Being in our seventies sounds old...but Lyn and I assured one another today, as we lazed around the pool for my last couple of days in Spain, that we are definitely not old! Life still has adventures to unfold before us, we have our health, friendship and a good dose of humility. And a sense of adventure. When Lyn suggested that we take selfies by the pool, I grabbed my phone with its trusty camera and we had a photo shoot, filled with laughter and jaunty jokes. Some of the photos were too hilarious to post, but we chose the ones that gave us the biggest smiles.
The brand new washer wasn’t working and the two of us fixed the problem. Yay! All the laundry was done and we hung all our clothes on the clothes line. When I turned around to glance over the curved railing to view the beautiful panorama of the village of Los Núñez below us, I caught my breath with the beauty before me. And then I helped Lyn haul a new propane tank into place for her tankless water heater and we couldn’t get the flame to burn. After several tries, we gave up, called a man named Terencio, who promised to arrive later and set ourselves around the patio table for a good conversation and wine. By the time, Terencio arrived, we’d eaten a lovely dinner of chorizo, potatoes and vegetables and we were in lounge clothes after the pool adventure... Terencio had the flame working quickly and the adorable man chatted with us and promised to return to Lyn’s in February to trim trees and replace the sea grass on her pergola. It was a lovely, lazy day filled with laughter, fun and a breath of Spanish air. Tomorrow, we will prepare for a big party here with special food and various friends of Lyn’s. She always makes me feel like I’m a star ⭐️
When the lights burned low, I slipped outside about 10:00 pm while Lyn watched her favorite television programs. Scally, the larger of her furry dogs, welcomed me as I sat at the pool steps and swung my legs slowly in the water as the solar lights from various pots lit up spots around me. I turned my head to glance at the small village below us and marveled at the impact my father had in its history. Despite his inability to a master the skills of husband or fatherhood, he excelled in the ability to make a difference as mayor of Los Nuñez about forty years ago. Where dirt paths once threaded through the village, the streets are now paved. And the once-dark streets are now lit up with twenty-five street lights that sparkle through the village. When the river flooded and the village was stranded, he managed to get food brought in by helicopter. He is remembered with love and a smile here in Los Nuñez. A physical thank you is also here in a cement plaque embedded in a village street with his name, Miguel Ruiz Silvan, to honor him for his impact to the village of his forefathers and for those of us lucky enough to reap the benefits of his legacy. He would have been proud that his children managed to get here to the land he loved so much, where his father and father before him left their marks behind them. It will be sad to leave this beautiful place on Friday morning, but as it always touches me when I drive away from the Campanillas and Almogia area, my heart will always be thankful that I was part of this world for even a little point in time. The magic will follow me home, as it does each time I leave, and stay with me as I continue my genealogical quest to fill in more limbs and leaves on my family tree.
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