After returning home, dinner is next. This takes some patience because the last meal of the day is much later than our own. We eat with guests tonight and they arrive at 9pm with food served around 9:30. The meal is a fondue of all things. Most fondue pots I’ve seen are small affairs. This is a serious device. Under the large well heated bowl ( Read more... )

We then travelled to Ocana another small city outside of Madrid. After seeing Chinchon, my standards have gone up. Small city = cool stuff, right? Well, not exactly. Ocana is ... a place to live. It has houses, trees, roads, and people walking around. The place is a little interesting because it is Europe after all and things just look ( Read more... )

As most of you know by now, I've been spending a week in Spain. The first few days were in Madrid where I stayed with a then-couple, now-family we befriended on our honeymoon. This visit opens the door to a true 'locals' perspective. I was able to visit two small towns that are generally out of reach of all but the most persistent tourists. The ( Read more... )

I leave for Spain tomorrow night. I will spend a week there at a conference in Valencia and with friends in Madrid. No doubt there will be stories to report and food to eat.

Stolen from wardo68 .

Which bill do you hate paying the most?
Anything that involves penalties that I could have avoided.  Otherwise the credit card bill.

Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
*scratches head* Some mexican joint.

What do you really want to be doing right now?
Having an uncluttered mind.

How many colleges did you attend?
If a single ( Read more... )

Classes are over and exams are about to begin.  The leaves have that beautiful bright green color that marks new growth.  The daffodils are still blooming in the woods.  Life is pretty good.

When I was about nine or ten, a friend and I grew tired of walking around the Trumbull Mall and on a whim walked across the parking lot to see a movie.  We knew in a second what we wanted to see.   The title gave a hint, and our imagination did the rest.  Roman gladiators flying through the sky on horses burning villages.  Swords clashing and ( Read more... )

If you have any affection for dogs at all or even pets, I heartily recommend a book titled "Merle's Door."  Merle's Door is a charming story about an outdoorsman who encounters a stray dog on a camping trip and makes the canine his own.  This dog is no mere pet, but a constant companion who the author describes in intimate and funny detail.  If I  ( Read more... )

When after you come home your sweater smells like chicken stew simmered with pork chunks.

Mmmmmm.  *sniff*

Yummy.

Look up at the sky today.  Add some mushy snow, drop the temperature to just above freezing, and his is what the weather was in Finland for ten of the twelve days I was there.

No wonder why alcoholism was a problem.