Good Afternoon All!
Happy 57th Birthday to my friend Sue, who is married to a great financial planner and is a spouse, mother & grandmother extraordinaire…the pride of Missoula, Montana I might add! Here’s to you, Sue, on your special day of celebration…enjoy! Also, here’s to multi-billionaire Warren Buffett of Berkshire-Hathaway fame, who celebrates his 89th birthday today! I’ve always admired how he handles being so wealthy and what he does to help many others with his fortune. What a great way to make a difference in our world by committing so much of his wealth to helping make our world a better place. Happy Birthday Mr. Buffett…the pride of Omaha, Nebraska!
Speaking of great locations…there’s no better place to stay in Iceland than the little fishing village of Flateyri. This tiny Westfjords town juts out into the blue sea of Onundarfjordur on a thin spit of land. The main street has a quiet cafe, an empty sports field and a lonely gas station. It also features a memorial to the 20 souls in the village who were lost in the avalanche of 1996. The avalanche came down the mountain that looms over Flateyri in the middle of the night and now there is a huge catchment basin that blocks any future paths of avalanches. It’s just mighty unfortunate that it wasn’t there to protect a number of homes on the north side of the village that night in 1996. As you travel the main street into the center of town you come upon a sigh proudly proclaiming: “Home of Iceland’s oldest store.” It’s called “The Old Bookstore”. As you walk into the wood-lined storefront you are warmly met by the shopkeeper, Eypor Jovinsson, behind the counter. He sports a three-piece tweed suit and smiles broadly. The books sold there are primarily second-hand, and sold by weight for 1,000 kronos (Icelandic currency—$1.00 U.S. is worth approx. 12.50 kronos). It’s a great little shop…lots of character and it looks pretty much the way it looked in the mid-1800s. Eypor is the great grandson of the original owners…how about that! I found a terrific new pictorial book (with narrative) on arctic foxes that was featured for sale when we came in. It was one of a selection of new books that were featured for sale. It was fun to explore all of the books there…so of like Disneyland for me! Just goes to show that no matter where you are, everyone likes a good read!
If you never get to Iceland in your travels, you’ll want to tune in the Amazon Prime series called “Trapped.” It shows great footage of the rural landscape of Iceland. The series features the town of Siglufjordur, a town we didn’t visit on our trip, but much like any of the towns/villages that are located along a fjord. It’s a pretty scary and unnerving series, but I do recommend it, particularly if you’re interested in seeing Iceland in the comfort of your easy chair (the acting isn’t bad, either!).
Another favorite stop in Iceland for us was the “Puffin Cliffs” at Latrabjarg, located in the Westfjords on the farthest reaching peninsula to the west into the Atlantic Ocean. It is said that the puffin is the most common seabird in Iceland. It is also the country’s most famous bird. You’d think you were visiting rock stars at a rock concert, judging from all the cars that make their way to this remote spot on Iceland’s western coast. If you time your visit to avoid the “rush hour” from the ferry from Reykjavik, so much the better! According to the great book I picked up while in Iceland, “Birds”, “Tourists go crazy for puffins and their distinctive tri-colored beaks, which is why tourist shops are full of puffins that were mostly made in China. In Iceland, souvenir shops are called “puffin shops.” No wonder…they’re so darned cute!…”Birds” goes on to say…”Over half of the puffins in the world live along the coasts of Iceland during nesting season. Icelanders are fond of puffins and sometimes call them “rectors” because they are dignified and walk upright, seeming to ponder life’s difficult questions, and bowing to one another when they meet. They also taste delicious (so they say…I didn’t try one!) and are generally smoked and served with white gravy, mashed swede (what ever that is???) and green beans. But don’t forget to boil them for 3 1/2 hours first.” One of my favorite photo opportunities on the trip was on a fjord outside of Husavik when I got a shot of a puffin looking to be standing on the water…it might have been an optical illusion, but I don’t think so! It was really remarkable and he/she looked so cute out there in the middle of the fjord chasing the same fish that the humpback whales were chasing. It’s really something to see!
Well, more thoughts on Iceland next time…
I came across the 1969 Topps Baseball Card for Joe Scarpati, who was born 1943 and played safety for the Philadelphia Eagles & later for the New Orleans Saints and finished his NFL football career with the Saints in 1970, but not before being the holder for Tom Dempsey’s record breaking 63 yard field goal on November 8, 1970! Joe was born in Scotch-Plains, New Jersey and played high school football at Scotch Plains-Fenwood High School. He went on to play college football at North Carolina State and was drafted in the 13th round by the AFL Boston Patriots. However, he decided to take his chances and signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers on the recommendation of his college coach that he should try and play under Coach Vince Lombardi. He was released by the Packers early on during his rookie season and picked up by the Minnesota Vikings who then traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles. According to his Topps Football card: “In 1966 the powerful back nabbed NFL honors when he intercepted 8 passes…A tough tackler, Joe is always in the thick of the action.” Joe retired after the 1970 season and settle in Marlton, New Jersey where he and his wife raised their family of two children (they also have two grandchildren). Joe became a successful real estate broker and land developer in New Jersey, building a number of shopping malls, townhouses and single family houses…here’s to Joe Scarpati and his role in the historic 63 yard field goal by Tom Dempsey (who will ever forget that kick!)!
Here is the fact for the day:
George Washington insisted his Continental Army be permitted a quart of beer as part of the daily rations.
Here is the funny question for the day:
Q: What time is it when you see an elephant sitting on a fence?
A: Time to get a new fence.
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“There are good ships and wood ships, ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, may they always be!
—Irish proverb
“Democracy, I say, is not based on violence or terrorism, but on reason, on fair play, on freedom, on respecting other people’s rights as well as their ambitions. Democracy is no harlot to be picked up in the street by a man with a tommy gun.”
—Winston Churchill, as quoted in “Churchill: An Illustrated Life” by Brenda Ralph Lewis (2019)
“It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.”
—C.S. Lewis, “Reflections on the Psalms,” as quoted in “C.S. Lewis’ Little Book Of Wisdom” (2018)
Here’s to a great Labor Day weekend and thanks to all who have labored to make this country of ours so magnificent!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)