Feliz Navidad!

Friday -- Christmas Eve -- dawned bright in Rubite (pronounced Roo-BEE-te, as we have constantly, and properly, been reminded by Alice Blachly.) The day and night before had been wild and windy up in the mountains, just shielded from the Sierra Nevada.






Ellie and her new best friend Jen the dog went for a romp down on the beach, but came back in mid-afternoon. We went out for a drive up the ridge, and long walk/runs, to see the mountain light.



















Preposterous mountain peaks rim the northern horizon, and almond trees march at improbably angles across impossible slopes all around the village.




Rubite is a small village which runs down a ridge. Our cottage is at the lowest, southern-most point of the village; below us are a couple of barn ruins, paddocks for sheep and goats, and trails down to the arroyos, almonds, and olives. Other ridges have other surprising small villages.


















We are so happy to have a few presents sent from home: You Know Who You Are, and THANKS! And a few things for each other, under the "tree" made from pine, olive, and herbs that Ellie brought back from her walk. We had a great dinner -- salad with shrimp fresh from the sea -- and settled down to an evening of BBC telly. Ellie has been relegated to the roles of pillow (for the cat) and oracle (for the dog.)




















Tomorrow will be Christmas dawn. Far from friends and family, we wish a Healthy, Hopeful New Year for You, a Happy Holiday Season for Those You Love, and Greater Peace for Humans and the World We All Need. . .

Andalusia

From Gatwick's frozen fog to humid, tropical nights in a Portuguese fishing village, we have made our way to our winter residence here in Rubite, in the Costa Tropical region of Andalusia (Spain). We had several days to wonder at the Moors and the Christian warriors who finally booted them out 500 years ago, as we have travelled through Seville, Cordoba and Granada.
Coastal lowlands turned to rolling hills, to olive groves, to frantic rock outcrops, and finally to the snowcaps of the Sierra Madre as we neared our destination. In a day or a week or two we'll wander up some dirt road and see the December snowcaps. But today we went down to the Mediterranean, walking our new best friend Jes. She and three cats will be our company for the month. Tonight we're burning olive wood in the stove, and going to bed in some wonder of rural Spain. More of that later. . .