Coatimundi boarding + Eclipse + Mezcal tasting

Happy at the helm - luckily no fashion
police here to see my unmatched outfit

At the marina in Barra de Navidad, we saw coatimundi roaming the grounds in the evening hours.  We made the mistake of thinking our high freeboard and step access from the dock made us ‘safe’ from boarding – that plus we remove our garbage every night. At 5AM our last night, we heard a kerfuffle in the cockpit quickly followed by our weighted bug screen being shuffled. A coatimundi had scrambled into our galley / salon. We flipped on the light and started yelling 'get out' (hmmm, do they understand English or Spanish, or not? ha).

Not really that cute - coatimundi

Lights on, it jumped above the settee, across the boat and down to the sink where he managed to break one of our valuable wine glasses before he leapt to the steps and out. I’m pretty sure the sight of two naked people screaming was adequate to encourage a rapid escape. All things considered; we were fortunate - without further incident! And that was the end of that night’s rest. As a side note, it took us years to bring glass on board – not for this but for general safety reasons. 

Full moon rising

Our next mentionable event was the full lunar eclipse mid-March. After viewing the solar eclipse in Mazatlan in 2024, we were thrilled to experience the lunar eclipse from a quiet and dark anchorage in the bay of Chemela. While we didn’t stay up for the entire sequence, at 12:20AM it was pretty close to full coverage. Directly below the ‘show’, we could see the Southern Cross, a spectacular addition to the moment. With the rocking motion of the boat (even in the best of anchorages, there’s up and down or sideways motion), it’s hard to get photos.

Since January 25^th, we’ve traversed over 550 miles (@5 NM / hour, average), exploring anchorages along the Pacific coast. Kayaking, hiking and beach walking have been our main exercise and entertainment. Palapa restaurants dot the beaches along the coast with their colorful umbrellas beckoning you into the shade. Not to complain, but it’s hard to escape the sun so any shade becomes an oasis – even walking inland along sandy streets, we duck under the shade trees as we seek local veggies or a cool beverage.

Along with chilled drinks and amazing fruit, every tienda showcased a line up of Igloo coolers (that is, in the villages that warranted more than one tortilla shop) featuring the family name of the tortilleria written in Sharpie. Ah, the choices! Some tiendas had ‘older model’ (cheesy) gambling machines outside that promised riches and attracted some of the locals. Las Vegas on a shoestring?

Our third ‘extravaganza’ was Raicilla tasting in a tiny village an hour’s walk from the anchorage known as the Aquarium, not far from the popular Tenacatita anchorage.

Our friends we’ve been traveling with knew about the place, otherwise one would not realize the treasure that awaited behind that humble stone wall and unlocked metal gate.

A retreat behind the stone wall - waiting for our host

We waited for a while then gently pushed the gate open – there was shade beyond that wall that beckoned us out of the midday sun!  A couple came by in a car after a while and let us know that Alejandro, the promoter of Raicilla Jalisco, was at the pharmacy and would be back soon. With them, we waited for an hour and were glad.

Upon his arrival, Alejandro invited us into a small palapa that serves as a museum and tasting room. He regaled us with the history of the local mezcal, how the cooperative was formed and how to taste and purchase this golden nectar.

Alejandro's drink cart

Raicilla is the state of Jalisco’s mezcal, their local version of cooked agave made from the jima (core) of the agave plant that’s distilled for 40-45 days. Like an AVA for wines, each distillery must meet certain standards to achieve the Raicilla certification.

He had samples of many Raicilla distilleries

Alejandro pouring a taste for Miguel

He shared how to identify a ‘good’ mezcal from a cheap one, including looking for their shield. As the chief promoter of Raicilla Jalisco, he was proud of their process and encouraged us to shop smartly.

We are in Banderas Bay right now – actually at Punta de Mita on the north end – waiting for our weather window to head north to San Blas about 6AM – for an estimated 10-hour trip. It’s the end of whale season here – most have headed north. But we had a great whale show yesterday from the shore at La Cruz and today while we motor-sailed north. It’s the mom’s and their babies doing their final training before their very long migration.

Barra de Navidad - paradise with a French baker!

We’ve made the decision to return to Mazatlan for the summer so that means a ton of logistical planning in the next 6 weeks. In 2 days, we’ll haul out in San Blas, Nayarit to get our bottom cleaned and painted (less expensive than Mazatlan). Then we will head the 130 miles to Mazatlan.

