Today, while working in southern France, Charlotte and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.
We were married on this very day in 1998 at Brunnby Church, near Mölle-by-the-Sea, in southern Sweden. Charlotte’s family’s priest, Ola Stålnacke, performed the ceremony and there were around 100 invited guests at the church and wedding dinner which we hosted at a nearby Faulty Towers kind of hotell called, Turisthotellet.
I clearly remember the many heartfelt speeches, that the food was bland and how the after dinner music was awful (due to the crappy dj I’d hired). Yet for many, many years, several of our guests would mention to us how much fun they’d had and that our wedding dinner was what they used to benchmark and compare other weddings with. I’m obviously biased, but I can’t remember a wedding that has even comes close to that very special day on August 15, 1998.
Last night, we celebrated our anniversary with a late-ish dinner at one of Neffies’ most popular restaurants, Bistrot L’escampette where we enjoyed a tasty three course meal together with local patrons.
It was romantic insofar that we spent most of the dinner reminiscing about how we first met, our first few months together and how fast time has passed since. We agreed that the vast majority of our two decades together have been really fun and adventurous.
Like for any couple that have lasted as long as we have, there have been a few arguments and disagreements. But they pale when compared to the amount of times we’ve laughed hysterically together, revelled in our successes and rejoiced at how wonderful a life we’ve managed to carve out for ourselves. Of all of our accomplishments, we’re of course proudest of our soon 18 year old daughter Elle. Hope she’s as lucky as we have been and will one day meet her soulmate.
Here’s the first thing you see after entering through the gate at Le Belle Vue where we are staying for another night.
I check in to around 25-30 different hotels per year. I’m already at 19 for 2018 and it’s just August. I’m guessing it’ll be closer to 35 hotels before the year is over. I honestly don’t know anyone that sleeps in so many different beds as Charlotte and I do. None of which beat our crazy comfortable bed at home, I might add.
First impressions at hotels are important in all kinds of ways and situations. Especially in the hospitality industry – in which I’ve spent a significant amount of time, both working within and, for the past two decades, as a guest.
There’s an old saying that if your first impression of a hotel (or, a BnB for that matter) is good, you’ll enjoy the stay and overlook most shortcomings that might follow. Similarly, if your very first impression is miserable, it will take about 7 consecutive positive experiences to overcome that first negative one.
I certainly subscribe to this »theory« and therefore pay absurdly close attention to all visual and auditory input and cues during the first few minutes after arriving at a hotel. The beautiful garden installation above is a great example of how to visually manage the aforementioned crucial first impression. At least visually.
https://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.png00adminhttps://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.pngadmin2018-08-15 06:37:182018-08-15 06:40:51First impressions at hotels
This beautiful old gate is on the same street as where Charlotte and I are staying right now, at Yvonne and Micke’s BnB, La Belle Vue in Neffiès – a small village in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. We’re about an hour from Montpellier and three and some change from Barcelona.
I’ve been to Provence plenty of times and love that part of the country. Especially towns with Roman ruins, like Arles.
Neffiès, which belongs to the arrondissement Béziers, is tiny and quieter than any place I’ve ever been to in France. And as I understand it, it’s just one of hundreds of similarly small villages – scattered throughout the region – and that are around 1000 years old. Lots of patina to be enjoyed here, for sure.
Today, after a sumptuous breakfast on the patio, we spent a few hours discovering a slice of the coast called Sérignan Plage after which we headed to Pézenas for lunch. While there, we checked out the town’s biggest draw; antiques. Someone told me today during breakfast that on the main antique drag, there are no less than 54 shops selling vintage stuff.
https://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.png00adminhttps://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.pngadmin2018-08-14 18:12:232018-08-15 06:04:16La Belle Vue – Neffiès
August is a strange month here in Sweden. It’s officially the last full month of summer and though usually warm and meteorologically fair, August is when most folks return to the grind after their annual summer vacation.
To me, August is kinda like March, just on the opposite side of the calendar year. It’s the gateway month to September, which for some reason has always been my favorite. Maybe it’s just the name, S-E-P-T-E-M-B-E-R that I dig. Or, perhaps I’ve listened a few too many times to EWF’s classic 70s tune, “September” and subconsciously made its way to the top of my top-favorite-months list.
