Friends who know that Jamie and I are plant based eaters asked how we’re managing in Mairena, the tiny Alpujarran village where we’ve spent the last 5 months. Our answer is, “Surprisingly well!” This region of Spain grows about 50 percent of Europe’s produce making it plentiful and inexpensive for the local residents.
My One Year Yoga Challenge: Completed
it’s been a good year with respect to physical and mental health and I give my daily challenge most of the credit. A daily challenge goal provides a teeny bit of structure that can extend to other facets of life.
Laura: A Profile in Gentle Living
Laura discovered her gentle passion early in life. She’s dedicated life and livelihood to the care of the loyal companions who grace so many of our lives.
My Credo
We haven’t been hiking for a couple weeks because I sort of hurt myself. I’ve been enjoying the recovery time by watching clouds and thinking.
Olive Harvest in the Alpujarra
When December rolls around it’s time to harvest olives destined to be pressed for their oil at the local olive mill.
Alistair: A Profile in Gentle Living
I admire Alistair; he’s found his way to a fulfilling, gentle life. He doesn’t look forward with anticipation or backwards with regret.
Our Three Year After Action Review
After three years we hadn’t quite worked out all of the “We’re retired and what the hell are we going to do with ourselves now?” details. So we spent some time…
Walking to Ugíjar
Every morning while Susan and I are sipping coffee and waiting for sunrise, the street lights of the white villages beckon us from the coastal mountain range across the valley. The largest village, in the …
Castañas Asadas or Roasted Chestnuts
We’re all familiar with the December classic that begins, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” Funny thing, I didn’t know the song is titled “The Christmas Song,” neither did I realize that roasting chestnuts was …
Morning coffee
I was on my second cup of coffee at the Starbucks in downtown Corvallis Oregon when I noticed a cute woman walking a pair of dogs. It was Friday morning the day after Thanksgiving. That …
Granadas (Pomegranates) in Granada Province ES
Pomegranate season is officially over in the Alpujarra. When we arrived in late October we had only a couple of weeks to get our fill of these extraordinary fruits. Most of the beautiful fall foliage …
Ashes to the Universe
“Old friends cannot be created out of hand… For years we plant the seed, we feel ourselves rich; and then come other years when time does its work and our plantation is made sparse and …