Our friends in San Blas helped with local details for haul out and painting so that’s been very helpful. We’ll be on land for about 6 days while Lucio does his magic – removing barnacles and other nasties then preps the bottom for painting. We’ll hang out in San Blas and take the bus inland to explore Tepic for 2 days. We hear there’s plenty to see and do in Tepic and besides, it’d be like watching paint dry to wait while Lucio works…

St Patrick's day celebration in Melaque

The patron saint of Melaque- San Patricio

The band in the St Patrick parade

Tuesday wasn't the official day, so a small parade

 

A Whale Tail

It's a long distance whale tail ... not our encounter

One thing’s for certain, I don’t need to be close enough to the tail of a humpback to count the barnacles! While it’s very cool to experience whale encounters – with their frolicking, training their babies, diving and making a splash – it’s another when they are too close to your boat.

We were motor sailing across Banderas Bay earlier in February, which is a renown birthing and training area for humpbacks in the spring. We oohed and aahed at the whales performing in the distance. Binoculars ready for the next random sighting. Almost impossible for capturing photos as the moments are fast and often at a distance. Eyes peeled for any action, especially in the direction you’re traveling.

Then under our keel swam a rather large humpback, turning and flipping its tail as he dove, almost hitting our solar panel on the stern quarter! It was a lovely tail, easily 6 ft across, speckled with barnacles. We didn’t have time to react, and those few seconds of fear produced a high pucker factor for captain and crew (uh, that would be me). Like I said, I don’t want to know how many barnacles attached themselves to that tail.

I love these colorful crabs

I’d just read about another boat that had a physical encounter with a whale traveling further south than Cabo Corrientes/Puerto Vallarta, where we were headed. Thankfully, he and his boat were okay. He was under sail, and that always raises the question of whether you should run your engine, in the hopes that constant diesel engine noise will keep them at bay. We’ve also read that having a radio playing can serve as a deterrent. But who knows. Each moment is unique and there’s no second guessing.

Mazatlan to Isla Isabela

Blue footed boobies nesting in the sand

In January, we left our slip from summer and fall boat storage at Marina Mazatlan, buddy boating with long time friends who came to Mexico the same year we did – so a lot of years at the dirt boat yard in Guaymas and beyond. We ventured first for a ‘shakedown cruise’ to Isla de la Piedra (Stone Island) – to ensure systems are working and identify any surprises. It’s a great beach area, easily accessible by water taxi from town. There we met up with a couple we’d known from Guaymas days who have now sold their boat in Mexico but have a boat in BC. Their northern boat is lacking a communication system, so we gifted them our SSB – Single Sideband radio. With the onset of Starlink and vast improvements in cell coverage along the Mexico coast, the need for Single Sideband communications rapidly fell off, with fewer participants and volunteer net controllers. SSB has long been the worldwide mechanism for communication via radio with other boaters, to share weather, information and passage updates.

Underway to new ventures

That was one less system, less weight and access to another valuable corner on board! It’s always a focus for us to either use what is on board or move it along to someone else. Space and storage are too important to squander.

Without further incident, we headed to Isla Isabela, an overnight passage to the bird refuge island where you experience up close nests of blue footed boobies, frigates and other species that are not afraid of human interactions. Many of the boobies lay in the sand while you walk by and often stand up to show off the cherished egg they are protecting, as if to say, look what I have! It’s a pretty incredible experience there, walking among the nesting birds.

Isla Isabela to San Blas

After several enjoyable experiences exploring the island, we headed south to San Blas where another Canadian couple we’ve known forever awaited our arrival. Another joy to see longtime friends where we lunched, swapped hugs and stories and wandered about town. We enjoyed Pescado Zarandeado, a specialty fish dish, this time fileted with the skin on and roasted on a wood fire. Delicious and finger-licking good, as you are delivered an entire fish on a platter, served with warm tortillas and hot sauces.

We also found the small shop where the ‘outboard whisperer’, as he is known, is still in business. Score! So, the guys lowered our outboard from on deck on Pura Vida, hauled it to shore in the dinghy and through town in a taxi to get our 2.5 HP unit fixed. What a great find and excellent price. Oh, and San Blas is famous for their no-see-um bugs, crocodiles and banana bread.

