Icelandscapes

Me admiring Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon

I spent the greater part of August in a dreamscape: Iceland!

I have done quite a bit of European travel and for this visit I wanted to venture to an off-the-grid/non-touristy destination. Iceland is a tiny country in between North America and Europe...the size of Kentucky! 

The energy of the ever-changing landscapes takes your breath away, the locals are warm, welcoming, and unstressed. The food is fresh and phenomenal, the cities and towns are immaculate, and the music and shopping scenes are eclectic and unique. To say that the country blew my mind is an understatement. I don't think I had ever cried over sheer beauty before. 

Total miles traveled: approx. 1,000

Car driven: Citroën C5

# of driving mishaps: less than 5 + 1 missing license plate 

# of hitchhikers picked up: 4

Favorite cities: Reykjavík, Akureyri, Lake Myvatn

Favorite accommodation: Guesthouse Hoffell, a farm cottage with backyard glacier and homemade ginger bread!

Best hotel: The Blue Lagoon Clinic

Best hostel: Akureyri Backpackers...cozy, coffee-shop style, carrot cake!

Favorite sites: Gullfoss, Godafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, lava fields, glacier beaches 

Sites to see next time: Skaftafell, Landmannalaugar, Vestmannaeyjar, West Fjords, more hot springs (Leirhnjúkur in Lake Myvatn and Hveragerði near Selfoss)

Favorite foods: warm bread with Smjör butter, homemade waffles, cappuccinos, soft serve ice cream (tastes like marshmallow!), homemade strawberry rhubarb oat bars and whole wheat veggie quiche at Cafe Haiti, chocolate donettes and chocolate-covered rice cakes from Bonus grocery store, Appelsin orange soda, love balls (fried dough) from a tiny cafe in the middle of nowhere called Fjallakaffi

Odd food items consumed: whale, shark bites, monkfish, cod liver oil @ breakfast

Favorite meals: fish & chips at Prikid, creamy ham & chicken pasta w/garlic bread at Ólafshús

Favorite restaurants: The Laundromat Cafe in Reykjavík, Country Hotel Anna in Hvolsvöllur, Kaffi Hornid in Höfn, Gamli Bistro in Lake Myvatn, Ólafshús in Saudárkrókur

Favorite stores: Kirsuberjatred, KronKron, Hrim, Volcano, Tiger, Eymundsson

Favorite Icelandic musicians: Vök, Ólöf Arnalds (had the pleasure of seeing both of them perform in Rey!), Samaris.

Reykjavík!

Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík's notable church.

Charming downtown, clean & quaint.

My Icelandic gal pal, Loa. We are convinced we were viking sisters in a past life. ;)

Kitties everywhere!

Decorative graffiti.

Our driving adventures followed the Ring Road (Route 1), which runs the entire circle of Iceland and connects the most populous parts of the country. Makes navigating super easy!

Hekla in the distance. One of Iceland's most active volcanoes.

Cutest sheep.

Gullfoss

Thingvellir

One of a dozen rainbows.

Snaefellsness Peninsula socked with fog.

Seljalandsfoss

You can walk behind this waterfall!

So many hidden rainbows.

Double rainbow!

Fjallsárlón

Breathtaking at sunset.

Jökulsárlón




Glacial lake with icebergs.

Floating icebergs heading out to sea!

Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland's archipelago off the south coast.

Black volcanic sand beaches.

Camping at Skógafoss.

Little Miss Photographer. 

Top of Skógafoss.

We actually called the single farmer and he was quite charming. 

Homemade gingerbread served in our guesthouse every morning.

The Highlands

Highlands rain!

Everyone should have a waterfall in their front yard.

Songhellir

Alex, one of our sweet hitchhiker friends from Norway.

Little Miss Photographer…again.

North coast.

 Akureyri, the cutest town!

Adorable Icelandic fashions.

A beautifully simple watercolor menu.

Our wonderful hitchhiker friends.

Hof Cultural and Conference Centre

 Akureyrarkirkja, Lutheran church.

Arctic waves.

The charming coastal town of Saudárkrókur…dare you to pronounce it!

Surreal moon…or Tatooine?

Volcanic steam vent at Hverir, Lake Myvatn

The sulphur fumes were SO strong, it was quite nauseating!

I never knew a rainbow cloud could exist, but apparently it does!

Godafoss

Dettifoss

The road to this waterfall is VERY long and rocky. We were in a total rush to see this thing, so we lost our license plate somewhere along the drive!

The Daily Wag

I find great comfort in knowing that my paper faces are still safe and sound at Martha Stewart's blog studio. I am also honored that Franny and Sharkey enjoy using them as a backdrop to display their PetSmart fashions. Too cute!

Featured in today's The Daily Wag post.

Bernadette & Kramer

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to see Bernadette Peters in concert at the LA County Arboretum in Pasedena, CA. I was completely enthralled with her angelic voice and persona. Knowing Bernadette is a huge animal lover and supporter, I decided I wanted to pay tribute to her and her late dog, Kramer. After the show, I was lucky enough to get backstage to present the paper faces to Bernadette…she was so gracious and loved that I had captured Kramer's one eye. 

Talia

Talia Joy Castellano

I love this little star. Her bright spirit in spite of her long battle with cancer is awe-inspiring. 

I wish her health and happiness!

Sweet Talia rose to heaven on 7/16/13. May her adventure beyond be as bright and beautiful as she is.

Valerie

As a pre-teen I spent most nights glued to the TV watching Nick@Nite, Nickelodeon's lineup of classic shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and my favorite...The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I loved witnessing the friendship and exchanges between the straight-edge Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) vs. the wise-cracking Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper). The entire cast of MTM was comedic perfection...Betty White, Cloris Leachman, Georgia Engel, Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod, and Ted Knight. While I adored modern sitcoms as a kid, the old classics provided me with a lesson in solid comedic writing and exposed me to the true trailblazers of TV comedy.

When I recently heard that one of my favorite TV icons, Valerie Harper, was now battling brain cancer (after beating lung cancer!), the news hit me harder than I had imagined. My strong reaction was a blend of empathy for a childhood hero, an admiration for bravery, a true reality check to embrace life and live it to the fullest. I even have a closer connection to Valerie...we are both friends with Ed Asner!

It baffles me that someone so talented and sweet, who has inspired us through her TV, Broadway, and philanthropic projects, must face such a scary and grim diagnosis. What impresses me most about Valerie is her genuine spirit, her honesty, and her tenacity to share her personal plight with the world. Since her diagnosis, Valerie has been tirelessly sharing her story, educating others on the importance of health screenings and living in the present. We are all terminal and none of us are getting out alive! Val's quote says it best: "Don't go to the funeral until the day of the funeral." 

I knew it would be fun to capture Valerie's big, bright smile and signature printed head scarf in a paper face. I also knew I wanted her and her family to have a framed portrait of their Val that they could all enjoy. Just last week, Valerie recieved her paper face at her home in Santa Monica and expressed that it was one of the coolest pieces she had ever received from a fan. I also heard that she agonized over what to write to me...her one-liner was perfect and I am truly touched by it. I am honored that I could make Valerie smile and share my artwork with her family.

Much love always to the adorable Valerie Harper and it would be a dream to cross paths with her. I send her healing thoughts and wish her continued success.

A fun little update! I had the amazing opportunity to attend a taping of Dancing with the Stars in LA on Sept. 30th with my awesome friend Keith (he affectionately refers to me as his Flame Dame)! The theme of the show was "Hollywood Night", so we got to witness sweet Valerie take to the dance floor as Grace Kelly. She is a monumental sweetheart (but we already knew that) and I am so honored to have met her!