Sue Anne! You’ve got some Spaining to do! Day 17, First Walk

There’s been an unseasonable amount of rain here.  It rained heavily for about two and a half weeks.  The rain finally let up yesterday and I could have gone for a walk then but I wanted the roads to dry out for one more day.  Today I took my first walk.

I had to look at the ground a lot to avoid mud and puddles of water that still lingered.

As I continued to scan the ground, I began to find treasures.  There are colorful broken tiles and bricks everywhere in the road.

Turning my glance to eye level, I enjoyed seeing signs, lamps, and electrical pylons.

…and the more natural beauty of the area.  Citrus trees are everywhere here.  It’s way cool.

Here are a few random things to help describe the area.

I should mention that in my 2.5k walk I saw two people (in vehicles) and heard evidence of another person behind a wall.  It was like a ghost town.  It could be because it was siesta time, but I doubt it.  I think it’s like this all the time.  While walking, I saw a red car in the distance blaring Spanish music.  It was a surreal experience having this bright red noise machine slowly creep up on me on the still and human-free journey.  As it passed I glanced over to find a girl with tightly curled long hair concentrating on the road.  She didn’t even look over as she overtook me going 5mph.  It was weeeeeird.  I began to feel like I was in a zombie apocalypse movie.

Interesting urethra shape and placement.  He should probably get that checked out.

I liked the green, blue and red in this image.  Tarps commonly cover fences here.

A bar in the middle of nowhere out here.

For sale.

The common theme of my walk was evil and tenacious barking dogs, 8 foot fences, walls, locked gates, and no people.

Se vende.

Se vende.

More tarps.

A locked gate to a huge abandoned property.

The place was once grand.

Looking up to the tops of the fences and walls there would sometimes be barbed wire, and sometimes embellishments.

This walk… made me sad.  I saw everyone locked away behind gates and fences surrounding the properties of both wealthy and poor.  Dogs, warning signs, and security cameras were everywhere.  I found myself wondering if I was safe to walk alone.  These fortresses are also in direct conflict with what I know of the Spanish people.  I see them as warm, happy, loving, and social creatures.  When I got back home I shared my concerns with the international household and their consensus was that people just want to mark their property.  This made me think of what I’d like to do at my house; if anyone would like to co-create and patent an eight foot, poisonous, electric fence with sound cannons that make people vomit if they come within 1000 feet, give me a call.  So, really, am I not unlike the Spanish?  I think it’s more than that though.  In other countries, including my own, I don’t see these great lengths taken to keep people out or in except when I see the alleged houses of famous Hollywood movie stars on tv.  Then you add security guards and keypads and fancy, rolling, wrought iron fences.

These “good” fences busily making everyone into good neighbors also added to my zombie apocalypse vision.  Maybe they are keeping zombies out at night, but my mind went to a darker place.  Like, are there literally crowds of murderous Spanish people scrabbling to get into people’s houses at all times?  The answer is no, but for someone who wishes for her own private and secure fortress, I was seriously perplexed at seeing everyone wanting the same thing.  I asked another friend who lives here what it was all about and she said that it was because of theft.  Others still insist that this is simply the local culture and that kids like to run around and break into abandoned houses.  That doesn’t account for all of the houses that look well kept and lived in.  Sometimes I see the whole of humanity heading in this direction… Okay, I’ll stop, but this eats at me.

This was the friendliest face on the walk.  A horse saw me turn the corner, whinnied, and trotted in my direction.  She was actually a little bit out of my way but she was so happy to see me I had to go to the fence and greet her with a pat on the nose.  We chatted about grass, the muscle-y stallion in the next pasture, and the current carrot shortage.

As my walk came to a close, the second vehicle approached.  This one was even scarier with the feedback loop my head was stuck in.  A big white work truck was on its way down a road that was perpendicular to the road I was on when it stopped, reversed, and started up the road behind me.  Zombies can’t drive, right?  The road wasn’t wide enough for both of us so I stopped and backed myself into the entry to someone’s driveway.  As I faced the truck and watched it pass, I was met with a friendly smile and a wave.

Ayúdame a hacer una cerca electrificada, venenosa y vomitiva, por favor,

~S

PS.  Spanish eagles come and go.

PPS. I’m a bit behind on the posting, but everyone will have left the house tomorrow and I will be alone.  I will be sad, but I’ll have more time to write.