Sunday, February 25, 2007

Instead of looking outside my window at today's dreary, sodden, gray cityscape at work (yes, working on a Sunday isn't my best idea of fun), I'd rather like to see this stunning green Icelandic valley, surrounded by tall volcanic mountains. Ah - I feel better now.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good Morning World(Yes TERRY ,you are my world),just a quick thank you for another great week end!!!Looking at picture makes me think that a 24-36 hour stop over would be in order...a soak at blue lagoon--bird and mink watching near grindavik or was that njardvik...Happy Day :-}

Magdalene-Sophie said...

what therapeutic pictures.. when i look away though, the real world crashes down, grounding me.

:)

tsduff said...

Hey my sweet Annonymous - It is most definitely impossible to ignore the tug of Iceland's uncomparible beauty... especially when coupled with memories of time spent there with YOU, my world. I think this picture needs a certain parkbench, and a few trees ;) xoxo

javajazz said...

then dont look away for awhile!
or keep the image in your heart
Meg-Sophie, so you may bring it
everywhere you go...until the
world stops crashing so much...
xo

javajazz said...

man, Iceland has such
a haunting quality to it,
almost surreal in its
primitive beauty...
and watching mink!
B, how cool is that!

G-Man said...

Nice pic Terry.....

JAVAJAZZ!!!!!!!
You come strolling into my blog, getting me all excited, and then* POOF!*
Gone like the wind.
Teasing is NOT part of the Canadian tradition that I'm aware of. Ask Terry, I love smart women!
Christ she's smarter than me, and I'm not too proud to admit it.
OK, just promise me that you'll visit at least once a week....Please?

tsduff said...

Magdalene-Sophie - Your dilemma is precisely why I feel a need to surround myself with pictures of "other" places - places which evoke serenity, joy, and peace. A person can't live happily while entirely grounded... Come back often :-)

Lisa - you know mink are so slender and small, you think it can't really be one that you are looking at! When my Sweetie saw with his sharp eyes, a mink darting among the huge shorebreak rocks in Iceland, I thought he was mistaken. Then when we watched another one slyly (and foolishly) swimming out to try to capture a baby duck in the surf, we saw it more clearly and confirmed it was indeed a mink. (The ducks saw it coming from afar and swam quickly out of reach)

javajazz said...

i mean, who the heck gets to see a mink? other than your sweetie Bear of course! those Cancerians, they dont miss a thing, do they? specially not a thing of beauty... heck, we can even see stuff with our eyes closed...darn curse of my life...!
and how can people want to hurt those gorgeous silken graceful beauties, and sew them into a coat? sheesh! what happened to us humans anyway? sorry, now i'm getting morbid...(do those beautiful minks eat duck?!)

lets see, how about i'll make some beautiful roasted veggies now as i make dinner backwards (already did dessert!)...yukon gold and sweet potatoes, carrots, sweet onions, red peppers, tossed lightly in olive oil, with some crushed garlic and a touch of sea salt...yummm...
comfort food just before that crummy storm hits us...i'm ready...i felt it since yesterday...bring it on!

tsduff said...

Don't forget the parsnips, and why don't you leave the garlic cloves whole? They are divine roasted. Oh, and bring some over here when it's done cooking :-D

javajazz said...

oooh whole cloves....i honestly never thought of that...and parsnips i put in lamb stew and beef stew and my chicken soup...mmm! i wish someone would cook for me...oh right, i dont eat, i forgot...
strange day today...
you know what i'd dig trying? roasting a whole head of garlic...i'm not a Spice Girl and to me, garlic is to be used as one ingredient that supports others, so i prefer no big loud noises in my cooking or eating, rather a symphony of co existing ingredients, one enhancing the next, but roasted garlic and roasted onions...woohoo, quel transformation! an odd earthy kind of sweetness that comes from the slow gentle relaxed roasting of things previously rather hot! how does that happen?

javajazz said...

oh, what do i say to Galen now?
teasing is not really my style, and i'm not all that skilled a game player either, which is
probably why i seem to enjoy hanging out here with the non poker players!
G, you've got your whole bevy of beauties flocking about you over at your place...i dont imagine one more enigmatic canadian is gonna make much of a difference...but you sure take darned good care of them...you are a people person and a caring soul, to boot, making each of your guests feel more special than the next...thats quite a gift...though i reckon if you want to get away once in a while, and grab a breath of pure fresh air, perhaps this truly is a lovely place to visit! i sure like it over here, but again, i believe it is the energy that Terry exudes, that draws me in this direction, and her sweet Bjarni too...i hope i am not being rude and presumptuous to invite you to a "home" that isnt mine to invite people to...why, even i am over staying my welcome here on Terry's blog, as my blog lays dormant to air itself out and rest for a time...
i dont know....sometimes, i just dont know....

tsduff said...

*winks*
JJ - overstaying your welcome? HA! Good heavens - I'd say all that ice and snow up your way has frozen your thinking cap :-D Thank you for saying all those nice things about my spot - truly it makes me feel good, as you know I've been tempted recently to just fold it up and disappear myself.

