America, as in the United States of — because once you’ve left it you discover America encompasses a lot more … More

This morning, there were figs at the frutería, with a dusky purplish bloom to them like grapes, exotic and twice the … More

The young woman referred to as Elder Girleen when this blog started 14 years ago — when she started kindergarten … More

This year, I swore I’d notice the actual moment in August when the swifts, a fixture of the Madrid sky … More

Half a lifetime ago, that night in May when the curfew ended and young people partied in the streets, El … More

The buskers haven’t packed it in and the construction workers are still on the clock, but you can tell it’s … More

… for the passionate spectator, it is an immense joy to set up house in the heart of the multitude, … More

*Half-throttle. The morning we left Madrid for Catalunya, it became permissible for the first time in almost a year to … More

Our nearest grocery store, open 24 hours a day pre-Pandemic (which, over the past 14 months, has gone from being … More

First, of course, starting in January were the Facebook posts from the U.S., a trickle, then a flood: vaccinated! (I … More