What's New II

The past week was full of firsts - and I suspect that might continue.

Early Morning Squinty Sun

The biggest and best 'first' was having Claire visit us for several days.  She is the younger daughter of a friend that worked with us in Haiti in the 1980s. 

Her older daughter, Annie, had visited us in Virginia to see the school where her mom absorbed an education.  It just so happened I worked there.  Both Annie and Claire are wonderful people to be with and will no doubt have many adventures in their travels.

Home for her family is Christchurch, New Zealand, and both daughters participated in a tradition called 'gap year' where on high school graduation young people are given an opportunity to gain knowledge in a non-structured way facilitated by travel.  I recall Annie going to Nepal and working at a summer camp outside NYC in addition to coming to visit us in Virginia. 

Claire did a semester of high school in France, just outside of Paris.  In addition to exploring the Paris area, she also visited The Hague, Amsterdam, and the UK during her time in Europe. Now that school is finished she is visiting a few more European spots including Italy and Spain before a time in the US with other family members.

Artist-made piments at Flores del Camino

We gave her a chance to see an area of Spain not visited by most tourists and to see how local folks live, eat, make art and are entertained. 

On the Camino

We walked a short part of the Camino de Santiago, visited a wonderful rural town, Castillo de Los Polvazares, and the artists' retreat located there, Flores del Camino.  This retreat center nurtures creativity in various historic and spiritual media.  The pigments made on-site are an example of the unique approach they share with visitors. Check out their website!

Together we shopped, cooked, ate, went to historic sites and walked, walked, walked.  It was great! We already miss her!


But next week is another first: Our first Housesitting in Spain!  Stand by for more.  We get to be with dogs again!  We miss our dog-lives.

Lessons learned?  

The relationships one builds over the years may just reward you with time engaging the next generation.  I can say for sure that Ann and I enjoyed every moment with Claire and look forward to getting the rest of her family to visit one day.  Her parents met in a special spot in Europe and we are suggesting a reunion in that place that we can participate in.

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The Other Jew of The Day is Nahmanides. He was a Spanish Talmudist, Kabbalist and biblical commentator (1194-1270), known, after the initial letters of his name, as Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman).