Argentinian Adventures Part 1

 An observation on the eve of our departure for our next adventure.  This is the last night for 3 weeks that I will eat in my kitchen, sit on my sofa and watch tv, shower in my own bathroom, drive my car and just live my life as I know it.  Tomorrow it all changes.  Beginning tomorrow, for 3 weeks, my mind will be expanding, my experience bank will grow, I will be communicating in a new language, eating and drinking new things, I will go places I have never been before, see things I have only seen in movies, books and videos, and visit a new continent.  I sit here excited, anxious, optimistic, almost completely packed and as prepared as I get for a trip.  We planned the whole thing ourselves; we don't usually do group tours or cruises....yet.  That day will come. 

One of the best parts of any trip is the anticipation and all of the expectations. 

The above was written more than a week ago with the best intentions of actually...finally...publishing a post! I realized, relaxing here at siesta time, October is almost over! So you will get my best effort from my phone. If you are reading this, you probably follow me on other socials and have seen the photos. Good thing, because I am not able to attach any to the blog on my phone! 

Early observations from our trip to Argentinian so far. 

Buenos Aires is big! Not what I would call walkable except for small areas at a time. We put in many miles! Stayed at what might be the best hotel of the trip as far as amenities but not a location ideal for us. We plan to stay in a different area when we return for 2 days at the end of our trip. 

We did have a few memorable experiences.  Not all good.

We took a couple of tours. One of the Recoleta Cemetery which was good and the cemetery is unique and historic. Yes, we saw Evita's mosaleum. We took a bike tour of the south part of town. An area we thought we might not otherwise have visited but the older and more historic area. Glad we did! Great tour! 4 hours with a very good guide and only one other person. Just when we were feeling good about the city after we had lunch on our way back to our hotel we were sprayed with some icky stuff from behind. An attempt to distract us and pick our pocket. We were not pick pocketed, we had a very good idea who had done it and our belongings were secure. I also had my "spidey sense" on alert on that street. Sadly, my faith in people was shaken.  I swore not to walk that street again.

The splatter...icky! 
It did wash out...whew!

The next morning was Sunday and the closest beautiful basilica was on that street. Turned out it was Argentinian Mother's day. The service was beautiful, the music amazing and at the end we were treated to a beautiful violin solo that brought me to tears.  My faith in people was coming back. 

That night we went to a Tango show and dinner and it was great! The tango is such a beautiful dance!  

I would say Buenos Aires both lived up to my expectations and disappointed me in a few ways. 

I think after a few days in the city dealing with a different language(my limited Spanish is getting a workout!), different currency that we never seem to have enough of because who uses cash any more, and navigating such a large and varied city, we are ready for some smaller places.

That is about all my fingers can manage for now.  Thanks for checking in! Sorry the crickets have been managing the blog for the last couple of months, I will try to update sooner rather than later!

Basilica del Santisimo Sacramento

El Ateno Grand Splendid bookstore

The Obilesc 

Figured out how to do pictures! Learn something new every day!

High Tide, Summer 2024 Part 2

 Today is a sad day for me.  August 31st feels like a turning point in shore life.  My sister, Lee Ann, left this morning and she is just one of the seemingly constant flow of people leaving over the last several weeks and into this weekend.  The population here mimics the ebb and flow of the tides we witness every day.  In July the population rises until we reach maximum capacity during the Games weekend at the beginning of August.  And just like that, people start leaving until the end of the month.  There are a few late summer arrivals, but summer definitely has a rise, a crescendo and a decline.  Cycles.  Everything follows a pattern.  The summer days get longer and longer and suddenly they get shorter and shorter.  The summer weather gets warmer and warmer, until it turns and now the air has a bit of a nip in it.  We have a daily reminder of the cycle of this place when we look out at the water.  

It is either coming in... or going out!

