Home Again!

My wonderful Swedish family who cared for me and helped me get home.

My time in Ammarnus and Sweden was cut short.  I took a fall off Sitar in early June.  I got right back on and rode back to the stable and thought that was an end of it.  But a few days later it became clear there were problems.

So after a few days in the hospital in Lycksele I headed south to Motala where Magnus' twin sister Maria and their family and Marianne, their mom live.  His older sister Malin and her husband Peter were there too, as was Magnus.  And Oscar, Magnus' partner and our dear friend Tommy were there too!  So while it wasn't how I had it planned, I was in wonderful company and my Swedish family stepped forward and took care of me.

It was so meaningful to be with Peter!

The high point of the whole trip was seeing Peter, Malin's husband who's been through a terrible ordeal over the last 18 months.  He is recovering and the reunion was wonderful.











I stayed with Marianne and Sotis in Motala.  They were both great!  Sotis would wake me with his wet nose!

It finally became clear that getting back home on a regular tourist ticked was going to be a real problem.  But fortunately I had purchased supplemental medical insurance as well as evacuation insurance. 

My dream team!  Maria, Marianne and Malin took on the insurance bureaucracy 

and got me home! 

So June 29th, I was picked up by a nurse who shepherded me right to my door in Port Townsend.

The start of the insurance company's 'Door to Door" service!

I'm recovering nicely (though not as fast as I'd like.)  Tuesday I start physical therapy,  I can now drive and have resumed my Port Townsend activities, including my volunteer work with Camp Beausite. 

Sotis gives new meaning to:

"Just to stretch out on the grass again as you used to do, good to feel...good to touch...these are the things worth having."  From Stravinsky's 'L'histoire du soldat' - libretto by C.F. Ramuz

One month and counting

2:00 am!

I've been at the farm for a little over 3 weeks and it's been over a month since I left Port Townsend.  It always seems amazing how a week, a month can seem so long when traveling.  Port Townsend seems very far away right now.  But life here continues with some great high spots.

Ammarnus' Church.  I'll be performing here June 9th!

Helena had the farrier Hans come for the Spring shoeing.  What Helena calls Cold Blooded horses have different hoof problem.  Here the farier put's the shoe on backwards - very deliberately. 

I rode with Gunnar to Lycksele and we had lunch at this TeePee restaurant.  It's the same restaurant Nancy Lehwalter and I had breakfast over 15 years ago!

Gunnar is a member of the Fire, Search and Rescue team.  Here he's beside their "old" truck.

 

And below he's beside their new truck!

We rode to this spectacular vista point.  I'll leave descriptive words to you.

Helena shoots a pix of our guests Sara and Rebecca.

And yep - I was there!

 I was invited to talk to their school - a one room school house with 8 great kids ranging from grade 1 thru 6.  I showed slides of America including pix of the Adenturess.

Then I played some Uk tunes, including "You are my Sunshine."  Well turns out they are singing that song at their graduation in a couple weeks.  The teacher asked me if I'd come and sing it with them.  Of course - pix I'm sure to follow.

 

Hrekkur gives me the eye!

Here in Lapland

I arrived here in Ammarnus after what seemed like a long trip before I even got here.  

Doug and me in Santa Barbara last January.  Couldn't fine a pixs with Scott

 I spent a couple days in Seattle with my friends Doug and Scott.  They were wonderful - helping to relive the pre-trip stresses - including Scotty fixing my new computer.  Somehow the wi-fi  antenna wasn't connected.  Then it was on to the flight(s) and Stockholm.  Maggie wasn't in town - he and Oscar are spending much time in Paris right now. 
 
But my good friends Lars Magnus and Tommy were in town and we had a wonderful couple days paling around like 3 teenagers.  LM helped me  get on the right train which left Stockholm at 11:00pm.  I got to somewhere around 6:30am, got on a bus for five hours and then changed to the bus that brought me to Ammarnas.

The last leg of the trip, on the buss to Ammarnas driven by my bosses husband Gunnar!

I brought a terrible cough - which had been plaguing for about a week.  Helena suggested that I see a Naturopathic physician who lives about half a mile up the road.  This is a place that has almost no medical care - amounting to 1/2 day a week with an RN!  She's been helping me a lot and right now I'm feeling pretty great!

Out my front door!

My cabin after a couple days here.

My cabin after a week.

My cabin after two weeks here.

There was lots of winter left when I got here.  The snow is going down and the lake which was frozen when I got here has no more ice as of last Sunday.
 

The "work" has been horse care and getting to know their names - which are hard for me because they are all Icelandic names!

Riding my favorite - Hrekkur

These falls are between the village and the farm.

The church in the village amazingly beautiful.  I hope to get a tour of the inside tomorrow.

We went back today to shoot the interior of the church.

 Around the church are cabins which were used be people coming to festivals at the church.

 This hut is actually a Sami cabin.  The Sami people are the indigenous people of northern Norway, Sweden and Lapland (and a little of Russia.)  

 

This meadow is by the village and is a great place to ride.

 I rode Hrekkur to the store in the village.  The ONLY store and currently the only business open.  That will change in June as restaurants and the hotel open.

The store here reminds me of the Nordland Store on Marrowstone Island!

 My "boss" Helena (right) and Connie from Germany, our first guest.  

We're on top of Potato Hill right in town.  It's a natural hill that's used

for growing potatoes.

We've ridden where we can and some of the lower trails are opening up. I've learned how to "turn on" the Icelandic gate which is really wonderful.  I've also learned that Icelandic's have temperament  just like any horse - and that's more pronounced in Spring.  I even got thrown off with no damage to me except my pride.Last weekend we had our first guest - a woman from Germany.  She was delightful and I began to see how the summer operation works.

 

We rode out to an old homestead today.

 Lunch in this amazingly beautiful spot.

There was a lovely waterfall on the way home.