It's getting longer and longer between the updates now, and I know that it means getting closer to the flight over the ocean so I'm ok with it.

I think Mom got a little bit of cabin fever parked on the top of a ski slope in a small village called Storuman. We had a gorgeous view from Lucy but it is getting very cold all of a sudden? Whatever happened to fall? Can't go from summer to winter, but everything is possible up in the north.

Swedes are obsessed with knowing the weather every 10 min. so you see these stations all over the place.

the most idyllic place we have ever seen, but pretty lonesome I would think

Driving south to visit aunt Ruth I immediately recognized the place and ran to the door waiting for her to come and take me to the kitchen where we'll look for something good together.

She was out and about but as soon as she got home I got myself a real tasty mooseburger. Mom ate that rotten fish that stinks horribly. I made myself at home in the living room on MY couch.

Since we weren't too far from Åre, one of Swedens most famous ski village where the World Cup in slalom will take place in February, we decided to take a drive there. Behind Lucy is the building where the commentators will sit during the races

Yes it's fall (almost winter) but there's a lot of activities all year around here and Mom got her eyes on an ad from Skysport about tandem hang gliding...............being very afraid of heights she said "why not" and made an appointment.....................does not make sense to me, but I have no saying, so off we went.

We stayed overnight where they land so in the morning we saw the training going on and how everyone came sailing off the mountain..............looked awesome Mom thought.

Scariest bus ride ever going up the mountain and Mom made the decision, that no matter what happens up here she's not going downhill in that bus.

Nicest guy in the world with the patience of a saint was going to be Moms pilot.

At the top Mom was lucky to see the experienced people running off the cliff and fly off to soar in the sky. Her pilot told her to stand at the edge looking out to get used to it...................heck, I know Mom had planned to close her eyes, jump and not to open them before she was flying....................didn't work that way.

I know how scared Mom was because I heard her screaming, I'm sure the entire village heard her ................Mom claims she was fine until the pilot asked if she wanted to have a little fun, and she foolishly said yes.............haha...

Mom has been grinning all day as we were driving to Swedens biggest waterfall Tannforsen located   in western Jamtland not far from the Norweigan border. The fall is Sweden's largest, with a total fall height of 37 meters, (122ft)of which a vertical fall height of 26 meters (85ft)Together with the width of 60 meters,(197ft) this gives a vertical focal area of proximately1,560 square meters (16 791square foot.)

 maybe the draught wasn't as bad here as in the rest of the country, because we saw a lot of mushrooms everywhere. Mom doesn't know enough to pick the right kind so we didn't pick any,

on our way back to aunt Ruth we stopped at Ristafallets campground which is an absolutely gorgeous place so Mom decided we should stop and relax a bit, and I agree it would be good after all today's excitement.

We have a place right next to the fall so we fall asleep to the sound of the roaring water. Mom decided we'll stay here a second night so she can do some laundry, and we get plenty of time to explore the many walking paths

    .

Ristafallet’s waterfall is listed as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Sweden. The waterfall is 50 meters wide and 14 meters deep down along some rocks.

The countryside is gorgeous and relaxing to drive, not much traffic this time of the year, and beautiful views through Lucy's windows...............life is good.

see ya all soon  

I haven't updated my blog in over a week and I haven't bugged Mom about it either. The reason is that we spent a week in Moms puppy town visiting with friends and relatives. Not much happening for me but I'm very grateful to be in the country where Mom leaves the door to Lucy open so I can come and go as I please. One day I got locked in because there was an exhibit in town about Titanic with the no dog allowed sign. Mom and her buddies told me it was excellent but I didn't really care since there were no treats for me there.

Many relaxing days me doing nothing and Mom crocheting a shawl that she doesn't need.

On the weekend there was a rally event with old cars which was kind of cool. Lucky me had a great time sitting in my carriage getting the usual attention from kids wanting to pet me. 

Many people were dressed up to match the era of their cars 

the event took place in the old church town. It was built as a temporary home for families who lived miles away and therefore had to travel far to attend the Sunday masses at the city church.

The Church Town has existed since the 17th century and is a result of the Swedish conformist movement and the dawn of the Protestant Church in 1527. The Church was looking to achieve an effective education of Christianity among the Swedish population as described in Luther’s writings. This resulted in a demand of continuous visits to the church with rigorous tests performed by the local priests at people’s own homes.