Surely everyone has a favorite month?
We’re currently in the aftermath of a rather vigorous summer storm and the temperature has fallen to a – for the season – more normal level. It’s this time of year when extraordinarily colorful, often surrealisticaly dramatic sundowns play out over the sea and Copenhagen beyond. Like the one above, shot the other night a few feet from our front door.
https://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.png00adminhttps://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.pngadmin2018-08-12 17:25:232018-08-12 17:28:22August before September
The young actress (and our neighbor’s lively and photogenique granddaugher) Julia Carlsten in a little film I put together yesterday afternoon. The flamingo(named Angel by Charlotte) arrived from Amazon UK the day before yesterday and I had little Julia in mind as I pressed the order button. Shot entirlely with an iPhone 7+, a GoPro Hero 4 and then edited in Final Cut Pro X.
The backyard patio at 10 pm last night – which at 25 C was likely the warmest summer night in Malmö in many, many years. The condo’s garden is huge whereas our little oasis is enclosed and cozy. In the eight years we’ve lived on Sundspromenaden, 2018 is easily the summer when we ate most meals (95%) on the patio.
Though the heatwave has (thankfully) subsided, according to the most recent meteorological forecast I’ve seen, we will still get to enjoy another week or so of comfortably warm weather. Which means Charlotte and I can continue our ritualistic morning swim – even after our 20th wedding anniversary trip next week.
For the past few summers, Charlotte and I have ventured of the reservation (Västra Hamnen) and biked past the camping area Sibarp, under the Öresund Bridge and a few klicks beyond.
My agenda is clear and always the same; try to synchronize the visit with evening light so that I can get a few usable shots of the magnificent bridge. As this is a “no-fly-zone” I couldn’t use the drone for yesterday’s visit. Instead, we rode a bit further south and ended up in a rural pasture near Bunkeflo Strand. It was beautiful, but a bit too far. Heading back homewards, we stopped under the bridge and I finally got my fix of the bridge that connects Sweden with Denmark.
Ah…Worachak, one of my favorite places to shoot in all of Asia. Never get tired of the diesel and brake oil fumes that hover over this Bangkok neighborhood. Not sure what’s going to happen to it when Chinatown once expands southward. Which I suppose is why I feel so inclined to shoot and film there. A sense of urgency.
View the current collection of images from the area here.
The goal with this photo was initially to get a dusk view of my favorite lighthouse from above. It’s located near Malmö’s old harbor and hasn’t been in commission since 1936 – but it’s still a great monument of the city’s shipbuilding past and a popular tourist attraction. A few years ago, during an open house weekend, I was actually allowed inside the and climbed to the very top. It recently got a spiffy new paint job and has never looked better.
Light-wise, I thought I was a little late. But in retrospect, I think the image worked out pretty good – even if the lighthouse isn’t getting all of the attention I had initially planned.
From last night’s cooling off plunge into the Öresund – just as the sun was setting. Shot with the Gopro Hero 6 action camera at 240 frames per second – in so-called “slo-mo” mode which, together with image stabilization, is one of the camera’s most impressive features.
I often get the question, isn’t hard to fly a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles), let alone take drone photos that are commercially and artistically viable? Whether you like it or not, drone photography is here to stay. I’ve unmistakably embraced this enabling technology and saw the creative opportunities as soon as it appeared on my horizon.
My first drone shot was taken probably about 10 years ago when I hired a fella here in Malmö (whom had built his own drone) to fly roughly at the same height as Turning Torso. I’ve since taken several images – via drones – that have eventually been used as covers for my book series about Västra Hamnen and delivered countless photos and videos to clients.
The real trick to really good drone photos isn’t always to climb up as high as possible. That kind of shot is an instant give-away, if you ask me. You look at it and go, well, that’s obviously an aerial shot, big deal. I my opinion, the key to a really good drone capture is the sweet spot when it’s almost impossible to discern how a particular perspective was achieved. A uniuque view that’s somewhere in-between what could be shot from the ground but is just a little too high. In addition to the subject matter, the composition and color array, I also want the viewer to appreciate the angle – and in the case with the above image, some might even think it was taken from a treetop.
https://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.png00adminhttps://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.pngadmin2018-08-03 10:16:112018-08-03 13:07:22How to take drone photos
Since we got here, I’ve focused a good many hours on shooting for the forthcoming Vejbystrand book and today was no exception.
