tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41331526856899358682024-03-06T21:03:53.895+01:00 Our Juicy Life Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-67289308409696873132015-01-15T20:54:00.001+01:002018-09-09T17:25:08.587+02:00Settling In.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31Ax7GIqgcncgjAA2VZ55sxwV5Xv1Gg09Bkgap0lWQoNPK2LZPt8ra77obgVLGXGqtZHufnFZuHLwwrP0UBMbRDpMEpGGu6pP7HAKnpcwPuRIST29wyiUkS3xBjPYL7089kVu8iwJqRca/s1600/IMG_0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31Ax7GIqgcncgjAA2VZ55sxwV5Xv1Gg09Bkgap0lWQoNPK2LZPt8ra77obgVLGXGqtZHufnFZuHLwwrP0UBMbRDpMEpGGu6pP7HAKnpcwPuRIST29wyiUkS3xBjPYL7089kVu8iwJqRca/s400/IMG_0086.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our street.</td></tr>
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We have been living in Spain for 1 month now. It actually seems much longer as we are getting into a groove. We've found places to shop, open markets, got our internet set up, visited Movistar to get our iphone set up, the police for our NIE card, the hardware store, the electronics store, the climbing gym, the best place for bread and fresh eggs, the best beach to run the dogs and us, our favorite pintxos bar in Girona, IKEA (2 locations near Barcelona), a few great trails to walk the dogs, a good vet for the furry kids, a great climbing store, a mexican restaurant and a dentist.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't eat cow cheese....but I do eat sheep cheese!</td></tr>
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We're hanging pictures on the walls and sorting through boxes, there are still a few in the garage we haven't unpacked, but we'll get on it soon. <br />
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We're really happy here. The people are so friendly, the gas is cheaper, the food cheaper and the sun has been shining almost every day. It's so nice to wake up to blue skies instead of mist, damp and clouds, which is what happened in France our last 2 weeks there. But then there is the language. I don't speak Spanish or Catalan. I realized how good my French was when I moved here. We are going to take lessons and will be heading over to the school to meet with them on Tuesday, we'll each take a test and see what class we should be in. Everyone we meet here tells us "you must learn Catalan", that is because they are Catalan. But I'm not sure that would be the best for us. Spain is a big country and we'd like to go to different areas in Spain and if we only learn Catalan it limits us when we travel, if we learn Spanish first, we can communicate with anyone in Spain and then we can start to pick up Catalan words. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach...15 minutes from our house.</td></tr>
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Tomorrow we are heading back down to Barcelona as I have another dentist appointment. I wanted an english speaking dentist and found a really good one in Barcelona. Husband and wife team. Both educated in the states, husband is from Spain and wife from New York. Modern and friendly and I can understand them. I went last week because I have had a tooth that is very sensitive to hot and cold. I had a little cavity and they filled in without any problem. Tomorrow I'm going for a cleaning, as I haven't had my teeth cleaned in a long time. Bruce is coming with me and after my cleaning we' are going to the Picasso museum and then have lunch. Should be fun.<br />
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I'm excited to be here and to explore this beautiful area of Spain. I love change and moving, learning new things, meeting new people, mixing life up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool old place in Bascara.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting the climbing gym in Girona.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not the only one who loves the beach.</td></tr>
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Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-61879112658593870132015-01-11T16:06:00.000+01:002015-01-11T16:06:00.290+01:00Another Day of ClimbingOur friends left on Saturday morning. We spent the day cleaning the house, doing laundry, going grocery shopping and getting into bed early.<br />
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On Sunday we decided to go to a new climbing area about 40 minutes from us. It's called Bellavista. Normally we don't climb on Sunday because it's usually crowded, but it was a beautiful day and we hadn't been climbing in a week, so we took a chance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpBtz7Ncl7WiTPkuL31aZ5eav7M4Yld6faKPnyelWLTBRttzbEPS_hiHlCYx9NElnCZCRwnYTCe1NQxhhYgOvWYBOk02nnJgPea7FvMjL6tKvmuiSVFA5j4xk70krhKl3cN-3C_VSXKho/s1600/IMG_0259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpBtz7Ncl7WiTPkuL31aZ5eav7M4Yld6faKPnyelWLTBRttzbEPS_hiHlCYx9NElnCZCRwnYTCe1NQxhhYgOvWYBOk02nnJgPea7FvMjL6tKvmuiSVFA5j4xk70krhKl3cN-3C_VSXKho/s1600/IMG_0259.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cliff is the one way at the top left.<br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6IOmd6Lqqkh3A-QlX3uq1HHmNnFuPKAPO55tlPebsc8-k6vUvGnNaZQ0HW-mORAl9GYQhHtT-SO3reJvFg0CBrZ-O47VZGIJGB-vdWlKOTIUxBtMyEBLsgHQx9y1FPVxKkXj4dqV_b3p/s1600/IMG_0261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6IOmd6Lqqkh3A-QlX3uq1HHmNnFuPKAPO55tlPebsc8-k6vUvGnNaZQ0HW-mORAl9GYQhHtT-SO3reJvFg0CBrZ-O47VZGIJGB-vdWlKOTIUxBtMyEBLsgHQx9y1FPVxKkXj4dqV_b3p/s1600/IMG_0261.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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It's about a 30 minute hike up to the cliff, not too bad and really pretty. There weren't many people there, we got lucky. We met some climbers from Girona, they spoke english and were really nice telling us which climbs were good, hard, etc. We climbed for most of the day, leaving at about 4:00.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 old, 1 new</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our view</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shirtless in January</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new friend Serge trying to send his route. He fell at the last move.</td></tr>
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It was really hot at the cliff too. 60 degrees at home and probably 70 at the cliff, since it's south facing and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. No complaints from me though.<br />
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The weather for Girona for the next 10 days is sunny and between 60-68. I'm a very happy girl.<br />
<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-23465963232840420422015-01-09T15:35:00.000+01:002015-01-09T15:35:00.111+01:00Our First Guests - Day 3Our friends had never been to Barcelona. So on their last day that's where we went. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This church has been under construction since 1882!</td></tr>
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We drove in and found a parking garage that was right by La Sagrada Familia Basilca. We walked around it and took pictures. We didn't buy tickets on-line and the wait was huge, so we'll go back inside next time. <br />
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The we walked up to Park Güell, a beautiful park designed by Gaudi. Last time we visited it was 15 years ago...you didn't have to pay to get in. This time you do if you want to visit the area called the Monumental Zone of Park Güell. The next available time to enter was 2.5 hours after we arrived, so we passed on that and spent about 1.5 hours just wandering around the rest of the park, which is beautiful. Next time, we'll make reservations and buy tickets on-line.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View Park Güell</td></tr>
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After we left the park we wandered down and visited some of the neighborhoods and then headed down to old town. </div>
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We stopped at a little cafe for some tapas and a glass of wine before dinner.</div>
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We took the advice of Anne, who commented on my Barcelona post a week or so ago and went to Cuines Santa Caterina. It was fantastic. Great service, good location, huge menu. Bruce and I had sushi, Mike had fish and Nicci had fried rice with shrimp. Wine was good, price was good, meal was fantastic. Thanks for the recommendation Anne, we'll be going back for sure.</div>
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We left Barcelona about 11:30 pm and arrived home about 12:30 am. It was a long day, but super fun to explore the city with friends.<br />
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Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-91662420858729032802015-01-08T20:32:00.000+01:002015-01-08T20:32:00.182+01:00Our First Guests - Day 2The next day, we all slept in a bit, since we didn't get home until 2:00 am. We decided to head up to Olot, about 1/2 hour west of us to hike in the Garrotxa Volcanic Park. The Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park is a natural park area covering a Holocene volcanic field (also known as the Olot volcanic field) in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. The volcanos, of which there are about forty within the park, are no longer active, with the last eruption (Croscat) occurring about 11,000 years ago. However, the region is still seismically active, and a large earthquake in 1428 caused damage to buildings and twenty deaths in Barcelona, 90 kilometres (56 mi) to the south.<br />
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We took all the dogs and headed out. It was sunny and a lovely day. We hiked for about 4 hours. First we hiked up and then down into the Santa Margarida Volcano crater. The volcano has a perimeter of 2 kilometers and a height of 682 meters. The hermitage of Santa Margarida, after which the volcano was named, is inside the crater of the volcano. The building was destroyed in 1428 during the 1428 Catalonia earthquake and rebuilt in 1865.<br />
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Then we hiked back up and down and around to visit La Fageda d'en Jordà, which is a forest of beech trees. We stopped and had lunch in the forest and then continued our hike back to the car. A perfect day.<br />
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-27701294200451888652015-01-06T20:16:00.000+01:002015-01-06T20:16:00.300+01:00Our First GuestsOur good friends from France, Mike and Nicci came down to visit us and see our new place for a few days. It's their first time down to this area, they have never been to Girona or Barcelona. They stayed 4 days and we had a great time.<br />
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The first day was beautiful (well actually all the days were beautiful). We took the dogs to the beach for a long run. Mike and Nicci brought their dog Skipi, who gets along really well with all our dogs. It was so great to be running on the beach in December/January.<br />
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We then headed to the ruins of Empúries. Empúries, formerly known by its Spanish name Ampurias, was a town on the Mediterranean coast of the Catalan comarca of Alt Empordà in Catalonia, Spain. It was founded in 575 BC by Greek colonists from Phocaea with the name of Ἐμπόριον (Emporion, meaning "trading place", cf. emporion). It was later occupied by the Romans (Latin: Emporiæ), but in the Early Middle Ages, when its exposed coastal position left it open to marauders, the town was abandoned.<br />
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It's hard to get excited about an excavated site, but the location was beautiful and we tried to imagine what the buildings looked like and how they lived their lives. <br />
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Then we came back and took a long siesta as we were going into Girona to celebrate New Years Eve. We had a great dinner of fresh llobado (a spanish white fish), grilled calamari, potatoes and asparagus. We have decided to start eating more fish since moving here, it's so fresh. <br />
