Birthday Dinner

The guys at our B&B made reservations for us at Moncho’s Costa Gallego, a seafood restaurant located nearby on Passeig de Gracia, one of Barcelona’s trendy streets.   The sidewalks were crowded as we walked over… people were just finishing their days, the stores were still open, and it was a warm night.  Many of the restaurants had sidewalk tables out.

We dined “early” (9 pm)… enjoying a bottle of Cava (Spanish champagne) and a seafood paella. 

On the way back I got a picture Casa Battlo, one of the works of Barcelona’s most famous architect, Antonini Gaudi.   There were still lots of people on the streets at 11 pm.

The Trip Begins

After much anticipation and packing we are finally on our way. 

As you can see, "Business Elite" class on Delta has its perks... individual TV screens (but Scott´s didn´t work right), full size pillows, comforters, a goodie bag including slippers, eyeshade and beauty products.  We had a 4 course dinner including a seared ahi appetizer, crema de lechuga (cream of lettuce) soup, beef filet with Bernaise sauce and caramel tiramisu.  They were pouring a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Souverain merlot.  It´s a tough job, but somebody´s got to do it!





Found our B&B easily ... and immediately checked out the accommodations.  One of the guys who works there spent 15 years in New York working for AOL... small world, huh!

Barcino 147 gets the OK!

Ventured out this afternoon to try and retrace some of Scott´s steps from his last visit to Barcelona.  We wandered down the famous boulevard "Las Ramblas" to the Columbus statue at the port.  The port has changed significantly (a lot of construction was done prior to the 1992 Olympics), but we think we found the old fleet landing he remembered.  It was a gorgeous day (mid 70s), but the crowds and the jet lag from two nights of sleeping (make that not sleeping well) on planes caught up with us, so we came back for a siesta.  (A highly civilized way to face a big night on the town... nap away the afternoon!)

We´re off to a birthday dinner this evening at Moncho´s ... a seafood restaurant recommended by the owner of the B&B.  More to come...

Warm and Toasty!

The new heated cab on the tractor got a good workout with this week's snow.













It's almost too hot...

not that I'm complaining!  

First snow!

OK, who covered up my garden?   

Wheeeeee!

 





I love running around in this!

Projects Completed

"before"

This past winter we decided we needed a few changes to our compound.  Well, ok, I decided we needed some changes.  We needed a new bigger wood shed, a barn for my John Deere tractor and  more attention to our greenhouse.  I have to admit, I really didn't think we would complete these projects in just one summer season.  Especially given the fact that it rained 85% of the summer, Gretchen still had to run her B&B business and I crushed my finger in the wood splitter!  Anyone can do these projects with two good hands!

We needed a new woodshed because I was tired of shoveling snow off the wood pile to feed our new outside wood furnace during the cold winter months. It sounded logical to me ... until my building techniques got out of hand and the shed became a 42 foot pole barn!  But, it's done and will be great when the snow arrives and we can get at the wood with little effort.  

The big project was the Deere Barn.  We have already stashed the toys for the winter... they fit!

The greenhouse we built last fall was augmented this spring by a "cold frame" ... we moved the existing raised beds and added a cover -- the roll-up sides give the plants air while the cover provides a bit of protection from the elements.  We used it for our celery, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kolirabi, radishes lettuce, peppers and squash.
For the winter, we just take the plastic down. 

Last Piece!

See the smile on Scott's face... and the smiley face he put on the last piece of siding!!  This means the shell of the Deere barn is finished. 

 

Even the dogs were impressed...
they watched as he carried it up the scaffold
and hammered it in place


Finished!



Termination Dust

... that's the term for the snowfall on the mountains that signals the end of summer (as seen here on one of the peaks in the Chugach Range near Anchorage last week).  The weather is definitely colder, and the snow line clearly is descending... even the Talkeetna Mountains have a dusting of snow.  The local TV station news/weather team are betting on when there will be officially measurable snow... estimates are from 12-30 October so far.  We've been below freezing the last couple of mornings, and the rain we had yesterday looked like it was mixed with snow.  Winter is not far away.