Aluminum foil and toes - the beginning of a wonderful relationship?

My obsession for Northern lights has reached a new level. For a while I have pondered if I should go to Lapland for a few nights. I stumbled over a photographer's web page with incredible shots of the auroras. My urge to drive up North was unbearable and after a restless nights seeing Northern lights in my dreams, I left towards Muonio two days ago.

On the way I had the joy of witnessing a lovely sunset with the crescent moon, Jupiter and Venus visible. Of course there was only one thought in my mind. Clear sky means a better chance to see some lights later on - if there is a show. Once in the cottage I monitored the web pages for aurora alerts. Was there ever a better reason to use the Internet? I don't think so :)

After hours of waiting finally a few web cams showed some activities. I packed my photo gear and the thermos filled with hot tea. All I needed now was to find a nice spot with an open field and a place to leave the car. This proved to be quite challenging because lots of snow was piling up on each side of the road. Eventually I got lucky and stayed there for two hours to take pictures of a very nice show. It simply magical. Two pair of thick socks did not help and I had to leave. The temperature was -26C and I decided to go buy some aluminum foil the next day.

Today I went first shopping (the foil) and then searching a couple of good viewing spots for the coming nights. I found a lake near Pallastunturi (a famous fell). I went to the middle of the lake and could look far into all directions, including a breathtaking view of the fells. Nearby was a small creek. I was surprised to see and hear the water running, which is not very common during this time of the year. The scene was beautiful and calm, I stayed to listen and think. I'll remember this day and the nature images in my mind for a long time.

I'm writing this entry on Friday night here in the cottage with a nice roll of foil next to me. So far I haven't tried it out, the sky is cloudy tonight. I gladly take the opportunity to get some sleep in advance for the next two nights. No clouds during that time in the forecast. Hopefully there is some solar wind coming this way as well, let's see :)

Crescent moon at sunset

Beautiful...

...aurora...

...borealis

Nice place

Fells in the background, the lake in front

Isn't this lovely

..

Black swan - friend or foe?

A glimpse into.. ?

Today finally I feel it's the right moment to write on this blog again. So much has happened during the last four weeks. I wanted to write earlier but it didn't feel right. It would have been just out of duty. And that's not what this blog is to me.

Opportunities sometimes present themselves - until recently I have only heard that phrase in some movies. But it is exactly what happened to me just as I was planing what to do during the coming months.

My passion for photography has led me towards videography. Two months ago I started with very small steps, having some kind of immature vision of its possibilities in the future. When visiting my very creative musician friends, I discussed this with them. They needed a new video for a children's song and were asking me if I would be up for the job! Seeing this as a good learning opportunity I agreed to do it. We shoot the video material during early February and it was a lot of fun working with those kids. Editing all the way to the final video was fun as well, but at times very frustrating because of my non-existing experience.

This project was exactly what I needed. Instead of doing the video I had other plans but none of it would have given me the same satisfaction. I did something which matters in some way in some people's life. And at the same time it matters a lot to me, I really enjoyed it with all my heart and had the full support of my wife. Now I feel like I caught a glimpse, a moment, of something I was looking for a long time. I'll keep looking because it's out there somewhere!

Aurora borealis

Aurora borealis (also called Northern lights). Already the sound of these two words are pure magic for me. Imagine parts of the sky glowing in - mostly - green light. Its form changing constantly. Sometimes the light is very bright with sharp edges, sometimes it's blurry. I usually go 'hunting' for them when I have the chance.

Since I arrived back home a few nights should have been good. There was only one problem: clouds. Every single time. Through facebook I joined a group alerting each other when the saw lights or chances were good.

Tonight was another alert. The sky was clear at -16C. I managed to convince my wife to join me in the search. The first few stops were not promising. Clear sky but no Northern lights, typical. So we went on to the next place. While driving there my wife saw some green light. I couldn't wait to park the car somewhere and get out. Fifteen kilometers Northeast of town into the middle of nowhere we finally found the perfect spot. What better way of telling what I saw than sharing a few shots:

A different arrival - the 'mental' gate

It's been a few weeks since coming back home and finally I arrived mentally as well. In the beginning a day felt like an hour and a week like a day. Seems I'm adjusting rather slowly.