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Our night in Girona was so much fun. We arrived about 10:30 and went to an Irish pub (there weren't many things open). The pub was packed and really fun. Then at 11:45 we headed over to the steps of the church to await the stroke of midnight. Catalan tradition is that each time the bell rings you must eat a grape - 12 grapes total. You have to finish the first grape before the 2nd bell rings and so on. If you can do it, you get good luck all year. We all did it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVPJ0FxzNfHbq7bLdoBmlIaA5VWZxaJoxpJ2KtvjJUOqFz-eGKEb-0CJJj8PBpsTi3GYstxr7zHwRLn2i940oew_i546u9mzkLHOWcfp9htCE0aHKObNFs9BzEcwHDRXVXCWs4gHvD6hz/s1600/IMG_0159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVPJ0FxzNfHbq7bLdoBmlIaA5VWZxaJoxpJ2KtvjJUOqFz-eGKEb-0CJJj8PBpsTi3GYstxr7zHwRLn2i940oew_i546u9mzkLHOWcfp9htCE0aHKObNFs9BzEcwHDRXVXCWs4gHvD6hz/s1600/IMG_0159.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicci and I</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading up the steps</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike and I - Happy New Year</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT_fiUECEDDg4HFs0wLQtjQnX9at4Dc3llROW69Oq6pYYATKwX_CvKRwhBszPEQQS6ixrWsC3oi-fsbqe-39MjOchWizkD3Cm1YIZ63CiBLd3JNre690wiOD9_bOAldZshsOB81pkXxY7/s1600/IMG_0195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT_fiUECEDDg4HFs0wLQtjQnX9at4Dc3llROW69Oq6pYYATKwX_CvKRwhBszPEQQS6ixrWsC3oi-fsbqe-39MjOchWizkD3Cm1YIZ63CiBLd3JNre690wiOD9_bOAldZshsOB81pkXxY7/s1600/IMG_0195.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit dark....but celebrating the New Year</td></tr>
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There were so many people there and a band with live music. Everyone was singing and dancing. We had a fantastic time. Actually our best New Years ever...normally we stay home and are in bed before the clock strikes midnight.<br />
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-40866314492949789152015-01-04T19:06:00.000+01:002015-01-04T19:06:00.315+01:00The memory jar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the past 3 years we have had a memory jar. We start it January 1 and during the year we add little "memories" to it. We opened it this year a bit late, since we had guests, but it was great to remember some of the fun and exciting things that happened in 2014. <br />
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The first one I pulled out was this one. Back in the spring when we we were thinking about moving to Spain.<br />
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We also had some of the teens who came to visit over the summer for an art retreat write some of their memories too. We loved reading things that they remember of the time with us. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCDdTHuP32Qy41JG1zP1WKvmVmOCsmB_9L8MOH_x8zBsQRtF1hkbxK9hr_bdgJKiZEzg9-HmbHCkB7plelAnxq9C-RTDgulB4CTHJ9nOdhBRYYPmvvaktF7BjbfJIAzunN9ogrTK73f2A/s1600/DSCF3195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCDdTHuP32Qy41JG1zP1WKvmVmOCsmB_9L8MOH_x8zBsQRtF1hkbxK9hr_bdgJKiZEzg9-HmbHCkB7plelAnxq9C-RTDgulB4CTHJ9nOdhBRYYPmvvaktF7BjbfJIAzunN9ogrTK73f2A/s1600/DSCF3195.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes in 2 weeks 12 girls went through 10 jars of Nutella.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxcg0kfXxeq5R6JAiOo-SUU8zekw05GW_576rYI4SCQzXys7vQwXk1Pet5K8YPXT0aNnVbC3O2HnmSeGUOz20DEK18PJujP_aQyIxuEsoVecoytV8Tl69O9k4YrBOiF21hu2UI3OYKAPq/s1600/DSCF3196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxcg0kfXxeq5R6JAiOo-SUU8zekw05GW_576rYI4SCQzXys7vQwXk1Pet5K8YPXT0aNnVbC3O2HnmSeGUOz20DEK18PJujP_aQyIxuEsoVecoytV8Tl69O9k4YrBOiF21hu2UI3OYKAPq/s1600/DSCF3196.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This wasn't just a little note...it was a letter and so lovely.<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnaIaxVB0_CjKNa2jkhWJXTJjO0JQjt0VsXjvcdxfT74pPmO1y1UeX5nQSWBkRlcKA_B9EiKGwjDaXG0iTzGtpbn4XOqH5tJTor7eiMArBFZwxk9bnpMRe5q-We9BUarHPZCYJBS8EcE2/s1600/DSCF3197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnaIaxVB0_CjKNa2jkhWJXTJjO0JQjt0VsXjvcdxfT74pPmO1y1UeX5nQSWBkRlcKA_B9EiKGwjDaXG0iTzGtpbn4XOqH5tJTor7eiMArBFZwxk9bnpMRe5q-We9BUarHPZCYJBS8EcE2/s1600/DSCF3197.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have 2 cars, mine only holds 4 girls. I had the same group each time in my car. We would sing songs (most from the movie Frozen) and laughed a lot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqPUePi2z6NG5x8HRsiLD79LfdmfmaoVIPfzm68m_CWqhVCX31h8QNGnMIEH-rDXfx7C1K2rgk0LhBvj22cwyNRJNVREdkT-xVAR9eAKzLv8Qtsu-9T7YbomNPukQE2ENlh-sK2H2l1Md/s1600/DSCF3198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqPUePi2z6NG5x8HRsiLD79LfdmfmaoVIPfzm68m_CWqhVCX31h8QNGnMIEH-rDXfx7C1K2rgk0LhBvj22cwyNRJNVREdkT-xVAR9eAKzLv8Qtsu-9T7YbomNPukQE2ENlh-sK2H2l1Md/s1600/DSCF3198.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bibi is from Russia, this was her 2nd time come to us during the summer. We love her.<br /></td></tr>
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-61336946163801128212015-01-01T20:42:00.000+01:002015-01-01T20:42:00.398+01:00Sunny but the winds!Yesterday we lost power. It was about 5:30 pm and everything went black. Right now our house is on the same electricity as the castle. Yes, the castle. We are part of a 1,000 year old castle, we are only connected by a small terrace, other than that we are separate. But we are still on their electricity until our new meter box comes, which should be next week. Because of that we have to be careful not to load it too much. I forgot yesterday and had the dryer on and then I turned on the electric oven to start dinner. That's all it took. Our landlords who live in the castle are so lovely, they tried to get it working, but couldn't. The electrician couldn't come until today, so we decided to jump in the car and go into Girona to our favorite pintxos restaurant. We came home to a very dark house. <br />
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This morning still no power and it was starting to get a bit cold. Our landlords told us the electrician couldn't come until 4:00 pm. We wanted to go climbing, but it has been very windy the last 2 days, so not ideal for climbing outside. So, we jumped in the car and went into Girona to pick up our NIE card, which is basically our residency card and then we headed to the inside climbing gym just outside of Girona. For 5,00 euros we could climb from 11-5 pm. What a deal. We spent about 3 hours there, climbing and getting a great workout.<br />
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We came back around 4:00 and still no electrician. But at 4:30 as we were sitting in the house with coats and hats on, the electricity came back on. YAY. The house doesn't take long to heat up, so we'll be good in a few hours. I just need to remember that if I'm going to use the dryer, nothing else can be running. Once we get our meter, everything will be fine.<br />
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Little things like this can either be a huge hassle or a "oh well". We choose "oh well", such is life. It's not a big deal. You've got to learn to just let things roll off and not stress.<br />
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-29578565087349697912014-12-31T20:32:00.000+01:002014-12-31T20:32:00.389+01:00Back to MontgronyIt was a sunny warm day so we decided to head back up to Montgrony for some more climbing. We warmed up on some easy routes and then spent the rest of the day getting beat up on the hardest 7a I have ever done. Tufa climbing is not my favorite and it's so hard, a full body workout. I got beat up, but it was a great workout. Santa brought me a new climbing harness for Christmas, so I had to break in it. Fits good, but I'm not psyched about the purple.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pSN7sh1jPAwepJvgCDS9A8ebXvHiuqRFm6QeeherHVxfJyyswZlkydbfB9IF92NMluNjs52dL2iU46Nng4YpcvjiEOLkesedfbj8UQfPuFz1SYTH62fDdwbvXQOxE7lnecE_nsznHCP7/s1600/DSCF3149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pSN7sh1jPAwepJvgCDS9A8ebXvHiuqRFm6QeeherHVxfJyyswZlkydbfB9IF92NMluNjs52dL2iU46Nng4YpcvjiEOLkesedfbj8UQfPuFz1SYTH62fDdwbvXQOxE7lnecE_nsznHCP7/s1600/DSCF3149.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sporting my new harness</td></tr>
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This is what we worked on after warming up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6gEXLvSQ_aRok4nY_pN8EIQOE2aD2YAKyk7tuGKua59qBIaSaGG7Psmb-bDrvOy228cSqVOI3_0a1MQ-FeVzuB5-GtlDScIGsjXsmHQUr6icHbge2pCZGiorHfiEkW5MxSGjW5UOvJCF/s1600/DSCF3154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6gEXLvSQ_aRok4nY_pN8EIQOE2aD2YAKyk7tuGKua59qBIaSaGG7Psmb-bDrvOy228cSqVOI3_0a1MQ-FeVzuB5-GtlDScIGsjXsmHQUr6icHbge2pCZGiorHfiEkW5MxSGjW5UOvJCF/s1600/DSCF3154.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tufas</td></tr>
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When we went the first time with Howard and Kate it was so busy, tons of people. But it was a Sunday so expected. Today, it was only Bruce and I.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYXCo9w46PiDfEfFNAlovpuy8Wav56ECG3bPSv8HVhzmHb0ozxsHH_AX4U0CEWWAtLe76LStHVZO-aCGzzQNXdP954aewel06I1GTE5NGdGKbA4K7o7CqZgONOtwyeY3zd8HfmmVqn3-9/s1600/DSCF3155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYXCo9w46PiDfEfFNAlovpuy8Wav56ECG3bPSv8HVhzmHb0ozxsHH_AX4U0CEWWAtLe76LStHVZO-aCGzzQNXdP954aewel06I1GTE5NGdGKbA4K7o7CqZgONOtwyeY3zd8HfmmVqn3-9/s1600/DSCF3155.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">getting ready</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KMJSRWejLbWJEjF6pNrs_Y58gDiC4bW0pef6a7r5qFAbCOJDAOXKJsnZVotMIYJ6kn6bwsms5H7VG7rsr7zchXeVQvmjtA0mxf7eJPkEaKj22tnC4JHHMYCQZijL4tC5IJ022N4br7OT/s1600/IMG_0108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KMJSRWejLbWJEjF6pNrs_Y58gDiC4bW0pef6a7r5qFAbCOJDAOXKJsnZVotMIYJ6kn6bwsms5H7VG7rsr7zchXeVQvmjtA0mxf7eJPkEaKj22tnC4JHHMYCQZijL4tC5IJ022N4br7OT/s1600/IMG_0108.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce ready to climb</td></tr>
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We had a great day climbing. I'm sure I'm going to be sore tomorrow. <br />
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-44903163762231034182014-12-30T20:21:00.000+01:002014-12-30T20:21:00.360+01:00A visit to El Lleó marketplace in Girona.<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">"El Lleó marketplace is the city's centre of distribution for fresh quality produce. It houses a total of 60 stalls selling diverse products: meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, groceries… The market is a vital destination for many of the city's chefs who shop there for their restaurants, and is a daily meeting point for the citizens of Girona."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">That's what we read online. So we decided to give it a go. It was pretty cool and so much to offer. We decided to get some cheese (sheep) and also some calamari and chicken. The fish monger was really nice and we picked up some amazing, fresh calamari. We both love calamari but we have never cooked it at home. Time to try. The chicken stand was crowded and I don't read catalan, but I figured it out. Ordered some chicken legs and drumsticks. They were sold out of a lot of stuff, I guess we got there a bit late (at 11:00 am). I was looking for fresh eggs, it seems that the supermarkets only sell eggs from the factory farms, which seem to be all over Spain. I have no desire to eat those eggs and want ones that are organic and free-range, and by free-range I mean really free-range. I couldn't find any, maybe I was there too late, or maybe it's not the place to find them. My search continues.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">We cooked up our calamari and it was fantastic. Could be a once a week meal for us. We are pretty boring with our food. Some type of protein (chicken, pork, fish) and veggies or a salad. But this night we mixed it up and actually had some rice and lentils. It was a nice change and so easy, fast, fresh and inexpensive.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">I'm getting to know the area, but I'm sure there are better places to get certain things. I just need to ask around and get the inside scoop on where to shop.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-45778237052511141962014-12-29T18:17:00.001+01:002014-12-29T18:17:23.529+01:00Ikea again, but with Barcelona thrown in too.As you might have read, last week we had to drive down to Barcelona and visit Ikea for our new couch, bed, mattress and miscellaneous stuff. Well, we were putting our new bed together and realized that we needed 6 feet instead of the 4 that we bought. Argh! Why couldn't they tell us that? What that meant was, we needed to drive down to Barcelona again to visit Ikea to buy 2 more legs for the bed. We decided that we'd make an adventure out of it. We'd go to a different Ikea, closer to Barcelona. Then we'd park the car near the metro and take it into the city for dinner. The last time we were in Barcelona was 15 years ago. Bruce's first trip to Europe. It was our 1 month trip to Spain. 4 days in Barcelona and then 3.5 weeks on the island of Mallorca for climbing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce at IKEA</td></tr>
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15 years ago we ate at an amazing restaurant called Les Quinze <span style="background-color: yellow;">Nits</span>, we decided it would be fun to go back. Sounds like a good plan, yes? Well, actually it wasn't. Once we left Ikea we couldn't find public parking and we couldn't find the metro that we were told was across from Ikea. So we drove around and around, not really knowing where we were or where we were going. I had a tiny metro map and finally we saw a metro station, yay! So now we needed to find parking. Parking that didn't close at 10 pm, as it was now 7 pm. We found a great place to park, underground, that was open 24 hours. It was a bit pricey, but we decided to go for it. <br />
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We easily found the metro station from the underground parking and off we went to the restaurant. We got off a bit early and wandered down Las Ramblas. 15 years ago it was very different. There were no Starbucks, Urban Outfitters or other chain stores, I was a bit disappointed with all the changes, it didn't look at all like the <span style="background-color: yellow;">Las Ramblas</span> I was on 15 years ago. But, things change, get over it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy Las Ramblas</td></tr>
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We found the restaurant and easily got a table for 2. And then we sat there, and sat there, and sat there. Nobody came over, nothing. It's not like we were hidden in a corner either. 15 minutes go by, nothing. I said to Bruce "5 more minutes and that's it, I'm out of here". 5 minutes go by and still nothing. We didn't have water, wine, menus, nothing. So, we left.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me outside of Les quintze nitz </td></tr>
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We walked around a bit and finally found a great restaurant where we settled in, had great service, and a great meal. It wasn't the "same" place from 15 years back, but we had a great time. Then we jumped on the metro again and headed back to the car. 1 hour later, we were home. It was 12:30 am....way too late for me. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toasting our new life</td></tr>
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What did we learn? Many things. First, don't visit Las Ramblas - it's just tourists and pricey stores. <span style="text-align: center;"> Second, we need to do some research and find the best neighborhoods in Barcelona, get off the tourist route. Third, research the restaurant you're planning on going to, before you go to it....we found out that Les</span> Quinze Nits was sold a while back, to a Chinese company that also has 10 other restaurants and many office buildings in Barcelona. It's not the original owners and they don't care about customer service, just feeding the masses<span style="text-align: center;">.</span><br />
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We need to visit Barcelona a few more times to get our bearings and to figure out the best areas to visit and some of the best (local) restaurants. It's a beautiful city and I'm looking forward to getting to know her a bit better.<br />
<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-78819468646025444772014-12-24T17:40:00.000+01:002014-12-24T17:40:00.391+01:00We should have stayed home and unpacked.But...we've been packing, loading and unloading. Driving to Spain, back to France and back to Spain. We are tired but when we arrived here in Catalunya, but it was sunny and warm, a big change from the cold and wet 2 weeks we had in France. We decided to go climbing instead of unpacking. We needed to get outside and feel the rock. <br />
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We headed west past Olat to Santuari de Montgrony, where is an old monastary. This is a fantastic place to climb, so many routes and so beautiful. In France we were spoiled, there were 4 great climbing cliffs within 10-15 minutes of us, here we have to drive a bit further, but it's worth it. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">K climbing hard</td></tr>
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We met our friends K and H, they are from the states too, but live in France. We met them last year here in Spain, climbing. They are closer to us now, only 1.5 hours away. And they know this area very well. We had a great day of climbing and feeling the sun on our faces. It was worth the break from unpacking.<br />
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Since we don't have family here, we'll probably go climbing on Christmas day. We did that last year in France. I think we were the only ones at the cliff. We'll see how it is this year in Spain.<br />
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Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-64272799968185195182014-12-19T17:30:00.000+01:002014-12-19T17:30:00.513+01:00France to Spain and back to FranceI love moving, but I don't like packing and unloading a big moving truck. We rented a truck that we hoped would be big enough for all our stuff. Fingers-crossed. On Saturday, we picked up the truck and drove it back to our house here in France. We spent the afternoon loading it up. And everything fit, even the ping-pong table! We went out to dinner, since we didn't really have anything else in the house and I had no desire to cook. We headed down to Gaillac and our little bistro and had a lovely dinner.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It all fit!</td></tr>
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Sunday morning we were up at 5:30 because we had to leave the house by 7. We had a meeting scheduled with the agency that helped us find our house at 11:30 to sign the contract. They were nice enough to come in on a Sunday to do this for us. Something that would never happen in France. Bruce drown the big truck and I followed him in the car (with the dogs). It's about a 3.5 hour drive, but it took us 4 with the big truck. We signed the contract, got the keys to the house and headed over to start unloading.<br />
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We decided to unload everything into the garage and then take stuff as we needed it into the house. That way we can be sure where we want everything and we won't be surrounded by tons of boxes. It only took us about 2.5 hours to unload, compared to 6 to load. We finished at dusk. We then headed into Girona to our favorite pintxo bar for dinner. It was so so good and we toasted our new life in Spain.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are only the cold pintxos, the hot ones are amazing too.</td></tr>
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Monday it rained all day. The only rain in the forecast for the next 10 days. We had some errands to run and we had lunch out and then spent the rest of the day unpacking. We had a nice quiet dinner in our new home. On Tuesday we headed down towards Barcelona to visit IKEA. I love IKEA but hate the IKEA fatigue. We had to take the big truck because we were buying a new couch, chair, mattress and bed frame and of course we bought tons of little things. On our way back, I mentioned that it was the 16th and Bruce said "What, I thought it was the 15th?" We then realized that our rental truck was due back an hour ago - mind you, we were 5 hours away from where we rented it. So we rushed back home, packed up a few things and headed back to France. Again, Bruce in the big truck and me following with the dogs. 9:00 pm, we got back home, exhausted. They rental company was so nice, they didn't even charge us extra for bringing it back late.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dashell not really understanding why we are at an empty house.<br /></td></tr>
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We are now back in our empty house in France. It's cold and wet here. We have had a fire going all day. We don't have any heat, except for the fire, because we don't have oil in our tank. We sold my beautiful range, that I'm sad to see go, but our new house had one almost just like it. I'm going to take the money and buy a pottery wheel. I haven't thrown in years and our new home has a great studio space for Bruce and I. So I'll be back at it soon. Tonight we are going to see our good friends C&T and R&T for dinner. It will be sad to say goodbye, but we hope that they'll come and see us and we'll be back here for climbing too. Tomorrow we'll finish cleaning the house and meet with our landlords to turn over the keys. Depending on how we feel, we might head down to Spain tomorrow afternoon with the dogs and this time the 2 cats. I'm ready to get into our new warm cozy home and start unpacking and getting settled. Exciting things coming our way.<br />
<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-85366028206795621972014-12-18T20:32:00.000+01:002014-12-18T20:32:00.260+01:00Back to "the office" one last time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking up to Amiel, one last time.</td></tr>
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When we first moved to France back in 2008 we had stopped climbing. If you've read this blog for a while you know that we stopped climbing and started road biking. In fact, our first year here we road almost every day. It was a great way to see the area, but sometimes it was so cold I couldn't feel my hands or feet. I met Bruce climbing and we had climbed in some amazing places, but one day we decided to try something different, so we first started surfing, then I started doing triathlons and then we started road biking. But when we came back to France in 2010 we looked around and realized there was so much amazing limestone just minutes from us, we had to start climbing again.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nellie lounging at the cliff.</td></tr>
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It was hard to get back on the horse. I was afraid of falling, afraid of leading and we started out on the easiest climbs we could find. But we were both hooked again, we put our bikes away and spent 3-4 days a week climbing on the most beautiful limestone. That was 4 years ago, and we are still climbing as much as we can. I'm not so much afraid of falling or leading anymore and I'm not doing the easiest climbs either. In fact, this year I did my hardest route ever. Not bad for 51. <br />
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When we first started climbing again, the perfect place for us was Amiel. It's 10 minutes from our house and has great climbing. Easy stuff to hard stuff and lots in the middle. We'd call it "the office". It's a 30 minutes hike up and you get the most beautiful view of a tiny village call Penne. If it's during the week, it's usually just Bruce and I. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGy4OmWWCYY2Vsk0QkF45nR1K1GQcJ_zGGFbFiGUOz1D2I2PwEm2re4KfYk4bw5cnGGSwkxnNZ9k_IVaNqtznpPbCkqtYdXhsDTWEwKW-qSnpZAFlQfOtrpDwdKIaKbWSrNxUGnSF-t0Y/s1600/IMG_0045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGy4OmWWCYY2Vsk0QkF45nR1K1GQcJ_zGGFbFiGUOz1D2I2PwEm2re4KfYk4bw5cnGGSwkxnNZ9k_IVaNqtznpPbCkqtYdXhsDTWEwKW-qSnpZAFlQfOtrpDwdKIaKbWSrNxUGnSF-t0Y/s1600/IMG_0045.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down towards Penne.</td></tr>
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The last 2 weeks we haven't seen the sun. It's been cold, wet, gloomy and cloudy. Nothing makes me more depressed. But today it was sunny and perfect climbing temps. Mid 40's and blue skies. It was a perfect day to go to Amiel and get one last day in at the office before moving to Spain. I would have been sad to leave this area without saying goodbye to Amiel. <br />
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So today we hiked up and spent 4 hours climbing. It was great. I said goodbye to Amiel and told her I'd see her again one day (which I'm sure I will), I also thanked her for bringing me back to climbing.<br />
She's been good to us and we'll miss her. But I'm sure we'll be finding some new amazing places to climb in Spain.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this was the sunset today from our yard.</td></tr>
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-58070177462876760052014-12-16T18:00:00.000+01:002014-12-16T18:00:04.276+01:00And the house we chose is....Fantastic. First we narrowed our picks down to two. And then finally to one. It was a hard decision, we loved both houses, but they were very different. One was basically a villa, seriously a villa, but once we spoke with the agent about all the other "fees" to keeping the house (gardener, pool cleaning, etc...) the rent basically doubled. Too expensive for us. The house we chose is perfect for us and we loved it the minute we walked in. Big fenced in backyard, 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, studio for Bruce and me, lovely back terrace, great kitchen and lots of light. It's in a tiny village of about 100 people (no commerce) about 15 minutes north of Girona. It's also part of a 1,000 year old castle. It doesn't connect, but is right next door to the castle, which has been restored and it stunning. The owners of the house and castle are super nice people too. He was a michelin star chef, who then sold his restaurant and then bought the castle, restored it and opened a restaurant in the castle. But this year due to health reasons, the restaurant is closed. She is a famous potter throughout Spain. They love art and are lovely people.<br />
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I'll post some pictures once we move in and get settled. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4h40bXRP8aaIMPB-KHAyrYVZEih-XtDX8cvGqBUUMhsfoU9uHNgviKdU0aXAhyhyphenhyphenJXXCosgBLF2QJBIFY50Bh6B_cnbE5Hn1EaQqIxJayMU5MpZZ8IBNS-HHFwSo0dulttJLM9vHNErX/s1600/DSCF3111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4h40bXRP8aaIMPB-KHAyrYVZEih-XtDX8cvGqBUUMhsfoU9uHNgviKdU0aXAhyhyphenhyphenJXXCosgBLF2QJBIFY50Bh6B_cnbE5Hn1EaQqIxJayMU5MpZZ8IBNS-HHFwSo0dulttJLM9vHNErX/s1600/DSCF3111.jpg" height="640" width="532" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited about our new adventure!</td></tr>
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Our landlord was so nice and took us up to the village that our village is part of to get our census. She thought it would be easier for us if she was there. We got the letter we needed (to show the police for our NEE). Then we headed into Girona to visit the Police, who give us our NEE card. We ended up being there for 2 hours, not because of long lines, but because everyone was so nice. A few of them spoke english and they loved that we were originally from California. They told us where they were from in Spain and showed us pictures of their home towns. I swear, everyone is so nice in Spain. We have to return to the Police in 30 days to pick up our card, but we got our number, so that's a good sign.<br />
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So we have a house, we have our NEE card, we have a checking account in Spain. It's all coming together. We rented a truck and will be taking our stuff down to Spain on the 15th, then we'll come back up to France to clean our house here and then we'll turn around and pack up the dogs and the cats and move into our new home in Spain. Can't wait.Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-44373920822073513252014-12-15T17:41:00.000+01:002014-12-15T17:41:00.111+01:00But wait....it's only been 2 weeks!8-12 weeks. That's what the Spanish Consulate told us. But we were in Spain, again, and we got an email from the Spanish Consulate telling us that our VISA was approved and we had 30 days to come and get it. WHAT? <br />
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We were so excited and thrilled, but we just got back from Chicago, what happened to 8-12 weeks? We do have 30 days to get it, so it's not like we have to go back tomorrow. Now comes the tricky part. Once you pick up your VISA and return to the EU, you have 30 days to get your empadronamiento (basically a census) and your NEE card (like a social security card in the states - and you need that card to do anything in Spain - rent a house, get a phone, open a bank account, etc.) and show that you have accommodation set up (lease or deed) for Spain. Since we are already living in France, we'd return there, so the clock would start immediately. <br />
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So, 3 weeks later we were back on a plane to Chicago to pick up our VISA. Not much to report here, it went very smooth. I didn't have any pages left in my passport and it expired in 2016, so I needed a new one. Because of the timing I had to use an agency and get it in 2 days. That was very easy too, we used an agency in Chicago and everything worked out great. We went to consulate and picked up our VISA and headed back to France. Now we'll be heading back to Spain (thank goodness it's only 3.5 hours from our house to Girona) to register and make a decision on a house. We did give notice to our landlord here in France. We'll be moving mid-December.....so Christmas in Spain!<br />
<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-17727144161457418692014-12-13T17:29:00.000+01:002014-12-13T17:29:00.580+01:00Family Visit & Spanish Consulate VisitOf course, the time we decide to visit the states, Air France goes on strike and of course, we are flying Air France for part of our flight. We had to keep an eye on flights the week prior to our departure and every day the flight from Toulouse to Paris had been cancelled. I checked taking the train up to Paris the day before and it looked like it might be a good option as our flight from Paris to the states was on Delta, so it wasn't going to be cancelled. We just needed to get to Paris. On Friday, I called Air France/Delta and asked if the flight was going to be cancelled on Sunday, they told me that it would NOT be cancelled. That they were going to open it up, because it had been cancelled all week. Well that's good news, until Saturday morning when I received a text from Air France telling me that our flight on Sunday was cancelled. It was now too late to take the train to Paris. We needed to get to the states, as we had things to do to get our Visa application ready in Michigan and then we had an appointment at the Spanish Consulate in Chicago. <br />
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So we decided to rent a car and drive to Paris, as it's only 6 hours away. We'd stay at the airport and then get our flight the next day to Detroit. So that's what we did. We made it to Paris and then made our flight from Paris to Detroit on Sunday. Whew.<br />
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We stayed with my sister, her husband, their 2 kids and their fantastic bulldog. I haven't seen my sister in almost 3 years, which is crazy. I speak to her at least once a week, sometimes more though, but it was so good to see her, she's my best friend. We always have such good laughs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXLSD7J1JOHgAj06mp97BZF5wpGMM87bP6ZpfFtRirUWO-KBWx17EeKVTAJKcKIsoaAuzGUKcFAmRKB7OaLFE0yciceL3SCtNEgMm8PRB_sdCbe5traWWMxpnivit5PIqfZzkUHtlcMYQ/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXLSD7J1JOHgAj06mp97BZF5wpGMM87bP6ZpfFtRirUWO-KBWx17EeKVTAJKcKIsoaAuzGUKcFAmRKB7OaLFE0yciceL3SCtNEgMm8PRB_sdCbe5traWWMxpnivit5PIqfZzkUHtlcMYQ/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="508" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce very happy at the Taco Truck in Michigan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmRJ4PILxtd099fXtYVGPFqlg_NhBn0sipwFT4fRjjo4W74sGbf29CmKipi74wTY0Fy2k57Lsq6zbDI-pceDPITQzHBvHXmSjxOR18NshmkVggwXFjBcLIxJNmFuNhmQeHtIsrB5x1rP8/s1600/photo+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmRJ4PILxtd099fXtYVGPFqlg_NhBn0sipwFT4fRjjo4W74sGbf29CmKipi74wTY0Fy2k57Lsq6zbDI-pceDPITQzHBvHXmSjxOR18NshmkVggwXFjBcLIxJNmFuNhmQeHtIsrB5x1rP8/s1600/photo+3.jpg" height="444" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Bruce and my 15 year old nephew</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJHNn-kFCMntKAJuiWD7sNIABfDzvA67B2KaCyeIneFq8H8S5DEi8MWFyU0o4yjEWre2qGIdze0D0_TfQw8C0wl4p9Ap7st8QvO65GftzjfYcoQbznziQNs5LGy1O1P1zqUvXPbDTjGE6/s1600/photo+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJHNn-kFCMntKAJuiWD7sNIABfDzvA67B2KaCyeIneFq8H8S5DEi8MWFyU0o4yjEWre2qGIdze0D0_TfQw8C0wl4p9Ap7st8QvO65GftzjfYcoQbznziQNs5LGy1O1P1zqUvXPbDTjGE6/s1600/photo+4.jpg" height="640" width="486" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce and Kumar (the coolest Bulldog)</td></tr>
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We had dinner with my brother, his wife, their 2 kids and my Mom. Then dinner with my Mom again another night. But mostly we hung out with my sister, who was such a great help with getting everything for our VISA. I won't go into all the things we needed, but it's extensive.<br />
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We spent 3 nights in Michigan and then took the Amtrak to Chicago. Bruce had never been to Chicago, so he was pretty excited. We rented an apartment in the Gold Coast area, super close to everything. The weather was also warm and sunny, which was really nice.<br />
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Our appointment at the Spanish Consulate was nothing like our experience at the French Consulate. They were friendly, nice, they smiled, they spoke to us, asked us questions about our life, why Spain, etc....the French, not so much. They told us that it would be 8-12 weeks before we got an answer - but our guy did tell us that our application looked incredible and he didn't see any problem with us getting a Visa. We left the consulate feeling pretty good.<br />
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We had a great time in Chicago, we ate sushi 3 nights out of the 4. Seriously. It was so amazing and good. We went for runs along Lakeshore Drive, visited the museum, and did some serious shopping. We left Chicago, feeling pretty confident that in 8-12 weeks we'd be back to pick up our Visa.<br />
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We didn't bring our camera to Chicago so no pictures of that. Thanks to my sisters iphone we at least have a few shots of our visit in Michigan.<br />
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I will report that Delta/Air France has taken very good care of us and the inconvenience that the strike had on us. They reimbursed us for 1/4 of our flight - to cover the Toulouse-Paris flight and reimbursed us for our rental car, hotel at the airport and dinner that night. Very pleased with that!<br />
<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-12976003991566608802014-12-11T17:04:00.000+01:002014-12-11T17:04:00.559+01:00Back to Catalunya<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw39yV9osK4x8qEa1YSQ8hC_CXLIbG-guMvN-GrsNFHy8y83e2nPeJ6lmPKiKkIVYasA5VxZlj_wpSCwwnDwn-t7OUJNxpjSp9EEX4gPm0nElmX9sN1-Nd6Y_IRPFR1dvxYdmuWpYRErZ/s1600/1609800_10203561087337164_6620116938443555131_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw39yV9osK4x8qEa1YSQ8hC_CXLIbG-guMvN-GrsNFHy8y83e2nPeJ6lmPKiKkIVYasA5VxZlj_wpSCwwnDwn-t7OUJNxpjSp9EEX4gPm0nElmX9sN1-Nd6Y_IRPFR1dvxYdmuWpYRErZ/s1600/1609800_10203561087337164_6620116938443555131_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Town - Girona</td></tr>
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We took a trip back down to Catalunya to look at some rental houses. We saw a total of 5 houses. We loved two, liked two and didn't like the 5th. Now the decision.<br />
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We had the dogs with us and decided to take them to the beach one afternoon. Then we stopped in L'Escala for a great lunch of fresh seafood. We also went to visit a local climbing area, and they came along that day too. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJarZ8HXgunXeb3g5hvwM4mUw32Po2Mja9zkmOEHNK7iyDEoZ2uIRUuq5KHzu_0SyM-grgmx1GGWIChMDsYL_OpWUS4iqqBv4YUlsAF4eyq_kKBmGnz2ecOeJiphuT83y3Enf-iHPCX7O/s1600/10676385_10205310306896380_2754343132430343353_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJarZ8HXgunXeb3g5hvwM4mUw32Po2Mja9zkmOEHNK7iyDEoZ2uIRUuq5KHzu_0SyM-grgmx1GGWIChMDsYL_OpWUS4iqqBv4YUlsAF4eyq_kKBmGnz2ecOeJiphuT83y3Enf-iHPCX7O/s1600/10676385_10205310306896380_2754343132430343353_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dashell loving the stream</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvZwTPRp5PM2gpptlXhdQaZQYcuOxSTNPb5zBsK8xKIcKn9ZpofLWhms9i_yggZ9nM-Ip74KNw8yir7FsgTO9wB7xvuyrffM9hEFNo1YevM-fgtaoh-BncrXOZpO8qKLeB9UAE6ddyyJ_/s1600/DSCF2972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvZwTPRp5PM2gpptlXhdQaZQYcuOxSTNPb5zBsK8xKIcKn9ZpofLWhms9i_yggZ9nM-Ip74KNw8yir7FsgTO9wB7xvuyrffM9hEFNo1YevM-fgtaoh-BncrXOZpO8qKLeB9UAE6ddyyJ_/s1600/DSCF2972.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Dog</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-_CUgEGJOdAF9Kzf89Dhy7_T7BPcqCyWmADXLP3EvnyN0jAgYdGO4_qCEpOffM_5C2-4VBO2VRiR-sV8DKBWriAuGnCF4c9poGB0rbBTNLI_vuT7MQhvCFb4pllFLoRUCGZPe12To9gj/s1600/10169326_10205144319876988_8032842726728469635_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-_CUgEGJOdAF9Kzf89Dhy7_T7BPcqCyWmADXLP3EvnyN0jAgYdGO4_qCEpOffM_5C2-4VBO2VRiR-sV8DKBWriAuGnCF4c9poGB0rbBTNLI_vuT7MQhvCFb4pllFLoRUCGZPe12To9gj/s1600/10169326_10205144319876988_8032842726728469635_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Med.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12SRY8F43CcE2OXD8IV0MC1HKvVDtC78_kQx0jM6uouTrpNb8CcSvrnkKR-asV4m1ivPJEMWsPkG1b_xB0lbPsqBNO1ubea1UkLl04OuNd0K_eXTVZJD0gROtDacC0morfgb3kt7mNMCu/s1600/10003990_10203552422160540_6920586836639195802_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12SRY8F43CcE2OXD8IV0MC1HKvVDtC78_kQx0jM6uouTrpNb8CcSvrnkKR-asV4m1ivPJEMWsPkG1b_xB0lbPsqBNO1ubea1UkLl04OuNd0K_eXTVZJD0gROtDacC0morfgb3kt7mNMCu/s1600/10003990_10203552422160540_6920586836639195802_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Girona was having it's Les Fires de Sant Narcís Girona, a week-long festival. The city was full of vendors, music, people and great food. It was so much fun to have a city near that is so lively. Where we are now Toulouse is the closest lively city and it's over an hour away. Girona is 15 minutes from all the houses we looked at.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgJdrFgzFuVCzhO-WtPDK8yJus1uXpEXXUeWfIkWtZAsiy1aqY4kf3cSDj8fEdHaX1AQydQhrQXZwSG76inP8_ENTPa1_hcGnMnWvn2vN-G80B8i-pQgfST_cTKo3l3SoDtQv2iYPTC5v/s1600/DSCF3060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgJdrFgzFuVCzhO-WtPDK8yJus1uXpEXXUeWfIkWtZAsiy1aqY4kf3cSDj8fEdHaX1AQydQhrQXZwSG76inP8_ENTPa1_hcGnMnWvn2vN-G80B8i-pQgfST_cTKo3l3SoDtQv2iYPTC5v/s1600/DSCF3060.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Music everywhere</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH86JWHrE2Z5sM_-bmTO2Tx0sJv18GJtARq26orGjPq1VJl2y_Swa8-nPj-dveOPsHgdOtGJEiEi8eLOn2ahIjpR9zlM6K9DzPiMIuDLHDcY4ful5BCpRrsX36i_u1271le3jj-r9Y3J79/s1600/10001302_10203561088537194_8083636087424499843_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH86JWHrE2Z5sM_-bmTO2Tx0sJv18GJtARq26orGjPq1VJl2y_Swa8-nPj-dveOPsHgdOtGJEiEi8eLOn2ahIjpR9zlM6K9DzPiMIuDLHDcY4ful5BCpRrsX36i_u1271le3jj-r9Y3J79/s1600/10001302_10203561088537194_8083636087424499843_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girona</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QShWhV6R-5eHMcBL2kObf_IPiyTEpi2Hnrpqnxev7RuIdOHXqxU9HqCmvg4qtxNVADsLrii7ZqXWyXkczt4pPWTqnJcsPjx-e3YcDNAFMpIIkXrVa6LF9E4LBrx8IevAxRWm5wOlkFHe/s1600/10352140_10205364071610644_3589638952885118479_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QShWhV6R-5eHMcBL2kObf_IPiyTEpi2Hnrpqnxev7RuIdOHXqxU9HqCmvg4qtxNVADsLrii7ZqXWyXkczt4pPWTqnJcsPjx-e3YcDNAFMpIIkXrVa6LF9E4LBrx8IevAxRWm5wOlkFHe/s1600/10352140_10205364071610644_3589638952885118479_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placa de Independencia, Girona</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkBNovKeRDO8h3lQlUFnxuCVmZFEqjh7Trv430LeHjq915M7cn5tEfbO1L6kxHG8byARARegYwByzHnqWcoc91mG4sq5zbjIgOOMZMsG3__bY19LobW9yqY38wG_OMv_mTKMJgO4DRys4/s1600/DSCF3054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkBNovKeRDO8h3lQlUFnxuCVmZFEqjh7Trv430LeHjq915M7cn5tEfbO1L6kxHG8byARARegYwByzHnqWcoc91mG4sq5zbjIgOOMZMsG3__bY19LobW9yqY38wG_OMv_mTKMJgO4DRys4/s1600/DSCF3054.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brebis Cheese</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqHXUyGBeAk9HHwx1g3hzIhVtN_oM5Ly1AmWC6zxk_w2iIz4RUf800S-gQNNLMeC11rixylqb4jWzASsPGubsCwylgFfWCzrojpmQ-TWDj_776oA2PllxDANHeJ9JKYpAF9GJPWQX-rc1/s1600/DSCF3049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqHXUyGBeAk9HHwx1g3hzIhVtN_oM5Ly1AmWC6zxk_w2iIz4RUf800S-gQNNLMeC11rixylqb4jWzASsPGubsCwylgFfWCzrojpmQ-TWDj_776oA2PllxDANHeJ9JKYpAF9GJPWQX-rc1/s1600/DSCF3049.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5O2gFD9TOy5zhXAT8VYvjPb17KnN-73OG5lIZZFMumoQwIB_Hfobni5Wp63c5e1S0cGS4NXoYLPFUeOBJ9FHuCs42q8PNpZhlS8jL6CGdgvD2Jl6ZLn2KQZTDIlo9zAT-YHpzOYfL41Y/s1600/DSCF3057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5O2gFD9TOy5zhXAT8VYvjPb17KnN-73OG5lIZZFMumoQwIB_Hfobni5Wp63c5e1S0cGS4NXoYLPFUeOBJ9FHuCs42q8PNpZhlS8jL6CGdgvD2Jl6ZLn2KQZTDIlo9zAT-YHpzOYfL41Y/s1600/DSCF3057.jpg" height="640" width="490" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking over one of the bridges to old town Girona</td></tr>
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Our next trip will be to the states. We haven't been back in over a year, last time to Los Angeles to see Bruce's family. This time it will be to Michigan to see my family and then to Chicago to apply for our Spanish Visa. All that will be in the next post. We've had 2 French long-stay Visas, it will be interesting to see if Spanish is any different.Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-2755697327089071682014-12-10T16:35:00.000+01:002014-12-10T16:35:00.171+01:00Not another one?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpKurP56E4aq6ClpZPbAYeZGgzoB4QxtL3qfbbv5Oz0i-eTyppJNE3uhGQaQ3bgCuevsAyloqr3U9dMCWucLLyo2PfTUoxezdGVvLFygS-i4RkIdq52y1ZdOWBG7kwJtRMmDDeIPf_NwF/s1600/10636157_10205036639654870_5953228561831935907_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpKurP56E4aq6ClpZPbAYeZGgzoB4QxtL3qfbbv5Oz0i-eTyppJNE3uhGQaQ3bgCuevsAyloqr3U9dMCWucLLyo2PfTUoxezdGVvLFygS-i4RkIdq52y1ZdOWBG7kwJtRMmDDeIPf_NwF/s1600/10636157_10205036639654870_5953228561831935907_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the day after we found Mr. Man - such a skinny little bit</td></tr>
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If you've read this blog before, you know that almost a year ago we were outside, heard a crying kitten and found our lovely Colette (who was 4 weeks old at that time). She's now over a year, healthy, happy and such a love. Well, it happened again. But Dashell found this one. He was barking at a tree on our property and we went over to it, looked up and there was this little kitten. We couldn't climb up the tree, so I got a rake and got him down. He was so skinny, his hip bones were sticking out and you could see his ribs. It was in the evening, so we had to wait until the next morning to take him to the vet. <br />
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The vet told us he was probably 2 months old, but because he's feral he's not developing. He also told us that if he was left outside, he probably would have died. Not that we need another animal, but cats are pretty easy and Colette could use a friend. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuzQNEmCAB4TQUDVTeXf55U_pqlhCLzK6MZR1mQmrgo2zV135_bmX6xS4Zks8RX_AS45E3LqKWnhHcmzMZsfzy5-A9bvHar_27hXnj9H9Gshbcdnb_gYfHL9Q74bBPAxAyWYAVXIZ5abH/s1600/10557393_10204715214539443_1570642038773948827_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuzQNEmCAB4TQUDVTeXf55U_pqlhCLzK6MZR1mQmrgo2zV135_bmX6xS4Zks8RX_AS45E3LqKWnhHcmzMZsfzy5-A9bvHar_27hXnj9H9Gshbcdnb_gYfHL9Q74bBPAxAyWYAVXIZ5abH/s1600/10557393_10204715214539443_1570642038773948827_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">just a funny shot of Colette</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTB1oPPEhvNrib42Js3ZIJpzet9rZbViUwQ18HHXGsCRa-kG7ZjtBNzZL8c8M4pPrUpi4VTZZSTDosCUGDx6-37eKV7UCMbSzcDqgQJHOvVJLcl8hyk02N8SnkLa2JudLb769AMJNtAQ8/s1600/10690349_10205254674835793_8713395452881074088_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTB1oPPEhvNrib42Js3ZIJpzet9rZbViUwQ18HHXGsCRa-kG7ZjtBNzZL8c8M4pPrUpi4VTZZSTDosCUGDx6-37eKV7UCMbSzcDqgQJHOvVJLcl8hyk02N8SnkLa2JudLb769AMJNtAQ8/s1600/10690349_10205254674835793_8713395452881074088_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Mr. Man now - what a difference a warm friend and food makes</td></tr>
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His name is Mr. Man. He's now 5 months old, fixed and getting bigger and stronger (although his legs are really short, maybe stunted growth or something). He's not interested in going outside at all - Colette couldn't wait to go out and hunt. He'd rather curl up with us, or in front of the fire, or with his friend Dashell. He's now a happy member of our pack. Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-32771002507888139052014-12-09T16:22:00.000+01:002014-12-09T16:22:00.247+01:00Big Changes....they are a coming.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYZaBG8l0S6IUoeHlPTwOVUZ0BLKxBIGWGX4_AmaiGfEPclAH_BnRa6m8oHQtvf7W5761wDLkc2x4a6XUXRsaHoBW_GU_hYIg9R_qWdY62UkJ7YynUGQHiZ53hR-v-MXKDcurswGj0lzF/s1600/1011800_10203595122828030_3424176827151561400_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYZaBG8l0S6IUoeHlPTwOVUZ0BLKxBIGWGX4_AmaiGfEPclAH_BnRa6m8oHQtvf7W5761wDLkc2x4a6XUXRsaHoBW_GU_hYIg9R_qWdY62UkJ7YynUGQHiZ53hR-v-MXKDcurswGj0lzF/s1600/1011800_10203595122828030_3424176827151561400_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />
We've been here in France for 5 years and we love it. But, both of us have been thinking, is this it? Luckily we have always been on the same page when it comes to our lives. It would be so hard if I wanted to go back to the states and Bruce wanted to stay here. We love Spain, have been many times and continue to visit. We love San Sebastian and Bilbao (The Basque Country), but we also love Catalunya. <br />
<br />
Our landlords want to sell the house we are in. We could buy it if we wanted, but it makes us a bit nervous. What if this area of France isn't it. What if we bought and then in 5 years we wanted to sell and try something else. Houses in this area don't sell super fast. We don't want to be stuck with a 7 bedroom farmhouse in rural France. We were talking to our landlord the other day and he mentioned that they really want to market the selling of the house, there are things they want to do to the house and then they want to find a buyer. Because of that, we got to thinking about moving. If the house sold we'd have to move, but would we stay here or try something else. After many discussions, we decided that we aren't going to wait for the house to sell and then make a decision....we are making it now. So, we have decided to move to Spain. Catalunya to be exact. Why Catalunya you ask? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK0DpHHBEGBC-632ocOtQ7kej6N2plqQmWABhUFB-tP9uEUrurTduC_XtZ2YvbK5eys4O79yhbxLAbpO45rz_MICvg17hNyfwNr2LFxU2_CUYBeJ6Snd9EsLUB0U5klJLu_kIGHQk85wk/s1600/10702150_10205412239484631_1053793928508860080_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK0DpHHBEGBC-632ocOtQ7kej6N2plqQmWABhUFB-tP9uEUrurTduC_XtZ2YvbK5eys4O79yhbxLAbpO45rz_MICvg17hNyfwNr2LFxU2_CUYBeJ6Snd9EsLUB0U5klJLu_kIGHQk85wk/s1600/10702150_10205412239484631_1053793928508860080_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well, we love the area. The rock-climbing is world class, the Mediterranean is beautiful, the people are so friendly, Girona is a fun, lively city, Barcelona is cool and the food is amazing. So, we took a trip down to check out areas. We stayed in Girona and spent a few days looking around. We have decided to focus on the area just north of Girona. That makes climbing only 20-30 minutes away, the beaches of Costa Brava 20 minutes away, Girona 20 minutes away and Barcelona less than an hour away (faster if you take the train from Girona). We'll be heading back down to look at some houses, stay tuned.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce took this shot and I just love it "open your eyes"</td></tr>
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-1760914138471418352014-12-08T16:02:00.001+01:002014-12-08T16:02:29.724+01:00It's been over 35 yearsI'm back....it's been forever and I know I've written before that I'm going to get back to blogging. But things always come up and I get busy and then I don't think that what I'm doing is very interesting to others. But this time I'm going to stick with it. I've had this blog for way too long to just let it go dry.<br />
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We had a visitor....a person I haven't seen in over 35 years. Thanks to Facebook, we've reconnected. My friend Janice came to visit to our lovely rural area of France. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZNZBrFDAOKV9MzB1ixUAJoZTnqKhXzoANM6951F557KiYFbnJCiBzleDSU4epXKu4xBZbNVe2SmW22wxq7HvCewHUJWwh8iQm_Aw5V0A2xRVoR7pmdzCspRRBPoBNxwC6iqRCsykKWz3/s1600/1508550_10204519602019432_2897387505941993946_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZNZBrFDAOKV9MzB1ixUAJoZTnqKhXzoANM6951F557KiYFbnJCiBzleDSU4epXKu4xBZbNVe2SmW22wxq7HvCewHUJWwh8iQm_Aw5V0A2xRVoR7pmdzCspRRBPoBNxwC6iqRCsykKWz3/s1600/1508550_10204519602019432_2897387505941993946_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">here we are at the top of Cordes-sur-Ciel<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRvV186g6-xyzGzgQtuhCy7d1zekcsTSNPTa3QpniihBzEkWTx7oWJa65REll5h4qNBqdpQ_i3c4KmM6PhlPhnU9UooE2AJTK9ZSSX2dFiQpeMAetxezxNzrjuFvmQlKydLW_0GPZd2u6/s1600/10557299_10204542177063794_2188534231653362906_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRvV186g6-xyzGzgQtuhCy7d1zekcsTSNPTa3QpniihBzEkWTx7oWJa65REll5h4qNBqdpQ_i3c4KmM6PhlPhnU9UooE2AJTK9ZSSX2dFiQpeMAetxezxNzrjuFvmQlKydLW_0GPZd2u6/s1600/10557299_10204542177063794_2188534231653362906_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the castle in Najac<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDFWKdBW5PSz6b5bMvBvr8PeGjP7pZZhkPjuU53JPD5i3NaNgQc1lFQIJuKF_EIDkZdZj744hLJE8CVmlyBarpOyS3TiBrfu35J7K0cB9qDvWlvsma_ms61N7Mt_-HKcsAKgiD7IULAyk/s1600/10592912_10204577461665887_552851491055212466_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDFWKdBW5PSz6b5bMvBvr8PeGjP7pZZhkPjuU53JPD5i3NaNgQc1lFQIJuKF_EIDkZdZj744hLJE8CVmlyBarpOyS3TiBrfu35J7K0cB9qDvWlvsma_ms61N7Mt_-HKcsAKgiD7IULAyk/s1600/10592912_10204577461665887_552851491055212466_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reunited<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKBTHV-_DwmmAgeihnmuON0-8oDLP0F8kSfRD9i9akAPfQfQJuKwv-yNvJ3n9obRL7-nAc4T2REX9z67rqU-oyY0zi5wGFlXqMpr5dEu3-Zcu5MsOu8amGU-YR7iFbqHhHXHvk5AlbNcW/s1600/10603298_10204557143677950_9143195590177428718_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKBTHV-_DwmmAgeihnmuON0-8oDLP0F8kSfRD9i9akAPfQfQJuKwv-yNvJ3n9obRL7-nAc4T2REX9z67rqU-oyY0zi5wGFlXqMpr5dEu3-Zcu5MsOu8amGU-YR7iFbqHhHXHvk5AlbNcW/s1600/10603298_10204557143677950_9143195590177428718_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking around the beautiful village of Bruniquel<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyEpvGCMQrrkozBjyDS6HIrTCKoIBo1JxmWS_IyFeVfQSchfjMrRu7c3Ex24yyaSS9dwSgSdHGafmdC8TR6oizkSTu6AFZr1FD_-CKm6nrisW5yT7AeVqMqLj8heDdDA4zPyr4pWzhTrI/s1600/10636060_10204557155638249_6351427031299628649_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyEpvGCMQrrkozBjyDS6HIrTCKoIBo1JxmWS_IyFeVfQSchfjMrRu7c3Ex24yyaSS9dwSgSdHGafmdC8TR6oizkSTu6AFZr1FD_-CKm6nrisW5yT7AeVqMqLj8heDdDA4zPyr4pWzhTrI/s1600/10636060_10204557155638249_6351427031299628649_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally getting a crepe</td></tr>
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I knew what she looked like, basically the same as high school, but we hadn't hung out or really talked, besides pm'ing on Facebook. I was super excited to see her. She only stayed a week, which really wasn't long enough, but had such a great time. We took her to all the amazing medieval villages in our area (Cordes-sur-Ciel, Albi, St. Antonin Noble Val, etc...) we drank great wine, cooked excellent meals together and had a really great time. I was sad to see her leave but I know she'll be back!<br />
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-51431662887323955812014-02-10T18:59:00.000+01:002014-12-08T15:31:27.763+01:00Paleo and Happy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8Op3p4v3wtzwPLYiLurztwjIbJTfE5i2Bg2TGhd0c-OFc70za1QV5VdcyLxOO5jWhTEv98sdRh2WgsJ4z7S_bILYIpP8wmDEcxJuOw4PPAuMVk058S8Fx3mdy2kYQNhJZs0kUpVYGUWb/s1600/paleo-diet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8Op3p4v3wtzwPLYiLurztwjIbJTfE5i2Bg2TGhd0c-OFc70za1QV5VdcyLxOO5jWhTEv98sdRh2WgsJ4z7S_bILYIpP8wmDEcxJuOw4PPAuMVk058S8Fx3mdy2kYQNhJZs0kUpVYGUWb/s1600/paleo-diet.jpg" height="85" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo from: Paleo Pulse</td></tr>
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<br />
I'm lactose intolerant, have been for a long time. I don't drink milk or eat yogurt or cows cheese. I can tolerate sheep and goat cheese, but in small amounts. I stopped eating dairy last year and it's been fantastic for me and my gut. I also decided to cut out wheat, flour, processed sugar, bread, pasta and white rice. Again doing this has made a huge different, I sleep better, have no gut problems and actually feel amazing. At 50 I'm in the best shape of my life, mind and body.<br />
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The way I eat now is called Paleo. The Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oils. I've been Paleo for almost 6 months and I won't be going back to my old way ever!<br />
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I've made the most changes to the way I bake. I use almond or coconut flour instead of all-purpose flour, coconut oil or grapeseed oil instead of butter or vegetable oil/lard. And I use agave, honey or dates, instead of processed sugar. Now you must be thinking...sounds horrible. But actually the things I bake are wonderfully good and so much better for you. You'd never know the difference.<br />
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There are many websites out there that I use for Paleo dessert recipes, but I think my favorite is <a href="http://www.elanaspantry.com/" target="_blank">Elena's Pantry</a>. All of her recipes are really good and Paleo. I just made her D<a href="http://www.elanaspantry.com/double-chocolate-mocha-cookies/" target="_blank">ouble Chocolate Mocha cookies</a> and her <a href="http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-brownies/" target="_blank">Paleo Brownies</a>. We are taking them to our friends house tomorrow. We are having dinner with them and we are bringing the dessert. I'm not going to tell them they are Paleo, without all the bad stuff until after they are done eating them. Now, I will have vanilla bean ice cream to go along with them, but sadly I won't be eating any.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4yPlUDV6Bh3-42xZCs6BMb5ucqe0b5Kzcy1ibx_zAY8H7L3VK9A56_eCfkSQ7VeVaqrlc4GIDVDCct6adNWFJN_icijaZuyE9vfi983m59-45sT4WeJXwD5N1kqKjxGVNmFPudE2coj9/s1600/double_chocolate_mocha_cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4yPlUDV6Bh3-42xZCs6BMb5ucqe0b5Kzcy1ibx_zAY8H7L3VK9A56_eCfkSQ7VeVaqrlc4GIDVDCct6adNWFJN_icijaZuyE9vfi983m59-45sT4WeJXwD5N1kqKjxGVNmFPudE2coj9/s1600/double_chocolate_mocha_cookies.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies - photo by: <a href="http://www.elanaspantry.com/" target="_blank">Elena's Pantry</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NY9Roqv2W05rYZoK6CHnosRAhxbzACLV_fcjzSPzWX4l42iSyhSwu9iJ0RZnds1_YlB7hyphenhyphenuatKRa1ppr1WGtF9KsaqoisbE8qtQ2jHh0GfBB1LjlwucDGxUx1Tt7IMebLl_xoOgnsA5a/s1600/Paleo-Brownies-0820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NY9Roqv2W05rYZoK6CHnosRAhxbzACLV_fcjzSPzWX4l42iSyhSwu9iJ0RZnds1_YlB7hyphenhyphenuatKRa1ppr1WGtF9KsaqoisbE8qtQ2jHh0GfBB1LjlwucDGxUx1Tt7IMebLl_xoOgnsA5a/s1600/Paleo-Brownies-0820.jpg" height="452" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paleo Brownies - photo by: <a href="http://www.elanaspantry.com/" target="_blank">Elena's Pantry</a></td></tr>
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Other that changing my baking ingredients moving to Paleo has been very easy. I make my own almond butter and have it with an apple and fried eggs in the morning. Dinners are packed with vegetables and a protein. I don't feel hungry or that I'm missing anything, I actually feel incredible.<br />
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I think the main ingredient I wanted to cut out was refined sugar. It's the devil and so bad for you. Here are 10 things you might not know about refined sugar (source: article on <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-kirkpatrick-ms-rd-ld/dangers-of-sugar_b_3658061.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a>). <br />
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1. Sugar can damage your heart<br />
2. Sugar specifically promotes belly fat<br />
3. Sugar is the true silent killer<br />
4. Sugar may be linked to cancer production and may effect cancer survival<br />
5. Your sugar "addiction" may be genetic<br />
6. Sugar and alcohol have similar toxic liver effects on the body<br />
7. Sugar may sap your brain power<br />
8. Sugar hides in many everyday "non-sugar" foods<br />
9. An overload of sugar (specifically in beverages) may shorten your life<br />
10. Sugar is making us fat<br />
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Now doesn't all of this make you want to cut out sugar from your diet? You can click on the Huffington Post link above to read more about the 10 things. It was a huge eye-opener for me and I'm really glad that I cut it out of my diet.<br />
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So if you're thinking of changing the way you eat the Paleo Diet might be for you. You can check out <a href="http://www.elanaspantry.com/" target="_blank">Elena's Pantry</a>, <a href="http://nomnompaleo.com/" target="_blank">Nom Nom Paleo</a>, <a href="http://www.practicalpaleo.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Pratical Paleo</a> to name just a few. Try it for 30 days and see if you notice and change....I bet you will.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkPuMuhANQGfKZWUiRexF8aQUu17Z7det4KgxCJe1NmynYgEeo2Jwi1fBnEhoG2sIaroXQlXrH63S9qYHV4Xsw-1x-DsEJu5LrD7IS2ViMHNRZHeRGZ2uMUq53rZuHsfRAtHWYqKw1-wy/s1600/paleo-pyramid-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkPuMuhANQGfKZWUiRexF8aQUu17Z7det4KgxCJe1NmynYgEeo2Jwi1fBnEhoG2sIaroXQlXrH63S9qYHV4Xsw-1x-DsEJu5LrD7IS2ViMHNRZHeRGZ2uMUq53rZuHsfRAtHWYqKw1-wy/s1600/paleo-pyramid-21.jpg" height="592" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from: escali.com</td></tr>
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-62024468064437631642014-02-06T20:52:00.002+01:002014-02-06T20:53:50.304+01:00A quick little getaway<br />
On January 24 our good friends Louis and Valarie came for a visit. They are from Los Angeles, avid climbers and it was their honeymoon. They spent a few days in Paris before heading down our way. We have had great climbing weather since December 1, but the 8 days they were to be with us the forecast was rain, rain and more rain. Not good for climbers. So we decided to head south to the Languedoc Roussillon region where there is great climbing and the weather looked perfect. We rented a great little <a href="http://www.homelidays.co.uk/domessargues/house-villa-174376en1.htm" target="_blank">gite</a> between N<i>î</i>mes and Uzes which was perfect for the 4 of us. Of course we had the dogs with us as well. <br />
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The first day we climbed at Roussan which was just east of where we were staying. To get to the climbing area you had to rappel down a huge hole. Pretty cool. We had a great day of climbing. The second day we climbed at Claret which was just west of us. We love it there. We cooked dinner together each night and played Quiddler in the evenings, along with drinking plenty of wine. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIn4C-g2vOJzMWvqcB1FO0UFk3mHXpaOaAz4sAO0o0F9MEGKBn-_U-Yom_8vGD1IqUlgMmf3__1KH5Ppry8pjv-PIvy_fUoWVVVCZnAPnjC-4UY4uql30tsUf8kn6H2p_udo1nKYGswsU2/s1600/DSCF9154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIn4C-g2vOJzMWvqcB1FO0UFk3mHXpaOaAz4sAO0o0F9MEGKBn-_U-Yom_8vGD1IqUlgMmf3__1KH5Ppry8pjv-PIvy_fUoWVVVCZnAPnjC-4UY4uql30tsUf8kn6H2p_udo1nKYGswsU2/s1600/DSCF9154.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis looking out toward Roussan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqubS7b2PEmgOgHEagRhM8i5aan8uuxmkO88mxE7vVboMAVy4ewviD9Kq6t6ISlGQtUsMiP06HZNeq1aR820-Z7Y9UZ1Ck4gyS3N-tHbwWT0QV2GiO-dwBstU7VhlOQoWtOfY8ylL0QbLI/s1600/DSCF9157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqubS7b2PEmgOgHEagRhM8i5aan8uuxmkO88mxE7vVboMAVy4ewviD9Kq6t6ISlGQtUsMiP06HZNeq1aR820-Z7Y9UZ1Ck4gyS3N-tHbwWT0QV2GiO-dwBstU7VhlOQoWtOfY8ylL0QbLI/s1600/DSCF9157.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roussan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5E2zkfswU-9Y6-C6cOZHy4XqWH5azJe0JwiH1hvxFSpZrFKOlW6H_pslerLZnivWRfcrE5Q5F8eLDzEfmRuDyKMZAgeq_PNtNJD66RmxeqILospz07kqFTJgj79w4u9cwmf-C_zbqSEs9/s1600/DSCF9172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5E2zkfswU-9Y6-C6cOZHy4XqWH5azJe0JwiH1hvxFSpZrFKOlW6H_pslerLZnivWRfcrE5Q5F8eLDzEfmRuDyKMZAgeq_PNtNJD66RmxeqILospz07kqFTJgj79w4u9cwmf-C_zbqSEs9/s1600/DSCF9172.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I am rappelling down the big hole to Roussan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebUin1ap5d4Er-Lpm7PY0EMB3XXrbJUA0QK6FrEQq1dldjzbuIWDrKaI42doj7kekvqBGZhNeSh0ANSE4ZXxJGjZEnDKKsmDKBUGk3otU9tyBVBG-d04m0_db9DTaN_MwCBdbeRSyUYIY/s1600/DSCF9216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebUin1ap5d4Er-Lpm7PY0EMB3XXrbJUA0QK6FrEQq1dldjzbuIWDrKaI42doj7kekvqBGZhNeSh0ANSE4ZXxJGjZEnDKKsmDKBUGk3otU9tyBVBG-d04m0_db9DTaN_MwCBdbeRSyUYIY/s1600/DSCF9216.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nellie hanging at the crag</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGmXNUW6j4i39u_JFbv0xFtfb84X5jGa2yptIuTihPXOb6nK5LMI5Kx7W1hozSRJJ_kUbMaECjj77JKbB83IK6SQRXdBk8G_p7TWGizVFCB0-ukv5icW_ilVrFh06FxJ2D0dw1Jd_9eay/s1600/DSCF9224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGmXNUW6j4i39u_JFbv0xFtfb84X5jGa2yptIuTihPXOb6nK5LMI5Kx7W1hozSRJJ_kUbMaECjj77JKbB83IK6SQRXdBk8G_p7TWGizVFCB0-ukv5icW_ilVrFh06FxJ2D0dw1Jd_9eay/s1600/DSCF9224.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis climbing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWyKwcehkzhLVBOQZ68VsgrBrgd1A5hyphenhyphenfxS7ZtgK8kfdiqkjdld7pfBRSHz9IWby5y4cGUfYgcvSqiCqHOyumW-SA5Iz2Klu0uYBSskkX5Yw9v5bpOPDxFbFvdfcl6X32nFGnGpsHZmKQ/s1600/DSCF9230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWyKwcehkzhLVBOQZ68VsgrBrgd1A5hyphenhyphenfxS7ZtgK8kfdiqkjdld7pfBRSHz9IWby5y4cGUfYgcvSqiCqHOyumW-SA5Iz2Klu0uYBSskkX5Yw9v5bpOPDxFbFvdfcl6X32nFGnGpsHZmKQ/s1600/DSCF9230.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce belaying</td></tr>
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On the 3rd day we took a rest day and headed down to Nîimes, which was about 30 minutes south. I've been to many cities in France and this could be my favorite. It's not too big, but beautiful. It's a city that dates back to the Roman Empire. The city derives its name from that of a spring in the Roman village. The contemporary coat of arms of the city includes a crocodile chained to a palm tree, which we found most interesting, as it symbolizes the Roman conquest of Egypt .<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSTl2siN1x7fTFgeJCqCfL2A6ovHOds65CKfNA85UIG3GWcB5UdSzbbIxAbpIgvzRTeCnALwRlBTlnHBUPmbobku133JLoOkk9518NuEbNFx83nsXUkl1J7lZnYvY-3eukIgl771QHEcV/s1600/DSCF9277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSTl2siN1x7fTFgeJCqCfL2A6ovHOds65CKfNA85UIG3GWcB5UdSzbbIxAbpIgvzRTeCnALwRlBTlnHBUPmbobku133JLoOkk9518NuEbNFx83nsXUkl1J7lZnYvY-3eukIgl771QHEcV/s1600/DSCF9277.JPG" height="409" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out over the city of Nîmes </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PepJCzmB_z16QnQhPmIS9lOYeBW3LWBGVRgk32Uza_fVJSAmFjab7HD_oUtUs0vmVMgHN33CAeeI4qkADt5bQ9TWCnn4eblFAXu7tFlPZkieOEX0taSjokGypQ3VDwOhMoxjtNt4CK0x/s1600/DSCF9315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PepJCzmB_z16QnQhPmIS9lOYeBW3LWBGVRgk32Uza_fVJSAmFjab7HD_oUtUs0vmVMgHN33CAeeI4qkADt5bQ9TWCnn4eblFAXu7tFlPZkieOEX0taSjokGypQ3VDwOhMoxjtNt4CK0x/s1600/DSCF9315.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking along the canal</td></tr>
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Augustus gave the town a ring of ramparts six kilometres (3.7 miles) long, reinforced by fourteen towers; two gates remain today: the Porta Augusta and the Porte de France. An aqueduct was built to bring water from the hills to the north. Where this crossed the River Gard between Uzes and Remoulins, the spectacular Pont du Gard was built. This is 20 kilometres (12 miles) north east of the city. Also, the Maison Carrée is one of the best preserved temples to be found anywhere in the territory of the former Roman Empire. The amazing amphitheatre dates from the end of the 2nd century AD. The elliptical Roman amphitheatre, is the best-preserved Roman arena in France. The movie Gladiator was filmed there and the history and how it was used was fascinating. It was filled with medieval housing, when its walls served as ramparts, but they were cleared under Napoleon. It is still used today as a bull fighting (humane) and concert arena. We spent 3-4 hours walking around the city, had a lovely dinner and then headed back to our gite. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNsb_RSOMX-uhuYaTSCS1mt-71Re4TpxusoAokUPkJfQfnftArISgotuhaYX5oSeDYeYCq67QX0j0XzZpKZJvMNlCGdrcoN6eKkIG6hS2cIN47EuQuY06_l4Py34V3L-ssGvfVIyQTHVN/s1600/DSCF9263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNsb_RSOMX-uhuYaTSCS1mt-71Re4TpxusoAokUPkJfQfnftArISgotuhaYX5oSeDYeYCq67QX0j0XzZpKZJvMNlCGdrcoN6eKkIG6hS2cIN47EuQuY06_l4Py34V3L-ssGvfVIyQTHVN/s1600/DSCF9263.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arena of Nîmes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8fNob6o4ni-r21F0cUvoEPXGJwhH9rv7TdgcPnENn2iZWqY9LWjfsIWTel-L2xdBZCcQB3DQTgKRDTpcb91WhT2wxeCSqhvlb11L2o0T6m96TgwhWFpHv5WtkgbWKv6Q7D8ov0wUPPZ-/s1600/DSCF9290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8fNob6o4ni-r21F0cUvoEPXGJwhH9rv7TdgcPnENn2iZWqY9LWjfsIWTel-L2xdBZCcQB3DQTgKRDTpcb91WhT2wxeCSqhvlb11L2o0T6m96TgwhWFpHv5WtkgbWKv6Q7D8ov0wUPPZ-/s1600/DSCF9290.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Arena</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRWRlIcdT-qAr7n_F1nkU2J0m4IUPYPRYeSP6i2maVC5gPNbXz7oq3jUN2-iBVDas3e2cYfCt43zwq-nhEK05zIfC4mBn7SmRWTvgGCa6XKDPnQY5Kqk17zHUJ9lfuFca93gKjmNd4BU6/s1600/DSCF9284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRWRlIcdT-qAr7n_F1nkU2J0m4IUPYPRYeSP6i2maVC5gPNbXz7oq3jUN2-iBVDas3e2cYfCt43zwq-nhEK05zIfC4mBn7SmRWTvgGCa6XKDPnQY5Kqk17zHUJ9lfuFca93gKjmNd4BU6/s1600/DSCF9284.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tunnels under Arena</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9YHXmi5P0juZNJ5qA-rsltodM1XH9ZBSyfWMhrPvJjL7kYThY1eYf1-T3ijYxgyjsDK2dr0J2KgXKDjD-EgnoweyP_TSi4W4YTLf7kYnjTePxfVJIYsMy_hGKIrKeZ5JlUGzqbU1Y0NZ/s1600/DSCF9305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9YHXmi5P0juZNJ5qA-rsltodM1XH9ZBSyfWMhrPvJjL7kYThY1eYf1-T3ijYxgyjsDK2dr0J2KgXKDjD-EgnoweyP_TSi4W4YTLf7kYnjTePxfVJIYsMy_hGKIrKeZ5JlUGzqbU1Y0NZ/s1600/DSCF9305.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Maison Carrée</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuN6NSVA8dLl05p1Ng9uHwIwgZ4uGsVnEbInUNo6z8UpZdBAht1v-0-0crUnzpqblLHZo0ZqiWRLcH5qq7FtxcOW1C_HGR-lxcr43ih4-n5pVJY8a1ognTGxWYMuujdBEiAEHBa4c_fF3/s1600/DSCF9325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuN6NSVA8dLl05p1Ng9uHwIwgZ4uGsVnEbInUNo6z8UpZdBAht1v-0-0crUnzpqblLHZo0ZqiWRLcH5qq7FtxcOW1C_HGR-lxcr43ih4-n5pVJY8a1ognTGxWYMuujdBEiAEHBa4c_fF3/s1600/DSCF9325.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain of Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8WGxZ457CG1yYCtarAqZOI8hLZnM9Qdx17D4F3aPwqZ_oEf0eRspQxhhx_H02WU3985GaCS_iNlQycSmtqeQSbnuVA42tfEBLHc3z7JrHrevv-WZAVbNDqNZaQB2HB50M-UlfoQGTuTt/s1600/DSCF9327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8WGxZ457CG1yYCtarAqZOI8hLZnM9Qdx17D4F3aPwqZ_oEf0eRspQxhhx_H02WU3985GaCS_iNlQycSmtqeQSbnuVA42tfEBLHc3z7JrHrevv-WZAVbNDqNZaQB2HB50M-UlfoQGTuTt/s1600/DSCF9327.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain of Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSllt1_Tj3wW30-OQnG778uOmBoZECiLibhGlthl_tjgUKaf0N8g1aaKh2pD8CThMxzCvKyKK3k8xJo3I6G8YF4R9eZgN5U6Vpe54Q1yaFeabhAytd9hv8E6va_r4B9HKaVkqRRc1O6m0/s1600/DSCF9329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSllt1_Tj3wW30-OQnG778uOmBoZECiLibhGlthl_tjgUKaf0N8g1aaKh2pD8CThMxzCvKyKK3k8xJo3I6G8YF4R9eZgN5U6Vpe54Q1yaFeabhAytd9hv8E6va_r4B9HKaVkqRRc1O6m0/s1600/DSCF9329.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple of Diana</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf852bAn5MkATiBXmfl00YF98OvuV5CAF1uHCm2dKZ92rvRBGauUSPgK7qvbN5-7xitPs40nQ1YqkECH8hTbUpAWTO7ZuVy5z5qQaOG_fLUS-1s7VF61cf57Yjh2YW5a6C5HZhI5Q2S-UC/s1600/DSCF9339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf852bAn5MkATiBXmfl00YF98OvuV5CAF1uHCm2dKZ92rvRBGauUSPgK7qvbN5-7xitPs40nQ1YqkECH8hTbUpAWTO7ZuVy5z5qQaOG_fLUS-1s7VF61cf57Yjh2YW5a6C5HZhI5Q2S-UC/s1600/DSCF9339.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Magne Tower</td></tr>
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The last day we went back to Claret to climb. It wasn't raining, but it was cold and windy. We stayed most of the day, but by 3:00 we had to pack it up as we were all freezing. We left the next morning, but decided to stop in Millau so Valarie could do some shopping. The city is known for it's leather. She bought some boots and a beautiful handbag. Bruce got some gloves and I got a new makeup bag. We had lunch in Millau and then headed home. Louis and Valarie left the next morning and we were sad to have them go. I know that Bruce and I will be back to the gite and the area sometime soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UuZ9lddv1XS429DhnFBHxSFfL9Afwy1UqHfKJA6iKRcHUlvg-1s_8iL5v_ypLTaLxtjq_paFJLMl5kUriKLyDwStezPHmRa3dhPk1Le4bMm0_eFGtr2ZTZzB9ngLLg-xzy9OGw5J9Iiq/s1600/DSCF9351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UuZ9lddv1XS429DhnFBHxSFfL9Afwy1UqHfKJA6iKRcHUlvg-1s_8iL5v_ypLTaLxtjq_paFJLMl5kUriKLyDwStezPHmRa3dhPk1Le4bMm0_eFGtr2ZTZzB9ngLLg-xzy9OGw5J9Iiq/s1600/DSCF9351.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis starting a climb and Nellie just hanging out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18Zo96UCXuw7CaGd5xb0KaogsMMEwg-Vu8kgExg5KqsNlG34hB5Odt3sT4VETfRy3OiXxtME7t0croJY_TjQnInYHu3VJQCCqSOFgfQCLXpujB8BHPV1EG8hhHelpm3Y8V5gayvC8wbAH/s1600/DSCF9373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18Zo96UCXuw7CaGd5xb0KaogsMMEwg-Vu8kgExg5KqsNlG34hB5Odt3sT4VETfRy3OiXxtME7t0croJY_TjQnInYHu3VJQCCqSOFgfQCLXpujB8BHPV1EG8hhHelpm3Y8V5gayvC8wbAH/s1600/DSCF9373.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce climbing at Claret</td></tr>
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-14749656875931477362014-01-21T21:03:00.002+01:002014-02-06T20:54:34.852+01:00If you're a mouse, I'd watch out.Back in September, we were standing outside at about 10:00 pm. I heard a faint cry and then it seemed to get louder and louder. It was coming from across our yard down by the forest. We live across from Le Forêt de Grésigne (which is the largest oak forest in Europe). Anyway, we walked around the house and down across the road, Bruce had a flashlight and we could hear the cry, but couldn't see anything. Then Bruce said "oh my god" and right at the edge of the forest, in a bunch of nettles we saw this little black "thing"....I picked it up and it was a little tiny kitten. She was so tiny, she fit in the palm of my hand. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5gtXfbdeuG_J9cZQI0R9_3-0LAIRGTJ2fpgvziAGRLRMwmrIokoeBq3GYUv9aHIuyMT8iaCGPTOS71oc0e7PLkxsp248M5UXgdiqUh7XSNUTqQsgt3h3XPmXk6Gk77ys8CBLqEBYYAME/s1600/553027_10202174042971742_122417022_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5gtXfbdeuG_J9cZQI0R9_3-0LAIRGTJ2fpgvziAGRLRMwmrIokoeBq3GYUv9aHIuyMT8iaCGPTOS71oc0e7PLkxsp248M5UXgdiqUh7XSNUTqQsgt3h3XPmXk6Gk77ys8CBLqEBYYAME/s1600/553027_10202174042971742_122417022_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still a bit scared...I don't think she got off the couch and ventured around for 2 weeks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMJPN0M0fYsVR62HKiVOisTITy4OpUqif_wTVEjtNSO3zQkVYZuLOaSQRnv9PunleG_cdg7yIZyFgjn38x-FLr4Yju_xNpE_EGaiUQtwOFQiXi4gkTMa7sGTF2J2hSXUhOEmD1Fc8fpcF/s1600/1239952_10202174779910165_473682067_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMJPN0M0fYsVR62HKiVOisTITy4OpUqif_wTVEjtNSO3zQkVYZuLOaSQRnv9PunleG_cdg7yIZyFgjn38x-FLr4Yju_xNpE_EGaiUQtwOFQiXi4gkTMa7sGTF2J2hSXUhOEmD1Fc8fpcF/s1600/1239952_10202174779910165_473682067_n.jpg" height="640" width="544" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The man and his cat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lf2EJp23znak0lmh4GmKi2F1mBzYhNRM8J9fhXU4AtYFGpYPhc6xMc3rFwul1mTP_UWZH40jPjCp_eoIK99CtifVvP4CvpYsX4I-DYliefn-a88n2B-NY0PKMljMDLMP7qI6-WsbQ2yZ/s1600/1239987_10202042033401765_992073093_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lf2EJp23znak0lmh4GmKi2F1mBzYhNRM8J9fhXU4AtYFGpYPhc6xMc3rFwul1mTP_UWZH40jPjCp_eoIK99CtifVvP4CvpYsX4I-DYliefn-a88n2B-NY0PKMljMDLMP7qI6-WsbQ2yZ/s1600/1239987_10202042033401765_992073093_n.jpg" height="486" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a month with us, she found our bed</td></tr>
