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Orchids, Markets & Ocean
The days are speeding by and suddenly the month of March is nearly half gone! The weather has been a mix of sun, rain and wind and the overall effect is a wonderful lushness as plants and flowers burst forth. There seems to be an abundance the Naked Man and other orchids, this year. I…
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Another adventure in the Algarve
The Rocha da Pena is located about 45 minutes by car north and west of Estoi. Our hiking adventure required some advance planning as we decided to take our own individual picnic lunches with us. Thursday was a perfect day for our party of six: Randy, Patricia, Laurie, Gary, Morgaine and myself. Marc elected to…
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Weekends come and as good weekends go, it left…
Three days have literally melted away in a blur of rain, sunshine and a bit of a breeze scented with orange blossoms. Absolutely nothing to complain about! First off, if you haven’t noticed, my blog has a new logo, thanks to my talented friend and graphic artist, Mahmood Reza Jafari. He lives in Tehran and…
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Finding the source
The weather was fantastic for our hike on Friday morning that began on a trail about 30 minutes by car north and west from Estoi. Fonte Benémola. The objective of the hike was find orchids – the earth in this area is particularly conducive to their growth. The hiking sleuths were Randy, Louise and myself.…
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Portugal Adventure 2022
Exchanging Canadian cold and snow for Portuguese warmth and sunshine. Monday February 28, 2022: An evening flight from Montreal to Lisbon was the beginning of this new adventure. Landing in Lisbon on Tuesday morning provided a welcome sight of sunshine, palm trees and green grass. A train journey of several hours planted my feet firmly…
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Raising the roof in Pucallpa, Peru
Pucallpa, Peru has become a destination of choice for myself along with 67 volunteers organized by Pure Art Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the living conditions of the desperately poor in the District of Manantay, Pucallpa. For details regarding the Foundation, please take the time to visit their web site, http://www.pureartfoundation.org, and explore their…
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Au revoir to good friends and a great town
Saying goodbye, particularly when you’re having a wonderful time, is rarely easy. Friday, January 24 was our last full day in Tavira so we didn’t waste much time sitting around. Marc and Randy drove in from Estoi and we all headed off for lunch to the same restaurant where Terry and I had been earlier…
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An winter day in Tavira
A winters day in Tavira may feature rain or cloud combined with wind and sunny breaks. Thursday, January 23 was that kind of day. We started out with tracking down the Church of Saint Francis which was less than two blocks from the apartment because of our intention of attending a concert in that venue…
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Tavira Church Cats
Wednesday January, 22 had all the potential of being a rainy day. We were ready and armed with passes that gave us access to four of the main historical churches in the city. Our first stop was an interesting combination of ancient castle fortress and two churches. The ruin of the ancient Castello do Tavira…
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Ilha Tavira beach and sunshine
Terry O’Shaughnessey arrived in Tavira late Monday afternoon. A longtime friend, she was escaping the hardships of a Montreal winter and this was her first visit to the Algarve. Tuesday, January 21 was a sun filled day with a brisk cool breeze and from looking at the local weather forecast for the week, it appeared…
Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground
A personal point of view…
Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground 