II San Silvestre

Remember last year some friends and I all dressed up as reindeer and pulled Santa in a cardboard sleigh around town for a costume "race" (more of a walk, really)?  Well this year we all dressed up again for the second annual San Silvestre race.  We didn't have time or energy to be very creative with our costumes.  A friend loaned us these that she had from last year's carnival celebration.  If you're familiar with the computer/phone game "Angry Birds" you'll know what we are...  For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about,  I'll explain a little.

In the game there are green pigs who have eaten the birds' eggs (thus ANGRY birds).  The player launches vengeful birds, kamikaze style at the pigs' hideouts trying to destroy as many as possible.  Sounds lame?  Not so.  It's quite addictive.  This summer I had fun playing on my dad's kindle, and spent a good hour or so with my sisters playing on Lucy's phone, too.  That was my first introduction to "Angry Birds".

You can imagine all the fun we had during the race, chasing each other and throwing ourselves at each other!  We won second prize: an Iberian chorizo and Iberian salami.  Yum!  We'll be having a get-together post holidays to enjoy the winnings.

Here are some pictures:

I was getting into character...

The rest of the group :)

Two smug pigs. ;)

Ready for the race!

Frog and Toad

Yesterday the city organized a storytelling session for the kids in town.  I was asked to tell a story.  I struggled to come up with an appropriately Christmas story, but in the end I found a cute one in a Frog and Toad book I bought last year.  Remember those stories by Arnold Lobel?

I made poster board cut-outs of Frog and Toad and then a few more to illustrate the story to the kids--I decided to tell it in English.  You can't appreciate my artwork in the video, unfortunately, but I thought you'd like hearing the story nonetheless.  The kids liked it; and even the parents understood it.  I was especially pleased when one of my 6-year-old student of mine piped up to finish one of my sentences (listen carefully). :)

Christmas traditions :)

A strange Spanish tradition: el circo de la cabra in which a goat climbs a small ladder up to a tiny round platform and turns circles to the blaring accompaniment of cheesy paso doble music while another member of the "circus" asks the crowd for money.  I've never seen this before, but apparently it's typical this time of year.  Not extremely entertaining, but certainly peculiar.  I snapped a quick picture with my cell phone: 

And one more little picture just to make you smile:  My girls enjoying an evening by the chimney. ;)

Not very Christmasy...

I am saddend by the wintery pictures everyone back in the States is posting on Facebook.  We have had one slightly cold snap (the temperatue was compounded by chimney problems once again!), but of course, the minute things with the chimney were squared away we're having near tropical weather.  It doesn't feel like the eve of Christmas Eve by a long shot.  Today it was sunny and in the seventies.  I was uncomfortably hot in my sweater and I didn't need a jacket at all.

I suppose I shouldn't complain about the nice weather.  Most of you might prefer to be here... or at least not have to plow or shovel through feet of snow to make it to the store for groceries.  But I am longing for a white Christmas and that just isn't in the cards here in Seville.

Aside from the weather being extraordinarily warm, I think I've just been too busy to actually stop and realize that Christmas is upon us.  I did bake my gingerbread house and I did bake gingerbread cookies for treats in my classes--the house smelled great for days!  But even doing Christmas crosswords and jeopardy games or singing Christmas carols, it still just doesn't feel like Christmas.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.  For the second year in a row we'll be eating at my brother and sister-in-law's house.  I am planning to go to midnight mass: a tradition I've come to like; and then I'll probably go lend a hand at the bar.

This is my pretty poster for New Year's Eve... pretty cool, huh?

Perhaps it's all the headache of preparation for the holidays at the bar that's got me feeling a little scroogey.  It is true that this time of year is one of Angelines's least favorites just because there's so much work and people are so demanding and you have to be so careful to have everything in stock...  She's got to check her (shopping) list more than just twice! ;)  The storage space at the new bar is quite big; at least double what she had at the other place, but it's full to bursting at the moment.

It isn't just the shopping and preparing and long weekends of work, though.  It's also the thinking and thinking and going round and round about what we can do attract a little extra business this holiday season.  I spent a good five hours working on posters to advertise New Year's Eve and a few other things we've got up our sleeve.  We're going to have an afternoon of gingerbread (the cookies were a hit in all my classes) and chocolate before King's Day, and we're also going to serve hot sandwiches on Christmas eve (and from now on).  I love spending time making pretty posters (when I have the time, that is).  It's all the thinking about WHAT to advertise or plan and what it all entails that is the most exhausting part.  Thankfully my private classes are finished until after the New Year so I can dedicate myself to helping A at the bar; but sometimes it feels like I just don't get a break.

And speaking of a break, my university classes are also thankfully taking a Christmas vacation; but for me that just means I have a little respite in which to catch up!  I've fallen behind in more than one class because the books were very slow getting to me.  The semester doesn't end until Feb. so I've still got a bit to go before exams.  Christmas break will be a good time to catch up, review and (maybe...?) get ahead.  So far I'm on track.  I have caught up in my math class and am slowing doing the semester's reading for my English class.  I'm only behind one unit in each of my other two classes, so with all of Christmas break stretching before me I think I'm in good shape.

I hope you're all snug by your chimneys and enjoying the holidays with eggnog or cider or gingerbread or a combination of other yummy treats.  Think of me still sweating among olive trees! :P

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Construction...

