A Great Week of Summer Fun

It has been a good week in the Fondell household. We've had good friends in town visiting from the US and we've enjoyed being together with their adorable 7 year old daughter. We've continued to have great weather so we've been able to get out on our boat and enjoy some picnics with many different sets of friends. I even got back on the tube!So did Jim, Cathy, and Kajsa!

 The boat provides a great way to spend time with people which is one of the things I love about summer...a more relaxed pace allows for the space to actually spend time with people. So in the past week, in addition to the three boat picnics, I shared a long conversation with a dear woman from church around a pint of Ben and Jerry's Karamel Sutra and enjoyed a fun, relaxed evening at home around a table filled with grilled sausages, corn on the cob and a wonderful salad with our friends from the US and another good US friend who lives here. Their daughter's name is Kajsa, a distinctly Swedish name but you can imagine that she doesn't find it written on things very often in the US but here in Sweden, it's pretty popular so we found this Coke Bottle for her! Her dad also discovered that it was her name's day here in Sweden so an added bonus! The day of our picnic was only the second day they'd been here. Fresh air, swimming and jet lag took their toll on the way back in! 
In addition to our standard spot south of Stockholm, we added two new spots to stop and enjoy. One was in the Djurgården canal, which is in the heart of the city! Fun to drop anchor, pull in, swim, grill, and enjoy nature from the center of Stockholm!

The other is an island we've been to before but had not been to for awhile. The perfect place for evening sun, eating, swimming.

In addition to the company, the weather continues to dazzle even as the days are waning. This is about 8.30 p.m. now.It is now dark by about 10.00 pm and we need to be pulling into the marina around 9.00 pm to get things buttoned up before dusk sets in. But that means that the sunsets coming in are just spectacular. And the air remains warm and humid so no need for even a sweater! An added bonus is the position of the sun and moon right now. Sunset on one side. Moon rising on the other. 

Just breathtaking.

Last night I stepped on a hot coal from the bbq which did not feel good so for much of the way in I sat on the front of the boat and dangled my feet in the water. The cool water felt good on the seared area and it was so relaxing to listen to the boat cutting through the water. 

(Foot is fine this morning).

These are the times I treasure...time well spent with dear friends in a spectacular setting.
(Thanks for Cathy for some of these great photos.)

Outing to Utö

On a cloudy day in the midst of our archipelago adventure, we decided to take a little boat trip over to the island of Utö.  We've wanted to visit this southern archipelgo island for quite some time but it's a bit far to make the journey in one day in the Finnmaster. But from our island paradise in Mefjärd it's just down the sea a bit. We thought we could dump trash, do the recycling and get fresh water as well. So off we went. We were not disappointed.  Both of us fell in love with this wonderful place. To us, it represents the best of archipelgo life. It's a large island even though we only saw a very small portion of it. The guest harbor has many slips where the tie up is easy. It costs 75 sek, about $11.00 for the day, but that includes access to fresh drinking water, the toilets and showers so if you are at sea for a long time on a larger boat, it's quite a good deal. The harbor buildings are the quintessentially red stugas that mark Sweden's landscape.  There are several places to get a little something to eat and a couple of really lovely fine dining options as well.  A small ICA grocery store was buzzing with activity and while there is no system bolaget (government liquor stores, the only place you can buy beer, wine or liquor in Sweden), the ICA did have a system whereby you could place an order and it would be delivered to the grocery store for pick-up.  We could smell the bakery from down the road and I must admit, I think the cardamom bulle I had was one of the very best I've ever had in Sweden. The bakery also offered fresh bread delivery to your boat if you placed an order. There's a shop to rent bikes, a place to play mini-golf, and of course, ice cream for sale.  I know you can rent kayaks out here as well.  The wonderful mood of summer was fully embodied on Utö.

We took a little walk up the hill to go look at the old windmill that overlooked the town. Along the way we saw rental stugas that I'm sure will be packed to the brim beginning this week-end. Most Swedes take the entire month of July off work and I'm quite positive there will be a mass exit from the city out to the country and archipelago this weekend. Everywhere we looked we found charming beauty. The view from atop the hill where the mill sat was lovely in every way.  The old windmill was in great condition and has become a familiar and important landmark for Utö.

Utö has a mining history that is quite interesting.  We saw evidence of this as we passed old mining cars, saw the mining museum and stacks of ore along the roadside. The entire time I was there, I was thinking that if someone asked for advice as to where to spend some days in the archipelago, I would definitely tell them Utö.

We bought some bubbly water and some other snacks, recycled our trash, filled out water container for the house back on Mefjärd, loaded up the goods and the dog and shoved off. The Utö church sits out on a peninsula and we figured that all summer long weddings are held in this idyllic spot. If anyone would like to get married there, we are available to perform the ceremony! We also found the ultimate swimming and diving spot!

We drove through a very narrow canal to return to the open sea and saw some of the private residences that lined the canal. I wondered if any of them would be for rent. I, for one, would love to return.

