Another day of enjoying the Atlantic and relaxing in Rota. For dinner we decided to get a little exercise and did the 20 minute walk into town. Our destination was Domino’s pizza for a taste of the familiar. We walked along the beach to get there and made for a pretty unusual sight. The kidsContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 18”
Monthly Archives: April 2022
Rota, Spain; Day 17
Today is Flashback Friday! We really had no significant Adventures today so we wanted to flashback to a few of our previous posts which were memorable. And here is a wonderful video (7 1/2 minutes) of our experience on January 7 of this year when we visited a sanctuary for elephants in Thailand. Good times.Continue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 17”
Rota, Spain; Day 16
We spent most of the day in another coastal town in the Western Andulisia part of Spain called Chipiona. It lies about 10 km (6 miles) north of Rota. Our destination was the lighthouse which is the tallest in Spain. We were geared up to climb the 350 spiraling stairs. Before we got there theContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 16”
Rota, Spain; Day 15
Today’s academic activity was to take some practice tests for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. The kids did math and language arts. As a small homeschool our students don’t have to take the actual tests, but we figured that the practice tests would be a good way to gauge their readiness forContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 15”
Rota, Spain; Day 14
We took a trip into the “big city” of Cádiz to visit the main cathedral and to see some of the other historic sites of this ancient port. Our trip into Cádiz gave us a chance for an up close view of the magnificent bridge that we can clearly see from Rota. This is theContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 14”
Rota, Spain; Day 13
Much of our Monday was spent as normal life-type Adventures. School for the kids, administrative type work for the parents. In the evening, we ventured out to take a walk on the beach and check out the reef/tide pools just north of our apartment. At low tide we can see very defined lines of rocksContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 13”
Rota, Spain; Day 12
Today we bid a fond adios to our 6th Adventurer. After 2.5 weeks it was time for Tracy to return to her family and normal Adventures in Ohio. It was fun to have her with us for our Spanish travels and we’re sad to see her go. Her time with us sure wasn’t what weContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 12”
Rota, Spain; Day 11
Today’s weather was definitely an improvement over the blustery wind and rain of yesterday. But it was still very questionable for any significant outings with all of the Adventurers. The kids wanted to spend another day at home playing games and legos so Dad agreed to keep them company (and out of trouble) . HeContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 11”
Rota, Spain; Day 10
Today was meant to be a set of Adventures crossing the Bay of Cadiz and visiting one of the oldest cities in Southern Spain. Alas, the weather didn’t cooperate. The wind blew 24 knots steady and we had gusts of 39 coming right off the water. There was some rain but it wasn’t torrential…just sidewaysContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 10”
Rota, Spain; Day 9
Today is our first day in two weeks with all 6 of our Adventurers out of isolation so we took the opportunity to explore Rota. We set off from our apartment for the 20 minute walk to town. We chose the boardwalk-through-the-trees route rather than the beach or street routes and it was quite pleasantContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 9”
Rota, Spain; Day 8
Brian took two of the Adventurers out to the grocery store. They stopped at the panadería for a few sweet treats. Suaram chose the piece of chocolate cake on the right and CreeperPuppy chose the cupcake on the left. Everyone appreciated getting to go for a walk and earning these calories. Tiffany cooked this eveningContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 8”
Rota, Spain; Day 7
There were some pirates that were spotted here in Rota overnight. Or at least that is what the kids were told. These pirates seized two small animals from the kids’ collection and buried them in the sand on the beach. They also buried some treasure (3€) nearby. The children were sent out to investigate. TheyContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 7”
Rota, Spain; Day 6
