Goodmorning we're still parked at the same place and still waiting for snail mail which is even slower than in the USA. Mail is only delivered twice or three times a week in some places and as far as we know there's no FedEx 

Oh well, it's not that we're uncomfortable we have everything we need and are being well-taken care of by our host.

This is the "dhoodad" that needed to be fixed and it looked very complicated for both of us. Good thing there are people who know how to

Yesterday we went for another sightseeing tour of the island and we stopped at a farm with all kinds of weird animals.

For a couple of bucks, you can ride on these tall guys and Mom got an offer to but declined which I'm glad she did.

I tried my best not to look at them because I heard the owner talking about how they barf on you if you upset them.

This guy reminds me of you, Mom said

WHAT!!!! I'm not that ugly.........must be the underbite?

Talk about giving me the evil eye as I walked by...........I wanted to tell this thing off by barking at it, but Mom didn't let me

The donkeys were ok in my opinion they didn't do much of a fuzz. I decided to ignore them too despite them being quite interested in me and wanting to snuggle..........no Thank You I said 

I have no idea why these two were so angry and hissed at me? All I did was walk by and sniffed the grass on my side of the fence and all hell broke loose.

This is another kind of spitting animal so I decided to stay far away here too, Mom thought they were cute. She said it inspired her to get the knitting needles out to make a sweater.............I think it'll make a smelly sweater 

Mom tried real hard to pet the babies with no fear of a spitball ...............Either she was brave or she had forgotten about the risk...........from what I know about Mom, I think she forgot

This little guy was more to my taste he seemed gentle and was quiet so we said hello

On the way out I saw a guy who had his head in the toilet ? or has he passed out from over exertion?  weird I thought, but then again a lot of stuff was weird to me here,

Leaving the farm we took a short ferry ride to a town called Stenungsund, which holds the largest chemical cluster of its kind in Sweden, producing plastic in primary forms and basic chemicals, it was once only idyllic bathing and vacation location on the Swedish west coast and home to several industries and business, with a total of 2000 registered businesses.

 
The power plant in Stenungsund was commissioned in 1959 and was for decades an important part of Sweden's electricity supply. A petrochemical facility was erected around the plant which currently employs around 3,000 people

this factory stuff is not one iota interesting for either me or Mom, but to you, that is, here's a website explaining this stuff.............https://history.vattenfall.com/stories/stenungsunds-power-plant

Continuing on to the waterfront harbor looking at boats 

here's a yacht from Turkey.........maybe an oligarch? ............haha

The island of Orust and the archipelago has many interesting and beautiful places to explore and shipbuilding has been

the essence of this region can be traced as far back as 1253.

Back at our Lucy we went for a walk and these cows came charging happily to see me.

Mom is smiling and I can see how this is reminding her of her puppy time when life was slow with no worries 

Life has been pretty slow for a week now I reminded her................not that I'm complaining 

Life is great

wet kisses to ya all Henry

Mom and I must be the luckiest people in the world. The repair man (Ralph) came to fix the battery problem and invited us to move Lucy to his house so he had easy access to all the tools needed to ensure everything was working well.

He really tried to educate Mom on how Lusys electrical stuff works, but I don't think Mom got it

The battery store wasn't open so in the evening Ralph cooked and we had an impromptu crawfish party.

He also invited Lasse who had helped Mom pull out the battery the previous night.

They were delicious and Ralph peeled several tails for me...........crayfish are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters (to which they are related). In some locations, they are also known as crawdaddies,,mudbugs,baybugs,yabbies, 

Only shells left after a few hours

This island where we are is called Orust. and thanks to the Gulf Stream, the summer waters along the coast are about the same temperature as those in Southern California, and Swedes make the most of the welcoming sea—Sweden has among the world’s highest per capita boat ownership, and most families have at least a little rowboat or kayak for getting to nearby uninhabited islands for picnic lunches, swimming, and sunbathing

Mom always stops to admire the wooden boats that she considers a work of art and great craftmanship 

After all, repairs were done Ralph drove us to Mollösund an old fishing village located on the southern tip of the island with 236 inhabitants in 2010

 the guest harbor has over one hundred moorings and along the quayside, there are cafes, restaurants, and piers with outdoor refreshments. Fish and seafood are always on the menus to be enjoyed at their best with views of the boat life in the bustling fairway

There Mom ordered a shrimp sandwich and Ralph had a bucket of mussels

To Ralphs's big surprise I ate three mussels ..............Mom wasn't surprised at all she knows I eat and drink everything offered to me.

The present harbor and guest harbor were built during the Second World War. Fishing declined more and more in the 1970s and these days the village is mainly known as a summer idyll, even though there are remains from the heydays of the herring era here and there.

Herring fishing started in Mollösund in the 16th century and within the following hundred years, the village grew into Bohuslän’s largest fishing center. Then came a period of harsh winters, poor fish stocks, and poverty. Not until the end of the 19th century did the herring fishing recover, and at the beginning of the twentieth century a road was built out to Mollösund

This is not a road for Lucy, she would get stuck on these narrow cobblestone streets. The cars must have been much smaller back then?

There were roses climbing on houses everywhere and I could hear Mom thinking of her own wilting garden in Florida

so many houses had a design of what Swedes call "carpenters joy" which is this ornamental woodwork around the windows and doors

I asked Mom if we could trade Lucy for a boat? never in a million years, Mom said but that doesn't mean we could go for an occasional ride. I do have a life jacket in Florida but haven't had an opportunity to use it yet.

Jack Russels seems to be the breed of choice here? wonder why?

Sailing schooners are also a work of art but look a little complicated to sail for a landlubber like Mom  

This church was built in 1920 and the architect Adrian Peterson hired for the assignment left a clear mark on the central church, which has the shape of a Greek cross and is partly inspired by longhouse churches. It is the only church he made of wood. From the beginning, there were also Old Norse features outside the church where dragon heads adorned the roof and tower. They were removed in 1929 because the wood was damaged.

There is no time to build like that anymore Mom says

,

we had a great day with lots of new views and this morning we woke up looking at a deer gracing outside Lucy

Life is great

wet kisses to ya all

Henry

Early morning as usual. 

We are now at a small boat marina for the second night waiting for the mail and repair of Lucy's power source.

On the drive here we stopped at a gorgeous rest stop overlooking the Westcoast cliffs 

    After oohing and aaahing we continued to the marina for the night.

We are in a small village called Henån and there are many RVs and great sailboats. Apparently, a very popular place that Mom never heard about before.

If t wasn't for the fact that the repair man lives here she still wouldn't know

A walk around town is done in 5 min so it's not very big but there are a lot of very nice people living here so what else does one need?

this log is painted in gold and placed here as art?

The name of this sailboat made Mom giggle, I don't know why?

I made friends with a guy with a huge RV that provided a lot of shade underneath and that is needed in this scorching heat. It has been in the 90ies for days but fortunately, the temperature drops down to the sixties at night so sleeping is no problem.

This looks like something real tasty so I decided to wait around and see what happens ......................yes I did get a taste

this is the cutest littlest car I've ever seen  ................Mom said it was not a car it was a moped? ??

Looks like a car in my size to me?

In the evening we went for a walk to the beach and I thought Mom was going for a swim, but nooooo it was too cold for her.

Still, a gorgeous sunset that takes place around 10.30 pm now when we are so far south.

 Sweden’s west coast stretches from the amazing Gothenburg, through to the Norwegian border. Though the concept of thousands of granite islands might be difficult to imagine at first, the western archipelago of Sweden is a truly phenomenal place.

Roses on this house made Mom stop and admire..

Girls driving the ambulance came down to the boardwalk for an icecream break 

Lucky me that also had special icecream with meat flavor............a very nice treat in the heat 

The seagulls are making noise all the time, but suddenly they were screeching louder than usual and that's because one of their babies must have fallen out of the nest. He couldn't fly and looked very distressed. We wanted to help him but didn't know how, and no one else seemed willing to do anything either, sure hope he'll be ok and learn to fly soon.

When we got back to Lucy and as soon as Mom opened the door she smelled gas..................In a panic, she called our friend Lasse who came by and said it isn't gas it was the battery.

At first, Mom felt relief because propane scares her, but when the repair guy called to let Mom know about the dangerous gases that emit from the battery she started to feel panic again. Luckily, Lasse in the big RV had tools and came to help Mom take the battery out and we opened all the doors and windows to air Lucy out.

We are so lucky there are so many nice and helpful people and later today the repairman who's an expert on this kind of stuff is coming by to heal Lucy. After all this, we're keeping our fingers crossed that nothing else can go wrong so we can start our trip south on new adventures.

