May 4

All the world’s a stage.  ~  William Shakespeare

And Run for the Roses is the prelude to the season . . .

2019 Summer Season
Theatre L’Homme Dieu celebrates its 59th Season with Musicals, Comedies, and Dramas, as well as a Curated Concert Series, bringing Minnesota’s Greatest Artists + Arts Organizations to the Lakes Area.
2019 Theatre Series
Bright Star – June 25 – 30
Shapeshift – July 9 – 13
Til Death – July 16 – 20
Kevin Kling – July 23 – 27
Church Basement Ladies – August 6 – 10
2019 Concert Series
Neil Diamond (Matt Vee) – July 5
Glen Campbell (Jeff Dayton) – July 31
Six Appeal – August 14 – 15

[The day’s event unofficially (for us) began at 2:00 with Elsa Lee in the tasting room . . ]

[The Super’s Run for the Roses bonnet . . . ]

[My Run for the Roses bonnet . . . ]

[Elsa . . . ]

[And before we left for the stables, the Super made this request of Elsa . . . ]

[And then it was over to the stables for the main event.  The Super always promotes early arrivals so she can get the best seats . . . ]

[Entertainment courtesy of the Salty Dogs . . . ]

[When you feel like you’ve only got a bit part in your own life, write the script yourself.  ~ Benny Bellamacina]

[Satisfy people’s desire for the ridiculous and they will accept your idea of  the sublime. ~  Maurice Willson Disher]

[The Hulk before intermission, Bruce Banner after it.  ~ Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter]

[The 2019 season in poster, the next three . . . ]

[What is that unforgettable line?  ~  Samuel Beckett]

[Life is a theatre set in which there are but few practicable entrances.  ~  Victor Hugo]

[We discovered that theatre board members also make terrific greeters . . . ]

[Theatre is a voyage into the archives of the human imagination.  ~  Natasha Tsakos]

[Look . . . I made a hat where there never was a hat.  ~  Stephen Sondheim]

[I am interested in the shape of ideas, even if I do not believe in them.  ~  Samuel Beckett]

[I think the theatre is as essential to civilization as safe, pure water.  ~  Vanessa Redgrave]

[A shout out to the organizers!]

[If you were born with the ability to change someone’s perspective or emotions, never waste that gift. It is one of the most powerful gifts God can give—the ability to influence.  ~  Shannon L. Alder]

[Known patrons of the arts . . . ]

[The play was a great success, but the audience was a disaster.  ~   Oscar Wilde]

[An actor must never be afraid to make a fool of himself.  ~  Harvey Cocks]

[Without wine there is no longer love nor any other pleasant thing for men.  ~  Euripides]

[Without writers, stories would not be written, Without actors, stories could not be brought to life.  ~  Angie-Marie Delsante]

[Theatre is a voyage into the archives of the human imagination.  ~  Natasha Tsakos]

[Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand . . . ]

[And now she’s in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand  ~  Elton John]

[Coverage also provided by the local fourth estate . . . ]

[I like the ephemeral thing about theatre, every performance is like a ghost – it’s there and then it’s gone.  ~  Maggie Smith]

[Anatomy is to physiology as geography is to history; it describes the theatre of events.  ~ Jean Fernel]

[The theatre, when all is said and done, is not life in miniature, but life enormously magnified, life hideously exaggerated.  ~  H. L. Mencken]

[Theater is, of course, a reflection of life. Maybe we have to improve life before we can hope to improve theater.  ~  W. R. Inge]

[It’s one of the tragic ironies of the theatre that only one man in it can count on steady work — the night watchman.  ~  Tallulah Bankhead]

[My only regret in the theater is that I could never sit out front and watch me.   ~  John Barrymore]

[Shift change of board member greeters . . . ]

[Coughing in the theater is not a repiratory ailment. It is criticism.  ~  Alan Jay Lerner]

[The theater is so endlessly fascinating because it’s so accidental. It’s so much like life.  ~  Arthur Miller]

[The best thing about the Kentucky Derby is that it is only two minutes long. It is the quickest event in sports, except for Sumo-wrestling & Mike Tyson fights. Maybe Drag-racing is quicker, but I have never been attracted to it.  ~  Hunter S. Thompson]

[But what truly horsey girls discover in the end is that boyfriends, husbands, children, and careers are the substitute-for horses.  ~ Jane Smiley]

[To pilot a racehorse is to ride a half-ton catapult. It is without question one of the most formidable feats in sport.  ~ Laura Hillenbrand]

[Come, let’s stroll, Stroll across the floor . . . ]

[Come, let’s stro-oh-oh-oll, Stroll across the floor  ~  The Diamonds]

[DNA tests have proven both to be Flying Dutchmen . . . ]

[And close relatives of the executive director . . . ]

[The theater is a great equalizer: it is the only place where the poor can look down on the rich.  ~  Will Rogers]

[This is really a lovely horse, I once rode her mother.  ~  Ted Walsh]

[It is best not to swap horses while crossing the river.  ~  Abraham Lincoln]

[A horse is dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle.  ~  Ian Flemming]

[And the award for best dancing couple goes to . . . ]

[Sin is what is new, strong, surprising, strange. The theatre must take an interest in sin if the young are to be able to go there.  ~  Bertolt Brecht]

[A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!  ~  William Shakespeare]

[It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.  ~ Adlai E. Stevenson]

[The rules . . . ]

[Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.  ~  W.C. Fields]

[You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him participate in synchronized diving.  ~  Cuthbert Soup]

[We thought we had a winner.  Helen bought one raffle ticket and this was it . . . ]

[She donated her winnings back to the theatre and left for her 30-minute trip home to a distant Alexandria suburb.  I don’t think she knew at the time her horse had been DQ’ed.  But thanks, Helen, it was the thought that counts . . . ]

[Our hosts, Nicole and Phil . . . ]

[Readying to announce to awards for . . . ]

[Scanning the floor for winners . . . ]

[Still scanning . . . ]

[Best hat!]

[Best dressed!]

[Best original!]

[Best first-timers (as I recall?)!]

[Go and play. Run around. Build something. Break something. Climb a tree. Get dirty. Get in some trouble. Have some fun.  ~  Brom, The Child Thief]

[Also known as patrons of the arts (and wine, as well) . . . ]

[Even the world’s greatest actor cannot fake an erection.  ~  Mokokoma Mokhonoana]

[There are those who go to the theatre as they would go to a brothel.  ~  Antonin Artaud]

[Embrace your inner lunatic. Fun times guaranteed.  ~  Derek Landy, Death Bringer)

[There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it.  ~  Andrew Jackson]

[I didn’t want to spent a lot of close time with someone who believed that fun is a bourgeois indulgence.  ~  Howard Zinn]

[Yes, this is their second appearance.  I was promised a better seat at the next book club if I did so . . . ]

[I know. In fact, I am never wrong.  ~   Oscar Wilde]

[Family, thy name is entertainment . . . ]

[Food to eat and games to play. Tell me why, tell me why. Serve it out and eat it up. Have a try, have a try.  ~  Brian Jacques]

[To be able to say, I knew him when . . . ]

[Well-known couple about town.  As president of the board, Fred would like to thank all the sponsors, contributors, and participants in this event.  Say good-night, Fred.]

