Campeones!

Spain pummeled Germany on the field last night to very deservedly become the European Soccer Cup Champions! They played an exciting and beautifully executed game and had the score reflected their constant dominance over the German team, it would have been more like a 3-0 finish. "El niño" Torres' dramatic goal (shown here) was enough, however. Bernardo and I shouted long and loud throughout the 90 minutes and are fairly sure that our unborn child has been well-initiated into the world of futbol.

Europe trembles

...as Spain moves onto the final game of the Eurocopa against Germany this Sunday, having beaten Russia in a beautiful semi-final game in Vienna. It feels like the whole country is a'buzz and each goal sends shouts pealing through the streets of town.

Festival of San Xuan

(above, decorating the fountains of Mieres)

Our town of Mieres has been alive this week with the celebration of its patron saint, John the Baptist. The festivities for the saint's birthday (June 25) are traditional celebrations joined with the pre-Christian celebration of the summer solstice, which involves such events as the burning of the foguera in order to do away with any of the year's maladies which might keep us from entering the kingdom of the sun (now linked to the Kingdom of the Son of God, and thus to the life of Saint John the Baptist). The video clip shows the burning of the foguera in front of our town hall, with traditional Asturian dance and song among the 5,000 Mierenses (people from Mieres) in attendance.

There have been numerous parades through town with traditional Asturian dress and dance, plenty of local cider and the not-so-traditional attraction of bumper cars, bingo and mini-roller coasters installed in the park. The beautiful sounds of troupes of bagpipers have been making their way up to our windows throughout many afternoons this week and the fountains in town have been decorated with flowers in accordance with the belief that the water acquires magical powers and confers youth, beauty, fertility and sight on the eve of St. John the Baptist's birth/the summer solstice. (Two enormous oxen pulled a traditional, creaking wooden-wheeled cart with iron axles through town, carrying the flowers to the town fountains.)

It was a festive week, but we are happy to have recovered our sleep with the conclusion of the nightly concerts in the park, which typically lasted until 2:30am and boasted volumes that defied even the most effective earplugs. Silence at those hours is golden, especially in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

Viva la roja!

We have been spending many nights over the past week watching the European Cup soccer championships and were elated to cheer Spain to a well-earned *v*i*c*t*o*r*y* over Italy yesterday! Viva España! It was a nail-biting finish with overtime and penalty kicks, but we objectively think that the worthiest team came away with the win. On to Russia in the semi-finals this Thursday.

Good news

Our 35-week appointment with the obstetrician brought a good surprise and a great view of the baby. The little guy was able to turn himself around sometime since our last appointment and so we no longer have to plan on a c-section in 3 weeks, but rather will let the little one decide for himself when he is ready to come out and join us. We are thrilled. We also got a clear view of his profile on the ultrasound screen and were overjoyed to realize that he looks just like Alma did. It seems so generous of God to make it that much more visible that both of our children are here with us, even though Alma's earthly life was such a brief one. We can watch our little boy grow and know that he has a lot of his sister in him.

There is something about cake...

...that can make even the eldest among us recover some qualities of childhood.

I brought home a chocolate cake for the two of us to celebrate Berni's birthday with Mario and Roberto on the 16th. Lacking birthday candles (I have yet to figure out where those are sold here), I adorned the cake with just a few of the festive paper-and-toothpick umbrellas that Mom had keenly included in her recent care package. As I ceremoniously entered the dining room, and before the cake had even reached the table, 93-year-old Roberto--who had obviously rapidly scanned the number of umbrellas on the cake and then done a quick head-count at the table-- said, "But don't we each get an umbrella?" He was dead serious. I tried not to betray my surprise as I quickly reassured him that I would be happy to go without one on my piece, which seemed to satisfy the men of the family, who each summarily adorned his birthday slice with one of the tropical-motif umbrellas. They crack me up. And also remind me why birthdays should be well-celebrated at all ages. (Roberto subsequently asked for a second helping of cake, specifically one of the slices with the candied cherries on top. I am not kidding.)

Happy Birthday, Berni!

We dedicated the weekend to celebrating Bernardo's birthday, complete with the perfectly-timed arrival of Mom's care package (full of our favorite teas, cookies, books and an all-American birthday brownie) and a beautiful Sunday afternoon lunching and then walking along the beach in Gijón.

We also include the obligatory visual update of the growth of our little one, as seen through the increasing central expansion of his mom, here 34 weeks pregnant. These days, we do little else than delight in how much of a wonderful presence this little guy already is in our life and how excited we are to have him join us "in full" a few short weeks from now.

Happy Father's Day to our dad, who we are toasting from afar, and to all fathers honored today.

Spring Review

To inaugurate the blog, we have a collection of pictures from the past months, featuring a lovely visit from our parents, a growing belly and some day-to-day images of springtime in Asturias.

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Becky and Charles (Mom and Dad) came to visit us in Spain last month and let us fill their week here to the brim with a road trip along the Asturian coast and then down to the stunning city of Salamanca.

Ribadesella, Asturias

an afternoon in the Plaza Mayor, Salamanca

mass at the Dominican Convent of San Esteban, Salamanca

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All the while, our son continues to grow and bounce around in my belly and fill us with anticipation of his impending arrival.

Sunday in the countryside with shepherd canine entertainment (33 weeks pregnant)

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picture from the spring concert for bernardo's violin students

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That is all for now. I cannot figure out how to upload any more photos. More to come in upcoming days as Bernardo finishes teaching little ones at the conservatory here in Mieres for the summer and wraps up this semester of his music therapy masters program in Salamanca and I finish up work in the hospital and transition into much-awaited maternity leave. We hope that you are all well.