I welcome all to come on over here, take a nice look around and relax. Oh, and leave the door open behind you... :-D

javajazz said...

dont you dare fold, girl!

my frozen thinking cap, ha!
i love those funny old fashioned
sayings...!
hey, that ain't all that's frozen
lemme tell you! sheesh!


mmm the smell of whole garlic
cloves is dancing through my
little house, like a different
kind of perfume from the earth...
the roast veggies are all toasty and ready to eat...
yum...we just boiled up some
edamame pods and i just put in some more cookies...we did one cookie with a chocolate easter egg planted in the centre...woah baby! you can put anything in these cookies you know...! no, not that! get your head out of the 60's, huh?
next is baked teriyaki chicken and teriyaki salmon...
thats it.
and lots of cookies.
if theres any left...
Sarah rarely eats here...
so she is tonight.
a way to a hormonal teens heart
is through a nice home cooked meal...hopefully!

Autumn Storm said...

Terry, you done gone done it again - what a stunning picture! I'd love to run through that valley, like Laura Ingalls :-D, and sing and dance and watch the sky and feel the breeze. Just beautiful, thanks for sharing, xo

Keshi said...

how beautiful!

Keshi.

G-Man said...

OK it's settled, whilst I am here visiting the very talented and younger than me Terry, It's all right to chat a while with the Houdiniesque JavaJazz.
And if the stunning Autumn shows up, so much the better!!
Terry?...It's OK?

tkkerouac said...

Very beautiful!

weatherchazer said...

I need three days in that valley, then the world might seem beautiful again.

CozyMama said...

that is amazing, I watched Flicka last night, the semi new movie with Tim McGraw, well that pic reminds me of the scenery in the movie, the mountains of Wyoming, amazing, breathtaking, makes me want to go there.

Anonymous said...

Ouch, sorry you had to work on Sun. Nice pic. Ahhhhhhhh!

I’ll send you a nice beach one if ya want.

Mo'a said...

You and I dream the same dreams :)
Did you take this picture? So beautiful....I am so glad that I will be there in May :)
Thank you for annother great photo, of my homeland.

tsduff said...

Lisa - all that stuff is the way to ANYONE's heart! Yum. Here's my plate - please dish me up.

Autumn - !! That is a great picture in my head of Laura Ingalls capering down the valley...I think she might stub her toe on the lava rocks hiding in the grass though :-) Thanks for painting that picture of carefree fun in my mind.

Keshi - :-) hugs!

Galen, yep - you are only as old as you feel - and what's age got to do with it? :-) You might catch up with the talented Canadian if you are lucky... she is the smart one around here. As for the lovely Ms. Autumn, she always drops in and leaves us all with a smile.

tsduff said...

tkkerouac - Thank you and welcome!

Weatherchazer - I can tell you right now 3 days wouldn't be enough...that place gets under your skin and you would never want to leave...

Jodes, I've seen parts of Wyoming... and all I've seen was gorgeous. I think it has to do with those great expanses of nothing but land and sky, with no houses, man-made obstructions and junk in the way. Iceland is like that too: it is a constant feast for your eyes, and I'm in love with it forever.

Sal - I can never get enough perfect pics of the beach - but then there are so many beaches!! The beach where I grew up near Malibu was pretty, but I love those dramatic pics of other coastlines, with rocks, birds, wind... nature ALIVE.

Mo'a - I didn't take this particular photo, but I have many like it. I'll be in Iceland in May too :-) for only a day or so though, on the way to Italy. I can't stay away from Iceland, got to drop by the duty-free store and pick me up some Brennivin, pylsur, cheese, and hangikjöt...

G-Man said...

Thanks Terry, I think that all of your friends have it going on, as do you. You always have the greatest quality moments captured forever.
Here's the deal with my blog, I think that people click on to read or whatever, and they see that there are 45-80 comments per post. This may shy people away from commenting, when in actuality maybe only 10 different bloggers were involved. I just usually carry on a running commentary over and over. Anyway, thanks for listening. And I really do like Autumn and JJ, and you.
Smart girls rock!
Smart, pretty girls are off the chart!!...Galen

tkkerouac said...

thanks for dropping by to see my bird.

javajazz said...

yup, i never get near a duty free shop without pickin' me up some
hangikjot...its best if you stock
up on those, er, that...(them?)

i think next to the cookies last night (not that i want to keep remembering much more of last night)
the best part of the meal was those
yummy roast veggies...those whole garlic cloves were sweet and creamy...reminded me of an old boyfriend...okay, now i'm just goofin around...i had a friend who used to make all these jokes about his first wife...except that he only ever had one...okay, it wasnt funny either...

well, weather report...its all fluffy and white out there...kinda reminds me of...oh nevermind.
but i did shovel a substantial amount of it...my arthritic baby finger was a tad upset about that...thumb dug it, though...

Minka said...

