Unexpected benefits

One of the things I hadn't counted on with this blog writing was that I'd actually get to MEET some of the people who read and occasionally comment. These Voices from Beyond have started to come to The Land with surprising regularity, and in the past few weeks J and I have met 3 of the people who read our blogs. It's been awesome, since the people who are actually interested in reading our weekly ramblings about the random stuff we notice appear to also be the kind of people who make for good lunchtime or evening company. They're the kind of tourists who want to know about what it's like to live here, and not just complain about the prices and the unpredictable weather. Plus, the people who've come here recently are obviously not coming for the usual wintertime vacation. You can't get a tan and you can't ski here right now, so you'd better be coming for the Icelandic atmosphere.

It's also been great because J and I are able to get an almost regular infusion of those American products we just can't live wtihout. People who've gone back and forth to the States know by now that if you offer to bring something to an Icelander from the States, you might end up carrying more than you expected. J had to ferry a steering column for a Jeep once, for example. Things can be either so expensive or simply not available that an offer to carry and ferry is pretty exciting. We've been kept in Cap'n Crunch and various other can't-get-it-here stuff since January thanks to all the visitors.

So if you're coming, let us know, but be careful if you offer to carry stuff... you might end up bringing a steering column! (Maybe I shouldn't say that... I could cut off the cereal connection...)

Ship sighting: Yesterday was another seriously rough day on the seas with high winds and even higher gusts. Still, there was some kind of boat that floated stationary in front of Akranes for a while, then moved further out to sea. Nothing of that sort was listed in the ol' harbor website, and it was too far out to be the dredger. Must have been pirates.