happy friday

I am proud of people in my adopted country this week. First, on a national level, the rights of marriage, inheritance, and adoption have been extended to same-sex couples in Spain. This has been covered widely in the media, so I won't go into detail about this new law, just a big "yay" to Zapatero and everyone who worked so hard to get this passed. :-) Second, on a local level, people in the village took a stand against the Junta de Andalucia and their continued lack of attention to the condition of the 5 miles of road that lead into our town. It is difficult to explain how bad a state this "road" is in, but I will try. Potholes, deepdeep potholes, large enough to swallow my 55-pound precious Boo. Everywhere. Completely eroded shoulders. Car-length sections where the road has slid down the mountain, shutting down an entire lane. Maximum speed reduced to 5 mph. No joke. I typically travel to the coast every two weeks, and every time I am amazed at how much worse the conditions have become since my previous trip. Six weeks ago, the village was finally granted just over one million euros for the repair of the road, and work was to begin in June. We were overjoyed. Except that the work wasn't done. Frustrated, three members of the town council organized a rally of business owners and residents. They brought their own equipment, intending to fill the larger potholes themselves. The townspeople had been warned by officials not to do so because the ownership and maintenance responsibility of the road falls in the jurisdiction of the Junta. But they were not deterred. The Guardia Civil was called in. The people from the village stood firm---for 11 HOURS they blocked the road, demanding a meeting with the provincial authorities. Finally, they were granted an appointment for the following day. The Junta has agreed that the most serious repairs would be made within one week, and the rest of the work addressed within three months. If the urgent repairs are not completed, the town has promised it will organize a second rally. The Junta should remember that this village was one of the last Moorish holdouts during the Inquisition, and the people still have strong convictions. Should be a couple of interesting weeks around here....at the very least, I am looking forward to a much-improved road. :-) Americans out there, enjoy your long holiday weekend. I have been assigned potato salad for the local US contingent's July 4th picnic, which neighbor R. has agreed to host. hasta luego, mylifeinspain