I love the lake our house sits by. In the winter, when it's ice covered it creates a giant open plain that looks magnificent under a blue sky. I never realized how much I love open, unpopulated spaces. And unexplored. I have deliberately avoided to visit the mountains across; I'd rather imagine what lies beyond.

Since we can't let the dogs off leash, we use long tracking lines so they can run around and play. Here they're undecided about which way to go next.

#LivingInTheNorth #DogsOfMastodon

One thing I was unfamiliar with until I moved to the north was iridescent clouds, or irisation. I can understand why they're attributed with Zeus' and Hera's messenger to mortals. When a sky with several layers of clouds is hit by the setting sun it creates illusions across the whole sky. Like shapes you see in clouds, but on steroids - it involves large swathes of the sky, and parts look like they're on fire, or luminescent with a mother-of-pearl sheen.

Spectacular.

#LivingInTheNorth

Ori and @Nightwolf on the lake.

It's been cold for a few days (around -25°C / -13°F) but the sky had a spectacular blue hue during the days.

#LivingInTheNorth #Västerbotten

One thing I like about AC Valhalla is how players' universes touch through the avenger quests and Jomsvikingr. Having it be a full on MMO would ruin the feeling of solitude that is part of 'vemod' which this game captures perfectly. Another thing I like is that Shohreh Aghdashloo (Chrisjen Avasarala in The Expanse) plays one of the characters.

If you want to know what 'vemod' sounds like, it's the stoic sadness that permeates this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjAHIG_owUQ

#LivingInTheNorth

This is taken at night, with only the full moon to light the world. It's a magical experience, it's almost as bright as a cloudy day. And the shadows the moon casts seem different.

Living in the north has its advantages. When the lake freezes in winter, our backyard expands to this marvelous landscape.

#Sweden #Västerbotten #LivingInTheNorth

This is what you see if you walk down the road towards our house.

This photo didn't really capture the magic that is a moonlit, snowy landscape. I still like it. It almost looks like a diorama. Note: we do not have eye-searing lights in the foyer. It's simply the phone camera amping up its light intake. It creates a really nice juxtaposition though, so it's part of the charm of this photo.

#Västerbotten #Sweden #LivingInTheNorth