Summer fun on dia de Sant Joan

It was a beautiful weekend to celebrate the official beginning of summer. Freya, her boyfriend Gonzalo and friend Cecilia came down from Barcelona for the festivities. Gonzalo and Cecilia are both from Argentina but have been living in Spain for several years. We spent a few hours at the beach. Afterward, it was back to Russell's Resort for lunch. I made the gazpacho pictured below and grilled some salmon. Altogether, it was a wonderful afternoon.

Friday evening was June 23 so we had the usual throwdown behind the Ajutament. There was a sizable crowd for the lighting of the bonfire. According to custom, the oldest man and woman in the village were allowed to light the fire. These folks generally take good care of the elderly here.

I was invited to a wedding the afternoon of June 23. My friends Ania and John youngest son got married. Nuria and Kieren met in Ireland just before Covid. They were compelled to return to Catalunya for the pandemic and were not able to see each other for months. Apparently the relationship blossomed over the phone so they are now happily married. It was a sweet, small ceremony at the house. I really appreciated the invitation!

As always, thanks for checking in!

  

Your boy with Gonzalo, Freya and Cecilú. A beautiful day at the beach.

Cecilú and Freya. Freya was test driving her new thong and ended up with a sunburned bottom (not pictured). Yikes!

On the balcony at Russell's Resort.

This honeydew/beet gazpacho I made was a hit!

Bonfire behind the city hall.

As mentioned in years past, they bring fire from the sacred mountain in Catalunya to light bonfires in all the villages. The young lady is holding the flame in a lantern.

                                                           Nuria and Kieren. Cute couple!

The newlyweds with their parents.

 

News from El Masroig.

 

Yesterday was the annual release festival for Vi Solidari. Vi Solidari is a collaboration for several wineries here in El Masroig. A couple of families in the village had children with childhood cancer. Mercifully, both of the kids survived. 

Someone came up with the idea to bottle a special wine every year and donate the proceeds to researching childhood cancer. Last year (2022) was the eleventh vintage to be bottled. The festival has now become a real thing here in the village. There is wine tasting, food vendors, bouncy castles for the kids and other activities. This is the first time I can remember a concert.

As you'll see from the poster below, the gates opened at 11:30pm. The music started a little after midnight. It sounded like the band was set up on my balcony. I decided to go up to the sports area to join in the festivities. In characteristic fashion, the village was jumping! 

I stayed about an hour then went home to listen from my balcony. There were three sets. The first was contemporary rock. The second was Ska and reggae. The bands were really good. I went to bed when the DJ came on at 3:00.

The coming week will be busy preparing for the 2nd Annual Barons Creek Spanish Wine Experience. We'll have fifteen people this year. I'm really looking forward to it!

                                                         A short video from the concert.

The clusters will be smaller this year. We're in a historic drought. I'm able to irrigate but many farmers are out of water.

             Josep Maria suggested we plant a couple of shade trees. These are fruitless mulberries.

                         Baby garnacha vines. We had a good take in spite of the dry weather.

                                                            Poster for last night's concert.

The plants Montse put in last year are thriving! This lavender is ready to conquer the world!

The labels for Vi Solidari are designed by kids undergoing cancer treatment. There are four different labels.