Unfortunately it seems the budget will only allow for the following construction work to go ahead unhindered. ;)

That's right--my very first gingerbread house!  I have helped make one before...but it was many years ago.  I think I was eleven or twelve.  I wasn't without help this time either, however.  My nephew spent all afternoon yesterday and today helping roll out dough, bake pieces and then helping with construction itself.  His girlfriend pitched in with the decorations, too.  What a project!

Yesterday we stuffed ourselves with cookie dough--the best part of any baking project--as we cut and baked the pieces for the house. Today was the actual construction.

The royal icing, the "mortar", turned out to be the trickiest part.  I don't have an electric mixer here... so after attempting with my hand blender, we resorted to the old-fashioned way of whipping up a meringue.  I thought my arm was going to fall off!  The recipe promised 7-10 min of "beating on high speed".  After an hour of taking turns with the darned stuff we decided it was good enough: no stiff peaks, but it wasn't so runny as to be impossible to use, either.

The next obstacle was how best to apply the mortar to the roof and walls.  A butter knife wasn't going to cut it (hahaha).  In the States, of course, ziplock bags abound and cutting off the tip of a corner will give you a perfect pastry tube for delicate decorating, but no such luck in España.  To make the gingerbread dough I used the last of a bag of C&H brown sugar my mom sent me God knows how long ago and you guessed it--ziplock seal!  We rinsed out the bag, cut off the tip of one corner and, voila!  We were in the construction business.

So far our creation is holding up, though the roof is sagging and one wall seems to be sinking in on itself.  I think the semi-runny icing is to blame.  That, and the fact that we were in a hurry to finish and so didn't let the walls properly harden before putting on the roof or beginning to decorate.  In any case, we took pictures and my nephew can't wait to eat it, so this one's not going to be one of those gingerbread houses that sits around all through the New Year as a holiday decoration! ;)  If it doesn't collapse tonight we might wait until Tuesday to enjoy it with a tall glass of milk!

I'll leave you with some pictures of the baking/construction process:

Francisco rolling out the dough.

Only missing the decorations.

Rudolph flying over the roof. ;)

I think I'm most proud of our "brick" chimney.

Hope you're all gearing up for the holidays and enjoying similarly delicious projects!  Merry Christmas. :)

Merry Christmas!!!

I took out our few holiday decorations a couple of days ago.  One of my favorites is a singing, dancing snowman that my mom sent me the first year I was living here in La Roda.  Of course at the time I thought it was terribly hokey and silly...but it's grown on me over the years.  It's always been a big hit with the kids at school, too. ;)  Anyway, this year Bela has decided to get into the Christmas spirit and dance along with the snowman.

Video evidence:



Merry Christmas. :)

Bragging Rights?

So maybe bragging about my grade in Didáctica de la lengua inglesa isn't really fair, but...  I got a perfect score on my last essay and this is what the professor commented:
"This is a great essay, which masterfully weaves together points from Nation's argument with your own experience and ideas.  Good paragraph structure and critical engagement.  Well done!" 

:)  

Of course, having a BA in English means that much less than a 90% on any essay in this class is a bad grade, but all the same, I couldn't help smiling at the commentary.  It always feels good to be praised.

...sorry, I had to brag a bit.

Tremendous Turkey!

I know you've all been waiting with baited breath to see how my Thanksgiving feast turned out. ;)  It was a success!  We had a HUGE Turkey this year.  I think it's the biggest I've ever cooked here: 8kg = 17lbs!  Not bad for a Spanish bird that's being fattened for Christmas and not late Nov; a respectable weight by all accounts.

Steaming hot turkey. :)  This year I just filled it with apples and onions like my dad always does.

This year I brined it just like last year and I also took it out of the oven a wee bit early.  I put the turkey in our oven on low at 9am and by 3pm we were too hungry to wait any longer.  They say poultry should get up to 180º F, but I took it out around 175º.  No harm done because it was definitely cooked and very moist and tender.  Everyone assured me that it was better than last year's despite looking a bit peaked because we didn't broil it long enough without the foil covering.  Still, it was delicious.  And even after divvying up the meat, I've been eating turkey in some form or other all week and still have plenty that I'll need to freeze!  Ah, the joys of leftovers!

My chorizo stuffing was a hit with my nephews as I'd suspected and the sweet potato pie came out beautifully!  I think I like it more than pumpkin!  It was obviously much easier to make, especially here where Libby's canned pumpkin doesn't exist...  and since the batter was thicker it firmed up more nicely in the oven.  The flavor was fabulous and everyone said it was better than last year's (I didn't tell them it wasn't pumpkin!). :)

I'm getting to be quite a professional turkey carver. ;)

Desserts were the only thing we had too much of... is that possible?

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

Just in case you were wondering what to get me for Christmas... Now you know! ;)



This is what random searches for Christmas songs will lead to on the internet.  I'm thinking ahead (or trying to) with my classes and wanted to find some easy, fun tunes for Christmas.  This one won't do, but it did make me smile. I had to share.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all stuffed yourselves silly yesterday, in true American fashion.  As you know, since I've been living in Spain I haven't celebrated Thanksgiving on the actual day.  I did, however, wear my cornucopia socks and eat lunch-meat turkey on my toast for breakfast and then again at dinner. ;)  Thursday isn't a holiday here, of course, and so we always have our feast on the weekend.  This year will be the second year in a row that we celebrate with Angelines' family.  I'm not sure they are extremely fond of turkey, but any excuse to get together and eat is always welcome.

