A List of Sorts

These past few days I have:

1. Finished reading Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping. What took me so long to read it? Here is a passage that I read over and over again:

“For when does a berry break upon the tongue as sweetly as when one longs to taste it, and when is the taste refracted into so many hues and savors of ripeness and earth, and when do our senses know anything so utterly as when we lack it? And here again is a foreshadowing – the world will be made whole. For to wish for a hand on one’s hair is all but to feel it. So whatever we may lose, the very craving gives it back to us again. Though we dream and hardly know it, longing, like an angel, fosters us, smooths our hair, and brings us wild strawberries.”

2. Missed Bryan! He’s been a man of the wild these past few days, camping, reading, and otherwise being in the boondocks of East Texas where there is no phone signal. Seriously, fellow Texans, how do you live in the middle of nowhere? :)

3. Observed my dad as he cooked Baked Lamb in Yoghurt for me. I adore this dish. It is so simple and flavorful. I think I have a good idea of the amount of everything, but dad and I need to test it out one more time, just to make absolutely sure that it is just right (it is, but I love it so).



4. Eaten fresh fish again and again. I’ll really miss this.

5. Found out that my favorite Sufllaqe joint has been turned into a pizzeria. Great disappointment. Last year we had a sufllaqe there every single evening. I had a good sufllaqe at Iliadhi Restaurant, but they messed up my order omitting all the veggies. And their fries have no oregano on them. Why? Why? Why? Sad day!



6. Gone to the beach.


7. Got sand on my hair and in my mouth.

8. Had many Turkish coffees* with my mother.

9. Seen many many cousins and their children. We get really loud.

10. Fell in a drainage hole on the sidewalk, which was left uncovered, and into which I stepped as I was trying to take this picture. The picture, as you can see was taken, the camera was not dropped, and due to the fact that I had no idea what scratched my foot pretty badly, I got a tetanus shot, just in case. Whew! The foot still hurts pretty badly, which means that I cannot do all the walking about and picture taking I had planned.

The picture below is of a bread bakery. If you go to Albania and you want bread, you look for a place with this word written on it. Buke = bread. And it is delicious!



11. Loved being around my parents and in the midst of noisy Vlora.

Here are some more pictures.








[little boy jumping]


I hope all is well with you! Hugs,
E.

*I have a post coming up on Turkish coffee. The short explanation is that it is a very concentrated coffee (much like espresso) but with the grounds still at the bottom. Most older women, after they drink the coffee, turn the cup upside down to let the grounds run on the walls and to read the coffee grounds. A form of fortune telling. Again, more details coming soon.