15 Nov 10

Hi, all

Finally found a free wi-fi spot at the local community center. With the help of the administrator, we've got access and connectivity, even when the center is closed. Problem is, we've got to walk to town (and back) and sit around in the weather. We are welcome, though, when the center is open.

Here's Ramble 4, which may be a repeat:

Day 14 in Spain, again a day of extremes, or at least great contrast. We awoke to blazing sun-the outside temperature slightly warmer than that inside. As the day progressed, I found that I was working outside without a shirt yet had to put on a couple of layers when I went inside for just a few minutes. Pam, our hostess, said that the thermometer in the shade read 31, which equates to almost 88F. I would have to question that, but it was quite warm. The nights are cold when cloudy and frigid when clear. Our host, Bernard, found that a couple of inches of water in his wheelbarrow had frozen solid overnight.

The house is a traditional structure, thick-walled and constructed of stone and cement, whitewashed and tile-roofed. Windows are small and constructed in the manner of gun ports in medieval forts-conical, with the narrower opening toward the exterior. The feature seems quite appropriate in light of the numerous revolutions and upheavals described in The Spanish Labyrinth which I’m presently reading. It details the social and economic factors leading up to the Spanish Civil War. Windows are glass-paned and wooden-shuttered, allowing air, light or darkness-a feature which makes sleeping late quite easy.

Anyway, it is quite sturdy with regard to the walls, but the roof doesn’t strike me as nearly as durable. There are no ceilings. The red tiles are installed upon a layer of mortar which is supported by a mat of split canes which, in turn, is supported by logs which are built into the tops of the walls. Floors are flagstones set in cement-rather cool; which must be welcome in summer, but leave a little to be desired after October.

We bought a load of olive firewood yesterday. €65 got us about a quarter of a cord, which is quite expensive compared to what I used to pay years ago, but then I have no recent basis with which to compare. It is quite dry and hard and burns slowly; providing a long, steady heat which is more constant than hot. For kindling, I wander the orchard picking up broken almond roots and prunings which are quite dry and oil-filled. We also pick dropped nuts; shucking them and roasting them on the stove. The husks we dry by the stove and burn for quick heat. Shells are also burned once we have a good bed of coals. Old nuts from last year are often found and are burned as is along with the hulls.

The wood stove is in the living room, along with a catalytic propane heater. There’s another heater in the bathroom-quite welcome at shower time. Neither bedroom has heat until December, when the solar-powered, generator-assisted radiators are turned on. Cooking or baking heat the kitchen along with whatever drifts in from the loving room.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we will walk in to Gor early, as the tienda closes either at noon or 1 or 2 PM-I can’t keep things straight yet. We need to buy beer, bread and other staffs of life. I also heard a rumor that there is internet connectivity at the community center. A must to check out. A visit to the butcher is planned, along with a visit to the Bar Mora, which is next door. Then the trek home.