The Dogs of Spain

There are a lot of dogs in Spain. I’m not sure what they’re here for, maybe they are all watchdogs. The Spanish dogs don’t really seem like pets, the way people treat them. In the neighborhood where we’re staying, there have to be at least 30-40 dogs almost all locked behind high walls, though a few are free to chase me as I walk to and from town. From time to time, they all start barking and howling and baying all at once. It’s not clear what sets them off, but they all get into it together, and then their owners come out and yell obscenities, shoot guns, and kick the dogs. Quite lively. Many of you know my sister Andrea lived in Sevilla (Seville), Spain for a year a while back. I remember her saying that dog poo all over the sidewalk was one of the quintessential characteristics of Southern Spain. Now that I’ve been here, I quite agree-I‘ve stepped right in that particular characteristic! Here is one of the dogs of Spain: Cora--she’s a sweetie, owned by the folks who run the retreat center we’ve been staying at. She’s an anomaly, cared for and loved and well behaved; although she, too, likes to howl on occasion. But we can shush her with a few kind words.


All complaining aside, we’ve had a lovely time staying in Torremolinos, on the Southern Coast of Spain. We are up in the hills a ways, a bit of a hike from the town center and the beach. That’s fine, because we have had a fantastic time resting, praying, reading, thinking, writing, and just spending time with God, each other, and the great people who have been here. There are three other guests besides us, and along with the hosts, we’ve had a lot of fun and some really fantastic times of praying together and encouraging one another. Here’s the whole bunch of us at a potluck dinner (or as the Brits say, American Supper):


I am realizing a lot more about some of the anxieties and ways of thinking that make my life hurried, rushed and stressed. As I prepare to be in school again, especially the condensed nursing program that I am entering, I would like to be able to bring a better mindset to it so that I don’t turn into such a basket-case. I am really working on not always needing to be distracted by books, movies, music, food, etc. I am trying to be clear minded, completely present, and to learn to just rest in the love that Christ offers me. It’s hard work for me, but this week has been a nice time to reflect and identify some of my weak areas. I’m not picking myself apart- not at all! It’s just nice to identify where I might need extra help and ask God and my family and friends to help me in those places. Here’s the garden where I’ve been doing all this deep thinking:


Tomorrow, we leave for Bratislava, Slovakia. There we’ll be spending a week with our old friend Monika Sebova, who lived with my family as an exchange student when Andrea and Carmen were in high school. We are staying with her and her parents, and they are going to help us explore Bratislava, and then they said we’d go to Central Slovakia to stay in a house they own up in the mountains. This is the part of the trip that starts to feel pretty exotic. I’ve never been to central Europe before, and I don’t speak more than two words of Slovak. I know Monika and her family will take care of us, but there will be plenty of times where we’ll be wandering about on our own. I guess that sort of adventure is the whole reason we came on this trip!

Today is May 1st, and we return home on June 2nd, so we’ve just got one month left on this journey. I am excited about the rest of our itinerary, but I’m also beginning to feel excited about returning home. I have a lot to look forward to, and I am getting pretty excited about school, and also about riding the Seattle-to-Portland bike ride again in July. This year, I won’t be riding alone! My dear friend, Melissa Toucet will be riding with me, and I think it will be a blast to ride together. Despite my best intentions, I just haven’t had much chance to ride bicycles while on this trip, so just like last year I’ll be on the “not-quite-enough-time-to-do-this-properly“, accelerated training program. Oh well. I learned last year that if I just keep turning those pedals, I will arrive in the end.


Well, how’s that for a hodge podge of thoughts! I’ll sign off for now.