Réttir weekend PsIP

[orriskitten]

This weekend we went up to the country for the réttir, the round up of the sheep who roam free all summer. It's a massive undertaking with literally thousands of sheep in the mountains. Friday and Saturday people walk and comb the mountains, herding the sheep to a pen. Sunday the sheep are put into the "labyrinth" to be sorted and brought to their various farms.

FIL and BIL walked Friday and Saturday, DH joined Saturday. SIL, MIL and I hung out with the kids. It was an amazingly fun weekend!

We had some crappy weather so not too many pictures from today with all the sheep, but I did get some! Just thought if share because I know some people were interested.

Throwing rocks in the stream





Waiting for the sheep to arrive with Mel's cousins









At the réttir

[honeybee503]

That is really cool!

[AndyCohen]

So what are these sheep used for? Wool? Food? This is so cool and looks like so much fun!

[onehitwonder]

That's so cool!

[raynes]

Neato!!

[Deleted]

I've heard that this happens. That's so cool to be a part of.

[DesertMoon]

That sounds so cool! Mel is so cute in her outfit!

for a second I thought the other child was Thorinn and I'm like...wow he's so big already look at that....then I remembered that's impossible lol.

[lynzee21]

Very cool. They look so cute all bundled up.

[orriskitten]

Sept 21, 2014 13:15:52 GMT -5 AndyCohen said:

So what are these sheep used for? Wool? Food? This is so cool and looks like so much fun!

They go to slaughter soon after. The meat is usually ready by October.

DH's cousin keeps about 600 sheep. Figure each year those sheep have 1-2 lambs, so he decides which he'll keep for breeding and which will be slaughtered. I'm pretty sure they also get wool as well.

[orriskitten]

It was a lot of fun! They actually shepherd the sheep down the road between hills. They come at a trickle, then the main bunch come. The people waiting help make sure they don't bypass the pen. That was really fun, getting to do a part with kids. I sure turned some heads since I mostly wore Thorinn and helped wrangle the 2 year olds.

I was seriously impressed watching DH's cousin's wife catch a sheep. She is a short woman and sheep are damn big! It took some trying, but she did it. I will never be that good lol.

[AndyCohen]

Sept 21, 2014 14:21:20 GMT -5 orriskitten said:

Sept 21, 2014 13:15:52 GMT -5 AndyCohen said:

So what are these sheep used for? Wool? Food? This is so cool and looks like so much fun!

They go to slaughter soon after. The meat is usually ready by October.

DH's cousin keeps about 600 sheep. Figure each year those sheep have 1-2 lambs, so he decides which he'll keep for breeding and which will be slaughtered. I'm pretty sure they also get wool as well.

Interesting!

[orriskitten]

Sept 21, 2014 13:56:58 GMT -5 DesertMoon said:

That sounds so cool! Mel is so cute in her outfit!

for a second I thought the other child was Thorinn and I'm like...wow he's so big already look at that....then I remembered that's impossible lol.

Haha! No, he isn't that big yet. Only 6 lbs lighter than Mel and her cousin, the boy in the picture. He is my SIL's adopted son who is a January 2012 baby. I'm so so so happy Mel will have a cousin her age almost exactly and Thorinn will have one when SIL delivers in December!

[thedahliharpa]

It just looks so amazing out there.

[orriskitten]

Sept 21, 2014 14:29:37 GMT -5 thedahliharpa said:

It just looks so amazing out there.

It really is. I was just watching the scenery and it's unreal. Waterfalls everywhere. Mountains. Lava fields covered in moss. The fall colors are stunning.

My kids are so going to take this all for granted, but I'll never stop being amazed.

[orriskitten]

In the first picture of the kids throwing rocks into the water, you can see a weird shaped mountain. The family owns it. Literally, that is the kids' mountain. It amazes me that this is real life out here.

[rileym2010]

So jealous!

[imimahoney]

How cool!

[jsillyfun]

Love those pics! How cool!!

[artgal84]

That looks really cool, you are making great memories for your family!

[alicia45]

Amazing! That's so neat!

[jg183]

Cool! And such a different life from NYC!

[DaphneStrauss]

Wow! Looks like such a fun experience. The landscape there is beautiful.

[carawestt]

That's really cool!

[unclejesse]

Goodness, it is beautiful there.  And I can't get over the snow pants already!  

[monkeybabe]

Man, I would love to come visit you, that place is gorgeous. Also, Mel reminds me of sunshine. I've always thought she's a sunny little kid.

[bean47]

That's really cool!

[melis74]

Beautiful pictures. That seems pretty cool!

[katfco]

I've never had a desire to goto Iceland, but your posts make me want to visit.

[shevacc]

How cool! I was just thinking how different from NYC too. What's the weather like these days?

[orriskitten]

Sept 21, 2014 17:35:53 GMT -5 unclejesse said:

Goodness, it is beautiful there.  And I can't get over the snow pants already!  

They're actually just rain pants. It's not THAT cold yet lol.