Water Entry

Södra Finnö, Sweden -- Day 3

I was pretty groggy this morning, finally making it downstairs around 9:00. I’ve been saying I would go for a run each morning since we’ve been here, so the “running” joke now is that I actually got up very early, ran, and then just happened to go back to bed.

Meg and I were intent on getting our train tickets for Stockholm and Oslo, so Bertil taught Dex and Kylie a thing or two about Chinese Checkers and then offered to take them on a walk. He and Annika got more than they bargained, however, when Dex realized ¾ of the way along the 45 min walk that he was missing his beloved stuffed animal, Nipper. To add to the challenge, Dex and Kylie like to spend most of the hike off the trail, hiding behind logs and bushes. In the end, thanks to Annika, Nipper was spied, still hiding in the grass, and the parties were happily reunited.

Hamburgers were on the menu for lunch. As usual, it was excellent, partly, I’m sure, due to Annika's emphasis on organic and natural food. We decided to move the 3:00 fika up a little in order to take the small boat out for a short outing to the neighboring island in search of the sheep that stay there over the summer. Bertil helped the kids learn to drive the boat on the way, and they absolutely loved it.

Of course, we took our standard afternoon swim. Kylie and I worked on perfecting different methods of water entry, while Bertil kept to his tried and true, back first approach.

It has been a real pleasure staying with Bertil and Annika over the last few days. They are super hosts, and it has been incredibly easy to feel at home. I was glad I had a chance to help Bertil with a couple tiny chores today -- painting the tops of a few fence posts and putting the rowboat on a trailer and pulling it out of the water for storage.

Because Bertil is an endocrine surgeon and Annika a nurse, their skills are very transferable. Over the years, they have taken the opportunity to live for extended periods in various countries, including the US and Australia. For a while, they owned a vacation home in France and have otherwise traveled widely. They related to us the story of their being in Thailand during the huge tsunami back in 2004 that ended up killing 250,000 people. They were incredibly fortunate to be in a sturdy concrete hotel and in a section of the hotel above the level of the flood water.

We had yet another excellent meal -- steak and pasta along with cake, ice cream and fresh blueberries for dessert -- followed by our now-routine after dinner walk. We were caught by the rain a short ways from home, distracted while meeting the neighbor’s sturdy horses (Cece and Siba). Despite the wet, it was another awesome day. It will be sad to leave tomorrow.