One of the advantages we have living on the higher side of a hill, is that if there is a breeze at all, we can open up our glass walls on opposite ends of the building and we get a nice flow of air through the house. The breeze doesn’t flow all the time, but when it does, it’s refreshing. However, with the breeze comes doors that slam, so we had to find a solution.

It’s official - Ann and I are now residents of Portugal!

We’ve been here nearly a month now and we figured we should take a bit of time to let you know how it’s going. This week, probably thanks to all the effort we’ve put into the first three weeks, was incredibly productive. So join us to find out what, exactly we did this week, and enjoy some of the images we pulled our phones out for as we ran around town.

You knew it had to happen sooner rather than later. Face it, one can only live with a rental car for so long before you decide you really need to get your own vehicle. Join us to find out what we wound up with.

This one won’t take very long, but at least one of the things I was concerned about, being the Oregonian I am (I am unapologetically a beer and coffee snob), has finally been resolved here in Braga. What could it possibly be?

Well, another week of living in Portugal has passed and they haven’t kicked us out yet. Join us on another of my not-so-random musings about our transition. This time I comment on wine, weather and bathroom light switches, among other things. So take a few minutes to kick back and read about how the adventure is going for us.

We officially live in Braga, Portugal! It’s not just that, by the time you read this, we’re actually living in our house. No, that’s not enough to make you official. You officially live somewhere when you receive mail addressed to you at that location, and that happened this week! Join us online to find out what else did and did not happen since the last time we checked in.

It may have taken me a few days to get this post out, but the past few days have been a bit hectic despite Portugal having two holidays the past 2 days. Still, I hope to keep to my word and start posting more often to keep you in the loop of our lives and to keep the habit going for when trips get really interesting! So what’s our first few days in Braga been like?

A week or so from when this posts, Ann and I will be in Portugal. What better way to celebrate that than to do a post of images taken with my iPhone during our flight back from Portugal in January? Well, there’s probably a lot of better ways to celebrate, but this will have to do. My apologies for the quality of the images. Believe me, they do not do the experience of them justice. I could blame the fact that my monitor is not calibrated, there’s been an update to Capture One, that I haven’t used Capture One or done anything really photography-related in 3 months, or the fact that I’m a crappy photographer. Set all that aside; the reality is that these images are a reminder to always pay visual attention to the world around you. Oftentimes you’ll be glad you did.

You must be thinking, “Wow, what’s gotten into him?” And you would be right. Two posts in two days. Well, yesterday was my birthday and despite the fact that it was a quarantine birthday (which meant it had to be an at-home affair) and the fact that Ann couldn’t do her usual incredible gift giving (she really does find the coolest things to get me) because we pretty much have our bags totally packed so . . . how could I take anything to Portugal with me, I got one of the best presents I could have possibly gotten this birthday. So what could that have been?

I believe in change. That it is inevitable and that if we don’t embrace it and learn to live with it, if not benefit from it, we suffer. Call it the Taoist in me, know that I have read and even thrown the iChing. Still, despite my beliefs, change can be hard and painful, even when it is an indication that you are fulfilling your hopes. Today (yesterday by the time you read this), change happened as we had planned for. It’s a bit sad, but worth blogging about because of the fond memories it brings and because of the future it affords. In short, Ann and I are no longer home owners.

Perhaps the question Ann and I have to field the most about our plans (yes, they’re on-going despite the World’s best effort to throw a wrench into the works) is, “Why Portugal?” The answer is generally a fairly long and winding one with no one ultimately prevailing reason. Part chance, part intention, part necessity, part opportunity . . . mostly it became an “after all that, why not?” sort of answer. Well, again there is no one plain reason on why we settled on Portugal, but in yesterday’s news there was another story that makes me feel better about saying, “That’s why!”

Ann’s been retired for just over a month now, but most of it really didn’t count because we took off for Portugal 3 days after she was technically retired.  And while our trip wasn’t really a vacation, it was so out of the normal routine that it can’t quite be considered indicative of what her retirement would be like.  Then, of course, the week after we got back we jet-setted to San Francisco to hand in our visa applications.  So last week was our first week back where I was working and Ann was . . .  well, retired.  Even if being retired hasn’t fully hit her yet.  So what did Ann do her first week of freedom?

This is a simple blog post really.  One image that tells quite a story about Porto, and I suspect, much of Portugal as it lifts itself from economic hard times.  Take a look at this panorama from our rental apartment - can you tell what it is?