The theater is one of the few places left in the bright and noisy world where we sit in the quiet dark together, to be awake.   ~  Sarah Ruhl

Up next:  A track meet?

April 22

ONE BLUE DOT, CALLED HOME 

[The prelude to Earth Day appeared in the cloud mornings Easter morning . . . ]

[And Earth Day begins . . . ]

[I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.  ~ Mother Teresa]

[The Earth is what we all have in common.  ~  Wendell Berry]

[Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.  ~  George Bernard Shaw]

[Time spent among trees is never time wasted.  ~  Anonymous]

[Away, away, from men and towns, To the wild wood and the downs, To the silent wilderness, Where the soul need not repress its music.  ~  Percy Bysshe Shelley]

[He that plants trees loves others besides himself.  ~  Thomas Fuller]

[Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.  ~  Margaret Mead]

[One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.  ~  Leo Tolstoy]

[The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.  ~  Lady Bird Johnson]

[The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.  ~ John Paul II]

[Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty.  ~  John Ruskin]

[Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.  ~  Jimmy Carter]

[Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.  ~  George Washington Carver]

[Only dictatorships use templates for their banners.  ~  Heinz Valk (Estonian artist who coined the terms “Singing Revolution” and “One day, no matter what, we will win.”)]

[You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.  ~  Jane Goodall]

[You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares, So go downtown, things’ll be great when you’re, Downtown, no finer place for sure, Downtown everything’s waiting for you  ~  Petula Clark “Downtown”]

[They say the neon lights are bright on [B]roadway  ~  George Benson]

[A shout out to Roers Family Bakery for greeting the marchers . . . ]

[With a tray full of pastries (why, yes, I did enjoy a chocolate covered doughnut) . . . ]

[Our first sighting of our destination – Big Ole . . . ]

[The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.  ~  Gaylord Nelson]

[Media coverage (other than from the cub reporter) . . . ]

[In 2015 the town raised $26,000 for Big Ole’s repair after an inspection uncovered numerous cracks in his body.  Alexandria then decided to go all-out and gave their big he-man a total makeover, which was completed in August 2016.  Big Ole should now be invincible into the mid-21st century (www.roadsideamerica.com).]

[If we saved Big Ole, we can save Earth . . . ]

[So, we posed for destination photos with Ole . . . ]

[And after I finished . . . ]

[The local media took some more (published on Voice of Alexandria) . . .

[Rousing cheers for the record . . . ]

[And now, back to the library . . . ]

[What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on.  ~  Henry David Thoreau]

[We do have a men’s shop!  Who knew?]

[We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth as its other creatures do.  ~  Barbara Ward]

[The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it.  ~  Barry Commoner]

[The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.  ~  Ernest Hemingway]

[A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.  ~  Franklin D. Roosevelt]

[To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.  ~  Helen Keller]

[Environmentally friendly cars will soon cease to be an option … they will become a necessity.  ~  Fujio Cho, Honorary Chairman of Toyota Motors]

[Local DNR representative Al Schmidt gave a presentation on . . . ]

[The effect of climate change on fish and other critters . . . ]

[Emeritus biology professor Van Gooch gave a presentation on the effects of climate change on life in general . . . ]

[The huddled masses assembled to dissect owl pellets . . . ]

[The idea was to find out what owls could not digest and would thus throw up . . . ]

[This was led by Paul Meyers, Professor of Biology at UMM, who also talked about the effect of climate change on insects.  Seated on the far left in the photo is Professor Gooch, appropriately attired in a U sweatshirt . . . ]

[The skeletal remains of small rodents . . . ]

[The following were gifts from Kirby and Chris Karpan.  The bags also included seeds: Pink Swamp Milkweed, Purple Coneflowers, Dill, Black-eyed Susan.]

[For whatever reason, it seemed appropriate to end Earth Day with a pizza at The Depot?]

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of each.  ~  Henry David Thoreau

Up Next:  Cardinal sports?

October 31

Madrid – Toledo – Madrid

Our last day in Spain . . . 

[Before we left our Cordoba hotel room, I had to get a picture of the ubiquitous Honeywell thermostat, for “Weakie” . . . ]

[And a final photo of the art, for me . . . ]

[In the lobby, doing a final social media check before heading out to Madrid . . . ]

[The place had a nice lobby . . . ]

[At the train station . . . ]

[For the 250 mile trip north to Madrid . . . ]

[Another high speed ride . . . ]

[Our hotel in Madrid . . . ]

[Checking our neighborhood . . . ]

[In search of, of course, fine dining . . . ]

[And fine dining would be incomplete without . . . ]

[Then off to a familiar neighborhood from our visit here a week ago . . . ]

[Nepune Fountain . . . ]

[Where we would meet our bus . . . ]

[For the 45 mile ride south to Toledo . . . ]

[Exiting Madrid . . . ]

[A drive-by of Catedral de Sta Maria la Real de la Almudena . . . ]

[Cityscape . . . ]

[And the cathedral again . . . ]

[And we passed the Dear Hotel where we stayed in Madrid the previous week . . . ]

[On the road again . . . ]

[Unknown – somewhere along “the road again ‘ . . . ]

[Toledo is a city and municipality located in central Spain; it is the capital of the province of Toledo.  Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive monumental and cultural heritage.  Toledo is known as the “Imperial City,” and as the “City of the Three Cultures” for the cultural influences of Christians, Muslims and Jews reflected in its history.  Toledo has a long history in the production of bladed weapons, which are now common souvenirs from the city.  As of 2015, the city had a population of 83,226 and an area of 232.1 km²(89.6 sq mi) (Wikipedia).]

[The photo above is mine.  Here’s the story:  In 2001, a firm designed a series of escalators and covered walkways from an underground garage into and through the ancient walls.  Instead of one very long escalator, as was used in Medellin, Columbia, recently to climb a quarter mile into the hillside slums, the architects planned a total of 6 differently angled ones protected from the elements and taking advantage of the views. Their international award-wining project won the Elevator World – Project of the Year Award for 2002/2003.  To build the escalator meant a section of the centuries-old fortifications had to be bulldozed so the old and new could meld into an unobtrusive and sculptural egress.  I cringe at the thought of the initial destruction, their medieval ramparts breached by shiny stainless steel, but the resulting structure is simply astounding!  It works!  The reconstructed walls look as if no stones were touched, while the escalators sinuously wind their way through and behind them.  At peak usage, as many as 40,000 people a day ride those escalators. It is an amazing accomplishment (http://travelingboy.com/)!  The following 4 photos are also from that website, and we were delighted we didn’t have to climb stairs to the top.]

[Back to me again, we’re at the top . . . ]

[The Plaza de Zocodover is the city square.  It was the nerve center of the city during most of its history, acting as its main square.  Here horses, donkeys, foals, mares, mules and other beasts were sold, when the city of Toledo was Spanish-Muslim city.  It has been celebrating for centuries, it is a weekly market (Wikipedia).]

[And it looks like it’s going to be party time . . . ]

[But it also looks like rain . . . ]

[Walking down this lovely pedestrian way toward the Toledo Cathedral . . . ]

[And various views thereof . . . ]

[The Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo, a Roman Catholic church, is the seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toledo.  The cathedral of Toledo is one of the three 13th-century High Gothic cathedrals in Spain and is considered, in the opinion of some authorities, to be the magnum opus of the Gothic style in Spain.  It was begun in 1226 under the rule of Ferdinand III and the last Gothic contributions were made in the 15th century when, in 1493, the vaults of the central nave were finished during the time of the Catholic Monarchs.  It was modeled after the Bourges Cathedral, although its five naves plan is a consequence of the constructors’ intention to cover all of the sacred space of the former city mosque with the cathedral, and of the former ‘sahn’ with the cloister.  The spectacular incorporation of light and the structural achievements of the ambulatory vaults are some of its more remarkable aspects.  It is built with white limestone from the quarries of Olihuelas, near Toledo (Wikipedia).]

[The Town Hall in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Cathedral Square . . . ]

[A walking tour around the cathedral . . . ]

[The tower was designed and built mostly by Alvar Martínez; it is Gothic, with some decorative Mudéjar influence and reaches a height of 92 m (301 ft) (Wikipedia).]

[We did not go in the cathedral.  It was either closed, or too expensive based on time constraints . . . ]

[The Jewish quarter of Toledo is a district of the city, in Castile-La Mancha.  It was the neighborhood in which the Jews lived in the Middle Ages, although they were not obliged to live within it.  The Jewish community of Toledo which became, in the 12th and 13th centuries, the most populous and rich of the Kingdom of Castile.  And coexists for centuries, more or less peacefully, with Muslims and Christians, in which it would be called city of the three cultures (Wikipedia).]

[Bill checks the city map . . . ]

[In the red light district?]

[Not likely in a “red light” district . . . ]

[It’s a pastry shop . . . ]

[Mazapan de Toledo . . . ]

[In Spain, various convents of cloistered nuns are keeping centuries-old traditions of dessert-making alive with their sweets, marmalades, chocolates and more . . .(tastingtable.com)]

[And Bill & I say our final good-byes to Spanish beer . . . ]

[Working our way back to the bus, we had to fend off more rain . . . ]

[On what otherwise would be a pretty setting . . . ]

[You can always stop at a candy shop for protection from the rain . . . ]

[Yummy!]

[(Hmmm, I wonder how many Spanish ham sandwiches I could hide in my suitcase?)]

[Shooting, out of focus, back at the cathedral tower . . . ]

[Acitivities appear unscathed by the weather . . . ]

[Escalators – going down?]

[Back on the flatland where we would catch our bus . . . ]

[The bus circled the city on the way back to Madrid.  It would have made for a lot of great photos if the bus windows hadn’t been streaked by rainfall . . . ]

[Adios España!! The last photo in Spain.  Your next selection of family vacation slides will likely occur in July, featuring Norway and the British Isles.  I know you can hardly wait.]

We’ve come up against the church, Sancho.  ~  Don Quixote

Up Next:  Spring sports?

October 30

Cordoba

Our penultimate day in Spain.  How ’bout a train ride from Seville to Cordoba, 90 miles to the northeast . . .  

[As I recall, our train came in to a gate about 50 yards to the left of this one . . . ]

[Then it’s not often that the first dozen photos in a new city are of the hotel room?]

[But our monster suite in the Macia Alfaros Hotel was impressive . . . ]

[With art!!]

[And a bathroom!!]

[And a bath tub!!]

[A living room with desk!!]

[Enough room for a par-tay!!]

[A bedroom suite, with columns!!]

[And a bed!!]

[And a big mural in the hotel entry way – may guess it’s of Cordoba!!]

[After the exhaustion of touring our hotel room, we were hungry . . . ]

[Unfortunately, fine outdoor dining was spoiled by rain (which is suppose to fall mainly on the plain) . . . ]

[But on the inside they were hanging ham.  Seven Spanish jamones are covered by European law . . . ]

[I can’t remember what we ordered, but I’m sure Bill and I had the local beer . . . ]

[Then it was out into the rain, crossing the street to . . . ]

[And this is where we would spend the day . . . ]

[The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita, whose ecclesiastical name is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, is the Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Cordoba. The structure is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture. According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint  Vincent of Lerins, originally stood on the site.  In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers.  Córdoba returned to Christian rule in 1236 during the Reconquista, and the building was converted to a Roman Catholic church, culminating in the insertion of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the 16th century (Wikipedia) . . . ]

[From the original Muslim minaret to the current Bell Tower, this structure has played an important role in the image and profile of Cordoba.  While throughout its history it has maintained the same essential function, summoning the faithful, its forms and styles have changed over time.  Standing at 54 metres, it is the tallest building in the city (mezquita-catedraldecordoba.es).]

[Since the early 2000s, Spanish Muslims have lobbied the Roman Catholic Church to allow them to pray in the cathedral. This Muslim campaign has been rejected on multiple occasions, both by the church authorities in Spain and by the Vatican (Wikipedia).  This apparently is still the case, which seems odd since the officially accepted name for the place is Mosque-Cathedral?]

[A further review at the end of this missive . . . ]

[The Bell Tower – though you already know that . . . ]

[Once inside, it’s an amazing collection of different “rooms” in different styles through the ages . . . ]

[The building is most notable for its arcaded hypostyle hall, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, granite, and porphyry.  These were made from pieces of the Roman temple that had occupied the site previously, as well as other Roman buildings, such as the Merida amphitheatre.  The double arches were an innovation, permitting higher ceilings than would otherwise be possible with relatively low columns.  The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch. The famous alternating red and white voussoirs of the arches were inspired by those in the Dome of the Rock and also resemble those of the Aachen Cathedral, which were built almost at the same time.  Horseshoe arches were known in the Iberian Peninsula since late Antiquity, as can be seen on the 3rd-century “Estela de los Flavios”, now in the archaeological museum of Leon.  A centrally located honeycombed dome has blue tiles decorated with stars (Wikipedia).]

