The first week of 2008 I continued to entertain my son from England and my sister and brother-in-law from Poland who were visiting until this past weekend. On Saturday, my brother-in-law turned 70, but he certainly neither looks nor feels his age. So this week’s PAW is dedicated to him.
Main
My brother-in-law loves animals, and he loves the water. On New Year’s Day, he and my dog Cheeta took a dip in the Mediterranean:
The alternates:
Alternate 1
Telesfor likes to eat, and so does Cheeta:
Alternate 2
Cheeta also loves to sleep with people. She is an utterly spoiled dog:
Alternate 3
Earlier in the week, we took the boat to the island of Tabarca. There are lots of stray cats everywhere in Spain, but especially on Tabarca they have a good life; there are no cars, and people feed them:
Alternate 4
On January 2nd, we went for a day trip to Valencia. Unfortunately, this was the one day during the 2-week Christmas vacation when it rained:
Alternate 5
So we spent more time than we planned inside Valencia’s magnificent cathedral:
Alternate 6
They were tuning the organ in the cathedral:
Alternate 7
A modern version of church candles:
Alternate 8
Once back outside, my sister did the best she could to cover her hair:
Alternate 9
Of course, once we left Valencia, the rain stopped. We took a break in a rest area along the A7 motorway, and I snapped this couple who were also taking a break:
Alternate 10
On Saturday afternoon, we drove along the beach to check out La Petite Alsace, a restaurant where we planned to eat that night. Along the way, we happened upon this man with his sand sculpture. He was in it for the money (there was a hat for coins) but he was definitely a cut above the typical busker:
Alternate 11
Here is a closer view of the sand sculpture:
Alternate 12
Finally, a portrait of my brother-in-law on his 70th birthday, at La Petite Alsace. Since he is Polish, he was very pleased with the dish I chose, choucroute, which is quite similar to the kind of traditional Polish food he loves:
Nathan
Your work continues to inspire and challenge me – as I am sure it does many others. I look forward to my weekly PAW enormously. Thank you.
Merrill
Comment by Merrill Morrow — 7 January 2008 @ 23:58
I love your B&W work. Your images are upbeat and observant. And you are among the first of the true Europeans.
Comment by Bob Rosen — 9 January 2008 @ 01:11