An Enchanted Evening

We are enjoying the incredible generosity of our dear friends, Kjell (pronounced shell) and Marilyn, who offered us the use of their amazing island home for the week ahead.  We've been out here before, twice overnight, but this is the first time we'll spend several days in a row out here. The island is called Mefjärd and is about a 3 hour boat ride, in our boat, from our marina in Stockholm. The ride takes us out into the more wild area of the archipelago and it feels so wonderful to be so far away from the noise of the city. Your senses are filled with the surrounding sea, the gorgeous islands, and the vast sky that envelopes you.

The main house where we will stay is perched on a hill that sits above the boat dock. It's quite unique in that the island is long and skinny so there are views of the water from both the front and the back of the house. Doug was a champion, hauling all of the goods up from the boat as I am still in the phase of healing where lifting is a big no no. We had to bring all of our food out for the week as there are no stores nearby. He was happy to have it done and soon we were relaxing on the deck taking in the long, warm sunny evening.

I was absolutely smitten by the dazzling evening that the archipelago provided for us on our first night here.  Doug and Tanner went swimming but I wasn't quite brave enough to venture into the chilly waters. Doug grilled steaks and we enjoyed a lovely meal on the deck. It was well after 9.00 p.m. by the time we finished up.  The evening continued to impress the later it got. On our left was the incredible “super moon”, hanging low in the sky, a huge orange ball of light casting a street of gold on the water's surface that looked fake.  To our right was the calming sea, with the barely setting sun dipping just below the horizon creating the most wondrous palette of color and beauty.  It was well after midnight when I could finally fall into bed and let these views go.

I awoke at 7.00 to a bright, calm sunny morning.  The sea was absolute glass, with a lone boat creating a lovely ripple in its wake.  A day in the sun awaits us. Even Tanner has taken on the calm beauty of the archipelago.

My First Big Outing

10 days into my recovery and all is going very well.  Pain is minimal.  Some discomfort remains but each new day brings more and more healing.  What wondrous creations our bodies are!
I've been able to take some small walks around our neighborhood and I'm so thankful for that.  The flowers that are blooming right now are oh so spectacular.
Today is Swedish National Day so it's a public holiday here.  It wasn't a holiday until recently and Swedes still don't really know what to do with this day.  They never had to win independence from anyone.  They embody their culture more fully on the upcoming midsommar holiday, celebrating the long light of summer.  But they are always happy for a holiday so we are happy to join them in a day off work!
Today was picture perfect, the kind of weather that you dream about all winter long.  When it gets like this in Stockholm there is just no better place on earth.  So Doug asked me how I felt about venturing out on the boat and I said I was game.  My short outings had gone well, the boat seats are cushioned, and I thought it would be just wonderful to get out.  We called our friend Jen to enjoy the day with us and give a hand with the dog and the lifting as those are both no-no activities for me for another 5 weeks.
Boy am I glad we ventured out!  The water was still, the sky without a cloud, the sun warm and refreshing.  We headed south to our new favorite little spot, the Artipelag.  Free boat slips, great walking paths, most beautiful café in Sweden, easy swimming access, beautiful bathrooms and loads of sunshine.  What is there not to love?!  I was nervous that the bouncing and jostling might be a bit much but it was such a great smooth ride.  Tanner and I hunkered onto the back seat and allowed the lull of the motor to bring on a restful nap.

A wonderful place to recuperate!

 It felt so wonderful to get out!  Once there, we took a nice walk, used the beautiful bathrooms and found a nice seaside rock to enjoy our time.

Gorgeous outdoor café

Tanner was in and out of the water constantly.  Doug and Jen swam.  I could only put my feet in.

Our view for the afternoon

No swimming for 2 more weeks.  We munched on trail mix, pita chips and hummus, and cherries.  Yum.  Taste of summer was starting!  At 5.30 pm we began our trek back to our harbor.  It remained hot and sunny the entire ride.  We arrived at 6.30 pm and daylight was still burning brightly.  On another day we might've stayed out all evening, packing dinner, grilling on the seaside, but for today, this afternoon outing was enough.  Tanner is now shattered here at home, dead asleep on the floor.  I am a little sunburned and pretty worn out.  Doug is happy to be resting at home as well.  It was a perfect day and the perfect big first outing for me.  I hope the rest of the summer proves to be this amazing.

Autumn in the Stockholm Archipelago

It was sunny and reasonably warm this morning so we decided to go on a boat ride with our dog Tanner and our friend Chris.  I optimistically wore shorts and tennis shoes with no socks.  It started off to be a fine decision.  It was sunny, with some clouds and quite a lovely day.  We wanted to get into the heart of the archipelago since we know our days are numbered out there for this season so we headed for the island of Ekskär, which our boat club partially owns.
I slept on the back seat of the boat on the way out.  I loved the fresh air and cool breeze.  There was scarcely anyone else on the island when we arrived so Tanner ran free, swam like a fish, and enjoyed being his crazy Labrador self.  We sat in the sun on the rocks, ate a lovely picnic lunch whilst taking in the views that I never grow weary of. The ride back in was chillier as a low cloud cover had moved in and it almost foggy, like a bit of a mist had drifted over the water.  Brrr.  I was wishing I had thrown in long pants and some warm socks!  It is late September afterall.  What was I thinking?  Perhaps that summer isn't really over.
Still, the beauty of the archipelago, the good company, the walk in the woods, the fresh air left me feeling renewed and relaxed.
We came home and I made fajitas for dinner. Yum.  What a great day.