“Water is the driving force in nature.” ― Leonardo da Vinci

Feliz año nuevo! 

We ended 2016 with a day of snowshoeing on the mountainside above our house. We drove further up the gravel track for about 20 minutes then parked and walked. At first we were on gravel and small patches of snow, but soon we needed our snowshoes as we made our way into the forest. At the goat shed we started uphill through the trees. We followed ski trails and when they were accompanied by dog prints we were certain that Manuel and Blues had left the tracks. 

Manuel and Blues were here before us...

As we climbed the snow got deeper and young trees were bent in submission to the cold white blanket that will keep them buried in the weeks ahead. 

Sam passing trees bent in submission to the snow

Passing through the tree line we left the sound of chirping birds behind and the only sound was the crunching snow beneath our feet. The ascent is more gradual once out of the trees and we could see for miles in every direction. We were the only people on the mountain and it was absolutely silent. Clouds were thick over the Mediterranean in the distance, but the sky above us was clear and a blue so deep that even Photoshop could not enhance the color. The snow had a hard crust and we were able to take off our snowshoes without sinking in. We sat and enjoyed a simple lunch of tuna sandwiches and cookies. Everything about the afternoon was my version of perfection.

Perfect lunch spot looking towards the Mediterranean

I couldn't be more content

New Year's Eve was spent at our neighbor's home. The hosts prepared the main course and the rest of us brought either the starter, the cheese course or the Port wine. The Scottish couple brought the starter and once we had each devoured our small pot of delicious food they told us that we had just enjoyed our first serving of haggis. It was not a first for the others, but they suspected that the Americans had probably never had it. They were correct and it was honestly delicious. Next we had roast pork and all the accompaniments then finally the cheese and Port. The kids were both asleep by midnight, but the rest of us ate our 12 grapes in the Spanish tradition as we welcomed the new year. The Brits wanted to watch as London greeted 2017 an hour after Spain, and they were gathered around the television as we said our good-byes and dragged our tired bodies back home. There were a few fireworks in the villages across the valley and the stars in the dark sky were brilliant as we walked. A perfect welcome to the year ahead.

The rest of the week included a hike with friends and a day in the surrounding villages running errands. 

Running errands in Pampaneira

On Wednesday our neighbors enjoyed a day on the ski slopes, and we had fun with the afternoon feeding of their horse and donkey. 

Pia the donkey and Leti the horse

And then mid-way through Thursday morning we were surprised by a total absence of water. The toilet wouldn't flush and the sink only gurgled. The washer was stuck somewhere between the wash and the rinse cycle with a full load of sheets. Sam and I walked up to the underground tank that holds something like 5000 liters of water; it was dry. There is a nifty system that includes a float and a cork that serves as the indicator of whether or not the tank is low on water, but a combination of a stuck cork and only brief checking resulted in our emptying the entire tank without knowing it. Our checking of various valves and hoses didn't shed any light on what the problem was. So we decided that a walk to the fuente was the next step. But then we remembered the previous owner mentioning that once or twice another neighbor had turned off our source where it is controlled half way between our house and the fuente. So we walked the half kilometer to where the large valve is that controls the water flow to our property and it was turned off! This must have been done several weeks ago for us to have used the entire tank load. This particular neighbor had just sold her house and we suspect she wanted to leave a full alberca for the new people so turned off our water to increase her flow while she filled the alberca. But we'll never know. Once the valve was turned back on we could hear the water rushing through the pipe. We walked home and stuck our heads into the tank happy to see that it was filling again. 

Later in the day I wandered up to the tank to see how it was progressing and was disappointed to see only a foot or two of water in the bottom and a slow drip of water entering the tank. So we gathered up some tools and headed off to the fuente. We walked 1 kilometer to where the ferns are lush (although they are dead this time of year) and then scurried up the steep hill to where the path goes through the briars to the fuente. Sure enough, the screen that covers the collection barrel was covered with small rocks and debris and only a tiny trickle was coming out of the pipe. Sam cleared the screen and then used his clippers to make his way through the brambles and stinging nettles to where the stream enters the pipe. It was all clogged with rocks and debris and soon I witnessed a large deposit of fresh debris pushing through the pipe and onto the screen, and then a satisfying gush of water. Problem solved! Sam cleared the screen off one more time and then we went home to where the water was now pouring into the tank. 

Sam clearing the screen that covers the collection barrel

Celebratory wine and cheese at the water tank after the problem was resolved

Later Thursday night I decided to take a bath assuming that we had plenty of water. I turned on the tub and then brushed my teeth. When I turned back around I was startled to see that the tub was full of dark brown water! Apparently we have a bit of sediment in the bottom of our water tank and the fresh water pouring in had stirred it all up. We ran the water until it started to clear, but I decided to pass on the bath for the night.

Around 3:00 am, unable to sleep because of the stinging nettles (the ones that got him before he got them), Sam got up to research treatments for nettles. Consider this a public service announcement: Duct tape, or Cinta Americana, as it is called in Spain. Sometime in the night Sam put duct tape on where he had been "stung" by nettles, pulled off the tape, and just like that, the irritation dissipated! 

By the next morning our tank was full, the water from the tap was clear and life was back to normal. Another good week at Casa Petrillo.