B to the RRRrrrrrrrrrrr

It's starting to get cooooold. The onset of fall is in full swing as I notice that most of my hangouts in Salinas have been boarded up. Summer is officially gone.

In addition to this realization, this morning I woke up to find no hot water. As I searched downstairs under the stairs to see what exactly is running down there, I opened the door and saw four of those salami traps.

I quickly shut the door.

Tio explained to me one morning after I shrieked to see two baby mice flopping on one of those things, that in a house like this we need these traps. He laughed in delight at my horror and guided me out the front door past it. He's got a sick sense of humor which makes me like him even more.

Even he's been hit by fall as he's recovering from a cold. I ask him if he needs any tea or medicine but his way of fighting a cold is piling on clothes and sweating it out in bed. Oh and also eating a ton of garlic which I got taste of one morning after unfortunately grabbing the jam after he had used it.

Yesterday was a poco y poco day of sun. People were out sunning on rocks, sand and a few brave ones were in the water. Checked out this one area just past a construction graveyard, which had a great concrete pier with a lot of fishermen.

I passed by this one guy who was shaking his head and saying something. I went in to ask him about the fish today and he said he hasn't caught anything. He reaches for this bag to show me he's only caught three fish. Maybe they're cold too. I ask him about the fish and if I can take a pic of his catch. As I leave I say "Good luck!" and he waves and goes back to the task at hand.

I'm hopeful for warmer weather when I hit Barcelona on Monday. Looking forward to the train ride out. I might not be saying that after hour seven of thirteen but we'll see. As it is right now, I could spend hours on a train and be perfectly content.

Checked out the Spanish gym today in an attempt to find a hot shower.

As always, the questions for forms are a way to make an idiot out of myself everytime.

Was thinking in English when the lady asked for my name. Thought she said number and I told her I didn't have one which was really saying I didn't have a name. Took me a second when I saw her face to realize what she said and I started laughing saying "Oh yeah, I do have a name."

A quick recovery but I squahed it by telling her my name was Penny which in Spanish sounds like penis. The next reaction was even more surprised and after I saw it and the massage therapist's face behind her, I quickly said "Ah, Penelope. Penelope!". Nothing like making an impression on someone when you tell them you don't have a name and then you tell them it's penis. Good stuff!

Nice little facility with a duded up weight room and funky fresh old school music. I realized that while my lower body has been getting a workout my upper body has not. I guess wine drinking doesn't count for arm curls. It's the first time that vacation hurts.

Maybe I need to drink more wine.

I Spy

I spy a grandfather and grandson talking trains. When the little boy asks a question, his grandfather responds: "Si Senor. Si Senor." 

They both have the same ears.

I spy a punk rocker sitting with his bike at near the base of an outdoor sculpture. His piercings move as he tells me to look at the plaque beneath it and they keep moving as he goes on to tell me how marvelous the piece is.

I spy a guy at sunset sitting atop a rock cliff peak fishing as the wind howls. He casually casts away at the tippy top of an unwalkable path. The wind pushes people aside but he sits perfectly still.

I spy an old man walking wearing a ladies kerchief on his head smoking a cigar. As he passes, he jumps out at me to proclaim: 

"I am beautiful, no?!" 

Yes. 

I spy Tio feeding the chickens. He laughs as the flash from my camera goes off. "You can take those photos home and say 'Look at what Tio does!'". I say yes and continue snapping away. He keeps laughing but asks me if I can send him a copy when I get home. 

Si Senor.

Farm Living - Kickin' it Old School

Farm living is quite interesting. Especially when it's old school. How can I explain this best?

When I first arrived in August, I was surprised to find that there were no screens on any of the windows. I have never seen larger mosquitos in my life or flies for that matter. Did I tell you I have a pet spider? Actually three. Normally I can't stand them, but this one has been a godsend. He sits in the corner and when a bug comes close he pounces. I cheer him on with each catch and watch curiously to see how quickly he swaddles them up with his web.

The other day I was watching a similar dance but it was on the first floor. The LARGEST mosquito I had ever seen and a spider half it's size, snagged it. They both fought hard and fell twirling to the floor in a scene straight out of Top Gun. I was mesmerized at how the spider could keep it nailed down. Watched intently to see if the spider could out maverick the skeeter when a force bigger than both of them ended it.

Consuelo was trying to figure out what I was so interested in and when she found out, she stepped on them. NOOOOOOOOooooooo. I wanted to see who would win. Did I mention that I am easily entertained?

