Wedding Hiccup!

We have been flying by all the fun wedding planning and things have really been super smooth. I suspect that it's fairly normal for some things to go badly. And we have encountered our first issue. El and I got Save the Date magnets printed which really are super cool. We got small cards made to go in them to share our wedding site and small envelopes to send them in. El went to the post office had them weighed by a postal person who told him that since they were small we needed extra postage. So he bought the proper stamps and he stamped them, labeled them and it was up to me to send them. Though the traditional foreshadowing would indicate that I forgot to send them or lost them in the bath tub or somehow a dog peed on them, but none of those things happened while they were in my possession. I sent them. I took them to the post office and I sent them. They went into the postal bin.

The very next day, I go outside the front door to check my mail and there it was, a small box provided by our countries trusted with all of the magnets and a letter from the post office indicating that you can not send things that small in the mail. I call El at work who of course was pissed off that the first post person did not mention this clause when they looked at the envelop. We deviced a multilevel plan and hope that we can deliver our Save the Dates AND preserve our stamps. Stay tuned.

Cooking Fun

It's so nice to be home and have the ability to cook. I really missed it! This week I thought it would be great to be able to make one meal and have it lead to the next. The idea was to have good healthy food but be able to use the main part of it again, in hopes of not wasting food. The frig often gets stuffed with leftovers that sometimes just get tossed.

First came the roasted chicken. I made a nice mojo marinade and basted the it. I threw potatoes, carrots, onions, and tomatoes around it, sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper. We ate it for a couple of days. I must say it was damn good.

Then came Chicken Enchiladas. I shredded the chicken and wrapped up the chicken with homemade guacamole in sun-dried tomato wraps. I made 4 good sized ones for the pan I wanted to use. I poured enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkled with light Mexican cheese mix. I baked it to melt the cheese for a bit and it was good to go. Each one was a good size so we ate one a piece and El munched on the leftovers for lunch.

We made salad with carrots, zucchini, onions, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled egg, and the rest of the shredded chicken. I complimented it with a tomato soup (more like a gazpacho really) from my handy Moosewood cookbook. The gazpacho was really tasty and my plan is to use the leftovers of that to make a pasta sauce!

Things in Spain I love

This the main Cathedral in Cadiz. It's massive and quite stunning. Right in the same plaza are cafes, shops, and those darn montaditos (tiny delicious sandwiches.)

Spain was one of the first modern countries to legalize same sex marriages. My liberal hippie self appreciates this deeply. I like that whole equal rights for all people concept. In light of my own impending nuptials I notice much more wedding stuff.

The other night joining the last program on the beach after their yoga/tai chi/meditation class the yogi which is also a acupuncturist and chiropractor and holistic healer of sorts decided to give David a free demonstration. He said he felt a tingle all over his body and super relaxed. The guy left him with needles on his head and went to speak with the ocean through various body movements. He also gave us pointers on several pressure points on the body that relieve stress and car sickness. Only in Spain would this all occur on a beach at 11:00PM. Finally, my beloved Shelli and Mike. Shelli and I have been working together for 3 years in Spain and this summer we got to spend most of it together. She is expecting a little girl (perhaps a future matador) in October and the goof ball is her husband Mike. Aren't they super cute? Together we have eaten many a great meal and countless bocadillos. Thursday we begin our travels back to the States!

Singing in the Plaza

We were taking a walk to the best ice cream place in town and we began noticing strange men in very odd costumes. First it was one or two then it was truck loads, so we decided to investigate. The Plaza Mina was hoping with Cadiz residents and completely surrounded by truck loads of funny dressed mostly men. As they were all have a few beers before beginning the festivities I asked a local what was going on. He explained to me that this was the City Singing Carousel Carnival (duh) and that in just a few minutes they will begin singing.

It was really entertaining. There were the folks dressed as prisoners. Ones that were dressed in renaissance fare. The ones that looked like shriners. The ones dressed as women, of course. And the ones dressed as bikers. I am not sure who was the art designer for the event but it was a trip checking them all out and watching them try to out sing each other. The Bikers were a bit of trip because the sand Spanish rock and roll, including a fairly amusing rendition of "We will Rock You."

Most of the songs were almost like extended limericks. The usually had a little story or a moral of some kind. For example:

• There was one about a real friend is also a true gentleman.
• A hungry husband will cheat on his wife so keep him feed.
• There is no better place to take a crap then in your own bathroom.

Surely, these are life lessons for the young and old. Of course there were people sitting and clapping along. Small children throwing pop rocks near people's feet. A grand ol' time on a Saturday Night in the southern part of Spain. Perfect weather and great entertainment. Why don't we ever find truckloads of men singing in funny suits in the States?

March 14 2009 part II

I was doing some flower research at the Plaza of Flowers of course. These are just my favorites. Any of you garden oriented folks let me know if you can identify them, because my plan when we meet with the florist is to just show them the pictures.