All is well, and lif is good

Henry

 Once again Mom changed our rut, on our way to Gothenburg she saw the sign to Ulricehamn and thought she had never been there, and let's take a look. It turned out to be a beautiful little town by a lake and we found a great parking place to stay for the night.

Ulricehamn has been populated at least since the Middle Ages. The town has had city privileges since the 15th century. There are still several old buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries and the picturesque main street Storgatan has existed in its present form for centuries. Among other historical structures, there is the city hall located at the market square, a yellow rococo building from 1789

Mom appreciates towns that keep and restore the old buildings, not as they do in her puppy town

This is the train station The railroad was built in 1874. The last train took its route in 1985. Today the railroad is a popular, car-free bicycle- and walking track. The distance between Ulricehamn and Tranemo is a part of the 150 km long bicycle track Sjuhäradsrundan

we went for a very long walk along the river and Mom marveled over the gorgeous willow trees along the way. I took an interest in their trunks 

Walking up a steep hill we were at the main street and I met a man that had something in his pocket that smelled delicious..................it was chicken and he was kind to share

This giant mural made Mom smile, it's Rosie the riveter in a Swedish version 

Here's a strawberry stand, and they're selling .................strawberries. This is the season for them

Never in a million years would my Mom leave me tied up outside the store, she would be scared someone steals me. but I suppose in a small town like this ................well who knows

This guy seems frozen in time, He represents the time when men went to peoples houses to sell their goods or selling their services like a Ferrier or maybe sharpening knives for example

Along the river is the construction of the Winter sanatorium, which was finished in 1910.  The rumor about the hotel spread across the country making tourists from all corners of Sweden come visit Ulricehamn. The guests were transported by horse and carriage from the train station. A rail for a tram was tested in 1911 but the brakes could not handle the large differences in height which made the tram to derail. It was never tested again.

Today there's a fancy restaurant and a cold bath house. It's very warm now but Mom is still not tempted to go for a swim, the water looks cold she says, but I would like to know how she knows if she doesn't get in it?

A newer restaurant and an ice cream shop where they had put out matrasses to rest on in the shade

All in all, this is a great place for a short stay, nice and quiet. Mom slept until 8 am????? I can't remember if that has ever happened before.

I think Gothenburg is the next stop, but you never know, things can change very quickly which is fine with me as long as I get my walks and treats.

ALl is well Henry

.

Mom's cold is gone and we're back on the road, this time we're heading south to one of Mom's puppy friends

Before we got there Mom just HAD to stop at this place and order her favorite potato pancake despite it wasn't suppertime. It came with yummy thick bacon which I got to taste. Mom said she always stop here for as long as she can remember

Mom's friend lives in an old school that was built in the eighteen hundreds and past her house is a narrow-gauge railway. At 71 km long, (44miles)it is only 891 mm. (35inches) broad; it stretches from the forests of Småland in the west, past lakes, through small communities and agricultural areas out to the archipelago in the east. Along this line, trains have been running ever since 1879, despite many attempts to close it. Now, thanks to the determined efforts of residents and enthusiasts alike, the line is saved and is today regarded as one of Sweden’s top-10 industrial heritage artifacts. No train came by during our stay because it only runs for tourists now but this is how it looked at 5 am

Mom loves early mornings and I'm a good sport and go along to keep her company. This morning we saw 4 elks grazing on the field but they ran so fast when they heard me so Mom couldn't get a picture

It's a beautiful place but Mom is getting restless and very anxious to get the converter for Lucy's power fixed, so in the afternoon we were back on the road now heading west towards Gothenburg.

The temperature is in the eighties and it's sunny with blue skies, in other words, it's a gorgeous day.

We stopped to look at the horses at the stud farm, the foals were happy skipping around

This one particular foal was running without chasing a ball?

I would have liked to run alongside, but Mom said my legs are too short so I couldn't keep up............... I really wanted to prove her differently but she wouldn't let me out of Lucy

These foals are supposed to grow up to run on an oval track to make money for their owners? 

there's a lot of money involved and if any of them would get hurt because of me Mom said she would be in big trouble with the farmer.

We didn't get very far before Mom got sleepy (getting up at 5 am is the reason I think) so we found a great little campsite by a lake where Mom got to do her laundry.

