Wherever home is, it feels good to be back here in Andalucia, although I'm sure most of that has to do with the air-conditioner we invested in last summer! Fourteen hours of sun can turn my little piso into an oven and when the daily temperatures consistently reach the low hundreds for the better part of the day, I'm glad to set the air at 80 and entertain myself indoors. This here is the origin of the Spanish siesta: there's not a lot to do in the middle of the day except sleep and wait for the sun to go down.
Around seven, people start creeping outside to do any shopping that was forgotten during the morning hours. By nine, when at least one side of the street is shady, people congregate on the benches and curbs to chat, eat sunflower seeds and people watch. There's even an expression for that here in Andalucia: tomar el fresquito (literally: taking the coolness...although "coolness" often amounts to about 92 degrees!). The older people put out chairs from the house or folding beach chairs and sit in the doorway until late into the night. Some people even bring their TV out into the street and sit around on the sidewalk watching TV until mid-night. It's certainly a different way of living.
And that brings me back around to my visit West. It's such fun to go with Angelines because although there are things that shock me about going back to the States, there is nothing like being with someone who's seeing it for the first time. We went together in 2008, but there were still a few things that shocked her this time around: automatic toilet seat covers in Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport, self check-out at the grocery store, u-pick berries and the high price of wine! She couldn't get over the fact that an average glass of wine costs at least $6; in Spain one euro fifty is probably the average and if it's really good stuff it might be as much as three or four.
This time, however, she wasn't scandalized (too much so) by large portion sizes or 20% tips. Slowly my little Spaniard is learning how to get along in America. ;)
Our visit was too short, as I think it always will be; but I was pleased that we were able to squeeze so much and so many people into our two weeks and not manage to stress ourselves. In Portland I got to do just about everything I had my heart set on prior to the trip: a visit to the Gorge, Sauvie Island berry picking, bar-hopping on East Burn., long conversations over good food, a visit to the fam. and even a run around N. Portland. I am pleased that Angelines likes Portland as much as I do. She much prefers it to San Francisco...so I hold out hope that in some distant future we might return to live in Oregon for a time.
When we got down to Cali is when we were really able to relax. Very little sight-seeing and just some quality time with my family. I played catch with my dad for the first time in probably ten years, rode my "colt" who is now very nearly six years old (!), walked our crazy German Short-hairs, went to the Mill Pond with Maggie, hiked into Lakes Basin, teased and laughed with my sisters. It was a wonderful visit.
And now I'm back here in my quiet piso, blogging away the afternoon until I can go outside. My rosemary and aloe vera have grown incredibly in these two weeks, and I'm pleased to report that my tomatoes and potatoes haven't died either--photos forthcoming. :)
It's good to have been home. It's good to be home.
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