This year we'll be cutting back on the food because last year we had far too many leftovers!  I'm making the turkey (obviously) and I'm going to experiment with chorizo stuffing.  This will probably be more popular with my meat-loving nephews.  My mother-in-law is making soup, my sisters-in-law are bringing a veggie dish, some meat and cheese to snack on and a tortilla.  I am also considering making a sweet potato pie to substitute pumpkin, seeing as how cooking down my own squash that isn't pumpkin in the first place is a lot of work!  We shall see.  I think I will probably end up making some mashed potatoes, too, even though I'm sure we'll once again end up with too much food.  Isn't that what Thanksgiving is about: left-overs for weeks?!

This morning I'm going to pick up my turkey.  I'm planning to brine it again.  Last year it was wonderfully moist and flavorful.  I think I will also make the pie crust today (bake the pie tomorrow), make the mashed potatoes, and prepare everything (ie. cube the bread, saute veggies, etc.) for stuffing.  I'm only working with one oven here, so I've got to plan this well if I want everything served "hot". ;)

Today I've also got to put a good dent in my work and class-prep for next week because this weekend will be lost to cooking.  That means I should probably stop writing now and get down to it!  Hope you all had a wonderful, happy, family-filled Thanksgiving.  I'm thankful for the technology that lets me post this to all of you and helps me feel closer to home.

Buddy Ball Time

A bit of entertainment.  My Belita with her friend Mora.

Mora is a ball FREAK, but she's also a little overweight and nowhere near as agile as my little lab.  This is a video of our daily routine since it's been rainy and muddy in the olive groves where we usually take our walks.  I get such a kick out of watching these two that I finally decided to take my camera and get a video of some of this quality buddy ball time. ;)

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  It really is a great way to start the morning--playing with my puppy.  It always makes me laugh.

Long Time, No Blog!

As usual, no blogging means I'm completely crazy with everything else in life--my apologies.  It seems lately that every time I have a free minute when I could sit down to write about things like the amazing rainbows I've seen (yes, two in one week!) or our Halloween celebrations at the bar, something urgent comes up that I must do or I'm just altogether too tired, and crawl into bed. 

The first of November is All Saints' Day so Halloween weekend was a holiday here.  Everything was closed starting on Thursday so it was a four-day-weekend.  I had thought to go to Granada and pay a visit to my family there...  Did that happen?  No.  Wednesday night we opened the bar for Halloween, which despite a terrible lack of decorations--we couldn't even find fake cobwebs at what is the equivalent to the dollar store!!--it turned out quite well, I thought.  I spent the better half of the week making 200 raspberry and strawberry jello shots (coagulated blood for your inner vampire...) ;).  And we had a little "trick or treat" drawing for some free drinks or beers.  We did pretty good business, but I was there helping most of Wednesday and then up early cleaning the place the rest of the weekend.  

The weather since Halloween has been terrible!  We've had nearly solid rain.  This week seems to have let up a bit, but it's supposed to rain again come the weekend.  That means my poor puppy is depressed once again, although we have devised a mud-free way for her to get exercise.  There's a big parking lot between the football field and the city pool that is perfect for playing with her ball and there are minimal puddles.  She seems pleased with the new routine.  As long as it's not actually raining, we go play for about half an hour in the mornings and we've been able to find another part of town that's not too muddy for a little walk in the evenings.

All this rain is needed, of course.  Until the beginning of October I think we hadn't had rain since May!  Still, people here are solar powered and quickly forget how much they prayed for rain over the past six months when the sun goes behind a cloud. ;)  The rainbows I mentioned above are the best part of these storms, of course.  I was able to get pictures with my cell phone.  Luckily I discovered the panoramic capabilities in time because both times it was a full rainbow. 

Rainbow one

Rainbow two...a little bit fainter, but still beautiful

So the long weekend wasn't much of a break for either me or A, but this past Monday we decided to leave everything behind and head to Granada for the morning.  We did some needed shopping--shoes for both of us and a jacket for me--and then had lunch with the family.  It was lovely.  Just getting out of La Roda for a few hours felt great and when we were headed to Granada and the Sierra Nevada came into view I just couldn't resist smiling.  I'm a moutain girl, what can I say?  Just seeing those huge, snow covered peaks made me feel calm, free, and right at home.

The Raven

I was reminded of this spooky classic in one of my English classes today.  The reading was about the Tower of London and the ravens that live there.  I immediately looked up the poem and read a bit to my students (how could I not, being a lit. major and all?).  And since it's Halloween, I thought sharing it with all of you was appropriate too.

Happy Halloween!


THE RAVEN
          Edgar Allen Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. `'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door - Only this, and nothing more.' Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore - Nameless here for evermore. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating `'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door - Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; - This it is, and nothing more,' Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, `Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; - Darkness there, and nothing more. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!' This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!' Merely this and nothing more. Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. `Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice; Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore - Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; - 'Tis the wind and nothing more!' Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore. Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door - Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door - Perched, and sat, and nothing more. Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, `Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven. Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore - Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore; For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door - Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door, With such name as `Nevermore.' But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only, That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered - Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before - On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.' Then the bird said, `Nevermore.' Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, `Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store, Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore - Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore Of "Never-nevermore."' But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling, Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door; Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore - What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore Meant in croaking `Nevermore.' This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core; This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er, But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er, She shall press, ah, nevermore! Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor. `Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! - Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted - On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore - Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore - Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore - Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting - `Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted - nevermore!

The World's Best Pancakes!

Breakfast in bed (the best kind): cinnamon pancakes with homemade cranberry syrup and English breakfast tea.  To die for.  I outdid myself this time (my own humble opinon).  