Our Adventurers continue to chill at the condo by the beach. No big touring or escapades today. Brian spent the day enjoying some domestic activities – cooking some scratch pasta sauce for dinner which we paired with a nice Spanish Rioja. It’s nice to have a kitchen to cook in for a while. Tiffany taughtContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 6”
Rota, Spain; Day 5
Today was Easter Sunday which is a major holy holiday here in Spain (and in the rest of the Christian world). Again we saw many folks congregating on the beach enjoying the 22°C (72°F) temperatures. The children awoke earlier than usual looking for signs of the Easter Bunny. They had been disappointed that a leprechaunContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 5”
Rota, Spain; Day 4
Suaram, CreeperKitty and CreeperPuppy were happy to be out for breakfast together at a charming local café. The kids proficiency with Spanish has allowed them to easily order their favorite European breakfast. Dad chose Croissant Con Jamón instead of Chocolate. This weekend in Rota it seems everyone in Spain was taking advantage of the threeContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 4”
Rota, Spain; Day 3
Reunited and it feels so good… Our 6 Adventurers are now together in the town of Rota. It’s great to all be under one roof in the Spanish sunshine. Tiffany, Tracy and Suarum left Seville for Rota this morning by car. The car pick up and 90 minute drive was a much easier experience thanContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 3”
Rota, Spain; Day 2/Seville, Spain; Day 2
Rota Adventurers The day in Rota was pretty chill. We didn’t venture out much other than onto the sun deck. Brian found the washing machine, tripped a circuit breaker and got the boys showered. Minor setbacks, minor accomplishments and minor Adventures today for our recuperating boys. Seville Adventurers Tiffany, Tracy and Suaram’s first outing ofContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 2/Seville, Spain; Day 2”
Rota, Spain; Day 1/Seville, Spain; Day 1
Rota Adventurers Our convalescing boys and their tireless Dad finished the long drive from Barcelona late yesterday and are settling in to our apartment in Rota. We choose this place for our 4 week ‘stay-in-one-place’ place which was scheduled to start Friday. The hosts moved some things around and were able to get us inContinue reading “Rota, Spain; Day 1/Seville, Spain; Day 1”
Warfare: My Ham Sandwich Tries to Eat ME
One day in Thingamabob, a drop of green goo fell from the ceiling and hit my ham sandwich. It came to life and started trying to eat people. You’re thinking, can’t I just eat the ham sandwich? Nope. It’s got chocolate sauce on it, and I HATE chocolate and ham. Okay. Time to call NinjaContinue reading “Warfare: My Ham Sandwich Tries to Eat ME”
Madrid, Spain; Day 3
Our three Adventurers took a day trip to the ancient city of Toledo, Spain. It is a walled city on a hill with Arab, Jewish and Christian monuments throughout. It is another UNESCO world heritage site and located on the banks of the Targas River. The same river last seen by the Adventurers flowing pastContinue reading “Madrid, Spain; Day 3”
Warfare: Attack of the Facially Obsessed She-Skeletons
Hi! Welcome back to Thingamabob. Here’s a brand new story. One time there was an evil villain who made a potion. He put it in a lady’s lipstick. A bunch of babes bought the lipstick. They turned into skeletons. Now you know what’s coming. I’m going to call… …the pizza place. I’m kidding. I meanContinue reading “Warfare: Attack of the Facially Obsessed She-Skeletons”
Warfare: Revenge of the Robot Zombie Warlords
By Suaram In the city of Thingamabob, a portal opened and a bunch of robot zombies came out. They had three REALLY buff and powerful warlords. “Ha ha ha,” they said. Now we shall take over the world!” What the zombie warlords didn’t know was that the famous ninja Ninja McCrackers-and-Cheese was right behind them,Continue reading “Warfare: Revenge of the Robot Zombie Warlords”
Madrid, Spain; Day 2
The three Madrid Adventurers woke up slow this morning but to a beautiful Spring day in the City. Our location right next to the train station means there are plenty of cafes and restaurants nearby. Our choice for breakfast can only be described as a Spanish diner – complete with dishes banging, a big variedContinue reading “Madrid, Spain; Day 2”
CreeperPuppy
CreeperPuppy is very fun. He is loving and kind. He likes to eat and play games. He has cute cuddles. He runs fast. He once caught covid. He is reading now. He had to go to the bathroom. I feel sick. I love CreeperPuppy very much.
