Transfers

Tavira Branch- r-l:   Elders Judd, Richards and Sommer and Sr. Sommer,  March 2013-May2013.  Elder Judd is being transferred to Gaia which is in the Porto area of the mission.  Success to you Elder Judd!

White or Bright

There are two types of building colors in the Algarve:  White....

White buildings work perfectly in this almost Mediterranean setting.  They are just what you would expect would be here.  When the sun shines the white is so dazzling that I can hardly look at them and the homes, buildings and apartments reflect such heat that I look for all the shade that I can find when I walk down the ruas.

Then there are the Brights....equally dazzling on their own.  Wow, what guts to paint a home or building this color.  I wonder if our home in Claremont needs some bright color?

The above building is on the road from Olhao, where we live, to Tavira where we go to church.

Tavira

Paige, this green tiled building picture is for you.  Tiled buildings are gorgeous.  This one is in Lagos.

This row of apartments is in Lisbon.

Tavira

I need to say, in case you think that I am always loafing on my mission, these picture were taken as we were walking down streets on the way to contacts, apartment hunting for the new set of sister missionaries in Lagos, getting water, gas and electricity turned on for said apartment.  How can I help it if there is beauty at every turn?

One more that I can resist.  Most of the buildings here are very old.  But if you want to sell them, just put on a coat of bright paint and they instantly look great. Case in point, both of these buildings are the same age, one just has the great paint job.  I can only imagine what they look like inside.

Horses and their Gypsies

 Every morning, the gypsies tie their horses to their carts and trot them to the fields near our home. They stake them to a pole with a long rope and then let them  feed all day long on the soft grasses. The gypsies come back in the afternoon and gather up the horses and take them who knows wherever the gypsies live. The question always is, where do the gypsies live?

The gypsies take very good care of their animals. Off in the distance in this picture is the ocean.  It is a beautiful spot and sometimes I think that I would like to lay in a warm, grassy field all day and look at the ocean.


I am fascinated by the gypsies, their carts and their horses. Sometimes we see just a single driver and then other times we see whole families spilling out of the cart and waving as we drive by taking pictures.  I admit that it probably is rude to gawk and picture take, but really, how could I not take pictures, they are so wonderfully picturesque?

The picture below was taken from our second floor window.

Bread Diet

This is an easy diet to go on.  The necessary foods are readily available, hot, all day long in most grocery stores.  You don't have to buy supplements, exercise or wait for food or shakes to come in the mail.  Many people respond well to this diet but I don't think that it is working for me.

Baguette and Chicken Pocket.

The sesame rolls were coming right out of the oven so I couldn't resist.

The pained expression on my face is simply because I can't decide which to buy.

By the scientific method of trial and error, Ron and I have decided that this is one of our favorites.

This little beauty is a Pascoa bread with an egg baked right in the middle.  The bread has the consistency and taste of Hawaiian Bread that we can buy in our markets sans egg.

Our Branch in Tavira

This shows the front of our chapel.  We are a store front between the Pastelaria and the entrance to some apartments next door. We have about 4 stories of apartments above us.

This is the inside of our branch in Tavira.  Entry.

Chapel.

 There is enough seating for 24 people and an overflow area which is the Relief Society Room behind the folding doors.

All the buildings in the Algarve have pianos.  I think in new structures the trend is towards keyboards.  There are 2 free standing church buildings in the Algarve.  One is in Faro and the other is in Portemao.

 This is the Relief Society Room-

 This is our primary room with 6 tiny chairs.

 This is our YW room-

Some years ago a sister decorated all the rooms and I think that she did a good job.

We are small but mighty.

Back to Work

We went toTavira to teach a lesson with Elders Judd and Richards. The building on the right was built in 1902.

Elders Richards, Sommer and Judd

Elder Judd and Richards at the door.

This is Eva.  She was baptized on Sunday, April 7 between sessions of general conference.  It was a wonderful day.

A Blustery P-day

I thought about all my painting buddies as we drove through the hills just fifteen minutes north of Olhao.  I really love the way they don't tear things down here they just see the beauty of it.  Like the freshly painted door in an old crumbling building.  I know they painted that door just for people like me to come and take a picture of it.