So, as the people now had to come to church every Sunday and obviously also on all the religious holidays, those demands had a greater impact on people who lived up here in the North compared to those in the South and their shorter distances.  Unsurprisingly, those great distances caused more people in the north to fail in their education.  This led in 1681 to an agreement between the priests and the village leaders called “the Church Ride”. This meant that the people who lived within 10 kilometers from a church HAD to attend every Sunday and that those that had between 10 and 20 kilometers should attend every other Sunday. If you had 20 to 30 km you should visit every third Sunday and so on.

A social meaning also came forward during these weekends when people gathered in the Church Town. Among the usual messages of a religious context read out by the priest, there was also information about upcoming markets. In the town itself, people exchanged gossip from all over the area. For many, this was the only way to meet others outside the family and here, many young people met and relationships, as well as job opportunities, were established. In fact, the tradition of socializing in the Church Towns grew so strong that it continued long after the Church Plight ended during the middle of the 19th Century. I found out that when Mom was a puppy she and her friends used to have many parties here (had nothing to do with the church though) and I'm sworn to silence about what I heard about them.

So we left the puppy town, Mom, feeling sad and disappointed the same feeling as last year but leave no explanation as to why. Driving inland and a little to the south visiting more relatives in a very relaxing place where there is a huge green yard for me to run around and chickens to chase. 

Mom bought books to last for a very long time and I get to nap as much as I wish...........life is good.

The author Jan Guillou is one of Sweden's largest and most popular writers and this is 6 books out of 7 in his series "The great century"

This series is about humanity's greatest, cruelest and bloodiest century starts in 1900 with three boys from a poor fishing village in Norway, and follows them and, in later books, their children to Germany, England, Africa and Sweden. It touches on ambitious engineering projects, colonialism in Africa, communities of artists, the world wars, underground resistance, espionage, nuclear threat and Vietnam protests. ..........Mom is on the second book

weather is still nice but much cooler so now we need the heat in Lucy every morning. According to MOm a perfect time to curl up in the alcove reading..............I do not disagree

like I said Life is good....................miss you all

Last night we spent by this river and we both slept very well as the wind rocked us to sleep. In the morning it was sunny and it looked like it'll turn out to another gorgeous day.

there is not much traffic here and it could feel pretty lonely at times so I really wanted to make friends when I noticed Santas reindeers on the road. I cried to be let out but Mom said they aren't very social and they took off into the woods..

we made a few more stops for me to take a whiz and for Mom to take pictures....

this hart is made of logs, and I'm curious to know how they have anchored them in the sand to stay  on such steep hill

So we arrived at Storforsen a rapid in the Pite river. With an average flow of 250 m3/s, the rapids are one of the biggest in Europe that stretches over a distance of 5km (about 3 miles) and it drops 82 meters (270 feet)

Flow usually is highest at midsummer but the water is unusually low this year because of the draught. During the flood year in 1995, a volume of 1200 cubic meters (1570 cubic yards)flowed down Storforsen each second.

To prevent accidents the rocks surrounding the rapids are fenced, views being readily accessible to the public via ramps. While the rapids were used in previous years to transport logs, today its surroundings are part of a nature park, visited by 150,000 people each year

In Connection with the rapids, you can also see the "Dead Falls" that arose through buildings and cleansing when achieving a floatable river fall between the years 1878-1945, which was used until 1982 when all rafting activities ended in the Pite river. Through these cleansing and construction sites, one of the great sights occurred. 

when the river was developed into a float way part of the river channel was drained, but there is still life in every pond. 

The sound of moving boulders can be heard in the rapids thudding against the river bed. The bedrock beneath the rapids is quickly eroded by the action of water and boulders.

Stones can lodge in spots and grinding potholes which is seen in the drained area of the falls. On a sunny day, this is a popular spot for sunbathing and swimming in the warm water 

On this stage, the ballet "Trolltack" is performed every year and it's the story of the six little girls who are taken away by a whirlwind and kept captive by the ugly trolls. When the girls grow up, the trolls intend to marry them and make them queens at their castle...... too bad the season for that is over now but there's always another year.....there are no seats you just find a boulder to sit on.

At the bottom of the falls are a big hotel and a church and of course a sauna which is extremely popular around here.