The afternoon light was just absolutely beautiful, possibly thanks to the cleaner atmosphere which I think came after last night’s well-needed rainfall. Aside from the aerial shots, I’m shooting mostly tight with either the 85mm or super wide with the 18mm. After last year’s hiatus, it feels genuinely good to be back in my favorite village.
One of the best things about Vejbystrand is that almost everyone here says hi when you meet along the meadow, by the beach or on the roads. That may not be as unique as I think it is, but nonetheless a pleasantry in a typical small-town charming kind of way.
The heat is on – even here in Vejbystrand where I’m at right now to add images to my book project. I shot the above view from about 110 meters from where where we had drinks before dinner this evening with the always enjoyable Benestam/Pieplow family.
Lugging around my camera bag in this super-dry, super-hot climate – is taxing, to say the least. But with friends dropping by for lunch or dinner, there’s plenty of time for replenishing and cooling off under a tree or with a swim at the harbor.
Just started updatiing the Travel section here on the site. Eventually, my buddy Yigit will make the design changes to the Video section, too. Above’s the video from the enchanting island of Marstand that I produced for www.airlinestaffrates.com
Yesterday afternoon while the sun was beaming from a partially clouded sky, I sat for a while on the boardwalk just outside of our condo with a Gopro Hero 6 in timelapse mode (one photo every 10 seconds) placed on a big rock in front of me. I then looped the sequence in Final Cut Pro X with a short transition between each of the copied clips.
To enjoy a bit of solitude here in Västra Hamnen right now, you have to get up supremely early. Which Charlotte and I did this unusually calm, windless morning. Admittedly, the morning would of been even nicer had I not brought the drone along. Then again, I wouldn’t of captured the above morning loop…
From last night’s folk fest here in Västra Hamnen. I’m thoroughly pleased with all the visitors…but have to divulge that I am looking forward to when there is a little more space for a spontaneous afternoon nap along the boardwalk and less crowded evening swims.
Most of Sweden is currently enjoying a “heatwave” with temperatures in the neighborhood of 30ºC/86ºF. Of the 35 years or so that I’ve been living in Sweden, I can’t remember a summer this consistently sunny and warm. Amazing! Keep it comin’.
https://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.png00adminhttps://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.pngadmin2018-07-27 05:14:062018-07-27 07:23:17Summer Night in Malmö
Back in Malmö again after a few days working in Tylösand. I’ve been to several of Sweden’s most desireable beaches along the coastline and on Gotland. Heck, I’ve even seen a few of the most popular beaches around Sweden’s largest lake, Vänern. Bu the amount of visitors to Tylösand blew me away. It was nothing less than packed.
I captured the above aerial shot earlier today from about 30-40 meters above “Titanic”– a tremendously popular jump-off point among the youngins’. I’ve actually jumped from there once – during a stag party for friend, Erik Schneider, many years ago. Not exactly sure why it’s called Titanic. Perhaps the namesake is from the narrowest part of the triangular viewpoint.
Currently in Tylösand to produce a thing about this uniquely beautiful coastline. Surprisingly, I’ve actually never been here before.
https://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.png00adminhttps://raboff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joakim-logo-white-drop-shadow-01.pngadmin2018-07-23 07:03:292018-07-23 07:03:29Meanwhile, at Tylösand
At 30, I was honestly surprised that I was still around to celebrate that milestone. Not that I’d been doing too much crazy shit. No hardcore drugs (if you don’t count a one-off occasion in Forest Hills/Queens/New York back in 1986). There’s was, however, a lot of reckless partying. Way too much. Especially during my DJ and bartender years on the island of Gotland and in Riksgräsen. I was certainly burning the candle at both ends, trying hard to live life in the fast lane – as the Eagles song goes.
My 40th birthday was largely overshadowed by brother Tyko’s passing early that year. It would of been his 51st birthday yesterday. Hard to comprehend that it’s been 15 years since I spoke with him and heard his wonderfully contagious laugh.
