Friendships

This was a week of friendships, both old and new.

On Monday, new friends Felipe and Juanmi came to have a look at our water heater.  Several weeks ago I noticed a large burnt spot on the outside of the water heater and it was apparent from the dramatic sound coming from the heater each time we turned on the hot water that something was no longer working as it should.  I mentioned this to my friend Kiersten and she told me that Felipe could fix, or replace, the heater.

This is not a good sign

Felipe doesn't have a 4x4 so we arranged to meet at the Ermita del Padre Eterno and I would drive him up the mountain.  On my way down to get him I passed Andreas, a neighbor who hitchhikes up and down the mountain, and I picked him up.  We managed to have a bit of conversation during our 20 minutes together although he has no English and my Spanish is beyond basic.  When Felipe arrived at the Ermita he had Juanmi with him.  Juanmi owns a shop in Lanjaron where he serves drinks and the best tapas around.  I drove them up the mountain and they went to work on the water heater.

Juanmi and Felipe cleaning the old water heater

After a thorough cleaning of the heater they hooked it back up, but the flames were determined to come out in all the wrong places. 

This is not what you want to see on the inside of your water heater box

Felipe told us that he would go to Granada and purchase a new water heater and return on Friday (in a friend's 4x4) to install it.  We knew that we would not be around on Friday so we agreed on a hiding place for the keys, told him the combination to the lock on our gate and thanked him for his efforts. 

We managed with cold water all week.  This time of year the cold water is actually quite warm and it really was not much of an inconvenience.

On Friday afternoon we received a text from Felipe showing the newly installed water heater.  We arranged to meet at a hotel bar in Lanjaron where we reimbursed him for his costs.  He wasn't going to charge us for his work because we are his friends.  A very kind gesture, but nevertheless we compensated him; he had two trips to our house as well as his trip to Granada and then the time involved in installing the new water heater - far more time and effort than we can accept as an act of friendship.

New Water Heater

In the meantime....We welcomed our first visitors from the States.  Sam and Peter worked together at Bonneville Power Administration and we enjoyed visiting with Peter and Janice several times in Portland. Their friend, and now our friend, Amy was traveling with them and they scheduled several days in Andalucia following a trip to Portugal.  They did not stay with us but instead rented a house in a village about an hour away.  

On Wednesday we met Peter and Janice and Amy in Lanjaron and went to Juanmi's shop for his famous sangria and a fabulous selection of tapas.  

At Juanmi's enjoying sangria and tapas

While we visited over drinks and delicious food, several others entered the shop, and we knew everyone! It started to seem staged as we introduced Felipe, then Richard, and finally Alison to our Portland friends. I think they had a false sense that we are far more connected here than we actually are, but it was fun to have them meet so many of our new friends.

On Thursday we met Peter and Janice and Amy at the Ermita del Padre Eterno and drove them up the mountain to our home.  

Ermita del Padre Eterno, and convenient meeting place

There were some quiet moments from the backseat as we bumped along close to the edge of the winding road.  But once we arrived home they expressed surprise at how nice our home and location are.  It was affirming to share our new life with old friends and to feel as if they really understand why we are here.  We wandered around our property and then took a short walk towards the barranco. On the way we encountered our neighbors, and new friends, Rich and Jules who were out walking their young horse.  

After a snack of jamon, cheese, olives, fresh tomatoes, bread, almonds and dried fruit we piled in the car and drove to Ferreirola.  This village is where Sam and I first stayed in 2008 and where we immediately fell in love with the area.  There is a pleasant walk out of the village and down to the river.  Everyone was having such a good time that we crossed the river and climbed for 25 minutes to the top of the other side where there are stunning views across to the white villages that are scattered on the hillside.

Janice looking across the valley towards La Taha

We stayed at the rental house with Peter and Janice and Amy on Thursday night and spent Friday together in Granada.  This was our first trip to Granada without needing to accomplish any business and we enjoyed wandering around, stopping several times for drinks and tapas, and visiting.  Finally we dropped them off at the Granada airport for their flight to Barcelona.  

As we drove home we reflected on how fortunate we are to have so many great people in our lives. We could not make this work without the kindness of new friends and now we have the assurance that old friends really will visit!  And although this is our choice, and no one needs to understand or support it, it was a treat to share it with Peter and Janice and Amy and to know that they totally "get it" and share in our joy.