[The building’s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam.  It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the gibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray.  The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.  Hisham’s mosque covered an area of 460 by 280 feet (140 m × 85 m).  It was flanked by stout, fortified walls, with watch towers and a tall minaret.  There were nine outer gates and eleven inner doors.  Each door led to an aisle within the mosque. The court had spacious gates on the north, west, and east sides, and fountains for the purification of the pious.  The eleven north-to-south aisles were crossed by twenty-one narrower ones running from east to west (Wikipedia).]

[The Super, with one of the 856 columns . . . ]

[And I believe there are 37 chapels contained herein.  I’d go crazy trying to figure out which is which.  So, to make it easy on myself, just enjoy the photos . . . ]

[And here comes the Zamboni?]

[Yea, it is all kind of unbelievable . . . ]

[The intricacies of the ceilings . . . ]

[In the Saint Theresa Chapel . . . ]

[An up and coming cub reporter?]

[Walk this way . . . ]

[High Altar of the Mezquita Cathedral . . . ]

[Time for an outside walkabout . . . ]

[The weather limited our excitement for covering a lot of ground . . . ]

[The Roman bridge of Córdoba is a bridge in the Historica centre of Cordoba, Andalusia, and southern Spain, originally built in the early 1st century BC across the Guadaliquivir river, though it has been reconstructed at various times since.  Most of the present structure dates from the Moorish reconstruction in the 8th century (Wikipedia).]

[The Mosque-Cathedral as seen from the bridge . . . ]

[In nicer weather, we likely would have crossed the bridge to see why the chicken did . . ]

[Appears to be an aardvark . . . ]

[I believe there were thoughts of walking back to the hotel . . . ]

[The remains of a Roman temple, which was discovered in the 1950s during the expansion of City Hall.  It is located in the angle formed by the streets Claudio Marcelo and Capitulares.  It was not the only temple that the city had, but it was possibly the most important of all, and the only known by archaeological excavation.  It is a Pseudoperipterus, hexastyle and of Corinthian order temple of 32 meters long and 16 wide.  Its construction began during the reign of Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD) and ended some forty years later, during the reign of Emperor Domitian (81-96 CE).  Presumably it was dedicated to the imperial cult.  The temple underwent some changes in the 2nd century, reforms that coincide with the relocation of the colonial forum (Wikipedia).]

[But after finding these, I seem to recall we took a cab?]

[Seems odd this was the last photo taken in Cordoba?  The Super, as the masked avenger outside the cathedral?]

[The further review as previously promised . . . ]

[This was taken as we were exiting the Cathedral.  I thought it strange I could find nothing about this specific sculpture.  Teno, who died in 2013, is probably most famous for his Don Quixote sculpture in the Kennedy Center.  A special case is that of Aurelio Teno, silversmith of initial office, draftsman, apprentice sculptor, painter by effusion of his temperament and expansive man in thought and will, who found no space in Cordoba necessary to his eagerness for progress, marched to Madrid to achieve a place among modern artists. Difficult task has been his, but, finally won the game. He was applauded by the public, the most demanding critic with his abstract paintings, his audacity in the “pot-art”, in his sculptures, and, above all, in the happy realizations of pieces of goldsmith’s work about informalist design and metal applications precious, rare stones and tree roots. Teno won international awards for some of his works, and, lately, he was awarded the realization of a monumental statue in the United States (cordobapedia.wikanda.es).]

Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.  ~  Unknown

Up Next:  Toledo, the last day?

April 7

My first was 1976.  Indiana beat Michigan for the national championship, the last undefeated team to do so, at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.  For some reason I do not have a program from that Final Four.  The following, however, are all the rest.  I believe I have been to 24 between 1976 and 2010.  I missed a few years, here and there, when I was probably performing brain surgery.  We stopped going after 2010 for three practical reasons:  1) It was getting exceedingly difficult to score tickets through the lottery (several times we bought scalped tickets on the street), 2) basketball was not made to be played in football stadiums, and 3) the big screen home TV.  I appreciate all those road trips through the years – it’s how I saw the country.  For further background on all this go to: https://alexandriacardinals.blog/2011/01/17/basketball-dan/

[And the 1943 Cardinals were: Walt Grodahl, Lawrence Schmidt, Captain Hal Haskins, Pat White, Duane Brown, Don Nelson, Leigh Peterson, Oliver Pederson, Stan Max, Lyle Bergner, Coach Harry Falk, and Manager Romaine Lake.]

Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball.  ~  Phil Jackson

Up Next:  Spain (again) . . .

October 29

Andalusia

Ronda

Ronda is 25 miles east of Grazalema.  With a population of 35,000, it is the largest city in the Sierra de las Nieves National Park.

[Ronda was first settled by the early Celts, who called it Arunda in the sixth century BC. Later Phoenician settlers established themselves nearby to found locally as Ronda la Vieja, Arunda, or Old Ronda.  The current Ronda is of Roman origins and received the title of city at the time of Julius Caesar.  Ronda is situated in a mountainous area about 750 m (2,460 ft) above mean sea level.  The Guadalevín River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100-plus-meter-deep El Tajo canyon above which the city perches. The Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo) is endemic to the mountains surrounding Ronda  (Wikipedia).]

[American artists Ernest Hemongway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda as part-time residents of Ronda’s old-town quarter called La Ciudad.  Both wrote about Ronda’s beauty and famous bullfighting traditions.  Their collective accounts have contributed to Ronda’s popularity over time (Wikipedia).  This (and above) is the Church of La Merced on Plaza de Socorro . . . ]

[As the sign says . . . ]

[Named for a German botanist who studied the plant life of the Iberian peninsula . . . ]

[Pedro Romero Martínez (November 19, 1754 – February 10, 1839) was a legendary bullfighter from the Romero family in Ronda.  Hemingway, in his novel The Sun Also Rises, portrays a young, “beautiful” and very artful bullfighter whom he names Pedro Romero, presumably after Pedro Romero Martinez (Wikipedia).]

