Summer vacation/holidays

I'm back, from a well needed vacation outside of the city. I can once again think. As i walked my dog this morning, i could tell people were coming back from vacations. The streets are once again becoming crowded with parked cars. In the next two weeks i will even see more, as school starts around the 10Th of Sept. This morning our friendly black and white cat came to meet us, and of course to slap Shelia. He's a good size boy. Came home from our walk and grandma and our new friend on the block (with what i thought was five toes in the front is actually six toes), came over to eat. Came in and feed the troops, sat outside for my coffee when jack jumped up on the table and started licking his non existing balls. Looked over at my husband to see he's checking his "weapons" yup, i now know it's a universal thing with the male species. Things are back to "normal".

But, to get on with the story of the trip. It felt good to be out of the city. The noise, pollution, image, and the politics that goes along with living here. Like the city with image being everything, the villages are the opposite. They don't care about image, they don't really like city people either, more like they tolerate because we bring the money into the community. They tend to be more lay ed back and family is everything. The villages are not perfect either, as they seem to hate animals. Not unusual to hear about how they poison the cats and dogs that are trying to survive. Where we stayed i only seen a couple cats and one dog. Of course while we were eating and most times u are eating outside, of the three tables that were eating the cat came to me. My husband looks over at me and laughs. That's OK, i fed her good.

On the way to the village i really wanted to take more pics, but there wasn't many places to pull over. When going through the Mt's it was like seeing the Rocky Mt on one side and closer to the village it was like the Smoky Mt's, with all these hills of olive trees. This area called the Peloponnese's, here they produce a lot of the olive oil. On the one side it's very rough terrain, and this is also where the REAL Spartans use to live. It was beautiful, and made me remember how breath taking this country is, outside of the crowded city. It was a very relaxing place to go. Also not over expensive either. So many of the islands and more popular places at this time of yr will over charge u on everything. They make there living on the few months people are taking vacation. My husbands co worker went to one of the islands, not a real popular one but, a closer one to the city. For the same amount of time as we spent on the mainland, they spent three times the amount. Crazy, and I'll never understand how that is a vacation if u are going were all the crowds are...i want to get away from the crowds not be with them. Anyways it was nice, quite and peaceful.

Where we stayed the beach was half a block from the house. So my husband could walk to it while i stayed on the patio making jewelry. He loves swimming so he spent everyday there. Later on when it cooled down a little i would take Shelia in the water she loved it. Three days in to our stay i was walking Shelia in the morning and letting her play in the water. One of the locals started yelling at me cause she was in the water. When i take Shelia in the water, it's always early morning or in the evening where nobody is around. I always make sure she goes to the bathroom before i let her in. I do respect people, knowing that not all like animals so i stay away from people. When i got back to the house my husband knew i was up set about something. I told him what happened. He's my protector in every way. He went to there house and talked/yelled at them. They were yelling about "it's not allowed the dog in the water, there babies go in there and they think of the animals as being dirty. What if they go to the bathroom in there?" For starters there is no law that animals can't go in the water. As long as u are not on anybodies property, and stay away from crowds and all beaches are public. Were not talking about a pool we are talking about the sea. Also where do u think your "babies" are going to the bathroom? After that i just kept Shelia over to the one side of the beach. I had noticed she was starting to have troubles walking. I think cause most of the beaches have small stones she was sinking in and it was making her hips sore. But she sure did like getting away for that week. We had a lot of room for ball and Frisbee playing.

Later in the week the owner of the house where we stayed invited us out down to the beach with another couple from Italy, for a snack of fish, grilled toast, ouzo and a Greek salad. The tomatoes were soooo good and the olive oil was unbelievably good. The guy presses his own. We bought a 17 litter can from him that we use here for salads, my husband was in heaven when he bought that oil. There really is a differences in taste between this one and what u buy in the stores. Anyways, we went down to the beach and had a nice afternoon snack. Now my husband has gain a little weight, (even though he doesn't see it or admit that a lot of his cloths seem a bit tight) one of the plastic chairs was wired together i told him to let me sit there and he should take the new one. The gentlemen he is said no than started saying to the others there that i think he's fat. They all laughed and said no no, your fine. Well after a while of him getting up and down on the chair it snapped, and he landed on his ass. He looks at me and asks "how did i look???" i told him "just like a Hollywood stunt man." and we all laughed. It was a nice time, the Italian couple was very nice. Since the man who owned the houses didn't speak English, or Italian and i didn't speak Greek, my husband and i both did translation with the Italian couple. My husband speaks English but it's hard for him to understand others when there English is broken. I'm so use to talking to people with broken English it's easier for me to understand and translate to him and he would tell the owner in Greek. Now can u understand how things can easily get mixed up with all different languages? It was interesting and fun. We stayed a few more days and headed home on Sunday. The ride home was nice. I just wished i could of taken more pics of the Mt's.

