Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

It’s difficult to believe that an entire week has passed by since Randy, Patricia, Gary and myself headed off to Monchique for the longest hike I’ve been on, to date. It was Sunday March 27 and the weather forecast was promising sunshine, cloud and warm temperatures. There was also a breeze, thankfully! The hike starts…

In keeping with local tradition, we do our marketing on Saturdays for the few days that follow. For a change and because it came highly recommended , we set off for the market in São Brás de Alportel. It’s much smaller than the Olhão market but equally interesting. I learned the hard way, that one…

Wandering the roads and pathways of Estoi is a never ending pleasure. Especially when my guide is Randy. He knows so much about the area and when and where to look for items of interest. Particularly flowers. In this instance, Passion Flowers along a fence enclosing part of the Pousada grounds. I would have missed…

Dear reader, you might be wondering where I’ve been hiding. I’ve actually been experiencing as much of life in the Algarve as I am able. Editing photos and blogging sort of fell off the table! In any case, Tuesday March 22, I had the opportunity to travel to Portimão courtesy of Marc and Randy. It’s…

Sunday was a wonderfully wet day -a downpour of rain, thunder and some wind. Monday, the cloud cover began to break up and I took the risk to head out toward Bordeira. It rained a wee bit but not enough to make me uncomfortably wet. One of the gravel roads I followed trickled down to…

Saturday morning four us off to shop and people watch at the indoor/outdoor market in Olhão. It was a bright sunny day with enough of a breeze to keep the flies away” The crowds were out and the vendors were doing a brisk trade. During the afternoon, I headed out on a hike in an…

Friday March 18 and Saturday March 19 were days spent in anticipation of what the murky weather warnings for Sunday would bring. Friday afternoon, Randy invited me on a spontaneous walk through an urban park near Olhão. There were birds everywhere including hoopoes that were very shy so don’t appear in any photos. There was…

On Wednesday March 16, the weather was cloudy and overcast. There was rain in the early morning and when I ventured out on a walk around the village outskirts in the afternoon, there was a strange, brownish gloom in the air. The air is heavy with the scent of orange blossoms. I wish it were…

Thursday March 17 was our day for a hike in the Barranco do Velho situated north of Estoi. It’s an area known for lavender, in particular, green lavender. Coincidentally, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, so appropriate in that regard. So, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! This was a repeat hike for all of us, Randy, Patricia,…

Sunday evening and Monday morning were somewhat wet and cloudy. The weather cleared off enough that Randy, Laurie and myself headed off to the boardwalk behind Faro airport that leads to the beach. There have been sections added to the board walk since my last foray into this area and it makes the hike/walk a…