Our awakenings were staggered, so Dian was the first to discover Heinz shooting frogs with his camera. Not wanting to disturb his subjects by possible barking dogs, she went to town to check out a thrift store and book store Heinz had told her about, though he poo-pooed the idea of the thrift store, saying they were hardly ever open and it wasn't a place where she would find good things, but Heinz did not know the full capabilities of our family's thrift store combing skills. She got quite a booty which included among other things a deck of German MAD Magazine playing cards and from a local bookstore, a 1980s guide book to Southern California, which she gave to Charles as an early birthday present.
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| We all talked to Luzie on the phone |
Don and Fred's friend Paul came by with his master, and Heinz left with them all for a walk. He came back to find Charles and Nicole eating breakfast (can you still call it breakfast if it's 1 PM?), and joined them until Dian came back. Heinz asked when we were thinking of leaving, and we said Sunday, to which his face fell a little and he paused, then said, "Oh. So soon?" It made us all laugh and Heinz smiled, too. He left for the store shortly after and we watched the dogs.
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| To give you some perspective, this flower was from a tree at least 30 feet high |
While Heinz prepared what was to be yet another delicious dinner of spaghetti bolognese, cheeses, herring with tomatoes and chives, and of course beer, we three went for a walk around their lake with Don and Fred.
Dian and Nicole shared the load of carrying the big lens while Charles took charge of the dogs. Before leaving on the walk we looked up at the darkening clouds worriedly but Heinz calmly stated that it wouldn't rain until we got back. Sure enough, not five minutes after our return, a 10 minute downpour started as suddenly as it stopped. Nicole and Dian walked through it and admired the sunshine still present despite the strong rain.
Dinner was delicious, as always, but we got another present even before we ate. We had all taken turns saying thanks before the meal the past few nights, so Heinz declared it was now his turn. He thanked us again for coming, that we had been great company for him, and he even got a little emotional when he said he really didn't think we would follow through with meeting up with them when we first met in Tarifa. We were all equally grateful for the new friendship.
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| You wouldn't notice it from the pictures, but we were constantly being bombarded by swarms of gnats |
As if this wasn't enough, after dinner, Heinz asked us if we had a small amount of change. We were a little confused, though we could see a slight smile formed across his face, so we brought some change. In return we were each handed a Swiss army knife. The change needed was from an old German tradition that said whenever a friend gave another friend a knife, the recipient would have to give the friend some sort of repayment so it wouldn't seem like they were cutting off their relationship. The money made it more of a business transaction than a gift or an omen.
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| The dinner spread (spaghetti bolognese hidden by flowers) |
As if this wasn't enough, after dinner, Heinz asked us if we had a small amount of change. We were a little confused, though we could see a slight smile formed across his face, so we brought some change. In return we were each handed a Swiss army knife. The change needed was from an old German tradition that said whenever a friend gave another friend a knife, the recipient would have to give the friend some sort of repayment so it wouldn't seem like they were cutting off their relationship. The money made it more of a business transaction than a gift or an omen.
While Heinz prepared what was to be yet another delicious dinner of spaghetti bolognese, cheeses, herring with tomatoes and chives, and of course beer, we three went for a walk around their lake with Don and Fred. Dian and Nicole shared the load of carrying the big lens while Charles took charge of the dogs. Before leaving on the walk we looked up at the darkening clouds worriedly but Heinz calmly stated that it wouldn't rain until we got back. Sure enough, not five minutes after our return, a 10 minute downpour started as suddenly as it stopped. Nicole and Dian walked through it and admired the sunshine still present despite the strong rain.
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