The Viking Boat

Another memorial tradition.  For friends or relatives, Scandinavian or not,  who have not been here. 
Vikings of course were a seafaring society, and some vikings were buried with their boat and grave goods to bring with them to Valhalla.  And a stone boat  (stones that formed the shape of a boat) could have been laid over the grave.  Or else they were burned on land, but probably NOT sent our to sea ablaze, unlike depicted that tv Vikings series or Hollywood movies.   
However we put a photo and a candle (in a paper bag) and send the driftwood “boat”,into the sunset while telling stories about that person .   .   I have a Swedish cousin in her 90’s who lives alone in Florida whose son died and she said she’d appreciate the viking boat…But there’s no sunset these days, and I’m not walking about in the dark, so we launched this one mid day.  I don’t know where they end up…never found one on the beach.     I guess Valhalla.   Unfortunately she doesn’t have a computer or a smartphone so she will have to wait for me to send photos when I get home.  Extra is a close up : no flowers this time of year, but salal, ferns,  cedar, fir and a sprig of lavender, his photo and a picture of one of his paintings, and I could see the light for quite a way.

Then to really break another tradition (gotta be flexible when we get old) we lit the sauna mid day too instead of at dusk.   Felt good. 

For my task today I managed to just clean off the table in the studio… the rest of the enormous amounts of stuff and supplies is too daunting.  Here is  one depiction of the before.

Happy Birthday Blipfoto!  This place is brilliant.  Can't wait for the bronze camera.  (more than 2 years away)