I AM CUERVO! José cuervo.

Little fuzzy silly Cuervo.

First he's sweet......

              ....THEN!

       HE'LL CLIMB UP YOUR LEG!!!

sToP moTiON FiLm !

Today after lunch, which was deliciously curried squashy veggies and pork with a red wine sauce that Bella and I made, all of us at Finca Salude helped to make a short stop motion film about seeds. We used all seeds that we had collected from around the farm. Each of us helped in different ways, someone set up the original scene, someone collected seeds of different shapes and sizes for the scene, a few set up lights and cameras and other equipment, and one played with the cat. In the end we all had to lean over the table every few seconds to move the seeds we were each accountable for, while Bella snapped away at the camara. Some seeds moved beautifully, while some moved happily, some were smooth cruisers, and some jumped from frame to frame. There was much laughing,which scattered a few seeds, a fair amount of cursing, and many different opinions on how the film should be made. The resulting film will be one to see. If I ever see it, or have a way of getting a hold of it in the future I will be sure to share it with all of you!

Here is a photo of the main production team hard at work!

Sevilla

Saturday Bella and I spent 24 hours in Sevilla. We walked all around during the day, and I surprised myself by remembering where so many places were. I remembered how to get to the best little bakery, a few great bars, a restaurant I had only been to once, and many other things. 

I stood on my street calle asuncion, and looked up at the balcony I used to look out from. I cannot really explain the feelings that I experienced on Saturday. For most of the day I could not believe how much I still remembered, how much I had wanted to do, and now that I was back again I had the opportunity to do. I spent a lot of time at first feeling sad that the last time I had been in the same places I had been with friends that I have not seen for quite a long time. It made me miss them even more than when I was in the states. At the same time, being in all these places made me remember all the great times we had, and how much I learned from them. I went to all the places I could remember, surprising myself at how much I was actually able to remember. 

I took us to a restaurant I had only been to once, and was not sure if I would even be able to find again, but we made it and had a delicious dinner. 

Then I took us to a few of my favorite bars, including one where the dude who hands out discount cards at the door and the bartender both remembered me!!! I remembered them of course, but they see so many people each night incas certain that they would have forgotten me, after all it has been about two years since I was in Sevilla. For me to be able to return to a place in a foreign country, where I myself had made so many connections and find that there were people who had made a similar connection to me was quite an amazing experience. Over all, we spent a great 24 hours and I had one of the most literal walks down memory lane. NO8DO Sevilla!!!!

Rainbow on my shoulder on our way to Sevilla!

Work work work

End of the first week, and I'm feeling strong! We've been working each day for five hours in the morning, pulling up weeds, preparing beds, breaking gound, and planting, planting, planting. Even when it's been raining we have been out working in the mornings. The knees of my pants are forever going to be red from all the mud that has been ground into them! Tomorrow we are headed to Sevilla for the day! 

Artwork

Here is the finished painting I did in Ferreirola.

A little blurry, but you get the point.

This is the beginning of a drawing inspired by some of the designs I saw in La Alhambra.

This is the sketch. I'm going to expand it and add color. 

Finca salude

After Granada we headed by bus to Sevilla! It was so surreal to be back, even for just a few hours. Bella and I ate some tapas, had a glass of wine, and then headed back to the bus station to take a local bus to Villanueva del Ariscal, a small town 20 minutes outside Sevilla. The farm is called Finca Salude, which means farm of health, which it totally is! It's kind of crazy here, there seems to be so much run down and no organization, but after three days here I understand the layout and the method behind what seems like complete madness. Xabier is our host, a very farmy dude who knows a lot and is teaching us about how to plant according to what will thrive next to each other. It's really nice to be in a place that is completely unfamiliar, and feel like you have your own space and place within someone's home. Xabier and two of his friends started the farm a few years ago, and now he mostly runs it by himself. Along with the farm they have a theater company that they started together. Recently they toured around ( I'm not quite sure where ) putting on their show on the streets. Professional buskers! He also makes films and is an artist of all sorts. Fun, nice, cool dude man.

Photos from La Alhambra

This is just a sample of what we were able to see at La Alhambra. Enjoy!