There are other things I don't quite get. One day I saw Tio fill some container in the closet under the stairs with gas. A huge jug of it. I have no idea what he's filling but the heavy smell of gas in house scared me a bit. Sometimes I just have to turn my head away, kinda like how I stopped asking what kind of meat it is we're eating.

Other times when you see things in the yard and then see them on the dinner table it's a little unsettling. Like the time I thought Consuelo was offering me meatballs but it was snails instead. Monica pointed out the one that Tio said he plucked off the window of the house. Yikes.

So yesterday I got home for lunch/dinner and sat down with Consuelo. Tio has been out on a trip of his own near Madrid, to which he unfortunately drove. I shudder to think of the car on a long distance trip or anyone he picks up for directions. It's good he gets out though.

Anyway, I heard something at the door. Monica opened it up and there was a homemade mousetrap. How homemade? Well you take a piece of wood shellac it with a bunch of clear glue and add half a slice of salami.

Taaah Daaah!!

It had worked as a little mouse was stuck to it and sitting in front of the door. Monica grimaced and nervously laughed a bit when she realized it was now her job to pry it off and put it in the trash. Consuelo gave the word like a mafia queen. Her and I just stared at it in amazement. "I've never seen anything quite like it!" she said in her British accent. It seriously looked like something straight out of the middle ages.

She grabbed the smaller wood block handle and had slab of wood, salami and mouse in one hand with a crowbar metal spike in the other heading towards the garbage bin.

"Wait!! Oh, this is a great picture!" I cried. "No. You're not taking a picture of this!" she said. She wouldn't let me take it as she laughed at the notion of a picture of said morbid mouse scene. I felt bad for the mouse but it was the funniest thing ever seeing her walk hesitantly to the trash trying to muster up the strength to un-shellac the mouse. When she finished the block was put back in the corner of the living room. I shivered to now know where a trap was.

Monica was still feeling the ick from the stick and so I tried to cheer her up. "Well, now you have something new to put on your resume!"

She told me that she was scared Tio and Consuelo were going to ask her to kill a chicken. What?? I started to laugh. The chickens weren't laying any eggs lately and if they didn't get to it, we might be having chicken soon.

Her and I looked at each other and started laughing. "They wouldn't make you do that would they?" I asked. She didn't know, but I guess Tio had told her the best way to pluck a chicken was to put it in boiling hot water so the feathers would gently fall off. I told her I am absolutely taking pictures if she has to pluck a chicken.

"See you Wednesday!!" I said in anticipation of possible chicken pluck day. Monica looked like she was going to throw up and I added "I'll talk to the chickens and tell them they better start layin'." She laughed.

Tio gets back Wednesday and they better start producing. You don't want to upset the Don.

Dear Mr. Toad...

Dear Mr. Toad,

I have tried just about every pastry shop in town. This is my favorite so far. Oh, the buttery, chocolately cookie goodness. 

If I can find a shop in Madrid...

If I can get them through security...

If I can make them not count as a carry-on bag...

If I can get them through layovers...

If I can get them on the ride down the Keys...

But most importantly...

If I can get them back without eating them all... 

I will bring you some cause they are THE BEST COOKIES IN THE WORLD!

Yours Truly,

Frog

This is Awesome!!!!

Hercules! Hercules!

I am a small town girl. Something I thought I’d never say.

Got a taste of Galacia with a trip to Coruna. Galacia has both Celtic and Roman influence. The most famous monument is the Tower of Hercules where as the story goes, after a three day battle with the tyrannical giant Gerion, Hercules killed him and demanded that a tower be built in the place he buried his head.

Okey Dokey.

So took the bus in and when I landed in town I had a very basic map to show me what possible direction to go. This city is a lot bigger than I had expected and on the ride in I saw a giant Toys R Us. Eeek! At least it wasn’t a Babies R Us – that thing creeps me out. Can you get any more generic? Why not just call it Baby in a Box?

I was on the hunt for a place to stay and planned on scouting out a Pension. It’s a step up from a Hostal and can be very nice accommodation for a cheap price. Saw one on the second floor of a huge building so I rang up. It’s kinda strange since you feel like you are calling up to someone’s home to see if you can crash. An old woman answered the door excited to see me but said she had no water and wasn’t renting rooms.

