And then I dived In

Yesterday was a superb day, from start to finish.

We are still on the island of Paros, working hard and learning things. We made a compost out of straw bales - which stemmed into a pretty intense curiosity of Straw Bale Houses and building. I look forward to exploring this more... We are also midway through building a small dry stone wall to contribute to the "earth works" here on Jim & Ireni's Property. Good stuff. Yesterday, however, we were given a day off from our duties as landscapers/carpenters. The weather was beautiful so, along with our new friend, the finnish Salla, we walked the 4 kms to the sea. White houses, with blue shuttters of course, dot the landscape. Wild dogs born and bred on the island bark ravenously in desperate hope for someone to give them a tender pat. We walk by olive trees, an orange grove, and a few windmills. Captain Pipino's Taverna is closed for the season, along with every other cafe on the island. But we don't mind, because adjacent to the Captain's our toes find their ways deep into sand. The smell is intoxicating. The wind blows the salty mist into our faces and it tangles up in our hair. We walk the (short) length of the beach, and then Nick proclaims "I am going in." I think, what a fool! It must be freezing in there! Standing in his boxers, he takes the plunge. Nick retreats from the sea, a big grin on his face. To my right a little voice pipes up, "I'll go in if you go in." Persuasion ensues from both Salla & Nick, and voila! I find myself standing at the edge of the water in my knickers. The dive was glorious! The water wasn't so bad. At least it wasn't stop-your-heart-dead-lake-huron water. I loved it, and was so glad someone convinced me to get in there. Swimming in the middle of a sunny January! Amazing. Post-swim, I sauntered over to a tree to change into my dry clothes. I duck down to do a quick scan making sure there are no peepers within my radius and what do I see? The Peeper of all Peepers! I lock eyes with the man in a burgendy shirt. He is bent over sideways, maybe 10 metres away, craning his neck to get a better view!! What a perv! I scurried away, quick like a mouse, to find a more discrete changing room.

The rest of the day was filled with movies, sprained ankles (Salla's, not mine) and a huge Japenese feast! We made maki sushi and miso soup and ate until our bellies would take no more. Like I said, a superb day from start to finish.