Chacala, Punta de Mita and Puerto Vallarta

The following days carried us further south, motor sailing and sometimes, under sail, to make our way to Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay, enjoying colorful anchorages along the way. Banda and other music wafts from the shorefront palapa restaurants, where families are enjoying the beaches.

Happily docked, 7 min from shower and office

Through a third level ‘friend of a friend’ special arrangement, we scored a slip at the very popular Paradise Village Marina. That allowed us a  chance to work on projects, get repairs done, wash the boat, do laundry, and time allowing, enjoy the local amenities at the attached all-inclusive resort. For about $1,00, ‘collectivo’ buses take you from the resort the hour-long trip into Puerto Vallarta for adventure, grocery shopping and to the marine store...

Fab Italian restaurant on the canal at Paradise. Wow!

And the big surprise, even to us, at the marine store we splurged and bought a new dinghy! We rarely buy things that are new, but it’s been years in coming that we’ve been wanting a faster dinghy.

Our new AB dinghy and Merc 2 stroke outboard

After all, it’s our ‘car’ so having new wheels is a huge upgrade for us. Sadly, because of rampant theft problems in certain areas with outboard motors and sometimes dinghies, we have everything securely locked on deck.

We sold Gatsby to a dock worker. Perfect solution
- Israel was a very nice guy

I’ve even added metal bells to the outboard covers so if someone starts messing with our stuff, we’ll presumably hear the bell clanging and jump to action. We also bought some cheesy stickers to ‘deface’ our new Mercury 15 HP outboard, so it’s identifiable if it gets stolen and by chance, you might get it back (odds are very low).

Cabo Corrientes / Cape of Currents

Our slip at Paradise Village was back in the mangrove-lined canals that are loaded with tons of birds. Their sunrise and sunset cacophony provided ongoing entertainment. Daily, hosts of tour boats take the crowds out for whale watching. See above story! We had our share of sightings during our visit.

At the museum, San Blas

Vallarta Yacht Club welcome!

Check it out - we got an email from our Tomahawk Yacht Club in Portland that we now had 'reciprocal privileges' to the Marina Vallarta Yacht Club - literally on the day before we were leaving. So we scheduled our long walk to the showers, and went to the Yacht Club for a drink. Rooftop patio, duo playing nice music and friendly local yacht club members welcomed us! What a fun time.

We hiked up steep tropical hills at Chacala

Isla Isabela from shore. 

After a long week at the dock at Paradise Village, it was time to move on – buy fuel and prepare for crossing around the point of Cabo Corrientes. It’s very important to check the weather for passages around that point, as anyone whose done it will attest. Trust me, it can be a miserable ride if not calculated correctly. We started our departure at one in the morning to traverse Banderas Bay so our crossing would be around sunrise. I was initially at the helm from 1:30 to 4:30, then Mike was on the helm when the winds picked up in the early morning hours (yeah, me). We had a full moon to illuminate our night which was very helpful – you never know when you’ll see a fishing panga with no lights, fishing nets supported by 2-liter Coke bottles, or heaven forbid, a whale sleeping on the surface (we’ve had that happened around Neah Bay WA).

Chemela, Paraíso and Tenacatita

Watching for bats at sunset - Chemela

Daily kayaking, quick dips to cool off and solar showers have filled our recent days (and of course, boat projects, don't you know) as we make our way further south. Tomorrow, we head to the very popular anchorage of Tenacatita and on to Barra de Navidad. In the meantime, we’ve had some pretty spectacular, quiet anchorages dotted with boutique hotels, small restaurants and a few fishing pangas dotting the shores.

Ongoing water maker troubleshooting!

They call it Paradise for a reason -but no guests...

Dinghy launching - I got swamped 2x

Have you ever showered with a grasshopper?

Santa's house at Plaza Machado

Christmas at the Cathedral

I know some of our outdoorsy friends will say, yes of course. But this was a new one for me. I accepted the cockroaches in the Guaymas boatyard as part of the showering deal when our boat was in the desert of Sonora. Now we are in the tropics of Sinaloa, so different critters ‘own’ this place and we are merely guests. 

I was pretty surprised when I lathered my hair to turn and face a pretty good-sized grasshopper about 6” away hanging on the window cord, checking me out. Now it’s not a big deal and I doubt my life was threatened – ha – but startled nonetheless when you feel you’re being watched. Did you know they have beady little eyes?