Unfortunately I was half way through my first one when I realized I needed to document the deliciousness.  A quick photo snapped from my new cell phone was the best I could do.  

Please excuse the poor presentation:    

"...It's a lovely place..."

I just wanted to show off a few more pictures...  A friend recommended doing a video of the inside, a very good idea.  That will be one of my next posts.  For now I'll leave you with the pictures.

Estreno California

The Grand Opening

We're open for business!  Friday night we held the grand opening of our new Pub California (I didn't name it, I swear!).  Angelines was a nervous wreck, as was to be expected.  She broke down in tears earlier in the afternoon during the final preparations, and nearly came to tears again when she gave her opening speech to friends and family.  But nerves aside, all went well.  My sisters and mother-in-law along with a few friends made up some delicious canapés to serve along with a free keg and sangria.

A friend made up these stickers for a photo-call and everyone had a good time posing like hollywood stars all night long.  Those of you with facebook can see all the pictures on our page.  The night was long--Angelines got home at seven in the morning Sat.--but I headed home early.  Friday morning I started coming down with a cold and around two o'clock (am) I was more than ready for bed.  It's been go-go-go here for the last two or three weeks, and in the days before the opening we were even busier: nailing down details and spit polishing every last nook and cranny of the new place.

All the stress has taken its toll on my immune system, with my private classes and now the university classes thrown into the mix.  I guess it was just a matter of time before I caught the first cold of the season.  I'm subsisting on orange juice, honey and thyme infusions.  Angelines seems to be holding up relatively well, but I'm sure this will all hit her like a ton of bricks on Monday.

Everyone I spoke to had nothing but praise for the bar--a relief after so much thought and worry have gone into it.  Although she was exhausted, I know A was a happy camper; this really is a dream come true.  The bar is certainly something to be proud of, and our opening fiesta was every bit worthy of the occasion. 

I'll leave you with some pictures and I promise better ones soon. ;)

Angelines is looking stern on the phone because the internet and TV have gone out just minutes before we open!

Outside looking it at our first customers.

Our turn at the photo-call. :) 

Let There Be Light!

I just wanted to quickly post to say that we finally got the electricity at the bar hooked up!  The grand opening is imminent.  And for some reason, it seems that Angelines is MORE stressed out now than before (?!)...  I told her now is when she can relax because opening the bar only depends on us and moving stuff from the old place across the street to the new one!  We don't have to wait (or pay) for any more people to come look at it, sign a paper, give that paper to someone else to stamp...etc., etc.

Next weekend we'll open for business, though Angelines is still unwilling to commit to a specific date--silly girl!

Pictures soon.

Where do I start?

This week's been crazy--up, down and all over the place.  One thing's for sure: I haven't had a minute to myself.  When I'm not walking the dog, I'm prepping classes; when I'm not painting at the bar, I'm getting lunch ready; when I'm not teaching class, I'm cleaning the house... and that list goes on.  Whew.  Needless to say, I've barely been able to check my email much less blog.  

So I guess you can surmise that I've begun teaching my private classes again. :)  Thank goodness we now have a second income, though I'm pretty sure we've already spent everything I'll earn this month and then some!  Oh well, as a friend pointed out this morning, these moments, struggling to achieve a dream, make us feel alive.  You could say that Angelines and I are feeling very much "alive" these days. ;)

Anyway, back to my classes.  Aside from filling my afternoons, they're all going very well.  I spent all last weekend madly planning for this week, and it's paid off.  My class of 3-5 year-olds was a great success.  Only one little girl (the three-year-old) cried for the first half hour.  All the rest were smiling, dancing and doing their best to sing along with the songs after only about two minutes.  And by the time class was over, even my little cry baby was smiling and talking to me.  What's even better, in all my Tuesday classes, when it was time to go, someone inevitably chimed in with an incredulous already?!.  That's a true measure of success in my book. 

This year I have roughly 60 students total!  And I am also teaching more hours.  Last year I had 24 hours of class per week and this year I have almost 30, which means that I am teaching every day  whereas last year I limited my classes to Tues-Thurs.  On paper this is all great, especially since more classes and more students mean more money; but I am worried about what I'll do once my own university classes start in two weeks.   (*gulp*)  Last year was perfect because I reserved Mon. and Fri. for studying and weekends I could prepare classes and/or relax.  This year will be a struggle to be sure...  

I think come Nov. I'll be feeling more alive than ever. ;)

One Depressed Puppy

It seems dogs get seasonal depression too.  We had the first rains of the season this week, autumn hit us quite suddenly, and my puppy's been beside herself.  She sat looking out at the rainy patio for the better part of the day and was even reluctant to go for a walk when it was sprinkling!  Apparently Angelines wouldn't be the only one to be traumatized by a move to Portland. ;) 

Today it cleared up and we got sun for the first time in three days--she was lounging like a lizard in the patio all morning, happy as a clam. :)

...too many animal analogies in that last sentence, sorry.

En Español

Sois pocos, pero para los que me leen en castellano, aquí os dejo el link a un artículo interesante de El País reflexionándose sobre la "mala prensa" que está recibiendo España úlimamente.  Hace mención específica de las fotografías publicadas en el New York Times de las que hablaba yo en el anterior post.  

A ver qué opináis.