I already shared what the rising of the tide/population feels like.  High tide or maximum population is what we like to refer to as the Vortex.  The Vortex is when your immediate family arrives, and you have multiple generations in your immediate family.  It is when the empty nest fills to capacity with your kids and their kids.  This is what we look forward to all year.  It is also when some of us old birds have to adjust to our lifestyle.  Likely, everyone in the Vortex adjusts their lifestyle to a certain extent.  Meals are served at a whole new level.  First, there are a lot more people to feed, secondly, there are all of those "must have" meals.  The "must haves" include lobster dinner, lamb, grilled meat-fest, pancake breakfasts, and cooking every bit of produce we can harvest out of the garden just to name a few.  Everyone arrives with their own set of expectations.  We all have our "issues" that we deal with whether it be with space, meals, privacy, habits, likes, dislikes, expectations vs. reality, or just adjusting to communal life. Somehow it all seems to work.  

My Vortex! 
Table for 14...my seat is next to the cutie in front!

Some of us who spend most of the summer here joke together as the Games near and our families begin to arrive that we will see them when we exit our Vortex.  There are only so many hours in a day and spending time with family is priority when they are here which many times excludes socializing with the rest of the population.  Social interactions are intentional and less lingering than in the low season.  All things in their time.  

Not coincidentally, the Games coincide with the Vortex.  As if there weren't enough to fill our days and nights, let's add 11 competitive events plus one rip roaring barn party to a 3-day weekend!  If I've said it once, I've said it maybe 30 times...life goes on hold during the games!  Who has time?  This year was the 50th anniversary of the Games!  50 summers of various games being played, one extended family against another extended family, and I use the term "extended family" loosely, because this weekend includes many others!  On our side, the Browns, I can count 4 generations who have participated in the Games.  Impressive!  What a tradition!  I was a teenager when the first Games were played.  Now I am a grandparent and while I participated this year, I also got to see my grandchildren participate.  I never would have believed this day would happen back in 1974!  It was probably the farthest thing from my mind at the time!  The cute guy playing softball was probably more in my thoughts at the time.  

Siblings!  
We were here for the first Games and here we all are again!

The Games were epic!  Just imagine surviving this schedule!  Friday morning 8 a.m. 72 people played golf in a shotgun start at the local golf course.  Later that day there were the card and board games: bridge, cribbage, hearts and Trivial Pursuit x 3.  Saturday began with a Junior softball game, regular softball game, Frisbee Golf, Three-Legged race, Ultimate Frisbee and Volleyball on the beach.  Sunday began with a water relay (Canoeing (x2), Kayak push (x2), swimming x2, SUP x 2, Bocce Ball for 13 teams and finally the 50th Anniversary Rely with consisted of a mix of old throwback games and one new twist.  The relay began with horseshoes x 2, darts x 2, and Ice Cream run (eat an ice cream, run a course and tag the next runner who does the same), Skeet-ish shooting (shoot a flying frisbee with a water hose) and finally a historic puzzle where you had to place the activity in the decade it happened in the history of the Games.  That evening we drag our tired and hungry bodies to the grand finale.  This year there was a 50th anniversary trivia game that was hilarious and memorable!  Then...we DANCE!  This year the band Big Fish played for hours and we danced the night away!  Always one of the best nights of my year!  I love to dance, and I love these people and this place.

The softball participants

Going over Ultimate rules and spectators

Going over the Water Rely rules

The concentration was intense!

The Victory was sweet!
For a moment!

The Games ended dramatically.  It was decided that the results of the Bocce game would not be shared because if the Christies won, then it would all be over...but if the Browns won the Games would be tied and the final event would be the deciding event.  The Browns won the final event, the 50th Anniversary Relay and so the photo depicts that sweet moment when everything was possible.  Then we found out the Christies had won the Bocce game and won the Games 6-5.  We were so close...and yet so far away.

A good time was had by all!

And then we danced!
All of us from young to old and all ages in between!

The tide was turning but there were still a lot of activities after the games!  There was the Mini Olympics, the Sandcastle Contest, the Walk-a-thon and the Super Mini Olympics.  Not to mention a margarita party, our annual cousin party and one very emotional and beautiful event that requires its own post.  As I write this down and look back at my pictures, no wonder the time flew so fast!  We really were busy.  To quote Spirit of the West, "I need home for a rest!".  But not just yet!

I share this for your enjoyment, and for my memories. Every year is much the same and still subtly unique.  So many memories are made here and sometimes they all blend together.  It is nice to have the defining moments documented.   

