The time always comes sooner or later.....

Rota sunsets are always gorgeous

... to make a critical decision, which I have made. My life, or what I perceive as a life, changes continuously, and now with my life in Rota once again, things have come to such a point that I have decided yet another important stage in my life must be made.

I am moving my stuff back to the states, and will eventually resettle in Eugene, Oregon. I love the greenery there, the people are just as friendly as in Rota (though they don't speak spanish), and the sunsets are just as wonderful. It'll once again be only the third location in my life where I will not have a ocean near me but after a curvy two hours' drive, that can be resolved.

As I type this, I am in Charleston SC awaiting a flight to Rota, after having gone through my boxes in SF and taken some things with me, and eventually left more of my Rota things in its place. This will be my life for the next year as I continuously fly back and forth to get my things back in the states. Eventually am hoping to sell my spanish apartment to resettle in Eugene permanently. The ash-cloud of mid-April was a nightmare for me and now I cannot get a refund for the unused portion. I expected that response though hearing it hits home sadly. I feel for those who are still away from their homes due to that event, as they possibly face the same fate.

It's not easy being a nomad, not in any life or country..... moving from one country to another is not easy and takes a lot of pre-planning. I just cannot wait to get back to someplace where I can call home and to continue to practice what is my passion: photography.

There are advantages to living in Spain and it's a gorgeous culture and life, but there's just so many things that I cannot tolerate, and a few of those is the constant smoking in restaurants and bars, and my inability to freely practice my love of photography. This has been an ongoing problem for over a decade, and I am putting an end to it. Does it mean I will never return to Rota/España? No, I can return anytime I so desire and I will....

there are other places with sunsets just as gorgeous

Now I just have to get accustomed to speaking english all the time!!! hahahaaa

wheeeew, boxes are heavy!!!

first sunset wasn't a set, but a cloudy day I loved anyway

these two pixs show a little of the gorgeous makeover of the BCN airport! wow!

My first full day has started in my apartment. While it isn't the nightmare disaster I expected, it's still going to be a lot of work. Most of the work will be concentrated in the small bedroom where I still have over 25 boxes full of my past life, and readying that to mix with my current life. What will I do with the those 20+ boxes that is waiting to cross the Atlantic later this year? Such decisions and work....

I don't have butano (like propane and heats the water and provides cooking heat) in my apartment, and this means no hot water for me after three days of planes and airports while carrying 15+ lbs on my back, plus getting those three heavy 50lb suitcases an the big box weighing 74lbs. My microwave still works fortunately so I can heat water for a tea but cannot cook. I am in my apartment, the floor is so clear and clean, and even where the floor is filled with boxes, a few couples can easily dance their time together, manuevering and weaving through the wide expanse of floor space I lacked in SF.

I have already unpacked the folding bicycle and it withstood its trip well. I rode it around and seems the front tire is almost flat. Otherwise it's handled its journey better than me - I have red and blue bruises on my shoulders from carrying that heavy knapsack on my shoulders during those three days.

I discovered the refrigerator doors shut, resulting in a bit of work of cleaning out a lot of mildew but otherwise all seems well.

It feels great to be home, though there's lot of work to be done. A friend in Utah had sent me a letter last Monday and was shocked after going through all my "mail" dating back over a year, to find the letter had beat me!!

NOTE of 22 March: Finally got my butano Saturday night and took my first long hot shower!!!! yaaaay!!

last days......

and am planning to pack the laptop and external monitor Sunday so will be silent finally, and be able to do the last work. Earlier this week some East Bay friends crossed the bay by BaRT and invited me to a chilly outdoor lunch. I didn't mind at all... even got to see some noisy parrots one last time before leaving. Last night a few friends of my sister invited me with a close friend to dine at Zarzuela, a great spanish restaurant just a few blocks from where I live with my sister. I had dined there previously as a birthday-dinner over a year ago and really loved it... this time was just as great and in addition was treated with a solo rendition in spanish a birthday tribute to a diner. The restaurant was packed - as usual - and Spain-noisy (which I like) and when the singing began, the hush was complete as it continued for quite a few minutes. It was a special treat, feeling almost as if it were sung for me! In just a few more days I will be in Spain, so this really touched me, plus having these nice send-offs..... I wish the packing went as easy and quick.

I have been preparing for my departure for over a year, and started the serious packing over six months ago, trashing a lot of junk and boxing others. then came the decision to burn all of my images on CDs to external hard drives delayed me quite a bit. Two months ago when I was hit by a - what I like to call the facebook virus - they delayed me by another three weeks as I was busy night and day trying to fix that. Oh yea.... in case you are interested, I was hit then by up to 24 viruses after that facebook virus hit me... for that reason I stay off facebook a lot now.

These last few days have been a blur of packing and trashing. In just the last three days, I estimate I've dumped enough papers, plastics and other recyclable items to fill up the SF blue recycle bin four times over. I won't even mention take your time to describe the five huge garbage bags filled with trash. I've been so stressed packing and worrying - at one stage I couldn't find my passport and thought I had perhaps trashed it, recycled it, or plain boxed it inside one of 15 containers already taped closed!

I had one side of my sister's crowded filthy messy garage for meself and my boxes. That garage is much cleaner than it was when I first arrived over two years ago, and so is her flat too. I've worked my butt off all this time and now will devote some hard manual labor in my apartment very soon! Just hope my key works!! hahahahaa

Today delivered the bulk of my packed and closed boxes to a shipping company near the airport. Imagine myself and a friend who's been giving me a lot of her time to selflessly help me pack, driving on the freeway - she hates that and has never driven on a freeway before - following me with my boxes in her car and mine loaded down with even more, my fuel gauge very low and the low gas light lit. The drive from North Beach to this place is just about 11miles and I made it there in the rush hour with just a half gallon remaining in the tank. Now I can "relax" and try to clean, box the remaining few, and get ready to DEPART!!!!! Monday I'll take a few last boxes and plastic containers, then I'm through. Just to clean up and finish up on some last things... the laptop gets closed and packed Sunday so no more distractions... the next time will be in Rota somewhere probably in a cybercafe or a library!

Hasta pronto... la proxima sera desde Rota, España! ciao - it's been nice, interesting and a lot of work.