Headed down further and stopped in a joint to get a drink and get my bearings. Got directions to a garden not too far away and thought I’d see more places down there. I was right. Took a turn down one street and saw a woman in an apron standing out front of the Café/Pension. She looked like a Piedras lady and so I headed in. There was a sign to inquire for info at the bar. I started talking to the man and to my surprise he spoke English. He told me the rates and I told him I’d be back but I wanted to walk around a bit, mostly to see what was close by and to comparison shop. I had no idea what the going rate for a room here was.

Went into another Pension and a Hostal but decided to go with my first stop and the guy laughed saying “You couldn’t find cheaper than here, right?” It wasn’t the rate I was sold on, that was a bonus. It was the fact that I liked this guy. Plus it didn’t look like the kind of place I was going in to shoot a bunch of heroin.

50 Euros for two nights and to my pleasant surprise, I got a penthouse room complete with a great skylight looking out at the neighboring rooftops. This is perfect.

I went out to visit a museum and after walking a bit, came back and got chatty with the owner. He was really interested in the US economy and election. He was originally surprised I was American (score one for British) and asked how I found this place. Said it in a way like I made it through a secret vortex.

I guess they don’t see too many of us here as I noticed on a petition I signed to make the Hercules Tower a world monument. It was strange seeing my signature as the only USA listed and Key West at that. “Yo, U.S. Representin’!” was all I could think of when I signed.

Coruna has some cool things to offer. A beautiful coastal walkway, cool monuments, good shopping and some great outdoor sculptures. I have to say the best show I saw was “A Day in Mongolia”. The parts I liked were the amazing paintings, not to mention the Shaman clothes and drums. Giant thangkas hung covering the walls from floor to ceiling with their striking images and colors. Oh, and also loved that it was free to all.

Had fun checking out the misty coast and running all over the place. The Pension owner complained about the weather but I dug it. The cloudy sky put on a light show whenever the sun popped out occasionally. It was like someone suddenly flipped on a spotlight, which hit different parts of the city. Caught a couple amazing wave crashing shows and generally loved the outdoor parts the best.

I’ve come to realize I’m not a city girl anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good city but ultimately where I live has to be rooted in some sort of nature, hopefully by water. I feel off-kilter when I’m in a manufactured landscape for too long and too long has now become about two days. The Pension owner’s wife agrees. She tells me that people in Madrid are a bit strange and when she lived in London, she loved the country the best. It was gorgeous and the people were real.

This guy and his wife are cool people. In the bar having some homemade soup, he tells me all about Spain’s set up. Their education system, the pension crisis, health care, and immigrant issues. He even pulled out his bank statement to show me how much he pays for health insurance (it’s a lot) and it’s then when I ask where he lives. He starts to list all the places he owns – a flat in Coruna, this Pension and bar, a house in his village 30 miles from here and a plot of land also in the country he plans to live on when he retires. Originally he told me he didn’t have much education but worked hard in construction throughout Europe and invested well. He seems like a very smart man to me.

He ultimately loves the country the best too and plans on retiring there. I couldn’t agree more. There are many bonuses to small towns. The biggest one is you can’t be a shithead.

In a small town, you tend to run into people quite a bit and eventually through pass bys, you get to know one another. It’s the reason most people look you in the eye, say hello when they pass, and generally don’t have a lot of pretense. Small towns are usually located in some sort of nature and the people are connected to it. A true connection – it’s so important.

Leave early morning to hop back on a bus to Aviles. Most of the people are grunting about something and as I reach to put my backpack in the driver herds me over to the other side of the bus where I find everyone from Aviles. We’re the only ones smiling and laughing about the situation.

You know when you see a potentially difficult person and then shudder to find out where you’re sitting? Yep. The woman I’m sitting next to has a lot of “stuff”. I am entertained to watch her blow up one of those pillows you wrap around your neck. Watch her test it, shifting back and forth to make sure she can flop her head around like a newborn baby. It looks like a giant drool catcher. She then puts on a matching eye sleep pillow too. And when the sun hits her, she shrieks to cover her head with a jacket. It’s a bit much.

When we arrive in Aviles, I quickly gather my things and wait for her to get up so I can mosey on out. There’s not a whole lot of room in between seats. She just pushes her leg sorta to the side and grimaces at me.

I laugh and motion for her to get her drool pillow ass up. She starts muttering something waiting for me to walk over her crap while gymnastically dodging her body. Ok, that’s it. I pull out the small town guns – I look at her directly in the eye.

She finally gets up and I push past. Real happy to be home.

Hercules! Hercules!