Iguanas on the dock - this one 3'

Pretty fabulous sunsets at the marina

I conversed with that bright green specimen, goodheartedly, and advised that I’d be out in a few – this shower will shortly be all yours. I exited the shower to the lengthy marina promenade, walking the 7-minute stretch to our boat, enjoying a magical, tropical sunset. Nary an iguana to be seen, as it was late sunset. The other day I had a 5-iguana experience along the promenade.

15 year old coming out party with 

her entourage of girls and boys

After our safe arrival in Mazatlan in early December, we’ve been doing boat projects, exploring the many interesting sights here, and enjoying special times with various friends – all of whom we met in 2012! The Sinaloa cartels have been wreaking havoc in this region since October, so we were reticent to drive this further distance south. However, we had a carload of boat and life stuff we needed to haul from Guaymas, where we stored the car covered and safe in the guarded marina yard.

Nissan Kicks rental, bumper held on with tie wraps

After serious analysis and information gathering, we decided a car was the least dangerous (vs. bus or plane) and tracked down a deal for a one-way rental. We left before dawn on Sunday morning, didn’t stop except for gas, stayed on the main highway and blended in, in a small car with Mexican plates. The northbound and southbound roads were very heavily monitored by truckloads of the Federales, national guard, marina and army, intending to make you feel better about the route. We whizzed through 2 inspection checkpoints and were thankful to arrive without incident.

It's a beautiful modern stadium

With 2 other couples, we bused and walked to attend an evening baseball game, the Mazatlan Venados (Deer) against the Monterey (Nuevo Leon) Sultanas. While there was actually some good baseball being played, the distractions were astounding! One had to wonder - was anyone there to watch the game? Some of the entertainment:

• -        Super loud canned music blaring behind us, blasted between the pitches, occasionally not even stopping for the actual pitch
• -        Team mascots on the field, along with a pelican mascot (what was his deal?) who danced to Jailhouse Rock and Michael Jackson during the game

  

  Pelican performing Jailhouse Rock

  
  
• -        Vendors hawking beer, mixed drinks, donuts, French fries, peanuts (hot of course), walking incessantly in front of your seats
• -        Advertising flashing on the giant screen – hmmm, maybe it would be interesting to see replays instead of mattress or beer commercials?
• -        The cheerleaders were young girls and boys dancing provocatively. The guys removing their shirts and the girls prancing about

After 8 innings, we were sated with the experience, so we left before the crowds. We caught a pulmonia back to the marina, which are basic VW bugs converted to open air taxis. They are great fun for sightseeing and enjoying a breeze, but you need to hang on, as drivers quickly change lanes in heavy Mazatlan traffic. Sidewalks are often a good shortcut. Pedestrians are always at risk.

Fancy etched tuba, banda at the beach

And more of the Mazatlan experiences, we’ve gone to the covered and open-air markets where you come eye to eye with pig heads and piñatas. Late night music fills the marina, with party boats that feature complete banda bands on the foredeck blaring out tunes in addition to the pulsing ‘social clubs’ along the marina. My original blog title was “Falling asleep to tuba music”, which by the way is an oxymoron.

Lucha Libre wrestling beckons!

This Saturday, after going to see a rock n roll band featuring a Canadian drummer and 4 Mexican musicians at a beach club up north, we’ll go with our friends to experience Lucha Libre – an entertaining wrestling match with local color.

Mike installing hardware for my closet light :-)

Mike folding himself once again into a pretzel

Boat projects consume parts of our days, and we are certain to get in a good walk and some entertainment daily. The restaurant scene is vibrant here although because of fears installed by the cartel presence, the volume of visitors is quite low (both foreign and national), much to the chagrin of the locals trying to make a living from tourism. We are very blessed to have these good experiences and hope for better times for the locals in the new year.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas filled with family, friends and good times, celebrating  this magical season and preparing for a bright new year.

 

A Tale of Two Cheesy Places

Madeira, Portugal on a non-diving day

 Amazing cheeses awaited us in both Spain and Wisconsin on our travels this fall - two distinctly cheesy places with long histories of cheesemaking in its various forms. Between the enticing displays and magical taste experiences, we enjoyed it all.

But first, the Pig Sty story for those who asked about our Portugal travels. We’d learned about  Quinta do Bom Vento from our British friend in Mexico and we’re so glad it worked out. Rich and SAM are a delight, and we were warmly greeted as friends from our arrival to a welcome happy hour, to the end of the fifth day as we departed in the pouring rain south to Lisbon airport and points east. 

