POD "The Finished Product"

UMMMMM EASILY the photo of the day. REMEMBER THOSE LOVELY LITTLE FISH HANGING IN THE WIND? The fish carcasses? Rotting deliciousness? No? Allow me to remind you:
WELLL! The photo of the day today is the FINISHED product! Yum, yum, yum. And conveniently available for purchase at the gypsy market while you're picking up your olives and this week's pair of new shoes. No, I did not purchase a package of mojama... but we all know... I WILL have to try it at some point. :)

A Saturday Morning Walk

Since it's started getting warm, I take the dogs for a nice long walk every morning. I can poop them out while it's still cool, and that allows me to head out for the day without coming home to destruction. :) They sleep... ALL... day. Yes, you can only imagine their energy at about 5 pm. Anyway, this Saturday morning, not unlike any other morning, we headed out promptly at 8:30. The ONLY thing that makes weekend mornings so special: it's SO quiet! I'm lucky if I see ONE car.

Just wanted to share some pictures of our favorite place to exercise on base. :)
Here's the boys and I rounding our favorite corner, with the pine forest on our left and a fenced off area/cliff to the ocean not too far to our right. They WOV this walk.

Usually if we head in this direction, the boys are lucky enough to get some off the leash time running around a softball field. Here's Sultan doing his usual circles trying to avoid getting tackled by Takoda who is sprinting in his direction somewhere outside the scope of the picture:

Come on boys, time to go! You JUST might be able to make out Koda in the left corner of the field sprinting along the fence. He's already come, but now he's headed back across the field to round up his brother. Sultan is nottttttttttttt quite hearing me. :)

AHHHH well, I guess I can let them play for another few minutes. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy the view of Cadiz through a spot in the back fence. :)

POD "Tweet, Tweet... Peeuuuuu"

While Matty is away, I decided that today would be a good day to run some errands and get a few things done. Top of my list: Get my mane of hair trimmed!!! Although my new choppy layers look fantastic, it's not quite a drastic enough change to nab top position as photo of the day. :)

Next on the list: Grab a new bottle of red to try this evening! What will I be sipping on later? Pinocchio. It's a reasonably priced, Nero D'Avola Sicilian. With a name like Pinocchio, i'm not surprised I remember that it was on the menu at the Italian wine bar I worked at in New Haven. Can't remember how it is, but it's gotta be good right? (Note, if you're ever looking for a restaurant in New Haven, CT... Scoozzi Wine Bar and Trattoria is scrumptious!!!)

After all my "work" was done (HEY I DID go to Matt's office and the post office too) I walked the streets of Rota, scoped out some new residential areas and sat in the sun to drink a "cafelito." My photo of the day WOULD have been some of the new gorgeous home entrances and gardens I found, but the camera never seems to do them justice. Alas, the photo of the day had to be these little guys. This seems to be the thing to do here, because I saw about 6 different homes with their birdies in the windows singing, and getting some fresh air. These two birds WOULD be getting fresh air, if it weren't for the stanky sneakers drying out on top of their cage. :) Didn't notice them the first time, did yah?

Anyway, it was a great, low-key day. Matt leaves from London to Johannesburg tonight. But, he's certainly made the most of his time in England only seeing and doing the most Manly-Man-macho things. Fish and chips at a pub... check. Greenwich mean time stop... check. Stonehenge... check. The musical Wicked....... ..... ..... check. ;)

POD "Swing-a-ding, You Dumb Thing"

Remember the time I told you it gets windy here? No? Well now you know. I'm sharing this photo to give you just a taste of what the windy rainy monsoon did yesterday while I attempted to stay relatively NON-soaked running errands in town.
The good news is that I am pretty sure the swing is a-ok after it's fall. I'll let you know for sure later after I plop my staycation bum in it to sip on a beverage and read. ;)

POD "Africa-Bound Mateo"

Later this afternoon my hubadub leaves me for 11 days. He's headed with 3 other Navy officers on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to South Africa for the World Cup. Tonight he catches a short Ryan Air flight to England and he spends two nights there. (Yes, all he's taking is that ONE carry on bag. Gotta love Ryan air!) Then, they'll all be hopping on a direct flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. They'll be seeing USA versus England, as well as USA versus Slovenia??? I forget who the second game is against. I mean, it doesn't get much better than seeing USA versus England, does it? Although, Matt will have to keep an eye out for any Revolutionary War bitterness. I don't need him getting into any matches with a bloody English bloke.

In between the games, and throughout the rest of their stay, the guys will be staying in various locations and visiting other areas like Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana...etc. I believe some of the nights will even be spent sleeping in HUTS??? (No thanks. I'll take my cozy bed here in Espana.) They'll be having a nosebleed brew at Africa's highest pub and visiting the crater of life where some scientists claim the first life began. I think they mean like the little one-celled critters. Aren't those called amoebas or something? See, this is why i'm not going on this trip. I'd be like... "Nice crack in the ground... okay.... now what can we eat?!"

No, but in all seriousness, as I helped him get packed last night I couldn't help but have mixed feelings. First of all, I am SO happy that he gets to go do something SO amazing when he asks for SO little for himself. He more than deserves it. Not to mention, i'm going to have a MEAN staycation here while he's gone! ;) On the other hand, this trip is "a bucket-list" kind of trip. Seeing the World Cup, let alone seeing it for the first time on African soil, is a dream for Matt; something he always hoped he'd do someday. To not be able to SHARE that experience with him... to miss out on his excitement... is a bit of a bummer.

ALAS, I will make the best of my staycation and I will keep you updated on all the fun stuff he's up to when I DO hear from him (pretty sure most of the huts are without telephone). ;) When he gets back, there will be ALL SORTS of fabulous pictures and stories to share! Be SAFE and Hasta Luego, Mateo.

Noche Andalusi Jerez!

Last night after our pescado y mariscos we headed to "Noche Andalusi Jerez." I had managed to decipher enough Spanish in the local "things to do" guide for the month of June to know that this concert would feature flamenco guitarists, singers, dancers and other Andalusian style music/instruments.

I was a BIT concerned we wouldn't find the place, but I got us close using GPS and then we just asked the locals. I stopped one woman dressed in black lace who had no clue what I was talking about. After we had moved on, looking for more help, Matt informed me that she was a prostitute. "How do you know? Maybe she just dresses like one," I said.

Anyway, we finally found the place! A renovated old church that is now used for concerts, exhibits, shows...etc.It was CLEARLY marked, and easy to find like all other things in Spain... NOT! ;) Well, the good news is we had plenty of time to spare since it seems the Spanish like to start promptly 30 minutes late.

The show was FANTASTIC. The setting was small and intimate, the musicians were superb, the vocalists were wonderful, and the dancers were beautiful. I couldn't fit all the performers in the picture in one shot! Oh, and I had NO idea clapping was such a KEY instrument here. No joke, they had two guys on stage whose roles were SOLELY to clap and shout things at random times. It was key to the performance. I apologize for not getting a shot of the clappers. I was enjoying it MUCH too much.
It all could have ONLY been better if the dancers were topless. Oh wait, I didn't say that, MATT did. Just another romantic night out with the hubster. ;)

After the show we stopped briefly in a small plaza to sit outside and enjoy what the bartender claimed to be: "the BEST mojito in town." I'm going to have to sample all of Jerez's mojitos to be sure, but it was a DANG good mojito.

What a lovely night!

POD "Love for the Langostinos"

Last night, (I am embarrased to say for the first time) Matt and I picked up some local fresh pescado y mariscos (fish and seafood) to cook at home for dinner! I've never been a HUGE shrimp fan, but these langostinos were delish!!! It may have been our first time, but we will be back for more of this sea creature amazingness WEEKLY! Oh, and the puppies liked them too. ;)

POD "The Fruits of Our Labor"

So I was watering the tomato plants today, and to what did my wandering eyes appear??? THIS lil guy! Our ENTIRE garden may not have made it, but our potted tomato plants (ingeniously placed outside the backyard fence AWAY from the pups) appear to stand a chance!!! YES......... I can almost taste the pico de gallo. :)

POD "living in a fog"

The weather yesterday was so strange! There was a super dense fog blowing in off the ocean all day long. I even heard a few boat fog horns for the first time since being here. I couldn't help but think with every blast that the boat was headed right for the shore we live on and was going to come crashing through my living room at any moment. Thank God for sonar right?
Anyway, this nifty fog looked like smoke, but it was WET. I thought the damp breeze was quite refreshing, so I opened up all the windows and allowed it to blow through the house. Next time, I probably won't be doing that. I can't believe how damp everything got! Last night Matt was like... "Is this couch wet??" No, I didn't take the dogs for a swim... it was the crazy fog!
Here's a few pics. (Note that you are having a hard time seeing the palm trees in front of the houses just down the street!)

POD "Top 20 things I learned in Sevilla"

Yesterday Matt and I spent our Memorial day in Sevilla with friends. It was an amazing day, and I feel we learned, experienced and tried SO many new things. Here's a list of the top twenty:

1. Driving to Sevilla IS possible.
2. The toll to Sevilla is 5,90 euro not 6,00. ;)
3. Sangria is DELICIOUS!
4. Matt likes Gazpacho.
5. Matt refuses to try caviar. :)
6. Sevillian restaurant patios use MISTers!!!
7. Waiters in Spain won't kick you out and infact, PREFER that you sit at their table all day (less work for them). Makes sense. They're salary... :)
8. There are 34 stories you must climb to get to the top of the Cathedral bell tower. Ask Susan, she knows.
9. The locals think I speak Spanish "well". (Yahoo!)
10. The reason no one sits at the cute tables UNDER the trees is because they know you will get shat on by birds. (Sorry you had to learn that the hard way Susan.)
11. 100 degrees in Spain isn't as hot as it is where we come from. (The local men were still wearing long pants and dress shirts rolled to their elbows!)
12. I am a better Garmin-assisted navigator than my husband. ;)
13. Susan Dalton buys Spanish fans like junkies buy crack.
14. Sean Dalton can't quite finish a whole platter of sheep cheese himself.
15. If you ask a Spanish waiter VERY nicely in his own language, he JUST might make you a Rebujito by the glass when it is supposed to only come by the pitcher. :)
16. The Santa Cruz barrio is a must see, and must visit again for MORE.
17. I find it hard to breathe and/or concentrate when I get around hand-painted Spanish ceramics.
18. There are more restaurant choices on one block in Sevilla than there are in most small towns in America.
19. Sevilla is home to some trippy trees. They are something you'd see on an acid trip! No, but seriously, those things are a trip hazard! ;)
20. It is impossible to see it all.