Yawn
Sunday, 16 March 2025
I stayed awake until 3:30am, when this last storm-blotch moved on. We were lucky. We had wind and rain, but no tornado and no power outage.
Musings
We are WA (WAWA)
Saturday, 15 March 2025
I was Weather Aware this morning when I took this at 7:30am New Time. As I recall, there was more orange along the horizon, or what passes for horizon here, so in my mind’s eye, it was a much more striking image.
We are even now very Weather Aware, listening to the noisy, gusting wind (to 47mph right now, my app says), and waiting for a nasty line of storms to come through, when is it? perhaps 11pm or midnight, then continuing for hours. Maybe I’ll really be able to sleep around 6am. I’m predicting yawns for most of tomorrow.
Note that I have not mentioned tr__s.
Marking time
Thursday, 6 March 2025
We’re in that transition season when (some of) the grass is still winter-brown, with green accents from early turf-onions. Also, we may be in the coldest phase of this spring, and it’ll be warmer from here on (here’s hoping?).
Relocated by wind
Tuesday, 4 March 2025
We’re supposed to have a front come through overnight, so windy storms, perhaps (hopefully?) weaker than the other weekend that caused us to need four large trees removed. Whew. Still, before the winds, somehow a fading camellia blossom found its way to our front steps this afternoon.
Ahhh-chooo
Monday, 24 February 2025
We’re coming out of a run of cold days, and we’re headed for some lovely warm days before cold rolls in again. The warmth is enough to get the pollen going, in a bit of an ironic twist.
Looking back
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Here’s where the deciduous magnolia trees/blooms were three years ago on this day; the buds are not this far along this year…and there’s a cold snap coming.
Sooooo bright
Friday, 14 February 2025
The moon was bright this morning, even just after 6am. Clear and cold.
Sun…wheee
Thursday, 13 February 2025
The “possible five inches” of rain turned out to be about two-and-a-half, which is far less…dangerous. Even more exciting: the sun came out almost all afternoon.
Umbrella n boots
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Today’s precip was on the misty-moisty end of the spectrum. The prediction I hear for the next two days is deluge…perhaps five inches.
Beyond Roman-ness
Tuesday, 4 February 2025
Today’s first stop was Numancia, one of the many locations that had pre-CeltIberian settlement, then CeltIberian, then a big rehab/redo by the Romans (who took it in 133 BC). As an additional treat, clouds brought moisture that the temperature converted into ice crystals.
Need I mention that we walked carefully?
Walls, hence occupation, seemingly go on forever.
A fancier dwelling….
On to Uxama. This tower dates to the al-Andalusian period, when Arabs controlled most of the peninsula, including this area. They built many watch-towers to consolidate and maintain their power. It worked for generations…until it didn’t. The castle to the right (red arrow) dates to the 10th–11th C, with later modifications. The river in between (blue arrow) is the Ucero.
Uxama is better known as a Roman city. If all this area had buildings, it was a very large city (I am not sure that it did). This excavated area is between the major hilltops; this view is to the southwest.
The domestic complex in this corner of this area includes and underground store-room (far right; bodega in Spanish).
We left the Roman world behind and checked out the Riaza valley near Montejo.
I’m guessing this is wheat. I’m guessing it’s doing pretty well. We’ve been seeing large piles of bales of wheat straw, just rotting…it appears they bale it with no market…is there a subsidy involved? Just trying to figure out the political economy….
See those lovely mountains below the narrow cloud layer? Tonight’s room is in a tiny village in their foothills.
We motored through this Medieval gate to check out central Ayllón.
Two civic-ceremonial buildings on the mostly Medieval main plaza…. I think the one on the left was a church, and perhaps still is, but the signs relate to non-religious usage.
A different view of this same end of the Plaza Major.
Construction detail…showing beams embedded in soft brick and adobe-type wall materials.
In contrast, this is the building material of the small village we’re staying in. I’m calling it slate.
It’s even visible on one wall of our lovely room.