Discouraged

With each tiny step we take forward it seems we've got to take at least two giant ones back!  The bar is nearly finished, but to actually open it turns out there's all manner of paperwork to be filled out, signed, filed and most importantly, paid for (surprise, surprise).  Spanish bureaucracy is notoriously heinous, but in the midst of this kind of financial crisis, it seems to be magnified.  In a matter of days, I think we've had to shell out another 2,000 euros just to pay for papers.  Papers from our architect, papers from the city's architect, papers from the mayor, papers from...  It's disheartening to say the least.  

When we're just this close to opening, every little impediment is that more bothersome.  Everything's painted, the lamps are hung, the doors are in place the bathrooms are finished.  There's very little more that needs to be done before we could conceivably open, and yet there's a nasty swamp of paperwork to wade through.  It's incredibly frustrating.

All of this personal drama is accompanied by news reports of rising unemployment, rising taxes, social services cut-backs and an angry populace.  Anyone who pays attention to the news might think we're on the brink of a civil war!  Last night the people took to the streets in protest outside the congress building in Madrid protesting what they say is a democracy that's been "hijacked by incompetent politicians". They were supposedly non-violent protesters, but the media did catch several well-aimed kicks at police officers guarding the parliament buildings.

But it seems the actual protests aren't what worry the government so much as the image of Spain that's being presented to the rest of the world.  I'm not sure if these photos in the New York Times made such a splash in the States; but they are all anyone's been talking about here for the past three days.  Apparently the concern is that they portray an inaccurate and exaggerated picture of the gravity of the financial crisis here in Spain.  I disagree.  Yes, some of the pictures are particularly dramatic; and they certainly don't show Spain or Spaniards at their best; nonetheless, anyone here who's been paying attention to the news would find it hard to really say they're an inaccurate account of the country's current situation.

I suppose the real concern is that these bleak, black and white photos will only worsen things for Spain's struggling economy.  Tourism is probably the only sector that hasn't been too badly damaged by the crisis.  In fact, I believe that tourism increased when Europeans who usually vacation in Greece decided to avoid the uproars in Athens and chose the Costa del Sol over other holiday destinations.  Unfortunately, it seems that these photos could change that.

I'm not advocating censorship, by a long shot, but it is true that there's no way to control the effects of a publication such as this one.  Undoubtedly, the photographer wanted to shed light on the dire situation that many Spaniards find themselves in and criticize the government's radical cut-backs and tax hikes which are only worsening things for the average worker (or unemployed person as is the case here...).  And it is true that their publication has caused a stir among politicians, but I doubt the real result of any of this will be much more than to deter prospective vacationers.

My Kiwi...

My brother-in-law works at the school, a sort of concierge/handyman.  He also lives at the school.  There is a small apartment on the premises that allows him to also be a sort of watchman; he's on-call 24hrs a day.  One of the benefits to this job is that he and his family get the leftovers from the cafeteria.  For most Americans that sounds like something to avoid at all costs, but I can assure you that the cafeteria food at CEIP Manuel Siurot is excellent.  It's all cooked on site, no catering and very little (if any) pre-prepared goods.  The cafeteria is also certified organic which means that they buy all their produce from organic growers (usually fairly local).  The yogurts and dairy products (as well as meat, I think) are also certified organic.  It almost sounds like something you could find in Portland, OR!. ;)

A few nights ago Angelines dropped by her brother's home for a visit and was sent home with a bag full of produce that was about to go bad from the school's kitchen.  We've eaten all the pears, are working on the carrots, peppers and tomatoes, and tonight when I peeled a kiwi for dessert, this is what I found on the label: a link to "meet the grower" at natureandmore.com.  Click the link to read about organic kiwi growing methods in Chile's central valley (that's apparently where my fruit is from!).

Sometimes I wonder at the trade-offs of organic vs. local produce.  Spain is certainly capable of producing kiwis for example... Is all the energy and fuel used to bring that fruit to Spain off-set by the grower's sustainable production policies?  I'm all for supporting efforts for organic growing and sustainable agriculture, but where's the line?

Being an enlightened consumer isn't easy.

A Proud Moment

Last week we began painting in the new pub and this week we're still at it.  They say too many cooks spoil the stew, and it seems the same is true of too many people giving opinions about paint colors!  We've had more than one heated discussion about the virtues of beige versus cream, or grey versus green or yellow. And we've even had to make a trip back to the paint shop to fix colors that didn't end up the way we'd imagined.  But, we've also had spontaneous outbursts of enthusiasm for the bronze/metallic ceiling and the pearl waves above the bar.  I've always enjoyed painting, but it's especially good to feel useful in all of this; good to be getting my hands dirty (or painty, as the case may be).  

At last all the colors have been chosen and I think by tomorrow we'll be finished inside.  Once painting is finished we'll put up the doors.  The plumber installed the toilets yesterday, we're still waiting on the sinks; and the glass for the windows and doors.  Then it's onto things like bar stools, tables and lamps...  After tomorrow, the only thing left to paint will be the exterior walls--a steel grey.  I wish I could post pictures for you all to appreciate the process with me, but I'm afraid internet publicity is strictly forbidden until we've opened for business.  We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. ;)

Yesterday we also got a much awaited shipment in the mail--the lamps to hang above the bar.  In the end we found a deal on the internet and for 54 euros each (not bad...if you overlook the 21% VAT added to the total purchase!) we bought five of the most beautiful lamps imaginable.  They are Aladdin-style, gold beauties.  With each lamp comes a little plastic bag containing a pair of gloves so as not to leave fingerprints during installations! (ooh-la-la!)  

