It's been a few days since I posted; Boot Camp has ended and Roman and Josh have gone home, but we took a hike up to the cabin in the mountains before they left. Above is one of the antenna that were the original MIT projects which led to the creation of the FabLab. The idea was to create a network of antennas in the mountains so that the locals can communicate across and through them, since them range occupies the majority of the peninsula and people only live in a belt around their bases.
Anyway, we were much higher than on our hike the other day, and got some killer views.
This one is looking back down at the lab from the top of a waterfall. The FabLab is the cluster of sharp-gabled buildings in the center.
On our way down, I was struck by the shocking green carpet of young ferns in the birch wood. The trees here are mostly pretty small; long, dark, arctic winters will do that to a tree.
We saw a bunch more of Jorgen's sheep on the way; today I asked him how quickly sheep grow up, and he replied that they are born in March and slaughtered in August. The sheep here are all grown for meat, not wool. The price of wool is so low that it's very nearly not worth paying someone to shear them every year.
Since I last posted, I've worked on a few projects (including this ShopBot-made sign), fixed some bikes (which were promptly taken by some girls at horse camp and left in town when it started raining), tried to teach myself Blender (AAAARGH!!), and gotten a little more serious about my Valle work and about learning Norwegian. It's hard here, cause everyone speaks excellent English (even the little kids), and it's frustrating for them to try to watch me struggle in Norwegian. Anyway, the Tour de France has broken the barrier a little; I was watching in the lab the other day, and one of the grandkids joined me for the end of the stage. We cheered Thor Hushovd on to victory together; it was pretty sweet.
The sun has been coming out more often the last few days; it's supposed to be warm for the rest of my time here. This was the view last night on my way into bed
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