Videos

Our trip through Iceland, August 2011

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Iceland is probably the coolest place on the planet (no offence to everywhere else). For us, it felt like home, meaning everything we desire is reality there. For tree-hugging vegetarians, it's a dream, believe it or not. Reykjavik, especially, was amazing for its selection of vegetarian and raw food restaurants, and the countryside is just so otherworldly, it's hard to not want to stay.

We rented two cars (the first was a disaster and had to be returned, but I'm not going to name names; suffice to say, rent from a reputable national or international rental agency). With our second car, a VW Golf, we toured the southern coast as far as Vik, and returned to Reykjavik en route to the Blue Lagoon. Lots of gorgeous landscape, including the geyser at Geysir, the waterfalls at Gullfoss and Seljalandsfoss (great town for camping), the black sand beach at Dyrhólaey, and the famous volcano at Eyjafjallajökull (which caused air travel chaos in 2010). We didn't get very far due to losing a day with the first car, but we made the most of it.

Soundtrack track "Tornado" by the fantastic Icelandic musician jónsi (with permission as per http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/band/faq.php#13).

Cutting Jessica's Dreads

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[youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqMcIcX2wKc]

Friends and family gathered Sunday at the home of Jessica Michielsen to help her cut her dreadlocks for a Haiti earthquake fundraiser. Jessica cut her hair for The House That Jack Built, the charity named in honour of her late father, the builder Jack Michielsen of Arkona, who died in 2005 of cancer. The House that Jack Built builds homes for needy families in Haiti. In the wake of last month’s earthquake, the fund needs to be filled to help as many families as possible.

Jessica has been growing the dreadlocks since 2005 as part of the process of grieving their father. Each dreadlock was worth $100, and with 50 dreadlocks available, Jessica exceeded her $5000 goal, raising $8000 for the fund.

Jessica invites interested donors to make a long-term commitment, and says fund managers, registered charity Baptist Haiti Mission Canada, will be on hand to discuss monthly withdrawals; any sized commitment is welcome.

Since the earthquake of January 12, Jessica says donations The House that Jack Built fund have exceeded $16,000. Donations are collected by registered charity Baptist Haiti Mission Canada and donations over $10 are receiptable.

The House that Jack Built Baptist Haiti Mission Canada P.O. Box 11 602 Wellington Ave. Wallaceburg, ON. N8A 4L5