For My Cute Brother ;)

Here´s a blog entry dedicated to my oldest bro who´s pretty cool. So I was mistaken and do have a pic of him from Christmas time. He´s going to go rock climbing with me some day. . . we just won´t tell Kiara ;) Love you guys and you´re in my prayers

Amy

(and if Andy doesn´t want to try, I´m sure Lucas will. He´s already practiced clipping in :)

January Highlights-- by Amy

Well, as most of you know I went home for Christmas which was great. I got to go climbing with my bro in Woodson,

and play with all my cute nephews and nieces,

before I headed back to Valdepeñas. The day I arrived (Jan 1st) I headed to the country house of a friend . . .

Where we had lunch Spanish style: barbque chorizo, morcilla, bacon, and chicken and here we are making gauchas

Oso Hermoso was also there, enjoying the country too and trying to steal some of our meat.. .

Then the festivities continued a few days later when our group of climbers from the nave had the annual dinner together at a local resturant. Actually it was lunch this year and though we may not look like it here, Gabriel and I are stuffed! We just finished a four course meal. Gonzalo and Diana are playing with the wine glasses. . . and jumping ahead to this past weekend, here I am on a hike to look a some rock crags close to Castilla de Calatrava I have been much more busy at work this year having more kids and now meeting with 6 adult students too. When I´m not working and the weather is good I have been going climbing. . . so not much has changed with me :)

Fires in Spain

La Hoguera de Castelseras

The children in the window! Oh, they´re fine...

The owners put metal around the doors and windows

After it burned down a little

So these are the festivals of San Sebastian in Castelseras, a neighboring pueblo to Alcañiz. Alcañiz had a bonfire for a different saint on Saturday night, but it was out in the open. Castelseras is impressive because they do their bonfire in a small plaza. The plaza is filled with logs and branches and a tall cottonwood tree is put in a hole in the middle. Traditional music and dancing arrives with the torches to light the pile. Soon the crowd is pushing back up the side streets and sheilding their faces from the heat of the huge bonfire. Flames reach above the height of the buildings but there is not a firetruck to be seen, later I saw a fire hose laid out in the street, but no worries. Apparently everyone soon retreats to the bars and the festivities continue. When the fire burns down eventually people roast meat over it and the cottonwood tree either falls or is chopped down (and falls against the houses?). We didn´t stay too late as this was Monday night.

Which reminds me I´ve been back in Spain for a week now. It was a long journey back after the flight and the bus ride but I was rockclimbing Tuesday already and it is going well.