No matter where I am in the world, I am far from someone I love. Petra (from Holland) who lived with us for a year as an exchange student and quickly  became family, along with Marta and Pepe (from Spain), who I met in Yahoo online, are also friends. They recently had a get-together, and quickly sent me the following photos! It was nice to be missed and thought of! Leoni, Vera, Marta, and Petra. Vera, taking the picture, L-R: Marta, Leoni, ... Read More

I told Alejandra, I wouldn't say good-bye, I'd say, "Until the next time." We should be used to good-byes around here, but they're never easy for me. She made it back to Spain and this morning when I woke up, her room seemed SO EMPTY. Well, she might not be close by, but we all feel our family grew a bit this last month. Love you, Alejandra, fins la propera vegada. ... Read More

We have an addition to the family, at least for the next few weeks. Alejandra arrived Thursday afternoon. She was ready for bed early, but she tried to stay awake at least till 9 o'clock. She just couldn't do it. After a day of travel, she went to bed at 8:30 PM. Friday, I thought a relaxed day was best. It didn't take Alejandra a long time to soon learn that Maryland is a state of extremes. When we left the ... Read More

It seems odd to me, that a nation, or part of a nation I found near obsessed with body functions will now, in an effort to fix its financial crisis, limit school children how much toilet paper they can use. I mean, we all know that governments spend too much, are accountable for way too little, and they actually think for one moment that punishing the most innocent, the children, limiting their toilet paper use will fix their spending/debt problem? From The ... Read More

This is what happens when you have over 20% unemployment, and over 40% for your nation's young people. This is Plaça Catalunya in Barcelona Spain, where a peaceful protest turned ugly. Is this what's up for the United States? OBAMA, stay out of the Middle East, get OUT of Europe, and FIX your own country's problems. I mean FIX, not TALK about it and not make it WORSE like you usually do.   ... Read More

When we went to Spain, of course we had a few visits to Marta and Pepe's house in Sabadell. They had a surprise for me as well, they invited Antonio and his wife to be there as well! I am completely overwhelmed sometimes how you can meet people on the net, and then in person, and love them so much. Marta and Pepe made my trip to Spain very, very special. I hope to see them again soon. Here is a ... Read More

In 1998 our family took a trip to Spain. I am just now able to  take the movies from the video camera and get them onto a DVD. (thanks Roger!) I chose this excerpt, as I love the area of Lleida. It's a great place to explore and the shopping is fun there too.The children and I enjoyed our day there. Here are some of the photos taken that day. ... Read More

Cronyism is partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications. Hence, cronyism is contrary in practice and principle to meritocracy. Cronyism exists when the appointer and the beneficiary are in social contact; often, the appointer is inadequate to hold his or her own job or position of authority, and for this reason the appointer appoints individuals who will not try to weaken him or her, or express ... Read More

At one time Spain used to be my second home, and still now I have many loved ones who live there. So that is one reason to keep up with the news, but I do have another reason. Since Obama and Democrat's policies are trying to instill here what Spain already has, I think it's wise to keep a watch and see what happens. So far, it's not good. I do believe that if Obama had his way totally, we would ... Read More

Many of the new policies instituted by Obama and this past democrat congress have already been in place in Europe for many years. Watching Europe now would be a smart thing to do, to see what is ahead for us. Socialist European countries seizing individual retirement accounts People’s retirement savings are a convenient source of revenue for governments that don’t want to reduce spending or make privatizations. As most pension schemes in Europe are organised by the state, ... Read More

"It is also true that the growth of public debt has been driven by a dramatic diminution of tax receipts due to the recession, the extra spending to avoid sinking into a self-perpetuating depression, and all those billions we invested to save the financial sectors from their sins."  Mort Zuckerman *              *                  *                       *                 * "We're buying shrimp, guys,” he said, smiling. “Come on." That was President Obama's reply to someone asking a serious policy question while he was ... Read More

38 KM from Barcelona, appears from flat plains, what seems to be a freak of nature, the mountain range of Montserrat, 1,236 meters above sea level. It's beauty is rare, and every day it shows you something new. Montserrat is also home to one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in Spain: the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat. Since the 12th century, pilgrims have been drawn to the mountain to venerate the miraculous statue of the Black ... Read More

