sunday...

(Algorta, Castillo Butrón)

Sun, beach, pinchos (tapas), hanging... and a castle...

P.S. I have been offline all week. I´ll be back this week to catch up with you. Hope you are having a good one!

¡Dos besos!

corner view "street photography"

I walked around in between rain drops and shot some of the prettiest streets in Vitoria. The last shot is where I´ll meet you for a coffee.

And while we are on the subject... Next week´s theme is "coffee companion". Dear Cate do you mind picking the next theme? Thanks!

Happy Corner View!

saint jean de luz

Our friends wanted oysters and I wanted to take pictures. (Any excuse to go to France...) Hope you are enjoying your weekend! I´m now going back to the sofa...

¡Dos besos!

corner view "wisdom from an elder"

Jorge´s grandmother, Amachi, lived to be 104 years old. When she hit 100 I asked her what was the secret to a long life. She told me that there were two things.

1. Don´t be lazy when it comes to eating. Even if you are only cooking for one, make sure you prepare yourself a proper meal, sit at the table, and don´t forget the wine... (So ... um ... no eating canned soup... straight out of the pot... standing over the sink...not that I do that...)

2. Go for a walk. Amachi and her sister would take long walks together every day of the year... Her sister lived to be 98...

Thanks Theresa for this week´s theme. Next week´s is "street photography".

Happy Corner View!

mundaka

These are a few shots I took when I was in Mundaka last week. Berta and I went on a beautiful day to visit a friend. It´s hard to believe that it was warm enough to walk around with our coats off.... It´s been snowing and raining ever since.... A cruel joke maybe?....

Thank you for all your sweet comments!

¡Dos besos!

kiss and tell... and etsy

(visual aid)

First a little background. When Daniel is at home, he always walks around with just one sock or slipper on. (And one bare foot) He comes home, takes off his shoes... and one sock. So when I found a loan sock under the sofa I wasn´t surprised. I just stuck in my back pocket, to put in the laundry, when I had finished straightening up. Well, of course, I forgot about it. I went through the whole day with a sock hanging out of my back pocket.... supermarket, teacher´s meeting, and... well you get the idea....

Any embarrassing moments you´d like to share?...

P.S. I´ve opened an Etsy shop, pinestreetphoto, with some of my favorite prints. It´s named after the street I grew up on. All the streets in Philadelphia are named after trees. One more thing I love about my city.

¡Dos besos!

corner view "repurposed"

I´ve got nothing.... I wish I were one of those people that could look at an empty egg carton and think up a hundred uses for it. Not me. I think, "great egg holder..." The extent of my resourcefulness is reusing glass jars for homemade tomato sauce or jam. And when I really want to color outside the lines.... to hold bobbins...

Thanks Francesca for this great idea. I have a feeling I´m about to learn a lot! Next week´s theme comes from Theresa and it´s, "wisdom from an elder".

Happy Corner View!

P.S. I haven´t been home much lately. Hopefully, I´ll be able to catch up with you by the weekend. ¡Dos besos!

a little more spanish culture

(this was taken in a friend´s garden in mundaka.... she has a lemon tree....you know there are more....)

1. When Spaniards see you in the street they shout out, "Adios!" or "Hasta luego!" instead of, "Hola!"

2. There are over 240,000 bars in Spain. They provide jobs for 1.2 million people and produce 6% of Spain´s gross domestic product... 6%!!!

3.There are three types of coffee.

-Solo- which is an espresso served in a small cup.

-Cortado- which is an espresso with a splash of milk served in a small cup.

-Café con leche- which is an espresso with the same amount of milk served in a large cup.

4. Toilet paper in Spain is thicker than toilet paper in the US. Apparently, it´s because Spaniards fold their paper and Americans bunch it up into a ball... (I swear... it´s a fact in the Library of Congress of the United States of America...)

kiss and tell

When I was a little girl, my dad would make jam omelettes for me. Yup... you read right... eggs with jam. (Grape was my favorite.) To this day I still crave them. But I can´t seem to convince my kids...

Any "strange" food combinations you´d like to share?

Happy weekend!

corner view "sweets"

These, my friends, are my favorite sweets. They are gummy candy in the form of the statue of the Pissing Boy (Mannekin Pis). They are sooo good.... a little sweet, a little sour, and a little chewy. I often wonder how this idea was thought up.... "Let´s see... we already have gummy fish... and gummy bears... I know! The Pissing Boy!..." Okaaaay... I would so love to meet the brilliance behind this idea. ;)

Next week´s theme comes via Francesca and it´s "Repurposed: one object in your house that you´ve found another use for." Thanks darling!

Theresa, do you mind picking the next one? Thanks!

Happy corner viewing!

P.S. Thank you for all your lovely comments. I´m going to be smiling until March.

one year...

Today is this blog´s one year anniversary. I can´t believe how fast it has gone by. I started this blog so my family and friends back "home" could see a little of what my life was like here in Spain. I wasn´t expecting to meet so many wonderful people. These cakes are for you. Thank you for sticking with me, laughing at my jokes, being funny, and mostly your kindness. It´s not always easy living here. And on those days, your comments lighten my heart. And I thank you for that.

¡Dos besos muy gordos!