Last night I finished arranging the pictures from our time in the US and a first strong wave of 'home-sick' hit me. People, places, it all felt so far away. Arriving home mentally was definitely the reason for that. Before I 'was' still in the US with our group, but now it really feels more like a memory. This is difficult but looking into the future makes me smile. There are so many ways and possibilities to reconnect with friends!

One other thing helped me (and still does!). A friend told me this:
"Don't have any regrets. The worst thing would be to go to the airport and thinking: Why didn't I see this or why didn't I do that."

Today the sky here is very bright, -10, sunshine and no clouds. So I went to our backyard for some pictures and I enjoyed a small vitamin-D dose (remember: no regrets :).

It's the sun!

Hats

Half past noon

Precious daylight

The last few nights my sleep was dictated by jetlag and a persistent flu. Last night I made a ten-hour trip to dreamland, the first good sleep after returning to Finland. But it came at a price. When I opened my eyes just before 3pm, I looked out the window to see if its cloudy or sunny. It was cloudy - and dark. I missed the last 'day' of this year. Only another 17 hours to wait until the next daylight. 

After 'breakfast' I went out for some fresh air and took my camera along. The first thing which came into my mind was reflections. Christmas decorations and street lamps were reflected by the snow. In the horizon a band of orange and grey clouds told their story about city centers, roads and parking areas.

Reflections - perhaps there is a bit of a cloud and a lamp in each of us.

A cloud's reflection can tell the story of one or more lamps. Every cloud does so from it's own point of view.

A lamp is the only one who knows its full, true story. It spreads the light into many directions and clouds, but rarely all of it to one.

I'm curious and excited about the future, especially about possible daylight when I'm awake!
Happy New Year :)

Creatures of habit

Coming home is always nice. After a long journey, my wife and I arrived on Wednesday. Six months ago I couldn’t imagine being for months in North America and a week before returning to Finland I felt a bit of melancholy leaving the States and our friends there. So naturally it was a bit odd to open the door and step into the ‘old life’. As for timing, Christmas seemed to me the best moment to go back home after being away that long. Santa’s helpers made sure we a warm house, the fridge with food and a Christmas tree in the back yard.

During the first 24 hours back in Finland I learned that I’m more a creature of habit than I would have thought. After some hours of sleep I woke up and made my way from the bed to the toilet. Familiar territory or so I thought. For starters I ran into the corner of the bed and then into a chair. But the biggest problem was flushing the toilet. No, not what you think, it did work fine. In the Varsity the flush lever was on the left side and needed to be pushed. So - out of habit and still very sleepy - I tried to push that lever at least five times. Then I started to realize I’m in Finland. So I tried other places, no luck. Then it dawned on me to turn on the light. Hooray, I found the lever and noticed that I actually have to pull this one.. Back to bed I went.

In the afternoon we picked up our cats. I should mention that I love driving cars. And still, I managed to stall the engine five times on the way because I got used to automatic gear without a clutch. Against the odds the cats got home safely..: )

So why am I writing all this on Christmas Eve/Day? Because I feel the need to express myself not using my voice. During all the time abroad I wasn’t sick a day and I’m thankful. Two days back home and my voice went on vacation, but a fever keeps me company.

So I’m stuck back home but hey, that’s why we have internet… Merry Christmas!

Christmas tree

...not (just) a place to sleep..

Right now is our last night in the Varsity, our home for the past months here in College Park. My wife and me are "playing" Tetris, trying to fit all our stuff into the luggage. The kindergarten kids in the apartments above us have a big party with disco music, shouting, jumping and running. It is 2.55am on Tuesday "morning" and our multiple complaints did not make any difference. We called the lobby, of course only the answering machine spoke to us with very inspiring words (you can listen to them below... :).

