La Felgeura Church

   Hola Fernando y Chari, I really miss you. Te echo de menos muchos. I miss talking with you and walking with you and window shopping with you and discovering wonderful wines with you and finding incredible resturants with you.... I MISS YOU!

Niños de Veguín

 In 2007 my son Tanner had a wonderful summer hanging out with his amigos from Veguin. Before he left for the United States the kids presented him with a Nike soccer ball signed by his new friends. He has it still in his bedroom reminding him of his Asturian amigos more then 5,000 miles away.

En el año 2007 mi hijo Tanner pasó un verano inolvidable con sus maravillosos amigos de Veguín. Antes de que se marchase de vuelta a los Estados Unidos, sus amigos le regalaron un balón de fútbol Nike firmado por todos sus nuevos amigos. Tanner tiene este balón en su habitación y siempre le recuerda de sus amigos asturianos a 8000 kilómetros de distancia.

My American friends

When your friends that live 6 blocks from you, travel 5000 miles to visit you... well I guess that means they are pretty good friends! This is the gorgeous Dr. Ximena Garcia and her husband Craig. (He is some sort of Dr also) Jake, David, Lauren and Christopher (their spawn)

One Wonderful Weekend!

I can not believe it but school starts here this week so Miguel and I took the boys on a little get away to Kansas City. We had a wonderful time! I highly recommend the hotel we stayed at. ( Hyatt Place) it had all the amenities that our house does not have.... like fluffy goose down pillows and comforters, and a 42" flat screen TV. We took in the local amusement park on Saturday with the family of very dear friends, followed by a trip to their home for pizza and superb white wines. (My friend L has impeccable taste in wine) Afterwards we went back to our beautiful room and watched the flat screen .... "gotta get one of those!" On Sunday L took us to an awesome outdoor restaurant and treated everyone to lunch. I had chilled avocado soup and it was fabulous! Life can be so wonderful!!!!

My friends of Veguin

Please meet some of my friends that I spend time with every summer. I can tell you that I am always so happy to see these people and it is always sad to have to say good-bye.

Starting from the left is Almodovar. He is an auto body painter, loves all foods and plays cards almost every evening in Bar Corea with the same partners.

Berto is in the middle. Berto and I have 2 things in common , food and drink. We have long conversations about Spanish and American wines. Berto loves seafood but does not care much for meat and hates cheese!

Yoli is a co owner of Bar Corea. Kids adore her and vie for her attention. Yolie is one of my most curious friends about life in the United States and endlessly asks questions about my life here. She is usually Almodovar's card partner and Berto and he wait patiently while she pours cider and draught beer for the bar patrons in between hands. Unlike me Yolie hates Sidra.

Somebody drink a sidra for me because I miss it sooo much!

Puxa Asturias, Puxa Veguin!

Jose Calvillo Gomez

My good friend Jose passed away this year while I was in Spain. I still can not believe that I will never see him again. I took this picture of Jose a couple of weeks before his heart stopped . This is how I know him and will always remember him.... sitting in a bar enjoying a glass of wine.

Jose Calvillo Gomez 1919-2008

Mi amigos

Happy Mothers day to everyone in the Estados Unidos. (Féliz día de la madre). I waited tables this weekend and in the 7 years that I have been doing so I wish to report to the world that the economy absolutely sucks! Don't get me started.

Anyway on a happier note I went out last night with a group of friends and we had such a blast! We went to Lawrence Kansas, which is probably the coolest town in all of Kansas. We drank several bottles of good red Italian wine, laughed non stop, and ate like pigs. This photo is what Miguel and I shared. It was blackened octopus (pulpo) mussels (mejillones) and shrimp (gambas) underneath all this sea fare.... white beans and crunchy greens of a unknown origin. Afterwards we walked in the rain to a coffee shop where the men sat outside drinking tea, cognac and smoking smelly cigars, while us gals sat inside warm and dry. The men outside had a lot of entertainment as they witnessed a fight of several street people and were than entertained by a man that claimed to be a professional hobo and an ex-roommate to a man that was mountain climbing by himself and got his arm trapped between some huge boulders, and after several days freed himself by amputating his own arm with a pocket knife. Our men seemed to swallow his story..... maybe us gals were more sober!

By the way a special thank you to the assholes that I waited on today that stiffed me. You were a horrible hateful family and you all deserve each other!

Mis Amigos de Veguin

Spending the past 5 summers in Asturias, España has allowed me to make some very good friends. Two however standout. Here are my 2 best friends from Veguin, Asturias. Jose Calvillo Gomez is 93 years old. He was an officer in the Spanish Civil War. He was injured badly in a grenade attack and 2 soldiers put him on a stretcher to carry him to safety, one of the soldiers was shot and killed dead while saving my friend. Jose has had both heels on his feet badly damaged as a result of the grenade, but still walks all over town with the help of his cane. His favorite food is garlic soup and I love him. We try to meet as often as we can in one of the bars in town while he enjoys a glass of wine and I usually enjoy several bottles of sidra. My other friend is the beautiful Minerva named after a Greek goddess. Minerva owned Bar Corea for several years and that is the place where my Spanish excelled to new levels! I go there in the morning before lunch to read the newspapers visit with everyone ...and drink sidra. Minerva lives across the street from our house and will hang a flag out her kitchen window to say hello. I enjoy Sunday nights when we can get together in Bar Corea , her cousin Ovi now owns it. They have a huge family of women and its so much fun to get together and laugh and eat and drink sidra. If anybody in Veguin reads this post , please buy Jose a drink and give him a kiss from me. Traducción: Si alguien de Veguín lee esto, por favor que le den un beso de mi parte.

You are all invited!!

OK. Today I bought the winning ticket to the Kansas Lottery. I wont really know for sure until tomorrow night, but I feel veeery good about this ticket! I have said before that I will buy a beach home in Llanes Asturias when I do win. Maybe somewhere near this photo. Don't worry, I will have a big house warming party! Songnatrice, I will need you to drive down from Italy please... you must come! Jennie Boo can you bring a really big batch of choco-chip cookies and your beautiful personality? Passionate Palate, will you come early and help me choose the cerveza and vinos for the guests? Frances you are our leader so please come and lead us..... ( to the bars, beach, restaurant's etc...) Fernando, we will need you to bring your prescription pad and dispense hangover cures and antacids for over-indulgence!!! I will see you all at the PARTY! BESOS...Jannis