LOTS OF BLUE

We have had many shades of blue the past couple of weeks.

AFRICAN BLUE

Ricky fulfilled a life long dream of going to South Africa for a Safari.  Africa is home to some of the most unique wildlife in the world.  While in Africa Ricky and Luke enjoyed not only the animals, but the people and culture as well.
Luke said one of the highlights of the trip was visiting a school and giving the kids new BLUE school uniforms.

Here are some photos they took while in the African Wild

Sounds like a herd of Elephants....

Can you see the Zebra?

While the average wage for a person in Africa is less than $700 per year, Ricky was moved by how happy everyone was.

Posing school girls.

Dancing for "sweeties".

"Is that Luke on a MINI volcano I asked when I saw this picture?"

It is actually a giant 100 year old ant hill....ew.

"Look out there is a rhinocerous in the middle of  the road!"

"Luke has definitely outgrown me," says Ricky looking at this picture.

SEA BLUE

The Mediterrainan Sea is not known for it's surfing waves, but every once in a while a storm blows in and you get to surf in the clear BLUE warm water.  Holden and Luke never pass up the rare opportunity these days to surf. 

 

Luke walking through Placa Cataluyna on his way to the beach.

Here we go....

Luke

Holden

Holden's friends and I enjoy snapping photos as the sun goes down.

The newly built W Hotel, makes an impact on the Barcelona skyline.

Looking the other direction is, a rainbow after the storm.

FEELING BLUE

Last week I felt so low that I crawled into bed at 3pm in the afternoon and cried my eyes out.  I had been going to school for a month and each day felt that learning spanish was an impossible dream. After my depressing class,  I would come home to a messy apartment and Ricky lounging around.  Ricky had just returned from Africa and I was irritated with how much time he was spending in bed reading his books on Africa.  Every once and while he would look up from his book and say,

"Did you know that the life expendency in Africa is 45?" 
Or, 
"The drought in Africa is destroying the farms."  


I don't mean to be careless or insensitve to global tragedy, but I already felt low, and I was barely coping with school/family.  One morning I left for school only to return 6 hours later to Ricky still in bed.  


"You are blowing this amazing opportunity we have right here." I snapped.  


"I don't feel good, I think I am sick." he mumbled. 

"My leg is aching and my lymph nodes are swollen." 

 Ricky was actually not being lazy at all, he was actually dangerously sick with African Tick Bite Fever.  The infection had slowly been growing in his body since he had gotten home. I felt bad that I had been so insensitive, as  I rushed him to the hospital. 

While waiting for hours and hours in the ER without reading material, I prayed that Ricky would be OK, and resolved to be cheerful again.


LITERALLY BLUE
We have noticed that in Spain that there is a lot of POP culture from the 80's Star Wars figurines, Rubix Cubes, and SMURF stuff.  Remember Gargomoyl and Papa Smurf? What about Baby Smurf, Brainy Smurf, and of course the only girl in the Mushroom village....SMURFETTE.

As soon as Faith saw Smurfette she wanted to be her for Halloween. Spain actually doesn't celebrate Halloween, but luckily the kids International School recognized it, and the kids were able to dress up and have a fun weekend.

Faith as Smurfette at school with friends

Cambrie and her friend Merel are Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus.  Here we are on our way to American organized American trick or treating.

Holden and Luke thought they would go as  EURO TRASH for Halloween, but then they were afraid people would not realize they were wearing a costume.

More Halloween fun on the streets of Barcelona

BLUE SKIES  

Sarah and Miguel are friends we met at the winery event, invited us to go mushroom hunting, so in the spirit of Smurfville we went.  Spain is know for fall mushroom hunting. and we are excited to join them on their yearly mushroom hunting excersion.  It was a beautiful drive to Poble de Lillet, a little village an 1 1/2 north of Barcelona.

When we arrived, Miguel gave us the run down on the mushrooms.  He showed us a picture of what we were looking for and what we were NOT looking for.  The mushrooms in his book were classified as excelente, bien, mal, toxico, & morte.  

"Isn't morte, death?" Ricky asked.  

"Yes, yes Miguel replied in his heavy accent, "zez ones are verly bad, you die if you eat zem."  

"I can barely tell the difference between the toxic ones and the excellent ones." I say confused.

"Zats why I have ze book." Miguel says flatly

These are the ones we are looking for.

Why do the ugly ones have to be the good ones?

Off we go..

Within two seconds the competitive American girl found the best mushroom of the day.  

"How much are these mushrooms worth?" asks Ricky after a few hours of hunting. The few mushrooms we have collected are worth about 15 euros per kilo...not much.

"I think we are working for 10 cents an hour at this rate," Ricky says half joking.

"Zis is not supposed to be work," our spanish friend says

The Spanish people have mastered the art of chilling out to a fault, while the American's have mastered workaholism.  Maybe with our year here we will be able to merge the two cultures and find a happy balance.

All the girls including Sarah and baby Carolina

The girls on a village bridge on the way to lunch.

GAUDI CAN ARTIGAS GARDENS

As we walk through the little village of Poble de Lillet (known for it's mushroom recipes), I notice a sign that says something about Gaudi.  I was definitely not expecting to see something designed by Gaudi in this tiny village in the country.  The gardens were actually designed by Gaudi in 1905 for a textile manufacturer. The gardens we unknown until 1971 when discovered by a Catalonian man.

ONE LAST BLUE THING....OUR BLUE GRANNY TROLLEY

Granny Trolleys (yep that is the real name) are necessary for city living.  It's not about being cool or not.  After carrying bags of groceries a few blocks, loosing circulation in your fingers, pulling a granny trolley is a treat.  At the markets there is granny trolley parking spaces with little chains to lock them up.

I am not shopping online for the latest boots this year...I want a new granny trolley.

As I am typing this I ask Holden to run to the store and get some milk.
"Take the Granny Trolley." I suggest
"I am not going to be seen pulling a Granny Trolley to the store!" he says.
"Everyone has them around here," I push.
"There is no freaking way!!!" and the door closes.

Love to all....

oxox Andrea