(Post 1 of 5) This is the Minni-Mástunga family farm, an hour and a half inland from Reykjavik. It’s the day of the annual sheep roundup which one son, Gummí, says is like a second Christmas. We have spent the day with the sheep, and now it’s time for supper. The farm’s matriarch, Olga Andreasen,…
(Post 2 of 5) It’s not quite supper time in Olga’s kitchen, but it’s time for cake. When Eric and I arrive, she pulls out three different homemade desserts, plus cheese, butter and hot cocoa. All six of Olga’s children are home for the sheep round up, along with some of her grandchildren. The lamb…
(Post 3 of 5) “When I will die, I want to be cremated and to have my ashes spread here.” Guðbjörg Finnbogadóttir has brought us to the canyon on her farm. We never expected something so beautiful. “Growing up in this place, a belief in elves and trolls was really great.” As a girl, Guðbjörg…
(Post 4 of 5) “My grandmother’s best friend was a hidden person. There are hidden people; I believe in it. I grew up with it, and my favourite stories are stories about this.” Before dinner at the farm, Olga Andreasen continues our education about the spiritual life of Icelanders. Hidden people are much like us,…
(Post 5 of 5) After a dinner of lamb, potatoes, cabbage and the most delicious gravy, the family at Minni-Mástunga crashes out. Mom is the decorator around here. She loves fabric and has made over 300 quilts – as well as helping with the farm, raising six kids and caring for foster children as well….
11pm. Approaching Reykjavik. Clouds. Aurora. Lying on our backs in the middle of the road. Iceland, you are too good to us. Photo by Eric Guth.
(Post 1 of 5) There are more sheep than people in the ring when we arrive. The Queen of the Mountain has been organizing the sheep herders up in the highlands for a week, and today the animals are driven down to Skaftholtsréttir, the annual sheep round up for this region. The central ring, which…
(Post 3 of 5) Jón Marteinn Finnbogason is the youngest son of the six siblings from Minni-Mástunga farm, and he will keep the business going, even though times are changing. “People don’t eat lamb anymore. They eat all this American shit.” You can only get fresh lamb in fall, and Icelandic lamb is, according to…
(Post 4 of 5) Many people come to the sheep round up on horseback, and finding your horses again can be a bit of a trick. Guðmundur Stefán Finnbogason (Gummí) is another son from Minni-Mástunga farm, and he’s gathered his five horses together to drive the sheep the last seven kilometers back home. To find…
(Post 2 of 5) Getting a sheep into the ring isn’t always easy, and it’s best to start young. Here, a man shows a little girl what to do. Straddle the sheep, grab it by the horns, and don’t let go. The important thing is to have a good grip; some of the little kids…