It was November 10, 2025, a Monday. The day before had been windy with a chill in the air though it got up to 60 degrees. The wind was exhausting after several days of it.   That November 10th Monday morning Milo (my labrador mix) and I headed out for our morning walk along a draw near my home.  It was our first real cold day: 15 degrees. The sun was up just enough as to light the top of trees and cast long cold shadows. While some leaves had already fallen, particularly in t

My wife and I are on a vacation tour as I write this.  We arranged for a private drive around the town we were visiting to see some sites that were not part of the official tour.    Our driver, Manuel, was showing us those sites, but also taking time to explain to us foods of the area.  One was Nata, a traditional Portuguese custard yart with a flaky, buttery crust and creamy egg-based filing. Manuel pointed out the most popular bakery that made that pastry, as well as other