My thoughts keep turning to our sea expedition of Norway/Greenland/Iceland. I'm so excited!

I'm studying up on Scandinavian cuisine, customs, design.. and I came across the Skål--a Scandinavian toasting ritual. Here's what I've gathered from the skoål project:

1. With an intent expression, look at the person you are toasting. No smiles, no laughter, we're being earnest here. Say your toast. A slight nod of the head.

2. Knock the drink all the way back. The bottom of the glass should face upwards.

3. Return to original position with same intent look; eyes twinkling.

I just came across these really lovely textiles from Swedish based Josef Frank. They’d make a great colorful accent in a spare white room.
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I'm starting to let my mind wander to our trip to Scandinavia this summer. I can’t wait to pop in some design shops in Stockholm like Svenskt Tenn and maybe even order a yard or two of gröna fåglar.

We are beginning to plan our summer holiday and it looks as though A's photography will take us on an seaside expedition of the high Arctic from Norway, circumnavigating Spitzbergen to Greenland and finally to Iceland for about 3 weeks. We will live minimally in a cabin aboard a ship of about 50 other photographers/crew members. I'm starting to think about books--mainly which of the great classics should accompany me during my time with the rolling waves, the icebergs, the creatures, and the big blue sea.

[Above] Images from Ralph Morse, longtime photojournalist for LIFE magazine.