Vaughan Town in El Barco de Avila, Feb. 9 - 14, 2025

 On Sunday morning I set off for another week at the Izan Hotel Puerta de Gredos - it is located at the base of the Gredos Mountains in western Spain in the town of El Barco de Avila.  We had our usual busy schedule each day.

On many of the one to one sessions, we walked to the beach on the Rio Tormes.

On the way into town, there is a sign that tells about the seven types of beans grown in this area.

One day, our entire group walked into town.  Among other things, some of us visited the castle.

 

The city library is upstairs in the building that was formerly the jail.  In the ground floor foyer, they have a model of what the town looked like in the 1500s when it was completely encircled by a wall.

At show time on Wednesday, I did my "Dinner on the Desert" presentation where I shared a first course of mesquite flour, a second course of crickets, desert of taffy and candy made from prickly pear cactus fruit, and after dinner liquor of tequila made from agave.

One of the group activities was this problem where we had to decide which nine people got to go to the island and which three would be left to die.

And then it was time for the certificate ceremony and to say goodbye.

Friday evening, back in Madrid I went to Restaurente Cafeteria Via22 for the regular meeting of the English Speaking Group.

 And then on Saturday I flew home to Phoenix from Madrid via Newark.

Madrid Before Vaughan Town, Feb. 6 - 8, 2025

 With Valentines Day coming up, I saw many reminders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I walked the pedestrian only street where independent booksellers operate.

I found this picture online, the two below I took

I spent a couple of hours exploring the Royal Botanical Garden.

Inside one of the exhibit halls, there was a nice display: Nature and Science in the Landscape of Light.

 

Paris is not the only city with excellent pastry shops.

 

 

Dog Days in Portland, Jan. 5 -20, 2025

We had been having problems with nocturnal animals getting into parked cars and causing damage.  Just before I left for Portland, we had this visitor - one of two on the same evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the pleasure of spending time in Portland with Mr. Stowe and Ms. Piper, two very good dogs who live with our kids.  Time with Mr. Stowe was only at his home and in the fenced in backyard.  Time with Ms. Piper was both at her home and on the many walks we took in various parks.

 On one of the walks with Ms. Piper, we visited the Portland Holocaust Memorial.

I came across the bumper sticker while walking.

While walking at Swan Island, we saw these two parks that we will want to visit some day.