painted gift

Rolling Through Life

Well, my latest painting, ‘Rolling Through Life’, is done. I did it as a house-warming gift for José’s sister Isabel. She seems to really like it, which is the important thing. I like it quite a bit myself, to be honest. It is a bit of a return to my first series.

birthday weekend getaway

Archway & Scooter

José and I played hooky from work a couple of days and had a long weekend last week. We used the time to celebrate my birthday in the vibrant city of Marrakech, Morocco.

It was my second trip to Morocco having spent a day in Tetouan years ago. But for José it was his first steps on the African continent. And it was a great choice to inagurate him to it’s wonders. I had always heard that Marrakech was a beautiful and exotic locale. I have to say that I disagree. It is colorful, chaotic, welcoming, a riot for the senses and by turns charming or overwhelming, but beautiful it is not. Yes, it has some beautifully amazing buildings and spaces and the people (read men) are in general gorgeous — Gorgeous! — but beautiful is not the first word that comes to mind.

We did have a great time there. The food, though limited in choices as in all Morocco, was consistantly delicious. (That includes the snails José convinced me to try. Can you believe it, I ate snails. And the were good)! The main square, Djaama al Fna was hopping 24 hours a day and at night a gaint food court seemed to just instantly materialize at its core. And though the food offered there was great and cheap, the best part was messing with all the cute guys touting their stands while practically forcing you to a table.

The shopping was also quite good. I discovered I liked bargaining more than I had remembered. And frankly, I’m pretty good at it. As my stuffed suitcase would attest. Of course just  the experience of wandering around the alleyways of the souk and getting lost amoung the noise and aromas was worth the price of the souvenirs. But if you go, watch out for mo-peds/scooters/bikes because they are plentiful and will run you down. My arm is still a bit sore from getting bumped by careless riders flying by.

We also hired a 4×4 and driver to take us to see some of the Berber villages in the Atlas Mountains one day. (My actual birthday). Our driver was really good and didn’t try to force all the tourist traps on us as is typical. We did, however, see the touristy village of Seati Fatima and hiked to see the waterfalls above the town. But perhaps the most amazing part was the lunch experience that day. We dined at a little roadside shack. We sat at a table across the quiet, little-traveled road, beside a little bubbling river in the shadow of a brown and green mountain. The only people anywhere  were José, the driver (Abdul), the cook (a pleasant middle-aged women in traditional dress) and myself.

All in all, a great experience and a place I recommend. And as always, there are photos. Marrakech / Atlas Villages

new painting series

I’ve completed a new series of four painting. They are my first attempt to really make a statement with my ‘art’. And it is quite the statement. I will probably piss more than a few of you off. And I’m okay with that.
The series is entitled Reign of Reins. I think the works speak for themselves, so no explanations. See the Doodles tab for detailed photos of each.

Reign of Reins

another life dream…completed!

Skiing Kenneth

Ever since I can remember I have wanted to try snowskiing. And despite living near ski areas for much of my life and vowing every winter to do it, I never did. Until now, that is. As a Christmas gift to myself and my family, we spent Christmas Eve at the Xanadú indoor ski park in the outskirts of Madrid. And it was awesome!
We hired an instructor for the first couple of hours and then had a couple more hours for independent fun (and falls). And yes, there were plenty of falls by D, José and myself. But overall we were all really impressed with how well we did. We even had a few goes at the big slope before we were done. (Against the recommendations of our instructor who in general did not recommend that particular test for first-timers).
And because my child is such a social butterfly, we met a couple of young men one of whom was also a novice. He, Gonzalo, wound up hanging with us and the four of us pushed and challenged each other on. A great time was had by all and I think D is already hooked. As for me, if I get the opportunity to do it again – especially outdoors – I will. But if not, at least I have fulfilled a lifelong wish. Now on to bungee-jumping!
Photos

blackened fish

blackened perch & brocoli casserole

I finally tried to make one of my favorite things to eat. A bit of the old cajun fare. After going years without a visit to New Orleans, I was seriously jonesing for some blackened trout or catfish. In the end I decided to make my own but using perch instead. Catfish is impossible to get here and I didn’t really have time in the market to wait for trout to be filleted.
Anyway, it turned out very good. And very spicey. And I served it with some smashed potatoes and brocoli casserole. (This was also my first attempt at brocoli casserole and it was as equally successful).

Tenerife

View from Villa Maspalmeras

Here is a link to the fotos from our latest trip (José and I). We took advantage of a long holiday weekend to visit Tenerife in the Canary Islands. I’ve now been to 4 of the 7 islands and hope to get to the other 3 soon.

tangerine beef

Tangerine Beef

It has really been a long time since I posted anything in the cooking section. Sorry to those of you who enjoy that sort of thing. Both of you. Anyway, a few days ago a made my tangerine beef for the first time in over a year.
To make it:

• sear beef strips in olive or sesame oil for a few minutes
• add some chopped green onions and the chopped or shredded peels of 4 or 5 tangerines
• stir fry a few minutes and then add a couple cups of orange/tangerine juice
• season with ginger, sesame seed, salt & chili pepper
• add soy sauce and a little rice vinegar & a spoon of honey

Cook it as long as you can to tenderize the beef and for the last few minutes add bell pepper and/or broccoli. If you want to thicken the sauce you can use corn starch, but I never do.
It turned out really well. Not my best effort at it I must admit. But okay.

 

 

 

take a hike

José and I took advantage of the holiday on Monday (Día de la Hispanidad) and went hiking at Cotos in the Sierra de Guadarrama above Madrid. I discovered that I am much more out-of-shape than I thought. But we had a great time and enjoyed some beautiful scenery and fresh air. And the old-time train which takes you into the mountains, was fun.

And now that José is back living in Madrid, we hope to be able to do a lot more of this type of thing.

Olympic fever

Congratulations to Rio de Janeiro on winning the 2016 Olympics. And to Madrid for the strong second place finish. Frankly, that’s just the way I wanted it. After having lived in Atlanta during the run-up to the 1996 games, I have no desire to live in another Olympic city. Just headaches. And higher prices.
I did, however, go to the celebration that was taking place to watch the results come in. After all, Madrid throws great parties and it was only a few blocks from home. And the hope and suspense was tangible and exciting.

new page

In case you didn’t notice, there is a new tab above. It is labeled ‘Doodles’ and highlights my ‘artwork’. Check it out.