title not necessary

the glow of fall,
deep sunsets, leaves on fire.
through a changing season
low-angle light.

when the sun hides
behind distant ridges,
brisk air creeps in
alive.

the cycle continues,
winter is coming.

I am alive, feeling the change of the seasons. Cold air has returned and my body begins to recall the joys of the winter season. My senses constantly look for signs of freezing: the thermometer in the morning, dew now frozen into frost; the need for an extra layer, even with the sun shining bright; the evening star winking as I drive home, high hopes to see the winter constellation of Orion; a smell in the air and a feeling in my bones. I am yearning for the change of seasons. What would life be without this predictable change? It occurs everywhere in the world, in many different forms. The rainy to dry season, summer to winter with spring and fall in between. Every individual feels the change and experiences it as a community with the surrounding landscape. Winter is coming...

This last week has seen some action happening. The new dog kennel has moved forward with most of the walls being put up and new we are just waiting for door panels to arrive and it will be complete. A large stack of fire wood has been moved to make room for a future cabin. We're also starting to see the first signs of fall and preparations for winter are creeping into our thoughts. Birch trees have begun turning to shades of gold and yellow. A familiar coldness accompanies the night time and the smell of wood smoke drifts though the valleys.

A boy scout group from the UK is arriving in a couple weeks, so we have been preparing the property in Morka to serve them as a base camp. This has included setting up a rather large tipi with 8 m long poles and a diameter of roughly 10.5 m. The canvas is almost too heavy for 2 people to lift and it took 6 of us to set everything up. There are a ton of metal clasps and whatnot, which led me to the realization that this was another instance of the white man taking a perfectly good idea, making it "bigger and better," but really only making it more difficult and cumbersome. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to taking the bloody thing down...

I've decided to take my experience with scooping dog poo and building dog houses, combine the two, upgrade the concept, and build a cozy outhouse complete with magazine rack and windows. The frame is up now and the rest of it will come together in the next few days. Photos to come as another Swedish masterpiece is created! In other news, the fishing at Morka has proven worthwhile. Dave and I each caught a grayling and we smoked them using the newly constructed campfire oven/grill/smoker. The set up was tested and approved with some tasty steaks and pork chops coming off the grill.

That's it for now, more to come as the story unfolds.

Norway

I'm back in Slussfors, recovered from my first time in Norway. The trip started out with a hopeful weather forecast, but quickly descended into a dull mood matching the low gray clouds, fog and rain that greeted my entrance into Norway. The border could easily be missed by the unobservant, for it consisted of a small sign in a language I don't really know and a change in the paint job on the houses. The entry into Mo i Rana marked my return to something resembling civilization and the quick stop at the market/hardwear store/mall was more than enough for me. With less than ideal weather, Dave and I spent some time in the car exploring the roadways around the Rana fjord before heading into Nesna. Docked in the harbor is Dave's new sailboat and it would serve as our home away from home for the next few days. We quickly shuttled our gear below deck and dug in as the weather worsened into chaos. Periodically braving the weather to relieve ourselves horizontal rain drenched us and made dry clothes a rare thing. We began getting things ready between downpours and during the worst of it made dents in our books and a bottle of Laphroaig, a single malt from Islay. Friday provided enough sunshine to climb a nearby mountain and gain some perspective on the surrounding landscape. The client for the trip, David, arrived on Saturday and we finished all our packing. Sunday morning found us on the ferry to the island of Tomma, where we launched our kayaks with sunny and calm weather. Paddling around Tomma, in and amongst many small islands with crystal clear water, it sometimes felt like we were somewhere tropical. Selecting a small island west of Tomma, we camped for the night and caught a beautiful sunset with Lurøy and Træna in the distance. Monday had overcast skies and gusts of wind coming off the coastal mountains. We made some progress north, spending some time in rough seas, before finding shelter on another island. The poor weather continued into Tuesday, so we took the day off from paddling and explored the island. Well rested, we awoke on Wednesday at 4 am for a wonderful sunrise and paddled over perfectly calm water to the small village of Sleneset. Making a quick resupply, we then hopped on the ferry and returned to Stokkvågen on the mainland, from which we paddled into the fjord and camped along the shore in Sila bay. On Thursday we crossed the Rana fjord and made our way back to Nesna. The weather went sour again on Friday, but by then we were on our way back to Slussfors. That pretty much sums up the last week or so.