First Dip, Craft Beer, and Clean Granite

Wednesday July 9 was our weekly get-together with the expats at the craft beer bar Letraria in the center of Ponte de Lima, and as we left we met four storks strolling through the parking lot.

Then on Saturday we took our first dip in the pool.  The water was 25 C (77 F) so it was a bit nippy for Pat, but Gerrit loved it.  Maybe it's our imagination, but the salt water felt silky.  We thought we felt the same thing in our friends Steve and Lisa's saltwater pool in Florida, so at least we have consistent imaginations.  (Actually the salinity of a saltwater pool is only about 1/10 that of the ocean, so there isn't much difference from fresh.)  It was really great fun, we laughed like kids, and then we sat and admired the view of Ponte de Lima from the best seats in the house.

On Sunday evening July 13 we went with our friends Maayan and Dan to Caminha, a little town north of here almost to the Spanish border, for a craft beer festival.  We each bought small empty glasses for 4 €, which was basically the entry fee, and then beer prices varied.  Many varieties were available, from all over the world.  Everything was cashless -- you just flashed your debit card and within seconds you were enjoying your beer.  We had dinner there too, from one of the many food trucks.  There was live entertainment for most of the festival from an excellent group doing Django Reinhardt style swing/jazz guitar with backup.  We met some English expats there, friends of Maayan and Dan's (and now of us), and had a fun and lively conversation until the festival began to wind down and everyone went home.

On Tuesday July 15 we went to Braga, the third-largest city in Portugal, about 40 minutes away.  We intended to participate in a Quiz Night at a café there with our friends Maayan and Dan and Simona (a friend of Maayan's and a Portugal newcomer).  Unfortunately Quiz Night filled up quickly, so we made our own quiz show by guessing and lying about obscure word definitions, and had a nice dinner at the café.  Here is Pat next to a fountain in the heart of Braga.

Gerrit finally finished pressure washing the black algae off most of the house granite.  It glistens white now, you can see the tiny mica flakes twinkle in the sun and everything looks fresh and new.  We'll see how much algae comes back by next spring.  We're hoping that from now on it will be a relatively quick touch-up job each spring.  We had to do that for tree pollen on the deck at our place back in Seattle too.

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(As usual, you can click on any photo to enlarge it, scroll through them all, and click outside a photo when you're done.  Also, you can click on the bold underlined phrases to play the audio.)

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