-
Summer Construction
For years (even before we moved to Portugal) we have maintained lists of home improvement projects we are contemplating. We try to keep the list prioritized based on necessity, but also try to add small or weekend projects which we can easily complete ourselves. After the initial renovations on our house were done, we had…
-
Wardrobe Wizardry With Magical Mushrooms
Way before our house purchase in Northern Portugal, Andrew and I looked to Goldilocks for inspiration. We wanted a house that was just the right size for us, our family of furry friends, and all the things we shipped internationally. Maybe even more importantly we wanted to use our space as efficiently as possible. In…
-
A Date To Celebrate 25 Years Of Dating!
-
A Geeky Discussion About “Gateway Games”
Our board game club, Board Guimas, has a relatively active user group that talks about all things game related. A couple weeks ago one user commented about which gateway game was the most interesting (in their opinion) of the most popular five. This coincided with some similar discussions I’ve had with Michelle and another friend…
-
Some High Stuff: Arouca 516
-
Some Old Stuff: Citânia De Briteiros
My cousin John visited a few weeks ago and in planning his visit he said he was interested in seeing some Roman ruins or a similar attraction. Lucky for him we live less than ten miles from an amazing archaeological site. Citânia de Briteiros is an unearthed “urban” community which actually existed in pre-Roman times…
-
My Tiny Oasis
When Andrew and I started house hunting back in 2024 one of the most important things we considered, other than geographical location, was how much space we needed and how best to utilize a given floor plan. Our house in Medford, Oregon had plenty of space, arguably too much, since several rooms were rarely used.…
-
Farming (Game) In Portugal
-
Spring Has Arrived!
We have emerged from an especially long and wet winter season into the beginning of spring. The temperature has snuck up into the 60’s and plants are springing up everywhere. We can finally dry our laundry outside! I even snuck in a quick R&R session in our hammock out on the terrace this morning before…
-
February Decor
We have made it through one of the rainiest seasons in Portugal (and much of Europe) in decades. Thankfully we didn’t have any water related problems of note, but it did mean we spent a lot of time indoors January and early February. Back in Medford our house had, over the years, slowly gained specific…