Angelines was beside herself with joy when we opened the boxes to have a look at our purchase.  The internet photos just don't do justice.  She could hardly contain herself and I was overcome with happiness and pride as I watched her face light up like a kid's at Christmas.  She's worked so hard for this moment.  She's spent so long saving and planning and with all the commotion of the construction it seems neither of us has really been able to step back and realize that when all this is over, she'll finally have her pub--her OWN place.  This is big.  Staring at our reflections in the lamp's golden curves I realized what this means to her and I think that if she doesn't cry when we finally open, I just might.

Bela the Water Dog!

Last week Angelines didn't open on Sunday.  It had been a long weekend of festivities for the Virgen de los Llanos, all of which centered around the calle Real leaving A. with an empty pub and too much time alone to drive herself crazy thinking about the economy and the slow progress of the new place.  So Sunday we decided it wasn't worth opening and instead we took the afternoon and headed to El Chorro.  Neither of us swam, but my little dog was in heaven!  

Since she discovered the joys of swimming on our trip to Granada, I've been wanting to take her someplace to let her swim.  We were going to go to the beach, but in the end didn't get up the motivation to get packed and out of the house in the morning.  El Chorro is a reservoir only about 30 minutes from home.  We spent about an hour wandering around and throwing sticks and pine cones into the lake for Bela who happily retrieved them...although she rarely brings them back to you and when she does, prefers playing tug-of-war to letting go!  Oh well, good thing I have no aspirations of hunting with my little lab.  :)

Enjoy!

The Big Surprise

Angelines had her fortieth birthday the Monday of our mini vacation to Granada.  She thought she got out of a big celebration since we were out of town.  She couldn't have been more wrong.  All her friends and family conspired to surprise her this past Tuesday with a big party.   Everything was in order: chilled beers in the refrigerators, food on the table, cake prepared, gifts wrapped, guests gathered together waiting... Only one thing was missing--the birthday girl!

The plan had been that while out on our walk with Bela I would bring her by the party location with the excuse that I wanted to show her a pretty door that would look good for our house (yes, a lame excuse, but the only thing any of us could come up with!).  Guests were arriving at eight and I was to wait for a signal from Nuria to head over with Angelines.  At about seven, A insists on taking the dog for a walk.  I try to stall, complaining that it's still too hot and we should shower and then go, but to no avail--the dog must be walked now or I can walk her myself later!

I now have two options: go for a long walk and end up as planned at the party, or go for a short walk so we can both shower first and then come up with some other reason to leave the house.  Of course this second option is quite risky because once Angelines has showered it's hard to get her out of the house on a week night.  Most likely she'll collapse on the couch in her PJ's!  

After several frantic text messages I decide for a short walk and shower.  A's in a sour mood and arriving hot, sweaty and dirty to her surprise party won't make things any better.  We turn home and I'm wracking my brains to come up with a reason we MUST go out again--an "urgent" meeting for San Pancracio.  It's at eight o'clock, I say, we have to hurry.  A's response: "I'm not going!"  I trying arguing that it's urgent we have to go... no use.  "What's so urgent about it?," she asks. ... I come up with something about crowning a Virgin in Valverde and we're invited to represent the brotherhood, blah, blah, blah.  She's not impressed and refuses to go.

Now what?!  People are arriving at the party.  Nearly everyone's there, I know because I've been on the phone with Nuria to find out a little more about this "emergency meeting".  In the meantime A has begun watering the patio and isn't really anywhere near getting in the shower.  "Don't make us wait too long," is all Nuria says to me along with, "come up with something to get her out of the house!"

I take over watering the patio and finish in a hurry.  I am virtually shoving her into the shower when the phone rings.  It's Antonio: "Before the "meeting" come by the house to look at some lamps I found online that I think will look good in the new bar.  I tried to send the webpages to you...but it didn't work".  This is a good excuse.  She'll buy this, I'm nearly positive.  As we're climbing into the shower I explain that before the meeting we need to stop by Antonio's place. "Fine," she says, "But I'm NOT going to the meeting!" ;)

I shower as quickly as possible and get dressed in a hurry.  I'm doing my best to hurry A along, but she's not to be rushed.  Finally we get in the car (she refuses to walk) and I throw out my lines about a nice door I want to show her.  At this point she's exasperated and wondering what my problem is, but she follows my directions toward the "door" I want to show her.

When we get to the place I hop out of the car.  "I'm not getting out of the car!"  She proclaims.  "Look at this door!  Isn't it pretty?  Come here."  When she sees me stroking the door and realizes I'm not going anywhere until she gets out of the car, she does, though very reluctantly.  "Yeah, it's nice," she says, glancing at the door and turning around to get back in the car.  At this point I'm frantic.  I shove the doors open and shout at her to come back.  The guests inside are taken by surprise and it's a minute before the lights go on: "Sorpresa!!! Cumpleaños feliz..."

Angelines is definitely surprised.  She is finally able to snap out of her mood and enjoy the evening.  And I can finally relax, too!  What a lot of work it was to surprise this girl!!!  And it's a good thing she had her head busy with the last-minute logistics for the bar because I'm sure with all my bad lying she would have found us out otherwise.

This was the photo we scanned to have put on the cake. 

I took a bunch of old pictures from her mom and siblings and scanned them all.  A friend put them all together and made a great video for her birthday.  She was very touched, though embarrassed by more than one of the pictures. ;)  A few choice 80's photos were priceless...and then there were a couple as a little girl that were pretty adorable and equally embarrassing for her. hehehe.