 

Summer at Warp Speed

This summer is flying by at warp speed.  Aside from the usual "enjoy everything you love about this place before you have to leave" internal conversation, the external signs of summer flying by are becoming more and more obvious.  I look around the yard and notice things are growing a lot faster than they used to grow.  This also implies that I have time to sit around and observe how things are growing!  Is it July or is it August?  Is it just a warm summer or...is the climate really changing?  Am I getting older and experiencing the feeling of time going by faster and faster?  Yes.  

That yellow flower in the back is my harbinger of the warm summer days!

The boxes in late June getting ready to burst!

The flowers are certainly growing fast!

One signal that things are changing was the recent hurricane in Houston.  Hurricane Beryl is the earliest hurricane Houston has ever experienced.  Hurricane season is usually in August and September.  This is not good!  I am pretty sure the Gulf of Mexico is not going to cool down by August or September enough to make hurricane season disappear.  But lest this post become a rant on climate change let me move on...to more signs the summer is moving at warp speed.

The garden.  Usually, the garden looks like this at this time of year.  Neatly defined rows with the promise of peas, beans, tomatoes, spinach and many salads.

July 2016

July 2024 
Aside from the carrots that just didn't get going and had to be replanted twice...
much of the garden is almost overgrown and navigating between the rows is near impossible!

The differences are subtle, but we have never eaten beets out of the garden or potatoes this early in the summer.  Not complaining really, the earlier we get to begin harvesting, the longer we have to actually eat the massive amounts of produce TJ grows every year!  Even if I eat salad for lunch and dinner every day, we will never consume all of this lettuce before it goes to seed!  Lettuce anyone?

Another sign of summer whizzing by is that tonight marks our second book club meeting of the season.  We are already 2 or more books into our shore time.  Even I am 3 books in, and I am a very slow reader!  Our first book, Tom Lake, got mostly good reviews with a couple of mixed reviews.  The book did make for a good club discussion.  Mothers and daughters are always good fodder for discussion.  July's book was The Berry Pickers.  We usually read a Canadian authored book during the summer and this one was written by a Nova Scotian.  It was generally enjoyed, and we had a good discussion.  I also finished Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.  She is such a gifted writer, in my opinion.  This book was tough!  The writing is brilliant, the subject matter, drug addiction...particularly opioids, is hard to read about and heartbreaking.  I had to take breaks from the book just to let some of it go.  Not your light summer read!  Next up The Women, which I already read and highly recommend!

This summer has been warm.  Some would say hot.  I would say very warm and very humid.  Great if you are a plant...not so good if you want to play air-conditioned golf.  The golf has been anything but cool.  I have been "swimming" ...well, I got wet, earlier in the season than usual just to cool off.  All those cute outfits I packed have remained in the closet in lieu of exercise shorts and dry-fit tops.  We have run our air-conditioner considerably more than in previous year.  Mostly just to suck out the humidity.  So spoiled!

It may be warm but really, what do I have to complain about?!

The first month to 5 or 6 weeks has been like those times in the past.  Those easy days of just enough people to keep life interesting but not so many that it is hard to decide who to see and when to see them.  Not to mention the constant state of FOMO I find myself experiencing when the shore is at its busiest.  These days have been just right and a great way to slip into shore life.  I also noticed the fact that this is the first time in many years I am not worried about my parents whether they were here or at home.  Their last few years at the shore we had trips to the hospital, constant concerns about their health or how they were managing cottage life.  If they were home, I worried about them and about the siblings who were back there caring for them.  While I will always miss them, I don't miss worrying about them.  They are here with me in the best possible way, in many fleeting moments that sneak up on me when I least expect them.  

The tide is going to turn for a while.  The population is growing daily as people start showing up for their vacations.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Christie Brown Games... now the Amherst Shore Games.  There will be more people than have been here since well before the pandemic!  I will be longing for just one of these early summer days in a couple of weeks!  I will also totally enjoy seeing so many relatives and friends I haven't seen for years.  This will be a special time indeed!  I just hope I can channel the energy I had 50...or even 25 years ago!  

Beware if you are coming to visit...

There is a hole in the road!
Sadly...zero work has begun to repair this either....ugh!

P.S.  This post was written in mid July!  The swell has happened and sitting at the computer writing time has been at a premium!  Stay tuned for the Vortex chapter of the summer!  Looking forward to it!

