Two Birthdays And A Party

My mom and her twin brother celebrated their 78th birthday this past weekend.  My cousin and her husband hosted a wonderful party in their backyard to honour these two special people.

I don't get to see this branch of the family all that often, but when we get together the years seem to melt away and it feels as if we were in each other's company just yesterday.

That's how it is with family.

We are connected.

It doesn't matter if we don't see each other for months or years at a time.  We just pick up where we left off and carry on.

Thank you to my zany and fun-loving family for such a wonderful day.  It was fantastic to be together again.  I can hardly wait for the next time.

Last Thoughts On Spain

We have been home from our summer vacation for almost a week now.  I have been poring over my 2,393 photos trying to re-live the magic of our glorious six weeks in the south of Spain.

Here is what I learned this summer:

You do not need to understand another's language to be kindred spirits.

People work incredibly hard.  Day after day, this Moroccan man sits on a piece of cardboard on a concrete floor while he creates very intricate tile patterns for table tops.

Joe's love affair with Jamon Iberico will never be over.

The Spanish siesta is the best invention in the world.

Spanish food is DELICIOUS!  And the scenery ain't bad either.

Warm Spanish evenings bring everyone out of their homes and into the streets for walking, eating, drinking, laughing and generally having fun.  These people know how to live.

Tapas bars are the best way to eat and drink.  (If you are ever in Sevilla, you MUST go to 'Eslava'.   The food here is incredible.)

I miss sleeping in a tent.  My plan is to return to Morocco when I retire in 2017 to travel over the Atlas Mountains and into the Sahara Desert so I can sleep under the stars every single night.

My hair does not do well in the hot Spanish climate.  I suffered through 42 out of 42 bad hair days.  My hair was either bathed in pool water, sea water or sweat.  I washed it, conditioned it, used different styling products.  None of it worked.  I swear, Rumpelstiltskin could have used my hair instead of straw to spin his gold.

Spanish people are so friendly and helpful!  

Case in point:  Joe went searching for a particular ceramic beer mug on our last day in Granada.  He wasn't having much luck.  After several hours of looking, he went into one final beer store and asked the proprietor if he carried the mug.  The shopkeeper said no, but his friend (who was in the store at the time) said, "I have one at home.  Wait here.  I will get it and give it you."  And he did.

This will not be our last trip to the south of Spain.

Please consider doing a house exchange.  Check out Intervac's website to discover where your next holiday destination could be.  Joe and I are already talking about where in the world we are going to travel next year.