[And in profile . . . ]

[Every year in Ronda several of the town’s ladies are chosen to be the Dames Goyescas, and represent the ladies seen in some of Francisco de Goya’s paintings of bullfighting and pageantry from the late 18th century.  A perfect role for the Super . . . ]

[Since the inception of the Corrida Goyesca in Ronda’s September fair in 1954, the ladies of Ronda have been the official representatives of the city, and welcoming committee for visiting dignitaries.  The role is exceptionally demanding, not only from the responsibility of the role, but also from the demanding schedule of training, and gown fittings before the build up to the week’s festivities.  So exceptionally popular have been the Dames Goyesca, that in 2009, a bronze statue of a Goyesca lady was inaugurated in Alameda park, directly across from the statue of Pedro Romero, Ronda’s most famous bullfighter  (www.rondatoday.com).]

[Antonio Jiménez Ordóñez Araujo was born in Ronda, on February 16, 1932.  His father was Cayetano Ordonez, called Niño de la Palma, the prototype for the character of Pedro Romero, the matador in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises (Wikipedia). OK, let him fight it out with Pedro Romero?]

[He was one of the top bullfighters of his time.  As a matador, Ordóñez faced over 3,000 bulls.  He retired in 1968, having fought over 60 bullfights in that year alone, but came back until finally retiring in 1988.   He died in 1998 (Wikipedia).]

[We’re now outside the Ronda bullring.  The Plaza de Toros (bullring) occupies a very special place in modern Spanish culture and history as the home of the Rondeño style of bullfighting and also of the Real Maestranza De Caballería De Ronda. The bullring was built entirely of stone in the 18th century, during the golden years of Pedro Romero’s reign as champion bullfighter (www.rondatoday.com).]

[Many tourist guides will tell you the Ronda bullring is the oldest and largest in Spain, in fact the story is confusing.  Our little bullring only has seating for 5,000 spectators, hardly the largest in the world, but the rueda, which is the large round circle of sand, is the largest in the world at 66m, making it 6m larger than Spain’s biggest bullring, the Plaza Toros Las Ventas in Madrid.  The bullring in Sevilla is considered older having commenced construction in 1761, and was completed in 1785, compared to Ronda’s commencement in 1779 and completion in 1784, though purists agree Ronda’s bullring should be entitled to the crown since it was first to stage a corrida.  However, in May of 1784 during the first inaugural corrida to be held in Ronda’s Plaza de Toros, part of the stand collapsed forcing its closure until repairs could be made (www.rondatoday.com).]

[Identified merely as a bronze bull statue in Plaza de Toros . . . ]

[I think it deserves a story?]

[He was famous for something . . . ]

[As was he?]

[And a famous local guy.  Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas (Casares, Spain; 5 July 1885 – Seville, Spain; 11 August 1936) was an Andalucista politician, Georgist, writer, historian and musicologist, known as the father of Andalusian nationalism. Infante was a Georgist idealist who initiated an assembly at Ronda in 1913 (Wikipedia).]

[Now a walk through Alameda del Tajo Park to . . . ]

[These amazing overlooks . . . ]

[Ronda enjoys a spectacular location in between two of Andalusia’s most stunning natural parks. To the east is the Sierra de las Nieves, the highest peaks of which are snow-capped during winter, and to the west is the Sierra de Grazalema, the rugged mountains of which are visible from Ronda’s ‘Alameda del Tajo’ park (theculturetrip.com).]

[In retrospect, I would have enjoyed spending more than a half day here . . . ]

[First sighting of New Bridge (Puente Nuevo) which spans the 120 metre-deep (394 feet) El Tajo gorge and offers a truly vertiginous experience (theculturetrip.com) . . . ]

[The Guadalevín River flows all the way through the city, separating it into two and creating dramatic landscapes. During the Reconquest of Spain by the Catholic monarchs, the city of Ronda was the last to fall because of the cliffs.  The city is located on a mountainous area of an enormous outcropped rock approximately 750 meters above sea level (www.tourismontheedge.com)].

[We’re taking these photos from “new town,” and that’s “old town” on the other (north) side of the gorge . . . ]

[Construction on the bridge began in 1759 and was completed in 1793 . . . ]

[A prison and torture chamber under the bridge . . . because where else would you put such?]

[We’re making our move to cross the bridge to old town . . . ]

[As previously noted, the metropolis of Pueblos Blancos . . . ]

[The Super leads us out onto the bridge . . . ]

[Too bad there weren’t any good views around here?]

[Just spectacular . . . ]

[The Super, Bill, and Anne crossed the road to see what was on the other side . . . ]

[And this is what they saw . . . ]

[And a big gorge . . . ]

[Lamp post, though I have reason to suspect that wasn’t the object of the photo . . . ]

[Multi-tiered fine dining back in new town . . . ]

[And along the right flank of old town . . . ]

[We’re now totally on the other side . . . ]

[And Bill is recording it for posterity . . . ]

[I like this place . . . ]

[Viajeros Románticos (Romantic Travelers) were not traveling lovers as the translation suggests. They were travelers in the 18th and 19th centuries who wanted to discover the unspoiled areas of Europe and would take lengthy grand tours that would influence their many pieces of literature and art  (www.thewanderblogger).]

[Here’s that Hemingway guy again . . . ]

[This was taken somewhere in this vicinity . . . ]

[A little park with an overlook . . . ]

[And here’s what it overlooks . . . ]

[Don Juan Bosco (also known as St John Bosco), was an Italian Roman Catholic priest, educator and writer of the 19th century, who put into practice the convictions of his religion, dedicating his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth and employing teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method known as the Salesian Preventive System (www.omair-khan.com).]

[Casa de San Juan Bosco:  It is a modernist palace built at the beginning of the 20th century. It is located at the Tajo’s edge, at the heart of the historical city quarter of Ronda. It belonged to the Granada family, which gave it as last will to the Salesian Priest Order as nursing home of old and ill priests (www.andalucia.org).]

[Fortress and Church of the Holy Spirit . . . ]

[The spire is Church of Santa Maria la Mayor . . . ]

[Pedro Pérez-Clotet was a Spanish writer belonging to the Generation of ’27, although he also occasionally appears on the payroll of theGeneration of ’36 (Wikipedia) . . . ]

[Further sights, if not sounds, of “old town” . . .

[The Church of Santa Maria la Mayor (well, it’s sign and plaza) . . . ]

[And here’s the church . . . ]

[Now that’s a door!]

[Heading back down the main street of old town toward the bridge . . . ]

[Why yes, the place is a tourist attraction . . . ]

[We’re back in new town, and as you can see, at Plaza del Toros . . . ]

[Our guide advised a good vantage point for this view was at a bar at the top of the hotel across the street – so that’s where we went . . . ]

[And about where that white car is is where we’ll meet up for the trip back to Seville . . . ]

[But for now, we’ll just enjoy the view . . . ]

[And the wine . . . ]

[Salud!!]

[Let’s take the city street scenic route back to the bus . . . ]

[Evening festivities are beginning . . . ]

[Wish we could have stayed for dinner . . . ]

[Not Harry S Truman . . . ]

[Again:  Blas Infante Pérez de Vargas (5 July 1885 – 11 August 1936) was an Andalucista politican, writer, historian and musicologist, known as the father of Andalusian nationalism (‘Padre de la Patria Andaluza’).  Infante was a Georgist idealist who initiated an assembly at Ronda in 1913.  This assembly adopted a charter based on the autonomist Constitución Federal de Antequera written in 1883 during the First Spanish Republic.  It also embraced the current flag and emblem as “national symbols,” designed by Infante himself based on various historic Andalusian standards.  During the Second Spanish Republic, the Andalucismo was represented by the Junta Liberalista, a federalist political party led by Infante.  Infante was among numerous political figures who were summarily executed by  Franco’s forces when they took over Seville at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.  As both a regional autonomist and a kind of libertarian socialist, he twice “merited” inclusion on their liquidation list (Wikipedia).]

[Now on the bus back to Seville, trying our best to get good sunset shots . . . ]

[Yes, Virginia, in Seville there is . . . ]

[a barber!  In the morning, we would be off to Cordoba.]

I never travel without my diary.  One should always have something sensational to read in the train.  ~  Oscar Wilde

Up Next:  Cordoba

March 27

You’ve all probably read the recent New York Times story about Fergus Falls by now.  Here’s a similar story about Alexandria in a similarly robust publication from November 10, 1963 . . . .

[And Dad tells you all about it here . . . ]

[And of course four years later the family packed up and moved to Washington, D.C. – something about being able to pay college tuition for four chidren . . . ]

[A bogus string of fish as noted in his column . . . ]

[The one and only time the family ever strolled on that “lane” (driveway?) . . . ]

[This is before the weeping willow (long since gone) was planted on the right front of the water hazard . . . ]

[Wow, more than a million dollars!!  And what is now the Marion Building . . . ]

[Who remembers any or all of these guys?]

[As noted in Dad’s column, this photo didn’t make the final cut.  Kathy went on to become co-proprietor of Skads Travel in St. Louis Park, where in that capacity she oversees the worldwide adventures of the Super and me.  I went on to become . . . the Cub Reporter.]

In keeping with the completely personal aspects of this column, in doing “deep” research I ran across this Cub Reporter short bio from a few years ago, a questionaire either from Ladies HomeJournal or Cosmo, I would assume:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?     “Peeping” Tom 

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?    Every time George W. Bush opens his mouth 

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?     What’s “handwriting”? 

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?     Bebe Neuwirth (Oh, I thought it said lunch “meet”)

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?     Puh-leeze!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?     Is that a trick question?

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?     My life’s blood . . .

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS      . . . and 3 wisdom teeth.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?     I only jump to conclusions. 

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?      Eggos 

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?      I can’t bend over to tie them in the first place.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?      I have been known to lift a fork to mouth many times in succession.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?      Cold and frozen

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT  PEOPLE?       Whether they have hair. 

15. RED OR PINK?       My goal in life is to have a pink Vespa, with full black leathers.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?      See answer to No. 11.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST ?     Paul Lynde 

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?       With luck, it will get lost in cyber space. 

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?        I type naked.

20.  WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?        Chocolate chip cookies – a dietary staple!

21.  WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW?        I live on Lake Darling, in Alexandria – so it’s always . . . the wind!

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?      I would prefer to be a Magic Marker.

23.  FAVORITE SMELLS?       See answer to No. 20.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?       I’m still waiting for a call. 

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?       😉

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?      Eating contests

27. HAIR COLOR?      OK, who put that one in here?

28. EYE COLOR?       Blood shot (the Wine & Ale last night)

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?      See answer to preceding question. 

30. FAVORITE FOODS?       Redundant

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?       Jack Nicholson – so, either one.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?       I don’t know – I was too scared!

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?       See answer to No. 19.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?       Fall (OK, I’m a smartass.) 

35. HUGS OR KISSES?        Nibbles 

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?       Again, redundant 

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?       The CIA!  

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?      See answer to No. 17

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?         “(Not that You Asked)”  

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?       Whatever it was, I just washed it off (eee-yew!) 

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?        [Deleted – this is a family oriented publication.] 

42. FAVORITE SOUND?      Terry and Al sang “Harvest Moon” again for us last night at the Wine & Ale.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?       Beatles (is that a straight answer?)

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?       As yet, undiscovered. 

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?       The hospital has long since been razed! 

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?      Oh, you guys . . . 

48. WHAT TIME IS IT NOW?        Time for a nap.

The smell of dead fish and seaweed when we crossed the bridge between Lakes Darling and Carlos was how I knew I was home . . . [This is a paraphrase from a story written by Nancy Piga for our local newspaper several years ago (well, long enough ago I can’t locate it quickly).  Nancy’s family lived in Nebraska but came up to their lake home on Lake Carlos in Alexandria every summer.]

Up Next:  I assume back to Spain

October 29

Andalusia

On this day we ventured out of Seville for a one-day field trip to the White Villages of Andalusia.  A most unique and exciting adventure . . .

[Prepped and ready to go!]

[The opening shots of our bus ride to Grazalema, a village of some 2,200 occupants some 80 miles SE of Seville . . . ]

[The White Towns of Andalusia, or Pueblos Blancos, are a series of towns and large villages in the northern part of the provinces of Cadiz and Malaga, mostly within the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.  All of the villages are characterised by whitewashed walls and red or brown tiled roofs.  The reasons for the white color has been postulated to be a chemical result of the limestone used (Wikipedia)].

[Appear to be members of the ovine family . . . ]

[Spain is undoubtedly the world leader when it comes to olive production. This country dedicates 2.4 million hectares of land to this valuable crop. Italy and Greece are the other two world heavy weights with over 1.4 million hectares and more than 700,000 respectively. As a note of interest the trees in Italy and Greece have a slightly higher yield than those in Spain.  In terms of annual production, Spain cranks out over six tons. Italy takes second place with over three tons and Greece is third with over two tons. The other players in the top ten include (in descending order) Turkey, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Portugal. But olives are also cultivated in Lebanon, California in the United States and parts of Argentina and New Zealand, Australia and Chile, for example (www.andalucia.com).]

Grazalema

[Our first sighting of our first destination . . . ]

[Andalusia is an autonomous community in southern Spain.  It is the most populous, and the second largest autonomous community in the country.  The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a “historical nationality”.  The territory is divided into eight provinces, and its capital is the city of Seville.  Andalusia is the only European region with both Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines. The small British overseas territory of Gibraltatar shares a three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian province of Cadiz at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar.  The main mountain ranges of Andalusia are the Sierra Morena and the Baetic System (Wikipedia).]

