Category: Non-Leonberger Topics

Other topics not necessarily related to Bronco, Leonbergers or dogs.

The Riverbank of Moälven

Esther’s writing prompt: July 8th : Bank

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An aerial photo of a river winding through a forest. There is some snow on one of the riverbanks.
Photo of Moälven river/ Photo taken in November 2005. Babiarne, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

A riverbank is the sloping terrain that directly borders the river. It separates the flowing water from the surrounding land and helps maintain the river’s path. I grew up nearby a river in northern Sweden called Moälven. Moälven is a small river, 140 kilometers, or 87 miles long. Moälven goes through Bredbyn, Själevad and Örnksöldsvik and it ends in Örnsköldsviksfjärden, a bay, or a fjord, in the High Coast region of northern Sweden. See the map below.

A beige and brown map showing the path of Moälven in blue.
This map shows the path of Moälven. That is the blue thin winding line. The dark areas depict mountains. Moralist, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons.

Moälven was used for timber floating in the past. Forestry and logging used to be a big business in the region where I grew up, and it still is. However, timber is usually not transported via timber floating now a day. Moälven features a lot of wildlife, including fish, birds, and beavers. Moälven was a stronghold of the Eurasian beaver already 50 years ago as it was recovering in Europe from near extinction. You could sometimes see foxes and moose in the forest surrounding the river and you could pick blueberries, raspberries and other berries in the forest.

In addition to living nearby the river, we also used to have a summer cabin that was located not far from the river. For these reasons I spent a lot of my childhood and youth on the banks of Moälven river. I used to jump into the river from the riverbank, I sat or stood on the riverbank as I was fishing, and we docked our small boats by the riverbank, tying them to a tree with a rope. There were also bicycle paths next to the river.

The map shows Moälven and a red arrow pointing out the location for our summer cabin.
A Google Maps close up of where our summer cabin was.

Some of the riverbanks were sandy, a result of the river being so winding and this caused the riverbank to flatten out were the stream was slow. So, there were several small sand beaches along the river that people rarely visited. That way you could have your private beach.

I should explain that in Swedish the word “flod” means a big river like “fleuve” in French. The Swedish word “älv” means a medium sized river or smaller river like “rivière” in French. The Swedish word “å” means a small river, stream, or creek.

My Other Responses to Esther’s Prompts

What is your experience with riverbanks?

60 million Lego Blocks

Esther’s writing prompt: July 1st : Block

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This post is about Lego blocks and Legoland. Lego blocks in their current interlocking form were invented in Billund, Denmark, in 1949. However, the history of Lego blocks started already in 1932 (in Denmark). You can read more about it here.

When I was a kid, growing up in northern Sweden, I loved building with Lego blocks, or if you call them Lego bricks (either way is fine). I’ve always wanted to visit Lego land in Denmark, but I never got the opportunity to do so. However, about 20 years ago me and my daughter (she was a young child at the time) visited Legoland in Carlsbad, California, a 128 acre theme park. Do you know how many Lego blocks there are in Legoland California? There are 60 million Lego blocks. Below are some photos from that trip. I should add that since this was 20 years ago, a lot has been added to Legoland.

Several skyscrapers including Empire State building and the Statue of Liberty, all built from Legos.
A model of Manhattan made from Lego blocks. The Lego Empire State building is close to 30 feet tall.
Several skyscrapers including Empire State building and the Statue of Liberty, all built from Legos, but a different angle.
A model of Manhattan made from Lego blocks.
You can see skyscrapers and the harbor and various famous buildings.
San Francisco built with Lego blocks.
My five years old daughter is standing on the left. The capitol building and other buildings in Washington DC are in the background.
My daughter is in front of Lego Capital building.
There are several buildings made by Lego blocks and in the background, there are people looking at the buildings.
A Lego block city
In the background is a Lego Science Center. There is also a Lego Bull in the picture.
Lego Albert Einstein. Mindstorm is a Lego Science center.
Sydney Opera House made from white Lego blocks.
Sydney Opera House made from Lego blocks.
This Taj Mahal model is made from white Lego blocks.
This Taj Mahal model is made from Lego blocks.
The big octopus has a black hat, black sunglasses, and is playing drums. He is surrounded by other musicians.
A large Lego Octopus playing music.
The White House is surrounded by greenery and other DC buildings.
This model of the White House is made from Lego blocks.
A lot of buildings from Washington DC including the Capitol.
This is a Lego model of Washington DC.
A lot of Lego buildings.
City made from Lego blocks.
The prince is bending over Sleeping Beauty who is asleep.
Sleeping beauty and the prince, all made from Lego blocks.
Hans and Gretel is standing next to a house, probably the witches house.
Lego model of Hans and Gretel.
Aladdin is sitting surrounded by treasures including a large open treasure chest.
Lego model of Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

