from the mixed-up files of a middle-aged mind

(this is where I mention the theraputic value of cobblestone for knee injuries) When we first arrived in Finland we took a six-day bus tour up the eastern side to the Arctic Circle and then back down the western side and stopped in several cities along the way. It was all beautiful! As we lost count of the trees and lakes on the way up we also witnessed the changing of the seasons from summer into fall. On the way back down we enjoyed the addition of beautiful farmland to the scenic drive. From small town to big city, each locale was distinct and not without its own charms. Each hotel we stayed in was unique and interesting. It is difficult to capture the impact of the experience in word or digital picture, but I tried. The following is just a sample... The home of Jean Sibelius The castle in Savonlinna if a man's home is his castle...more castles I guess... The oldest wood church in Finland The interior of the hotel in Joensuu (please pass the salt and pepper) The interior of the ...

The Helsinki Temple is truly the most beautiful temple I've ever seen. We got a special tour and our guide told us that we could take our time and to touch whatever we wanted. I couldn't keep my hands off the wood and the upholstery. I would've touched the chandelier but I couldn't reach it. It did look just like icicles hanging down from the ceiling. Here is a link to see some shots of the interior of the Helsinki Temple . The most wonderful thing was to see the Finnish people from all walks of life flock to the open house. One Sunday during the open house someone left the gate unlocked and there was an SOS call out to all the missionaries that afternoon to come because the grounds were full of people who couldn't stay away. I loved to watch the faces of those who came to see and wonder what they felt there. It was also quite moving to hear the Finnish saints express how excited they were to invite their friends to attend the open house. Being in Helsinki during th...

Just how many pictures of a gorgeous sunset are too many? We started to lose track of which lake, which sunrise, which sunset... One morning--the day it froze in Savonlinna--we got up early and waited two hours for sunrise. We almost took our chilled bones inside, but kept telling each other, "It's coming up in the next ten minutes..." until it finally arrived. But it occurred to us that we could've been on any one of the 180,000+lakes in the country looking at the very same sunrise. It didn't matter, it was beautiful all the same. Off the coast of the island sea fortress Suomenlinna Shane waiting for the sun to come up Off the western coast (Gulf of Bothnia--Baltic Sea) 101 things to do with this old boat... I traveled half a world away just for this very shot...my pudgy little toes in the Gulf of Finland, which is part of the Baltic Sea