If I Could Capture Just One Meteor

I was out there in the night of August 12, the second night when the well-loved Perseid meteor showers would peak. August 11 turned cloudy later in the night, thus preventing me from viewing the shower. On the 12th, the sky was clear and studded with stars in subdued lights due to the brightness of the night. Our late nights here these days are not totally dark yet.

The moment I stepped out to our back porch that night at past eleven, a fireball suddenly zipped vertically across the sky, its abruptness and swiftness taking me aback. It was followed by another in a couple of minutes. And then another.

These three meteors shooting down in a row got me excited, and so I dashed into the house to fetch my camera and tripod to capture the meteors. After setting up my camera, I waited for my next meteor sighting. And waited, and waited....Nothing came at all. Was the Perseid show already over, just as soon as I took out my camera? Hmm...strange. I couldn't wait anymore. It was already past 12 midnight and I had to go to sleep.

At least, I finally encountered the elusive Perseid meteor showers. Elusive for me in the sense that in the tropics where I came from, August is a rainy month so that we could not see it at all. Here in Sweden, my first three summers had those Perseid nights cloudy. It may not be as spectacular as the Leonid meteor storm that I witnessed in 1998, but I finally had a glimpse of it, through those three meteors.

And I'm happy enough with that. Of course, if I could only photograph just one meteor, it would be a bonus for me.

In the absence of a Perseids photo, I'm posting here instead a late night scene that occured just a few days before the meteor shower peak nights.

It's one of the many marvels of summer nights.

Grill Time With The Big Boss

On July 23, our big boss invited us for a little grill party at his house in Övik. "Us" consisted of our company supervisor, his wife, hubby and I. Actually, the main reason for our trip there was to have our supervisor's car fixed. Since our big boss is a mechanic enthusiast, he willingly offered to fix the car the way he did with ours some years back. He also prepared different marinated meat for grilling. And it's also nice to get away to a nearby city for a while and see about the place and our boss' house once again.

His two kids were there too, including his nephew, same three kids with whom we traveled to the polar circle way back in 2011. They have grown big now. It felt good to be reunited with them in another summer setting.

Car-fixing done, the big boss undertook the grilling job himself. He seemed to enjoy doing things, and I think he's also workaholic. We set the dining table in his spacious yard, where we devoured the abundant grilled pork and chicken, and mango salad (which hubby and I brought).

After the dinner, we played football (sort of, not the real one) and badminton. While playing, the call for coffee and dessert came. We had ice cream and a bowl of fresh strawberries. Mmm....

Time to go home. We rode the newly-fixed car, which worked perfectly. Hurrah to the mechanic big boss!!!

It's one more tasty memory stored in my sentimental treasure archive.

Fishing By The Rapids

It was early July when hubby and a friend, Mikael,  agreed to go fishing in a nearby community called Vindeln where powerful rapids rumble along the Vindelälven (Vindel river). Both are passionate about fishing. I and Raquel (Mikael's wife) followed, of course. We also share the same passion for photography. The two men were armed with fishing paraphernalia, while the two of us had our cameras slung around our necks.

That afternoon when we arrived there was cloudy with a little rainshower.  But when we got to the river, the clouds began to thin out. As expected, the voluminous rapids churned violently with a crashing sound. 

We took the trail along the river banks and traversed a few hanging bridges in search of a favorable spot for angling.

While my companions fished, I just kept on taking lots of pictures, as usual. I also wanted to angle but it looked like it was bad timing because my companions had not a single fish caught. We changed locations, but we got the same result. 

After several tries, we stopped at a resting place equipped with picnic tables and a grill. There we grilled sausages for our "fika" (snack) with bread, coffee and soft drink. We went home afterwards at past 8 p.m.

Even if we didn't catch a fish, this trip was in no way futile. We were out there in the midst of nature. I, for one, soaked my soul in the wonders that exist around the river.

Look what treasures I've amassed!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Where Are The Berries?

What? No rowanberries this year? Yeah, I just noticed it some days ago as I was taking a walk. Those trees that used to yield bounteous berries don't have a single berry at all. Even the two small trees we have in our backyard  gave forth just a handful of berries. In contrast, last year's rowans flaunted huge clusters of berries the weight of which bent down each stem that held a cluster. 

Here are some photos that I took last year.

This year, though, I have nothing to present. What does the absence of these berries indicate about the coming winter?

On the other hand, other berries in the field, like blueberries, cloudberries and raspberries provided super abundant fruits for everyone to relish this summer and onwards as we have more harvest to preserve in the freezer.

So, many trees are without warm colors this summer, let alone in autumn when all the leaves will have fallen. No eye candies for me, and definitely nothing to shoot.

But of course, I'm still blissful for all the other natural beauties that are found everywhere. After all, the rowans will surely be back next year.

Stay happy!