Oregon Melancholy

I have been looking at my photos from home and feeling melancholy. I know that since I moved here I complain about missing home. The truth is, I really do miss it. Everyday. Right now there is a sand storm here and it's hard to breathe. The landscape is yellow and dry. Work is also taking a toll. Sometimes I feel that I have taken on way too much. I do more because it's hard for me to see that something that can be improved and not do something about it. I miss Whitford (the school I worked at last year); it was organized, there were clear guidelines, and I felt support from my peers and administration. It was so much easier! I feel like this place is not a good fit for me and it makes me sad. I know Gabbie is not happy as well. At the end of it all I am optimistic that we will take away something great from all of this. Just right now it kinda feels like Hades.

The pictures are of the things I miss most: doing yard work around my house, river rafting and fishing with my friends, going camping in our van, the cabin, and going to the river with my wife.

Call to Prayer

Five times a day a man goes on the local mosque loudspeaker and reminds people to pray. It was cool at first, but now it's annoying. Last weekend some Saudis were in town, it got really loud, and wouldn't stop. Watch the video and see how invasive it got.

The video without Gabbie in it is shot from our guest bedroom. We have a room for you with a small ocean view. Come and visit.

Spain Random

Here are some more pictures of mostly Barcelona. Check out the video Gabbie got on her walk about.

Spain: Ramblas Market

Right off the Ramblas in Barcelona is a wonderful market where you can find all the good food one can only dream about (especially when they are in Senegal). As you can see, I was attracted to the ham section. Yes, we bought a ham leg. Yes, it wasn't cooked and yes, I liked it. Cutting it as thin as they do is a skill I found difficult to acquire. The olives were so good we named our new cat Olive. They were also reasonibly priced. Check out that those tuna chunks and that tuna's head, it was huge! I had a great time checking browsing and helping Stacey and Gabbie figure out what we wanted for Christmas dinner. We settled on a salad, ham, soft tacos (for me), and artichoke hearts.

Spain: Night Life

The night life in Barcelona was strong! It seemed as if everyone went out and walked around. The lights made it feel festive and the energy was positive. You could find anything at night, almost everything was open. We didn't hit up the club scene or stay up super late piss drunk, but we did go out. We had chocolate and churros with whipped cream, we went to midnight mass on Christmas eve, we ate tapas one night (which is more of a Basque thing but went to an authentic place), and hit up this little pub. I had a great time and enjoyed the vibrant night life. The siesta thing really pays off and I am ready to incorporate this into our culture.

Spain: Around Town

Gabbie, Stacey, and I spent our winter break in Spain. We stayed in both Barcelona and Madrid. I love Spain! Barcelona is the bees knees. My favorite area was Gracia. It's been a long time since we could enjoy shopping, a variety of food, movies in English, cathedrals, and fine architecture. We tried to do it all, couldn't, and are now planning on going back. These pictures are us around town in Madrid and Barcelona. The water fountain I am drinking from is on the Ramblas and legend has it that if you drink from it, you will come back to Barcelona. I guzzled it! Watch the video of the Spanish guitar, it really sets the mood to our trip.