A week ago my wife and me went for a walk through the College Park neighborhood. We found a street called Fraternity Row. Alpha Kappa Omega, Phi Kappa Tau, etc. I felt like in a movie because I only have seen and heard about these fraternities in US high school movies. Yes, I used to watch those back in the days. I hoped for some secretive action against a neighbor or maybe see some ambitious newcomers to perform some silly test for membership. Unfortunately nothing was happening this time, perhaps it isn't all like in the movies.

The experience here in the US for my wife's group with people from South Africa, Singapore, Morocco, Mexico, Israel, India, Argentina and Finland is coming to an end. But this is not goodbye to new-found friends, we only say "See you". On graduation day with many emotional moments it was more clear than ever that this was a very special journey for all. I enjoyed very much to get to know many different persons and discuss about basically everything. It has given me a lot to think about in the weeks and months to come.

Graduation Day

Fraternity...

...row

Which one to choose..?

Call the lobby:

Valley of Fire

When I knew last spring that I would go to North America for a longer time, I was looking forward to seeing canyons, arches, deserts and other nature miracles. Browsing the internet, I found a road trip passing through many nature parks in Utah and Arizona (Grand Circle Road). I got extremely obsessed with photos of colorful sandstone formations in very rural areas. The effect those pictures had an on me is difficult to put in words.

So I started to plan, but – as so often in life – plans change. We had nice trips with our international group, I went to Canada and had the road trip with my sister. There simply wasn’t enough time to see everything. In Las Vegas I reserved one day to take a rental car and see one of those miraculous places. But which one?

I heard from many people that Grand Canyon is something ‘you have to see’. The four-hour drive each way didn’t scare me off, but I would rather spend more time than just a few hours. Maybe it will be during the grand circle road trip with my wife someday in the future..:)

Finally I decided to visit the Valley of Fire, some ninety minutes away from Vegas. With an early start, I stayed there almost seven hours, saw more than half the park and took some 800 pictures. Only a few other tourists could witness me shaking my head in disbelieve again and again. It truly was the best day of my autumn (so far).

Let me take you through my day..

Alone in the desert

First view

A mummy on the rock

Natural arch

Petroglyphs at Atlatl rock

Atlatl rock

Beehives

View at Beehives

Curious antelope ground squirrel

View near Visitor Center

Laughing Monkey

Hike to Mouse's Tank

Two small people

Road to Rainbow Vista

Rainbow Vista

Road towards White Domes

The Fire Wave; reward after long search

Fire Wave

Fire Wave before sunset

Love those colors

Silica Dome and Fire Canyon just after sunset

Arlington National Cemetery

On Wednesday my wife and I went to visit Arlington National Cemetery. It is a military cemetery and located in Virginia, just two miles from the White House and North of the Pentagon. After collecting a map from the visitor center, we made our way through thousands of marble headstones. It was a special experience. The autumn sun, the cool temperature and trees without leaves created a perfect atmosphere.

After a short walk we came to the gravesite of John F. Kennedy. We were surprised to see that the site was kept very simple. A small area of laid stones surrounded an eternal flame and the engraved plates of JFK, his wife Jacqueline Onassis and their two children. As a small addition, a series of quotes were marked in stone a few meters away.

From there we went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to witness the change of the guard. As we were walking back to the car, we noticed seven soldiers in uniform with rifles. A funeral was about to begin. An official came to us and said, no pictures of the coffin were allowed. We had a quick chat and learned that funerals are on four days a week, 5-6 each day.

Then horses pulled a carriage with a coffin covered by the US flag. The seven soldiers performed a three volley salute and a bugler was playing Taps. All was just like in the movies, or I should better say, the movie funerals are done just as the real ones.

During my flight from Vegas to Washington, I got to know an US attorney. We discussed many things and he told me how he never gets emotional except at the Arlington Cemetery. For me, the cemetery was a calm place full of history. The change of the guards was just an interesting thing to see, but the trumpet solo at the funeral was very moving.

View from Arlington Cemetery to Lincoln Memorial

Inside the cemetery

Countless marble headstones

Gravesite of John F. Kennedy

Another view

Autumn work

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Change of the guard

Three volley salute