Ah – the return of the dark and stormy North Atlantic. As beautiful as the sea and sky were in the summer, that brief season has passed and the great grayness of winter is now upon us. When the undistinguishable sea/sky is broken only by distant white caps and occasional breaks of blue. When the…

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Happy Equinox! After a very warm July and August, it was a welcome change to have cooler days (and nights) in September. Of course, all of this is relative – where we are on the north side of Terceira the hottest days in August were only about 81 degrees (in September the average has been…

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One Year Later… August 21 was the one-year anniversary of our arrival here on beautiful Ilha Terceira! It has not escaped Raymond and I just how fortunate we are to own our little slice of paradise, and how blessed we have been over the course of the past year. In that time, we have become…

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It has been said that Terceira is the “island of festivals.” Indeed, especially in the summer, one can go from festival to festival every week in some corner of the island. Raymond and I were happy to share in our village’s annual festival this past week in honor of the local parish, Saint Beatrice. On…

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Sun & Sea Summer’s arrival has brought us a truly magnificent gift – sunny warm days and the cool sea just minutes away. We have been swimming almost daily at the swimming area just a five-minute walk away and appreciating the little changes from day to day…the cycles of tides, the still days and big…

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Praia da Vitória and Lajes airport Back to the USA Lukus’ grandfather suffered a severe stroke on June 2. Over the course of the following week, as his daughters gathered by his side, he continued to decline before passing away peacefully in his home on June 8 at age 95. We departed on a flight…

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Nature’s Bounty We have been blessed with some of the first produce from our terrace garden! We had a healthy harvest of fava beans (we made a delicious soup) followed by spinach (which was starting to ‘bolt’). Next was the first our potato plants to be harvested, yielding two beautiful yellow potatoes. Of course, we…

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Ilhéus das Cabras We had the pleasure of welcoming Raymond’s sister to Ilha Terceira for her first visit! She joined their mother, Michelle, at a nearby rental which provided a fun place to cook, hang out, and play cards! Cat Colony, Around the house, and “Fairy Forest” Wine Tasting & Tour, Sulfur Vents, Cave, Quatro…

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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…

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Happy Spring! We have been busy with projects in anticipation of guests at the end of April and May. While the additional daylight has been lovely for getting things done, the weather can still be hit-or-miss. The above photo was taken on an exceptionally clear and sunny day (about 64 degrees) which was perfect for…

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