Like the Tide

Like the Tide

I have spent many hours this week just watching the water. I’m watching the boats and the cars, the “self-walking” dogs and the people, too, of course. But mostly I watch the water. The tide doesn’t roll in here on the Ria Formosa. (Sorry, Otis.) It creeps in, it seeps in. It subtly edges into…

Relaxing into Me

“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” Chinese Proverb I found this gem while researching another Chinese proverb for a book I am working on. And it resonated with me because it laid out how I have felt (for the most part) since I moved to Portugal. I am…

Cobblestone Sidewalks of Olhão

Growing up outside of Boston, our American history classes touched on how cobblestone sidewalks and streets came to be. In the 1800s, cobblestones were used as ballast in ships coming from Europe. They were offloaded in American port cities, making room for the cargo that was being exported to Europe. The cobblestones were repurposed to…

Learning European Portuguese

I am back to my language CDs, learning European Portuguese, starting over at the beginning because it’s been so long since I have listened. Frankly, I don’t know if it’s possible to learn any language from recordings alone, but I have A PLAN! (If this is your first time here, I always have a PLAN.…