george washington and the ham
george was in the white house kitchen making a ham sandwich. Then the sandwich exploded!!! george flew back. when the smoke was gone he saw something. it was an evil peace of ham, he ran into da sword room and nabbed one. but he thought of something. he ate the ham. the end
Toast and cookies
Here is why I like toast. it has flakey crust. it has yummy taste. IT IS SO GOOD. Here is why i like cookies. the choco chips are melty and good. they are CRUNCHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. the end
Madrid, Spain; Day 1
Today started with a tough goodbye as 3 Adventurers split off from the others and headed to Madrid for the next leg of the Spanish tour. We had originally planned to take the train but opted for a car instead. Tracy, Tiffany and Suaram picked up a brand new Citroen C3 and ventured on theContinue reading “Madrid, Spain; Day 1”
Dispatch from Isolation Ward, Day 2
I am still showing as virus-free (hooray) and will be isolating with the COVID positive boys. They have been fever-free since yesterday and have been spending an inordinate amount of time on their tablets. One dividend from this will be that they will each submit a daily post for your reading pleasure. I hope youContinue reading “Dispatch from Isolation Ward, Day 2”
Kirby and the Ocean Fun
Once a pink dude named Kirby swam in the sea. He was doing the backstroke when… something grabbed him! It was a shark! Kirby tried to swim away but he was too late! The shark ripped his arm off. He was angry. Really angry. So he used his power and ate the shark. THE END.
Nuclear Pac-Man vs the Aliens of Planet 67
Pac-Man was running around eating dots when the alien invasion started. The thing that made him sus was that all of the ghosts had disappeared. Then he saw the alien ship flying toward Chicago. Then he thought that something was up. Suddenly the aliens fired their lasers at Pac-Man but missed. He jumped up ontoContinue reading “Nuclear Pac-Man vs the Aliens of Planet 67”
Barcelona, Spain; Day 4
So the two youngest, yucky feeing Adventurers turned up positive for their at-home Covid test. Bummer. We knew Europe had a much higher Covid rate than Africa and the risk would be higher, but breakthrough infections still stink. When CreeperPuppy and CreeperKitty came down with a fever it seemed the prudent thing to do wasContinue reading “Barcelona, Spain; Day 4”
Barcelona, Spain; Day 3
Today was the quietest day yet for our whole trip. Our youngest two Adventurers woke up feeling yucky so we spent most of the day taking care of them and making plans for the next few days. While Brian stayed with the boys, Tracy, Tiffany and Suaram took to the streets of the neighborhood forContinue reading “Barcelona, Spain; Day 3”
Barcelona, Spain; Day 2
Today was a wandering day for the 5 6 Adventures as we explored some of the most famous streets of the city. We started with a stroll from our apartment to the Plaça de Catalunya which is where Tracy’s bus from the airport dropped her off yesterday. Widely considered the city center of Barcelona, theContinue reading “Barcelona, Spain; Day 2”
Barcelona, Spain; Day 1
We departed the Portuguese capital of Lisbon this morning for Spain. Both countries are, of course, European Union nations and share currencies, open market trading bloc objectives, and other diplomatic advantages. One of these advantages struck us soon after arriving in Barcelona. The process to proceed from the plane to our taxi outside was simple,Continue reading “Barcelona, Spain; Day 1”
Lisbon, Portugal; Day 5
Today’s adventures took us to the Belèm area of Lisbon via metro and city bus. It’s nearly at the mouth of the Rio Tagas estuary, the water access to Lisbon from the Atlantic. It was from here in 1497 that Vasco Da Gama set off on his historic voyage to India. With it, he usheredContinue reading “Lisbon, Portugal; Day 5”
Lisbon, Portugal; Day 4
We wanted to see some more of this lovely area and rode on the train West to see the town of Sintra. The National Palace of Pena and an old Moorish Castle could be found there about 20 km (12+ miles) away from the center of Lisbon. To get there we took the Lisbon MetroContinue reading “Lisbon, Portugal; Day 4”
Lisbon, Portugal; Day 3
A quiet day today. We started by hanging around our lovely apartment and then wandering the neighborhood enjoying the spring sunshine. We basically alternated between walking, stopping at a park/cafe, walking, stopping at another park/cafe etc. The first stop was just down the street. The kids ran around the grass across the street and theContinue reading “Lisbon, Portugal; Day 3”
Lisbon, Portugal; Day 2
This is our first day in a European capital during our World Tour and it is beautiful here. Admittedly we did little research on Lisbon prior to arriving since we added it last minute – so we had limited expectations. What we have found so far is a medium-sized port city with a vibrant caféContinue reading “Lisbon, Portugal; Day 2”
Lisbon, Portugal; Day 1
The Adventurers have arrived in Europe! Portugal marks our arrival on the 4th continent of the trip (North America, Asia, Africa are the others) and 6th major region if you count Central America and the Middle East. It’s also our 8th country if you’re keeping track. We are planning to spend quite a bit ofContinue reading “Lisbon, Portugal; Day 1”
5 Adventures Together 