Happy Solstice!

The beginning of summer has been a welcome change here on Terceira. Like clockwork, the windy, grey days have given way to sunny, dry days and blissfully low-humidity nights. And the extra hours of daylight mean that our commutes to work are considerably brighter (above: sunrise over Angra from our parked car).

Island of Festivals

Terceira is widely known as the island of festivals and for good reason. The above celebration outside a neighborhood Holy Spirit shrine was a pleasant surprise one day after work On the narrow cobblestone street a barrier was created using the bull crates for a small scale bull-running. And I mean small – it was a few calves and teenage boys. It had not occurred to us that a community as small as this would have its own tourada à corda.

Also this month was the annual 10-day-long Sanjoaninas festival. The city was busy and it was fun to visit the food stands for a quick bite after work, but it was nice to avoid the all-night street parties (unlike last year when I would get out of work at 11:30 pm and have to wade through the sea of revelers and marching bands). Below L to R: this year’s poster, the poster from 2017 with a great portrayal of the city from the marina, and the poster from the week I was born.

Scenic Commutes

Yard Updates

I finally got around to cultivating the overgrown terrace and replanted beets (and some lettuce) in the lower terrace and bush beans in the upper. The middle terrace still has potatoes and we sampled a few this week. Delicious!

The orchid that I planted on the rocks along the north side of our house has rebounded from the harsh winter. The area has developed into a cute little garden with the addition of ferns, taro, jade, and air plants.

The dill is doing very well. I have been making some fermented vegetable pickles with it and am so grateful to have fresh dill flowers!

Nicodemus and Archimedes on Raymond’s lap