Almond blossoms

There is a renewed vigor coming in 2011. The casita is under renovation, being disassembled and reassembled by Pep Figueres. Though I am currently trapped in the hell that is Portland, Oregon, I see a light at the end of this gray tunnel. And it is called La Figuera, Montsant, province of Tarragona, Spain. Stay tuned.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Back in the states. So difficult. The political climate is suffocating. How I long for the quiet days in (La Figuera). The (Priorat) is simply one of the most unique places on earth, and even the Pacific Northwest can't compete with magic. Portland was just ranked #2 by a national bike mag as the best city to ride, but the Priorat is slated to become a (Unesco World Heritage) site. It's all about depth, appreciation for what's come before, what the future can be. PDX is about hipsters, groove, and being cool. That, mingled with the pleased provincialism, nourished by incessant rain, and capped off by packaging history in million dollar "public art", and mama gets crazy.Enough rant.Dreams of my finca keep it real
The practical aspects of realizing a dream make for interesting explorations. Primary issue: water. We have been doing a great deal of research on water catchment,(water wise gardening), and water consumption. We currently live in an environment where water flows freely, and people pay little to no attention to its conservation. Rain came down in torrents yesterday and the water falling from the roof of our workplace alone would have been enough to fill a sizable deposit on the finca for use in a vegetable garden. When you become aware of water, because you have little to none at your fingertips, interesting possibilities reveal themselves. Like (aquaponics), not a new concept, but new to me. Brushing my teeth has become a new experience, showering a luxury, washing clothes a study in reuse. The challenge of using sustainable resources, not as buzz, but rather as reality, has been enervating. Stop with the individual bottles of water, people. Oops, near rant :)

Priorat in May

It's hard to believe it's my third trip to the Priorat this year. The dream of a year round life seems possible. Came back to see the <(finca)> plowed up, and wept as I rounded the corner in my Smart car. So beautiful! Definition to the terraces, the landscape, the trees.The next step is smoothing it all out, and begin the process of cleaning all the existing olives and planting new. Our crop this year may be down, but within a couple of years we are back to what the neighbors and those in the know say is an amazing yield.
The 4th annual <(Tast amb Llop)> was amazing. Cristina and Waldo outdid themselves.The Spanish TV personality,<(El Gran Wyoming)> ,was the star attraction, playing classic rock tunes to a crowd that included village inhabitants and foreigners from all parts of Europe, there to taste some of the best wines in the world, including Clos Figueres and Mogador, Alvaro Plalacios, René Barbier, and, my favorite,<(Sao del Coster)>. . After a day of helping Pep Figueres set up tents, and then being ticket collector with Marta at the entrance, I was left stupefied by the unfolding events. Something about El Gran Wyoming singing Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" in the town center of Gratallops brought me to tears. By midnight I got myself back in to the Smart and headed back over the mountain home to La Figuera, missing out on Waldo's wild boar dinner, and ongoing festivities until 6 a.m. I am told. What a poop!
And then the rains. Pity we don't have our rainwater catchment system in place. Two days to stay inside and work, preparing pieces for Lincoln Center in June. Yesterday I ventured out for a walk in the countryside, only to find the <(vines)> and poppies even more beautiful after a healthy drink
I am left wondering why bother to paint? Nature herself is doing a fine job.
Off to Reus today, with Cristina. Girls day out, to Zahra for Violet's b'day presents!

Ringing in the New Year

To say it has been an eventful opening to the new year would be an understatement. Having arrived at Cal Llop on New Year's Eve, St. Silvester's feast day, we were greeted with kisses, and ushered off to
(Room 6) for a nap before the evenings festivities. The hotel was full, and Waldo had organized the team (which now included Joao, a most delightful Brazilian we met when we first came to this wonderful place) to create a fantastic 9 course dinner, with a variety of wines and cava, and which included roast suckling pig. We rang in the new year with the traditional gong of the bell (in this case a kitchen pot) while popping twelve grapes into our mouths, followed by a toast with cava. At 1:30 we proceeded down to (Irreductibles) for a cotillón de noche vieja, an impromptu party of dancing and carrying on, which included hotel guests, local folks, and even the mayor of Gratallops and his wife. A wild "night", ending at 6:30 a.m. Fun!

Once the holidays settled down, we set about the task of finding a house to rent in our village, (La Figuera). A combination of chatting in the local bar, tips from friends, and a walk around the village yielded some results. We met with a delightful young woman named Marta at the local hang out (where the men sit on one side playing cards and drinking beer and the women sit on the other chatting and drinking coffee, old school), and she led us to a fantastic house, (L'Eremita). Needless to say, at $420. a month, we have decided to rent the bottom half for the year, starting in March. With wi-fi, a washing machine, and a terrace with a view, it will make our transition so much more comfortable, while we renovate the casita. Moving forward.

And then the snows came. What a storm! Two days of non-stop snow. David had left by then, headed back to PDX for work, and made it out in the nick. We have been snowbound since Thursday, with ice creating a skating rink on the village streets. But oh how beautiful it is. The trick now is to get out Monday to catch the train in Reus, bound for Barcelona. Cristina is headed to Madrid, to catch a flight to Marrakech, Waldo hangs in Barcelona with Pelutti (their fabulous dog), waiting for Cristina to return so they can hang in Ibiza for two weeks, and I head back to PDX. I'd rather be going to Ibiza, but c'est la vie. Next time. With flights at 40 euro from Barcelona, and a car rental at 10 euro, why not?

New Year in the Priorat

Going to the den of wolves to ring in the new year. Prepare for 2010, because twill be the year. We fly on Wednesday, December 30, and arrive at(Cal Llop) for New Years Eve. (Eating grapes) with our Priorat family . And hopefully finding a home of our own, a townhouse we can hang our shingle on, a place to work, invite friends and family, leave treasures secured. My goal: next New Year in the Priorat as denizens. Stay tuned!

What will the new year bring?

Our scheduled month in Gratallops, as guardians of the hotel, has been waylaid. Truly distressing. Cristina sent photos of the snowfall in the Priorat, a blanket of beauty.
I have been dreaming of the church bells and the birds singing outside the window of Cal Llop. And now I am trying to reconcile myself to the fact that I am stuck in the misery that is Portland, Oregon, because of possible work for David. Sad, to be tethered to a place who's usefulness has worn off. Will I ever get to where I long for?
We had hoped to at least rendezvous for a couple of weeks at Cal Llop, to ring in the new year, but I fear I have incurred the wrath of Cristina by not coming for the month. Who knows.
Today is Christmas Eve, the first holiday without any of the kids. Weird. I won't do this again, not here. Next Christmas, Spain.

The Harvest in Priorat

September has come and gone. Our two week hop across the pond, to the Priorat for the vendimia was a glorious time. We bounced from the hotel to Waldo and Cristina's townhouse, trying to be useful with small chores like hemming curtains and hanging up paintings. Best of all was filling in at the hotel, as barkeep, waitress, sous chef, and dishwasher. Like an episode of "Fawlty Towers", so delightful!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6698933542780842398#