[Embalse de Zahara-El Gastor (i.e., the reservoir), Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park . . . ]

[Grazalema, from the reservoir and natural park area below . . . ]

[Ditto . . . ]

[The reservoir as we begin the climb up to Grazalema . . . ]

[What tourists do from inside the bus . . . ]

[Welcome to Grazalema – we have deplaned our bus . . . ]

[Crystal clear but brisk weather.  This may be a lemon tree, or not . . . ]

[As the Super leads me down the street . . . Grazalema is a village located in the northeastern part of the province of Cadiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Situated in the foothills of the Sierra del Pinar mountain range (Sierra de Grazalema National Park), Grazalema had, as of 2009, a population of 2,205 (Wikipedia).]

[A beautifully quaint village with spectacular views . . . ]

[Traditionally, the economy of the village was generated by small-scale agriculture, sheep herding, cork harvesting, and handicrafts, like hand-weaving lambswool cloth and furniture-making.  These activities are now quite limited and under-resourced.  Due to the location of Grazalema in the middle of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park and the fact that the town is one of the ‘pueblos blancos,’ the so-called White Towns of Andalusia, tourism now plays a major role in sustaining the village and its people. The mountainous area around Grazalema is popular with climbers and hikers, and local people make money by providing accommodations and hospitality to visitors (Wikipedia)].

[Moorish castle, Torre del Homenaje (Tower of Tribute) . . . ]

[Anne and Bill partake of some Andalusian scenery . . . ]

[This place would have issues under the ADA . . . ]

[And here are five shots by the Super from this first overlook . . . ]

[(Believed to be the last remaining member of his species . . . )]

[We’ve climbed a bit for this view but did not go all the way to the top – time and physical abilities issues were involved . . . ]

[I’m lovin’ it in Grazalema . . . ]

[And yes, cars do use these streets . . . ]

[Town center with the requisite church, San Juan de Letran . . . ]

[Then we walked further up hill for a few shots . . . ]

[Then back down to town center . . . ]

[And then, where we would lunch later . . . ]

[And views from our continuing walkabout . . . ]

[And a designated scenic overlook . . . ]

[The following five shots are by the Super from her above vantage . . . ]

[And back to mine from the same vantage . . . ]

[All overlooking Sierra del Grazalema Natural Park . . . ]

[Where the overlook photos were taken . . . ]

[Then we gathered for a walk through town to the olive oil factory (this and following two photos taken by the Super) . . . ]

[Head ’em up, move ’em out . . . ]

[And this, ladies and gentlemen, is vegetation . . . ]

[Lemons or oranges?]

[And we’re there.  It’s an olive oil factory, Molina El Vinculo founded by D. Gaspar Penalver in 1755 (11th generation)  . . . ]

[It’s a pot, for olive oil (aceite de oliva)  . . . ]

[It’s a flag . . . ]

[Out tour leader in the blue jacket is about to lead us inside . . . ]

[El Vinculo (“the link”) . . .

[The view of the nature park and the olive trees below for this establishment . . . ]

[Where olives are dumped or unloaded . . . ]

[The system of conveyors for moving the little round green things around . . . ]

[NO PARKING!]

[This is where the ‘stuff’ goes . . . ]

[This is where the people go . . . ]

[Appears to be two old olive presses – likely still used . . . ]

[The showroom – I love olives and olive oil.  Their’s was good but a little too spendy for us to make a purchase to bring home . . . ]

[Famous visitors through the years.  Can you spot Orson Welles?  Papa Hemingway?]

[The Super took the three following internal photos . . . ]

[And back to the bus . . . ]

[Then some out the window shots heading back into town . . . ]

[You may have heard bull fighting was once big in Spain (still?) . . . ]

[Well, that’s no toro . . . ]

[Scouting for a place of fine dining in town center . . . ]

[It was time for almuerzo . . . ]

[Almuerzo!  Can’t remember what we had, but it hit the spot (Bill and I always partook of the local beer) . . . ]

[By the Super in the restaurant . . . ]

[The town square, always a hub of activity . . . ]

[Hola, toro!]

[This is in English.  In a small Spanish town.  Hmmmm . . . ]

[The clock is also in English.  I can tell it’s 2:21 . . . ]

[The beginning of our adios to Grazalema . . . ]

[It’s a sign!]

[Quite a setting . . . ]

[It looks arid, but this is the rainiest part of Spain.  The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain . . . ]

[Vaya con Dios, la palomas . . . ]

[Trending out of town, the stripping of bark from cork oaks . . . ]

[Andalusian landscapes . . . ]

[In sight, our destination for Part 2.  The metropolis of the White Villages . . . ]

[To Ronda . . . ]

[Wrapping up our report on Grazalema, this photo by the Super from the olive oil factory (I believe it went viral on Facebook) . . . ]

Never trust anything you read in a travel article.  ~  Dave Barry

Up Next:  Part 2

October 28

Seville

[When last we left you, our tour guide Maria was leaving us – in a courtyard at the Alcazar . . . ]

[Now absent a leader, the tour group ambled aimlessly down a green archway . . . ]

[And for the rest of the day we would wander around Seville aided only by maps . . . ]

[Here we’re still on the grounds and gardens of the Alcazar . . . ]

[Yellow flowers, whose scientific name I believe is flowers de yellow . . . ]

[Without fear of contradiction, palm trees . . . ]

[Jardin de las Damas . . . ]

[As it all is . . . ]

[We’re still on th garden grounds, but I’m apparently the first person ever to take a picture of this structure (at least with the Super and Anne in the photo) . . . ]

[More shots in and around the gardens . . . ]

[And then Anne discovered an escapee from a Dr. Seuss movie . . . ]

[No animals were injured in the filming of this photo . . . ]

[Continuing around the picturesque grounds . . . ]

[And it was a lovely day as well . . . ]

[Rugs on the wall, a/k/a, tapestry, in the  . . . ]

[Sala Bovedas Palacio Gotico (Gothic Palace) . . . ]

[Including Sala de las Bóvedas (Vaults Room) . . . ]

[And Salón de los Tapices (Tapestry Room) . . . ]

[With 6 large tapestries . . . ]

[Then out and about in the city (the 4th largest in Spain) . . . ]

[In city center . . . ]

[Fountain of Híspalis . . . ]

[The name of Puerta de Jerez is derived from when this square was a Roman gate leading into Sevilla from the town of Jerez de la Frontera. The plaza’s focal point is the Fountain of Híspalis. Similar to the adjacent Alfonso XIII Hotel, the Fountain of Seville was built to delight visitors attending the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. The statues of the woman and children by sculptor Manuel Delgado Brackenbury are allegories. They represent the historical city when the Romans called it Híspalis (www.encirclephotos.com).]

