Home Base

Lake Esau will be home base — someday!  But then what?  A bit of traveling seems in order.  Watching the Food Network has given me the idea of using food festivals as an excuse to explore the U.S.  For example, Castroville, CA — "The Artichoke Center of the World" — hosts the annual Artichoke Festival each spring.  Marilyn Monroe was the first Artichoke Queen in 1948.  It's not the Coast Guard Festival, of course, but any town with a mascot like this is worth a look!

Farther afield, the Laycock brothers are looking at a trip to China, and I've long wanted to visit the U.K. and other European venues.  But also on the list is Iceland.  I find the place fascinating.  Although Irish monks may have visited the island of "Thule" in 825, credit for discovery of Iceland in 860 is shared by Naddoddr, a Viking who got lost sailing from Norway to the Faroe Islands, and Gardarr Svavarsson, a Swede who was blown off course while making for the Orkney Islands.  Ingolfur Arnarson became the first permanent resident in 874.  Then things got a bit dicey.  Most benchmarks in Icelandic history seem to begin, "So-and-so was murdered...."

Icelanders have mellowed over the years, yet the Viking maritime heritage remains strong.  While the country has no standing army, it boasts a small but robust Coast Guard.  For example, in the Cod Wars of the 1950s and 1970s, a dispute over fishing rights, the Coast Guard's little fleet of patrol boats stood up to the British Navy and did not come out second best.  More peacefully, Iceland models an intelligent approach to energy by making effective use of its hydroelectric and geothermal resources.  By 2050 the nation plans to be energy independent.  And having learned that some northern Michigan masonry contractors are resistant to ICF (insulated concrete form) foundations, I find it especially interesting that 95% of all buildings in Iceland are made of reinforced concrete.  The reason is simple: sand and gravel are abundant in Iceland, while trees are not.  And Iceland is a beautiful place!

Reykjavik, the capital, in southwest Iceland

Skogafoss Waterfall, in southern Iceland

Sunset near Reykjavik

The Aurora borealis


Iceland has been in the press most recently because of the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano this spring.  The ash cloud drifted into European airspace and shut down most airports, stranding tens of thousands of travelers.  Iceland's lively geology results from the island being, in reality, the top of a very large mountain on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  The Ridge — which is the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates — bisects the nation.  As the plates pull apart, Iceland slowly grows wider, roughly one inch per year!  The trench between the plates makes a nice place for a country road!

Bingvellir, in southern Iceland

So, Iceland is on my to-do list! •••