My Other Responses to Esther’s Prompts

Close Encounter with Grizzly Bear Number 399

Esther’s writing prompt: June 24th : Close

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Grizzly bear 399 was a long lived female Grizzy bear who lived in Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park near Snake River. She was called Grizzly bear 399 because of her tag number. She was arguably the most famous grizzly bear in the United States and likely in the World. Unlike the typical female grizzly bear, Grizzly 399 regularly gave birth to triplets rather than twins. She was seen and admired by thousands of visitors. Her Instagram account has 55,000 followers, books were written about her and documentaries were made. She had 22 cubs throughout her life. Unfortunately, she was hit and killed by a car on Tuesday October 22, 2024, at the age of 28. You can read my post about the accident here. Luckily, her one remaining cub was not hurt in the accident, and he was old enough to survive on his own.

rizzly 399 in the meadow. She is followed by her three cubs.
Grizzly 399 with three cubs. Photo from Wikipedia by StevenPDeVries, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

She was also special to me because we had a close encounter with her and three of her cubs during our visit to Grand Teton national park in 2007. It was a school trip organized by the math teacher, Frank Jordan, and each kid was accompanied by at least one parent to give the math teacher a break. Grizzly 399 gave us a very memorable experience.

Photo including a somewhat turbulent Snake River with the Teton mountain range in the background.
My photo of the Teton mountain range taken from Snake River.
The Teton range towering an island is reflected in a lake.
Jackson Lake, an island and the Teton Mountain range in the background. The photo was taken in June 2007 by a fellow trip participant Gabriel Goncalves.

Grizzly 399 frequently sought human company. She came down to the roads with her cubs and stayed with the passersby for hours. She did not beg for food. She just wanted to stay with people. This article describes her as a gentle soul. Grizzly bears seeking human company is normally a dangerous situation and grizzly bears seeking human company are therefore often shot to protect the public. Grizzlies can kill people both out of aggression and for food. However, the park rangers left Grizzly 399 and her cubs alone because they deemed her harmless. She frequently interacted with people without ever showing any aggression towards people.

Four cars that are stopped on the road letting the grizzlies cross the road.
A photo of Grizzly 399 and a couple of her cubs taken in June 2007 by fellow trip participant Gabriel Goncalves.

Her behavior was somewhat strange, but I was told by a ranger that male grizzlies sometimes kill cubs, and this was her way of protecting the cubs. Grizzlies tend to stay away from people except for her. She used people as a shield to protect her cubs.

We had a somewhat scary experience with Grizzly 399, but as it turned out, we were never in any danger. As we were driving through Grand Teton National Park, Grizzly 399 came down to the road, so we stopped to watch her, and so did many other people. She let her cubs visit the cars and interact with people and we went outside to get closer. This is normally not recommended.

One of the visitors, with a big car and a trailer, decided that he had seen enough and began to leave. He drove his car between Grizzly 399 and her cubs. Someone rightly thought this was really dumb and decided to improve the situation by honking angrily. As a result, 399 started running towards us, the large group of tourists standing outside taking pictures. We were about 100 feet from Grizzly 399, which is indeed a very close encounter with a grizzly bear.  As Grizzly 399 ran toward us, people started screaming and running, and unfortunately the math teacher who had organized the trip fell and got trampled by the panicking people.

One grizzly cub is looking in the window of a blue car. The other one is right behind.
A photo of two of 399’s cubs. The photo was taken in June 2007 by a fellow trip participant Gabriel Goncalves.

