Pablo Picasso grew up in Málaga, though after the age of 19 he is said to never have returned. The Museo Picasso Málaga displays a small portion of his paintings and sculptures. So, in honor of Picasso whose hometown I am visiting, and of beaches where the ocean meets land, here is a painting by Picasso named The Beach (La Baignade) -
Whether it is to be active or to be calm, the beach and the ocean together satisfy me in a way that other forms of this earth have not. Recently I have found myself near and in the ocean for a variety of reasons. What I love is the variety of beaches (a beach is not "just any beach") and the meeting of land with water you find at each and every one. Currently I am in Málaga. This city lies on the Costa del Sol in Andalucía, along the southern coastline of Spain. To the left and to the right are beaches. Sand and rocks going for miles, interrupted by ports and harbors and docks, apartment buildings, and chiringuitos (small restaurants and snack shops dotting the playas). Some beaches are crowded and cigarette-butt-laden, others are prim and groomed. Others are a little more wild and a little less touched - such was Playa Almayate which I sought out today with my boyfriend Ryan. We wanted to leave the city for the day so around noon we took a regional bus from Málaga to the town of Almayate. We had to guess where to get off because none of the stops were marked. After what we hoped to be enough time had passed on the bus for us to be in the right town, we descended and walked along the highway until we found a sign advertising a chiringuito pointed toward the right, toward the ocean. We followed the sign and walked a quarter mile through pepper and squash fields until finally we were greeted by the ocean and the bright, bright sun. Here I am, above, with our shade-providing shrub. Pablo Picasso grew up in Málaga, though after the age of 19 he is said to never have returned. The Museo Picasso Málaga displays a small portion of his paintings and sculptures. So, in honor of Picasso whose hometown I am visiting, and of beaches where the ocean meets land, here is a painting by Picasso named The Beach (La Baignade) - Of course, there are seasides made better for sitting than dipping. If the shore is rocky there is perhaps still beauty to be had in the view. If there is more trash than sand washing up on shore, then perhaps there is something more interesting to be seen just a bit inland or a trash-less beach not too far away (to mind comes the port of Essaouira in Morocco in 2010, where in the port area closest to the old town seagulls dove constantly to the bottles and bags piling up on the rocks, whereas a quarter of a mile south lay a long, sandy, and spotless beach perfect for a walk).
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In the past week, I've learned the difference between North and South Carolina barbecue, how to find and kill a tic on my skin, and what boiled peanuts taste like. All this and more I learned with Kina, a long time friend of mine currently living in Carrboro, North Carolina, her boyfriend Alex, and their various family members I met on a tour of the Carrboro area and into the mountains and waters of South Carolina. Barbecue in the Carolinas refers specifically to pulled pork, unlike the broader application I am used to. BBQ in eastern North Carolina uses the whole pig with a vinegar BBQ sauce. BBQ in western North Carolina uses “pig butt” (shoulder) and the vinegar sauce has an addition of tomato paste. The vinegar sauce added to BBQ in South Carolina has a mustard base. Pulled or not, the entire pig can be eaten. Above image credit: Independent Weekly. Sarah P. Duke Gardens, NC where Alex is working this summer. Here he shows me a venus fly trap native to the area. He explains that visitors should not touch the fly traps, because a trap may die if it closes with nothing actually inside to feed on. Amendment 1, which passed in an early May 2012 election in North Carolina, added the already-existing ban to same-sex marriage and other same-sex domestic legal unions to North Carolina's State Constitution. Even after the election, however, opposition to Amendment 1 is still very present in Carborro and the surrounding areas. Travelers Rest, South Carolina is a land of strawberries, peaches, boiled peanuts, night storms, dogs, beers, harmless snakes, and porch time. Above is the Walker Family farm, land and surrounding fields from which Kina's father's family has lived for generations. The home of one of her uncles on the land is built off of an old cabin from the 1700's. Uncle Herman and Aunt Carrie live down the road past a large trout and turtle pond, where we dipped after a long hike. Night-hunting the elusive strawberry. Uncle Herman has bush-whacked and hunted the forests outside of Travelers Rest, South Carolina since he can remember. I joined in on the fun with Kina, Herman, and her cousin John. Here we are resting at Hospital Rock (a supposed hide-out for Confederate deserters during the Civil War) before continuing on and narrowly escaping a nest of yellow jackets hidden in the fallen leaves. We collected red salamanders in our hands and small black tics in our clothes. Kiawah Beach, South Carolina. Water, sun, and sand. Now I'm 100% satisfied. Enough said. Alex's aunt and her husband live on a hidden piece of land on James Island, SC. The love they have nourished themselves, their home, and their gardens with exudes from every pore of this place. Alex and his aunt are happy to point out some interesting plants, like this flower that looks like a bat's face. Old, old oak trees line the streets of many neighborhoods in Charleston, SC. Piggly Wiggly, the drug store with growlers and beer on tap! Kina and her puppy Herald. Now, onto Baltimore and Chicago!
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yes blog is currently 'archived'yes blog started when I moved from the States to Spain in 2012 and documented the results of saying 'yes' - to the people and learning opportunities - that came my way. Archives
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