DALE and JOANNE

England provided Cory and Gill with great travel opportunities and they took advantage of location to go to Portugal, Italy, France, Croatia, and other places. We copied them somewhat by going to Portugal and adding in--3 glorious weeks. Very nice! February was not warm but 15 to 20 degrees centigrade is a lot better than winter in Red Deer. We went with Dave and Barb again. One week in a 2 bedroom suite in Callahonda, Spain, between Marbella and Malaga on the Costa del Sol made us central to numerous sites. With a car Dave rented through the internet we travelled to great spots like the Alhambra in Granada, white mountain villages like Ronda and Zahara, Gibraltar, Tangers in Morocco & more. I was amazed that Romans left their mark everywhere, from along the coast to deep into the mountains. Their civilization was followed by the Moors, and then Christian kings, and now tourists—all of them building things. We saw new housing and highway construction everywhere. And highway construction is expensive in the Sierra Nevadas and sister ranges. This is tourist country and we heard a lot of Spanish and a lot of English. Spain looked to be fabulously wealthy. Portugal did not look to be as prosperous.

This is one of Joanne’s favorite photos from this trip. We are in Ronda, famous for its bull fighting ring. (We didn’t go there.) Ronda was a medieval village situated on a rock over-looking broad valley. Now it’s a town of about 10,000. We just finished walking down 365 steps to the river and back up through the hidden staircase to this castle patio. We got our exercise this day.

Joanne and I are on a hilltop just out of Tangers, Morocco. While this photo doesn't show two colors, we have one where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic is a deep, dark blue and the Mediterranean is an azure or prairie sky blue.

Portugal had smaller mountains and narrower twisty roads and just as many groves of olive trees. We stayed one night in a luxurious Pousada, built to resemble a hunting lodge and surrounded by 10,000 hectares of olive trees near a small town. Once again, restaurants did not open until after 8 pm and the servings were twice what we could eat. Lots of meat or fish and some vegetables! The Portuguese like deep yellow yolks in their eggs and they serve fried eggs with meat dishes. We settled down for a week in Albufeira on the south coast of the Atlantic. Each couple had a nice one bedroom unit with a mini-kitchen. I rested and stayed close to bathrooms as I was playing host to a bacteria of some kind. I finally went to a doctor and got a few pills that solved my problems. I enjoyed the rest—reading, watching people, talking to Joanne about her purchases. We chatted with people from Kelowna and formerly of Calgary. Their practice is to stay in Portugal for a couple of months in the winter. I’ve seen Kelowna in the winter and I prefer sunny days. Portugal delivers these.

I persuaded Joanne to lead these very statuesque kids playing on the lawn at our hotel, "Clube Praia da Oura" in Alburfeira, Portugal. The hotel was on a gorgeous Atlantic Ocean beach with some very nice walks. This "Clube" caters to tourists, mostly English.

Joanne and I are getting ready for our meal at the "Sizzling Stone" restaurant near our "Clube." They supplied the food, the bib, and the very hot granite slab. We cooked our meal at our table. Very nice! Dave and Barb are making plans to duplicate this experience at their home.

Now that we are back home, we find the Red Deer Rebels have not broken out with a long winning streak. It is great being home and getting back into our old routine. I like being home but we are thinking about more travel. I really liked seeing Tanger, Morocco (Africa). The country is very poor and on the coast they may rely on selling to tourists more than in the interior. Maybe this explains why salesmen in Tangers are very serious. I made the mistake of saying “No” to one and I couldn’t shake him for 2 or 3 blocks. I should have known this because I picked up a jewelry box to look at and ended up buying it. This despite Joanne’s instance that she didn’t want it; "Pretty" she said, "but useless." The hard sell these salesmen used put us off but it does work. Some in our troupe bought carpets, fantastic carpets. I wouldn’t go to Morocco on our own—it looked rough--but the day trip was great. I like seeing fabulous sites and watching people, tourists and locals. Next time, I want to stay put longer, read more papers, see more futbol games, and travel on municipal buses. In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico every municipal bus was cheap, efficient, educational, and an exciting race to get to the next pick-up. I want to see if this happens elsewhere.

Joanne and I give thanks for what we have and where we live. Travel makes us appreciate what we have and where we live. Next, our future may involve baby-sitting grandchildren.

Jodi and Adam

Cory and Gillian

Our Family: March 2005

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