Fallen leaves, rising gratitude

Now that the leaves have fallen from the trees and the weather has grown sufficiently cold, we will soon find ourselves seated at the table surrounded by family, friends and a tasty bird who has made the ultimate sacrifice. Sometime in between the moment I realize the Lions game has become an unwatchable beatdown again this year and later on when I find my eyes growing heavy as I lean back on the couch filled with gobbler & pie; I will try to reflect on some of the things I am thankful for. Yes, this will be one of those posts...so if you prefer to avoid predictably saccharine musings on the holiday; avert your eyes now.


oh, it's one of those posts...(enlarge photo for maximum facetious german shepherd expression)

This season serves as a mile marker of sorts, where I look over my shoulder and try to catch a glimpse of where I was last year and the years before. Almost 10 years ago, I asked my wife if she wanted to be my "steady" girlfriend and nearly one year ago we moved into this house. Eight years ago we celebrated our first Thanksgiving together in Orlando with a loco German Shepherd from Laredo named Dante. Last year, we spent our first turkey day with a Blue Heeler who was then the size of a Beanie Baby with the appetite of a dope smoking goat. Four years ago, we crammed 8 people into our tiny apartment in San Francisco and I poured everyone big gulp sized glasses of port wine after dessert. I'm not sure but I think I spent the new few hours walking in circles around the neighborhood with Otto; I was determined not to ruin April's party with projectile vomiting. I did learn that port wine is best served in smaller glasses and savored in sips not swigs. This lesson proved useful at the port wine institute in Lisbon this year. Twelve years ago, at the University of Hawaii, I spent Thanksgiving at a YMCA with my roommate Mike French & two Mormon missionary gals who made the turkey. I don't remember much about what else we ate that night but I do remember the good company and that I didn't feel homesick despite it being my first Thanksgiving away from home.


fallen colors

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite of the holidays. It's usually the one chance I have to watch the Lions on television no matter where I am currently living and every year I find myself believing that this will be the year they finally win the Turkey bowl. It's the day when the whole house will fill with the aroma of April's top secret turkey recipe and stuffing and cranberries and sweet potatoes. A day when I can finally stuff myself silly with the darkest of dark meats that I have been craving all year. Time for family and friends to come over or for us take April's turkey to them, for small talk and watching the first quarter of the Cowboys game before diving into the finest feast of the year. A time for fellowship and finding room for the desert you didn't believe it would be possible to cram into your gut but always do anyways. Time when the clock seems to slow down enough to savor each passing moment the way you savor each bite of sweet potato pie.

Thinking back on the many tables where I have enjoyed Thanksgivings past, the many noble turkeys whose flavor I have savored, the fine folk I have shared the holiday with; I do feel immeasurably thankful. Thankful I am blessed with a beautiful, loving wife, a warm & happy home, a wonderful family, many great friends, one loyal dog and one Clyde and after over a year of searching...a new job. So on my favorite holiday, on my 30th year upon his earth, I offer my humble thanks and praise to God who makes all this possible. Selah.


November sunset

One Night in Oveido

Oveido (Wednesday, October 20th 5:30pm-Thursday, October 21st 7:00am)

Stayed: Hostal Belmonte
C/ URIA, Nº 31 - 2º D
33003 Oviedo - Asturias
Phone: ++34 985 241 020

Highlights:
Gascona (The Boulevard of Sidra)
Chorizo cooked in sidra and the automatic sidra snake at Mater Asturias
Adolfo Garcia's history of Asturias in comic book form
Evening walk through Campo de San Francisco


streets of gold

local hero woody allen, his glasses keep getting stolen

the amazing automatic sidra dispensing snake at Mater Asturias

Gascona, the boulevard of sidra

Monasticism on the Move

“Travel can be a kind of monasticism on the move: On the road, we often live more simply, with no more possessions than we can carry, and surrendering ourselves to chance. This is what Camus meant when he said that “what gives value to travel is fear” — disruption from circumstance, and all the habits behind which we hide.

– Pico Iyer

Bilbao

Bilbao (Sunday October 17th 4:00pm-Tuesday October 19th 1:00pm)

Stayed: Pension Mendez
C/ Santa Maria / Andra Maria Kalea, 13, 48005 Bilbao, Spain
Phone ++34 944 160 364

Best of Bilbao:
Watching Athletic Club thrash Real Zaragoza 3-1 at San Mames
The Guggenheim Museum
Buying 1/4 kg of cabrales blue cheese, spicy olives and fresh bread and having a picnic in the square
Twilight strolls through the Casco Viejo (old quarter)

