A Moose and an Alpine Village on the Costa del Sol

One of the things I used to find magical about a winter day in Palm Springs in the California desert was the experience of floating in the pool in the sunshine while looking at snow on the mountaintops. And, although I haven't been floating in a pool lately, the view of the snow-covered mountains in Andalucía has been just as magical. Walking along the beach or just out on our terrace is glorious.

THE DAY AFTER WE ARRIVED, LOOKING NORTH.
(CLICK TO SUPER-SIZE-)

TODAY FROM THE TERRACE, LOOKING PAST BENALMÁDENA TOWARD MÁLAGA..

A few days ago, I took another long walk on the beach in the sunshine and I came across a "snow-covered" alpine village made entirely of sand. Amazing to create something with so much love and care (and talent) knowing it's so temporary. There was a thunderstorm the next day that I'm sure melted the snow (and much of the alpine village).

OUR ALPINE VILLAGE WITH A (REAL) FISHERMAN IN THE BACKGROUND.

AFTER ALL THAT SNOW, I WAS GLAD TO RETURN TO "SAND BAR,"
WHERE THE SAND SOFA AND THE SAND DRUNK HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH A WORKING FIREPLACE.

ANOTHER NEW ADDITION AT SAND BAR, LIVE MUSIC WHERE THE BOOKCASE USED TO BE..

Meanwhile, San Geraldo and I have made great progress on the terrace. San Geraldo has been doing the planting. I've been doing most of the heavy lifting and the clean-up. Dudo and Moose help as they can — by inspecting every plant and pot, chasing bugs, and monitoring our every move. The plants haven't been arranged yet, but all but one of the new plants have been transplanted. We ran out of soil and had another delivery this afternoon. Once the last plant is done, San Geraldo will move on to the 12 bougainvillea we brought with us from Sevilla. The 12 individual plants will be merged into 4 large planters. Then, we can rearrange everything. And then I can show you what it looks like.

A MOOSE SIGHTING EARLIER TODAY.