One Week

Some weeks creep by and feel like they will never end.  Some weeks fly by, and we wonder how it all happened so fast.  The rest of the weeks just feel like another week in life.  There are weeks I would like to live over, again and again and pay attention to every single detail.  Others I am glad they are behind me.  I guess this is what life is all about, but do we ever stop and think about it?  This week seemed long, but it also flew by!  How can that be?

In one week, these went from this...

to this!

I arrived at the shore in the wee hours of the morning a week ago, today.  I was a bit weary last Sunday, after too little sleep and traveling for over 12 hours.  I was a very happy camper though, because the sun was shining, and it was not 90 degrees with 80% humidity like it was back home.  After an epic night of sleep on Monday, I felt human again!  My nesting instinct was in full gear as I unpacked, and reclaimed my house after TJ lived the bachelor life in it for over a month.  Mind you, it was clean enough, but "things" were not where they were "supposed" to be, aka where I want them.  I had fun settling into my summer life.  These feelings are completely opposite the ones I will have in September when I have to tuck frantically pack everything away for the long winter.  These are feelings of hope, excitement, anticipation and overwhelming peace.  I know we will be able to enjoy all of the food, the outdoor furniture, the flowers, the new beach chairs, the bbq grill and the garden for months before we have to shut it all down for another winter. There are none of these feelings in September!  

The bright green and yellows of early summer!

This part of summer reminds me of the weeks I spent up here with the kids in early July.  We referred to these few weeks as the "women and children" weeks.  Many of us had young families then and there was no "work from home" option, so we would come up with the kids and the dads would go back home and work and come back for vacation in a few weeks.  It was a quiet, communal time when lunch happened wherever the kids just happened to be playing and dinners were very casual and easy usually consisting of something that comes in a blue and orange box made by Kraft.  Now our kids have their own kids, and while some have the luxury of spending many weeks up here with more flexible work options available...many don't.  Our early summer dinners this week were again communal but now the menu has evolved to a much more sophisticated palate.  We all enjoy these slow, easy days when we can rotate the cooking and cleaning responsibilities and have good conversations without the multitude of happenings of the busy season and the fear of missing out on something fun somewhere else.

It feels like we have had at least two seasons this week as well!  The first two days were amazing, beautiful, perfect!  The middle of the week was similar to summer in Houston...very hot, even by this southern girl's standards, and humid...but still sunny and lovely.  By the end of the week things moderated a bit and we had Canadian summer instead of Houston summer.  Today it is cool and rainy...so spring?  All good, we need the rain!  Which brings me to golf.

I played golf 3!!!, times this week.  The course is in fantastic shape and the luscious weather made the rounds very enjoyable...even if I did blow a few holes.  I do not ever remember the course being in this condition this early in the summer.  The ground that is usually still a bit mushy or soft is very hard and dry, which plays into my game well.  I need all the roll I can get!

A few other early summer observations.  This is the week we move a lot of heavy things.  Just ask my back.  Things like bbq grills, canoes, large bags of potting soil, picnic tables, planters, outdoor furniture.  They can stay where we put them for a while now!

Summer solstice 2024 sunset 9:26 p.m.

Finally, this is my favorite week for a reason other than it is my first week at the farmhouse and the shore.  It is the week of the summer solstice which means it is the week with the longest days of sunlight in the year.  This year those days were full of bright, beautiful sunshine and that is not the case every year.  I soaked it all in, just as I am pretty sure our garden and all of our flowers did.  I also hosted what is becoming a summer tradition, my annual summer solstice party.  A little get-together to toast the summer and maybe, if the clouds part at the right time, watch the latest sunset of the year.  If this summer is as good as the sunset that started it, we are in for a great one!  Cheers to summer 2024!

The People, Places and Things of...May

It's already mid-June!  How did that happen?  I should know to expect this by now...May is a sprint to the beginning of summer when we finally get to take it easy.  Well, some of us get to take it easy, there are parents who get to do swim team and baseball much of the summer.  I count myself among the lucky ones where summer means flying north to the shore for a while.  I also count myself among the lucky ones who get to experience a sprint in May, I would be sad if May were just another month that slipped by the same as all the others.  Thankfully, I am not there yet!  May generally keeps me busy!

