And back to Spain…

We’ve enjoyed a wonderful summer in France but when the leaves started to fall and the fog became thicker in the morning, it signaled time for us to visit the house in Spain. Not only will it give us another month of ‘summerish’ weather, but it’s time to start dialing in the changes we want to make to the house and pick out materials.

Pamplona, Spain. Photo: VaqueroFrancis/Flickr Creative Commons

We decided to travel a different route this time, so instead of going the Toulouse/ Narbonne/Barcelona/Tarragona/Valencia way, we went to Bordeaux, then down past San Sebastien, Pamplona, Zarazoga, then across to Valencia. It was a much nicer drive (in our opinion), some beautiful scenery crossing the Pyrenees, and freeway the entire way. The tolls are not inexpensive, but we made the drive in less than 10 hours total, and traveling on a Sunday with very little traffic and limited trucks is always our first choice.

On the home stretch, we visited the local LEGENDARY smokehouse and picked up a chicken and a half for the three of us (Theo, me, and Alfie, our dog) and a bottle of white for the two of us. When we got to the house, I quickly set up a table and chairs on the front patio and we enjoyed chomping away at the carcasses in the candlelight.

First dinner back in Spain.

Washed the sheets before we left last time, so needed to make the beds first thing. I was putting the cases on our new pillows we bought last trip, cause who wants to sleep on someone else’s old pillows, right? Well I was putting on the cases and forgot that they are made open on each end. So I’m shaking the long king-size pillow down into the case and it poops out the other end! Ugh. The differences of yet another new country. But I love the exploration.

All was well at the house, even after the storms of the past couple of weeks. Now it is time to retake measurements, lay my ideas out in real-time-and-space, and make some decisions. We are interviewing contractors and will make a decision this month. We’ve sharpened our to-do list and are very excited to get this place updated and put our stamp on it.

We are realizing that since the gardener comes only once a month, we will need to purchase a blower (and possibly a power washer) for the patios. Those old-fashioned brooms and mops are simply too much work! I love my outdoor time and really appreciate a clean terrace. Think these will be my birthday present from Theo, as he’s always so thoughtful that way!!! And so it goes. No rest for the weary!

We are enjoying the beautiful weather and I’ve been swimming in the pool. But mostly I’ve been making lists for the contractor meetings and tweaking my floor plans. We went and looked at a tile warehouse and they have a good variety at fair prices, so I think we can find suitable materials for the floors, bathrooms, and kitchen locally. Score!

Theo fondling some yummy tiles for the bathroom. Look, ma, no glasses! Cataracts gone and laser correction all in one!!!

Trying to figure out what furniture pieces to keep, what to sell, and what to donate. And attempting to perfect the timing of the final disposition of each item, so that we don’t end up sitting on the floor!

Went to a kitchen dealer today and Euro shopping is so, so different than what I knew in the States. But I have told myself I will try to adopt more of a Euro style, even though it raises the hair on my neck! I think I found a good compromise today at Häcker…

The kitchen cabinet style I’ve chosen from the catalog.

Stay tuned…tomorrow is another day.