Remember Obama's speech on sacrifice? Apparently that was for the 'rest of us', not them. From New York Daily News: Sacrifice is something that many Americans are becoming all too familiar with during this economic downturn. It was a key theme in President Obama's inaugural address to the nation, and he's referenced it numerous times when lecturing the country on how to get back on its feet. But while most of the country is pinching pennies and downsizing  summer sojourns ... Read More

Now the president would have us believe that he understands what it's like to be so hard hit (with the economy). He says he and first lady Michelle Obama took a hit like everybody else when the economy nearly collapsed, telling ABC that a college fund for daughters Malia and Sasha has gone “up and down” with the stock market. Obama says the first couple is “not that far removed from what most Americans are going through.” I just don't ... Read More

Note: When you elect a radical Marxist subversive who thinks America is the root of all evil, you are going to get bombarded with policies meant to decimate its power and prosperity. ~Baltimore Examiner From the Washington Examiner: More than half a million jobs could be lost by 2015 if Congress approves the cap-and-trade portion of the Kerry-Lieberman anti-global warming bill, according to an independent analysis to be made public tomorrow by the Institute for Energy Research. The study ... Read More

We were supposed to have Paella last Sunday for Mom's birthday, but we were all sick with bad colds. So today, we celebrated mom's birthday a week later. I was a little nervous about making paella because it had been a few years since I made my last one. It was a success. Everyone enjoyed it! While living in Spain, I learned that the recipe for paella differed from household to household and from region to region. They can be all seafood, like ... Read More

‘Anti-Lobbyist’ Obama Administration Recruited Left-Wing Lobbyists to Sell Bogus ‘Green Jobs’ From Pajamas Media: After two studies refuted President Barack Obama’s assertions regarding the success of Spain’s and Denmark’s wind energy programs, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request reveals the Department of Energy turned to George Soros and to wind industry lobbyists to attack the studies. Via the FOIA request, the Competitive Enterprise Institute has learned that the Department of Energy — specifically the office headed ... Read More

Greece in is financial trouble and The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, dashed hopes of a swift bailout of debt-laden Greece yesterday. The euro continued to fall today amid disappointment that the European Union has not come up with a solid rescue plan for Greece. Figures showing that Germany's economic recovery unexpectedly stalled in the final quarter of last year added to the euro's woes. A small headline barely a notice for most Americans maybe, but perhaps we should be closer attention. Pat ... Read More

Today I thought it is about time I started doing more scanning. Even before digital, I took a lot of photos and have two boxes full. (I should start scrapbooking too, perhaps!). Today I thought I would share some from Monistrol, Spain. From Wikipedia: Monistrol de Montserrat is a municipality in the comarca of the Bages in Catalonia, Spain. The municipality includes the southern two-thirds of the massif of Montserrat and the famous Benedictine monastery of the same name. The town, known as ... Read More

Unlike years in the past, I haven't really been watching the Summer Olympics this year. I feel a little out of the loop considering before, I would dedicate time to watch the Olympics, both Summer and Winter. It's a bit of a shame to have missed a lot of it so far, especially when an old neighbor of ours won a silver medal in swimming. Here is another thing that I missed, but Bill O'Reilly talked about it last night. It seems the ... Read More

  While my blogging friend Grit fears the world has lost its mind, I sometimes see evidence of some sanity, like this ringtone.  It did my heart good to hear on the news that the King of Spain, tired of Venezuelan's dictator, Hugo Chavez, ranting on and on, finally told him, "Why don't you shut up?" About half a million people have downloaded a mobile phone ringtone featuring the phrase "Por que no te callas?"  The ringtone is thought to have generated around $2.2 ... Read More

Tens of thousands of young people gathered in cities around Spain on Friday night in an attempt to hold the biggest street drinking session or "botellon" ("big bottle"). Like one would suspect, this caused clashes between the young people and the police. 70 were arrested in Barcelona, which in the past has been like a second home to me. Barcelona didn't host the only section of violence, there was plenty to go around in the other cities as well. Tens of thousands ... Read More