Driving back to the coast and then head North Mom is doing her taking pictures while driving again 

Next stop is at the rapids in Torne River. Kukkola is two villages with the same name on each side of the river dividing Sweden and Finland. This is a world of its own, filled with tastes and experiences. The area, divided between two countries, has its own culture and its own language: Meänkieli...............completely impossible for an outsider to understand.

 a guy trying his luck flyfishing

The fast-flowing rapids around Kukkola and the fact that they are relatively shallow means they’re perfect for an almost unique fishing method – catching by hand net. At the Whitefish Festival, the freshly-caught fish is grilled and smoked, then sold to guests. The freshest fish you can eat

Netting whitefish this way is, of course, tiring and stressful. Handling a landing net with a six-meter handle in running water for several hours is hard work. That’s why the villagers used to divide themselves into teams, working in shifts as the whitefish came up the river. They also built artificial piers of wood, stretching into the river so the fishermen could easily reach with their hand nets

In winter the ice would break away the pier so a new one is built every year and it looked pretty unstable to Mom but I'm sure the builders know what they are doing because it has been run by the same family for 5 generations. Fishing this way is a unique experience where you use a bag net with a 6-meter-long handle. A good fisherman needs to know the resting places of fish as well as have strength to fish for hours at a time. The method is also very unique in another way, it’s only used in two remote rivers in the world, the Gulf of Bothnia and the Amazon in Brazil.

They do offer you the possibility to try your fishing luck. They will provide the long handle net, the place, and the instructor. You will also keep all the fish you can catch during the hour you are fishing.

Mom was tempted but the price and walking on that bridge stopped her.

These guys are catching whitefish measure them and attach a little radio on them so they can follow their swim up the river to spawn

There are salmon and other fish in the river too but they said they already know their habits after years of research.

Pretty cool job to have but of course cold as hell in the winter when they drill holes in the ice to catch fish

Swedish military does not look very menacing at least when they are on their lunch hour eating at a five-star restaurant

Time for bed...............all is well 

.....\

Just woke up and we're parked by a lake in the middle of nowhere, at least that's what I think but Mom says she knows exactly where we are and where we're going.................so we'll see.

We've been visiting with Moms cousins in their gorgeous log summer house 

Unfortunately, the weather Gods weren't on our side but with great company and awesome food it didn't matter so much. For supper, parts from a moose were cooked and it was delicious.

The guy with a bowling ball on his head says he did so because he kept hitting his head on the door post everytime he walked into the house with a fire pit. Not sure exactly how it helped but his lady said he loves to wear silly things on his head...................

The house with a firepit was very cozy, but I stayed inside to kiss up with the lady of the house because she was in charge of the fridge and very generous.............another person I wrapped around my paw....

I didn't get a seat at the table, but that's ok because I did get to taste the moose after everyone got theirs.............I even saw Mom getting a container of meat to take with us, and there's no way I'll forget about that.

I didn't get to taste any of the desserts though?...................

after supper, I and Mom took a well-deserved nap on the couch.................it's very tiring to eat great food......Mom says it's like Thanksgiving when you eat so much you can't move much further than the couch

In the evening the wind picked up a lot. .............so much that Lucy was rocking us to sleep and the following day it was a storm so strong so the boat took off on her own.

Luckily the boat owner caught her and manage to put the lead on and walked her back to shore

It was a day that was nicer to stay inside at the fireplace and look out through the window.

The wind was so strong it was difficult for me to lift a leg without getting knocked over, good thing Mom was there ready to catch me if I too was to get blown away

Saturday afternoon we said goodbye to everybody and continued North (how much further North can we go without hitting the North Pole?)and are now parked by a lake in the woods.............Mom hopes to spot a moose or a bear but I'm not so sure that would be a good encounter.

The wind has died down a little which is a good thing because  Lucy wanted to be all over the road so Mom had to hold her real tight.

All is well.

An entire week has been gone by since my update and that's because Mom says we don't have much to tell right now.

We are at Mom's puppy town and visiting so many homes eating and eating and eating and in between, we do "fika"

I have most wrapped around my paw so I do get a lot of goodies too. In the past, Mom used to say no to people giving me too many treats, but now she says I can have almost anything I want because I'm old enough.

I know all the houses from before and knows exactly where the fridges are and I'm allowed to roam the properties free as a bird.......................life is good.

Talk about birds...............so many people around here have birds in their backyards and I have tried to make friends with them to no avail, they all run away from me cackling.

Mom and her cousin sit outside with their knittings and I lay around sunning my belly

Here are knitted mittens typical for this region.

when they're done knitting they play with pearls and wires. The crafting never stops ...........

Mom showed little Elliot how to fly a kite.....................

There's a lot of animals in all homes but I'm not sure where those big raindeers lives, must be a pretty big house with tall doors I think.

Like I said Life is good with lots of green grass to roam and flowery couches to take naps on.............what else can I ask for? 

all is well 

Buttons

we finally made it to Mom's puppy town and now parked at a cousins house.

