4th of July Stockholm Style

We got lucky with a gorgeous day on the 4th of July. 4 of us American women from my book club decided that it would be a good idea to gather our various spouses and dogs and boats and head out to the archipelago for a bbq picnic. Our friend Olle found this little gem of a spot south of Stockholm. Olle and Judy's boat proudly displays the American Flag in honor of our 4th of July celebration!
On our way out the water was extremely rough and I've never seen so many boats in the water. The summer vacation season has begun!
We were happy to arrive after the taxing ride out and once we got ourselves settled, realized what a great little perch our spot was turning out to be! It was hot and sunny and delightful. Our friends Mare and Kjell had their doggy, Cappy, with them. He is the absolute antithesis to Tanner! Calm and mild mannered, he found this little hole and just rested there for a better part of the evening! Tanner on the other hand, was dying to be in the middle of everything! Finally after swimming quite a bit, he settled down as well. 3 of us human types ventured into the beautifully clear but startling freezing waters of the Baltic. I was genuinely hot and wanted to cool off and I'd been in the water near town a couple of times so when I took my first plunge I wasn't quite prepared for how chilly it would be! At 15 degrees C, about 60F, let's just say exhilarating was one adjective that came to mind! Actually, it didn't take long for it to feel genuinely refreshing and the tingle began to restore my hot and tired self.Happy couple after a dip in the Baltic Sea.
Soon it was time to get the bbq prepared and I gotta tell you, this group knows how to put together a feast! Thanks to Doug and Kjell for grilling all the meat on the small one time grills as we forgot our little Smokey Joe grill! We had the charcoal, the "Girl Scout water" (lighter fluid), matches, food...but alas, no grill. Thankfully the brilliant Swedish invention of one time disposable grills came to the rescue once again!All of the food was just perfect and we ate as much as could have possibly have wanted to and then some. I had talked my friend Judy into making the delicious raspberry tarts she had made for book club a few months ago and even though she made me wait until we had eaten dinner to try one, they did not disappoint. What could more perfect than a cup of coffee and one of Selma's tarts on a rock in the middle of the archipelago?Much laughter ensued and pretty soon it was after 9.00 p.m. and we realized we had about a 1.5 hour journey back to the city so we began the process of getting packed up and going home. We engaged in one last photo shoot before departing! Don't you love the faux American flag backdrop?! Too funny. (The gal group photos are taken by Robert Cokery, Sandra's charming Australian husband who is a great photographer.)
The laughter and joy on our faces shows what a wonderful afternoon and evening we had all enjoyed.
We didn't blow off any fireworks, but the sun provided a beautiful display of natural beauty. Watching the day come to a close, around 10.30 p.m. is one of my greatest summer pleasures.The pup was worn out and sleepy from his island adventure.We finally landed at our Marina around 11.00 p.m. The bluish hue that the eastern sky takes on still thrills me. I marvel at the light late sky in Stockholm during this time of year. Likewise, I marvel for totally different reasons how dark it is so early in the day during the winter! We got the boat put to bed, drove home and put ourselves to bed, feeling very satisfied by food and friendship.The folks we spent the 4th with are dear friends. As we drove home through the gorgeous array of islands with the sky dancing and changing colors before our very eyes, I was reminded of how special my life in Sweden really is. I had a hard week last week. I was discontent about many things and felt some frustration with living in Sweden. Those feelings have not vanished with one beautiful night in the archipelago but I was reminded of what a gift friendship is and how beautiful and wonderful our life here can be when we choose to invest in the relationships that we've been given and to be thankful for the many ways that joy comes to us.
And so it is that another good day came to an end. Special thanks to my darling husband Douglas who works hard at the boating so I can enjoy it so much. And here's our little Finnmaster that makes all this summer fun possible. I am blessed in so many ways. I need to remember that when grumpiness and a lack of contentment lurks.

The Fabulous Finnmaster

One of the perks of living in Stockholm is water. Stockholm itself is made of up 14 different islands. Boating is quite the popular hobby here and is surprisingly affordable. Wanting to "test the boating waters" ourselves, 3 years ago we bought an old motor boat from a young guy anxious to get out of boating. Since he was not purchasing a new boat, we also lucked out and obtained his spot at the marina. Unheard of in Sweden so we fell upon a lucky star there. The marina is a perfect location for us, about a 20 minutes drive from our apartment and is located on the Baltic sea. But after a couple of summers of literally needing to nurse this boat through the season and suffering a terminal breakdown at the end of the summer last year, we decided to try and unload the boat for cheap and purchase a new and improved vessel that we felt would suit our boating habits in a much safer and fun manner. We listed our old boat on Blocket.se which is like a Swedish Craig's List and lo and behold, we got rid of it! A retired mechanic thought it looked like an interesting challenge and we came to an agreement. Then the quest for the new one began. In February, Doug located what seemed to be the perfect buy, again on Blocket. We had missed a couple of good opportunities because we moved too slowly so in this case we jumped on it. We called within 20 minutes of the boat being posted on-line and asked to be first to consider it. Within 12 minutes of seeing that boat we knew this was an amazing deal and we jumped on it. Doug labored long and hard with a good friend to get it moved and into the water. When we purchased the boat, the waterway in our harbor was still frozen and there was still snow on the ground. But alas, they finally got it in place and we've been out on it twice already. We were finally able to move it into our harbor last Monday and it feels great to have the fabulous Finnmaster sitting in our boat spot.
Seeing Stockholm from the water is really quite a treat. From our marina, we head out throught a narrow passage that leads us to the open water. From there, it's about a 20 minute ride across the open sea until we see Fjäderholmen, a cute little island that gets lots of visitors in the summer months. From there, it's a quick jaunt to the Djurgården canal which takes you right into the center of Stockholm! The architecture is stunning, the big boats that ferry people out to archipelago dominate the harbor and all in all, it's quite exciting to sit in the middle of a city, in a boat!
We took our first sojourn into the city on Friday night. It's still a bit chilly, but the evening sun gives off some warmth so along with the wonderful wind blocks that this boat has, and layers of clothing, we really enjoyed our evening cruise. Tanner loves to be on the boat but he also loves to be in the water so it's quite a chore keeping him in the boat when he's anxious to jump ship. He has to wear a life jacket and this year he needed a new one. He had outgrown the one from a year ago even though we've said for a long time that we think he's full grown. Now, we have no idea what that actually means! This is his 3rd life jacket. His puppy one is silly small. That first summer, we just handled him like a little handbag, picking him up by the handle of the life jacket and carrying him onto the boat! Now, he has to wear the second largest doggy life jacket available so hopefully he'll be able to keep this one for a bit. (Forever?)
Having a boat is definitely a luxury that we feel privileged to enjoy at this juncture in our life. It is the only vehicle we own and we did fall into a great deal. It's amazing how refreshed I feel when we've been out on the water. Soon, we will have no cover of darkness and we'll be able to linger on the water until 10.30, 11.00 p.m. It is very special to be out and about amidst the Stockholm archipelago, watching the light dazzle with its myriad shades and shadows. It's thrilling to experience such beauty and peace, knowing that the city lurks just around the next bend.