So.. yesterday was american night.. with touch football and burgers.. Today and tonight were all basque..

Diane, Olivier and I decided to take a very rainy run aroudn a nearby traill.. it included a very nice pond.. and lots of very nice mud !

We spent lots of our day playing with baby Rory.. .. he’s so cute.. such cute  faces !

People came and went all day.. meeting new freinds. exporign the hose and the grounds.. super chill !

By afternoon it was time to start making dinner.. we all chipoped in to to make pixhos.. basically tasy salty horderves.. (my mouth is woatering thinkign of them !) 

Olivier taught gabe a new card game called Koi-koi.. its played with hanafuda cards (whatever those are) ..   they played all day.. and gabe evidently was reallllly good at it !

THen it was time for games.. We did tug of war.. and our blue team won !!

then sack races !

then .. time to eat !  Pixhos, quiches and lots of beer !

The day ended with Charades.. fun.. and challengign given all the languages !

then off to sleep.. Tomorrows the big day.. 

noite all, nite sam

-me

Tody was the day we all moved to France for the wedding. Matt and Lere had found a cool  place Called Cateau Mayo just across the French boarder in Biorette.

First order of biz was to go get the car. ,,, that involved a bus ride.. actually two bus rides because I for got the car keys. We parked out near the bull ring (yes.. such things still exhist !)

We went back in to town , picking up Alex, one of Leyre’s freinds on the way.. We parked long enough to  get out bags then headed out of town. 

We were all hungry soe we decixced to stop for lunch atone of the next towns over , Pasaia. It was a pretty little town.. kind of ccongested. we tried to fidmn a pl;ace to eat.. whcih wasnt as eaasy as it sounds..we walked down by the watershore of the bay.. and finally found a small place to eat. 

 

After lunch, we got in the car and quickly reached the French border… There was absolutely no formalities. You didn’t even see a “welcome to France” sign… An hour later we got to château Mayo. It was a big old 400 year old manor house that was in various states of repair. It was beautiful place and beautiful grounds. As we arrived, we were assigned to our rooms. We got on our play clothes and went outside. The first day was called “American day”… Or people celebrated with American games and we met at American food l. It was fun… But I didn’t really feel like playing touch football so Becky and I went off and search of fans because it was pretty hot. We bought five of them and the time it took to play touch football.

Dinner was really fun.. we cgot to meet more of matt and leyeres freinds and relatives.. some folks spoke spanish.. some ienglish, some basque.. we all had fun getting to be freinds there was plenty of beer, hambergers and hot dogs.. lots of music too

 

Later, the party moved inside .. Matt and Leyre played the “shoe game”… Each of them sat back to bThe two of them sat back to back. Each had one of their own shoes and one of their partners. As questions were answered each of them had to bring up one of the shoes to indicate which partner they thought most fit the question… Somewhere easy somewhere embarrassing… all were fun

 

as often happens, I had more fun watching than playing.. 🙂

AFter the gamne.. folks drifted off into small groups. Gabe had a microscope attachment for his phone and was showing people pictures of the business end of the multiple hornets that were flying around the venue

Long fun day. more tomorrow from Biorette 
nite all, nite sam

-me

Diane and I took another hike out to see art this morning. 

we met soem of the others at a very cure mexican place near our airbnb The proprietress was from mexico city. I knew this place was legit when I saw they solf Huitlacoche.. A delicacy made out of a corn fungus. It’s super popular in Mexico City. I had two.Huitlacoche tacus.. yum !!!

 

then another place for ice cream.. 

then ome more exploring

then  for pinxhos downtown

huh ? 

 

super great day.. more tomorrow 

 

nite all. nite sam

-me

 

ps. Here’s what it looks like at burning man tonoight courtesy of playa cam !  I’m keeping my eyes out for fluffy !

Today we all drove about an hour out of town for a beutiful hike.. THe hills around here are green and rolling .. a bit like vermont, but more grassy than trees Lots of goats and sheeps.. there’s always the sound of their bells

In the middle of the hike we stopped at a bar and had lunch. Good thing Leyre speaks basque.. that was the only language up here 

We ended the day with a really wonderful basque meal.. even more cheeskake !

Went home and watched a little playa TV>. still looking for Fluffy to see that things are goign ok

nite all. nite sam

-me