FEATURED POST

Yesterday, orange trees caught my attention in downtown Alcobaça and prompted a heartfelt reflection on this moment and place. I grew up near orange groves in Southern California, yet seeing this fruit ripening in the heart of winter still invokes wonder. Enormous orange spheres burst with color, practically singing Joy!   Abundance!   Hope!   Can´t you just you smell them? I had just left a small group of fellow immigrants, all of us trying to memorize lines of a Portuguese

This is going to be a difficult post to write.  And in subsequent posts I will dive more deeply into realities of living abroad. We love living here in Portugal, but some people seem to imagine that we are on an eternal vacation.  If you want to keep your fantasy of “unicorns and rainbows” about life in Portugal, stop reading here. The truth is, immigration means leaving behind The Known World. No matter where you go, you are leaving the comforts of home – the friends, the co

Low hanging fruit is not your friend when harvesting grapes. Short people have a definite advantage when harvesting in the vineyards. ...

Há muitas maneiras de celebrar a vida, mas poucas se comparam a partilhar alegria com bons amigos sob as estrelas. Vasos coloridos dão as...

There are many ways to celebrate being alive, but few compare to sharing joy with good friends under the stars. Colorful bottle-vases...

I have been reading articles that recommend ways to sustain ourselves and our communities in these difficult times. We all need refuge...

The cure for anything is salt water — sweat, tears, or the sea. — Isak Dinesen. If you're carrying the weight of current events,...