Army of Terra Cotta soldiers

They granted us the ‘honeymoon suite’, the Mediterranean cottage complete with a personalized welcome sign, a fully stocked kitchen and a canopy bed with draped mosquito screens. Our view overlooked the surrounding valley, resplendent with farmlands and grapevines. The property is on a well-traveled winding road, narrow enough that we had to wait while a truck loaded pallets of apples and pears from the neighboring orchard.

Wandering the amazing gardens at Buddha Eden

The hosts invited us to join their family for a rousing British band gig at the local ex pat pub. There, SAM introduced us to 3 couples, transplants from Portland. It’s mostly Brits who vacation and relocate to Portugal due to their centuries-long, intertwined histories, but recently Americans have started flocking there as well. As you may have seen in various news outlets, many international locations are not so keen these days on welcoming outsiders due to the sometimes overwhelming tourism impact on their local economy. But there we were, in the belly of the beast…

Sweet view from our deck at Madeira hotel

The next day, we were invited to join their family and friends for an evening filled with international travel stories, laughter and to-die-for BBQ ribs!

Our cottage served as basecamp for four days of exploring towns along the central Portuguese coast and interesting destinations like Buddha Eden, the largest oriental garden outside of Asia. Everywhere we went on the coast was spectacular so I can’t say which place I liked best. Surfing is definitely a draw there, and we watched a beginning surfing class on one side of a bay in the ‘kiddy pool’, while experienced surfers took on the waves around the bend.  

Mike at the Madrid Royal Palace

The fortress surrounding Óbidos

Pineapple at the Madeira garden

We explored the quaint town of Óbidos – founded in the Paleolithic period so it’s got a rich and storied history – and features a huge fortress. We traversed the ancient ramparts, taking in the vistas while carefully avoiding a catastrophic fall, should one ignore their footing.

One evening as we strolled along the town’s cobblestone streets, we hoped to dine at one the few, all highly rated restaurants. Ha! Without a reservation, who were we kidding. So, we walked back toward the car and found a pizza place that was quiet, so apparently not discovered or rated by tourists, I guess. Well, we enjoyed the evening on their outdoor patio with attentive staff, sipping Portuguese wine and eating pizza. A good backup destination.

View from a levada trail on Madeira

To start at the beginning, our 27-day Portugal and Spain trip was originally focused on meeting up with good friends for SCUBA diving on the island of Madeira. We hadn’t dived together since 2004, so overdue to share an adventure. The island of Madeira is a 2-hour flight from Lisbon to the SE of the mainland. It’s called the ‘botanical garden of the world’ for a very good reason.

On one of our non-diving days, we took an aerial tram up to a massive botanical garden that meandered down mountain trails and featured sculptures, live music and great views of the ocean. The coolest part was the series of huge tile murals, all hand painted, outlining the accomplishments and discoveries during the reign of each of the kings of Portugal. That was incredible for those of us who didn’t know the rich history of Portugal.

Mural at Maritime Museum, Lisbon

The Atlantic coast colors are astounding

On a side note, I did not attempt to speak Portuguese! It’s not like you can just speak Spanish, Italian or French and get by…so we just spoke English and smiled a lot…Before we left, we’d invited our Brazilian neighbor at the moorage over for dinner, hoping she could share some common phrases with us, but there are a lot of differences between the Portuguese spoken in Portugal vs. Brazil, so while we had a lot of laughs over dinner, that didn’t pan out in the real world.

Portuguese tiled roofs & incredible vistas abound

SCUBA diving at Madeira was good and our first time in the Atlantic. The water was chilly, so depending on the dive sites, we wore 5mm and 7mm wetsuits with integrated hoods. The dive shop staff was great and very international as we often find. Schools of sardines, barracuda, parrotfish and a variety of species greeted us on our dives. We explored a planned shipwreck, weaving carefully through the rusty portholes.

Yet another overwhelming church

After 9 days of exploring and diving with our friends, we parted ways then Mike and I flew to Lisbon for two quick days. Of course, not enough time but then we rented a car for the Óbidos experiences. Once back in Lisbon, we flew  to Madrid for expediency and to avoid the incremental $1000 cost for a one-way car rental between Portugal and Spain. 