A lot of other things happened during the panic. People ran back to their cars or to any car. A couple of my fellow trip participants found themselves blocked from entering their own car (on the side facing away from the bear) because a plus sized lady was stuck in the door of their smaller car. Not a comfortable situation with a grizzly on the loose. By pushing her from behind they were able to get her inside and could then enter the car themselves. The kids were standing on top of the SUVs that we had rented and crawled back into the car through the sunroof. My son entered the car last by his own choice.

As it turned out the panic was completely unnecessary. 399 was not chasing anyone and was not really running towards us. She was running to the end of the car with the trailer to get around it to get to her cubs on the other side.

Six cars a car with a big trailer and a grizzly mother and three cubs on the road.
Grizzly 399 is crossing the road with her cubs. The photo was taken in June 2007 by a fellow trip participant Gary Weinstein.

One ranger told us a story about 399 that sounded a bit scary. A hiker, hiking alone (which you should not do) stumbled upon 399 and her cubs as they were in the middle of eating an Elk carcass. He had come out of a thicket and had not seen them until he essentially bumped into them. He screamed on top of his lungs because he was shocked and then he started running. That is a very bad reaction by the way.

Grizzly 399, who was equally startled, pursued him. He laid down on the ground as he had read that you should do when pursued by a grizzly. Grizzly 399 sniffed him but did not touch him. Her two cubs bit his behind but not hard. After the grizzlies had left, he stood up, walked away and went to a hospital to check out the bites on his bum, which allegedly were not bad. Well I guess he had a closer grizzly encounter than we did.

A grizzly bear is walking out of the thicket in a forest nearby the road.
The math teacher, Frank Jordan, took this photo of Grizzly 399.
Cars a trailer, and grizzly mother with her cubs on the road.
Grizzly 399 and her cubs amongst the cars. The photo was taken in June 2007 by a fellow trip participant Carl Ondracek.

My Other Responses to Esther’s Prompts

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Shared my Post Accents are very difficult to lose

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Thomas Wikman’s Superfacts – #Accents are very difficult to lose

Please visit the Smorgasbord Blog Magazine post above. Smorgasbord Blog Magazine is sharing my super fact post Accents are very difficult to lose, as well as showcasing my Leonberger dog book.

Swedish flag on blue sky with white clouds. 6 June. Flag. Celebration Holiday National Day Festive.
Flag of Sweden in sunny rays high on the flagpole. Shutterstock asset id: 2344367957 by GenOMart.
An American flag on the background of a blue sky.
The flag of the United States of America Shutterstock asset id: 2566207745 by Ashley Grise.
French flag against blue sky
Flag of France. Shutterstock asset id: 2457252007 by Kyrylash Stanislav.

Guest Blog by Jack Wikman

I typically don’t ask for Guest blogs, but I certainly don’t mind if someone wants to do a guest blog here. It is great to get quality content for free. I just came home from visiting our 8 months old grandson Jack. We had a good time. We went to the zoo, I went fishing with my son, and Jack wrote a blog post which is shown below.

I am standing on the left wearing a green polo short. I am holding Jack who is smiling big. My wife Claudia is on the right.
Me, my wife Claudia, and our grandson Jack.
Baby Jack is sitting in my lap typing wildly. It is mostly random characters.
Jack is using my laptop to make a blog post. He provided the text, which I am posting below.

Guest Blog Post by Jack Wikman

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Random scrambled characters
Photo of Jack Wikman’s post

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine shares Superfact number 7

Please take a look at Smorgasbord Blog Magazine’s post about my super fact #7 “Poverty and child mortality has been sharply reduced worldwide“.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Thomas Wikman’s Superfacts – Poverty and child mortality has been sharply reduced worldwide

My Post We Can See What Stars Are Made of Selected for Freshly Pressed

We Can See What Stars Are Made of
Your site has been selected for Freshly Pressed!
Congrats, we love your writing and want to share it with the world.

Hi thomasstigwikman,

We’ve selected your post (We Can See What Stars Are Made of) for Freshly Pressed, a showcase where we feature editors’ picks and community favorites on WordPress.com.

We are thrilled to share your post with our wider audience.

Your post will appear at wordpress.com/discover/, where members of the WordPress.com community can read, comment, like your post, and subscribe to your site to get notified whenever you publish new content.

Thank you for being part of the biggest and best community of bloggers around the world. We’re proud to be the platform that makes your voice heard.

