Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Eu achei o Miguel! Ele e bem!


So on a national road in the vicinity of Montsaraz in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal...who did I run into? Well, not literally run into because our VW van (courtesy of Avis)...would have received the short end of the deal...since Miguel and his familia are very very big...and very very thick...hmmm...kind of like some of my Portuguese relatives...but anyway....Miguel is obrigado muito bem...


...So we stopped and I gave Miguel a little sugar...and he...or could have Miguel been a she? (o Jesus!)...and I am pleased to report that Miguel...sans his outer layer of bark...is doing very well, thank-you!

...Why is Miguel so red? That is a good question...and is an indication that the cork was just harvested...or at least in the last 6 months...and they paint a number for the year (my Miguel had the number 9 on its huge trunk)...and so for another 9 years Miguel will have the time to regrow a new layer of cork (.75-2" thick)...and be ready for another harvest...very cool stuff...

...On a beautiful day we have entered Southern Portugal...the Alentejo and then further south to the Algarve...where we are now closer to Morocco than to Lisbon...and enjoyed our time at a walled city...where Christians and Muslims slugged it out over several centuries...and then arriving later at the Algarve in Praia do Carvoeiro for the night...


All is well...and I am seeing the manifestations of faith and business and life and entrepreneurs all over the region...and it renews in me the strength of the ordinary people...prevailing against the odds..taking chances and working hard...either in a small business or a fishing boat or a restaurant....whether in New York or a small rural village in Portugal...and it confirms in me once again that our destinies lie in our own hands and not the government...and rulers and politicians...

It is up to us! So have a wonderful day and smile as you pass into it

Ciao!

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