not sure of the final track and where within the cone  it will hit land ; right now they're saying anywhere between Downeast Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. Any which way, there will be rain, wind and some tropical storm effects at my house, but we'll have to see what happens. (And wherever it hits, let's hope people stay safe.)

Today. I'm sharing another spread from my Iceland journal as well as some more Iceland photos. 


My spread is made by first using a writing designed stencil and some paint. Then I used a black Sharpie and a number stencil to add the numbers on the inner parts of both pages.  Once I finished my background, I attached the labels from 2 to-go sandwich wrappers. I also attached 3 (what we in the US would call) Coke Zero bottle labels.  I pulled all of these labels  off the bottles and with the 2 sandwich labels I cut away the rest of the wrappers.

I then added some stickers  that had something to do with other foods we had while on our Ring Road Drive.  There were a couple of donuts that made it into my belly, and the cookie represents some other sweets we tried. And finally, my cup of tea with a big smile on it.

That  tea cup makes my page eligible for Elle's Books, Cat and Tea challenge at Art Journal Journey.

And let me share a few more photos that go along with the scenery I shared this past Sunday. If you're interested  where we were in these photos (besides the obvious Iceland), we are on the northwest side of the island, south of the Western Fjords, and on the north side of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. We were heading towards Snaefellsnes National Park which is off of the Ring Road. 

I'll start off with this traffic jam, Iceland style. It also shows some cars and trucks which is the theme this week at Rain's Art and Dinner Date


This bus had gone off the side of the road. into the little ditch you find along most Icelandic roads. And yes, the road is gravel, but this is not considered a back road. Many of the roads in Iceland are not paved. Everyone who was stuck in this backup, maybe 15 cars, got out and went up to watch what was going on. We were stopped maybe for an hour, and some people turned around and left, but, as we were told, to backtrack around would take close to 2 hours, so it was better off to wait.

Plus this was real life and interesting to watch. At a few points it even looked like the bus might flip on its side, but luckily, it didn't.


These next 2 photos are a little dark (sorry), but we also had to stop so my husband (who's a civil engineer) could stop and inspect how they were building this new bridge. As he said they were building it with pre-cast parts, whereas at home, they are built piece by piece on site.




Although I appreciate bridges, I much more enjoyed watching the Icelandic horses in the meadows.


I love finding all the little churches in seemingly the middle of nowhere although obviously there are people living in the area who use them.


And an afternoon snack for the road is never a bad idea.


And as you drive through town, it's good to not speed.


As we moved closer to the park, the cloudier and wetter it became. Clouds and fog make cool photos, but they also let you not see as much either.




That's all for today. I'm slowly making my way through my trip photos, even though it is now September and we traveled back in (mostly) June.  Next time I share photos from the trip I'll show you some wet and cloudy views from the park.

Have a great day.




17 comments:

Tom said...

..Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore!

Angie's Recipes said...

Nobody got injured, I hope? That church is probably the only house there to see..

Iris Flavia said...

Hurricane sounds very, very scary.
I like your page :-)
I think three years ago I had a donut. LOL.
Uh-oh on the bus! We once traveled two weeks through Tuscany like that. Can be tricky (great memories only).
To be honest I have no idea how they build bridges here. I only remember I juuuust passed the statics-test at uni.
To the horses, hence!
That´s kinda the weather I would expect - thank you for sharing, I hope there is more to come! Hugs and to a hopefully safe day...

Jeanie said...

That looks like such a good ice cream cone! Sending all good wishes for the hurricane effects. Time to fill the bathtub or jugs and make sure the stuff in the freezer is OK. Do you have a generator? Hope so. But I hope you won't need it all the more!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

That hurricane is worrying indeed. Let’s hope it will veer off back out to sea. Looks like no one was injured in the bus incident in Iceland and that’s a good thing. I suspect that few tourists linger to check the details of bridge construction!

Valerie-Jael said...

Wonderful photos, love them, and it's great to see the everyday scenes there! Love your journal spread. Cola Zero is really international, I've got my bottle here on my desk as I write!
I hope the bad weather does not hit where you live, stay well and safe! Hugs, Valerie

Empire of the Cat said...

I hope the hurricane misses you and isn't too bad elsewhere. Our lovely warm weather has disappeared to be replaced by the usual cold and rain :( I love that you have a travel journal for your trip and that you were collecting bits and pieces to put in it like the wrappers and labels. I also like your smiley teacup and appreciate you linking it. Love the photos, having to wait for an hour would make me a little crazy though, hope no one was desperate for a loo! The horses are lovely as are those misty photos. I think it is all precast pieces we use here too. Thanks for joining me for the Books, Cats & Tea September theme at Art Journal Journey this month. Happy Journalling! Elle xx

Birgit said...

I hope the hurricane doesn't do any damage. I talked ro people inPEI and they are preparing for the worst since they were hit by 2 hurricanes in the past. What a wonderful vacation. I love those moody shots at the end. I wonder how the bus driver got into the ditch? It looks pretty straight to me or is the road narrow?.

Aimeslee Winans said...

Hi, Erika. Perfect travel journal pages to remember all the road snacks peculiar to the area. And I smiled at the thought of your engineer hubby having a really interesting day, with that top-heavy bus rescue and the bridge being built. I guess they would do them that way since everything has to be shipped in anyway. Now I'm wondering if it's a quicker way as well. It never fails to astound me how long highway projects take, at least down here. The state is finally going to replace the I-10 bridge over the San Jacinto River that connects us to Houston, and I'm almost certain I won't live to see its completion, sad. It'll be built right next to the old one so at least traffic won't be too badly impacted. I sure hope Lee nudges even more east. Y'all had so much rain already. But good thing is, it'll be a fast one with no stalling, plus you'll get the winds from the northeast. Continued prayers sent your way with hopes of a well-stocked pantry and everything Maddie needs for a comfortable storm ride. XOX

A Casa Madeira said...

Adorei as imagens.
Curioso saber que também tem engarrafamento.
Aqui no Brasil devido as chuvas muitas cidades no
meu estado foram inundadas o nivel dos rios subiram.
É a natureza mostrando a sua força.
Boa continuação de semana.

I loved the images.
Curious to know that there is also traffic jam.
Here in Brazil, due to the rain, many cities in
my state were flooded and river levels rose.
It is nature showing its strength.
Good continuation of the week.

Cloudia said...

Cool post, thanks! Aloha

The Padre said...

New Banner Photo !!! Way Cool - Well Actually, All These Captures Rocked - Enjoy Your Weekend

Cheers

kathyinozarks said...

Good evening, we are enjoying perfect weather this week and no humidity-a huge plus. hoping you don't get that bad storms.
I do enjoy your Iceland posts-thanks for sharing Hugs Kathy

Divers and Sundry said...

Sounds like that trip offered something for everyone :)

Gillena Cox said...

Stay Safe

Much🖤love

Elkes Lebensglück said...

Great photos from Island and the Journal page is fabulous!
take care, hug Elke

NatureFootstep said...

lol, that´s Island allright. But bad buss tour.
One of the countries I would love to visit again.