End of the Season

I will miss the beauty of our harbor and the calm sense it always gives to me.

Today ended up being an amazing surprise!  We woke up to a gray day but by about 2.00 p.m. the sun was out and we decided to jump on a last opportunity to get out on the boat.  I'm leaving for California a week from today and have a very busy week ahead so I knew that today marked the last chance for me to get out on the water.  What an incredible gift it was to have the weather break into an incredibly beautiful, mild, autumn afternoon!  Hints of fall decorated the waterways and the wonderful, rich green of the Swedish countryside just dazzled our senses.
I suggested that we go to Fjäderholmarna, a small yet charming island just outside of Stockholm.  During the summer months it swarms with people, but on a Monday afternoon in September, we had the place all to ourselves!  Tanner was one happy dog as he was off leash all afternoon, running, jumping, even swimming in the chilling waters of the Baltic sea!  We found a picnic table, perfectly situated in the afternoon sunshine, enjoyed our fika of Camembert cheese, crackers, cookies and of course, freshly brewed coffee!

That's our picnic table down near the water.

It was perfect! After our fika we wandered around the island. It was very special to be there with such great weather and no other people!  We found a spot that we've never been and located this gun that had been there from WWII.  Incredible.  The Solklipporna (The Sun Cliffs) lived up to their name and the view and the warmth beckoned us to sit and take it all in. Tanner ran around, chewed on a stick, jumped back in the water and stopped by for an occasional treat.  As for us...we sat in the warm sunshine and took in the view.  We found the most amazing mushrooms growing wild!  They looked straight out of  Pippi Longstockings  Eventually we realized that we needed to get back to the harbor, spend some time cleaning the boat and hauling all of the minutiae of the summer back home!  Amazing how much dirt, grit and stuff you can accumulate in one summer!
Even so...the ride back in was glorious.  We've never seen the water so calm.  Clearly, the boat traffic has slowed way down because that's what makes the water so choppy at times.  The cloud formations were quite striking and we saw a dog laying on his back in this one!  Not to mention the beautiful cross as well.
For me, knowing it was my last time on the water this season, I was able to just soak in the sunshine and the beauty.  I've been a little freaked out this year about the coming darkness and today was just a gift...a gift of light and beauty, time with my husband that I treasured as we are going to be apart when I go to California and a chance to enjoy the very best of Sweden one last time before the ensuing darkness envelopes us.

I live in an incredibly beautiful place and I'm quite thankful that this summer has given us numerous opportunities to enjoy it. Today was a one last surprise gift to take it all in and enjoy every moment with the man and the dog I love so much.  Thanks Finnmaster for a fine season. I'll see you again on the water next April.