Javier Goes to the Bullfight

Somehow I’ve been given a new nickname, Javier de Jávea. Es un nombre muy fuerte y muy auténtico de España. Me gusta mi nombre nuevo. ¡Soy Javier!
Dee and I had the extreme fortune to leave behind our two beautiful children (thanks Caroline!) for 3 days and 2 nights of sheer madness in Valencia during Las Fallas. We headed out, for what has been billed [...]

Pyromania at Las Fallas!

I stood in complete childlike awe staring dumbfounded at la cremá (the burning), a massive bonfire, set intentionally, that rises 100+ feet in the air, in the middle of an intersection on Carrer de Sueca in Valencia, Spain (and there were hundreds more just like it burning throughout the city).  My senses could not have been more completely overwhelmed.  Plus, it felt [...]

Oz

I’m a bit weirded out.  Just got back last night from Emma’s choir performance at the Lady Elizabeth variety show for Comic Relief 2009.  There we were in Lliber Spain, at a British international school event, with families literally from all over the world, speaking Spanish during intermission, raising money for poverty in Africa and [...]

¡Estoy muy contento!

Tenemos amigos nuevos. Son una familia de españoles. Están de Valladolid. Está una ciudad aproximadamente una y media horas norte de Madríd. Pero viven en Jávea ahora cerca de l’Arenal. Está una familia de 4 personas, con una niña tiene 10 años y un niño tiene 6 años. Están amigos agradables, divertidos, y muy simpaticos. [...]

Happy Turkey Day!

Gobble, gobble, gobble!
Just a few of the things I am thankful for: my 3 beautiful girls, my dear family, good health, close friends, the opportunity to live life and not just watch it pass by, Spain, spicy Riojas, warm sun, new friendships, jalapeno stuffed olives, Hemingway, learning some new Spanish verbs (they are quite useful [...]

Update to post “Day 1 Again in Spain”

This is an update to my blog posted on 9 November 2008.
I just found the parking ticket!
I had put it in the car’s ashtray for some unknown reason. There it was, all along. Life is funny isn’t it!?!?!

Day 1 again in Spain

As many of you know our family went to Italy and Croatia over the girls’ mid-term break. It was a marvelous trip, but I’m not the best travel writer. I’m sure Dee will chronicle the adventure in more depth and richer detail on her travel blog (Dee, where’s the post with all the great pics?!?). What [...]

A new blog post…really?!?

OK, how come no one has called me out for not posting in 3 weeks? Yeah, it’s been that long, and I’m deeply ashamed. Kinda, sorta, well maybe that’s a tad of an overstatement. Feeling a skosh guilty – that’s closer to the truth. I’m back at the internet alter now, my laptop, and confessing to the [...]

Starting Spanish Lessons

After all the moving around, we are starting to settle down and get into the groove as a family again.  Finally!  The girls have been in school 2 weeks now, and the daily routine is returning to our hectic lives.  For me, this means I can now have some time to concentrate on learning some [...]

Workin’ at the carwash

We got another car today.  Have a chance to return the brand new Renault on lease and save a whole wad of cash in the process.  The villa we are renting also has a car.  So out goes the Renault Megane with red license plates advertising to the world that we are French tourists, and in comes [...]