Now THIS is a clock - Royal Palace

Daniel, our pre-arranged taxi guy in Madrid, turned out to be a gem! A transplant from Venezuela, he and his family have lived in Madrid for 5 years. Since he didn’t know English, my Spanish was instantly on 100%. When Daniel learned of our need to store our scuba gear, he volunteered his home as a storage point while we traveled to Madrid and Valencia. We didn’t want to schlepp our two 50# gear bags along cobblestone streets, up narrow staircases and on/off trains. His offer was a great blessing, and we hope to connect with him again if we are fortunate enough to revisit Madrid and need a ‘go-to guy’.

Popular rooftop bar with 360 views of Madrid

Our flat in Madrid was an excellent location (last time, I’d picked a place that was 45-minute train and bus ride to the city…lesson learned). Upon arrival, the innkeeper circled several destinations on the Madrid map and that’s how we spent the next four days. It was a perfect itinerary. Space wise, the flat was functional but tiny. Good thing Mike is used to having his feet extend beyond the bed and of all people, we are used to dancing around each other in small spaces. 

Church organ in Coimbra, Portugal

In Madrid, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the opulence and incredible history at the myriads of museums and churches. So many photos…so much eye candy. Between the meandering, tourist destinations and amazing restaurants, we wandered through a variety of markets where we tasted cheese, serrano ham, port and Turrones (a sweet treat). What a fun way to shop and meet local vendors.

Carriage museum in Lisbon - stories!

We took the high-speed from Madrid to Valencia to meet up with two sets of friends, planning two days with each couple. We stayed in the beach area of Valencia, which was not devastated by late October’s heavy rain and flooding that occurred in other areas of Valencia. Our prayers go out to the Valencianos and other heavily impacted areas.

We had a great time in Valencia with friends: so many more stories, miles walked, and amazing food consumed. On departure day, we took the high-speed train from Valencia back to Madrid where Daniel arrived with our SCUBA gear loaded in his car (score!) and delivered us to Madrid airport. Great logistics!

Energizing Flamenco performances

Our return trip on October 4^th took us from Madrid via Dallas where we overnighted before returning to Portland. That provided a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my ex-step kids and some of their kids. We had a great time together! We returned to the States on October 5^th, unpacked and repacked for next week’s visit to that other cheesy place, Wisconsin. We visited a friend and two of my siblings there. It’s always so special to spend time together wherever it works out – an understatement of the importance of family.

Cheese curds and beer

We arrived in Milwaukee on National Cheese Curd Day! Who knew? Our friend took us to her local brewery where we ate fried cheese curds for the first time. A culinary experience? The four of us competed in a cheese-curd pulling contest with a lot of other contestants, all of us serious yet not, about how long before the pulled cheese broke! Mike and I finished 2^nd – no prize, but a feeling of accomplishment, for sure.

Red barns everywhere in WI - this one at our B&B

China Lights festival in Milwaukee
with friend Jane

The original mill in Hartman Creek

My brother's 20 acres-back yard view, Sullivan WI

Several lighthouses along WI lakes

My sister turned us on to her favorite area in central Wisconsin, where we stayed at Crystal River Inn, a charming B&B in Hartman Creek. The proprietors were happy to see us, as my sister is a ‘regular’ there. They made incredible breakfasts served in the sunroom. Fall colors abounded everywhere. I highly recommend that historic area, close to lakes, hiking trails and the ubiquitous supper clubs.

Goodies at Simon's Specialty Cheeses

We shopped at Simon’s Specialty Cheese where we perused aisles of cheesy treats and fun paraphernalia. My sister treated us to an array of specialty cheeses she’d carefully selected, and we enjoyed a picnic on the shores of Lake Winnebago. Life was good.

Now back in Portland for a short time, we are packing up for imminent departure to Mexico. We head out November 10^th for points south. We look forward to seeing our many friends, and of course being on board our home, currently waiting for us at Marina Mazatlan.

Fantastic Maritime Museum, Lisbon

"The Accountant": noted as the only
non-religious painting at this museum

Olives at the Valencia market

Paella in Valencia - voila!

Mural at a Madeira port tasting

San Nicolas cathedral, Valencia

Sardine stores around Portugal

Cheeses, serrano hams, dried fruits - Madrid

Outside Simon's - I couldn't resist

The Wizard of Oz movie premiered in my hometown of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, in August 1939. A plaza and mural were created to commemorate this.

Oxtail rolls, Madrid

This one's for you, Jerry