Many people were swimming and I would have too if it wasn't for that "no dogs allowed" sign .............

it's now 7 am and it just stopped raining so I'll go for my tinkle walk and then we'll pack up and continue on to the repair guy.

Life is great, Henry

The day after Midsummer celebrations are lazy do nothing but relax on the sunny days. It's 85 F and that's too hot for many Swedes so it's sitting in the shade and twiddle your thumbs day 

On Thursday Mom and I went for a bike ride to pick wild flowers by the road, 

When we got back Mom made wreaths for herself and me. I didn't want to wear mine and only had it on for a photo opportunity 

In the evening we went to a very local Maypole rising 

It was small enough so Mom thought I could be loose to say hello and I did make my rounds from table to table and ate a lot of goodies...............good thing I'm cute everybody wanted to share

Well, maybe Helge wasn't so much into sharing but I helped myself anyway

On the way home I noticed the neighbor's cat was outside, so I quickly ran in to her house and ate her food. People around here don't bother to close their doors many keep them open for all their pets? 

I don't mind, I think it's a great idea, and I will suggest we'll do that in Florida too

Friday we went to a more significant celebration but this place didn't BBQ so I don't understand why I was kept on a lead here?  Mom was afraid I would get lost with so many people and I agreed to sit with Elvy while Mom was running around taking pictures.

The festivities started with a band marching in playing fiddles and carrying flags

Many people were wearing traditional costumes and if you know your stuff you can tell what village they came from just but looking at their clothes.

MOm loved the little kids and their clothes

Little girls are my favorite, but these girls had nothing good to eat, they just wanted to pet me

after some speeches, it was time to dance around the maypole, I didn't since no one invited me to but it looked like a lot of fun.

After all this, we went home and ate a traditional Midsummer meal herring, potatoes, with sour cream and scallion. I did eat a sill chunk that Mom teased me with thinking there's no way I would eat that.

I've been with Mom for almost 3 years now, and she doesn't know I eat everything that's offered on a fork...

For dessert, Elvy had made a strawberry cake which also is a tradition.

It was delicious

For 2 days in a row, the temperature has been in the eighties, and Swedes are calling it a heatwave and are having a very difficult time with it..............Me and Mom are loving it

For some reason, uploading videos are broken so hopefully, I can add them later

which I just did

Goodnight kisses Henry

a

Early morning and it's raining again it seems like the rain is following us?.................Seriously Mom says, yesterday was a gorgeous sunny day with blue skies 

Monday morning it was time to leave our friends in Mom's puppy town and head south, but first Mom wanted to clean Lucy who had become quite muddy from all the dirt roads we've been driving on. Mom says Lucy feels a lot better when clean and performs much better when she shines ??

I wish Mom would take the bike down so we can go for a ride. We haven't been riding the bike at all? I hope we will soon because that's my favorite 

Driving south all day with a few pitstops I thought, why are we in a hurry? We really weren't but Mom had a place in mind that she said I really liked so I kept looking out the window with great anticipation.

As it turned out Mom didn't make it all the way without stopping to take a couple of power naps, and I understand because it's 749 km (465miles)

The good thing is that there are many rest stops along the way with gorgeous views and paths through the woods

This is the SUV mom wants and she was surprised to see one here in Sweden where gas prices currently are $10 a gallon.......

Waking up from yet another nap at 4 am it was foggy and the sun was trying hard to break through the mist.

This is the time wild animals are on the go, and wolves and bears have been sighted a lot lately so hoping we get a chance to see wildlife we drove small roads through the forest but all we saw was one moose several hares and a tiny little fox pup sitting by the road. When we stopped he quickly ran into the bushes so no chance of a picture.

Finally arrived at our destination and it was the greatest surprise, again we were back where we started my favorite place on earth.

Saturday is Midsummer Day and it's a public holiday and a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.

It's the time when where we are now we will get more than 21 hours of sunlight. 

Similar to New Year, the main celebrations take place on the eve of the day. Traditional events include raising and dancing around a huge maypole, in Swedish called the Midsommarstången.

Some believe it originated as a symbol of fertility.  Even though the major fertility rites in ancient times, center around the beginning of spring, Midsummer was linked to an ancient fertility festival, as conception at this time would lead to a birth in March, which was traditionally seen as a good time for children to be born. Others think the shape of the pole has its roots in Norse mythology, and that it represents an axis linking the underworld, earth, and heavens. Many people will wear traditional folk costumes and listen to traditional music. It is also a holiday on which the Swedish will consume a large amount of alcohol and raucous drinking songs are a common sound during the celebrations.

