and now for something completely different...

my favorite descanso

I hope...
Today was a very good day from Tosantos to beyond the "top of the page" city to San Juan de Ortega and into the next page and Atapuerca. We had heard many travelers talking of going on from there and this is the first time we felt lucky to get a room - it had gotten seemingly crowded in the last two days. We had a nice day walking with Marie from Montreal, a fun stop at the hammock descanso, and an unexpected group meal at our accommodations. But I want to talk about birds and my favorite time of day.

stone soup dinner

I am so much more cognizant of the birds here. They are are everywhere but particularly in the morning from 6:30 to 9 am, I am particularly aware of their movement and their song. I walk Jackomo every morning in Seattle at about 7 and yet so rarely notice the birds. I think partially because Seattle is overrun with crows and not so many other birds. The occasional swift or hummingbird will cross our path but rarely do I notice them or hear there song (do hummingbirds even sing?). But now I'm really tuned in and I love it - makes me want to become a birder. All I can do is say hello to the little guys and enjoy their chirping.
Another simple pleasure that I was keenly attuned to today but often appreciate is what I call my favorite time of the day - when the heat breaks and you can feel the first breeze of cool air of the evening. Tonight was particularly hot. We had an italy style dinner on the terrace of our farmhouse (those of you who were there know what I'm talking about). It was blazingly hot even at 8 pm - so much so that I had to abandon the group and go sit in the cool of the nearby church for a few minutes. I returned but it was not until almost 9:30 that I felt that break - The tiniest chill in the air that says the heat of the day is over. It was almost sunset. We would sleep well tonight.