Raymond and I have been lucky to have our first house guest! Raymond’s mother, Michelle, arrived this past week and will stay with us for a week. It has been a joy showing her around the island and introducing her to our favorite people and places.

Serra do Cume and Praia da Vitória

The top three photos are from the ridge of the Serra do Cume volcano: looking to the south, the west (with Michelle and the the 5-mile wide caldera behind her), and east overlooking the city of Praia in the distance. Bottom: a panoramic photo of Praia with the Serra do Cume volcano in the background.

Around Quatro Ribeiras

We were delighted that the little pub just up the hill from us is now under new ownership and keeping more regular hours. Additionally, the owner is now serving dinner on Fridays (family-style) with beer or wine included! Raymond and I brought Michelle and joined three other locals for a lovely meal of stewed fish with potatoes, peppers, and onions. A splendid time was had by all!

The three of us also took a stroll down to the bathing area. We showed Michelle our favorite spots for jumping in and relaxed in the sun with our feet in the chilly water.

A Day in the Capital

We had a fun day exploring Angra do Heroísmo – from the cool yarn store to a homewares shop (we only had two wine glasses in our house – lol!) to the cathedral that Pope John Paul II famously visited back in 1991 (there is a statue of him nearby outside).

House and Garden

Top row: overgrown stone wall and bbq, Lukus painting the bbq, final result with collards growing on terrace above

Middle row: our bedroom window before, after the wooden frame for shutters was removed and cemented over, freshly painted (along with the rest of the bedroom).

Bottom row: the terrace behind the house before, after about 3/4 was removed, and (finally) the terrace is gone! The plan is now to build a retaining wall that runs from the new garden terraces to the area behind the bathroom.

Top row: the very overgrown hillside, the new stone wall extending from the boulder in photo #1 and Raymond placing patio blocks in the lower terrace, newly trimmed grass along the patio blocks – sprouts of carrots and beets on the right and newly planted black-eyed peas at the back.

Bottom photo: a view of the removed terrace from behind the bathroom. Once the retention wall is built on the left, we would like to cover the new space to use it as an open-air garden shed (and perhaps one day expand the bathroom).