Life on the Beach

It’s funny how we found out about this place. For those of you who know us well, you know that we are not particularly computer-savvy. We know enough to get us by and if we had more time we would probably use the computer more and be up with the rest of the world. Tom was on an on-line chat on the Space-A website (his first ever) with a guy named Tony from Puerto Rico and he recommended this place. Now, in military travel there is a network where SPAT’s (space- a travelers) blog and pass along information to other travelers. We have found this inside information to be very helpful and a new process for us. So on the advice of Tony, we contacted Michael Moore whose father was once the flight surgeon for NAS Rota and asked if we could stay in one of his apartments.

He calls them beachfront chalets but all we know is that we are staying in a beautiful three-bedroom apartment that overlooks the beach in Puerto Santa Maria near the town of Cadiz. It is warm and wonderful and we have settled in.

We went to the market and while we have enjoyed having meals prepared for us we have missed cooking together in the kitchen. We bought a huge jar of olives and olive oil, some cervesa and wine, bread, potatoes, sausage, eggs, …well all the things we have been eating for the last several weeks and our making ourselves comfortable.

Listening to waves as they hit they shore, the warm sun on our skin gives us time to reflect. We recalled an event in Valencia during lunch. We were sitting in a lovely cafe on the Mediterranean when a man in business attire took all his clothes off in the middle of the day and lay on the warm sand just to enjoy the warm sun. We are not sure we could get away with that during our lunch breaks but we had to admit it was a lovely way to enjoy the middle of the day.

And so, we too, are enjoying the middle of our days. Neither of us are wearing a watch, we have no TV or radio, we eat when we are hungry, rest when we are tired, walk on the beach when it strikes us, soaking in the sunshine, and enjoying the stillness and just being together. No plans for much of anything yet…just being.