After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast in bed served up by Charlotte and Elle, I started my 55th birthday diving head-first into the Öresund Strait, the narrow body of water that separates Sweden and Denmark. I’ve been doing that more or less every day and most evenings throughout this amazing summer. But today if felt extra fitting. There’s no looking back from here on out.
20th Wedding Anniversary
Today, while working in southern France, Charlotte and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.
We were married on this very day in 1998 at Brunnby Church, near Mölle-by-the-Sea, in southern Sweden. Charlotte’s family’s priest, Ola Stålnacke, performed the ceremony and there were around 100 invited guests at the church and wedding dinner which we hosted at a nearby Faulty Towers kind of hotell called, Turisthotellet.
I clearly remember the many heartfelt speeches, that the food was bland and how the after dinner music was awful (due to the crappy dj I’d hired). Yet for many, many years, several of our guests would mention to us how much fun they’d had and that our wedding dinner was what they used to benchmark and compare other weddings with. I’m obviously biased, but I can’t remember a wedding that has even comes close to that very special day on August 15, 1998.
Last night, we celebrated our anniversary with a late-ish dinner at one of Neffies’ most popular restaurants, Bistrot L’escampette where we enjoyed a tasty three course meal together with local patrons.
It was romantic insofar that we spent most of the dinner reminiscing about how we first met, our first few months together and how fast time has passed since. We agreed that the vast majority of our two decades together have been really fun and adventurous.
Like for any couple that have lasted as long as we have, there have been a few arguments and disagreements. But they pale when compared to the amount of times we’ve laughed hysterically together, revelled in our successes and rejoiced at how wonderful a life we’ve managed to carve out for ourselves. Of all of our accomplishments, we’re of course proudest of our soon 18 year old daughter Elle. Hope she’s as lucky as we have been and will one day meet her soulmate.
First impressions at hotels
Here’s the first thing you see after entering through the gate at Le Belle Vue where we are staying for another night.
I check in to around 25-30 different hotels per year. I’m already at 19 for 2018 and it’s just August. I’m guessing it’ll be closer to 35 hotels before the year is over. I honestly don’t know anyone that sleeps in so many different beds as Charlotte and I do. None of which beat our crazy comfortable bed at home, I might add.
First impressions at hotels are important in all kinds of ways and situations. Especially in the hospitality industry – in which I’ve spent a significant amount of time, both working within and, for the past two decades, as a guest.
There’s an old saying that if your first impression of a hotel (or, a BnB for that matter) is good, you’ll enjoy the stay and overlook most shortcomings that might follow. Similarly, if your very first impression is miserable, it will take about 7 consecutive positive experiences to overcome that first negative one.
I certainly subscribe to this »theory« and therefore pay absurdly close attention to all visual and auditory input and cues during the first few minutes after arriving at a hotel. The beautiful garden installation above is a great example of how to visually manage the aforementioned crucial first impression. At least visually.
La Belle Vue – Neffiès
This beautiful old gate is on the same street as where Charlotte and I are staying right now, at Yvonne and Micke’s BnB, La Belle Vue in Neffiès – a small village in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. We’re about an hour from Montpellier and three and some change from Barcelona.
I’ve been to Provence plenty of times and love that part of the country. Especially towns with Roman ruins, like Arles.
Neffiès, which belongs to the arrondissement Béziers, is tiny and quieter than any place I’ve ever been to in France. And as I understand it, it’s just one of hundreds of similarly small villages – scattered throughout the region – and that are around 1000 years old. Lots of patina to be enjoyed here, for sure.
Today, after a sumptuous breakfast on the patio, we spent a few hours discovering a slice of the coast called Sérignan Plage after which we headed to Pézenas for lunch. While there, we checked out the town’s biggest draw; antiques. Someone told me today during breakfast that on the main antique drag, there are no less than 54 shops selling vintage stuff.
August before September
August is a strange month here in Sweden. It’s officially the last full month of summer and though usually warm and meteorologically fair, August is when most folks return to the grind after their annual summer vacation.
To me, August is kinda like March, just on the opposite side of the calendar year. It’s the gateway month to September, which for some reason has always been my favorite. Maybe it’s just the name, S-E-P-T-E-M-B-E-R that I dig. Or, perhaps I’ve listened a few too many times to EWF’s classic 70s tune, “September” and subconsciously made its way to the top of my top-favorite-months list.
Surely everyone has a favorite month?
We’re currently in the aftermath of a rather vigorous summer storm and the temperature has fallen to a – for the season – more normal level. It’s this time of year when extraordinarily colorful, often surrealisticaly dramatic sundowns play out over the sea and Copenhagen beyond. Like the one above, shot the other night a few feet from our front door.
The Flamingo Princess
The young actress (and our neighbor’s lively and photogenique granddaugher) Julia Carlsten in a little film I put together yesterday afternoon. The flamingo(named Angel by Charlotte) arrived from Amazon UK the day before yesterday and I had little Julia in mind as I pressed the order button. Shot entirlely with an iPhone 7+, a GoPro Hero 4 and then edited in Final Cut Pro X.
The Patio
The backyard patio at 10 pm last night – which at 25 C was likely the warmest summer night in Malmö in many, many years. The condo’s garden is huge whereas our little oasis is enclosed and cozy. In the eight years we’ve lived on Sundspromenaden, 2018 is easily the summer when we ate most meals (95%) on the patio.
Though the heatwave has (thankfully) subsided, according to the most recent meteorological forecast I’ve seen, we will still get to enjoy another week or so of comfortably warm weather. Which means Charlotte and I can continue our ritualistic morning swim – even after our 20th wedding anniversary trip next week.
Shot this with a Zeiss 18mm lens mounted on the Sony A7III secured on a Gitzo Mountaineer tripod mounted with a Arcatech Nomad ballhead. Settings: 10s, f8, ISO 100
Under the Öresund Bridge
For the past few summers, Charlotte and I have ventured of the reservation (Västra Hamnen) and biked past the camping area Sibarp, under the Öresund Bridge and a few klicks beyond.
My agenda is clear and always the same; try to synchronize the visit with evening light so that I can get a few usable shots of the magnificent bridge. As this is a “no-fly-zone” I couldn’t use the drone for yesterday’s visit. Instead, we rode a bit further south and ended up in a rural pasture near Bunkeflo Strand. It was beautiful, but a bit too far. Heading back homewards, we stopped under the bridge and I finally got my fix of the bridge that connects Sweden with Denmark.
More bridge images here.
Worachak
Ah…Worachak, one of my favorite places to shoot in all of Asia. Never get tired of the diesel and brake oil fumes that hover over this Bangkok neighborhood. Not sure what’s going to happen to it when Chinatown once expands southward. Which I suppose is why I feel so inclined to shoot and film there. A sense of urgency.
View the current collection of images from the area here.
My Favorite Lighthouse
The goal with this photo was initially to get a dusk view of my favorite lighthouse from above. It’s located near Malmö’s old harbor and hasn’t been in commission since 1936 – but it’s still a great monument of the city’s shipbuilding past and a popular tourist attraction. A few years ago, during an open house weekend, I was actually allowed inside the and climbed to the very top. It recently got a spiffy new paint job and has never looked better.
Light-wise, I thought I was a little late. But in retrospect, I think the image worked out pretty good – even if the lighthouse isn’t getting all of the attention I had initially planned.
The Plunge
From last night’s cooling off plunge into the Öresund – just as the sun was setting. Shot with the Gopro Hero 6 action camera at 240 frames per second – in so-called “slo-mo” mode which, together with image stabilization, is one of the camera’s most impressive features.
How to take drone photos
I often get the question, isn’t hard to fly a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles), let alone take drone photos that are commercially and artistically viable? Whether you like it or not, drone photography is here to stay. I’ve unmistakably embraced this enabling technology and saw the creative opportunities as soon as it appeared on my horizon.
My first drone shot was taken probably about 10 years ago when I hired a fella here in Malmö (whom had built his own drone) to fly roughly at the same height as Turning Torso. I’ve since taken several images – via drones – that have eventually been used as covers for my book series about Västra Hamnen and delivered countless photos and videos to clients.
The real trick to really good drone photos isn’t always to climb up as high as possible. That kind of shot is an instant give-away, if you ask me. You look at it and go, well, that’s obviously an aerial shot, big deal. I my opinion, the key to a really good drone capture is the sweet spot when it’s almost impossible to discern how a particular perspective was achieved. A uniuque view that’s somewhere in-between what could be shot from the ground but is just a little too high. In addition to the subject matter, the composition and color array, I also want the viewer to appreciate the angle – and in the case with the above image, some might even think it was taken from a treetop.
