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More later, but please enjoy this Icelandic Moment of Zen. (If you follow me on Facebook, you may have already seen this there.)

And when you are bothered and stressed, remember that there are places like this in the world. Sometimes with all the stresses of modern life, all we really need is to remember to breathe. So too do the waves move in and out from the shore, retreating only to gather strength and come back in again. Often, when we concentrate on something natural, we can slow our own breathing and restore our sense of calm and balance.

And even if you’re not in front of something like this in person, you can always return to a place like this (or a similar place that calms you) in your mind. Whenever you’d like.

The first Icelandic Flight of the Sitka P. Coldfoot Memorial Drone is a success.

It took a couple of times to get the drone airborne due to some connectivity issues, but I had a brief window where it wasn’t raining and decided to make the most of it.

Here’s the liftoff:

Sitka would be proud!

For much of the morning, the sun was trying to break through and put a stop to the rain, but without a ton of success. The good news is that even when it’s pouring, it’s still pretty gorgeous here.

Inside the Fish Factory, I went to my favorite room upstairs that has a view of the fjord. The sun was peaking through and it was gorgeous:

Looks kind of like something magical, doesn’t it?

I taped a couple of videos for various things this morning that I’ll be shaping into a few different things and will share them soon.

Meanwhile, I’ve written four new stories in four days. My goal for this month is 20-30 original stories, which is about one per day… so I’m on track with that. (Eventually the stories will come out as a book, but that’s a ways down the road).

After I got home, I kept getting alerts from an Aurora app that there were Northern Lights happening. The only problem is that we’ve basically had 100% cloud cover every night since I’ve been here, so even if there are lights above, we’ll won’t see them as long as the entire sky is basically covered in clouds.

I did put on my boots and jacket and go outside at one point, but since I couldn’t even see the stars or the moon, there were no Northern Lights for me. It should clear up next week, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that. The picture above is light reflected in the falling rain (which I kind of like even though it’s not the Aurora).

More later.

Another long hike, this one up to a waterfall in the hills above town.

I got to where I could see the waterfall, but there was a wide stream that stopped me from getting there.

Here are a few photos from the hike:

I took the Sitka P. Coldfoot Memorial Drone with me, but it was too rainy and windy to fly. Hopefully tomorrow.

During the hike, I worked out the general outline of the story I wanted to write yesterday, so I went down to the Fish Factory building and spent a few hours writing it. At first, I was in the general room where most of the artists work, but after the amazing things I’d seen in the morning, not having a few frustrated me.

Then I remembered my favorite room in the building, which has several huge windows that look out onto the fjord.

So… I went up there.

I set up a chair and my laptop so I could look out on the fjord.

And I finished that story, which was directly inspired by the hike — and particularly the determination to keep going, step by step, at least until the stream stopped me. (For those of you scoring at home, that’s the third story in three days, which is basically the pace I’m hoping to keep up.)

By the way, here’s the actual view from when I was sitting in that chair:

Hoping there might be a bit of a break in the rain tomorrow morning so I can fly the Sitka P. Coldfoot Memorial Drone.

More later…

Long hike. Lots of rain.

Making lists of things to write and topics to concentrate on.

Not many pictures because I spent a lot of time indoors.

Had our orientation at the Fish Factory building and went over what we thought we’d be working on.

Our group includes someone doing woodwork, someone doing shadow puppetry, someone doing an art book, and someone who wasn’t quite sure what she’d be working on (possibly music and/or performance art).

My focus has widened a little and I know it’s now going to include elements of mythology and a focus on water.

There is water everywhere here. So much that it’s easy to forget about. First there’s the fact that we’re on an island on a fjord. Then there’s the streams and waterfalls everywhere and the rain that causes the water to come down from the hills in sometimes fierce streams.

I often find myself missing the real weather, so I think I’m going to get a ton of it when I’m here.

Unfortunately, it’s just above freezing so all the precipitation is coming down as rain. A couple degrees cooler (hopefully next week) and this all turns to snow, which will make getting around both harder and easier.

I’m doing some cool things over on the Echoes of Iceland Patreon page (also: hey, I have a Patreon, which you can follow for free and support if you have some spare $$ and get some cool rewards), including the 9:30 Photographs, photos from the same two windows of the house we’re I’m staying, taken at 9:30 a.m. each morning. At the moment, that’s after sunrise, but it won’t be before too long. (Don’t worry, there will still be enough pre-dawn light to see things every day… but the change in the lighting should be amazing.)

Wrote the second story this afternoon and decided I’m going to try to work in a very cool (but not heated) room upstairs in the fish factory that has a fantastic view of the fjord. Hopefully tomorrow.

Wrote the 2nd of the 30 stories this evening, too. Hoping to get over the jet lag at some point in the not-too-distant future.

It’s been too rainy and too windy to take the drone up, but I’m hoping that could change in the next few days.

More to come…

I’m finally in Iceland.

Months of planning, lots of great support from many wonderful people… and here I am.

I got into Keflevik when it was pitch black at around 5:30 in the morning and into Reykjavik (after passport control, baggage claim, customs, a 45-minute bus ride, etc.) a little after 7. Still pitch black.

Today was bookended by photographing the Sun Voyager statue on the harbor at both sunrise and sunset.

Some more Reykjavik photos:

An exhausting, but wonderful day. Tomorrow, it’s another Ow O’Clock flight to the Eastfjords and everything begins in earnest.

Thanks as always for following along, friends.