On the way North there are two bridges that frighten Mom terribly, and this is one of them. It's like Swedens Golden Gate, very tall so Mom has to concentrate on looking at a spot straight ahead...................if she looks over the side we're doomed

The road along the coast is boring with nothing new to see. This silverfish sign has been standing by the road forever advertising a seafood restaurant. We never stopped here before, but it's lunchtime and a good parking space to make lunch and green grass for me to take a whizz 

adorable kids picking flowers gave Mom some flashbacks .................

As we walked by the restaurant Mom took a peek at the menu and sure there was a lot of fish, BUT they also had Mom's favorite. Potato pancakes with salt pork and fresh lingonberries..............and dogs were allowed on the porch .....SOLD

and yes I did get several tastes 

A beautiful restaurant and great food, we have to stop here again............"I'm not driving this long road again" Mom says

"Sure, that's what you sid last year too,"I say.

Days are already getting shorter and it's dark a few hours at night now. Sun up is at 3.44AM and sundown at 9.38PM

Today looks like it's going to be a cloudy day, to most Swedes relief. Everybody we talk to is complaining about the heat and how dry it is, although it's not as dry up here as in the south. Not many Swedes have AC so I can understand it's hard to sleep when it's 90F inside. 

Sitting on the porch I spotted this strange thing running across the road, and I ran to check it out. Mom and Birgitta shouted so loud not to touch so it frightened both me and the ball. The ball growled and hissed so I backed off.

This is a hedgehog and they are vicious Mom says, but also good to keep snakes and rodents away. Like with everything in nature, they all have a place. Mom thinks they are cute, but this guy was very angry and he sure let us know not to get any closer.

I enjoy running around free when we're in the country and I'm learning what animals to stay away from. Sneaking up on a flock of birds is fun because no matter of how many they are I alone can take them on..............hmm. "don't get too cocky" Mom says, we have birds of prey here too.

This guy I only got to see through the window. A hare would have been a fun chase.................a "very short one" Mom says "hares are to fast for me" she says ........... huh, no vote of confidence from her 

Today is going to be a day of doing nothing just relaxing me napping and Mom reading or maybe knitting 

All is well

As we have done every year we stopped at the small village where Mom often stayed as a puppy, only this time the lady I had wrapped around my paw had passed over the rainbow bridge,but since I really didn't want to believe she had left, I did make a mad dash running to her house when I got the chance..............it scared Mom since I ran over a busy road to get there and after that, she watched me like a hawk.

Her daughter made the same pork steak that she used to do and yessss I did get a taste..............mmmmmmmm

I still have not got a bath but I got combed and shaved 

some areas feel very good getting shaved

other areas not so much

I have a safe space under the table when thunder starts 

Afer a couple of days, it was time to continue North and Mom remembered a place she visited as a pup and decided to drive there to see if it's still the same. 

Rottneros Park is a unique sculpture park in Sunne, with an exciting combination of formal park areas, natural parkland vistas, and a lot of walking ............no buggy this time either.............

the draught Sweden has suffered from all summer long has not been kind to this place, or maybe the maintenance is not as good as it used to be because this is not how Mom remembered it

There are over a hundred sculptures and reliefs in the park. Most of them are the work of well-known Nordic sculptors active in the period between the end of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th century. The owner of the mansion, Svante Påhlson was a keen supporter of modern art. Most of the sculptures in the park are copies, more often than not made in bronze casts.

this headless thing with wings and a tail is ?? 

This is Diana and Mom was trying to tell me her story but it's way too hot to listen so 

I'm heading back to the pool.........

This was Moms favorite ???

Mom has a habit of taking pictures while driving which I think is unsafe but she says that's the only way to catch some interesting stuff when there's nowhere to stop. 

This is a memorial monument which is raised to honor and remember all the immigrants from Finland and also to them who emigrate to America. 

and this is a fantastic mural she thought 

I can really tell that we are heading North to where Mom was born because of the roads being blasted through granite 

and the view from my window seat 

We also visited the home of a very famous Swedish author Selma Lagerlof. She's so famous her picture is on the Swedish 20 crown bill.

Selma Lagerlof 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author and teacher. She published her first novel, Gosta Berling saga at the age of 33. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in the literature which she was awarded in 1909. Additionally, she was the first female to be granted a membership in The Swedish Academy.

Born at Marbacka in western Sweden, She was born with a hip injury which was caused by a detachment in the hip joint. At the age of three and a half, a sickness left her lame in both legs, although she later recovered.