[The Torre del Oro tower . . . ]

[We’re walking now toward the tower and the Guadalquivir River . . . ]

[The Torre del Oro (“Tower of Gold”) is a dodecagonal military watchtower.  It was erected by the Almohad Caliphate in order to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir River.  Constructed in the first third of the 13th century, the tower served as a prison during the Middle Ages.  Its name comes from the golden shine it projected on the river, due to its building materials (a mixture of mortar, lime, and pressed hay).  The Torre de la Plata, an octagonal tower, is located nearby, and is believed to have been constructed during the same era (Wikipedia)].

[A now for a stroll along the river walk on a beautiful evening . . . ]

[Hola!!]

[Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza:  The historic bullring of Seville was built in the eighteenth century. The arena, which has a seating capacity of about 12,500, is one of the most famous bullrings in all of Spain (www.aviewoncities.com).]

[Sunset over Seville . . . ]

[And the palm trees along the Guadalquivir . . . ]

[In front of the bullring . . . ]

[In 1997, he was awarded the Andalusian medal for his unparalleled mastery and singular plastic splendor as a bullfighter and in 2002 the Gold Medal of the Fine Arts of the Spanish state that was delivered to him in Granada on September 17, 2003 by the king Juan Carlos I.  After his death in August 2005, the mayor of Seville reported the construction of a monument as a tribute to his figure.  This monument, located in front of the Bullring of the Real Maestranza de Sevilla, was inaugurated on June 11, 2009, in which the bullfighter is represented at the moment of citing a bull with the crutch.  It is the work of the sculptor Luis Alvarez Duarte (Wikipedia).]

[Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon, Countess of Barcelona . . . ]

[She was a fervid fan of bull fighting and of the Andalusian culture. In 1995, her granddaughter Infanta Elena married in Seville in part because the Countess’ love for the city (Wikipedia).]

[Looking a place to cross the street to the bullring side, this looked like a fun outdoor restaurant . . . ]

[The monument to ‘La Tolerancia’ by Eduardo Chillida . . . ]

[Aha, a place to cross with busy night life beginning on the far side . . . ]

[Handicraft market El Postigo Sevilla . . . ]

[And completing our day at the Seville Cathedral . . . ]

[The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral.  It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Alcazar palace complex and the General Archive of the Indies.  It is the third-largest church in the world (its size remains a matter of debate) as well as the largest Gothic church.  After its completion in the early 16th century, Seville Cathedral supplanted Hagia Sophia as the largest cathedral in the world, a title the Byzantine church had held for nearly a thousand years.  The total area occupied by the building is 23,500 square metres (253,000 sq ft).  The Gothic section alone has a length of 126 metres (413 ft), a width of 83 metres (272 ft) and its maximum height in the center of the transept is 37 metres (121 ft).  The total height of the Giralda tower from the ground to the weather vane is 96 metres (315 ft).  Since the world’s two largest churches (the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida and St. Peter’s Basilica) are not the seats of bishops, Seville Cathedral is still the largest cathedral in the world (Wikipedia).]

[Peeking in through a locked gate . . . ]

[So we just circled the exterior . . . ]

[Triumph Square . . . ]

[Pope John Paul II . . . ]

[The Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville.  Its height is 343 feet (105 m) and its square base is 23 feet (7.0 m) above sea level and 44 feet (13 m) long per side. The Giralda is the former minaret of the mosque that stood on the site under Muslim rule, and was built to resemble the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, Morocco.  It was converted into a bell tower for the cathedral after the Reconquista, although the topmost section dates from the Renaissance.  It was registered in 1987 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  In the 16th century the belfry was added by the architect Hernan Ruiz the Younger; the statue on its top, called “El Giraldillo”, was installed in 1568 to represent the triumph of the Christian faith (Wikipedia).]

[On the way back to our hotel . . . ]

[A final glance back at the cathedral . . . ]

[On the morrow we will be venturing to the White Villages of Andalucia . . . ]

Whilst traveling through the Andes Mountains, we lost our corkscrew. Had to live on food and water for several days!  ~  W.C. Fields

Next:  Andausia?

March 5

The tournament most famous for bringing humongous snow storms to the state is under way.  Fittingly, it looks like a big one is on the way . . . 

[The team looked relaxed during warm-ups.  But this is tournament time . . . ]

[And they’re high school kids.  It’s normal to be nervous when you’re in a lose- and-go-home situation.  And against Sauk Rapids, this would be the 3rd time in two weeks.  We won by 30, and lost by 3?  Go figure?]

[The school’s activity director escorts the father of famous Cardinal alums to his seat . . . ]

[At first I thought he was escorting an uninvited loiterer out of the building . . . ]

[For dining on school property after hours . . . ]

[The aforementioned famous alums . . . ]

[Sauk Rapids jumped the jump . . . ]

[But it wasn’t called . . . ]

[Go figure?]

[Carsson Jones (11), not afraid of taking it to the “hup” and getting fouled . . . ]

[But as a team, free throw shooting has been a bit of hit or miss . . . ]

[Colton Roderick (35), at 6’4″ and healthy after an earlier in season ankle sprain, is a force at the top of the defense . . . ]

[Like our girls team, steals and break outs are a big part of the boys offense . . . ]

[Colton at the line . . . ]

[Then Anders Hedstrom (22), our solid senior . . . ]

[Not a lot of photos in the half.  The game was frought with tournament jitters yielding lots of mistakes.  Carsson and Treyton Thompson (42), our 6’11” center, both had two early fouls.  Treyton played less than half of the half accordingly . . . ]

[The Storm scored the first 5 points of the 2nd half to tie the game.  Then the Cardinals took off.  They played with energy and crispness and looked like a team that would be a hard out . . . ]

[We play basically a four guard offense, with these 3 (Senior Trey Hoepner (0)) and Anders to go with Treyton . . . ]

[Carsson is our defensive stopper . . . ]

[And he gets fouled when he drives . . . ]

[Treyton was a force in the 2nd half.  He had a perfect shooting night – 7 for 7 from the field, 2 for 2 from the line  . . . ]

[The Cards are hard to figure.  They’re medicore at best from the free throw line, but we were an excellent 8 for 18 on 3’s?  All 5 starters had at least one 3, meaning all must be guarded on the outside.  It may not be this year, but they will be a team to follow with so many key underclassmen.  Next up, Sartell in the semi-finals . . . ]

They shot the ball well early. What comes out of the microwave hot doesn’t always stay hot. I know, because I eat bagels in the morning.  ~  Shaquille O’Neal

Up Next:  Whatever occurs