Islendingadagurinn

Two Weekends ago, I attended the annual Icelandic festival in Gimli, Manitoba with my Mother, Aumma (Icelandic for Grandmother), and my Aunt and cousin. It was a really good chance to reach back through a couple of generations and feel some roots beneath our feet and a strong heritage behind our years.

A brief genealogical history of how I came to be zealously guarding lawn chairs along a major thoroughfare in the Icelandic capital of N. America with my cousin Ben:

My great-grandfather, Arinbjorn Sigurgeirsson Bardal, arrived in Canada in 1886. He began working as an undertaker and eventually established a funeral home (which is open to this day and bears the family name, although it is run by some jackass who bought it out). My Amma was the youngest daughter of 11 and grew up in Winnipeg. Somewhere between 1921 and 1975, I, her eldest and most brilliant grandson, was born. And there you have it, we're all up to speed.



Most cities in N. America celebrate their military heritages by enshrining old tanks with new coats of paint and lovely plaques. Manitoba, on the other hand, likes to put planes on poles. I think it has something to do with the fact the entire province, due to its near perfect geometric flatness, made for one giant airfield during the war(s).

So the parade (which was one of the highlights of the festival) was soon underway and my cousin Ben and my vigilence was paid off by the return of my Aumma, Mom and Aunt with coffee and cinnamon rolls.

Bag pipes and drummers... now that is an essential way to kick of a good parade!

More Bag pipers...always good to have'em around a parade...

And here is the Prime Minister of Iceland...well, his wife actually. He is sitting beside her, and that is my uncle Neil driving the car. Now, if your wondering about the Icelandic secret service...

Yeah, those vikings were a lot scarier in person. No grassy knolls out of the range of their spears!
Oh no! Shriners... nothing but trouble.

See, exactly what I was talking about! Those Khartum Komedians are always trying suck the dignity right out of these sombre events. Where are the bag pipers!!

ed. note - Shriners are wonderful people who do tremendous work for the community and contribute their time and compassion to many charitable endeavors.

...they also drive kick-ass vintage hot rods