This year I spent May with some of my favorite people, in what is becoming one of my favorite places, doing one or more of my favorite things.  I left Houston on May 8 and returned on the 30th!  It wasn't all fun and games.  Who am I fooling?  Yes, it was, especially if you like waiting, playing, walking around soaking up the views, cleaning, climbing up and down many hills and stairs, rocking a baby, and falling in love.  

Yes, I spent most of May in this beautiful city.

My youngest daughter and her husband were expecting their second little boy in May.  I flew out a few days before the due date so I could watch the oldest while mommy and daddy were gone and help out after they became a family of 4.  Well, the due date came and went, and we waited.  We waited while walking, while eating, while shopping, while cleaning, while cooking and while hanging out at the playground.  Finally, a week after I arrived sweet baby Thomas Sebastian was born and I shared some very special alone time with big brother.

Big, beautiful, blue eyed, baby boy!

I have had the pleasure of seeing many of my grandsons meet their younger siblings and it is one of the sweetest moments in life!  To see their face light up when they meet this new little person who is their sibling is just so sweet.  It has been one of the few times I have gotten to be that fly on the wall and just watch a family take a new shape.  The next couple of weeks are a blur.  We slipped into a semi-routine.  Is there ever a routine with a newborn?  I tried my best to be a good mother/mother-in-law and do what needed to be done and stay out of the way as much as possible.  I also made sure I got to snuggle with that new baby as much as possible!  There is nothing like just staring at the face of innocence and beauty for hours on end.  I fell in love...again...instantly.

Mother's Day carrots planted and harvested
by Augie!

Dinner date at "train sushi"* waiting for baby brother
to enter the world. 
*Augie's favorite place to eat...sushi delivered by robots
and bullet trains.  What's not to love? 

Lots of playground time!

First time to hold his brother.

Gigi just soaking up all the snuggles!

I followed up three weeks in California, where the weather is perfect and the sun shines with two weeks in Houston where the days are hot and humid.  I think I do this to myself just to make sure that when I leave for the shore I do it with no regrets.  I will not miss this torture they call summer down here.  I tried to brush up my golf game but seeing the ball through sweat blurred eyes was very challenging.  I am not sure how much more a person can sweat than I did this week on the golf course.  Yes, I could have opted not to play...but I am a glutton for punishment.  I will leave knowing I have stayed as long as I could and now it is time to migrate north.  

I get to go to the most wonderful place on earth.  If you ask me.  I have hopefully crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's before I leave.  If not, I have some very good neighbors who look out for us!  This will be the first summer in a long time that I won't be going to the shore concerned about an aging parent.  For years I have either worried about them making it to the shore and how that would all play out or felt guilty about leaving them behind at home and what might happen while we are so far away.  While I was never their primary care giver, I worried never the less.  They will both be there in spirit this year.  I am hoping for a great summer, full of family, friends, sunshine and good times.  I might even make time to write about it...if it rains.

Have a great summer everyone!

It Was Both Easy...and Hard

As soon as we finished the Camino Ingles a couple of weeks ago, I said the same thing to TJ that I said in October of 2022 after we finished our first Camino, "I would do it again in a heartbeat".  Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was the Holy Spirit, but the feeling was real.  Before we ever walked that first step 2 years ago, I told him I was afraid if we did this, I would love it and want to do it again.  I was right. I would do it again.  Not tomorrow...because that might hurt, but some day.  I understand why so many people have done this multiple times.  The Camino gets in your blood.  For me, it was both easy and hard.

Just follow the arrow!  Easy!

Walking 28 km/18 miles in one day up and down hills like this...hard.

I am not sure I can be considered a "real" pilgrim just yet...but I think I know what it feels like.  According to some, a true pilgrim carries everything on their back and stays in communal alburgues at night.   We, once again, sent our bags (at least they were just carry-ons...simplifying!) ahead and stayed in hotels in our own room with our own bathroom.  Our accommodations were more humble, and our meals were more basic, than last time.   We walked every step from the coast in Ferrol, Spain to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.  All 113km plus a few extra, just for fun or possibly by mistake.  

Our journey began with one night in A Coruna, Spain where we met up with TJ' sister and her husband and acclimated, aka got over a bit of jet lag.  What a lovely town!  Totally worth the brief stop.  We walked around, saw the sights, enjoyed looking at the beach and had a very nice dinner.  Adrenaline level was high!