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We took her back to the house, because we couldn't just leave her outside as she probably would have been eaten by an owl or a fox. She was shaking and scared when we brought her into the house. I didn't have any cat food and didn't think I should feed her dog food, so all I could give her was milk. She drank it right up. We got a basket and put a blanket in it and put it in the bathroom with some water. She cried for quite a while and then fell asleep.<br />
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The next morning we took her to the vet because we knew we were going to keep her. We had talked about getting another cat (we did have Maillot and Mr. Fancypants) - who both found us when we first moved here for our sabbatical in 2009, but we had to find them new homes when we had to return to the states in 2010, as we didn't know if we would be coming back to France and we didn't think it was fair to take them back to Los Angeles. They were wild cats, roaming around all day and being in Los Angeles would be very different. Lately we've been hearing mice in the walls and seeing droppings in the pantry (luckily we keep the door closed). I tried to trap with a "safe" trap, but they never fell for it.<br />
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The vet told us the little kitten was about 3-4 weeks old. Taken way too soon from her Mother. I'm sure someone just dumped her (very common here), as we never saw a Mama cat. We named her Colette, because she's all black and our little hamlet of 3 houses were homes of the charbonniers, who made charcoal from wood in the Forest back in the 1800's. So, if she would have been a boy her name would have been Cole, but since she's a girl, we named her Colette. <br />
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She's a lovely little girl - now almost 5 months old. She's easy, loving (not too needy) and independent (but not too independent), loves her Momma AND, she a huntress. She goes out first thing in the morning and within an hour she's either got a mouse or a little mole. She usually tortures it right in front of our glass door, I have to look away as it seems so cruel. But last night...oh last night. She sleeps in the house at night, not in our bedroom, usually in her basket in the living room. Last night I got up at 3:00 am to use the bathroom and there she was, right by my feet. She scared me, as I didn't turn on the light and didn't know she was there. Then she started darting around the toilet and I went and turned the light on. Behind the toilet was a big fat mouse - who was about to have a very bad night. I couldn't do anything about it, so I just went back to bed. Bruce got up to go to the bathroom after me (I guess I woke him up), and I said "Colette has a mouse in the bathroom", but that was all I said and we didn't talk about it when he came back into bed. So, this morning we went into the bathroom and didn't see a mouse, we looked around the house and no mouse, nothing (not a head or tail or liver or kidney). Then about 1/2 hour later I went to take a shower. I looked in and what did I see - a liver or kidney and blood....in the shower! Yuck. But...yay. She got the mouse that had been in the pantry. She's earning her keep for sure. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88M_vrLLB1_Ui7clo653s5jL3741Rv_I3SBOb18NKuF9jh6GOSEpIP5t02cBPodz9MQxTjY3QHfbU-my37T-_YWI76YpSet7ow_234DKo2JJXhBQwtXgUoNc_aJs8oEmEyn9_ieLji3x1/s1600/DSCF9080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88M_vrLLB1_Ui7clo653s5jL3741Rv_I3SBOb18NKuF9jh6GOSEpIP5t02cBPodz9MQxTjY3QHfbU-my37T-_YWI76YpSet7ow_234DKo2JJXhBQwtXgUoNc_aJs8oEmEyn9_ieLji3x1/s1600/DSCF9080.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tired girl after mouse hunting</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQ-MbjyhYP0N-lMlrjyZsgFbUnCuxWOlVTBXs9OVfb8gB_gJYzGGQb9ZY8SKH-DOc9k1xsaTPIfSGahF50X9Rs42ZU1s8zcCv9D-m9S-zI6Xj7D7325LWugdPhJUtZqpF7iObdb4bnRpf/s1600/DSCF9048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQ-MbjyhYP0N-lMlrjyZsgFbUnCuxWOlVTBXs9OVfb8gB_gJYzGGQb9ZY8SKH-DOc9k1xsaTPIfSGahF50X9Rs42ZU1s8zcCv9D-m9S-zI6Xj7D7325LWugdPhJUtZqpF7iObdb4bnRpf/s1600/DSCF9048.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the little mole on the ground?????</td></tr>
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Then I cleaned the shower.<br />
<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-12270412620316720902014-01-12T12:41:00.000+01:002014-01-12T12:41:00.044+01:002 of my favorite winter soups<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSs9DREfsP4RQSE18KELvsChBbwYbfQxQFzS6nF4wnxqaN9Jtuxf_E7LDX1_Th5eeIjX_2qLJBW_rQgmlx1e6kBhvy1gU8CpXj2mqSJ561flW-A5an6bf_WcXcFxxV8h4PUufE_rn5GHz/s1600/527639_393307560712024_509763612_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSs9DREfsP4RQSE18KELvsChBbwYbfQxQFzS6nF4wnxqaN9Jtuxf_E7LDX1_Th5eeIjX_2qLJBW_rQgmlx1e6kBhvy1gU8CpXj2mqSJ561flW-A5an6bf_WcXcFxxV8h4PUufE_rn5GHz/s640/527639_393307560712024_509763612_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Sunday market in St. Antonin Noble Val</td></tr>
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We eat loads of vegetables at our house. Most dinners consist of a lean protein and veggies. That's it. One of my favorite soups to make is a winter potage. I don't use potato or cream, just seasonal vegetables. It's so simple, so healthy and very filling. <br />
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<u><b>Winter Potage</b></u><br />
<u><b><br /></b></u>
<b>ingredients:</b><br />
coconut oil or olive oil<br />
2 leeks (diced)<br />
1 onion (diced)<br />
3 carrots (diced)<br />
1 head of broccoli (cut up)<br />
1/2 head of cauliflower (cut up)<br />
Kale, spinach or chard (cut up)<br />
2 cloves garlic<br />
herbs de Provence<br />
salt/pepper<br />
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth<br />
water as needed<br />
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I head 2 TB oil in my le creuset and add the garlic, onion and leeks. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables, 1 tsp herbs de provence, salt/petter and chicken broth. If the broth doesn't cover the vegetables, add more or use water. You just want the vegetables covered. Bring to boil and reduce and simmer for 30 minutes. I then purée it in my Blendtec. That's it. So easy and such a great way to get veggies in your diet. I keep it pretty thick too, hence the name potage.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Spiced Butternut Squash Soup</u> (from <a href="http://supideasypaleo.com/">Supideasypaleo.com</a>)<br />
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<b>ingredients:</b><br />
3 carrots<br />
1 medium/large butternut squash<br />
4 cups chicken stock<br />
1/2 cup coconut milk<br />
1 tsp cumin<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
salt/pepper to taste<br />
Melted coconut oil or other fat of choice<br />
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Preheat over to 400 degrees (200 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Peel squash and cut it lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out the seeds. Chop the squash into a large dice. Place on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Do the same with the carrots.<br />
Bake squash and carrots for 20 minutes or until they are soft and lightly brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and put the veggies in a pot. Add the rest of the ingredients: chicken stock, coconut milk, cumin and cinnamon and stir. Puree the soup until smooth. I keep this thick as well.<br />
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<br />Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4133152685689935868.post-91329667726041930822014-01-09T10:27:00.000+01:002014-01-09T10:27:00.022+01:00I've got a new job this year.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihhuuZkmE-ONmKVbXG-jTOIWajQJqECwRrjLutXzUGr5H7MpwuRQBKHyu2y_XfjlkFQQGhjLyYwkQODzzTnUjXc43qn1ndtctjjMCRe3jMh31dXXULI8M-RcVT44CLfsQcZnLI8jYyxTc/s1600/IMG_0019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihhuuZkmE-ONmKVbXG-jTOIWajQJqECwRrjLutXzUGr5H7MpwuRQBKHyu2y_XfjlkFQQGhjLyYwkQODzzTnUjXc43qn1ndtctjjMCRe3jMh31dXXULI8M-RcVT44CLfsQcZnLI8jYyxTc/s320/IMG_0019.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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I'm married to a painter. A very talented painter. But as with most artists, he's horrible at marketing himself. We finally have a place where he can focus on his art. The past few years we've been in a small village house and one of our bedrooms was his studio. It was very hard, since most of his work is large abstract pieces. Since we've been in the farmhouse he's been using our gite as his studio, it's perfect! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AuFAXMMw_jmoaPoSZrIpw0vmHwUqymoFMVsXhyphenhyphen6w0DKzqmD19TDIu06u2LvhmvdL_KgHjx-eH9kKRYO_xa9xPisHKd14z6zbiyCC1GZVU1UHUsjenE2_a5tzgRYMrqqgbgk-WY2nm13F/s1600/1465159_596680917045594_372374423_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AuFAXMMw_jmoaPoSZrIpw0vmHwUqymoFMVsXhyphenhyphen6w0DKzqmD19TDIu06u2LvhmvdL_KgHjx-eH9kKRYO_xa9xPisHKd14z6zbiyCC1GZVU1UHUsjenE2_a5tzgRYMrqqgbgk-WY2nm13F/s640/1465159_596680917045594_372374423_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite piece - and the only one that isn't for sale.</td></tr>
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Now back to the marketing problem. My husband gives his work away! Seriously....gives it away. As a business woman this makes me crazy. He's sold many paintings, so it's not like he needs to give his work away, but he's just too nice and he has a hard time pricing his work and then asking for the price once it's set. Me on the other hand, have no problem pricing his work and asking for the price. So we have decided that my new job is to represent him. I built a new website for his work, I manage his twitter account, facebook account and all the other sites where his work is listed. I will also be working with galleries and getting his work "out there" for others to see and buy. I'm also going to document him working in the studio and I get to say "it's finished". If he had his way, he'd work on a piece forever, probably producing 1 piece a year!<br />
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I'm proud to have such a talented husband, watching him draw and paint amazes me. So, that's my new job. It doesn't pay very well, well not at all, until he sells a piece. But it's very rewarding and something we can do together, like everything else in our life. You can check out his work <b><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.bruceandersonart.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a> </span></b>and if you are interested in anything, just let me know. We can ship anywhere in the world.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New piece hanging in our living room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo1BAhBAgKg8Wwf4Zg07tA6JjxmsoOElmA0wuM7ZbWw5kqeS-DiyeWuFG8GBIHMgigEhFXxb218a-gk0uVkKfesg71khj2nNoeDEy__VzkHZa1R30ImOeK1UdGVbqYqVYTjPMqRRfeRx-/s1600/IMG_1647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo1BAhBAgKg8Wwf4Zg07tA6JjxmsoOElmA0wuM7ZbWw5kqeS-DiyeWuFG8GBIHMgigEhFXxb218a-gk0uVkKfesg71khj2nNoeDEy__VzkHZa1R30ImOeK1UdGVbqYqVYTjPMqRRfeRx-/s640/IMG_1647.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the studio.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD-tPC2rjKtNmu5IvJHQJzoH3VcIOHypBApRu9AtlF83DL-1ciFHOT3LPOnW7rLaTOmus7mLCboUd2NGSxZNpwT7Ft0WQPAuJAz-lZ5aFBzohkcDXQ7Ruai3xVVcPowm8ah01yJ7NimK0/s1600/Bruce+Abstract-8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihD-tPC2rjKtNmu5IvJHQJzoH3VcIOHypBApRu9AtlF83DL-1ciFHOT3LPOnW7rLaTOmus7mLCboUd2NGSxZNpwT7Ft0WQPAuJAz-lZ5aFBzohkcDXQ7Ruai3xVVcPowm8ah01yJ7NimK0/s400/Bruce+Abstract-8.JPG" width="367" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charcoal, conte on watercolor paper</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilY0tv8BJVJiVFh8-1CTrAKNH-OWZ51TOT7uBadQiI7Uo1TMbsr54gZZCHrVWBqduHdSob3x6UWNiVMs0HlNUKBZTlM3MNoGkHer3825cNhfBf2Lkply_z08jMbAh23XuM__9bKLOqfIJy/s1600/IMG_1492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilY0tv8BJVJiVFh8-1CTrAKNH-OWZ51TOT7uBadQiI7Uo1TMbsr54gZZCHrVWBqduHdSob3x6UWNiVMs0HlNUKBZTlM3MNoGkHer3825cNhfBf2Lkply_z08jMbAh23XuM__9bKLOqfIJy/s640/IMG_1492.JPG" width="638" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oil on canvas</td></tr>
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Our Juicy Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01837321365147180741noreply@blogger.com0