She was a quiet child, more serious than others her age, with a deep love for reading. She was constantly writing poetry as a child but did not publish anything officially until later in life. Her grandmother helped raise her, often telling stories of fairytales and fantasy. Like many other children of the upper class, the children of the family received their education at home since the school system, compulsory education system, wasn't fully developed yet. Their teacher came to the home and the children received education in English as well as in French. Selma finished reading her first novel at the age of seven. After completing the novel Selma is said to have decided on becoming an author when she grew up.

In 1902, Lagerlöf was asked by the National Teacher's Association to write a geography book for children. She wrote The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, a novel about a boy from the southernmost part of Sweden, who had been shrunk to the size of a thumb and who traveled on the back of a goose across the country. Lagerlöf mixed historical and geographical facts about the provinces of Sweden with the tale of the boy's adventures until he managed to return home and was restored to his normal size. The novel is one of Lagerlöf's most well-known books, and it has been translated into more than 30 languages. Mom says that every kid in Sweden has read that book.

This is Nils tired from his flight

This is the where Selma's staff lived and rumor says she was a tough employer telling her staff they can wait to sleep until in they're in the grave............

Later today we'll arrive in Moms puppy town I'm sure, but first, it's coffee and breakfast for me.............and who knows what will happen later............  

all is well

When I noticed where we were going I stood up in my seat and sang my happy song back to Lotta's house. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out so good this time because Lotta has chickens and they have a very tasty poop and that grosses Mom out so I can't run around loose and I can't come into the house either because Selma has three babies and being a good MOm she's protecting them from me not understanding I will not hurt them. They have very sharp claws which I did get a feel of until my Mom saved me. You can see those sharp knife like claws on the baby, so imagine what Selma's look like..................ouch

After Mom got help to fix a booboo on Lucy she created we drove off south..................South???? I thought we were going North to Moms puppy town? What's going on? 

As it turned out Mom had read about this mystical place in the deepest forest and just had to see it.

There is a place in a very small village off the beaten track, where hundreds of old cars are parked in a row. It looks like the owners had just parked them there temporarily, planning to return any minute. That minute never came and the cars were forgotten.

It's a desolated almost ghost-like atmosphere the silence of nature in strong contrast to the footprints of decay that humans had left.

Slowly but surely natures trees and bushes will reclaim the place once again and bury the cars for their final rest.

This is a car graveyard where approximately 150cars from the mid-1900s. Each object has its own history and you're free to fantasize and make up your own stories.

The most well -known history this place has to offer is about Ake of the peat bog, originator of this unique place. Ake was born in 1914 and worked as a farmhand but in 1935 he bought this peat-bog and a shovel. At the time it was good money in peatery.

Ake built himself a house only 12 square meters that had everything he needed.

He dug with his shovel half a meter wide -six divots deep -line after line. The season started late summer when there was no frost in the ground. When spring arrived he turned all the peats toward the sun to dry. Later they were stacked into piles so the summer breeze would finish the job.

When farmers came here to buy peat Ake drove the products from the barn in a specially made wagon with rims rolling on long wooden poles made out of pine trees. Some farmers tore the pet apart with the help of threshing machines at home, others had help from pigs who loved to play with the peat which in the end gave the same result. The shredded peat was either used to keep stables dry or put on the fields as good fertilizer.

Ake had great technical skills and he could build almost anything he needed out of practically nothing.The hard work at the peat-bog soon forced him to invent some helpful tools. From an old Chevrolet-engine, he built himself another transport vehicle with a wagon where he could load the turfs.

This vehicle drove at the same speed forward and backward along 340 meters of railway between the barn and the peat-bog

Ake soon realized that he could better meet the demand if he sold peat shredded and ready for the stable so he built his own threshing machine followed by a packing machine also powered by old rebuilt engines. This met the demand and a lot more profit for Ake.

After World War II life became better and a few years into the 50s the car became "every man's property".Car maintenance was often bad and many cars were abandoned along the small roads.

Ake saw a business opportunity and started to collect the cars in the area and could be described both as an entrepreneur and a pioneer.

Ake bought his last car in 1974 but continued to dismantle them and sell parts for a long time before he retired 1992.

in 2001 the municipality decided to let nature take over the place once again, while we are reminded of the past. The car graveyard has been compared to a self-destructing piece of art, but the interpretations of this place are probably as many as the visitors. I know Mom liked it a lot and I thought it was pretty cool too. Even though I had to watch for sharp things to protect my paws.

"For you are dust, and to dust, you shall return"