We had a great time in the end and Angelines felt pretty bad for having been such a huge pain in the butt prior to the festivities...  ;) 

The cake was delicious...just ask Nicolas!  This photo  might come back to haunt him on his 40th B -day!

La Ofrenda

I'm just going to post a few pictures of the procession Friday evening.  This was the flower offering to the Virgen de los Llanos (our patron Virgin).  Each of the brotherhoods in town, the different ones for Semana Santa and of course our own Hermandad de San Pancracio offer flowers to the Virgin along with individual townspeople and many children.  

La ofrenda de San Pancracio 

Outside the church after leaving flowers. 

View of Christ and the Virgin (right) from outside the church.

Un año más...

Last night for the third year in a row, I made the pilgrimage to Corcoya and the Virgen de la Fuensanta.  It was a windy night and the moon didn't rise until we were on about kilometer 9 of 12, but it was a great walk all the same.  We had our flashlights, reflective vests and plenty of water (and beer!).  Angelines didn't walk this year because her knee's been bothering her. :(  But she did meet us in town to bring us back in the car.

The walkers at the entrance to town.

As in past years we walked into town and straight to the church to visit the Virgin.  However, we arrived after the church had been locked so we were met with a note on the church door indicating the address in town where we could find the keys.  After retrieving the keys, we unlocked the door, turned on the lights and went inside.  No sooner had my friend Nuria, knelt at a pew than the alarm went off with deafening shrieks!  I think the alarm system is new...  We were told to go find the hermano mayor who had the code to deactivate it, but he had "just gone to bed" and couldn't be bothered to get up.  He shouted the code from his second-story bedroom window and we had another go at entering the church.  This time we were there for about 2 min. before the alarm went off again!  No luck.  It's unnerving to be in a sanctuary with a wailing alarm where normally a whisper seems blasphemously loud.  My friends lit their candles in a hurry and we headed home.

This weekend are the celebrations for La Roda's patrona, the Virgen de los Llanos.  More than one person in town has commented that I've come home just in time for the fiestas! :)

A Last Look

This is a bit of a back-blog.  

I forgot to post this picture with my post about leaving home.  My doodles on the picture are kind of hard to see, but the circle furthest to the left are the Sierra Buttes where my sister and my cousin and I went hiking at the beginning of summer.  The arrow is more or less my parents' house, and the circle to the right is Beckworth Peak.  Despite all the smoke from the Chips fire, I got a pretty clear picture of mi casa from the air.  

One last look at the Sierra Valley before heading home to the land of olivos.

Casa Rural

Thursday Angelines, Bela and I came home from a mini vacation to a casa rural in Granada.  After two months of separation, those four days of relaxing, one-on-one time were just what we all needed!

This little escape was A's idea.  About two weeks before I came home when we were skyping one morning she asked if I wanted to go away somewhere when I got back.  My reaction: Duh!!!  I immediately started looking for places near to home that would allow dogs--this was to be a true family vacation.  We ended up finding a perfect little house in the Sierra Arana north of Granada and just outside the town center of Cogollos Vega.  It was a beautiful place and being up on the hillside we had great views out over the plains.

Despite the current drought, there were a lot of natural springs all over the mountain and our whole place was set up with sprinklers and a drip system.  We had a great lawn bordered by beautiful marigolds; ivy, moss, fig trees and grape vines.  They even had quite a substantial vegetable garden that we were allowed to raid. ;)

I believe there was internet available, but I left my computer at home because I wanted to really be present ...and in the end I even forgot my book!  Angelines and I spent the days cooking, eating, playing cards or parchis, walking the dog and swimming in the pool.  It was perfect.

Bela was also very happy with our vacation.  She had our attention nearly 100% of the time, got long walks, had a few playmates around and even got to swim with us in the pool (later we got in trouble for that...).  There was another young dog that belonged to the family that owned the houses and ended up being Belita's best friend.  She wouldn't leave us alone!  She came on all our walks with us and spent the better part of each day playing with Bela on our lawn.  But my puppy made a few human friends as well.  The family's eleven-year-old son fell in love with Bela and spent hours playing football with her.  The poor dog was beat and this kid just wouldn't let up!  It was cute at first, but got a little tiresome after the first hour...  He would even stay out there playing with the dog while A and I were eating lunch!  GO HOME!

Our mini vacation flew by, but at least we've come back to real life feeling a bit more refreshed.  Things with the bar are moving along.  There was a hang-up with the tiles for the floors, but they've got the new shipment in now and the builders will be here Monday to finish that.  I think this week we'll start painting and Tuesday we want to make a trip to Malaga to look for lamps and tables, etc.  Now most of what's left to do are the little details...the fun stuff. ;)  I'll post pictures as soon as we're finished.

A few more pictures for your visual enjoyment:

Walking the dog

It almost looks like I took this picture back in Portola!

We found a fountain on our walk and Bela thought it looked like she might be able to swim...

