Thursday, July 29

A Fitting End

My family came to visit me for Nordic Fest, the annual celebration of Scandinavian ancestry here in Decorah. We spent time perusing the shops and impromptu food shacks along Water Street and toured the Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American museum that's a blog away from the apartment. A blacksmith and a woodturner were set up behind the museum, and beyond them, storytellers explained that modern times are not so different from the old Norse days.

It was a grand time. We also went out to Dunning's Spring for a little respite, although there were quite a few people there (presumably seeking the same thing).

A mere 20 minutes after they headed homeward, I caught a bright red flash from the corner of my eyes, spied through the flimsy drapes in the living room (where I was flipping between Trading Spaces and Sister Act 2). I spread them wide, only to be greated by more flashes of light, this time green and gold. Fireworks! I settled myself in the little window nook, muted the television, and sat. It was a glorious silence, punctuated by explosions high in the sky above the river. Even though our roof access is barred, I still had a fantastic view of the celebratory end of Nordic Fest. I was sad to not be able to share it with anyone, but glad that I had a secret viewing spot all to myself.

 
A smaller note: two days after finally recieving The Da Vinci Code from the public library, I finished it.

No comments: