V is for Variety #atozchallenge

Variety is the spice of life right?  One of the most stunning things we encountered while in Spain were the beautiful markets.  As we grow most of our own food, eat fresh while we can, try to store as much as possible, cook with wild abandon and were at the end of Winter at home, these 'merkat's' were complete eye candy.  There was everything from farmers market style groceries, to sushi, tapas, and anything else you could imagine snacking on.

The variety was both intriguing and dizzying.  The best part was we simply sampled our way through, and for at least two of our meals that is exactly what we did!

These meals were as fresh as can be, prepared in their most basic form; olive oil, lemon juice and fresh herbs. We could travel from booth to booth with a glass of wine or beer in hand and simply immerse ourselves in the variety laid before us.  Of course, the meal ended with a bag of hand dipped truffles, what else?

Immersion

Sidney has been working extra hard on her Spanish in the months preceding our trip.  She is in high school Spanish II and has been supplementing with Spanish lessons on Duolingo (where she is also learning German).  She has been watching some novelas and as we leave at the end of this month, she has also begun listening to Spanish music channels on Spotify.  She decided last night that we need to sharpen our skills, so armed with a pile of sticky notes, began to label the house.  What topped the evening off was the Spanish morphing to German text conversation that she had with her grandparents last night.  Her dedication is admirable and a bit infectious, I am feeling the urge to brush up on my Spanish. Hmmmm, I wonder what I can get accomplished in the next three weeks?!

Friday Randoms

It is hard to believe that it is the end of February all ready!  Our days are full and evenings relaxed with family suppers and favorite television shows starting back up.    I still have been trying to decide whether to bring my big camera to Spain or just let our iPhones do the snapping.  Though I do not relish the thought of hauling it around, I am having a hard time thinking about being without it.  As a form of inspiration, I just signed up for a self-led online photography class to fine tune my skills, and solidify my decision to take amazing shots overseas.

:: When we were at the airport in California over the holidays, we stopped for coffee between flights.  On the menu was a dirty chai. Basically it is a chai tea with a shot of espresso, genius!  I had not seen this before, but I am here to tell you it is the. best.

:: A great rule of thumb and life lesson:  Why You Should Wait Five Minutes Before You React.

:: Oh my goodness!  I had no idea, and what a space saver!  5 Condiments That Don't Have to Be Refrigerated.

:: This overnight oatmeal, simple, and so good.  An instant family favorite for a quick, filling, healthy meal on any hectic morning!

Have a great weekend!

New Digs

We are fortunate enough to be traveling this long holiday weekend and spending some quality time with our dear friends who moved this summer.  As we get acquainted with their new digs, it is a time of laughter and catching up, and the kind of comfort that comes from friends who are your family.

It is also a time of reminiscences, as we think back on our tastebuds.  The only thing missing is that we aren't all together, though I suspect before too long we will and oh what a party that will be!

*group photo shot by Images by Camela

The Architecture of Life

I am bundled in a sweater this afternoon looking out onto an incredibly grey and blustery day.  Life has presented me with many opportunities and seen to it that I have lived a number of very different places.  I grew up in Long Beach, a suburb of Los Angeles, and had a wonderful neighborhood upbringing with friends walking to each others homes in a close knit, albeit large community.

I enjoyed big city living as a college student in London, a city that has my heart and if ever I were to live in a big city, that one would be it.  From there I got my first taste of the country living in a Midwestern college town called Manhattan, Kansas 'the little apple'.  This is where I met B and began to fantasize about that 'little house' life I had romanticized as a child.

As college ended a young couple looking for work and adventure ended up where else?  Las Vegas.  Here, I learned to love the outdoors in a way that I had not before.  There is something magical about sitting on your porch at midnight when it is still 100+ degrees and it feels great...remember it is a dry heat!  We had our first real garden where we learned the merits of xeroscape.  This wild west town was on the cusp of major growth and we grew with it.

Eight years later, once we were firmly ensconced in adult life, and my stomach swelled with the beginnings of a new adventure, we moved onto opportunities in the upper midwest.  Here our little abode has encompassed the best of all worlds; the rural lifestyle that we both had craved yet close to several larger cities.

Last weekend while visiting 'the big apple' I somewhat expected to have the feeling that I had living in London.  Though both large bustling cities, they felt vastly different.  I saw first hand a population density that created its own vertical architecture.  I gazed into buildings on top of buildings for miles at a time and saw floors upon floors of small homes full of vitality.  A vastly different life from the one that I know, or have experienced.   As I walked the streets I could imagine the early days of the city, almost hearing echoes of those generations past.  A very cool, yet surreal experience for this now smallish town girl.

It lead me to think about where we have come from and where we are going.  We begin as a clean slate, a foundation and our experiences create our own unique architectures. We build on our experiences to become fully constructed.  If we are lucky, we enjoy the ride, and continue to grow and maybe do a little remodeling as we go.  As I write this I think of Sid, off on her own first real travel experience alone, a school trip to DC.  I wonder what little bricks will be put into place in her foundation this week?  At least the boy is contented building his foundation out of Lego's....for the time being. :)

Silent Sunday ~ Colorado

#reverb10 ~ Day 22 & 23 ~ Travel & Name

How to entertain oneself on a long car trip?

Travel How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year? (Author: Tara Hunt) {Future Tool: New Year’s Goal Questions for No-Goals Creatives from Jeffrey Davis.

A significant part of every year is travel for us.  We spend our vacation time traveling to one family or the other to visit.  We have never really taken a family vacation on our own.  I think that in 2011 we will make it a goal to try to spend some long weekends exploring this wonderful state we live in.  We have never been "up nort" to Door County and beyond.  I'd love to show the kids Laura's "Big Woods" and I've heard so many wonderful things about Mackinac Island.  I think now the kids are of an age that they will enjoy hiking, fishing, small cabins in the woods with stories and outdoors.   The challenge will be scheduling these outings into our busy farm/garden schedule.   I think if we accomplish our goals this winter in the barn and buckle down in the Spring and get our structure solidly in place, we will just have to make that time!

 New Name Let’s meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why? (Author: Becca Wilcott)

As to the name?  When I was young I so wanted to be called by my middle name, but I grew out of that childhood idea and can't imagine being called anything else....except maybe "Old Woman",  and that only by my "Old Fool".   (Blatant Walton's reference)

Change of Scenery

November has been a tough photography month for me. It seems that after the leaves finished changing and falling and the stark greyness began to emerge, I had a hard time finding inspiration. I felt like I was capturing the same thing over and over.

On Friday when we hit the road for Kansas, that stale feeling seemed to melt away and I've been taking pictures right and left! My posting may be a little sporadic this week, since we're deeply involved in visiting, but I'm finding my photo mojo again and am so happy!  A little change of scenery seems to be just what I needed!  Happy Monday!