“Well, that’s not a ship you see every day,” I said to myself. A rope went from the bow up over the three wooden masts and down to the stern, the entire thing festooned with flags from a variety of countries. Ropes crisscrossed every which way. It reminded me of the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor….
Author: renaissancerebecca
RenaissanceRebecca – Changes Ahead
Hello Renaissance Rebecca Subscribers and Friends– You may have noticed that I haven’t posted on this blog since Nov 22, 2024. This is because I’m working on something new and am writing on a different platform once per week. I want to keep reading your stuff–how do I sign up? What’s this new thing you’re…
A(n Attempted) Spanish Thanksgiving
It is not easy to celebrate Thanksgiving in Spain. You won’t find whole turkeys — fresh nor frozen — in a supermarket. So when Michael and I host Thanksgiving in this country, our first mission is to go to the butcher shop and order a turkey. We have to specify that we don’t want the…
One Step Ahead of the Storms
I lived in Asheville, North Carolina until June, 2021–when we moved to Valencia, Spain. In the last five weeks, both have experienced natural disasters on a monumental scale. On Friday, September 27, after multiple days of rain, Western North Carolina was hit by Hurricane Helene, causing flooding on a scale never seen before. On Tuesday,…
The Worst Day on the Camino de Santiago
“How do you know how to do all this?” Dad asked me as we stood together waiting for the metro in Madrid. “Do what?” “This–trains, buses, subways . . .” “On that high school trip to London, Mr. Briggs taught us how to use the subway, and once you know the idea, they’re pretty much…
Timeliness is Next To. . .
My husband Michael and I have different definitions of “early.” Five minutes, maybe ten–that’s good enough for me. Michael? Fifteen, ideally more. I learned this early on in our relationship. We were going to meet friends for dinner. Michael walked into the bathroom and said, “You’re not ready yet?” “We don’t have to be there…
The Master of the House
I grabbed my breakfast bowl and headed into the living room. I plopped myself down on the couch and that’s when I saw him, sitting on one of the recliner chairs as if he was part of the decor, his black and white fur complementing the dark gray chair. Teo is not our cat. But…
Camino with Dad 2024: Just When You Think You Know Someone . . .
June 15, 2024 Did you feel the earth wobble on its axis a few hours ago? That was because my father was eating KALE SOUP. We sat down to the table and there were EDIBLE FLOWERS in our bowls. And he ate those, too!! Two years ago had I stumbled into the garden of a…
Camino with Dad 2024: Routines
Dad: Did you check for bedbugs yet? Me: No! (I stop what I’m doing and walk to my bed.) Dad: Though in a place like this, I doubt there’s a problem. Me: Yes–I’ve heard that bedbugs look at how many stars a hotel has and choose accordingly (as I pull up the sheets of one…
Camino with Dad 2024: A Poem
June 15, 2024: Another dayAnother fresh squeezed orange juiceAnother bar giving us a free snack when we order our breakfastAnother medieval bridgeAnother taxi ad in the middle of nowhere in case the 16 miles walk is too much for usAnother napAnother day meeting people from all over the worldAnother day Dad and I are lucky…
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