Some Time in the Desert

 We headed to the desert on Friday for a bit of geocaching. Other than attending some events, we had not geocached in AZ since arriving the end of October.

perfect temps, perfect blue sky

a field of cholla

walking along a very busy road searching for hanging containers

Superstition Mountains

5057 Peak on the left

4 saguaros supporting each other

The desert is SO DRY this season. In fact we think it is the driest in our 20 years of coming to AZ. The grass is rather tall, and if there were a fire, it would ignite so quickly. Only the palo verde trees and bushes are green.

our souvenir for spending some time in the desert 

Time with the Grandkids

 We were back in South Dakota for 9 busy days catching all the grandkid activities for December. 

We were able to watch McBe's Taekwondo testing from his third green belt level to his first of 3 blue belt levels. He was tested on form, sparing, and board breaking. His friends gave him antlers instead of bunny ears for the group photo. He and two other boys earned their blue belts at the award ceremony later in the week. His TKD dedication and hard work is paying off!

He had a seventh and eight grade chorus concert on Tuesday night. The following Tuesday was his Edison Middle School band concert. He is a percussionist playing the bass drum and snare drum for this concert. On the Sunday between the two he played a Christmas song at the prelude to the Children's Musical at church.

Miss W performed in the Lincoln High School Winter Chorus Concert on Thursday evening. She was part of a Women's Ensemble and in the Freshman Women's group. The top photo is of the entire Lincoln High School Chorus, grades 9-12, men and women, about 150 students. Bottom left is the Freshman Women and bottom right is the Women's Ensemble. Three different groups performed at the concert along with the HS orchestra for one number and six or more Ensembles performing before the main concert.

We had our family Christmas on Saturday starting with bowling then dinner and gifts at our house. We are back in AZ enjoying warmer weather and sunshine!

Some This and That Around Barcelona

 I planned to post photos of doors we saw as we explored Barcelona, but decided to add some other interesting things we noticed.

building with the first geocache find

which window?

got it!

an elaborate garage door painting

ornate decoration

the door to a shop along one of the side streets

another cache find, this one in a park

tile art in the Metro station

another Metro art

graffiti? art work? 

the central sidewalk in the oldest Barcelona neighborhood

it covers an old river, thus the feel of wavy lines

more doors

public water fountains in the oldest neighborhood

an interesting shop selling only moon shot & p**p  figurines

we both love taking door and knob photos

the half door is perfect for human entrance

another public water fountain

overhead door to another side street shop

ornate doors to a small museum

no knob or handle on this door

This was my favorite geocache find in Barcelona, because of its uniqueness. It is a lamp post and public water fountain with 4 spigots. The water from the fountain is safe for drinking. There is even a spigot closer to the base for animals. We found a traditional cache and then posed for the photo for a virtual geocache. At one time (1800's) there were 18 lamp-fountains around the city. Now there are two.

Andorra in the Pyrenees

 Our morning started when we met our tour bus at 7AM in Barcelona for a 'Three Countries in One Day Tour: Spain, France & Andorra." After many days of walking cobbled streets, a bus tour sounded like a good option. Besides, there were geocaches in Andorra and the possibility of another country in our geocaching souvenirs.

not a lot of snow on these mountains

Pyrenee Mountains and the country of Andorra

Andorra la Vella is the capital city of the small European country. It is the highest European capital at 3,356 ' above sea level. The country has a population of about 79,000 and is known for skiing and banking as it is a tax free country. Tourism is its main industry, bringing about 8 million visitors a year.

Enrique, our tour guide started our walking (what??? more walking!!!) tour in the historic part of the city. Andorra has been recognized as a country since 1278.

Casa de la Vall

Casa de la Vall built in 1508 as an ancestral home and defensive tower for the Busquets family, and was ultimately acquired by the then Consell de la Terra in 1702 to become the permanent headquarters of the Consell General or parliament of Andorra. ~ Visit Andorra

decor on the windows at the lower level

The Casa de la Vall was in use until the year 2011. The same plaza is home to the new Andorran Parliament building with 28 seats representing all Andorran men and women. ~ Visit Andorra

7 Poetes

Jaume Plensa 2013 ode to the 7 parishes of Andorra

At dusk the thinkers in the sculpture come to life, lighting up with thousands of colors and giving you a spectacular tableau of the city centre. ~ Visit Andorra

They are also supposed to be a symbol of peace in the bustling city. They sit in Buddha-like reflection on individual high poles overlooking a busy roundabout and with a view of what feels like the whole of Andorra. ~ Inverted Sheep

the Andorran flag

Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality with the bishop of Urgell (Spain) and the president of France as co-princes. The prime minister is the chief executive. ~ Wikipedia

Our bus group following Enrique through the historic part of the city.

Angel on a Trapeze

The sculpture is a figure of an angel, made of steel plates and cast iron, and placed in a black niche. The angel maneuvers on a circus trapeze, trying to find a balance. Created by Fernando de Blasi in 2009.

Sant Esteve Church is a Romanesque and partially Gothic church built in the 12th century and modified in the 20th century.

part of the 1940 restoration

OFD snuck back for a quick peak inside and a photo.

This cropped photo gives a glimpse of the two Baroque altarpieces from the 12th century and the Two Souls painting from the 18th century.

the rest of Sant Esteve we did not see from our walk on the street

(photo from Visit Andorra)

As we got closer to the city center there were signs of Christmas, modern buildings, and shopping.

flowered bear on skis, metal art work

more metal art work, bicycles

The Nobility of Time

Catalan sculptor, Salvador Dali, cast this bronze statue in 1984. It visited numerous cities before it was donated to Andorra le Velle and found a permanent home in Placa de la Rotunda, where the old city meets the new city. 

In addition to the melting clock, the statue features several other figures. The clock is mounted on a mighty tree, whose roots penetrate a platform of brick. This theme of decay and renewal is ever-present in Dalí’s work. An angel sits to one side, lost deep in thought, or perhaps in mourning. On the other side, a woman stands up from a bath, looking brightly ahead to the new day. This juxtaposition of uncertainty and courage gives the sculpture a more palpable meaning. ~ Atlas Obscure

Pont de Paris Bridge completed in 2005 over the Valira River

another Andorra le Velle landmark

We walked along the Gran Valira back to the bus and our starting point for the tour of Andorra le Vella, population about 23,000.

sculptures in Parc Central

It was definitely time for lunch, a late lunch after the tour, souvenir shopping and geocaching. Once again, we chose pizza. It was very good. 

country #23

a farmer working a field in Andorra