Sunset over la vega 

Back in Spain :)

My last days at home I just wasn't feeling inspired to blog.  After leaving Lucy at Sonoma the count-down really began and I was doing my best to get my things in the barn squared away, squeeze in a few more visits and of course enjoy my remaining days at home.  My mom and I never fit in another ride, just too much going on for her with my dad's Rotary, and in the evenings when we could have gone it seems I was always too tired.  Still, last night when a friend asked me what my favorite thing I did at home was, I answered without hesitation, "riding with my mom." :)

I arrived in Malaga yesterday, 19 hours after leaving Reno.  I did sleep a bit on the plane, but it's always such fitful sleep that I never arrive very rested.  Angelines met me at the airport--it was SO good to see her.  As I was waiting for my bags to come in I ran over to the glass partitions that separate baggage claim from the pick up area, and spotted my little Spaniard immediately. :)  She came running over and we had our first non-pixelated view of each other in two months.  Skype is great, don't get me wrong--I LOVE it!--but there's nothing that can substitute the real thing.  I gathered my luggage as quickly as possible an raced around to meet her.

We came home to a great, home-cooked meal at my mother-in-law's house.  Such a welcome relief from airplane food!  Even when it's not horrible, there's just something not satisfying about eating on long plane rides.  Especially when you haven't brought your own food (like me in this case), you tend to eat just to stave off hunger or because you know that they'll gouge you if you try to pick something up during your layover!  Needless to say I had quite an appetite for the sopa de picadillo,  tortilla de papas and filetes empana'os  all served with a great big green salad.  DELICIOUS.  "You haven't missed your mother-in-law's cooking, have you?" was Angelita's only comment as I devoured everything on my plate and helped myself to more. ;)

I'm sure you're all wondering about my dog, right?  Well, it turns out I'm not easy to forget, even for a now eight-month-old puppy. ;)  She was very happy to see me and, much to Angelines's disgust, now only has eyes for me.  She follows me around and doesn't pay much attention at all to the mother who's so diligently cared for her these two months.  Ungrateful little punk... 

Last night I ended up going out for tapas with a friend and in typical Spanish fashion, wasn't in bed until 3am!  Welcome home, Viola!! ;)  It was really great to be out seeing people though.  They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and while most of the time we don't need to be away to realize what we have, it's true that there's nothing like travel to make you appreciate home that much more.  My time in the States was great, and it really was just about the perfect amount of time; but still, nothing can substitute my own bed, my own house or my own dear wife.  

It's good to be back.  

My mom snaps a picture of the twinnie saunter through the Reno-Tahoe airport.

A Sight for Sore Eyes:

Bye bye, Baby

Li'l Hodge in her new room. :)

Yesterday we left little Lu at Sonoma State for the school year.  Today will be her first day of classes.  We all drove down and unpacked her stuff in a whirlwind.  I think we made record time.  The drive down took a lot longer than expected and of course we left the house much later than we'd planned to originally, so by the time we got there we were pretty sick of sitting in the car and also pretty hungry!  In just about 45 min. we got all her stuff out of boxes and put away.  The only thing left for her to do was hang pictures!

How long do you think it will look this good?

For dinner we headed over to my Aunt Kitt's house and it was lovely because my cousin Sarah and her kids were visiting at the same time so I got to see little Rowan before he's ten, as it turned out. ;)  We spent the evening playing with the kids, laughing and teasing each other and chatting with the adults.  Dinner was wonderful.

My parents stayed at my aunt's house but we girls decided to have a sister sleep-over at Lucy's apartment.  One of Lucy's best friends from Portola (they've known each other since pre-school) is living with her this year.  She joined us for dinner and then we decided to all crowd into her room for the sleep over since Lu's other roommate was home and asleep when we got back.  

Sarah and Vince didn't know what to make of us crazy cousins!

Lucy's little apartment really is cute.  Seeing how excited she was to begin hanging pictures and get her stuff moved in made me think about my own years at school.  Getting all that stuff into boxes at the end of the year wasn't ever much fun, but it sure was exciting to unpack and reorganized my things in a new room/house.  I think about all my room/housemates I had through college and since then, and I'm excited for my sisters.  Living with people isn't always easy, but at least in my experience you have a whole lot of fun.  

I think perhaps what really makes the college years so unique is the novelty of each new year.  Every year there is so much change--new roommates, new house, new classes...  I certainly never lived in the same place for more than the nine-month school year all through college and even after that I was moving every year until the city hall of La Roda granted me our little piso for a second year! (Perhaps that explains my strange attachment to that place.)

All that moving and change is stressful and looses it's luster after too long, but it's fun to look back and reminisce.  I remember how sad I always was when the school year came to an end because I knew there was just no way I'd ever get that year back.  Of course that sounds silly since you can never repeat a year, but the end of each year meant an end to the fun and memory-making of day-to-day living with my roomies... at least in that setting.  I have maintained those friendships though and it's always fun to get together and remember all the fun we used to have.  I can't wait for Lu and Maggie to have those same experiences. 

Camry "Wousel" and Maggie snuggling. :)

Sunday morning we woke up and all went out to breakfast.  We found a funny little hole-in-the-wall place, The Friendly Kitchen.  The Chinese couple who ran the place wasn't quite sure what to think of us crazy Wilbanks at first, but we had our waiter in stitches by the end of our meal.  He even made a few jokes himself and then very seriously told mom and dad that Lucy would be the Sonoma State beauty queen. ;)

Our good-byes were tearful, but it's been a great summer. I'm so happy Lu and I got to do our little road trip and that she and Maggie both got the time off to accompany me to Portland the last time I was there.  In these past few weeks at home I've been going through my things in the barn and among many other long-forgotten items, I found boxes of old letters that I've saved through the years.  Maggie, Lucy and I have decided to revive letter writing and I'm sure we'll be in good touch throughout the school year.

The whole crew for breakfast at The Friendly Kitchen, Rohnert Park.