Sunday, January 20, 2019

Sorolla

Testing, Testing, 1 2 3... is anybody there??
Ahem.
It's been two and a half years since I've posted an entry.  
I'm feeling a bit giddy to be back...
I stopped because life was overwhelming as we were expecting our fourth child and preparing to move back to the states.  And honestly sometimes I felt bogged down in blogging.  We'd go on a trip and I would take 1000 pictures and then to have to delete, edit, transfer, download, and post them all just got too much.  And then I'd get behind and feel compelled to catch up. Leave no photo behind!!!
But now that I can automatically upload photos from my phone without having to actually download them to my computer is a DEAL BREAKER. 
And I'm not expecting another child.
And there is no move in the foreseeable future.
And I missed this form of record keeping.
And I'm going to scale back on how many photos I take.
One thing that turned me away from blogging is that I haven't been able to find a way to make a physical copy of the blog.  As in, a book.
So, instead I turned to making digital photo books as a way of chronicling our family life.  
And I think I successfully made ONE.
Can I just say I hate making photo books??
So, back to what I know.

We are so happy in Spain.  I truly enjoy it here.  Even in the heart of January I've been able to keep my spirits up.  I had seasonal depression in Germany, without a doubt.  And winters were so dang long.  Spain has a pleasantness about it, even in the dead of winter.  Sunshine.  Plant life.  Nice people. Casa de Campo is beautiful.  It doesn't feel like everything dies in the winter... lots of coniferous trees.  The clear bright skies are incredibly beautiful and uplifting.



Yesterday Ben and I dragged all four kids to the Sorolla Museum, in the heart of Madrid.  It's not easy to do on a Saturday.  The kids have been in school all week and would much prefer to just hang out at home.  And Dad too for that matter. I can't say I blame them so sometimes I give into their desires... and sometimes I put my foot down and drag.  I knew nothing about the impressionist artist Joaquin Sorolla until my Spanish tutor/dispenser of knowledge on all things Madrid told me about him and his museum and said we had to go. (Can I just say I adore my tutor Teresa?  More about her another day). I got some exposure to his work when I visited a Mediterranean exhibition a couple weeks ago, which was absolutely delightful.  His works contain primarily beach scenes with women and children, and he's known for his striking way of capturing sunlight in his art.


These are Sorolla's gardens.  
The museum, which was his former home, was amazing and I didn't take a single photo because I had to be on my kids like a hawk.  
I swear I could hear the collective sigh of relief from the staff when we finally left.



But it's somewhere I could see myself visiting again and again.  Without children, perhaps. 


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