Vejbystrands Hamnen
Since we got here, I’ve focused a good many hours on shooting for the forthcoming Vejbystrand book and today was no exception.
The afternoon light was just absolutely beautiful, possibly thanks to the cleaner atmosphere which I think came after last night’s well-needed rainfall. Aside from the aerial shots, I’m shooting mostly tight with either the 85mm or super wide with the 18mm. After last year’s hiatus, it feels genuinely good to be back in my favorite village.
One of the best things about Vejbystrand is that almost everyone here says hi when you meet along the meadow, by the beach or on the roads. That may not be as unique as I think it is, but nonetheless a pleasantry in a typical small-town charming kind of way.
Vejbystrand
The heat is on – even here in Vejbystrand where I’m at right now to add images to my book project. I shot the above view from about 110 meters from where where we had drinks before dinner this evening with the always enjoyable Benestam/Pieplow family.
Lugging around my camera bag in this super-dry, super-hot climate – is taxing, to say the least. But with friends dropping by for lunch or dinner, there’s plenty of time for replenishing and cooling off under a tree or with a swim at the harbor.
Marstrand
Just started updatiing the Travel section here on the site. Eventually, my buddy Yigit will make the design changes to the Video section, too. Above’s the video from the enchanting island of Marstand that I produced for www.airlinestaffrates.com
Öresund Timelapse
Yesterday afternoon while the sun was beaming from a partially clouded sky, I sat for a while on the boardwalk just outside of our condo with a Gopro Hero 6 in timelapse mode (one photo every 10 seconds) placed on a big rock in front of me. I then looped the sequence in Final Cut Pro X with a short transition between each of the copied clips.
Morning Loop
To enjoy a bit of solitude here in Västra Hamnen right now, you have to get up supremely early. Which Charlotte and I did this unusually calm, windless morning. Admittedly, the morning would of been even nicer had I not brought the drone along. Then again, I wouldn’t of captured the above morning loop…
Summer Night in Malmö
Most of Sweden is currently enjoying a “heatwave” with temperatures in the neighborhood of 30ºC/86ºF. Of the 35 years or so that I’ve been living in Sweden, I can’t remember a summer this consistently sunny and warm. Amazing! Keep it comin’.
Titanic
Back in Malmö again after a few days working in Tylösand. I’ve been to several of Sweden’s most desireable beaches along the coastline and on Gotland. Heck, I’ve even seen a few of the most popular beaches around Sweden’s largest lake, Vänern. Bu the amount of visitors to Tylösand blew me away. It was nothing less than packed.
I captured the above aerial shot earlier today from about 30-40 meters above “Titanic”– a tremendously popular jump-off point among the youngins’. I’ve actually jumped from there once – during a stag party for friend, Erik Schneider, many years ago. Not exactly sure why it’s called Titanic. Perhaps the namesake is from the narrowest part of the triangular viewpoint.
Meanwhile, at Tylösand
Currently in Tylösand to produce a thing about this uniquely beautiful coastline. Surprisingly, I’ve actually never been here before.
A Milestone
At 30, I was honestly surprised that I was still around to celebrate that milestone. Not that I’d been doing too much crazy shit. No hardcore drugs (if you don’t count a one-off occasion in Forest Hills/Queens/New York back in 1986). There’s was, however, a lot of reckless partying. Way too much. Especially during my DJ and bartender years on the island of Gotland and in Riksgräsen. I was certainly burning the candle at both ends, trying hard to live life in the fast lane – as the Eagles song goes.
My 40th birthday was largely overshadowed by brother Tyko’s passing early that year. It would of been his 51st birthday yesterday. Hard to comprehend that it’s been 15 years since I spoke with him and heard his wonderfully contagious laugh.
After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast in bed served up by Charlotte and Elle, I started my 55th birthday diving head-first into the Öresund Strait, the narrow body of water that separates Sweden and Denmark. I’ve been doing that more or less every day and most evenings throughout this amazing summer. But today if felt extra fitting. There’s no looking back from here on out.