well, i was finally going to give you some pictures, but this computer hates me, so you are all just going to have to use your imaginations. which is what i've been doing. i've been building castles out of firewood, rescuing princesses from dragons, and casting spells of invisibility. as well as some sea kayaking, where i realized that it is harder than it looks. oh, and of course, we celebrated the new year. here in spain, there is no ball dropping, or anything like that. once the bells start ringing, you know the ones that ring 12 times for midnight, the bells in the church in the village across the valley, you have until the bells stop ringing to eat your grapes, 12 of them (which is actually easier than it sounds). so there was a group of about 15 people here, mostly all from Spain, and after an incredible dinner, a few drinks, and some bad dancing, we went outside, and waited for the bells, once the bells were done, and the grapes eaten, there were fireworks, which were pretty awesome. And then a lot more bad dancing. Well, i guess it wasn't bad enough to say that twice.
So a few days ago, the whole family, got in the van with all their camping gear, which includes surfboards and a kayak, and mattresses, to go to Portugal for about 8 days. i have been here with the grandmothers and grandfather, doing a little cleaning, and a little help with plowing the fields, but mostly just relaxing, reading, playing with the cats, watching movies, and some walking. i have also been planning where i am going next. i thought this time for sure i would go to ibiza, but i changed my mind. and it's my adventure, so i can do that. i've decided to take a bus to Cadiz tomorrow, which is all the way on the other side of the country, the western side in the south, just below Portugal (which really means i should have figured this out before they went to Portugal, and gotten a ride there, but oh well). I will stay in a hostel for a few days, and then i will take the 48 hour ferry to the Canary Islands. I am actually really excited about this, and i hope that i find a wwoof farm that i can stay at there. i've written to 3, and there are like 10 more as well, but i figure, even if i don't hear from them soon, it will be warm there, warmer than here, which is pretty warm, so i can just camp for awhile on the beach...or some other kind of craziness.

oh, and i guess if you want to see some pictures of where i've been the past few weeks, you can go to www.aqua-ventura.com