So we are all settled in back home and getting back to city life. Now when i get into a teasing mood, i just ask my husband "how is my Hollywood stunt man doing???" he just smiles and says "how did i look???"

Shopping, Hot, Athens

Another interesting day shopping. Let me start from the beginning. When i walked Shelia this morning it was the first time in a week, that our friendly black and white street cat didn't come charging up to her and slap her like he usually does. He was a good boy for a change. So it looked to be a good start. My husband gets up around 8:30, and of course he wants to go to the beach. But after i whined a little cause he promised to take me to the bead store on Monday, he agreed to go shopping with me.

First let me explain a little about society here. Everything is image, kinda reminds u how u hear about Calf, the fake ness just to look good. Here it's everything from what u wear, down to what level your apartment is. The higher u are the better u look. So since i live in the basement level I'm not anymore than gum on your shoe. I wouldn't give up my bottom apartment WITH a back yard for any upper level. That's not who i am for one and i think it's pretty narrow minded of people. With this said u can almost understand why the country has so much economic troubles. With all the cheating in the government to all the tax fraud. But that another story that would be pages long. But for today, we are going shopping in Athens.

We get on the bus and i love watching people. There is this old lady making comments to this woman cause she has a stroller in the bus. The bus is getting crowded. You could tell from her face she was getting disgusted with her. She was one of the many Gypsy people that live here. When a Greek woman got on with a stroller she never said a word. When ever u drive by a church so many are making the sign of the cross three times. Well since it's like every fourth block there is a church this same judgmental woman is doing the cross thing. Drives me crazy with the two sided Holiness and yet think there better. It wasn't long when she got off. We are getting close to your drop off point when we are driving by the park in the center of Athens. The police are standing at the entrance like on guard. One motorcycles, one guard all the way across. Now it's in the mid 90's and feels like over a 100 with the traffic and city pavements. I noticed there all wearing bullet proof vests. Hot, hot I'm thinking. Of course my husband is cracking jokes about the way there standing not letting anybody through. I thought there might be a demonstration going on again and they were ready for riots. But, the case is a few weeks ago a journalist was shot and killed. There has been terrorist threats against the government, journalist, and police, that could happen anytime and be prepared. So there taking it serious as they should, since people in general are getting upset with all this fraud going on. So that was our interesting part on the bus.

Now we are headed off to the store it's pretty crowded for so many stores being closed for vacations. We were lucky the bead store was open. Now i told my husband not to hurry me or i was going to make him come with me again before his vacation ended. He was pretty good, but it drives me crazy in the store they keep breathing down your neck like your going to steal something. We kept telling them we are looking first, but yet they follow u around like there attached by a leash. First of all a bead/art/fabric stores are to me like a toy store is to a child. I start to get excited, my eyes grow big, heart is beating fast and my mind is going around and around with new ideas. Of course i forget a lot of the ideas after everybody keeps bothering me to hurry up. So of course I'm sure i forgot a few things that i need to finish my thought idea. I do have a lot so i should be good for now.

On our way back to the bus stop we see this store that has bamboo, we are looking for though beads u put on the car seats. Well that was on the out side of the store in the inside was hats. A elderly lady was helping another woman. My husband starts to go in and she comes running saying there are no cheap hats here. Excuse me??? Who ever said anything about looking for a cheap hat, of course we are not going to pay 65 euros ($80) for a straw one either. But it pissed me off that she assumed by looking at us we didn't fit to her store. Almost like last yr when i wanted to look in a store with mil to for a top and the owner wouldn't let me in at the door. He said nothing fits me there. Even though i was there earlier in the week trying stuff on and they fit fine. Hows that for sale help. Either your not good enough or there breathing down your necks. What ever happened to the customer is first? I think of my self as a simple person. I don't try to be something I'm not to impress somebody else. You either like me or u don't. I don't care about being in style or being in the in crowd. I'm just me, different in my own way.

So anyways on the way back to the bus I'm still pissed about the lady at the store. Miltos just blew it off. We are waiting at the stop and this older lady keeps looking at me. The first couple times i looked at her she turned away but after the third time i just said WHAT? WHAT?? she just smiled and didn't say anything. Of course i have my hair cut like a boy and standing there in black shorts, black bra with a white tee shirt that has skinny straps so my bra shows. Along with the fact it's so firkin hot it's stuck to my roll of fat and it's not really white, white. Since by mistake i threw it in with my pink top so it's sort of like a white but, u know it's not really white it has a tint of pink. Or could it be that i don't know why but my nipples keeping showing through my bra even thou it's not cold out. But at least there supported not like so many i see walking around down by there belly buttons. Whats the use of even wearing one than. So what the hells your problem???

