There may not be many things that we know definitively in life, but sometimes you are given an insight that lets you know, without question, that you have pursued a good path for your life. Peter received one of those affirmations today in a most unlikely place, the Black Sand Beach.

Peter will unequivocally never, ever, be an Icelandic fisherman. How did he find out? We just happened to visit Black Sand Beach/Djupalonssandur (say that after 2 martinis) which used to be a a place where people tested their strength to qualify for the fishing stations. Four large stones of varying sizes were used to assess strength and suitability. The size you could pick up determined your career in fishing. Think of it as a career aptitude test.

*The Big Daddy Stone at 154kg (339.512 lbs) =You are fully strong and will have a long and fruitful career in fishing.

*The Contender Stone at 100kg (220.462 lbs) =You are only half strong but have potential. You can still contribute to the fishing efforts.

*The Go-Home Stone at 54kg (119 lbs)=You are considered a weakling and unsuitable for life as a fisherman.

*The Wimphood Stone at 23kg (50 lbs) = You are a bungler (the National Park Service’s words, not mine) and should be no where near fish except to eat them.

While Peter did an admirable job of trying to lift all the stones. I finally called an end to the insanity. I could not face a 24-hour international trip home with a spouse that was suffering from back spasms. I handed him a pebble and told him to stand still so I could take his picture (zoom in to see rock). This is a man who knows when to listen to his spouse and is stratospherically off the charts for SI (spousal intelligence).

The beach was protected from the freezing 40-50 mph winds. It was so warm, I ended up shedding all but 1 layer and turned the AC on in the car…..for 7 minutes… until we got out of the car again at our next stop.

We drove to 3 waterfalls and photographed 2. Peter deemed one unworthy because there wasn’t enough water. I’m learning it takes about 3 weeks before he starts getting picky about his waterfalls, lighthouses, churches, etc.

Cat and Mark told us about the murals in Hellissandur. We didn’t know exactly where they were, but after a little roaming we found them. Some were accompanied by disturbing real life stories of serial killers and other macabre subjects. The stories were printed in exceptionally large font that took up a side of a building. I heard school kids playing on the playground behind me and wondered if all this strangeness registered.

When I could no longer stand and hold my camera steady, the wind finally drove us back indoors.