I am having teh most difficult time placing this. Any suggestions for soembody who really needs to have things sorted. I do feel lucky, I actually live here and it takes me about an hour to drive into an area like this...if it were summer of course :)

G-Man said...

JavaJazz,Hi there baby!!

javajazz said...

baby?
me baby?
(moo haa haa!)

how old are you, mr. Galen?
(remember, there are no
secrets in Blogland...)

i've heard it said
that you are
older than Terry,
but then,
so am I!!
ha!

baby...
childlike, maybe.
certainly not a babe.
baby?
i have 2 old ones.

no babies here.
immature, maybe...

howdy...

CozyMama said...

Now I really want to go there.

Anonymous said...

Hey Terry Girl, geez - what an awesome picture! Would so love to see that out my window right about now! We are snowed-under, which I guess is better than just getting snowed - ha ha...

anyway, I've missed you of late. Just been kind of keeping it low lately and with not getting on on the weekends I seem to miss out on much!

hope your week is going well !!!

Hugs,
Meg

Unknown said...

That is so so sooooooo beautiful!! :)

tsduff said...

Can you hear me screaming? I've answered everybody's comments 2 times today... and then seen them all go "poof" before they posted. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Okay, let's begin again.

Thanks for the kind words Galen. As everyone knows, I love beautiful pictures, so that is mainly what you will see here (not much IQ needed for that :-D) It is pretty quiet around here as compared to other places in the blogworld including your funny spot, but that is how I prefer it :-)

tkkerouac - You have some great owl shots at your place - among others. I enjoyed looking around at all the variety.

JJ - HA HA HA The next time you have some craving for some Icelandic smoked lamb, grab some hangikjot from the duty free store or the next time you're in a Bonus store in Iceland. Or, have an Icelandic friend send you some :-D I love lamb just about any way you cook it, but the hungi it just unique to itself. I can't remember if you eat meat (Ewwwwww, remember that gross egg cup picture I sent you a while back???) but if you do, you'd like this.

I like your garlic comparison to old boyfriends... I agree. Just ask Annonymous.

You enjoy shoveling snow? Man alive, that isn't my idea of fun. In fact I could live the rest of my life without any snow and be happy.

Minka - Just go up past Egilsstaðir to the highlands... that is where I picture this scene. Ugh - I can imagine it now under tons of ice and snow.... brrr!

tsduff said...

Jodes - you would have to put a fur-lined parka on over your bikini... you would turn into a piece of ice. (ha ha - slightly different climate than sunny San Diego :-D)

Hi Meg, Snow? I've had enough snow just watching the weather report for you guys :-( We did get lots of hail last night - enough so that it looked like snow... but that is enough for me. :-)

Actonbell - I ALWAYS end up laughing out loud when you come by with your funny lady avatar... you look so AWWWWWFULLY British...
Happy Tuesday almost WEDNESDAY ;-)

Gareth - I thought you'd appreciate the green :-) Say, isn't your time of the year approaching?

javajazz said...

THERES Terry! sheesh girl,
where you been?
so, creamy garlic huh?
i am NOT asking anonymousBjarniBear
about that at ALL!
how embarrassing!
and yes, i do remember
that hairy testicle in an egg cup
thank you very much.
its not an image i can get
out of my mind that quickly.
and not that this is connected,
but yes, i do eat meat. not tons
of it but i always love lamb...i think i like the smell of it cooking more than anything!
yum, with garlic and rosemary
and olive oil and salt rub...
and i make lamb stew yummy too...
you busy at work? oh wait, its 6 now your time...!

javajazz said...

oh i just saw the snow bit...
i used to enjoy shovelling snow,
but now that i'm old, creaky and crabby, the novelty seems to have worn off...however, if its beautiful and light and fluffy, i dont mind
doing a bit of it, its just harder for little old me to lift el shovello...but there is a gorgeous
sound that a blanket of snow gives off that is almost indescribable....it is the sound
of silence...but no echoes....
its neat, and quite peaceful,
at least until the slush comes!

tsduff said...

Still here at work as usual...BURIED ALIVE. Man, there's gotta be something better than this...

Speaking of snow... today my Love was so worried about his daughter driving the 5 hour drive home up north through sleet, snow, and possible closed passes that he up and piled in the car with her. Yep - he's gone again. You know he just has to hit that road. Sheesh - I thought he was off to Florida today or tomorrow - guess not. A Bear's gotta have his space. Did you ever hear that song by REM called "Don't go back to Rockdaaaaale"....I always think of it when he leaves.

javajazz said...

he just up and go-ed?
wow! (did he drive?!)
where's her home?
didnt your son have such a drive
too, in the snow a while back?
ya, i guess a Bear's gotta
have his space...must be his
astrological sign or somethin'...
"on the road againnnnn...."

tsduff said...

Will you come over and cook a lamb roast for me? (please pardon the rumblings in my tummy - it just sounded SO good!)

Yes, Joe went back to Reno last week, in the snow. But he knows how to do snow driving... LOL it's his mother that is the snowmash queen... LOL.