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When All is Said and Done

The focus of this blog is Leonbergers. However,  sometimes I post about other things and today I am making a lighthearted post about an English idiom that I find interesting. An idiom that is not used in my native language Swedish. The idiom is “When all is said and done”, and it is used to introduce a conclusion, or the most important fact to remember in a specific situation.

The one minute youTube video below is in regard to a demon possessed toaster. This poor lady is in a truly horrifying and nightmarish situation. The question is. What is the most important fact to remember in this specific situation? By watching the video, you will find out.

Last week I was reading a blog post in which one of the characters ordered Voodoo Rangers IPAs using door dash. I asked the author, John Howell, if you really can order Voodoo Rangers using door dash. He reminded me that his story was a work of fiction. However, I wanted to try whether it was possible to do that, and John encouraged me to try. So, I ordered a 12 pack of Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA using door dash (which they picked up from a store here in Dallas called Tom Thumb). As it turned out, I got my Voodoo Rangers from door dash. So, when all is said and done, you can order Voodoo Rangers from door dash. Below are a few of photos.

A 12 pack of Voodoo Rangers Imperial IPA standing on marble kitchen counter.
When all is said and done, you can order Voodoo Rangers using door dash.
The photo shows a can of New Belgiums Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA standing on our patio table, a gnome holding a beer and a sign saying, “Welcome to my beer garden.”
In my backyard drinking New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, ABV 9.0%, IBU 85. The aroma is floral and citrusy. The flavor is white bread, caramel, citrus, grapefruit rind and moderate pine resin. When all is said and done, this is good beer.
The photo shows a green lizard climbing up a wooden table leg.
A lizard is climbing up the patio table leg in my backyard. Maybe he wants a sip of beer. When all is said and done, lizards like beer too.

Finally, a 3 minute of ABBA’s somewhat sad song “When all is said and done”. It is a reflection on the end of a relationship.

I’ll Be Waiting for You at the Rainbow Bridge

“I’ll Be Waiting for You at the Rainbow Bridge” is a very heartwarming and touching story about loosing a pet written by Luisa Zambrotta. It really touched my heart and I want you all to read it.

Masticadores Italia:”Ti aspetto al Ponte dell’Arcobaleno”

The pictures below were drawn by Naomi Rosenblatt.

Birthday in Baltimore

Today is my birthday and we are spending it in Baltimore (don’t worry we have people watching house and dog etc.). Our son, his wife and their son Jack (our first grandchild) lives in Baltimore. Jack just turned six months. That is why I have not been very active in the blogosphere lately. Below are a few Leonberger Happy birthday photos.

Two Leonbergers are lying on the floor. They are wearing Happy birthday party hats.
This is a Leonberger Happy Birthday photo that Jen O’Keefe sent me. I am using it with her permission. On the left is Digory and on the right is Aslan.
The pictures show a Leonberger puppy wearing a party hat and it says Happy Birthday.
Debbie Ireland, a Leonberger community friend send me this picture today and gave me permission to use it.
The photo shows six Leonbergers wearing party hats. They are sitting next to each other and looking into the camera.
Leonbergers are celebrating. Caspian (Obi’s nephew), Austin (Obi’s son), Delfi, Obi (now 7 and a veteran), Digory, and Rilian (Obi’s son). Photo by Jen O’Keefe and Ira Van Order, prominent members of the Leonberger Club of America who allowed me to use this photo.

Today we visited the Cherry Blossom at Fort McHenry National Monument. Fun fact: “The Star-Spangled Banner” was born as a poem written by Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. Below are some Baltimore photos.

Cherry trees blossoming.
Cherry trees blossoming.
Cherry trees blossoming.
Cherry trees blossoming.
Cherry trees blossoming up close.
Cherry trees blossoming up close.
Baby Jack is sitting in the sofa. He is wearing a striped, red Pajama and there is a sign saying Six behind him.
Baby Jack is now six months old.
Jack is sitting in white highchair. He is looking straight ahead.
Jack is sitting in his new highchair. He is no longer a baby.
Baby in a stroller with a blue binky and wearing a blue coat.
Baby Jack in the stroller.
Baby in a stroller my wife and I are standing behind the stroller.
Baby Jack with us (my wife and I).
The photo shows my son holding a happy and laughing baby wearing a blue hat.
My son with his son, baby Jack, six months old.