Llorente celebrates his second goal

shaggy perro

cabrales, spicy olives, bread and tangerines

lego condos

Guggenheim

reflections on Koons' flowers

bilbao sunset

Back to Busyness

I was planning on taking my time and posting pictures of our trip at a leisurely pace until my writer's block passed but so much has been going down on the farm since we got back, I wanted to get some of it down for posterity. We had my good friend from UNC, Mr. Brown, staying at our place while we traveled and taking care of the dogs, chickens, vegetables and my beloved sourdough starter. It was a huge blessing for us and the boys since they didn't have to go to a kennel and we didn't have to pay for one. Mr. Brown did a great job and we came home to almost 25 dozen eggs and all 20 chickens somehow managed to avoid death by fox, snake and chupacabra. I can imagine how lonesome it probably got up on the ridge here during the 17 days we were gone for with his only compnay being a redneck blue heeler and a german shepherd who smells like sauerkraut. Mr. Brown comes from Daytona Beach and I am pretty sure he didn't have much farm experience before he drove up to help us out, I was impressed to find out he did make some amigos at the local barber shop and even took a lady out to the metropolis of Hickory for dinner and a movie. One of the first things we did once we stumbled in the door was to throw our 2 weeks worth of traveling clothes in the wash. I only brought 2 pairs of jeans and I swear one of em was doing the stanky leg almost as good as my wife before I crammed them in the washer. We had planned on using a laundromat over in Spain but the Spanish aren't as big on self service laundromats as we had anticipated. Our repeated searches for "un lavanderia autoservicio" or "un lugar donde podemos lavar nuestro ropa (while making rapid scrubbing motions with our hands)" were met with blank stares for the most part. One very hospitable pension owner offered to let us use grandma's washer but since we had to depart early the next morning and they did not have a dryer, we had to politely decline the offer. To make a long story shorter, I ended up using liberal amounts of cologne in strategic places in order not to offend the nostrils of the Spanish and Portuguese. This is not a new problem at all though, April read how in the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela they employ an enormous incense burner on a long chain strung from the very top of the cathedral called a botafumeiro. When loaded with about 40 kg of charcoal and incense and swung like a deadly pendulum; it does a good job of masking the stench of pilgrims like us who may not have bathed or washed their hiking socks recently.

I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a few voicemails and emails with orders for our jams and eggs upon our return home. It took me a good couple of hours to wash 25 dozen eggs but yesterday I had our first customer come out here to the farm to pick up 3 dozen. I threw in a free liter of my home-brewed lager with the eggs, I am not sure if that is a bonus or not but we hit it off discussing bread baking and his grandson's exploits in karate. Then a few minutes later, I got a call from a gentleman looking for 5 dozen, so I drove out to meet him in the Lowe's parking lot before my Lion's Club meeting and ended up chatting with him for a good 45 minutes too. Not the most efficient way of doing egg business but it sure beats waking up at 5:00am to sell at the Farmer's Market. The biggest and best surprise was a call from a lady I took the Master Gardener course with who was looking for something to use as party favors for her upcoming family reunion. She had purchased a jar of our spiced peach jam at the market and was interested in getting a variety of flavors and some spicy tomatillo salsa for her husband. She ended up ordering 20 jars and April and I spent Sunday afternoon peeling off the old "colorful modern" labels and replacing them with our new "old-fashioned" style labels so they would look sharp for her reunion. I think the success we had at the county fair has been really good for business and as discouraged as I have been at times about the viability of making money off the farm, a friend reminded me that it takes at least 5 years for a new business to really gain recognition and a strong customer base. So, we will just keep on keeping on. After the big jam order, I was amazed to get another call asking for as many of of our sweet pear jams as we had left from a different couple I had met selling at the farmers market. I was able to get 10 together but we are starting to run blessedly low on our stocks of jam in the pantry and much sooner than I ever expected as well. The final feather in the cap was this last weekend at the Lion's Club BBQ fundraiser where I was able to move some of the things I am not allowed to sell at the Farmer's Market like my pickles, relishes, apple sauce and apple butter. No one would try and shut down a BBQ fundraiser for the visually impaired so I set out my jars on the counter of the trailer where we were selling pulled pork sandwiches and plates and was able to move about 24 jars in 2 days. It may not be enough to pay the mortgage and lights but at least we are getting back the initial investment in jars, lids , 50lb bags of sugar and a little for our time and efforts as well. It feels like God decided to smile on us here a little bit after the pilgrimage we made to Santiago during the holy year. Plus, as I have been telling folks around here legend has it that doing a camino during un ano santo will get you a free pass through purgatory too when the time comes to meet St. Peter. That's a pretty good deal for walking 125 kilometers.

San Sebastian (Donostia)

Sorry for the nearly month long lack of posts on here, wifey and I just returned from our 10th anniversary adventure through Northern Spain and Portugal. I will be putting up some of the better shots from our trip up on here as I go through the plethora of pictures we snapped. First up is our two night stay in San Sebastian (aka Donostia in the Basque tongue).

San Sebastian (Friday, October 15th 9:00pm - Sunday, October 17th 1:00pm)

Stayed: Pension Amaiur
31 de Agosto, 44(next to Sta. Maria Church), 20003 San Sebastian, Spain
Phone ++ 34 943 42 96 54

Best of:
Monte Igueldo funicular and amusement park(even though most of it was closed)
Seared foie gras at La Cuchara de San Telmo
Saturday late night featuring Basque heavy metal & vino rioja


calm bay, grey day

disco shawl

Seared foie gras at La Cuchara de San Telmo

post foie gras bliss

ominous clouds