Looking down I wondered how much of this land we would be walking across over the next week!

Had to walk to Hercules Tower! 
Warming up for the hills ahead on the Camino!

Beautiful paella for dinner!
With razor clams...."you can eat those?!"

The next day we took the bus to Ferrol, where we would start our Camino.  A short 1-hour ride which would take us about 3 days to walk back to on our way to Santiago.  We found the Pilgrim office, got our Pilgrim Passports, took the obligatory photos at the starting waymarker and enjoyed exploring Ferrol.  

Here we are so fresh and expectant!

  We left Ferrol on April 8 at 9:15.  The sunshine of the day before was gone and to welcome us to the Camino...rain.  Very disappointing!  However, I know how to do this since it rained most days when we walked our last Camino.  With our rain jackets on and our good attitudes packed we headed out for our 6 day, 113 km pilgrimage.  I wondered what the road had in store for each of us.  I wondered if there would be any eye or heart opening moments.  I wondered if my body would hold up.  I wondered who we would meet along the Way.  I hoped the rain would stop.  Sometimes the best part is the anticipation of all the possibilities.

I guess we won't melt...out we go!

One of the many churches along the Way.

This is one of the times the Camino provided. 
Torrential rain hit just as we entered the underpass.  
We hung out here until the heavy stuff passed.

The first day was a mixed bag.  Walking in the rain, through the city, past apartment buildings, past what seemed like dozens of car dealerships, with many cranes and shipyards in our view, through a large industrial area was the hard part.  I might consider seeking refuge in a McDonalds after the pouring rain and sheltering under the freeway one of the hard parts.  We were desperate, and desperate times require desperate measures.  If there had been a cute cafe, we would have chosen it, believe me!  The only port in the storm was the golden arches.  Ouch!  Finally, a dirt path through some rural terrain made it all easier.  The exclamation point was the final few kilometers, uphill and then downhill to end our day. Finally arriving at our lovely accommodation on the water and seeing the sunshine after such a dreary 12-mile day was the easy part. 

Finally, out of the city!

And a welcome blue sky!

Former tannery and then monastery among other things and our room for the night.
The easy part!

 Day 2, Neda to Pontedeume, we woke up to sunshine!  This day was advertised as a "short" day.  Bring it on, our feet are already feeling the miles!  The walk was "easy" as far as Camino days go.  Only 9 miles!  There were a few hills, and I still haven't decided if going up or coming down is harder.  We left at 9 and arrived at our destination at noon.  Now what are we going to do?  We did have an absolutely lovely lunch, which far surpassed dinner, just saying.  We all rested, did laundry, and scrolled on our phones.  Luxurious!  TJ and I explored the town and soaked our feet in the very cold river.  Pontedeume was a charming town.  We also started seeing the same people along the Way so now we had some Camino friends.  I am pretty sure we were known among other pilgrims as "the Americans".  Most of the other pilgrims on our route were Spanish.  We met a couple of Canadians and a group of seminarians from the UK.  There is something so special about seeing the same faces along the Way knowing they are coming from and going to the same place you are.  We all have our own reasons for walking the Way but we are all connected by walking the paths that many before us have walked.  

Day 3, Pontedeume to Betanzos, was long, but not the longest. One of the prayers I had on this walk was for God to bless us in surprising ways.  This day was a blessing.  Leaving beautiful Pontedeume in the morning sunshine was fun until we were still walking uphill after about 30 minutes!  The view at the top was amazing and motivation to just keep going.  The day was classic Camino...past ruins, through small towns, under a freeway or two, alongside a golf course (I felt very "at home"), with a couple of perfectly placed snack stops and a new friend who talked us into town when we were all running out of gas.  As far as Camino days go, I could do this day again, it was just beautiful and surprising.  

Up and out of town to start the day.

The climb to the top was worth it!
Pontedeume was a lovely little place!

Morning smoke in the valley.

Our first stop of the day.  
Great pastry, coffee and clean bathroom!
Well done!

Scenes along the Way.

Just when you thought you couldn't walk another step...
at the top of a long hill there is this oasis.
Set up by some wonderful people!