Midsummer was considered to be one of the key times in the year when the power of magic was strongest and it was thought to be a good time to perform rituals, particularly those which related to predicting the future. A tradition of this is one in which young people pick bouquets of seven or nine different flowers and put them under their pillow in the hope of dreaming about their future spouse.

Nobody here is young enough to follow those traditions except for picking wildflowers and decorating 

Some Swedish men are so secure in their "machoness" that it's ok to pick wildflowers and decorate

I'm pretty sure Mom and Elvy will make flower wreaths for their heads as is tradition. Elvy made this for her front door

Mom made supper.........................it is pasta with mushrooms and pancetta.  The traditional midsummer meal is herring and potatoes with sour cream and scallions. Doesn't sound like anything is prepared for me during this celebration?

Well, there's always beer.............since I heard a lot of alcohol is consumed on this day...........can't wait

is that a gun holster on the bike? really ???? ..............noo it's a repair kit for tires ...peaceful Swedes don't carry guns around I was told

They do have some pretty neat bugs   

We had a gorgeous warm sunny day and in the evening it started to rain again but that's ok because the weather man has promised sunny skies for the midsummer dance.

The gazebo keeps us dry and safe from the pesky mosquitos 

All is well

plenty of kisses to ya all 

Henry

Gomorron, sorry I haven't updated my blog for some time, but Mom has been hanging out with girlfriends from her puppytime and totally forgotten to help me out. It's not that I begrudge her the time but I need help too.

They sure have a lot to talk about stuff that doesn't involve me so I'm bored

Somebody suggested I have a hangover, but that's not true

This picture could be a great eyeglass commersial ..................

We stayed at the campsite a few nights and several of Mom's friends stopped by and they all bought her supper

I heard that the pizza was a disaster but I never got a chance to judge 

I had to stay outside and look at it all through the window? what's up with that? I need the number of animal control so I can make a complaint. Mom said if I did that she'll tell them I drink beer and I'm underaged............fair enough

In the evening the band was playing for a bunch of old people. I assume they were old because they walked two and two holding on to each other? The loud music was killing my ears so we didn't stay

We were camped by the river so we sat there watching it go by

then all of a sudden a pink something came floating by ??? it looked like someone's Christmas tree? 

Yupp now I have to believe Santa really lives here..........

Friday we packed up and went into town to explore. Nothing looks the same except this stone lady which is a familiar site for Mom and they used to call her "the fat lady"

Mom had to visit the bank, and everywhere in Sweden you take a number and sit down to wait your turn. 

Almost everybody rides bikes here, there are thousands of them everywhere

After walking around for a few hours and having "fika" with friends we drove to the countryside to visit a friend that has the most amazing garden which boggles Mom's mind since the season for plans is so short.

I didn't care so much about flowers, but there was a guy with cookies in his pocket, just like my friend at home

and then I took it upon myself to watch this short human from falling into the fountain

After a "fika" we continued to another friend's house and that's where we still are parked. They have a very pretty home and I was helping with the prewash cycle 

Unfortunately, it has been raining a lot and Mom says she's getting webbed feet and are sick of this looking for where the sun is. Late last night we did see a little blue sky so we went for "fika"at their summer house which is located by a gorgeous lake.

In this lake, their grandson who is an expert fisherman catches many pikes and this is his biggest one. He makes his own lures and Mom was hoping to buy one before she leaves. She really wants to try fishing too but cold rain is no fun to be out on the water.

old log cabins are a craftsman's pride. look at the hinges ...............

On the way home the fog was rolling in over the fields and tomorrow morning we'll be on our way heading south again.

Mom has discovered that something is wrong with the 12V converter and since Lucy is so old there's no replacement to buy, but she got a tip of an expert on this and he promised to help out Only problem is that he's located at the other end of Sweden close to Gothenburg, We'll be heading that way but will make a pitstop where we started .........(actually it'll be more than one pitstop because it's 768 miles from here)

we are waiting for our hosts to wake up so we can say our goodbyes and Mom wanted to hose off Lucy all the mud from all the dirt roads we had been driving on.

This is our kind hostess Vanja

All is well here although the weather has been very wet and cold.................it can only get better says, Mom

Wet kisses Henry