Friday October 22 back to where we started.

 This morning I did my usual solo routine only a little bit earlier. We have the car. We ieft early for Pinhal da paz (pine forest of peace). This is the same place we visited for the party on our first day in country. The drive here is some of the best to see ld rock fences and pretty county. When we arrived I wasn’t real sure which way to go. We walked abit and seeing a church with lots of steps I thought of Drew and how much he appreciates pictures of steps t churches, grandma with flowers, and the elders. There were no elders but the other two are fr Drew.

We wandered around and found some neat.things this duck pond with houses made from rock hard Palm branches.

Why I really wanted to come was to see the deer and I finally had to ask a worker where to find them. They are still tiny but for their size the antlers are large. The velvet on the antlers is gone and they look good. I have way too many pictures to use all of them in the blog but will try not to let it stop me from trying. Grandma had my camera when I got some of them to eat out of my hand.

More.

And more.

If there is a need I have more but due to limits in my storage I erase photos after posting them to the blog. We headed  for the top to see the lookout we had visited before but made a wrong turn and ended up at another site.. grandma crawled up on a wall for a better view,

We had noticed this set of stairs going up while we were walking so we used them to go back down. Sort of neat but a little rough on the knees. We were sort of ready to head home when we found the sign for the lookout.

So off we went. The climb was a little steep but shorter than I remembered. Maybe all the walking is paying off. I took pictures of the sign, the tower itself and some from on top.

We spent a lot of time up here. Watching the waves from a long ways away. Looking out over the pastures and farms all divided by rock walls. It’s beyond comprehension the work that must have been done to build those fences with the limited modern technology available. It was very peaceful there. We passed an older couple headed up as we were coming down so grandma waited to make sure they made it down okay and then we showed them the route to the deer. They were here visiting from Lisbon, so count it as language practice. The dirt roads, the quiet, and the rocks and trees, combined with the cooler temperature reminded me a lot of areas in the Selway.

I must come back often and get more pictures for Drew. We actually got headed home early. There was an old pony staked out just by the park.

We arrived home ate brunch and got ready to go. Laura called Cheri was headed for the hospital so some tense hours for a while. We don’t know what we would do in an event that ends up bad. Thank goodness for answered prayers. We headed out and spent time with members and got home late after a really good day. We love you all.

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Now for some feedback on the comments. Jim I like your comments they keep me in touch with my old world. The cold nights here will be close to 51 at night and only 59 for a high with the coldest month being February. By then we may be like the natives and find it miserable. With the high humidity it does feel both hotter and colder.

Skye first I like your cooking and look forward to it again. I would eata pan of your pizza right now. Baking is a challenge here due to differences in ingredients and low elevation. Thanks for the comments from you Jordan and your mom.

Ashley you are still the best. Your comments help make us happy. The perspective you show makes me enjoy writing the blog. We love you.

Gail your comment was different. I am a truly romantic guy but fixing up that old house the movie would need to cover a period of decades. The house would be amazing though and I bet in its day the house was beyond compare. I always wonder why one mansion goes to rack and ruin while other houses are kept up. The majority of the houses here are hundreds of years old so why did this one die? Nice comment.