Andalusia

Hi everyone,

It has been a while since I have contributed, although I have been reading you all.

Here is a selection of the hundreds of wonders that we saw in Andalusia 3 weeks ago. 

Sevilla's Cathedral

The Giralda is a former minaret that was transformed into a bell-tower for the cathedral when the Catholic Kings kicked out the Muslims. All Andalusian architecture is a delicate mix of muslim and gothic components.

 Here Jake is singing the aria "By the Ramparts of Sevilla" from Carmen... how appropriate!

 

This is one of the most wonderful World treasures : Grenada's Alhambra, a huge palace which is a succession of great rooms with entirely sculpted walls, cool patios and gorgeous gardens.

 

 White villages in the mountains

 The arena of Ronda, the oldest in Spain, where corrida was supposedly born. The famous movie of Carmen (by Francesco Rosi, with the American singer Julia Migenes) was filmed here.

 Ronda's bridge over the impressive cliff. 

City of Cordoba 

Another wonder : the Mezquita (Great Mosque) of Cordoba. It used to be a mosque, one of the biggest in the world at its time (about 1000 AD). It was taken by the Christians in the XIII th century and used as a cathedral. Charles V of Spain decided in the XVI th century to destroy the middle part to incorporate a baroque cathedral in it. The result is quite surprising. 

XXX

Creque Dam Farm

We visited Creque Dam Farm the other day. Its a 250 acre parcel of land out on the west end of the island. They have been in operation about 10 years with a varying degree of success and core members of the group. The volunteers come and go. They offer programs for sustainable farming and also larger groups from the mainland or other countries sometimes rent the entire property for programs. Its a funny combo of hippie commune and the locovore movement.

Took me awhile to get, chicken coop, duh.
This is what the bottom of a bunch of bananas looks like.
They grow beautiful greens, string beans, squashes and tons of
tomatoes.
Jimmi in the bamboo
I was careful to steerclear of Mr. Billygoat who wanders freely.
Bananas ripening on their front porch.
Some of the spices grown there, I did not recognize any.

Marg's Canvas

Due to a minor avalanche last year, a 40ft by 10ft concrete wall was constructed by our home in St Croix to protect us from future earth slides. Marg has taken the opportunity to use it as a canvas for her art work. It's a work in progress.

Bud Counts

Yo! We're Two!

Birthday Breakfast

Very Pale Jungle Boy Contemplates his Djembe

She may look sweet but...

Yup, Nip and Tuck turned 2 on 3/19. That was a quick couple years.

Will, to date, is a sweet boy who seems to naturally go with the flow. He puts up very little stink unless way over tired or hungry. His favorite thing to do is putt, and, of course, cuddle his focky (blanket). His sisters call him Fro Fro. I think he might be just about the coolest dude who ever lived.

Leah's the wild one. Howling one second, laughing the next. No plain white bread for this girl. She'd run the show save for a six year old who is a force of nature. Leah is curious and independent and, like Elizabeth, empathetic. Her brother and sister call her La La.

Happy Birthday Will and Leah!

Twin Haiku

Will and Leah now two

Oh boy let the good times roll

Must be twice the fun!

Hope you had a great birthday. (some photos Dad?)

Love Aunt Marg

Spring hath sprung, the compost is blooming

OK, the snow is melting and the compost is fermenting anew.

World

in deep dodo. Spread the

Robot Translators in action

You write a poem, say, in Spanish:

La Perdición

un million de virgenes

cantando mis ezfuerzas

como orquídeas fragiles sin futuro

cada nota un barco

un barco de lluvias

lluvias sin bocas, sin cu, sin olor

ai, Dios, gritan los caídos

con lagrimas que no se entienden parar

es una tristeza negra

un negro cenote sin fundo

alli descansa el caballo muerto

donde los hechos no cuentan por nada

ni el sangre torrente

en el altar de desgracia

Then run it run it back and forth through an internet translator maybe four or five times: eng-span-eng-span
Then attach a photo of some alien event for good measure
and you end up with:

Perdition
one million virgin
singing my ezfuerzas
no future as a fragile orchid
each note a boat
a boat of rain
rain without mouths, without cu, odorless
ai, God, the fallen cry
with tears I do not understand stop
black is a sadness
no fundo of a black cenote
lies the dead horse
where the facts do not count for anything
or the blood stream
Unfortunately at the altar

Hooray! Now everyone can be a poet...

This week in St. Croix

Tranny on a lift. This glamorous guy graced the Mardis Croix parade last Sat., its also known as Krewe de Croix. There were a few good floats and some awful. Lots of festive folks drinking and carrying on, any excuse for a parade, costumes, music and rum.
While in St. Croix I attend Lord God of Sabboth Lutheran Church. Its a beautiful building built in 1740. Remember in Moby Dick how the preacher (Orson Welles) climbed up into the pulpit and pulled the ladder up after himself? Why? No one preaches from this anymore but I thought I would take a picture of it.
This is the choir director Sheldon Sheldabrant and his portable keyboard. He and the choir are up in the gallery overhead and they can really wail. Lots of hymn singing too, I love it.
I took this photo after church. Its not very good but you can get an idea of the beautiful ceiling and the big windows.
Heres where I take yoga. Its a dance studio most of the time as you can see. Its a wonderful space.
Back at the parade, another reveler who likes her hot dogs with a quart of martini.
Mr. Centipede looked very cool when he had a person under each segment, much like a dragon on Chinese New Year.
Baccus and Butt.

Some Music I like

Two music recommendations. I've been listening to "Acoustic Arabia" which is a CD put out by Putumayo. Of course it does not even begin to scratch the surface. As they say it is a musical realm as vast and varied as the 325 million Arabs spread across 2 continents and living in 22 countries. But its a good jumping off place with links to many different musicians. I particularly like the group Zaman who are referred to as "the Arabic Gipsy Kings." Theres also a group called "Les Orientales" with musicians from France and Algiers paying tribute to the Algerian music hall era. Each selection highlights an area or style . Mention is also made of a recording called "The Ras Project: A Musical Journey in Sinai" which might be worth looking into.

My other recommendation is Bruno Mars, Doo Wops and Hooligans. Yes its pop music with some rap, reggae, even a Hawaiian feel. He grew up there in a family of musicians.Not heavy stuff, but infectious, clever goofy lyrics, and like they used to say on Bandstand, "you can dance to it". I love the little guy. Particularly like "Just the Way You Are, Marry You, The Lazy Song, and Liquor Store Blues".