The rest of the way home was nothing special besides my mule (my husband calls himself) made me carry my own bag of beads home. So do i give a crap what anybody thinks? Hmmm ...maybe it's the same way with the old men wearing there speedo. They don't care either.

Sunday At The Beach

Once again it's that time of the yr when it's holiday time or what Americans call vacations. The city is slowly getting relief from all the pollution of the cars and the blaring noise of impatient drivers. It's actually the only time i like living in the city. Even with the scorching pavements that the hot temperatures bring, it's still better than the noise and crowds of people that are yelling or irritated with each other. Last Sunday we tried going to the beach. What were we thinking. It's Sunday, 11:30 and we tried the beach's to the east. We must of been out of our minds at the time, and if we weren't when we started we were by the time we came home.

Yesterday we started out for the beach at 9:00, and even that was late. But at least got a chance to find some parking. We had been to this beach last yr. It's not to bad, not the cleanest but what can u expect with all these people swimming and no bathrooms. Again this yr I'm not going to even try fitting my ass in a swim suit. So i went with shorts and a top. Now we come down the steps to the sea and one look made me whine as i knew i was going to have nightmares for at least a week. The beach was filled with men over 60's with hairy beer bellies wearing speedos. I look over at my husband and roll my eyes and start whining how I'm never going to be able to close my eyes and not picture this. He's laughing as we go down the stairs. I'm so grateful my husband doesn't wear speedos...but of course that thought maybe me burst out laughing as i seen (yes u guessed it) baby Huey in speedos playing with his under water flashlight. (If u don't get the baby Huey, u really need to read Shopping in Athens, it explains everything.)

Well after getting all settled in. I'm under the umbrella while my husband the little boy inside of him is playing in the water with his mask. I start to people watch. I get to thinking what makes a sixty something hairy man think he looks good in speedos? Lets be real here, speedos don't leave much to the imagination. But, put them on an older man, who's belly is almost covering the bottom, and u start to think, i guess u do need to use your imagination. Than add getting out of the water and there gone. No wait, my mistake, i think i seen a few sitting next to the wife on the blanket, who is giving them a squeeze every time the mans eyes wonder over to see the young girl in the string bikini. But that leaves us to the women who are older who have rolls upon rolls wearing a bikini. I believe in covering the rolls. Please put on a one piece, and u wonder why there are roaming eyes sitting next to u.

After a while i decided to settle into reading. Just as i do that three out of the five people sitting around me light up a cigarette. I'm soooo lucky!!! I wish they had a law about smoking on the beach's, not that anybody would actually follow it. But, u might get a few. Later on my husband comes back from swimming and starts nagging me to put on sun tan lotion. We still had some from last yr that we used. Of course he was wrinkling up his nose when he seen it was only 25 protection. We had argued about it last yr he wanted me to buy the highest at 150...well no it's not really that high, but it's at 56. Just short of that white lotion the surfer guys wear on there nose. I tried to talk some sense into him that i didn't need to be laying there cover in lotion that made me look like the Mitchem tire man, all white with rolls of fat. He finally agreed with the 25. Of course he never wants anything on him self. The macho man who does get burned the first couple times. After his shower last night he looked like a lobster he was so red. Anyways he empty half the bottle on me and went back to swim. In the mean time a little breeze kicked up and the dry seaweed was flying in the air, of course most of it stuck to me. Great!!! I'll never get any color now.

After my husband was done swimming the woman next to us was complaining about her arm. It was swelled up pretty big. She had got stung by a jellyfish...and u wonder why i don't go into the water...no way, nope, not going to happen. Specially this yr. We had heard on the news for some reason there is a lot more than normal jellyfish by the beach's this yr. Something to do with coming from Egypt and warm waters. Doesn't really matter what the reason I'm not stinking a toe in. For some reason everything that bites, stings, or chews seems to find me. I started laughing and ask my husband why he didn't bring his flashlight along? He could of been signing the jelly fish to stay away from the shore line. He didn't find me amusing.

We had stayed for about 4 hours and headed home before the sun got to hot. On the way home i had slapped my husbands hand a few times and told him not to worry i had his weapons in my purse, he didn't leave them at the beach. I must say over all it wasn't to bad of a day, and so far no nightmares but the image is still burned on the inside of my eye lids.