Our new Camino friend who talked us into town.
The miles/kilometers go by so much faster
when making a new friend.

Cervezas!
The easy part!

Betanzos was the largest town on our route.  After our long walk we arrived at 3:00 pm and in Spain, as we had discovered, most restaurants stop serving lunch at 3 or 3:30.  We were very lucky to find a place for lunch at 3:15...closing time was 3:30!  We were so hungry and thirsty!!  They kindly served us a delicious lunch and several cold beers and maybe a bottle of wine.  As we sat outside eating and drinking, we saw several of our "Camino friends" walking along.  One woman sat with us for a while, and we enjoyed sharing information.  This casual lifestyle is something I can definitely embrace!  After lunch it was definitely time for siesta!  Later the same day, TJ and I explored the town and ended up in the main plaza, in a cafe next to a group of Spanish women who seemed to be just out for an evening of fun.  Come to find out, they too were on the Camino as we saw them many times over the next days.  Oh, to be young...this group of women were drinking and smoking every time we ran into them...and walked us into the ground.  They seemed to be having quite the time!  We also saw our seminarians again, they were going to Mass, we were going to dinner.  Several of our "Camino friends" decided to take a rest day in this town so we had to say "goodbye" to them.  After only 3 days we still felt a kinship and we will likely never see them again.  The Camino does that.

Day 4, Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma was the hard part.  By day 4 it all hurts in the morning when you wake up.  It hurts even more knowing what lies ahead...28 km and 1000 meters of elevation over the course of the day.  This day was also the one with "limited services" along the Way.  We packed snacks and made sure we had plenty of water!  We also left earlier than any of the other days, we knew we had to just put one foot in front of the other.  Again, the walk out of town was uphill.  The joy of staying on towns on rivers, the way out is always uphill.  The day was stunning, a blessing.  We enjoyed the first half of the day.  The second half was just work.  One or two funny stories...after lunch we reach a lovely path through woods with mossy banks on the sides.  Above us were farm fields.  We heard some machinery and we quickly found out that machinery was distributing "fertilizer"...manure of some sort!  The stench was oppressive!  If we could have run, we would have.  Our eyes were watering it stunk so bad.  How to ruin such a lovely trail!  

Another funny story goes along with my Ricky Gervais experience on my last Camino.  I, again, was very attentive to keeping my phone on mute.  Well....we were walking up one of the hundred hills on this day and all feeling the heat of the day.  When from out of nowhere came Paul McCartney singing Blackbird!  This time I knew it was coming from my phone.  But...I do not have this song on any of my playlists!  We had discussed Beyonce's version of this song the night before at dinner but had not listened to it.  Apparently, my phone has its own mind on the Camino!  Why that song and why now?  Still have not figured that one out yet.  

The day was long, did I already say that?  We arrived at the alburgue in Hospital de Bruma, where we were supposed to phone our accommodation to pick us up.  We saw some of our "Camino friends" here and all soaked our feet in the nice stream next to the alburgue.  Our "friends" kept telling us the alburgue was full and they sincerely seemed concerned for us for the night.  It was very nice.  We assured them we had a place to stay.  We heard the next day that people at the alburgue told them they saw "the Americans" and had to tell the alburgue was full.  Good to know they cared.

Leaving Betanzos

A good place for a snack and a drink...and a break.

Great cafe for lunch where we saw the "partying Spanish girls" smoking and drinking for lunch,
and two other Camino friends.
Beware, this place is closed on Monday! 

Don't let this serene view fool you,
it stinks to high heaven!

Progress
But seriously...could not have noted 50KM...had to be 49.995km!

Somewhere along this road Paul McCartney is singing Blackbird.

She runs this cafe/bar and is an all-purpose host!
Calls a cab for you and...

provides snacks for tired hungry pilgrims!

Cold water foot therapy!

The day ended at a lovely Casa Rural.  Hosted by the owner and his wife.  They were wonderful hosts and so proud of their renovated home.  It was a 300 year old building and they turned it into a restaurant and rural accommodation.  We enjoyed every bit of it.  The peace and quiet, the food, the drinks, the beautiful grounds and nice big rooms and bathrooms.  This night was very easy after a very hard day!

Our kind of "alburgue"!

The end will have to wait for the next post.